Why not keep the Crockpot out?

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of the slow cooker/ crockpot/ working woman's best friend. It's just the easiest thing to cook in and produces phenomenal results with minimum effort. There is nothing better than coming home after a long day to house that is filled with the smell of stewing meat and promises of a delicious dinner. I owe my mom for this little obsession, and I am on a journey to spread the good news! You can imagine how excited I was to happen to pop into my friend's house the other day, only to find her slow cooker (a handmedown from moi) on the counter and obviously being put to good use.

I know many people used their slow cooker over the weekend for the big game, since it is a must for sports parties. So, why not keep it out for dinner this week and make these delicious short ribs. After cooking all day, they are absolutely falling off the bone and tender enough that you could cut the meat with a butter knife. Plus they cook in a wonderful sauce that is chock full of veggies and also makes a fantastic gravy (Brad ate the leftover gravy over rice and even froze some he liked it so much).

Again, this really took minimal effort and you could easily do it before leaving for work (grilled meat - best perfume ever, men will be falling over themselves). I just busted out my big grill pan and seared the ribs on all sides, then dumped them in the pot along with the other ingredients and forgot about it for 8 hours. Presto Changeo - Dinner is served!

Ale-Braised Short Ribs

Slightly adapted from Slow Cooker - Williams Sonoma

Serves 6

4-5 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs

salt and pepper

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced

14.5-oz. can diced plum tomatoes, with juice

12-oz. dark beer

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup water

• Preheat grill pan (or broiler).
• Grill (broil) ribs, turning once, about 3 minutes per side.
• Place ribs in slow cooker.
• Place onions, garlic, squash, tomatoes and beer on top of ribs.
• Cook for 5-6 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
• Remove ribs and veggies from pot, and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Skim off any excess fat with a slotted spoon.
• Turn heat to high, and whisk together the flour and water.
• Whisk water mixture into sauce and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve gravy over ribs and veggies (can place everything back in pot if desired).

Tuscan Ribolita with Tomato Garlic Bread

Everybody pull out your slow cookers yet again, I have a heck of a soup for you to try. It's hearty and warm and will give your house the most mouth watering smell. Forget lilac, I want a ribolita candle. It's also very quick to throw together and is fairly healthy considering it is totally meat-free and has lots of veggies and beans (you know how the song goes...).

I made this the other day when the hubby and L had another one of their little jam sessions, and  we all thought it was completely soul satisfying and perfectly flavored. The hubby even said that it was better than the soup he gets for lunch most days at Hale and Hearty. Considering these are on just about every corner of NYC, my culinary ego is feeling a little puffed today. :) This is the first recipe I've made from this cookbook, so I will definitely be going back for more.

I normally serve a soup up with some kind of sandwich or salad, as I usually don't find soups satisfying enough on their own. Every meal needs something to literally bite into, not just sip, in my opinion. But the bread cubes in the ribolita really do the trick and make it hearty enough in its own right. Nevertheless, I made up some toasted bread and rubbed it with tomato and garlic to serve alongside. For something so simple, it sure tasted good and the tomatoey bread was a great compliment to the soup.

Tuscan Ribolita

Adapted from Slow Cooker - Willams-Sonoma

1/4 cup olive oil, plus some for drizzling

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

6 cups canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch kale or savoy cabbage, coarsely chopped

4 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

Salt and pepper

3 cups day-old crusty bread

Parmesan cheese shavings (optional)

• Warm olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan.
• Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat once the liquid begins to boil.
• Place beans, kale, carrots, celery, and thyme in slow cooker.
• Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
• Add in the broth.
• Cook in slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
• Stir bread into soup about 10 minutes before serving.
• Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
• Optionally, each serving can be drizzled with olive oil and parmesan shavings.

Tomato Garlic Bread

Slices of crusty bread (I used ciabatta)

Garlic cloves, peeled

Tomatoes, halved

EVOO

Coarse Salt

• Lay the slices of bread over a grill pan for a few minutes on each side until they are toasted and have nice markings.
• Rub each piece of toast with a garlic clove then the cut side of the tomato half.
• Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and follow with a sprinkle of salt.

Gotta Love the Slow Cooker

I know I love mine! It's one of my favorite wedding gifts, and God's gift to busy (or lazy) cooks. Isn't it the greatest feeling to come home after a long day and for your house to be filled with yummy smells? Not to mention the fact that you haven't touched a pot in 8 hours. It's like someone lovingly came over and made you dinner and it was ready the second you walked through that door. Plus, slow cookers always make way too much food, so you have leftovers that only get better as the week goes on.

In this cookbook I have, there are like 20 different beef chili recipes. I have only made one before and it turned out more like a pasta sauce instead of a chili, so this time I wanted to go for one that looked a bit more meaty. And boy was this sucker meaty! It's more like a stew than a chili really. The recipe says that you can add an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce to make it more tomatoey (I can make up words, right?). I didn't, but I liked it chunky. We served ours on top of some steamed rice, and it was a big hit. Great leftovers for days too.

Favorite Chili

Adapted from Fix-It and Forget -It

2 lbs. coarsely ground beef

2 16-oz cans red kidney beans

2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

1 green pepper, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tbsp. chili powder (more or less depending on personal preference)

1 tsp pepper

2.5 tsp salt

• Brown the meat, drain and set aside.
• Place ingredients in slow cooker in the order listed and then stir briefly just until combined.
• Cook on High for 5-6 hours, or Low for 10-12 hours.
• Optionally top with sour cream & cheese, and serve with rice.