Brownie Cake Pops Made Easy!

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Ingredients:

1 package of your favorite brownie mix
1-16 oz container chocolate fudge frosting20-6 inch Wilton cookie sticks
1 pkg candy melts
Nonpareils, jimmies, sprinkles and/or decorator candies
Directions:
Cook brownie per package directions and then cool completely.
Crumble brownie as best you can so that there are no big clumps at all.
Add 1/2 of the container of frosting to the brownie crumbles. Mix thoroughly. This will help it stick much easier to form a ball.
Form 20 balls (about 1 1/2-2" in size) with the brownie mixture and freeze at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
Insert lollipop sticks into each ball. place back into freezer. 
Melt the candy melts in a double boiler and dip each ball into melted chocolate tapping out any excess and turning continually for several minutes.  Do not set out all of the brownie pops at once...just take out one at a time in order for them to stay cold. This will help the chocolate to set quicker. 
Before the chocolate completely sets, sprinkle with nonpareils and/or jimmies and/or decorator candies.
Allow to cool and harden. Stand up in a cup that has been placed in the refrigerator.
If giving as a gift, place in a small clear candy bag and tie off with matching ribbon.

Crazy Good Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili & Delectable Chipotle Cheddar & Bacon Corn Bread

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This slow cooker pulled pork chili is so easy to make! You literally throw everything into the slow cooker and forget it for 10-12 hours. After that all you do is pull out the pork, shred it up, and add it back in to the chili...super quick and easy! Serve this chili with my Delectable Chipotle Cheddar, Corn & Bacon Corn Bread (click on link to be taken to recipe) for a perfect side. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. Enjoy!



Ingredients:

2-14.5 oz. cans cans fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3-10 oz. cans RO*TEL diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained1-15.5 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed
1-15.5 oz. can navy beans, rinsed
2-28 oz can baked beans
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-4 oz can dice green chilies
1-4 oz can diced jalapenos (optional)
1-1.0 oz pkg taco seasoning
1/4 bbq sauce
1 tbsp red chili flakes (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp smoked paprika (regular paprika will work as well)
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 boneless pork shoulder (2-1/2 lb.)
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1-1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

* I used an 8 quart slow cooker for this recipe. If you have a 6 or 6.5 quart slow cooker, you will need to cut down your recipe and use 1-28 ounce can of baked beans instead of 2-28 ounce cans and reduce the 3-10 oz cans of RO*TEL to 2-10 ounce cans.



Directions:
Combine all ingredients except meat, cheese and sour cream in slow cooker. Add meat; cover with lid. Cook on LOW 10 to 12 hours (or on HIGH 7 hours).

Remove meat from slow cooker. Shred meat; return to slow cooker. Stir.Serve and top with cheese, sour cream, and green onions (optional). 

Easy Savory Oven-Roasted Short Ribs

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Amazingly delicious and tender! These Oven-Roasted Savory Short Ribs are so easy to make. Make a double batch and remove the extra meat to make sandwiches that are out of this world! This is one versatile meat that you can use to make numerous dishes. Enjoy!
Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp fresh garlic, finely chopped2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp salt1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp red chili flakes4 pounds of short ribs, cut into 4 slabs

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200˚F. Rinse the slabs and pat them dry. Combine the brown sugar, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, garlic powder, salt, cayenne and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Center a slab of the ribs on a large piece of tin foil. Pat the spice rub over the ribs, rubbing it in on all sides. Place the ribs meat-side down on the foil and fold tightly into a packet. Repeat for the remaining slabs.

Place the packets on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. Bake the ribs for 4 hours, then reduce the heat to 175˚F and bake for 2 more hours, or until a fork easily penetrates the meat.
Open the packets and pour the juices into a saucepan. Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat and reduce by about half, until they cling to a spoon. Skim the fat off the top and adjust seasonings.

Place the ribs, uncovered, in the broiler on high for 3-5 minutes, or until they have charred slightly. Drizzle the sauce over them, then serve.
Recipe adapted from: www.bitesoutoflife.com

Easy Slow Cooker Korean Short Rib Tacos with Cucumber Oriental Slaw

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Ingredients:
Korean Short Ribs:

5 cloves garlic1-½ whole inches of ginger, peeled and chopped
¾ cups soy sauce½ cups plus 3 tbsp brown sugar
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes3 pounds beef short ribs
Cucumber Slaw:

½ hot house cucumber, cut into matchsticks
½ carrot, cut into matchsticks1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced1/4 cup lite Oriental sesame dressing
red pepper flakes
cilantro, chopped
4 corn tortillasoil for frying
2 Tablespoons cilantro for garnish
Directions:

For the Korean short ribs:
Chop garlic and ginger until minced. Mix with soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.
Place short ribs in slow cooker and pour sauce over ribs. Turn slow cooker on low heat. Cover with a lid and cook for 6-8 hours.
Remove meat from pot, discard bones. Place in the fridge to chill.
Meanwhile, skim fat off the top of the sauce. Place in a sauce pan and simmer until thickened.

Once meat is cool, pull apart with your fingers. Pour about 1/2 cup of the sauce back into the meat. You may serve the extra sauce on the side or discard it.

For the cucumber slaw:

Peel cucumber and chop into matchsticks. Cut carrot into matchsticks as well. 

Mix cucumber, carrot and onions with salad dressing, red pepper flakes and cilantro. Place in regfrigerator.

Add 1 tbsp oil to a non stick frying pan. Heat until oil is hot and add corn tortillas. Brown on both sides. Keep a close eye on them as they cook very quickly. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
Serve meat on a crispy tortilla topped with slaw and additional cilantro.

Recipe adapted from: www.tastykitchen.com

So Simple One Step Slow Cooker Cheesy Sausage Ravioli

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Ingredients: 

1-6.4-8 oz oz pkg lite brown and serve sausage links
1-15 ounce jar four cheese Alfredo pasta sauce
1-24 oz jar three cheese tomato pasta sauce
1-14.5 oz can Italian diced tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley (you can also use dried)
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1-24 ounce package frozen ravioli (any variety)


Directions: Cook sausage links and break up into pieces. Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray. Mix half of sausage pieces, pasta sauces, diced tomatoes, garlic powder, parsley and chopped onion together in slow cooker. Add half of a package of the ravioli, top with 1 cup of the cheese. Top with remaining package of ravioli and 1 cup cheese. Pour remaining ingredients over the top. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve with crispy Italian bread.

Janel's Chile Verde

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Why start this post with sunflowers? My sister Janel and I picked some up at the Sunflower Market grocery store earlier this summer after kicking around at the downtown Salt Lake farmers market where we shared Sudanese food, sipped blueberry lemonade and I bought a tomato that was too expensive. And so sunflowers... time with my sister... and we arrive at... her recipe for Chile Verde.

Wait for it... wait for it... "even though..." the original recipe sounded do-able, there was one step I was like "There's no way." ... "You want me to boil it down, how many times?" ... "Really?!?" Janel has been mentioned around these parts before for making The Columbia Restaurant 1905 Salad for me after I'd had surgery. She's a nice kind of gal like that. Even though her recipe was already the cat's meow, I didn't think I could handle boiling down a roast as called for so I started thinking... "I wonder if this would work in the Crock-Pot."And then "I wonder if pork chops would work as well as a roast?" And the answer is: "Yes." I've made it twice and I think I've got the Cock Pot version down pat!
The beginning of the Crock-Pot phase below. Everybody into the pool!
And "poof" it's done!

Chile Verde1 medium size jar of chile verde salsa (verde = green)2 cans diced chiles (mild)1 yellow onionBlack pepper (fresh cracked)1-2 packages of pork chops1 can of vegetarian refried beans
Add the chile verde salsa to the Crock-Pot. Rinse the jar with about 1/4-1/2 C of water and add the water and the chiles to the Crock-Pot. Next brown the meat, crack fresh pepper on the pork chops while cooking. Cut up the onion in large chunks and add both the meat and the onion to the Crock-Pot. Deglaze the frying pan with water (about 1/4-1/2 C) and add the sauce this creates to the Crock-Pot too. Cook on high for approximately 5 hours. You'll know it's done because the meat will easily come apart with a fork. Add the can of refried beans and stir. Using two forks pull the meat apart into bite sized pieces (or smaller). Allow to cook for 15-30 minutes and serve. 
Serving Suggestions: At our house we serve the Chile Verde as single servings in a bowl, as a hot dip with corn chips. Optional: embellish with fat free grated cheddar, and fat free sour cream.
Source: Janel, my sister (Gracias señorita!), with edits from me.
P.S. A little bit of trivia here, my Crock-Pot will be turning 22 next week.

Drunken Cranberry Apple Pie

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After all of that starchy glorious food from Thanksgiving dinner, what better way can you think to end the day than with a slice of pie, a cup of coffee and a table sprawled with board games.

Mom graciously brought up a praline pumpkin pie.  I'm still coaxing her for the recipe.  I do not believe I can go back to regular pumpkin pie after that treat.

And this apple pie.  This pie may have ruined me for any other apple pies down the road.  Go figure it was inspired by one of Jackie's concoctions at the Beeroness.  Her apple pie still out shines this variation.  She uses a cheddar cheese pie crust.  You laugh.  If you spend anytime in Wisconsin, you would know.  Apple pie and cheddar cheese go hand in hand.  Trust me.

What makes this pie so special, besides the cranberries?  The apples marinade in beer for an added boozy boost.

Enjoy!

Inspired by Jackie's recipe at theBeeroness.com

The Ingredients:
recipe for dbl pie crust
6 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups cranberries
16 oz pale ale or wheat beer, I used Futhermore's Fallen Apple
2 lemons, juiced
2 tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp corn starch
2 Tbsp melted butter

The Process:
Place the apples, lemon juice and 16 ounces of beer in a bowl and allow to soak at room temperature for 2 hours, tossing every half hour to redistribute. Remove the apples from the beer and allow to drain and dry for about 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl combine the apples, cranberries, flour, salt, spices, sugars and corn starch.  Toss to coat and set aside.

Roll out half of the pie dough, line in a  pie pan and press into shape, removing any excess. Add the filling.

Roll out the second disk of pie dough and add to the top of your pie.  Crimp the top and bottom crusts together.  Cut holes to vent steam.  Or try a lattice top.

Brush crust with melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Allow to cool before slicing.