Slow Cooker Review....and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Slow Cooker Review.....and a GIVEAWAY!!!

You guys!!! I'm so excited about my new slow cooker from Bera-tek Industries! This 5-quart Hold & Go Slow Cooker is AWESOME! And look how pretty! I was excited to get this because we had plans to go to a pot luck and what I wanted to take was a slow cooker meal but I dreaded lugging my heavy slow cooker across a big park. Then look what appeared in the mail! This little red surprise! Not only did it turn out a wonderful meal, but it's lightweight enough that it was so easy to carry! The crock part of it lifts out for easy cleaning, too! The handle is comfortable and secures the no-spill locking lid down perfectly. Plus...there's a nifty lid holder built into the handle! Within minutes of arriving at the potluck, I had three different people comment and ask questions about it. My old slow cooker is just about shot so getting this was perfect timing! 

And now for the REALLY fun part! I get to give one of these beauties away today! They are perfect, not only for your everyday home use, but for tailgating, family dinners and picnics! Check out this awesome slow cooker here: http://www.beratek-industries.com/hold-go/

All you have to do to enter, is hop over to my Facebook page, Simple Fare, Fairly Simple and "like" and "share" the giveaway post at the top of the page, then "comment" on the thread telling me what you'd make in this the first time you use it. Easy-breezy!!!

Giveaway will end Thursday, October 1st when I pick the lucky winner! Make sure you watch for a notification from me!

U.S. residents only.

Here it is all pretty and shiny...right out of the box!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's IT Guy carrying our new little friend to the potluck! 

 

 

 

And look! Front and center!!!

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

What Mexican food meal would be complete without refried beans? IT Guy was born and raised in Arizona and I lived there for 13 years so we are well versed in refried beans. In other words, we LOVE them! Making them is so easy and they're so much better than the canned kind. You can whip up a little or a lot. And did you know you can freeze them? Yup! Use them as a side for your next Mexican food meal. Fill a flour tortilla to make burritos....or use them on nachos! So many ways to use them....you just gotta try them!

Slow Cooker Refried Beans




2 cups pinto beans ~ rinsed
6 cups water
1 small onion ~ diced
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
1 - 2 cloves garlic ~ minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 teaspoons salt ~ (or to your preference)

Place all ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on high for 4 - 5 hours.

When beans are done, pour them out onto a rimmed cookie sheet to cool.

When beans are cool enough to handle, spoon them out with a slotted spoon into a blender, reserving liquid.

Run the beans through the blender until desired consistency, adding reserved liquid if the beans seem dry.

If you don't have a blender, use a potato masher to mash the beans. The texture will be more coarse but won't affect the flavor.

Add extra salt if needed.

Serve as a dip with cheese and salsa or as a side dish for Mexican food.

Makes about 5 cups of refried beans.

 

Let's cook some beans!

 

Put everything in the crock pot.

 

Cook on high for a few hours.

 

Then pour the beans onto 

a rimmed cookie sheet. This 

is just a faster way to cool them.

 

Then run the beans through the blender.

Reserve the liquid in case you need

to thin the blended beans. 

 

 Blend to desired consistency. 

Add more salt if needed.

 

Serve them any ole way you choose!

Southern Style Peach Cobbler

I had a friend ask me the other day if I had a good peach cobbler recipe. She needed one because her daughter had requested peach cobbler for her birthday. It's funny...because I had JUST been thinking the day before how I need one here on SFFS. I love a cobbler with a yummy biscuit topping....so here you go! This went super fast at our house and my friend, being who she is...got an advance copy of this recipe for her daughter's birthday dessert. She served hers with Dairy Queen soft serve ice cream which I thought was GENIUS!!! This is so yummy right out of the oven but truth be told...it's yummy heated up in the microwave, too!

Southern Style Peach Cobbler



6 cups peaches ~ cut into large chunks (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Place peaches and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients then sprinkle over the peaches. Stir to mix then pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.



For the topping

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter ~ cut into small pieces
1/2 cup boiling water

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.

Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is coarse.

Pour the boiling water into the flour mixture and stir until it comes together.

Drop topping mixture onto the peaches in large spoonfuls. Not every part will be covered but it will come together as it's baking.

Sprinkle some sugar over the top of the cobbler.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

 
Let's make a cobbler!

 
Combine the peaches and lemon juice. 
Then combine the sugar, brown sugar, 
 cinnamon, nutmeg and corn starch. 
Sprinkle over the peaches the stir to mix.

 
Pour peach mixture into a pan.

 
Mix together the flour, sugar, brown 
sugar, baking powder and salt.

 
Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, 
cut the butter into the flour mixture 
until the mixture is coarse.

 
Pour the boiling water into the flour 
mixture and stir until it comes together.

 
Drop topping mixture onto the peaches 
in large spoonfuls. Then bake!

 
Scoop and eat!

Fajita Burritos

We're all about all things Mexican food in the SFFS house. One of MY favorites is fajitas! I love that sizzling skillet of veggies and meat...all smokey when it's brought to the table. I feel like it's a rather healthy choice over say....enchiladas (which I also love) that are usually smothered in some kind of sauce. I can opt to use the tortillas or not, but basically I love the whole thing. So scooping up all the ingredients into a big ole tortilla to make a burrito is a great way to have fajitas the easy way. Make them all up, cover with foil and pop in the oven to keep warm. IT Guy even took one in his lunch the next day and heated it up in the microwave. This is a really yummy and easy thing to throw together for a crowd, too!

Fajita Burritos



1 pound fajita beef
3 bell peppers ~ sliced
1 medium onion ~ sliced
1 fajita mix
1/4 cup water
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup cooked rice
Burrito sized flour tortillas
Shredded cheese
Salsa

In a large skillet over high heat, saute the veggies in a little olive oil until slightly blackened and tender crisp. Remove to a plate.

In the same skillet over medium high heat, cook the beef until done.

Add the water and the fajita mix and stir. Add salt and pepper.

Add the veggies back to the pan and stir to combine.

Assemble burritos in flour tortillas with meat mixture, rice, cheese and salsa.

Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

 

Let's go!

 

Saute the veggies then remove to a plate.

 

Now cook the meat.

 

Add the water and fajita mix to the 

meat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Then add the veggies back to the pan.

 

Stir to heat through.

 

Now start building the burritos. 

I added salsa inside of mine.

 

Chow down! serve with salsa, 

sour cream and guac!

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

This is almost a one-pot meal, right here. Other than cooking the pasta in a separate pan, this really is super easy and super good and all cooked in one dish. Even my non-tomato loving #1 Son enjoyed this. I think sun-dried tomatoes have a more intense flavor than regular tomatoes...almost a sweet taste...so maybe that's why he liked this dish. I love things like this because if you want more chicken, add it! More or less pasta? Yep. Throw in more cheese if that's what makes you smile. Try this soon...I think you'll like it!

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta



3 chicken breasts ~ cut into chunks
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil~ diced
2 garlic cloves ~ minced
1 cup half & half
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces pasta ~ (I used bow-tie) cooked
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, season the chicken with the paprika, salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add a couple of tablespoons of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to the pan then add the diced tomatoes and garlic.

Cook for about a minute then remove to a plate.

Add a little more oil to the pan then add the seasoned chicken and cook until chicken is done.

Add the sun dried tomato/garlic mixture in with the chicken.

Pour in the half & half, add the shredded cheese, basil and red pepper flakes and stir until cheese has melted.

Add the pasta and stir to combine.

 

Let's cook dinner!

 

Add a couple of tablespoons of 

the oil from the sun dried tomatoes 

to the pan then add the diced 

tomatoes and garlic. Cook for 

about a minute then remove to a plate.

 

Season the chicken with 

some salt, pepper and paprika.

 

Cook the chicken. Then add the sun 

dried tomato mixture back to the pan.

 

Pour in the half & half, 

add the shredded cheese....

 

...basil and red pepper flakes 

and stir until cheese has melted.

 

Add the pasta and stir to combine.

 

Plate it up and chow down!

Long Boy Burgers

As you may or may not know....I'm related to a bunch of carnivores so as always, I'm forever on the hunt for ways to satisfy them. And here's one way I found that makes them pretty happy. Instead of a boring hamburger, switch up the name, add a few fun ingredients and you've got yourself a Long Boy Burger! These are SO easy to make....so tasty and like I said...make meat-eaters happy-happy!

Long Boy Burgers



4 sub sandwich rolls ~ split in half lengthwise
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 slices bacon ~ cut in half
2 cups shredded cheese

Heat oven to broil.

Arrange split sub rolls on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler for 1 - 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the onion, Panko bread crumbs, milk, egg, 1/2 of the bbq sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the ground beef and stir until well mixed.

Divide meat mixture into 8 equal portions.

Place meat mixture evenly onto toasted bread making sure the meat is spread to edges.

Brush remaining bbq sauce onto meat.

Place a half slice of bacon on top of the meat.

Turn oven to 400 degrees.

Bake burgers for about 30 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted.

 

Okay...let's cook!

 

Mix together the milk, Panko, egg, 

milk, egg, 1/2 of the bbq sauce, 

garlic powder, salt and pepper.

 

Add the ground beef and stir until well mixed.

 

Divide meat mixture into 8 equal portions.

 

Place meat mixture evenly onto 

toasted bread making sure the 

meat is spread to edges. Brush 

remaining bbq sauce onto meat.

 

Place a half slice of bacon on top of the meat.

 

Bake!

 

Sprinkle with cheese and bake a little more.

 

Then eat!

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

I'm not a huge apple pie person....I'd rather have chocolate. But IT Guy loves it so I make it for him from time to time. I had some leftover cake mix from another recipe so I used it as a topping for this pie. Remember "dump cakes"? Well...I guess you could call this a "dump pie". It turned out really good and yes..I managed to eat a slice. Or two.

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie



5 – 6 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (I used Gala apples)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup dry yellow cake mix
1/3 cup caramel sauce (I used ice cream topping) plus extra for drizzling
1 cube butter ~ melted
1 pie crust (I used ready made but homemade is fine, too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice and vanilla.  Set aside.

Arrange pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan and drizzle with the 1/3 cup caramel sauce.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch.

Sprinkle sugar mixture over apples then pour into the crust.

Sprinkle dry cake mix over the apples the drizzle the melted butter over the top.

Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and the apples are done.

Cool to room temp, slice then drizzle with extra caramel sauce.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.


 

Anyone for pie?

 

Slice your apples then mix together 

the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, 

nutmeg and cornstarch and sprinkle 

over the apples. Toss to coat.

 

Arrange pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan 

and drizzle with the 1/3 cup caramel sauce.

 

Add the apples.

 

Sprinkle dry cake mix over the apples.

 

Then drizzle with the melted butter.

 

Bake!

 

Cool, slice and eat! Don't 

forget the ice cream!