Triple Crock Meat Appetizers Triple Threat

I have 2 fabulous triple crock pots. My husband hates them. They weigh a ton and he has to carry them up from the basement when I need them.  But I love them. They are fabulous for entertaining.  My crocks are like the 2nd one shown below, the long one (but mine are red).  I gave my older sister the round one below for Christmas because I thought it would be good for her and her partner when they take the nieces and nephews for sleepovers. Easy to put up different dishes at once.  Wish I could justify buying one of the round ones. It takes up so much less room. Great price - just $29 too. (click pic to buy one for yourself!)

Anyway... I've got 3 very simple recipes you can do for your Super Bowl Party. Nice, meaty recipes, because after all, the guys want meat - right? And you could get all 3 of these done and in the crock in under half an hour. 

Farberware 3-crock Round 1.5qt. Oval Slowcooker, Stainless Steel

 

 

 

 

FarberWare 3-Crock 2.5Qt. Triple Slow Cooker

 

 

These are basic recipes and you probably already have your own version of some of them, if not all of them.  But now and then I find someone who has never heard of kielbasa and brown sugar. Seems impossible! That delicious candied meat treat is unknown to some, but it's true.  The best part about these appetizers, you pretty much dump them and leave 'em. So here we go with a triple threat of meaty appetizers for your triple crock! (Of course, you don't have to have a triple crock. And these can easily be made on the stove top as well)

 

Note: I use ground mustard a lot in recipes. Make sure it's powdered and not the seeds.

 

 

Kielbasa and Brown Sugar

 

2 links kielbasa, Polish sausage, sliced

1 box brown sugar, light or dark (I prefer dark)

2 tbsp. ground mustard powder

1 tsp. black pepper

 

Slice up the kielbasa and put in the crockpot. Place all the ingredients on top. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or on high for 2 - 4. Stir occasionally.

 

I prefer the kielbasa sliced thin, but it's a matter of preference.  You can use turkey kielbasa, it's great. Less greasy.  There are endless variations out there of this recipe. I find the bit of mustard and pepper help to cut the sweetness just a hair.

 

 

Drunken Wieners

 

3 packages little smokies or any kind of cocktail frank

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup beer, of your choice

 

Put cocktail franks in the crockpot. Place all the ingredients on top. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or on high for 2 - 4. Stir occasionally.

 

Again, this recipe lends itself to easy variation.  Adding a specialty beer will add a little extra flavor. 

 

"Baked" Ham in Brown Sugar

 

4 ham steaks

1/2 box brown sugar (light or dark)

3/4 cup honey

1 large can sliced pineapple rings

3 tbsp. ground dry mustard

approx. 12 maraschino cherries

3 tbsp. juice from maraschino cherries

 

Dice up the ham into bit size pieces. Put into the crockpot.  Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl.  Pour over the ham.  Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or on high for 2 - 4. Stir occasionally.

This is also the same glaze I use if I was making an actual baked ham. Perfect!

 

 

See - simple. But oooohhhhhhh so yummy!

 

Enjoy!

 



Broccoli Craisin Salad

This is a favorite recipe of my big sister's.  She usually makes it in the summer time, but it can be made any time of year. It's a salad where the "green" is broccoli instead of some form of lettuce.  I think it's a great choice for your football party since people often offer raw broccoli as part of a crudité.  This is a nice twist.

It's a simple recipe with simple ingredients and lends itself to easy add-ons and customization.  You can whip it up in a snap and even make it ahead the day before.

Salad:
5 to 6 cups fresh broccoli florets                                       
1/2 cup craisins                                                                
1/2 cup sunflower seeds                                                 
1/2 cup crumbled bacon  (I used microwave bacon to make it easier)

Dressing:
1 cup mayo (would not recommend Miracle Whip, it would be too sweet)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. vinegar (I used apple cider, but white would be fine)


Cut up florets that are overly large. Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Add sugar a little at a time until the sweetness is right for you.

Pour dressing over salad and mix to combine. Either serve right away or cover and refrigerate.

Tip: I added a dash of lemon juice to the dressing, though my sister's recipe does not call for it. My hubby liked the lemon. It's a matter of preference.

You could easily add other items like shredded carrots, a combination of broccoli and cauliflower, pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds etc.  It's an easy recipe, but always a hit.

Enjoy!

CrockPot Posole Recipe

I bought a tin of Crockpot recipes from an online store. It was on clearance and I figured, why not?  Even though we are picky eaters and I know we aren't going to like a lot of what's in there, I expected I could get some good ideas just the same. (We're not big fans of cream of whatever soup).

Well, naturally, it's full of stuff my family won't eat. We don't do anything spicier than your basic spaghetti sauce. lol! But I figured I'd share some of the recipes with you even if I haven't tried them myself because they seem simple, and if you like that sort of thing, pretty good.

I'm going to start off with Posole.  Posole, or more accurately, Pozole, means "hominy".  It's a pre-Columbian stew/soup from Mexico.  Hominy is dried corn kernels (maize as opposed to the sweet corn we are used to eating as a side dish) that has been treated with lime or lye.  This process makes it shed its hull and swell up. When it's ground up, it's used to make hominy grits.  But we're not using that kind for this recipe. We want them whole.  Goya, a popular ethnic food brand, makes canned hominy, so if your local supermarket carries that brand of products, there is a good chance they will carry canned hominy.  If not, try Walmart.

This recipe could not be more simple.

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder or loin, cubed
3 cans (14 oz ea) white hominy, drained
1 cup chili sauce

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in your crockpot. Cover. Cook on Low for 10 hours or High for 5 hours.

That's it. That's all there is.  Easy, huh?  Actually, if I could think of something to substitute for the chili sauce, I might try it.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Crock*Pot. The Original Slow Cooker Recipe Card Collection © 2011