Slow Cooker Sausage and Potatoes

Slow Cooker Sausage and Potatoes is easy, filling, and has a bit of kick!

Cornstarch, salt, and parsley not shown.

 

Slow Cooker Sausage and Potatoes

1 (1.5 lb) bag Little Potatoes (Terrific Trio or Baby Boomer) or Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes**

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

1 (13 oz.) package fully-cooked smoked sausage, kielbasa, or turkey sausage, sliced

1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

Slightly rounded 1/4 tsp. cajun seasoning (more or less to taste)

1-1/2 to 2 tbsp. cornstarch

Salt to taste

Chopped parsley, if desired

Slice potatoes in half.  Place potatoes, onion, and sausage in a 6 qt. slow cooker.  Combine mushroom soup and cajun seasoning; add to slow cooker and stir.  Cover with lid and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until potatoes are tender.  

In a small bowl, mix 1-1/2 tbsp. of cornstarch with just enough cold water to make the mixture a liquid.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the slow cooker stirring well.  If sauce becomes too thick, add more water.  If sauce is too thin, add additional cornstarch/water.  Salt to taste and serve with chopped parsley, if desired.

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*Recipe adapted from thecountrycook.net:  http://www.thecountrycook.net/2016/07/crock-pot-sausage-little-potatoes.html

**Any small potato brand or variety will work.  Most will be sold in a 1.5 lb. bag.

Sausage Pancake Muffins

 

Served with syrup, Sausage Pancake Muffins are reminiscent of McDonald's Sausage McGriddles™.  These can be easily reheated for a delicious quick breakfast, too!

Sausage Pancake Muffins

1 pound pork sausage

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp. honey

Syrup and/or butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 12 standard size muffin cups with a baking spray like Baker's Joy.  In a skillet, brown sausage on medium heat crumbling it into small pieces; drain and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl (I use a 4-qt. bowl), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  In a smaller bowl, combine the beaten egg, vegetable oil, and milk.  Add to flour mixture and stir until combined.  Add the honey and stir.  Fold in the sausage.

Fill each muffin cup almost to the top.  (You may not use all of the batter.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean. Allow muffins to cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the muffins, and then remove the muffins from pans to a wire rack for further cooling.  Serve warm with syrup and/or butter.  Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

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Pressure Cooker Southern Style Pulled Pork

This southern style pulled pork made in the pressure cooker is so juicy and good!  The vinegar and spices provide a depth of flavor without making it too spicy or vinegary.  Served as is with the mop sauce or covered with your favorite barbecue sauce...tender, delicious pulled pork has never been easier...or quicker!

Buns and BBQ sauce not shown.

Pressure Cooker Southern Style Pulled Pork

Yield:  about 8 servings

Approximate Total Time:  3 hours (2 hours, 30 minutes prep/cook time, 30 minutes warming time)

Electric Pressure Cooker Size:  6 quarts

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar, divided
Boneless Boston Butt pork roast (approximately 5 pounds)

1 tbsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. hot sauce
Sturdy buns like Kaiser rolls or homemade hamburger buns (See recipe link below)
BBQ sauce

Pour 1 cup of cider vinegar into the pressure cooker pot.  Cut the roast into three sections leaving the string (if used) on the roast to hold it together.  Place into pressure cooker pot.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over roast.  Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of cider vinegar over the roast sections.  (See photo below)

Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to Sealing.  Select PRESSURE COOK (Manual) and cook for 90 minutes on High pressure. When the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally, which will take about 25 minutes. When the valve drops, remove lid.

Remove pork roast.  Remove string and shred with forks. (This will be very easy.)  Remove any fat.  Drain juices from pressure cooker reserving two cups of liquid.  Return pork to pressure cooker.  To the reserved liquid, add: brown sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, and hot sauce.  Stir well.  Pour over shredded pork, stir, select CANCEL, and then select SAUTE.  Heat through.  Select CANCEL and then KEEP WARM.  Place lid back on the pressure cooker with the steam vent in the vented (open) position. Allow meat and sauce to heat together for 30 minutes so the flavors can meld.  The "keep warm" setting will keep the meat at a safe, hot temperature for a few hours if desired.  

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Recipe adapted from southernplate.com:  http://www.southernplate.com/2010/06/southern-style-pulled-pork-bbq-slow-cooker-recipe.html  

Homemade Hamburger Buns Recipe:  http://www.easyaspiecanbe.com/2015/06/hamburger-buns-and-tutorial.html

Pressure Cooker Southern Style Pulled Pork 101: 

Pour 1 cup of cider vinegar into the pressure cooker pot.  Cut the roast into three sections leaving the string (if used) on the roast to hold it together.  Place into pressure cooker pot.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over roast.  Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of cider vinegar over the roast sections.  

Instant Pot Baby Back Pork Ribs

These are the most tender, mouthwatering, fall-off-the-bone ribs you will ever eat!  The best part?  They're ready to eat in a little over an hour!

Instant Pot Baby Back Pork Ribs

Yield:  4 servings

Approximate Total Time:  1 hour, 15 minutes (20-minute prep time, 55-minute cook/finishing time)

Electric Pressure Cooker Size:  6 quarts

This amazing recipe for ribs comes from iwashyoudry.com: https://iwashyoudry.com/instant-pot-baby-back-pork-ribs/

Easy Pork Rib Membrane Removal Trick Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-RL_f8qdJE

Instant Pot Baby Back Pork Ribs 101:

While this recipe is a great starting point for ribs, the following changes take ribs to the next level!

1)  Use a 3- to 3.25-pound rack of baby back pork ribs or loin back pork ribs.

2)  Use 2.5 tsp. of salt, 1-2 tsp. liquid smoke, and desired amount of BBQ sauce.

3)  Place the rack in your pressure cooker first, pour in the water, vinegar, and liquid smoke, and then place the ribs inside the pot.  Stand them on their side, wrapping them around the inside of the pot:

4)  Cook for 30 minutes for fall-off-the-bone ribs or 25 minutes for ribs with a bit of chew.

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Instant Pot Egg Roll in a Bowl

Egg Roll in a Bowl is so simple and amazingly delicious!  Served with wonton chips or rice, it is a healthy, robust meal.  Egg rolls turned inside out...who would have thought?  I also include the recipe for wonton chips and an amazing sweet and sour sauce!

1 1/2 pounds of ground pork is pictured, but I use one pound as called for in the recipe.

Instant Pot Egg Roll in a Bowl

Yield:  4 servings

Approximate Total Time:  Filling:  45 minutes
                                         Wonton Chips:  35 minutes
                                        Filling and Wonton Chips made consecutively:  1 hour 

Electric Pressure Cooker Size:  6 quarts

One of my favorite pressure cooker recipe authors is Sandy Clifton.  Author of Simply Happy Electric Pressure Cooking, she also has a blog called Simply Happy Foodie, which is where the recipe for Instant Pot Egg Roll in a Bowl can be found:  https://www.simplyhappyfoodie.com/instant-pot-egg-roll-bowl/

Instant Pot Egg Roll in a Bowl 101:

1)  I make the recipe as written but use a 16 oz. bag of coleslaw mix.  I don't use the Sriracha.

2)  Before serving, salt and pepper to taste.

3)  I often make the wonton chips earlier in the day to get that step out of the way.  If doing so, it will take about 35 minutes to make them from start to finish.  After cooling, store them in an airtight container.  If I make them at the same time that I do the filling, I start the wonton chips first and then start on the filling.  

4)  You only need half of the 16 oz. package of wonton wraps.  The other half of the wraps can be baked as chips and stored in the freezer for future use if desired.

Wonton Chips

1 (16 oz.) package wonton wraps (found in the produce section)

Nonstick cooking spray (Pam)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.  Cut half of the wonton wraps diagonally so that they form 2 triangles.  A pizza cutter works well for this.  Arrange wonton wraps on the baking sheets.  (See photo.)  Place one tray at a time on the middle oven rack and bake until golden brown.  This will take from 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the baking sheet.  Cool before serving.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:  http://www.easyaspiecanbe.com/2020/03/perfect-sweet-and-sour-sauce.html

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If made as written using 80/20 ground pork, low sodium soy sauce, 2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil, and a 16 oz. bag of coleslaw mix, each serving has:

7 wonton chips have 80 calories:

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Meat that literally falls apart?  Delicious gravy?  Quick and simple?  This is your recipe!

Cornstarch and salt for gravy not shown.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

6 boneless thick-cut pork center cut or thick-cut loin chops

1 (10-3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 packet pork gravy mix
1 packet onion soup mix

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

4 tbsp. of cornstarch for the gravy

Salt to taste

Put pork chops in a 6 qt. slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, combine cream of chicken soup and packets.  Slowly add chicken broth stirring well.  Pour soup mixture over pork chops.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Gravy:  30 minutes before you're ready to serve, in a small bowl, mix 4 tbsp. of cornstarch with just enough cold water to make the mixture a liquid.  Remove pork chops from slow cooker, and stir in the cornstarch mixture.  Salt to taste.  Put the pork chops back in and cover until ready to serve.

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Southern Style Pulled Pork BBQ

This southern style pulled pork made in the slow cooker is so juicy and good!  The vinegar and spices provide a depth of flavor without making it too spicy or vinegary.  Served as is with the mop sauce or covered with your favorite barbecue sauce...tender, delicious pulled pork has never been easier!

Buns and BBQ sauce not shown.

Southern Style Pulled Pork BBQ

Christy Jordan of Southern Plate has many mouth-watering, simple recipes.  The recipe for Southern Style Pulled Pork BBQ can be found on Christy's website:  https://www.southernplate.com/southern-style-pulled-pork-bbq-slow-cooker-recipe/

Notes:

*I use a boneless Boston butt pork roast (approximately 5 pounds).  Remove fat after cooking while shredding.

*Pulled pork is fantastic served on sturdy buns like Kaiser rolls or homemade hamburger buns:

Homemade Hamburger Buns Recipe:  http://www.easyaspiecanbe.com/2015/06/hamburger-buns-and-tutorial.html 

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Sausage Gravy

Homemade sausage gravy that turns out perfectly every time has never been easier!

Sausage Gravy

1/2 pound sausage
1 1/2 cups whole milk
6 rounded tablespoons flour
3/4 tsp. up to 1-1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 tbsp. butter
2 cups whole milk

In a large skillet, brown sausage on medium-low heat crumbling it so that the pieces have a nickel-sized diameter or smaller.  When browned, transfer it without draining to a large bowl.  Put the 1-1/2 cups milk, flour, 3/4 tsp. of salt, and pepper into a container that seals well and shake until blended.  Set aside.  Measure out the 2 cups of milk.  

Melt the 3 tbsp. of butter in the skillet on medium heat.  When melted, re-shake the gravy mixture and add to skillet, stirring while doing so.  (A fish spatula or slotted spoon works well for this as it will help prevent any lumps from forming.) Immediately add the 2 cups of milk and continue stirring until thickened and bubbly.  Add the crumbled sausage, and cook and stir for 1-2 minutes more.  Taste gravy to see if any additional salt is needed as the sausage may provide enough salt.  If necessary, thin with a little additional milk.  Transfer to bowl that held the sausage and serve over biscuits.

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Recipe may be halved and will make 2 generous servings.  If you halve the recipe, do not halve the butter amount...use 3 tablespoons.

Biscuit Recommendation:  I used to make biscuits from scratch until I discovered Pillsbury Grands Southern Style Frozen Biscuits.  They give homemade biscuits a run for their money!  :)  You can find them in the freezer section where frozen breads are located.

Less Mess Bacon

Perfect, crispy bacon without all the mess!

Less Mess Bacon

1 lb. bacon 

parchment paper

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets (half sheet pans, 13x18) with parchment paper, then lay the bacon strips flat, making sure pieces do not overlap. (See photo below.) Put bacon into a cold oven, and set oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Bake until crisp and browned, 20-25 minutes, or desired doneness, rotating the sheets once. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.  Move bacon strips to a platter covered with paper towels to drain.

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