Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili

It's hard to write about how delicious this chili was when I've been dealing with my son's stomach virus all night/day.  So just trust me, this was delicious.  One of those easy crock pot recipes that are comforting, healthy and can feed an army.  I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and when it came time to shred them, they just fell apart.  This isn't your ordinary, same old chili... it's uniquely different with loads of broccoli rabe, sliced red peppers, cannellini beans and parmesan cheese.  

You can find the recipe here.  Now if you'll excuse me, back to Lysol'ing my entire house.

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Crock Pot Chex Mix

If your crock pot isn't full of chili or dip on Sunday, why not throw this easy Chex Mix in there!?  I know... a savory, crunchy snack made in a slow cooker seems insane, but I made it yesterday and it's not insane, it's magical.  Actually, I'm not sure why I made it yesterday because it will most likely be gone before the weekend, but snow days are for making irresponsible food choices, so there.

I followed this recipe and it worked perfectly.  See her note on ventilation to ensure your mix stays crunchy, as mine did.  What snacks are you going to make for the game?      

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Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Let's take a quick break from holiday sweets (whhhyyyyyyy!?) and talk about your crock pot.  This article went around my Facebook feed the other day, and I'm a sucker for anything with the words "you'll never want to live without" in the title.  It's 52 slow cooker recipes - FIFTY TWO!  I plan on trying them all.  And I began the other night with this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken.  (It was just me eating, by the way, me and my four humongous chicken breasts.)  It's delicious pull-apart sweet and sticky chicken with a hint of spice (I should have added more red pepper flakes but I thought JUST MAYBE my kids would eat something other than mac & cheese that night).  I loved it.  So read that article and tell me what I should make next??  

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Company Pot Roast

Now that it's officially fall, with October looming around the corner (already put up Halloween decorations, yup, can't be stopped), I have been cooking more hearty meals.  After all, it's time we start thickening up our bear fur for the long winter!  Am I right, my fellow lumberjacks?  My fellow woodsmen?  Sarah Palin?  I'll stop.  Anyway, a Pot Roast is one of my favorite cooler weather meals.  And who is the queen of PERFECT comfort food?  Ina Garten, of course.

  

I love the title of this recipe.  It sounds so proper.  So Ina.  I imagine her saying to her husband, Jeffrey, "Jeffrey darling, I'm going to whip up some Pot Roast for our company, go get some good wine" and then effortlessly throwing this together in her black button-up shirt.  Well, I recently had company (my sister Hannah) so naturally I had to make this.  It was delicious, for real, I can't count the number of times Carson said, "this is good, this is really good."

  

A few notes: instead of removing half of the sauce and blending it, I used my handheld immersion blender and lightly blended everything right in the pot, making sure to leave some of the carrots in tact.  The sauce is the best part about this meal... extremely flavorful and the perfect consistency.  I made buttery egg noodles and also roasted some vegetables on the side (butternut squash, brussel sprouts and mushrooms) and served them alongside the pot roast and on top of the noodles.          

And while this meal was prepared in a Dutch oven verses a crock pot, here are some of my favorite slow cover recipes for your weekend enjoyment...

starting top left, going clockwise...

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Stew

Slow Cooker Squash Stew

Crock Pot Ribs

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

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Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

The Super Bowl usually falls right around (if not on) my birthday each year.  Which means, I'm pretty blessed with excuses to eat everything I want on that day/week.  This year, I want to try frying pickles, this pizza, and these cupcakes are pretty incredible, too.  Also, the sandwich above!  If you're feeding a crowd for the big game, you must try this fantastically easy recipe from Weelicious.  I think  your family pet could throw this together, that's how simple it is.  Four bone-in, skinless chicken breasts (the butcher at the grocery store can remove the skin for you), 1 cup of good BBQ sauce and a slow cooker.  Done.  Cook on low for 2 and a half hours, shred, serve.  I had leftovers for days which we turned into pizza, quesadillas and simply picked at with our fingers.  Here's the recipe if you need further information, but your pet is making this and your pet can't read, so...

p.s. Super Bowl snack ideas from last year.

p.p.s. Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

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Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu

I can't believe how early school starts these days.  Mid-August and summer is over for kids.  What happened to Labor Day buttoning off the season??  I suppose when my kids are grown and bored, I'll be anxious to send them off to school early.  But for now, I'm trying to cling on to every last minute of warm weather and lazy days outside.  Durrrr, except for this meal I made the other night that SCREAMS fall and was absolutely delicious...

I'm a short ribs girl.  If they're on a menu, I will order them.  So when a reader sent me this recipe for a Short Rib Ragu that you throw in the crockpot and forget about, I instantly bookmarked it.  I was trying to wait until fall to make it, but I am not a very patient person when it comes to food.  Listen, whatever month of the year it is, make this recipe.  Very few ingredients, simple as can be, and a total crowd pleaser!  Now go to school.  (Recipe here.)

p.s. If you can't find boneless short ribs like the recipe calls for, use bone-in ones like I did.  The meat will just slide off the bone once it's done cooking and it only adds to the flavor : )

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