January Meeting: Crock Pot Quick & Easy Recipes

Although not really well attended (we'll blame the new year and change up of schedules), January's meeting was a very savory experience. We feasted on 3 different crock pot creations (beef, chicken, and pork represented); and truly had a lovely time. All three recipes are uploaded below, be sure to give them a try.

However, due to the low attendance at the meeting, and the abundance of Sundays this year begging for crock pot cooking, I'm asking for everyone to email me your favorite crock pot dish. We need to beef up that category on this site one way or another.

Please email your favorite crock pot recipes to jodee.leahy@sherwoodfamily.net.

Thank you!

BBQ Pork Roast

Submitted by Patricia Schroeder

pork roast
favorite bbq sauce (might use 1-2 cups total)
brown sugar, optional

Pour about 1/2" layer of bbq sauce into crockpot. Add 2-3 tbs. brown sugar if desired. Add pork roast, cut in fourths if desired. Spoon sauce over roast. Cook on low for ~4-5 hours, turning over a few times. When meat is tender, shred with forks. Add more bbq sauce if needed. Cook another hour or so to allow meat to soak up sauce. Serve on rolls or hamburger buns.

Cran-B-Que Chicken

Submitted by Nicole Sizemore

1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 can BBQ sauce
chicken, 3-4 breasts

Add all together in crock pot & cook. Serve with Veggies, rice, or potatoes as a side.

Sunday Pot Roast/Mexican Meat Mix

Submitted by JoDee Leahy

Pot Roast
1. Sear the roast on all sides in a skillet before placing in the crock pot to seal in the juices and to create some very tasty crispy ends.

2. Place in a crock pot on low for as long as possible(6 - 10 hours). The slower you cook it, the more tender it will be.

3. Do not salt or add water at first. Later if it is still dry in the pot (not likely) you can add about a 1/2 -1 inch of water to the crock pot. More likely you may have to drain some of the juices out of the pot so that the meat is not boiling (that will make it tough). You don't want more than 1 inch of liquid in the pot. Salt in the beginning will also make the meat tough. Sometimes I'll throw a packet of Lipton onion soup over the top for flavoring (however, better to wait to add this till later); but often as not, it tastes great with nothing else on it.

4. If desired, add chopped onions, potatoes, and vegetables, and maybe a little salt, for the last hour or two of cooking, depending on how soft you like them.

5. Cook as large a roast as your crock pot will handle and here's a wonderful recipe to do with the leftovers (from Make-A-Mix Cookbook).

Mexican Meat Mix
5 lbs beef roast or combination of beef and pork roasts (cooked low temp and slow)
3 Tbsp butter
3 onions
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
2 (7oz) cans green chili salsa (I've used regular salsa and it's still great!)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp flour
4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
Juices from beef roasts

Drain cooked meat, reserving juices. Cool meat, then remove bones. Shred meat, and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and green chilies. Saute 1 minute. Add salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt, and cumin. Cook 1 minute over medium-low heat. Stir in reserved meat juices and shredded meat. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Cool.

Put about 3 cups mix each into 1-quart freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at top. Seal and label containers. Freeze. Use within 6 months. Makes about 9 cups of Mexican Meat Mix.

This mix is perfect to use in just about anything Mexican: burritos, enchiladas, tacos, tostados, taco salad, etc. The flavor is fantastic, and I've even used tough meat before (that I cooked too fast on too high a temp) and it still was great. Wonderful on those nights you don't want to cook; just reheat and add some tortillas and toppings.

Orzo Pasta Salad

Submitted by Janet Schlosser (She brought this fantastic dish to the ward Christmas Party)

1 box of orzo pasta (which can be FINALLY found at Wal-mart and Target)
1 bag dried cranberries
one bunch (extremely finely chopped) parsley
one container of feta cheese
one cucumber (peeled and seeded and finely chopped)
one red onion (finely chopped)

Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
Garlic Salt to taste
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1 Tbs dried mint
Dash of salt and pepper
pinch of sugar
1 tsp of yellow mustard

whisk all ingredients and pour over salad mix. Chill overnight but serve somewhat room temperature. Enjoy!

Sausage Balls

Submitted by Patricia Schroeder

1 lb. bulk sausage, hot is best
12 oz. shredded cheese
2 cups bisquick
Mix together in large bowl. It works best to use your hands. Scoop out mixture or roll into balls (aim for about 1-1 1/2" or 2 tsp). Drop onto ungreased baking stone or cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Can be served plain or dip in ketchup or syrup.

Our Christmas Cookies Exchange!!

For December, we met early in the month to exchange recipes and cookies for the upcoming Christmas baking. Heather was a wonderful hostess, providing several really yummy dishes to snack on while exchanging cookies. Check out these adorable penguins she made from olives, carrots, and an herbed sour cream dip.

We also talked a little about making candies, how to test the candy stage using a small cup of cold (or even iced) water. Here's a picture of the 4 candy stages (soft ball, hard ball, soft crack, and hard crack.)
Just a tip, to avoid having your candies turn to sugar, do not scrape the sides of your pan as you're nearing the end of cooking it.

As you will see below we still have a LOT of ladies that have not submitted their recipe yet. PLEASE, ladies; email me your recipes ASAP so I can get them posted: jodee.leahy@sherwoodfamily.net

Also, with the sheer number of dishes this month, I'm sure I've messed up who brought what. Please let me know of any corrections I need to make, and I'll get it fixed ASAP.