Crock Pot Shredded Chicken with home made BBQ sauce.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil works too)
• 1 small onion sliced thin,  saute'd to caramelize
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chilli sauce
• 1/4 cup bourbon or water
• 2 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste).

Slice onions thin. Toss them into a skillet with a pat of butter and a scant tablespoon of coconut oil. Saute, tossing occasionally, until golden (about 5 minutes) Add minced garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes. In the mean time, in a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, chilli sauce, bourbon, soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard and pepper. Set aside.

Add chicken to a 2 quart sprayed crock pot. Top with onion garlic mixture then top with the sauce. Cook on Low for 3 - 4 hours (my crock runs hot so 2-3 is enough). Check it around 3 hours to see if the chicken shreds easily. Using two forks gently shred the chicken. Mix shredded pieces with all the sauce until well coated. We serve it on buttered, toasted buns with a slice of cheddar cheese (this is Wisconsin after all).

Beef Stroganoff - slow cooker

• 2 pounds beef stew meat (already cubed)
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 bottle (or can) dark beer or one can beef broth
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• vegetable oil
• 1 bag egg noodles
• 1 cup French onion dip
• 1 pint mushrooms (optional)
• 1 bag frozen peas (optional)

Heat about 2 tablespoons oil in skillet. When hot, toss in diced onion and garlic. Cook until translucent. Dump into slow cooker. Fill ziplock bag with flour, salt and pepper, toss in meat and shake until well coated. Dump 1/2 bag into skillet (add 1 tablespoon more oil if necessary) brown meat on all sides (about 6-8 minutes). Toss into slow cooker. Repeat with the other half bag of meat. Pour about ¼ of the bottle of beer into skillet to deglaze the meat/flour bits from bottom of pan. Scrape into slow cooker, then add rest of beer and mushrooms to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Gravy should be thick and meat tender. Add peas, salt and pepper to taste. Prepare noodles per directions. Just before serving add sour cream to slow cooker, mix. Add noodles to slow cooker and mix or put them on the plate and spoon stroganoff mixture over the noodles.

Calico Bean Stew

• 1 pound ground meat (I use turkey)
• 1 pound bacon
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 32 ounces of pork and beans
• 16 ounce can butter beans
• 16 ounce can kidney beans
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Molasses

Cut bacon into bite sized pieces, in a pan fry bacon until soft done tossing occasionally. In the mean time chop your onion. Rinse butter beans and kidney beans in a strainer running water over the top of them until the foam is gone. Leave to drain and dry. Dump baked beans into slow cooker. Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside. Add chopped onion to hot bacon grease and simmer until translucent. Add ground meat. Brown meat with onion until done. Drain. Add meat and remaining beans to slow cooker. Add brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses. Mix well. Cover slow cooker and set to low. Cook 4-6 hours.

*You can also make this in a dutch oven baking at 350 degrees for 2 hours.

Crock - Pot Beef Stew

• 1-2 lbs beef stew meat cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/4 cup flour + 2 Tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 lb potato peeled and chopped
• 2 or 3 large carrots chopped
• 1 (14.5oz) can beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons Gravy Master (or Kitchen Bouquet) 
• 1 bay leaf

1) Peel and chop potatoes and carrots. Place in bottom of crock pot.
2) In plastic bag or medium sized bowl combine flour, salt and pepper.
3) Add meat pieces to the flour mixture, toss to coat completely. Set bowl of flour aside.
4) In the bottom of a fry pan add oil and heat on med high until just before smoking.
5) While oil is heating and meat is cooking mince garlic and chop onion.
6) Add 1/3 meat pieces to the pan and cook until all sides of meat are browned. Remove with slotted spoon to crock pot. Repeat this process until all meat is browned.
7) Lower heat to medium, add garlic and onion to the fry pan after meat has been removed. Sprinkle lightly with a bit of salt cooking until just translucent.
8) Add 1/4 to 1/2 can of beef broth to fry pan and scrape off the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add a small amount of broth to the bowl with the remaining flour. whisk in the 2 additional tablespoons of flour.
9) Add all broth to the crock pot along with Worcestershire sauce, paprika and Gravy master.  Drop in bay leaf.
10) Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours stirring once or twice during the process. (My crock pot seems to run high so I cook mine 4 hours stirring twice.

Crockpot Chicken Paprikash

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts thawed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 1 tablespoon corn starch or flour

Add onions to crock pot. Add chicken, sprinkling with seasonings. Pour chicken broth over top of everything.  Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours.
Shortly before serving, turn crock on high. Stir together sour cream & corn starch. Stir into crock pot cover and heat through (about 30 more minutes).
Serve gravy over dumplings or potatoes.

Savory Cocktail Meatballs

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 medium onion (minced)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon Accent
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 can(s) golden mushroom soup.

Preheat oven to 350ºF .
In large bowl kneed spices into ground beef.
Roll into teaspoon sized balls and place on baking sheet.
Bake approximately 45 minutes until done.
Drain off grease.
In frying pan, slow cooker, or baking dish, top meatballs with mushroom soup and toss.
Heat until warmed.

This is an excellent hot dish for a party all by itself. Serve it over mashed potatoes or egg noodles and you have a great entree. 

Apple Butter

• 20 - 24 apples of mixed variety, peeled, cored and chopped small.
• 1 cup local honey
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon clove
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup water or apple cider

Place chopped apples in large crock pot (if you chop them small enough they will all fit. If not don't worry you can add the rest as they cook down).Top with remaining ingredients.
Toss everything together.
Cover and place crock pot on Low.
Cook whisking occasionally for approximately 20 hours.
After 8-10 hours crack lid to allow some moisture to escape.
For the last 4 hours remove cover and whisk aggressively. Leave cover off whisking occasionally until thick and you can see the whisk marks staying in the butter.
Place in freezer containers (I filled 3, 2.1 cup freezer containers), allow to cool before covering and placing in freezer.
Thaw in refrigerator when ready to use.