Return of the Crock Pot

I'm always a little nervous each Wednesday.  What will be on special?  Will I be able to find recipes for the blog?  Wednesdays present somewhat of a challenge.  I'll admit I was a bit stumped after seeing the specials this week.  Despite what you might think I do not have a vast repetoire of recipes I've mastered and perfected.  This blog is a learn as you go thing, but it is fun and allows me to venture out of my kitchen comfort zone to try new recipes.  Before I probably had a 6 meal rotation I would spread over a 2 week period and fill in with the occasional Bertolli or frozen pizza.  It was fine, but I got the feeling Colin was tiring of the every other week tetrazinni, enchiladas and spaghetti (maybe it was more like a 3 or 4 meal rotation).

So on Wednesday when I found these specials waiting for me in my inbox, I was excited to see:

• HT marinated, boneless pork tenderloin - $5.99 or $3.99 for eVic members
• Sargento shredded mozzarella - Buy one, get one
• 93% lean ground beef - $2.98/pound
• HT 10 oz. bag curly spinach - 2 for $4
• Fuji or Gala apples - $1.79/pound
• Hot House tomatoes - $1.99/pound
• Romaine Hearts - 3 count pkg. - 3.49
• Classico Pasta Sauce - 24 oz. Tomato and Basil or 15 oz. Alfredo - 2 for $4
• Hunts whole tomatoes - 28 oz - $1.79

But what was I going to make?  The pork tenderloin is an easy solution for one night, but what about the rest of the week?  And that doesn't require a recipe, so does it really count?  My co-worker then forwarded me an email she received from Cooking Light, subject line "16 Best Slow Cooker Recipes," and I was inspired.  Thanks Laura Fauver!

Monday - Crock Pot Chili
Although the Cooking Light email mentioned above introduced several new crock pot recipes, this one comes from Jenny Jordan by way of Make it Easy.  Jenny's directions at end of the ingredient list sum up why I love a crock pot... 

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 pound hamburger meat, browned
• 2 packages taco seasoning
• 2 packages ranch dressing
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cans white corn
• 2 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel mild tomatoes

Put it all in the crock pot and let it cook all day on low. 

I think it would be delicious served with Smitten Kitchen's Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits (you'll also see her recipe for chilli, but how amazing are her pictures???!!!). If you aren't that ambitious or too strapped for time, Pillsbury Grands are buy one, get one.  These don't look too difficult, but they do require a biscuit cutter...wonder if the Halloween/ghost shaped cookie cutters my son received as a party favor would suffice?  My kitchen lacks biscuit cutters.

Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits
I take zero credit for this recipe and commentary.  It is adapted by Smitten Kitchen's Deb, from Gourmet.  They remind me of cheese biscuits my mom used to make.  I'll have to get that recipe from her for future posts.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 
• 1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Drained and chopped pickled jalapeños, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Either cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or rub them in with your fingertips until well-combined. Stir in the cheddar, jalapeños and sour cream until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Pat it out to a 1/2-inch thickness on a very well-floured counter and use a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut six rounds. Bake on an ungreased (or parchment-lined, if your baking sheets are as “weathered” as mine are) for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden on top.

Do ahead: If you’d like to serve them over a couple days, I recommend freezing already formed but unbaked biscuits until you are ready to bake them — you can bake them directly from the freezer, adding just a minute or two to the baking time.

Tuesday - Chili Leftovers...

Wednesday - Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms
I found this recipe on the Cooking Light email Laura sent.  It uses two of my favorite culinary items: a crock pot and no boil lasagna noodles.  I've always been curious about lasagna that cooks in a crock pot.  Could be interesting, but I'm relying on its 4 out of 5 star rating.

Bagged spinach, Sargento shredded mozzarella and Classico tomato basil pasta sauce are all on special!

Cooking Light's Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

 Thursday - Lasagna Leftovers or Pork Tenderloin
The pork tenderloin is pre-marinated so all you would need to do is throw it on the grill or in the oven.  Since the bagged spinach is 2 for $4, you can use what's leftover from the spinach lasagna for a Spinach Salad.  The posts gives two options for dressings.  If doing the spicy dressing, I'd omit the strawberries.

And because apples are on VIC special and we've been talking about a crock pot, I wanted to share this Overnight Apple Butter recipe. It was also included on the Cooking Light email.  As the recipe says it would be a great spread for breads and even pork or poultry, but if mine looks anything like that picture, I see myself eating it straight from the bowl.