Category: Crockpot

Recipes that use a crockpot.

Categories
Appetizer Crockpot Side Dish Snack

Your guests will go hog wild for this amazing bean dip

Frijoles puercos, or “piggy beans,” are made with five pork products, along with some fresh veggies and plenty of cheese. It’s good on tacos or other dishes or just as a bean dip, served with tortilla chips.
Frijoles puercos, or “piggy beans,” are made with five pork products, along with some fresh veggies and plenty of cheese. It’s good on tacos or other dishes or just as a bean dip, served with tortilla chips.

It’s the time of year that Joey’s bowling team comes for their end-of-season cookout at our house.

That means Joey throws something on the grill or smoker, and I figure out some tasty sides and desserts to make them all happy.

The guys are always gracious enough to put up with new experiments from me every year, and when Joey decided he was going to do pulled pork tacos this year, I knew I had a bean dip that needed to be made.

It’s one of those recipes that is absolutely terrible for you, so you only make it when you can spread it out amongst a ton of people and spare yourself the leftovers.

This comes from creator Arnie “ArnieTex” Segovia. He has a cookbook out, and he makes his own seasonings, so you can buy his if you don’t want to measure out what I have below. You can find the video where he make it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18tlP5AM5YQ. I added chicken broth, sussed out the seasonings and added extra chipotle peppers to my version below.

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Frijoles Puercos

Frijoles puercos, or “piggy beans,” are made with five pork products, along with some fresh veggies and plenty of cheese. It’s good on tacos or other dishes or just as a bean dip, served with tortilla chips.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snacks
Keyword bacon, bean dip, chicken broth, chicken stock, chili powder, chipotle peppers, chorizo, cumin, fresh jalapenos, garlic powder, hot dog, Monterrey jack cheese, onion, oregano, pickled jalapenos, pinto beans, pork rinds, restaurant bean dip, Roma tomatoes, salt pork, white onion, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry pinto beans rinsed
  • 7 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 10 ounces chorizo divided
  • 4 ounces salt pork diced
  • 2 strips bacon diced
  • 1 hot dog diced
  • 6 to 8 pork rinds broken into smaller pieces
  • 1 small white or yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 2 Roma tomatoes roughly chopped
  • 2 fresh jalapenos roughly chopped
  • 7 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 3 ounces pickled jalapenos
  • 8 ounces Monterrey jack cheese freshly shredded

Instructions

  • Add the beans, chicken stock, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper to a large crockpot, and stir to combine.
  • Turn the heat on high and let cook for about 30 minutes.
  • Once the stock is heated through, add four ounces of the chorizo and all of the salt pork, bacon, hot dog and pork rinds to the crockpot, and give it another stir.
  • Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
  • Add in the onion, tomatoes and fresh jalapenos and continue to cook on high for another three hours or until the beans, meat and vegetables are all cooked through.
  • When the beans are almost done, add the rest of the chorizo to a skillet and saute until it is cooked through, breaking it apart as you do. Add the cooked chorizo, along with the chipotle peppers in adobo and pickled jalapenos to the crockpot and stir. Turn the crockpot to low or warm.
  • Now, using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, going in batches), blend the entire mixture until it is completely smooth.
  • When no more chunks remain, stir in the cheese, and keep stirring until it is completely melted. Serve with tortilla chips or along with your favorite Mexican dishes.

I was told I made a friend look at restaurant bean dip totally differently after knowing what all was in these beans. That tells you two things: one, these were definitely restaurant-quality and super delicious, and two, bean dip is decidedly not a health food.

It’s not very spicy, despite including the jalapenos and chipotle peppers, and the combination of the fattiness of the pork, along with the fresh veggies and beans is fabulous. Frijoles puercos translates to “piggy beans,” and that’s pretty much what it’s made out of and how you feel when you enjoy it.

And, thank goodness, I was able to load up leftovers and send most of the remaining bean dip off with others to be enjoyed, so Joey and I didn’t have to worry about raising our collective cholesterol through the roof.

It’s great to have friends; it’s even better when they help you eat something that’s a bit over the top.

This first appeared in print May 14, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot

Get your mojo going with this citrus-forward pork recipe

Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.
Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.

I’ve said before that trying to figure out measurements while Joey cooks is pretty much a herculean feat.

He’s a man who always measures with his heart. And, boy, does his heart love our spice cabinet.

That’s perfectly fine with me, though, because he is great at combining flavors, and he’s also the person you want in the kitchen when you know the dish you made still needs “something,” but you can’t quite figure out what that is.

That’s enough compliments for him, though, because as I mentioned last week, he and I decided to have a face-off on who could prepare the best pork butt, and the recipe I’m sharing this week is the one he decided to try.

The good news is I was hovering behind him, writing down measurements as he cooked so that you can re-create it, too.

This was a combination of a recipe from the website “AllRecipes.com,” which you can find at https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/281144/slow-cooker-mojo-pork/ and from an Instagram creator, Nicole Nelson McLaughlin, who posts under @nicolemcmom. Plus, Joey had some adjustments of his own, of course.

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Slow Cooker Mojo Pork

Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.
Course Main Course
Keyword bay leaves, cilantro, cumin, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, fresh lime, fresh oranges, garlic powder, lime juice, lime zest, minced garlic, orange juice, orange zest, oregano, pork butt, pork shoulder, yellow onion, yellow rice

Ingredients

  • 4- pound pork butt roast
  • 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
  • zest from two large oranges
  • zest from two large limes
  • 3/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 cup lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for serving
  • 8 to 10 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • prepared yellow rice for serving
  • 15- ounce can black beans rinsed, for serving

Instructions

  • If there’s quite a bit of fat on your pork butt, you may want to trim and discard some of it (leave a little—fat is flavor).
  • Add the pork butt to a crockpot, and then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients around it. (You can stir a bit to combine things, if you want, but it’ll combine as it cooks, too.)
  • Cook, covered, in your crockpot for seven to eight hours on high or four to six on low until the pork is cooked through and easy to shred.
  • Discard the bay leaves.
  • Shred the pork in the crockpot, and serve the shredded pork and onions on top of the yellow rice and black beans. Top with some of the juice from the crockpot, as well as some fresh cilantro.

The delicious smell of this recipe just completely took over our kitchen. The citrus came through in a really pleasant way to highlight the pork and give it some brightness.

We just ate this in bowls over the rice and beans, but you could put this into tortillas, too, if you wanted to or scoop it up with tortillas chips.

So, I do think our pork butt competition fully ended in a tie. But the good news is that we ended up with two very different kinds of leftovers over the next week or so.

And I definitely had to refill several of my spice containers afterwards, but that’s the price of a great meal.

This piece first appeared in print April 30, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot Main Dish

This kick-butt crockpot recipe should be on your list

Crockpot mushroom pork butt is a home-y, simple dinner that is awesome over a big pile of mashed potatoes.
Crockpot mushroom pork butt is a home-y, simple dinner that is awesome over a big pile of mashed potatoes.

After finding a huge, eight-pound pork butt on sale a few weeks ago, our first inclination was for Joey to throw it on his smoker, as he normally would.

Instead, we debated a bit back and forth about what kind of new recipe we could try, and it turned into what we deemed to be a “pork butt face off.” (Which doesn’t sound very nice, but when you’re creating a weird competition in your own kitchen, you can call it whatever you like.)

We each chose a recipe, and we went to the grocery store to get our ingredients.

Thanks to our love of hosting, we have two large crockpots, so we each claimed one and got to work.

We chose distinctly different dishes for our respective halves of the pork butt.

For mine, I decided I wanted something that was in the comfort food genre—something that was filling, belly-warming and made for great leftovers.

So I landed on a recipe from the blog “The Kitchen Magpie.” You can find the original post at https://fastandslowcooking.com/mushroom-gravy-slow-cooker-pork-butt. This was simple enough that I didn’t do much outside of swapping out the kind of mushrooms and onion the recipe called for.

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Crockpot Mushroom Pork Butt

Crockpot mushroom pork butt is a home-y, simple dinner that is awesome over a big pile of mashed potatoes.
Course Main Course
Keyword baby bellas, crockpot, fresh mushrooms, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy mix, onion, pork butt, pork gravy mix, pork roast, slow cooker, vegetable broth, vegetable stock, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 pounds pork butt roast
  • 2 pounds large whole mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
  • 1 large onion sliced (I used yellow)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or stock
  • 21- gram packet mushroom gravy mix
  • 21- gram packet pork gravy mix
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • mashed potatoes for serving

Instructions

  • Add the pork butt to a crockpot, and place the mushrooms and onion on and around the meat.
  • In a bowl or mixing cup, whisk the vegetable broth with the two gravy packets until it is well combined.
  • Pour the mixture on and around the pork in the crockpot. Add salt and pepper, to taste. (Don’t forget that the gravy will likely have some built-in sodium, too.)
  • Cook on low for eight to 10 hours or on high for four to five hours, until the pork butt is tender and easy to shred.
  • When you’re ready to serve, transfer the pork to a separate plate or dish and cover to keep it warm, and then add all of the liquid from the crockpot to a saucepan. Heat it over medium-high heat.
  • Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water, and slowly whisk it into the drippings in the pan.
  • Once the gravy reaches your desired consistency, taste it and add more salt and pepper, if desired, and remove it from heat.
  • Shred the pork and serve it with the mushrooms and onions over top of mashed potatoes and drenched in the gravy.

This recipe was exactly what I wanted to create. The mushrooms added a great, meaty flavor to the pork, and adding creamy mashed potatoes with a really flavorful gravy was absolutely perfect.

So, did I win the face-off?

Well, yes and no.

Joey and I both really, really liked this, but we both really, really liked his recipe, too. (Don’t worry; I’ll be sharing it with you later.)

I guess a tie, when it comes to homemade dinners, is a pretty great outcome, too.

This piece first appeared in print April 23, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot Main Dish

Easy recipe proves the crock pot is no has-‘bean’

Beans in a pot come together quickly and finish in the crockpot, making for a barbecue-sauce-forward dinner. The recipe can easily feed a crowd or be ready for tasty leftovers later on.
Beans in a pot come together quickly and finish in the crockpot, making for a barbecue-sauce-forward dinner. The recipe can easily feed a crowd or be ready for tasty leftovers later on.

On Jan. 23, 1940, the United States awarded a patent to inventor Irving Nachumsohn’s newest creation: the crock pot.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, it was originally marketed as the “Naxon Beanery,” with its name coming from a shortened version of Nachumsohn’s last name. With the public’s opinions of German last names during the mid-1940s, he figured it was smart to change it a bit to make the device more marketable.

Though the crock pot officially turned 85 at the start of 2025, its popularity is still high.

For us, it’s a great appliance for everything from over-scheduled weeks, where cooking is just not going to fit on the day’s calendar, to hosting gatherings.

I think I had two of them going while we hosted Thanksgiving—one to keep the mashed potatoes warm before dinner and one hard at work turning the turkey bones into stock for soup.

I fired my crockpot up again this last week to try a dish sent in for our holiday recipe section by Wenda Black of Sedgwick.

I am always appreciative of very simple recipes that I can set and forget, and Wenda’s beans in a pot recipe came just at the right time for me on a super busy weekday.

Wenda said, “I’ve made this many times over the past 30 years.” And I can see why. It’s easy to put together and easy to adjust to your own, personal spice preferences.

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Beans in a Pot

Beans in a pot come together quickly and finish in the crockpot, making for a barbecue-sauce-forward dinner. The recipe can easily feed a crowd or be ready for tasty leftovers later on.
Course Main Course
Keyword brown sugar, catsup, chili beans, crockpot, easy meal, fresh garlic, great northern beans, ground beef, ground hamburger, ground sausage, ketchup, liquid smoke, minced garlic, red beans, red onion, slow cooker, Worcestershire, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground hamburger
  • 1 pound ground sausage
  • 2 15.5- ounce cans great northern beans rinsed and drained
  • 15.5- ounce can red beans rinsed and drained
  • 15.5- ounce can chili beans
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke I substituted Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 1/2 medium red onion diced
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Fry the hamburger, sausage and onions in a large skillet until the meat is cooked through, and drain off any fat from the pan.
  • Add the cooked meat and onion mixture to a crock pot, along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix to incorporate everything well.
  • Cook on high for one hour and then on low for one to two more hours. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.
  • Serve in a bowl with corn chips, shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired.

This was a really nice, quick dinner for us this week, and we still have plenty of leftovers.

Joey suggested it would be good over some baked potatoes. I completely agree, so I think that’s how we’ll eat it when we reheat it.

The mixture has a bit of sweetness from the brown sugar and barbecue sauce, but you can also easily add some heat with spicy sausage and hot chili beans.

And it’s a good nod to the Nachumsohn’s “beanery.”

Beans in a pot is just what he had in mind.

This piece first appeared in print Dec. 11, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot Main Dish

Easy crockpot dinner will make you think spice

Pollo in Valhalla is an easy crockpot meal that takes some spicy elements and combines them with chicken to create a hearty dinner. It can also easily be modified for those who prefer a milder meal.
Pollo in Valhalla is an easy crockpot meal that takes some spicy elements and combines them with chicken to create a hearty dinner. It can also easily be modified for those who prefer a milder meal.

I’ve read that one of the reasons podcast advertising tends to work well is because listeners grow to really trust hosts of those shows over time.

I have several shows I listen to regularly, and I refer to the hosts as “my friends I’ve never met.”

Having someone’s voice in your ear on a regular basis makes you feel like you know them.

Such is the case for one of Joey’s longtime listens, a show that started on the radio and has since transitioned to a podcast.

Over the years, even I have begun to recognize the cast of characters as they discuss everything from sports to the newest flavors of Oreos.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise when Joey recently sent me a recipe from the host of said podcast, and I will say, the guy apparently has good taste—at least when it comes to posting crockpot recipes.

This came from Chad Dukes. You can find him on Instagram @dukesthedj. I specified amounts on the seasonings and added black beans to my version.

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Pollo in Valhalla

Pollo in Valhalla is an easy crockpot meal that takes some spicy elements and combines them with chicken to create a hearty dinner. It can also easily be modified for those who prefer a milder meal.
Course Main Course
Keyword black beans, chicken, chicken breasts, chili powder, crockpot, cumin, diced green chiles, easy meal, garlic powder, onion powder, pickled jalapenos, salsa, slow cooker

Ingredients

  • 4 large chicken breasts
  • 2 heaping teaspoons cumin
  • 2 heaping teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 heaping teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 heaping teaspoons chili powder
  • 16 ounce jar spicy salsa
  • 15.25 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 cans diced chile peppers
  • 1 cup pickled jalapenos drained
  • prepared Mexican rice for serving

Instructions

  • Add the chicken to the bottom of the crock pot and sprinkle the seasoning over top.
  • Pour in the entire jar of salsa, along with the black beans, diced chiles (you don’t need to drain them) and the jalapenos.
  • Cook on low for six hours.
  • Shred the chicken and mix into the sauce, and serve over Mexican rice.

This was really good, and if you’re not much for spicy foods, I’d recommend you try it anyway. Just leave out the jalapenos and choose a milder salsa. It was really easy for a quick dinner.

We’ve actually made it twice already. One of the times, Joey threw in some bone-in chicken thighs instead, and he deboned them when everything was ready. It made for a tasty meal.

So, I guess there’s something to trusting those podcast hosts out there, although I’m not sure Joey would be enthusiastic to try out food recommended on one of my regular true crime listens.

He’s convinced I listen to them for research purposes—and not the kind that includes finding recipes.

This piece first appeared in print Nov. 20, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Breakfast Crockpot

You’ll be ‘bacon’ plenty of friends with this hearty breakfast

Making breakfast for a crowd is easy with this crockpot breakfast casserole. It’s a great way to start the day.
Making breakfast for a crowd is easy with this crockpot breakfast casserole. It’s a great way to start the day.

With the Chiefs heading into the playoffs, Joey and I have been planning for our annual get together with our fantasy football league to watch their first game.

In discussing menus for that game, it reminded me that I haven’t shared a fantastic recipe I tried earlier this football season with all of you.

We invited several friends over for a “breakfast for lunch” football day, and in addition to some baked goods, I decided to try what ended up being an easy and fantastic breakfast casserole.

This comes from the blog “40 Aprons” by Cheryl Malik. You can find the original post at https://40aprons.com/crockpot-breakfast-casserole/. I added garlic, green chiles and extra seasoning in my version.

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Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

Making breakfast for a crowd is easy with this crockpot breakfast casserole. It’s a great way to start the day.
Course Breakfast
Keyword breakfast for a crowd, crockpot, diced green chiles, eggs, frozen hashbrowns, garlic, garlic powder, half and half, sharp cheddar cheese, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bacon diced (or sub in ground sausage)
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 ounces canned diced green chiles drained
  • 26 ounces frozen hashbrowns
  • 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 12 eggs
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat and saute the diced bacon until it’s crispy. Line a plate with paper towels and place the cooked bacon on it.
  • Remove all but about one tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan and add the diced onion. Saute until it’s cooked through, and then add the garlic. Saute for a couple more minutes and then remove the pan from the heat.
  • Coat the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray and layer in half of the hashbrowns. Add half of the shredded cheese, half of the onions, half the chiles and half the bacon. Repeat. (I saved a bit of the cheese and did a final layer on the top of mine.)
  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, half and half, garlic powder, salt and pepper until it is well combined.
  • Pour the mixture evenly into the crockpot.
  • Cook the casserole on low for eight hours or high for four hours. When the eggs are cooked through, serve immediately or turn the crockpot to warm until you’re ready to eat.
  • (Side note: If you don’t have time for the crockpot, follow the same steps with a deep nine-by-13-inch casserole dish. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about one hour or until it’s cooked through.)

This was fabulous, and it reheated great, too. It was a hit with our football friends, and it was a great addition to the spread of breakfast items we had available. We ate too much, hollered at the TV together and had a great time.

I still don’t know what our playoffs lunch spread will look like, but no matter what, I’m so excited to see our friends again, hang out in the basement and cheer on the Chiefs.

This piece first appeared in print on Jan. 12, 2023.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot Main Dish

These tacos must ‘birria’ your next new dinner recipe

The process of making birria tacos is simplified a bit with the use of a crockpot for this recipe, but all the rich flavors are still there to enjoy.
The process of making birria tacos is simplified a bit with the use of a crockpot for this recipe, but all the rich flavors are still there to enjoy.

A few months ago, I was introduced to the deliciousness that is birria.

Birria, according to the “My Latin Table” website, is a Mexican dish that traditionally uses lamb but is often made with beef, too. The article goes on to note that it can be eaten as a soup or made into tacos.

The reason birria is so delicious is that, as the meat cooks, it creates a delicious stock that is served as either base of the soup or as a side for dipping the tacos. Between the spices, reconstituted dried chile peppers and beef, you almost want to pour yourself a glass and drink it. (But I didn’t do that. Because that’s weird.)

After trying birria at an amazing Mexican restaurant, I decided I wanted to give the recipe a try myself. Being short on time, though, I opted for a slightly less-than-authentic version that relies on a crockpot. Either way, this turned out absolutely amazing. I was so sad when the final container of leftovers exited our refrigerator.

This recipe comes from Nicki Mejia. You can find her on Instagram under “tastewithnicki.” I added extra seasonings and changed the directions slightly in my version.

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Birria Tacos

The process of making birria tacos is simplified a bit with the use of a crockpot for this recipe, but all the rich flavors are still there to enjoy.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword adobo, all spice, allspice, bay leaves, beef, beef roast, chiles de arbol, chili powder, consomme, corn tortillas, crockpot, cumin, garlic, garlic powder, guajillo peppers, Monterrey jack cheese, oregano, slow cooker, tacos, thyme, tomatoes, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds beef roast
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon pepper
  • 4 teaspoons chili powder
  • 4 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons adobo
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon all spice
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 16 ounces beef broth or stock
  • 6 dried guajillo chiles
  • 3 dried chiles de arbol
  • 1 half large tomato
  • Monterrey jack cheese shredded (for serving)
  • Corn tortillas for serving

Instructions

  • Combine the roast, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, adobo, oregano, thyme, all spice and garlic powder in your crockpot. Pour the beef broth over top of everything in the pot.
  • To prepare the chiles, pull the stem off of each one and shake out as many seeds as you can.
  • Add the chiles to a medium-sized pot and cover them with water. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for about five minutes or until the chiles are soft. (Do not get rid of the water you boiled the chiles in!)
  • Add the softened chiles, tomato and about one cup of the boiling liquid to a blender or food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth.
  • Pour the chiles mixture into your crockpot. If the liquid isn’t covering the ingredients in the crockpot, add more of the boiling liquid until it is.
  • Cook for eight hours on low or four hours on high.
  • When the roast is done, shred it with a couple forks.
  • To make the tacos, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray it lightly with cooking oil. Dip a corn tortilla in the stock. Place it in the hot skillet and sprinkle on one to two tablespoons cheese. Put a large spoonful of the meat mixture onto half of the tortilla and carefully fold it over. When the tortilla is browned to your liking, gently flip the taco over to brown the other side. When it is done, transfer the taco to a warm plate.
  • Continue until you have as many tacos as you want to serve for your meal. Serve the tacos sprinkled with a little extra cheese and alongside a small bowl of the stock for dipping.
  • Refrigerate any leftovers.

Like I said, the flavor of these tacos is absolutely phenomenal. They weren’t at all spicy, but you could easily kick them up a notch with some salsa. Birria is also traditionally served with fresh diced onions and cilantro, if you want to add some color.

The trick for the leftovers is to wait to put the actual tacos together until you’re ready to eat them rather than assembling 100 percent of them right away and storing them in the fridge. They assemble just as easily as leftovers as they do the first time.

And if you are having any trouble finding the dried chiles mentioned in the recipe, try looking in the Hispanic foods section of your local grocery store. They’re normally sold in big plastic bags in that area.

Despite looking complicated, birria tacos were actually very simple to make, and they bring a little bit of a wow factor to the dinner table. Put this one on your list for your next taco night this winter.

This piece first appeared in print on Dec. 8, 2022.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot Main Dish Soup

‘Peas’ your tastebuds with a spicy crockpot soup

Spicy black-eyed peas are a great way to warm up on a cold day and are even better with some fresh cornbread on the side.
Spicy black-eyed peas are a great way to warm up on a cold day and are even better with some fresh cornbread on the side.

There is enough debate about black-eyed peas that there’s actually an article about them on the Library of Congress website.

It starts out very simply, asking, “Are black-eyed peas really peas?”

The answer is simple: “No.”

The article then goes into a very technical, scientific explanation of how peas, beans and legumes are classified and named. It’s great reading if you want to take a nap.

But I suppose no matter what their official classification, their presence in our house every New Year’s Day is a constant, as they are supposed to create good luck in the coming year.

Obviously, with all the craziness over the past year, I must have not cooked them quite right in 2021, so I’m hoping this year’s recipe was a better one.

I decided to go with a spicy version of black-eyed peas this year, mostly because I had some jalapeno peppers languishing in my crisper drawer already. You can leave those out and just add another bell pepper and cut out the cayenne if you want to try this recipe and you’re not much of a spice person, but if you like a little heat, you’re really going to like this one.

This recipe from Trisha Haas comes from the blog “Salty Side Dish.” You can find the original post at https://www.saltysidedish.com/slow-cooker-black-eyed-peas/. I added extra spices in my version.

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Crockpot Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

Spicy black-eyed peas are a great way to warm up on a cold day and are even better with some fresh cornbread on the side.
Course Main Course
Keyword bacon, bell pepper, black-eyed peas, cayenne, crockpot, cumin, garlic, ham, jalapeno, oregano, slow cooker, soup, spicy, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces dry black-eyed peas
  • 3 beef bouillon cubes
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bell pepper diced (any color)
  • 1-2 jalapeno peppers diced (remove the seeds for less kick)
  • 1 cup ham chopped
  • 6 slices bacon chopped
  • 3 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Add the beef bouillon cubes to about 1 cup of hot water. Smash the cubes before adding them to a large crockpot along with five more cups of water, and then add all of the rest of the ingredients, as well. You do not have to do anything to prep the peas. Just dump them in.
  • Give the mixture a good stir and then cook on high for six hours or until the peas are cooked through.
  • This is fantastic served with fresh cornbread.

The photos on the recipe’s website show a mushier-looking soup without a lot of broth. I had a decent amount of broth with mine, so it’s really more about what you prefer with yours if you let it cook down even longer to really get the liquid thinned out. Personally, I love having broth with soups like this so I have something to soak up with my cornbread.

This was so, so easy, since it was as simple as just dumping everything in the crockpot. It literally took no cooking skills whatsoever, which I appreciate sometimes.

Now, with our bellies warmed, supposedly Joey and I are covered for 2022 and all the luck life can bring us. I’m not sure if it worked, but I have some leftovers in my freezer just in case we need a boost in the coming weeks.

This piece first appeared in print on Jan. 13, 2022.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot Main Dish

Pantry clean out calls for finally using my noodle

Crockpot lasagna is easy to put together and creates a great, hot dinner without standing over the stove for hours.
Crockpot lasagna is easy to put together and creates a great, hot dinner without standing over the stove for hours.

After weeks of opening my pantry and sighing deeply at the mess and disorganization, I finally pulled every last item out this past weekend.

Joey came into the kitchen to find boxes, bags and containers on every countertop.

“Today’s the day, huh?” he said, and then he wisely made himself scarce.

He knows better than to get in the middle of my crazy when I’m trying to organize.

As I dug through the pile, I discovered several things. One: At some point, I purchased corn starch, forgot I purchased corn starch and purchased corn starch again. Two: I have way more cupcake liners than I thought I did. And three: For some reason, I spent some time in the past collecting half-full boxes of lasagna noodles.

I’m not really sure what to do with my wealth of cornstarch, and the cupcake liners are now tucked away in a much better location, so I turned my attention to the lasagna noodles, but since I’d already spent a bunch of time cleaning, I decided I needed an easy recipe to try.

The one I found fit the bill: a crockpot lasagna.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Big Oven.” You can find the original post at https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/easy-crockpot-lasagna/229584.

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Crockpot Lasagna

Crockpot lasagna is easy to put together and creates a great, hot dinner without standing over the stove for hours.
Course Main Course
Keyword crockpot, easy dinner, mozarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, slow cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 3-4 cups mozzarella cheese divided
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese I used low-fat
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 cup fresh spinach cut into ribbons
  • 24 ounces spaghetti sauce
  • 6 to 9 uncooked lasagna noodles I used a combo of regular and oven-ready

Instructions

  • In a large skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the ground beef, along with the onions.
  • While the beef and onions cook, add 2 cups of the mozzarella, the ricotta, parmesan, egg, parsley and spinach in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
  • Once the beef is cooked through, drain off as much fat as you can, and add the minced garlic, sauteing for a few minutes.
  • Add the pasta sauce and 1/2 cup of water to the skillet. (To really help clean out the jar, pour the water into the jar after you dump the sauce in the pan, and swish it around before adding it to the pan, too.) Add any seasonings you want to spice up your pasta sauce. (I added oregano, basil, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to mine.) Cook the sauce for a few minutes to let it all heat through.
  • In a large crockpot, add about one cup of the sauce to the bottom. Layer in as many noodles as you can fit in a single layer (break them, if necessary).
  • Spread half of the cheese mixture on top.
  • Add about two cups of sauce and add another layer of noodles.
  • Finish out by spreading the second half of the cheese mixture on and topping with the remaining sauce.
  • Cook on low for four to five hours or until your noodles are cooked through.
  • About 10 minutes before serving, top with the rest of your mozzarella and cover to let the cheese melt.
  • (I ended up putting this together the night before we wanted to eat it and refrigerated it in my crockpot. I plugged it in and cooked it on high for four hours, since it started out cold, and it cooked up great.)

This was pretty darn good, made for great leftovers, and it took way less time than a traditional lasagna. You could easily kick this up a notch with fancier sauces or subbing in half the ground beef with sausage, too.

And now I’m down to just one partial box of lasagna, which fits my newly organized aesthetic much better. I still sigh when I open my pantry, but it’s a sigh of happiness now.

This piece first appeared in print on Dec. 16, 2021.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Crockpot Main Dish

There are ‘polenta’ of options for this pork dish

Slow-cooked pork ragu is served over a creamy polenta to create a delicious, warm dinner with tons of flavor.
Slow-cooked pork ragu is served over a creamy polenta to create a delicious, warm dinner with tons of flavor.

It’s amazing how much variety we have at our fingertips at our local grocery stores.

There are so many options and ingredients that you’d think no one could ever miss out on finding something they wanted, but as is sometimes the case, I hit a brick wall with this week’s recipe.

I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a pork ragu served over creamy polenta, but when I looked at our grocery store, the only polenta I could get was the pre-made kind that definitely isn’t creamy.

So I turned to the Internet to find a solution. Surely there had to be a locally available ingredient I could use to make creamy polenta.

Of course, someone had the solution: coarse grind cornmeal. And I figured out that Bob’s Red Mill makes just such a product, and it was available right here! The website I found claimed that you just used coarse grind cornmeal the same way you use polenta, so I immediately bought a bag. 

And it worked…sort of. If you can’t find actual polenta like I couldn’t, here’s my advice: buy the coarse grind cornmeal, but double the amount of it rather than substituting it one-to-one with the polenta.

I was so ready to eat when I took the lid off my pot of polenta and realized it was more in the “soupy” category than the “creamy” one. So, if you decide to make the swap, I highly encourage you to use three cups coarse cornmeal so you can get dinner on the table on time.

This comes from the blog “White Plate, Blank Slate.” You can find the original at http://whiteplateblankslate.com/pork-ragu-with-creamy-polenta. I modified the recipe by changing up the spices a bit and by using a crockpot instead of the stovetop for the bulk of the cook time.

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Pork Ragu over Creamy Polenta

Slow-cooked pork ragu is served over a creamy polenta to create a delicious, warm dinner with tons of flavor.
Course Main Course
Keyword asparagus, bay leaves, creamy polenta, crockpot, crushed tomatoes, garlic, parmesan, pork butt, pork shoulder, rosemary, thyme

Ingredients

Ragu Ingredients

  • 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 6-8 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup red wine I used a Cabernet-savignon
  • 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes
  • 3 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves

Creamy Polenta Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk I used skim
  • 4 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 1 1/2 cups coarse polenta or 3 cups coarse grind cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup parmesan grated, plus more for serving
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cut any excess fat off of the pork shoulder and then cut it into three large pieces. Season them with salt and pepper.
  • Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a stock pot or Dutch oven and saute, turning each piece to evenly brown each side.
  • Remove the pork from the pot and place in a large crockpot and drain off any accumulated fat.
  • Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and saute for about five minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze it. Cook for another five minutes and then add the tomatoes, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves, smashing the tomatoes as you stir.
  • Add the mixture, along with two cups of water, to the pork in the crockpot. Cook for two and one-half to three hours on high or five to six hours on low.
  • When the pork is done, shred it with two forks, and stir it back into the sauce, adding salt and pepper to taste and removing the bay leaves.
  • For the polenta, add the milk and chicken stock to a stock pot or Dutch oven and bring to a very low boil. Add the polenta or corn meal, whisking constantly as you add it. Once the polenta is well-combined, place a lid on the pot and remove it from heat. Don’t open it again until 20 minutes have elapsed.
  • Remove the lid and add the butter and parmesan cheese, whisking until everything is well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve the ragu over top of the polenta in bowls, topping with a bit more parmesan.

This was so, so good, and it made a ton of food. We’ve been enjoying lots of leftovers over the past week, and the ragu would be great as a freezer meal, as well.

I’m sure plenty of polenta purists would say that I didn’t really come up with a worthy substitute, but I’d say that being able to swipe my credit card locally instead of online made it worth it. Plus, it was darn delicious, so polenta or not, this recipe earned an A-plus in my book.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 21, 2021.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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