My house has been under siege by some sickie germs the last few weeks. Like seriously under siege people…I’ve had at least one child home sick at least 2 days each week since the week before Halloween. They seem to be passing it back and forth to each other all while my husband and I are trying to stay out of the line of fire. Somehow he’s managed to stay healthy (knock on wood); I’ve had a few feeling run-down moments, but thanks to a few good nights’ sleep and daily shots of Emergen-C I seem to be managing fine as head nurse in charge.

I have to admit though, I’m kind of over it. I want my kiddos healthy and back in school. Like now.

I really can’t complain though. Thankfully the only symptom is a lingering fever, and for anyone who’s a mom of little ones, there is something about having your kids home sick from school – they become your babies again with lots of snuggles on the couch in front of the television or in your bed. I’m actually loving that part. It gives me a great excuse to be lazy. But I’m not so sure if that’s a good thing or not (don’t look now, but the laundry pile is getting pretty scary).

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The last couple of weeks I have made it a point to make at least one of our weeknight meals in the crock pot. Sort of a little personal kitchen challenge I guess you could call it.

I found this recipe on Skinnytaste last week when I was working on this roundup of slow cooker chicken recipes for Babble. When I saw it I looked at the ingredients and knew that I would have to try it out on the family very soon. It’s a very simple and straightforward recipe, my favorite kind, and once everything is in the crock pot the only thing left to do is cook up some rice and you are good to go!

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#4 Bbq Pulled Pork and Chipotle Onion Sandwiches

Bbq Pulled Pork and Chipotle Onion Sandwiches
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

(Printable Recipe)

1 Boston butt or pork shoulder roast (4-6lbs, depending on the size of your slow cooker)
1 large onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 whole, crushed garlic cloves
1 cup water
your favorite Barbeque sauce

1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons of oil
2 teaspoons of chipotle chili powder
couple – few dashes of Tabasco Chipotle hot sauce

Place pork roast in the slow cooker; add water, sliced onion, salt and pepper and garlic cloves. Cover and cook on low for about 9 to 11 hours, or until very tender. Drain all juices off, discard any fat and bone. Shred or chop pork. Continue cooking on high for about 1 hour.

Prepare onion topping by adding 1-2 tablespoons of oil in non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add onions to pan, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until soft. Add 2 teaspoons of chipotle chili powder and a couple of dashes of Tabasco Chipotle sauce to onions. Combine and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. If onions are sticking to bottom of pan, deglaze by adding a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to pan.

Serve shredded pork on potato rolls with your favorite barbeque sauce, top with caramelized chipotle onions.

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This week is the last week of the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner Wednesday Challenge.  I was pretty happy to see that this last week’s recipe was one that I’ve been wanting to try.  After seeing Julie & Julia with me, my husband requested I make Beef Bourguignon.  Although it sounded and looked delicious in the movie, I wasn’t sure if a dish like it would just casually enter my weekly dinner menu.  Well it did.  And it was surprisingly simple enough thanks to Mr. Crockpot!

I successfully transformed the Beef Bourguignon recipe given to me by the Beef people into a slow cooker meal.  I usually turn away from recipes that call for beef browning, but this time I planned ahead and browned the beef cuts the night before and stored them in the slow cooker bowl in the fridge over night.

The next morning I dumped in some carrots, onions, mushrooms, wine and seasonings and plugged in.  It was so easy and I can’t tell you how thankful I was when I got home from a really busy day of running around to the smell of beef stewing in wine.  It was well worth the extra effort the night before, I promise.

I have never had Beef Bourg (as I will lovingly refer to it as from this point on…that is one long word!) before so I don’t know what to compare it too.  I omitted the bacon in the recipe to save on some calories, and added extra carrots and onions.  Instead of beef broth, I added 1/2 cup of water to the beef drippings in the pot I used to brown the meat, deglazed the pot and added the flavored liquid to the slow cooker.  After cooking on low for 8ish hours, the meat was totally fork tender.  It was delicious, and so were the mashed potatoes I made to go with it.

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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon and Simply Mashed Yukon Golds

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 hours
• Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Beef
• Method: Slow Cooker
• Cuisine: French

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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon – this comforting and flavorful classic dish made in the crock pot.

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef chuck shoulder pot roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 cups Burgundy or other dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons dried marjoram leaves, crushed
• 8 ounces baby carrots (about 1–3/4 cups)
• 8 ounces fresh pearl onions, peeled or frozen pearl onions
• 8 ounces mushrooms, cut in half if large
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

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Instructions

1. Lightly coat beef with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in stockpot over medium heat until hot. Brown 1/2 of beef; remove from stockpot. Repeat with remaining beef, adding oil as needed. Remove beef from stockpot and into slow cooker; season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup water to stockpot and deglaze beef drippings.  Add this broth to slow cooker.
2. Stir in wine, tomato paste, garlic and marjoram. Add carrots, onions and mushrooms.
3. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

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Notes

Recipe adapted by Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner

If your family enjoys beef for dinner, check out these recipes:

Cheesy Southwest Beef and Potato Skillet

Beef and Spinach Stuffed Peppers

Skinnytaste Slow Cooker Picadillo

Mississippi Pot Roast

Hard Cider Pot Roast with Mushrooms, Carrots and Onions

Simply Mashed Yukon Golds
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

8 yukon gold potatoes, quartered on halved (depending on size)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 -3/4 cup lowfat milk
2 TB non fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 TB butter (I use Smart Balance)
4 garlic cloves, pressed
chives, optional

Place potatoes (with skin on) in pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Place cooked potatoes into mixing bowl (I use my handy Kitchen Aid). Add butter, Greek yogurt and milk and start to mix. Start with 1/2 cup milk and add more if needed to taste.  Add pressed garlic, chives (optional) and salt and pepper and continue to mix until it reaches desired consistency.

Check out these other great blogs that have been participating in the Beef challenge this month!  Have a great day!

Kristen – Dine and Dish

Amy – Dinner’s for a Year and Beyond

Tiffany – Eat at Home

Andy – Dinner’s On Me

Kate – Cooking During Stolen Moments

Heidi – Tried and True Cooking with Heidi

Patsy – Family, Friends and Food

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Happy Friday everyone! We are off to Cocoa Beach this weekend for a family getaway and to celebrate Father’s Day! I am so looking forward to relaxing near the ocean while the kiddies play in the sand and water all day… Nothing like the beach for a playground right?As much as I love to cook, I will tell you that I am welcoming the break in the kitchen. I’ve been feeling a bit burnt out lately, not really in the mood to cook much…it may have a lot to do with this close to 100 degree weather we are having. I can not wait to be waited on and to try out a couple of local beachside restaurants that were recommended to me. I love seafood and plan to eat lots of it this weekend! I hope to be able to get some good pics and give you a review of our eats…but dining out with my 2 little ones is a challenge in itself so I won’t make any promises!(Happy Father’s Day Daddy! xoxo)

I’ll leave you this weekend with an easy slow cooker recipe for beans. I created this recipe a couple of weekends ago and we really enjoyed it. Beans like this are a great summer side dish…serve them alongside some grilled BBQ chicken and vegetables and you’ve got yourself a meal!

Slow Cooker Barbeque Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 cans pinto beans (drained but not rinsed)
• 1 large can cannellini beans (drained but not rinsed)
• 2 andouille chicken sausage links, diced (you can subsitute 1/2 package turkey smoked sausage)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 TB Worcestershire
• 2 TB chili powder
• 1 TB smoked paprika
• small pinch of salt and big pinch of fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 3-5 hours.

Follow AggiesKitchen on Instagram and show us what recipes you are making from the blog! Use the hashtag #aggieskitchen - I'd love to see what you are cooking up!

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