Wild Rice Chicken and Mushroom Soup

Moving forward, my blogs will be based on expiring inventory and the recipes that I find to use up those items. Wild rice and mushrooms were on the list this week. I chose to use a crockpot rather than my InstantPot because wild rice takes so long to cook at 6500 ft elevation. I ended up adding heavy whipping cream instead of the flour roux and some pepper. So, so good. :)

https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-wild-rice-soup

Cuban Style Slow Roasted Pork

Picnic Roast can be fattier than a shoulder roast so I've been trying to find ways to cook it that make it irresistible. I typed "Picnic Roast" on Pinterest and came across this Cuban Pork recipe. Wowser! This is probably one of the best marinades I've ever tried. I wish I had the time to follow all the steps to the letter (i.e. marinade time, oven time to get it cooked and charred), but I settled for the good ole crockpot instead and it turned out great! I served with some rice and salad (with homemade Blue Cheese dressing). Definitely ruined my diet this weekend; I couldn't stop eating it! I think it was also extra good since it was from one of our farm raised hogs. :)

http://www.lordbyronskitchen.com/cuban-style-slow-roasted-marinated-pork/

Slow Cooker Apple BBQ Ribs

Recipe #2 countdown of my bushel-full of Macintosh. This was an out-of-this-world recipe and thank goodness it was in the crockpot because we ended up having an extra busy, but productive day around the ranch. I used onions from the garden as well as applesauce from the Yellow Transparent apples. I added potatoes to the bottom (also from the garden) and garlic & pepper, for a well rounded meal. Probably one of the best rib recipes I've had in a while. :)

http://cincyshopper.com/slow-cooker-apple-bbq-ribs/

Slow Cooker Gumbo

We had just enough okra from our garden to make a nice big pot of gumbo. I added some tiny potatoes and tomatoes from the garden as well as chicken broth, salt and rotel. Now I don't have to cook for the week. lol

https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/slow-cooker-gumbo/

Dr Pepper Ribs (Slow Cooker)

I had seen recipes for Dr. Pepper ribs and decided today was the day to cross it off my bucket list. So I thawed out some pork ribs, threw them in the crockpot and "wa-la", 6 hours later (on high), perfection! I (accidentally) omitted the brown suger, but in all honesty, don't think it needed it. What a wonderful 5 ingredient dish. Definitely one of my favorite (easy) crockpot meats. It would be a great idea for a party (such as Super Bowl.....).

http://www.cupcakediariesblog.com/2015/11/crock-pot-dr-pepper-ribs.html

Baked Beans (Pioneer Woman)

The hubby always has a can of Bush's baked beans during grilling season--until now.  I recently made this recipe for a party and now I'm being told that this "needs" to be in our fridge at all times. haha. This recipe can also be called Calico Beans because I used 4 cans-red kidney, canellini, pinto and northern. I think the bacon, apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard are what make this such an amazing dish. Definitely one for bbq's and easy to throw in a crockpot for the day.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/the-best-baked-beans-ever/

Spartan Tri Tip Chili

As I continue my quest for tomato recipes, and in combination with the hubby's weekly manager's special finds in the meat department, I found this awesome tri tip chili recipe (also known as Texas chili). It has over 20 ingredients (plus I added black beans), but it was well worth it; onions and tomatoes were from our garden. Cut up the tri-tip into cubes and put everything in the crockpot  the night before. It was our first cold and rainy day of the fall season, so it really hit the spot when we came home from work. Topped with a little cheddar cheese, avocado and sour cream, this one gets a thumbs up and perfect for any party. Plus, I just like the name "Spartan chili"--a man's chili. :D

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/230778/spartan-tri-tip-chili/

Slow Cooker Apple Butter Pulled Pork

Last year, my hubby brought home 350+ apples that he and the teenager picked. After freezing some, creating many, many apple dishes, making applesauce, apple bbq sauce and apple butter, I'm finally down to a handful of jars of apple butter and bbq sauce. So I began to peruse Pinterest and came across this recipe. The hubby and I both agreed, it is possibly the best bbq pulled pork we've ever tasted. If you try any recipe that I have tried, this one is a MUST! So grateful to those cooks who are creative and post to the internet for people like me to try. :)

http://backtoherroots.com/2015/02/13/slow-cooker-apple-butter-pulled-pork/

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut Reubens

So-here's the other half of "his vs hers" dinner. It's almost embarrassing how easy this recipe was; literally just salt, pepper, sauerkraut and pork roast in the crockpot all day, then using rye bread (or pumpernickel), horseradish (or garlic cheddar) sliced cheese from the deli, thousand island and a panini maker made several day's worth of meals that the boys willing ate over and over. It was a huge hit....and again...can't believe such a simple meal kept the family satisfied for so long. Definitely need to find more recipes like that! :)

North Carolina Barbeque

I love trying new recipes and Jason loves the manager's specials at the grocery store so we make a great team--he buys the surprise foods and I get to figure out what to do with them :) So these blogs will essentially be my "recipe box" that I will share with you and retrieve for me later. I will highlight my favorites as "must-haves" and "keepers". Those will be the ones I will definitely make again.

I'm not a fancy blogger (with step-by-step photos, instructions, etc...). It will mostly be links to websites and pictures of recipes I snag from magazines/books. 

Today is from one of my "must-have" cookbooks. As a busy mom, wife and career woman, I consider the Crockpot to be one of my essential kitchen tools. I found the Fix It and Forget It Book for slow cookers and love it! It's especially great for those on a budget. Definitely worth the purchase. :) 

Since my hubby grew up on Virginia Beach and up and down the North Carolina coast, he requested North Carolina Barbeque today for the pork loin roast he bought. In the Crockpot now...can't wait for dinner!