Cook-Off Chili in the Slow Cooker

Cook-Off Chili in the Slow Cooker

Yield: Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

2 medium onions, minced

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

32 oz chicken broth

2-4 tablespoons tabasco sauce

1 15oz can of tomato sauce

2 tablespoons of paprika

3 tablespoons of cayenne powder

2 tablespoons of cumin

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 stick of butter

vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Turn your slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Add your minced garlic and minced onions to your slow cooker and let sit for 20-30 minutes.

2. Brown your beef in vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Make sure all your beef is browned before adding it to your slow cooker.

3. Add your broth, tomato sauce, all your spices, and sugar to your slow cooker. Stir well and cover.

4. When there is 30 minutes left on your 8 hour timer, add in your stick of butter. Stir well and cover.

5. Serve immediately and enjoy with your garnish of choice!

I came up with this recipe after watching a couple chili cook off shows on television. In chili cook-off's there are time limits on how long you have to cook your chili (I think its about 3-4 hours), so nobody uses a slow cooker. I prefer the ease the slow cooker provides me and also I think it is a fool-proof method to not burning something! I came up with this recipe a couple months ago and just made it for the second time yesterday. My husband actually prefers beans in his chili, but I wanted to try a "chili cook-off" type chili, which has no beans, to see what he thought. He loved it! :) 

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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

Yield: Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients:

3-4 raw chicken drumsticks
1 12oz bottle of Frank's Red Hot
20-30 shakes of Tabasco sauce (depending on your heat preference)
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion (diced)
4-6 garlic cloves (smashed)
2 dried jalapenos
1 stick of butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. Put all of your ingredients, besides your chicken, in to your slow cooker for 1 hour and 30 minutes on high. After your ingredients have marinated together take out one of your dried jalapenos. With your immersion blender, blend your sauce until it is smooth and creamy!
2. Add your chicken drumsticks and cover your drumsticks in sauce with a large spoon. Cook on high for 4 hours. Periodically stir/rotate your chicken drumsticks about once an hour.
3. After four hours in the slow cooker, take your chicken out and place on a cookie tray that has been sprayed with cooking spray (heavily). Use a slatted spoon to scoop your chicken drumsticks out individually so as to not have excess sauce on them. Broil on high for five minutes. Serve immediately with blue cheese or ranch dressing and celery.  Enjoy!

My husband ate this entire tray (4lbs of chicken) in one sitting...Men... :)

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Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Yield: two dozen

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup Ghirardelli Ground Chocolate
1 cup Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2-4 oz Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Bar coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. In your Kitchen Aid mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, add your shredded zucchini, heavy cream, oil, lemon juice, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, and mix well.
2. While on a low speed, slowly add in your chocolate powders, until blended and smooth.
3. Turn off your mixer and add in all your dry ingredients. Mix on low until blended well (1-2 minutes).
4. Add your chopped Ghirardelli chocolate and mix for 10-20 seconds until blended well.
5. Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray and line each tin with cupcake liners. With a 1/3 measuring cup, spoon your batter into each muffin cup. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

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