Hello Friends,

Today let's try some fresh green beans slow cooked until tender with ham, new potatoes and light seasoning. Note: You can freeze the leftover cooking liquid, and then add some to bean soup, ham or cabbage dishes, or use to cook dumplings in. It's delicious.

Slow Cooker Green Beans, Ham and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 ham hocks
• 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, quartered
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Halve beans if they are large, place in a slow cooker with water to barely cover, and add onion and ham hocks. Cover, and cook on High until simmering. Reduce heat to Low, and cook for 2 to 3 hours, or until beans are crisp but not done.
2. Add potatoes, and cook for another 45 minutes. While potatoes are cooking, remove ham hocks from slow cooker, and remove meat from bones. Chop or shred meat, and return to slow cooker. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, bouillon, and pepper. Cook until potatoes are done, then adjust seasoning to taste.
3. To serve, use a slotted spoon to put beans, potatoes, and ham into a serving dish with a little broth. Serves 8-10.

Have A Wonderful Weekend,

Phil

Hello Everyone,

Sorry, I'm a day late with this, but it would also be great for Mother's Day or Father's Day. Slow cooked ham always makes any Dinner a snap. The only worry is that there's enough leftovers for sandwiches.

Easy Slow Cooker Ham

Ingredients

• 1 (6 pound) bone-in country ham
• 30 whole cloves
• 3 cups apple cider, or as needed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 orange's peel

Directions

1. Press whole cloves into the ham so they are evenly distributed. You may score the ham for easier insertion if you wish. Place the ham in a slow cooker. Pour in apple cider until only about 2 inches of ham is above the surface. Pack the brown sugar on top of the ham, pressing into the cloves. This will get washed away in the next step but any that stays on is a bonus.
2. Pour the maple syrup over the ham. Season the apple cider with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves and vanilla. Add the orange peel to the pot. Fill the slow cooker as full as you can with apple cider without going over the fill line. Cover and set to Low. Cook for 8 to 10 hours. Serves 10-12.

Have A Terrific Week My Friends,

Phil

Hello My Friends,

My mom handed this recipe down to me several years ago and recently I've been running into it all over the Internet. If you can find it locally, try using Chinese ketchup instead of regular. Serve with steamed white rice like jasmine or basmati or I sometimes like to use the Coconut Rice below.

Peking Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 6 thick cut pork chops (1 inch)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Trim excess fat from pork chops and place in slow cooker. Mix brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, salt and pepper in small bowl and pour over meat. Cover, turn to low and cook 4 to 6 hours, or until tender. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serves 6.

I tried so many different ways to duplicate my favorite restaurant's coconut rice after they went out of business This one is close to perfect! Garnish with toasted coconut and chopped cilantro if you like.

Asian Coconut Rice

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk
• 1-3/4 cups and 2 tablespoons water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1-1/2 pinches salt
• 2-1/4 cups uncooked jasmine rice

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, water, sugar, and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in rice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender. Serves 6.

Have A Terrific Tuesday,

Phil

Hello Everyone,

Delight your family tonight by serving them sweet and sour chicken packed with vegetables with the sweet addition of pineapple chunks, a hearty slow-cooked dinner.

Slow Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

1

can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice

1

cup baby-cut carrots, cut in half

1

medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

3

cloves garlic, finely chopped

1

/2 tsp ground ginger

2

pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2

cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/2

cup packed brown sugar

1

medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1

medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4

cup cornstarch

1/4

cup water

Hot cooked rice or chow mein noodles, if desired

1. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place pineapple chunks in small bowl; cover and refrigerate.
2. Place carrots, onion, garlic and gingerroot in 4 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with chicken. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar and reserved pineapple juice; pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 9 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink.
4. During last 30 minutes, add pineapple and bell peppers. Increase to high heat setting. Mix cornstarch and water; stir into chicken mixture during last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve with rice. Makes 8 servings

Have A Wonderful Weekend,

Phil

Hello Everyone,

Tonight we have a Old Favorite for the Slow Cooker. The real secret here is making sure you sear the meat before the long, slow braising. The slow cooker does a great job of cooking the meat, but unless you brown the beef thoroughly beforehand, you're missing out on a lot of flavor. Serve with the delicious Asparagus below and your favorite Mashed Potatoes.

Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 1 (5 pound) bone-in beef pot roast
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

1. Generously season both sides of roast with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over the top until well coated, and pat it into the meat. Shake off any excess.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sear the roast on both sides for 5-6 minutes each, until well browned. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in mushrooms and butter; cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Stir in onion; cook for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and begin to brown. Add garlic, stir for about a minute.
5. Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons flour; cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add tomato paste, and cook for another minute.
6. Slowly add chicken stock, stir to combine, and return to a simmer. Remove skillet from the heat.
7. Place carrots and celery in the slow cooker. Place roast over the vegetables and pour in any accumulated juices. Add rosemary and thyme.
8. Pour onion and mushroom mixture over the top of the roast. Cover slow cooker, turn to high and cook the roast for 5-6 hours, until the meat is fork tender.
9. Skim off any fat from the surface and remove the bones. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8.

Be sure and try this simple but tasty twist to regular old Asparagus.

Sauteed Garlic Asparagus

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon butter or margarine
• 1-1/2 bunches fresh asparagus
• 4-1/2 cloves garlic, chopped

Directions

1. Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and asparagus spears; cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until asparagus is tender. If you like your asparagus well done, reduce heat and cook an additional 10 minutes. Serves 6.

Have A Wonderful Week My Friends,

Phil