The BEST Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

The BEST Crock pot Spaghetti Sauce!

I made this spaghetti sauce yesterday and right after the first bite Shawn asked me if I had written it down yet.  He's such a good husband! (It couldn't just be that he wants to make sure he gets to eat this again, could it?)  I appreciate his praise and his reminders!
This spaghetti sauce turned out spicy and as Shawn described it, the perfect blend between sweet, spicy and Italian flavorings.  It's rich and thick and SOOO easy to make!  I used to doctor up Prego, but now I'm sticking with this recipe! (At least when I can remember to put it in the crock pot first thing in the morning.)
I was able to use our own onions, garlic, and green pepper in this recipe.  I never got around to drying any of our basil this year.  The green pepper was diced and frozen in vacuum packed bags.  The garlic, I keep in a paper bag in my pantry.  The onions are kept in a box in grandma's basement where it's cool, but not cold.



The BEST Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:
1 lb. package of Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage
1 green pepper, chopped
1 (preferably sweet) onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
2 cans Italian style stewed tomatoes (I think Italian style diced tomatoes would work as well)
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can  tomato paste (6 oz.)
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons Italian Seasoning (I recommend Ricky and Lucy's Italian Seasoning Blend, everything is grown just a few miles away from here, fresh, organic, hand picked...awesome!)
2 teaspoons dried basil (Again, use Ricky and Lucy's Basil Blend)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (If you don't use large grained kosher salt, start!  But if you insist on that iodized small grain stuff, you may need to reduce the salt to 1/2 - 3/4 tsp.)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
When you are ready to serve, prepare some Hot Cooked Spaghetti (Ricky and Lucy's sells this too, but I've never tried it) (Don't buy cheap off brand spaghetti, the difference in taste is not worth it.  Costco sells a good one)

Directions:
In a large skillet (I prefer my iron skillet for browning meat) over medium high heat, brown the sausage.  Make sure you actually brown some of it, not just cook till no longer pink.  Carmelization=Flavor
Transfer to a 5 qt. slow cooker.  Stir in all of the remaining ingredients except the hot cooked spaghetti. Break up the stewed tomatoes into bite size pieces while stirring.
Cover and cook on high for about 6 hours.  The onions should be translucent when done.  Note:  The sauce will not taste as sweet when it's finished as when you first mix it together.  Taste and adjust for seasonings as desired.  Enjoy!

Please let me know if you try this recipe and if you like it!

Kelly
Click here for printable version of this recipe.

Brownie in a Jar with Stampin' Up! Deck the halls ...

Kelly Rose, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator: Brownie in a Jar with Stampin' Up! Deck the halls ...: "I've always wanted to make a these gifts in a jar and I learned of this website from another Stampin' Up! Demonstrator with great ideas. I ..."

Microwave Caramel Corn

This is a fabulous treat and so easy to make. Be careful because the caramel corn is extremely hot when it comes out of the microwave.  You'll be tempted to taste it right away, but DON'T...wait till it has cooled.  It's worth the wait.
The original recipe calls for 12 cups of popcorn and the caramel ingredients are doubled.  If you're doing this in a large paper grocery sack, go ahead and double the recipe.  If you're going to do it in a microwavable bowl with a lid, such as the Tupperware microwave cookery stuff, then use just 6 cups of corn and the recipe as it appears here.

Microwave Caramel Corn

Put in 1 qt. measuring cup, or in a large microwavable bowl with a microwavable lid (this is what I do):

½ c. brown sugar

¼ c. butter

2 Tablespoons white corn syrup

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

(All microwaves are slightly different and you may need to adjust your times appropriately) Microwave on HIGH and boil for 2-4 minutes.  ( I do 1 minute, stir, 1 minute stir, 30 seconds remove) Pop 6 cups of corn.  Spray non-stick cooking spray, such as PAM, in a large paper grocery sack.  (I just use my Tupperware microwave bowl with lid that I cook the caramel in.) Put popped corn in bag (in bowl) and pour (stir) caramel mixture over it.  Put in microwave on HIGH for 1 minute; shake; microwave 45 seconds; shake; microwave 30 seconds; shake; microwave 30 seconds; shake.  Pour caramel corn onto a cookie sheet to cool.  (I use a silicone liner in my cookie sheet, so there is no sticking)  Stir while cooling so the pieces separate.

 I'm going to a craft fair tonight to sell my handmade cards and scrapbook and paper craft items.  These treat bag toppers are so adorable and fun to make. I'll be selling a topper kit.  You'll be able to add your own treats to the cellophane bags, assemble your treat toppers as shown here and give away treats to delighted friends! More info on the treat bags here.

Garden Fresh Hash Browns with Herbs, Ham, and Eggs

My husband and I take such delight in gathering our meals in the garden.  This breakfast turned out to be so delicious I couldn't wait to write it down and share it.  The sweetness of the ham and tomatoes combined with the freshness of the herbs and the tang of Gruyere and fresh garlic create a taste bud explosion! If you garden, and I hope you do, then you're going to love this skillet breakfast.  If you don't garden, get these ingredients at a local farmers market.  Enjoy!

Country Garden Hash Browns

This is a great way to incorporate a nice variety of your garden produce and fresh herbs into a scrumptious country breakfast. This recipe serves 2 abundantly, 3 nicely, and 4 rather meagerly; so it should depend on your appetite whether you invite your friends or not. 

Ingredients:
3 medium sized red potatoes, about 1 lb, scrubbed and diced
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 sweet banana pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
Fresh Herbs: Chives & Parsley are what I used
¾ cup diced ham (approximately)
2 Tbsp. shredded Gruyere cheese (parmesan or Swiss will also work well)
Salt
Pepper
Fried eggs (one for each person) or scrambled depending on your preference
1 large tomato diced

Turn stove top heat to medium high. Add olive oil to a 10” iron skillet (or some other type of heavy skillet) to cover the bottom with about 1/16th of an inch deep with oil. Heat oil until it is barely smoking. Carefully add diced potatoes spreading out flat in pan, sprinkle with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and allow the potatoes to cook undisturbed for about 5-8 minutes. Start checking after 5 minutes. Do not stir or turn until the edges of the potatoes are starting to brown. Turn browned potatoes and remove foil. Continue to fry for at least 2 more minutes before adding onion and pepper. Stir to combine. Allow onion to become soft and slightly caramelized. Add ham and minced garlic and stir. Add 2-3 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives and parsley (combined) and stir. When ham is heated through, remove hash browns from the pan to a warm serving plate and sprinkle with cheese. Top with hot fried or scrambled eggs and sprinkle with diced tomatoes.

©Kelly Rose, 2010

Refried Bean Recipe

Last year, the first year of our gardening adventure, we planted pinto beans.  The conversation before planting went something like this...

Me:  I wonder if we planted pinto beans if we would get a pinto bean plant that would grow more pinto beans?
Shawn:  I don't know.
Me:  Do you think we should try it?
Shawn: O.K. Do you have any pinto beans?
Me:  Yep, in the cupboard.
Shawn: Go get 'em.

And that's how we got started.  Our yield was about 3 cups of dried pinto beans. This year, we used the pinto beans that we grew last year as well as some more from the store, so we could compare and planted at least 10 times as much.  Our yield this year is about 70 lbs of dried beans.
We let the bean pods dry out on the plant and then when most of the pods were dry we cut all the plants off at the ground and left they lying (or is it laying?) on the ground to continue drying in the sun.  When we had a threat of rain, we took them into the Quonset hut and layed (or should it be laid...never really learned that one in school) them out on the floor to continue drying.  Once they were completely dry and the pods very brittle, we removed them from the pods by hand.  2 people worked on that project for about 8 hours.  A ridiculous amount of time.  If we continue to grow the beans, we must come up with a better way to get the beans out of the pods.  By the way, I was not one of those 2 people.  But the beans are delicious and it's really fun to eat things that you grew yourself.  Here's my recipe for refried beans...

Refried Beans

1 lb pinto beans
Water
Salt
2 Tbs bacon grease
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
2 onions, 1 inch dice
Heaping tablespoon of lard or Crisco

Rinse thoroughly and pick through the beans. Remove any that are flat, remove any rocks or debris. Put the beans in a pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Heat the beans and water to boiling. Boil for 10 minutes over medium heat. Turn off the heat and let the beans soak for 1 hour in the hot water. After 1 hour, drain and rinse the beans a second time. Return the rinsed beans to the pot, cover with 2 inches of water add 3 large pinches of salt, bacon grease, onions and jalapeño. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 2-3 hours. Add more water if needed. After about 2 hours, start checking the beans for tenderness every half hour. They should be extremely soft before refrying. To refry, add lard to a frying pan, and turn heat to medium. When the fat is sizzling hot, add beans with a slotted spoon and mash with a potato masher. If the beans start to dry out too much add more cooking liquid. Add salt to taste and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for several days.


Hope you enjoy, and I'd love hearing from you...
Kelly

Cucumbers?! Make garden fresh Tzatziki sauce!

Our cucumber plant it going crazy right now and we don’t have any more lettuce! Ah! Yesterday, I thankfully remembered how much I love Tzatziki sauce! It’s a great way to use your cucumbers AND herbs!


Garden Fresh Tzatziki Sauce

1 medium cucumber, grated

16 oz container of plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh dill leaves chopped (oregano is also good to use)

6 fresh mint leaves chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Grate the cucumber then wrap it up in a clean towel, and squeeze to remove the excess liquid. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

Sorry about the bad photo, I'm having camera issues right now...

My favorite way to eat Tzatziki sauce is with the Persian ground beef kabobs, buttery white rice and grilled fresh tomatoes. I make my own “kabobs” by adding egg, bread crumbs, fresh minced garlic, grated onion, salt, pepper, oregano and a tiny bit of tumeric. I’ve never written the amounts for a recipe for this, but it’s approximately one pound of lean ground beef, 1 egg, ¼ cup breadcrumbs, 2 garlic cloves, 1 small onion grated, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper, ½ tsp oregano. Sometimes I will wrap this around skewers and grill, but most the time I just make patties out of the mixture and fry them in an iron skillet. My husband LOVES garlic and onions so he’s especially fond of these little patties. He tolerates the Tzatziki sauce because it has our homegrown cucumbers in it.

I also love to dip warm pita bread in the sauce…try making your own some time or just use a frozen pizza or bread dough to make some flat bread. So delicious!
If you try it, let me know what you think!
Happy harvesting!
Kelly

Community Chickens

I'm so curious to know if anyone out there has ever been involved with community chickens?  You know, like a community garden?  We have space, but no money to invest...and a huge desire to be raising our own chickens to eat and our own organic eggs to use.  I would love to hear from you if you've ever tried it or know someone who has.  I have no idea how it should be organized....any suggestions?