Wilbur Beans

Michael and I don't go out to eat very often. It is just not an expense we can justify. Our big splurge usually is getting take out Chinese which is a lot of food for $10. But a few weeks ago we went to an art exhibit opening and after were starving so we decided to check out the new BBQ place....Famous Dave's BBQ. It is a national chain that I have eaten at when visiting my parents in Minnesota. It is kind of funny because the place they built it was a BBQ before it but went out of business. Anyway we had dinner there and it was very good. Both of us really liked their Wilbur Beans.

I was digging around in the freezer last week and saw we had some ribs so I put that on the menu. I then of course thought of the beans we had at Famous Dave's and decided I wanted to make something similar to them as they would be so good with ribs. I scoured the web for recipes. I had a can of Bush's baked beans that I just wanted to doctor. I didn't really follow a recipe but got some ideas.

I took 1 can of Bushes baked beans, 2 cans of pinto beans - rinsed and drained, a small can of diced green chilies, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, mustard, garlic, chopped onion and some smoked sausage as I didn't have any bacon. I threw it all in the crock to cook for a couple hours. It turned out so well that I am sure I will be making them again.

Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings is the ultimate comfort food for winter. I have found lots of recipes for chicken and dumplings that uses cream of chicken soup and although I use canned creamed soups at times I have been really wanting a recipe that used cream or half-n-half. So then found one with half and half but still didn't look like it was exactly what I was wanting so I combined a few recipes to make this one. Michael and I enjoyed it thoroughly as it warmed us during the cold winter evening.


Chicken Mixture
1 1/2 cups frozen peas & carrots
1 cup frozen green beans (optional - I had them on hand so threw them in last moment)
1/2 cup chopped onion
14 oz. can chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. margarine or butter
2 tbsp. half & half (I use fat free half & half)
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 2" pieces

Dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. margarine or butter
1 cup milk
1/4 cup minced fresh herb leaves such as parsley, chives (I didn't have any one hand tonight so left out - and it is optional they taste good with or without)

In crockpot add onion and butter. In medium bowl, combine chicken broth, half & half, flour and spices and blend well until smooth. Pour over onion and butter. Add chicken. After cooking for six hours add frozen carrots, peas and green beans. Cook for 1 more hour until chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center.

30 minutes before serving mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add (optional) herbs. Microwave butter and milk for 1 minte 30 seconds to 2 minutes until just warm in a large bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix with a fork or knead by hand two to three times until mixture just comes together. Take spoonfuls of dough and drop into on the surface of the chicken mixture. Cover, cook on High for 20 to 25 minutes until dumplings are cooked through. They will be fluffy and a toothpick inserted should come out clean.

Easy Italian Stew

It is getting cold and fall is here so soups and stews sound delicious. Sometimes I just want something easy not a lot of chopping and prep time and this recipe is just the answer. It has great flavor.

Browned and crumbled 2 Mild Italian Sausages (if you want it more meaty add more sausage but there is so many good things in this I didn't need more then 2 sausages)
1 can (14-15 oz)chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) white beans - drained and rinsed
1 can (14-15 oz)diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 package of stir fry peppers and onions
1/2 package of frozen green beans
basil to taste
1 cup cooked elbow noodles

I threw everything except the elbow noodles into the crock and cooked on low for 6 hours. The last 5 minutes I added the cooked elbow noodles and then served in bowls with some grated Parmesan cheese on top.

This could easily be done on the stovetop too but I love my crockpot.

Spicy Shredded Pork

A while back we picked a pork roast that was HUGE and on sale! Anyway, I cut it half and did half in the oven roasting it with veggies. And the other half I did in the crockpot and shredded it. I ended up then freezing quite a bit of it. Yesterday I took some of the shredded pork out of the freezer and made it into a yummy spicy dinner. I put the shredded pork into the crock with a can of diced tomatoes with the juice, a cup of chicken stock, a can of rinsed black beans, a can of diced green chili peppers, 1 chipolte pepper chopped, some garlic and onions and then cumin and oregano. I simmered in the crock for about 2 to 3 hours (since pork was already cooked) and then served it on tortillas with cheese, shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Honey Lemon Chicken

I don't really follow a recipe when I make Honey Lemon Chicken I just kind of throw it together...

I take a package of chicken parts (I usually do thighs or breasts) and seasoned the front and back of them with grillmate (I like grillmates because it has all the seasonings in it that I wanted - thyme, garlic, onion, paprika, pepper). I took 2 lemons and sliced them up - usually I put a slice or half of slice under the skin but I was in a hurry when I made it and so just cut them up and tossed them in. They weren't as lemony as they usually are but still tasted really good. I squeezed some of them over the chicken before tossing into the crock pot. Then drizzled about a 1/2 cup of honey over the chicken. Poured some chicken stock into the crockpot too. It was maybe 1/2 cup. And then let it cook...I think it was 7 hours I let it cook and the chicken was falling off the bone. I basted it with the stock a few times through out the day but I have done it without touching it and it turned out fine.

I don't brown the chicken. I am so into quick and least amount of dishes used is better. So I don't brown it. I just do the above and it usually turns out golden and full of flavor.