slow cooker autumn chili

I know I've been slacking, but I'm on vacation, so fuck off. Today I'm posting the recipe for my awesome slow cooker chili. It makes a great meal by itself, great in burritos, as a dip for tortilla chips, or as a topping for burgers/ baked potatoes/ hot dogs. This is one of my favorite things I make because its so easy and delicious and versatile. And, as usual, it can be customized to suit your tastes. Oh and don't forget to give yourself an extra hour to soak and rinse your beans.

The Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground pork sausage
- 1 12-16 oz bag dry pink beans, soaked and rinsed
- 1 can sweet kernel corn
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 green pepper finely chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- hot sauce to taste


The Rundown:
- In large skillet, brown meats, adding chopped veggies (not corn) when meat begins to brown.
- In seperate small bowl, mix spices and water, add to meat skillet when mostly browned. Stir well often and allow to liquid to almost completely cook out.
- Combine crushed tomatoes, corn and beans in slow cooker, adding meat misture when done.
- Add your hot sauce, stir well and let it sit 4-6 hours.
- Top with cheese, sour cream, whatever. Its YOUR chili now :)

pecan coconut pie filling

Pecan pie is my favorite pie. And since I love cocnut too, I started adding it to my pecan pie recipe and it rocks. This recipe can be used for pies or for filling pastries.

The Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups sugar

- 1/4 cup corn syrup (light or dark, up to you)

- 1/4 cup butter

- 2 tbsp cold water

- 2 tsp cornstarch

- 3 large eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

- 1/4 cup coconut

- 1 ready made pie crust

The Rundown:
- Preheat oven to 350 F

- spray pie plate (9") with cooking spray, lay down piecrust

- in medium saucepan, mix sugar, corn syrup, butter, water and cornstarch

- stir well until just boiling, remove from heat

- in mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy

- add vanilla, salt, pecans and coconut

- slowly mix in sugar mixture, stir well.

- pour into piecrust, bake 45-50 min, til center is set

- cool completely before serving

**-If youre going to use it to fill pastries, bake JUST the filling in a well greased 9" round baking pan at 350F for 40 min, stir well and then fill your pastries and bake according to pastry directions.**

picadinho in a slow cooker

I'm not exactly the most open minded person when it comes to what I'll eat. I'm picky, I have a lot of pet peeves and the appetite/ eating habits of a toddler most of the time. Except for when its a good plate of picadinho served with some buttery yellow rice, portuguese bread and a big bowl of portuguese olives. My half portuguese/ half brazilian husband introduced me to picadinho when we first started dating and I still can't get enough of it. Other than bbq chicken with rice and fries, it's pretty much the only thing I'll order when we're at a portuguese restaurant. I decided that I needed to turn picadinho into something I could cook at home, so I developed this slow-cooker modified version of the traditional recipe. This is for a 6 qt crock pot, adjust as needed for a smaller or larger one.

The Ingredients:
- red cooking wine (one bottle of Holland House red cooking wine works for this)

- 32oz beef stock (I happen to like Kitchen Basics)

- 2 large potatoes, cubed (skins on)

- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

- 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets

- about 20 frozen cooked shrimp (be your own judge of size and amount)

- 1 lb chorizo (about 2 good sized links), sliced into 1/4" rounds

- 2 lb boneless pork or beef roast, cubed

- olive oil (for frying sausage and roast)

- your spice rack (the usuals are great for this: seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder)


The Rundown:
- put carrots, cauliflower and frozen cooked shrimp in bottom of slow cooker

- in large skillet, cook sliced chorizo until browned

- add cubed roast and potatoes to skillet for a few minutes, adding spices as you see fit

- do NOT drain.

- add contents of skillet to slow cooker

- add cooking wine and beef stock, stir well

- set for 6-8 hours (stirring occasionally if you're home)

- serve with yellow rice and portuguese rolls (for dipping)