Crockpot Sticky BBQ Meatballs

CROCKPOT STICKY BBQ MEATBALLS
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This weekend we have a bunch of friends coming into town. Some will be staying with us which is awesome, but the kicker is that we never really know when they will be pulling into town. The drive from Salt Lake takes about 4 hours and they usually leave right after work, (without stopping for dinner,) so I always try to have something delicious and filling for them to nosh on when they get here. My crockpot is my weapon of choice in this situation. I can tackle dinner for my family AND our late night visitors in one fell swoop!

Now PAY attention cause I am going to throw a little curve-ball at you... For this particular recipe I actually use the HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS PORK RUB, and not the BEEF RUB. It has all those tasti-fied browns sugars & homestyle bbq flavors that I was looking for in this dish, and its a super simple SET & FORGET recipe, which I love!

INGREDIENTS
1 bag (48 ounces) frozen meatballs
1 bottle (28 ounces) your favorite BBQ sauce
3 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS PORK RUB
1/8 cup Apricot jelly or preserves (optional)
1/8 cup Honey

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine meatballs, BBQ sauce, HS PORK RUB, Honey and apricot preserves in a crockpot.  Heat on High until warmed through, then set to Keep Warm until your guests are ready to enjoy them.

Baggy Baked Chicken

BAGGY BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

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I remember being a little gal in my moms kitchen helping her make "Shake & Bake" chicken, and how I was always blown away by the fact that she could put a plastic bag in the oven and it didn't melt or ruin the dish in any way?? Crazy oven voodo.... or was my Mama just magic? I never really found out exactly-- I still to this day think those plastic oven bags are made from kitchen fairy dust or something... so maybe I AM totally crazy. I realize that these OVEN BAGS are not a new thing, but I just recently began using them in my own kitchen, and was amazed at how juicy the food stays when I cook with them. Reynolds Oven Bags are my favorite. They are not super expensive but definitely worth their weight in gold when baking chicken- one of those dishes that is so easy to over cook.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONING CHICKEN RUB 

1 1/2 cups Breadcrumbs or Panko 

1/2 tablespoon Basil

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 tablespoons Parmesan Grated Cheese

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 

(about 1-1/2 lbs.)

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil 

1 Oven Bag

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine HS Chicken Rub, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil and garlic powder in a separate bowl.  Dip the cleaned and trimmed chicken in oil and then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides really well. Place the cooking bag inside a 13 x 9-inch roasting pan. Carefully arrange chicken inside the cooking bag and use the provided tie to loosely close the bag.  Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. 

Once its ready I usually cut the bag open at the top and then slice it down the middle. This creates two flaps that will fold back easily, so you can get the chicken breasts out without making a big mess ha! I love serving this chicken with homemade mac & cheese and mixed veggies... I know it seems like a kiddie meal, but all of the adult (or whatever I am) love it just as much as the little ones!

< < < < < <   DOUBLE DUTY ALERT   > > > > > >
If you have the ability to make extra chicken, Set it aside because this recipe makes a perfect  DOUBLE DUTY DINNER when paired with our Dang Cute Personal Pot Pies or our Hearty Homestead Chicken Pot Pie recipes it can save you tons of time, preparing, cooking and dicing chicken!
LESS TIME in the kitchen means MORE TIME with the LOVED ONES you are cooking for!

Irish Beef Stew and Mashed Potatoes

IRISH BEEF STEW                      

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INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds beef chuck pot roast cut into cubes
2 tablespoons Homestead Seasonings BEEF RUB-
1-2 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
6 cups beef broth low sodium
1 pound carrot cut into 2 inch pieces
2 cups mushrooms sliced or 2 cup fresh cut green beans
1 white onion chopped
1 pound of potatoes cut into large cubes
salt and pepper to taste
Servings: 10+
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 6-8 Hours on Low

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large skillet, heat oil, add beef and saute on all sides until browned. Sprinkle beef with flour, HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS BEEF RUB, thyme and sage and then saute and additional two minutes. In the crock-pot add the beef and drippings from saute' pan, prepared veggies and and beef broth.... Stir and cover then cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Salt and pepper to taste--- Delicious!

Serve Stew all by its self.... (cause it's freaking yummy)
or at our house we really like it on top of mashed potatoes and garnished with shredded cheese.
Either way Enjoy!





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HEADS UP Ladies and Gentlemen
If you are familiar with our DOUBLE DUTY Recipes you can substitute leftover roast beef from our Homestead Seasonings Crock-pot Roast Beef Recipe for the 2 pounds of chuck roast in this recipe....
save your self time and money!!

Herb Rubbed Mushroom Caps

HERB RUBBED MUSHROOM CAPS
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I love mushrooms! I do... I am a true-blue mushroom lover, sometimes I just eat them raw- I know thats probably pretty weird, but they are one of those veggies?? fungi?? well.. food! But I have come to grips with the fact that they are one of those foods people either LOVE or HATE... not many "in-betweeners" out there. SO for all those non-mushroom people out there, you may not be a big fan of this recipe, but I will say this much--EVERY time I make them... there are NO leftovers! They are perfect for parties, pot-lucks, game days, holidays, you name it! Cheap, Super Fast to make and DELISH! Its a simple recipe, which starts with (of course) MUSHROOMS! I pick them up in bulk at Costco or Sams, but for a normal family 1 or 2 of the smaller grocery store containers is usually enough for a side dish.

Really quickly, here are a few tips on storing and cooking mushrooms > > > > > > > > > >
If you won’t be using the mushrooms right when you get home from purchasing them, store them in a brown paper bag, just fold the top over loosely and your good to wait a few days. Just before cooking the mushrooms they will need to be cleaned. Although common wisdom says mushrooms should never be washed, many mushroom experts disagree. Wild mushrooms can be covered in all sorts of craziness including snail goo so always wash them to help remove bacteria. (For safety, they should also be thoroughly cooked.) Farmed mushrooms are either sprayed with pesticides and chemical fertilizers or grown in organic fertilizer (read: animal dung); either way, you should wash them. Nonetheless, don’t soak them in water, since it can really change their flavor. Instead, gently rub them with a damp terry towel or soft vegetable brush.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Dozen Large Mushroom
2-3 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS Veggie Blend
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
HIMALAYAN Pink Salt to taste (optional)

 INSTRUCTIONS
Start cleaning by the mushrooms in what ever way you see fit! Pop off the stems and hold onto them for another great dish later during the week. Get a large, non-stick frying pan or skillet and lightly coat with a bit of olive oil.
Place the mushroom caps, bottoms-up, inside the botton of your pan. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the caps and generously sprinkle with the HS Veggie Rub. After about 3-5 minutes they will begin to >snap,crackle,pop<
Check one of the mushrooms out towards the edge, by flipping it over. They should begin to look golden brown, if they are not then give them another few minutes.

 Deliciously Golden Brown!

< < NOW BACK TO THE INSTRUCTIONS > >

 Add another sprinkle of the HS Veggie Blend, and a pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt and cook for another 3-5 minutes. You will notice water or moisture start to collect at the bottom of the pan, that means that they should be tender and ready to eat! Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mushrooms with a slotted spoon to your serving dish (leave all that weird mushroom water behind) You can then dive right into these bad boys! I like to serve them with a multitude of different dips from simple ranch dressing, to spinach & artichoke or even one of my favorites; a jalapeno n' dill and sour cream dip that I will be featuring later this week! You name it, they are yummy on the side of something, or just by YUMMY ole' selves!! enjoy~

 

Pan Seared Steaks with Browned Butter

PAN SEARED STEAKS WITH BROWNED BUTTER
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So fast and simple to make but the flavors will make you look like a pro in the kitchen!

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 small beef steaks skillet steaks
3 tablespoons Homestead Seasonings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beef broth low sodium
2 tablespoons butter optional


*SIDE NOTE- using a good heavy skillet will make a huge difference when getting a good crust on steaks

Pat each steak dry then rub each side fully with HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS BEEF RUB. Heat a heavy skillet on the stove add oil, and then the steaks. Cook 3 to 4 minutes (adjust heat if the oil starts to smoke) turn the steaks only once and cook another 3 to 4 minutes for medium. Remove the steaks from the skillet and keep warm. Increase the heat a little bits and add beef broth. Slowly scrape browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and let the broth boil 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and whisk in butter. Pour sauce over steaks and serve. Enjoy!!

Are you familiar with our DOUBLE DUTY Recipes? cook up a few extra steaks tonight and use them with our Beef Stroganoff Recipe later this week -- Save yourself time and money with Homestead Seasonings!!