Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup with Five Peppers and Ham

It’s May and I want to dream about picnics and cooking outdoors. We thought summer was well on it’s way when temperatures climbed into the 80s a couple weeks ago, then we were startled with the cold front that came through yesterday bringing lots of rain and dropping temperatures back into the 40s. Everything is damp and the chill in the air makes for perfect soup weather, especially if it’s a little spicy like this one I warmed up for lunch. It tastes great with a slice of cornbread on the side or crumbled in the bowl, and makes me feel all warm inside. I needed that pick-me-up as I watched a river run through our backyard, cutting a swath in the garden. At least it wasn’t in the house! Maybe the mud pit will dry out enough that we can finish planting this weekend.

I like to make this soup in the slow cooker because it is so easy for a busy day, or even for overnight. The ham bone goes in for lots of flavor, but if you want a vegan option then skip the bone and use a rich homemade vegetable stock instead of water. Also, if you add the salt late rather than the beginning of the cooking process, the beans will be more tender, so hold that salt!

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Slow Cooker Four Bean Baked Beans

When I was growing up, baked beans were a delicious part of all our cook outs and potlucks. Cans of pork and beans were mixed with ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and onions, then baked in the oven. Sometimes strips of bacon were laid on top, creating a smoky aroma and flavor that reminds me of many summers spent playing outdoors all day long and outdoor meals enjoyed with family and friends.

I haven’t made baked beans in a long time and this summer I was looking for an excuse to make some. Our neighbors hosted a potluck cookout over the weekend, and I jumped at the chance to try out a slow-cooker variation of my favorite baked beans recipe. This version is made with four kinds of beans, ground beef, and bacon and then slow-cooked for five or six hours. They smelled wonderful as they cooked, and they were a hit at the potluck. The flavor is a little sweet, a little smoky, and a little tangy, a nice combination. Read more

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork with Chipotle BBQ Sauce

It’s a little too cold to do the grill these days, but we still crave pulled pork BBQ in the winter, and making it in the slow-cooker is a great way to indulge the craving. We’ve made this with both bottled and homemade sauces, and our preferred bottled sauce is Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Roasted Garlic Honey if we don’t feel like making a scratch sauce, but this easy sauce is interesting and different because the chipotles in adobo add a bit of heat that you don’t find in regular sweet sauces. The meat tenderizes well during the 11-hour stay in the smoky, slightly spicy sauce, and we enjoy it piled high on a bun with extra sauce on top and some creamy coleslaw on the side.

We typically do this on a weekend since it does take some time to pull the meat, and I prefer to cook it overnight and then pull it the next day after it has had a chance to cool a bit. I love the magic of the slow-cooker and how it lets you wake up in the morning with the house smelling like delicious barbecue!

Serves 8 to 10 people, depending on appetites.

Update: On July 24, 2009 Apartment Therapy The Kitchn featured this bbq sauce recipe as their favorite.

“The sauce is smoky and tangy with a nice kick- exactly what we said we liked in a barbecue sauce! (Also, try the pulled pork if you make this recipe. It’s divine.)”

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Classic Spaghetti Carbonara

I’m certainly not the first food blogger to reference Marcella Hazan, and I think I can safely predict that I will not be the last. She is considered one of the foremost authorities on Italian cuisine, and her book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is one that I constantly turn to when cooking Italian dishes. The book was originally published over thirty years ago as two separate volumes, The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking, and the combined volume has been revised, updated, and expanded. Of her first book, British food writer Roy Andries de Groot wrote, “Marcella’s book is the most authentic guide to Italian food ever written in the U.S.” No small compliment, to be sure.

According to Essentials, carbonara sauce has it’s roots in Rome during the last days of World War II when American soldiers brought eggs and bacon to local families to make into a pasta sauce. Pancetta is the preferred meat in this dish, Read more

Barbecued Ribs

I can’t imagine summertime without barbecue…ribs, chicken, pulled pork, you name it. When it comes to ribs, I love sticky, sloppy, finger-licking sauces, although I like dry rubs as well. This is a family favorite that we enjoy when we visit Michael’s parents at their camp in the Adirondacks. The ribs are great for 4th of July cookouts along with salt potatoes, corn on the cob, and an assortment of side salads.

Equipment

2 half-sheet baking pans
aluminum foil
grill Read more

Pork Medallions with Balsamic-Honey Glaze

This is another dish that is elegant enough to serve guests, yet is easy and quick enough for a weeknight meal. The glaze adds some incredible flavor with the balsamic vinegar, honey, and rosemary. Use slightly less honey with an older, sweeter balsamic vinegar, and slightly more with a younger balsamic vinegar. If you really like the glaze, make some extra so that you can spoon it over Garlic Mashed Potatoes. You can buy a whole loin and slice it into 1-inch medallions, which I do and then freeze the extras, or you can purchase just four medallions for a small dinner.

I say that this one counts as a kid pleaser because my toddler kept asking for more during Sunday dinner! Read more

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