Slow Cooker Pork and Beans

My boyfriend really liked this recipe so I'm going to share it with all of you. My mom used to make pork and beans back when I was little.

Slow Cooker Pork and Beans

Prep: 30 mins    Cook Time: 6.5 hours  

2 lbs of your favorite dried beans (I used white because that's what I had)

1 tbsp of salt

3 cups of water

1 pkg of bacon or cut up pork chops (whichever you prefer, I used bacon, but make sure it's really crispy)

1 cup of onion, diced

1 cup of ketchup

1/2 cup of brown sugar

3 tbsp of maple syrup

4 tbsp of molasses

4 tbsp of honey

2 tsp dry mustard (I've heard that some people use Dijon mustard instead)

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Soak your beans overnight, at least 8 hours, I soaked mine probably close to 12 or 13 hours. 

Drain your beans and put them in your crockpot, add salt and water (I did a little more than this recipe so I put enough in just to cover them). Cook on high for 6 hours. Strain off foam.

In the last 1/2 hour of your beans cooking, get the rest ready to go. Cook up your bacon and brown your onions.  Add the remaining ingredients together in a medium sized bowl, stir until well mixed. Once the 6 hours is up, add the bacon, onion and sauce and cook on high for another 30 mins. 

Slow Cooker Stuffing

If you read my last post, you know that I spent this last few weeks with no oven, but you see I've already bought 3 used ovens in the last 6 months so I'm hesitant to buy another used one.. So I'm saving up for a brand new one.

Anyways, with Canadian Thanksgiving a few weekends ago, and American Thanksgiving still coming up, and then Christmas after that, I figured might as well share this fantastic stuffing recipe with you all.

Now you will have to be careful because it does tend to stick to the sides of the slow cooker, you'll want to do this one while your at home.

Slow Cooker Stuffing

Cook Time: 3 - 4 hours

Ingredients

• 2 loaves of bread, cubed and dried
• 1 Tbsp Savory
• 1 Tbsp Sage
• 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Dill
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 stalks of celery chopped
• 1/4 package of thick cut bacon precooked 
• Handful of chopped mushrooms
• 1 to 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
• 1 egg, whisked

In a large bowl, combine the bread, the dry ingredients, the onion, celery, bacon and mushrooms. Let this sit for 20 - 30 minutes and let the flavours combine. 

Now put the bread mixture into your slow cooker, and add your egg, toss it with your hands to get everything coated. Next, slowly add your broth, you don't want it to be too wet, but not too dry, remember you can always add more but you can't take any away.

Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. This is one slow cooker recipe that you will need to keep an eye on though, as it will stick to the sides, and it needs to be stirred every now and then.

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

Yes I know I am currently going crazy for my slow cooker, I just never realized all the wonderful things you can make with it!!

So a few weekends ago was Thanksgiving here in Canada, and I made this recipe as dessert, so that I would have time to focus more on the main course. I hosted a 14 person dinner this year and it was my first one! It was a success! Everyone was wanting another piece of this apple crisp! Made with my own apples right from my yard. I decided to make it in the slow cooker because right after I invited everyone over to Thanksgiving my oven died. So hear I was with no oven and 14 people wanting one of the largest meals of the year. Luckily my family lives within 10 minutes of me and I just used one of their ovens for the turkey. But everything else I made on the stove top or in the slow cooker. I'm posting a slow cooker stuffing right after this!

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

I had previously harvested these, peeled them, cut them and froze them so they were all ready to go, this is a great step if you are picking them off of your trees and not buying them from the store. Then you can use them whenever you want to.

Cook Time: 3 1/2 Hours

Prep Time: approx 15mins

Ingredients

For the Apple Mixture

• 8 medium sized apples, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the Crisp Topping

• 1 cup of oats
• 3/4 cup white or whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions

• Place the slices apples in the slow cooker. Add brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir. 
• Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir until well combined. Using your fingertips, work the butter into the oat mixture until the mixture starts to clump together. Note: a potato masher works great to get the mixture started, but you will need to finish it off with your hands
• Stir the apple mixture one more time and the spread apples out into an even layer. Sprinkle on the crisp topping
• Cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 3 1/2 hours, until apples are soft. Turn off heat and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.