Crock Pot Kielbasa Bites

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 12-29-14**

I tested this week's recipe on my lovely co-workers here at QueenB Radio at our Holiday Potluck last week, and it was liked! So, thanks to their approval, I am sharing it with all of you! It's Crock Pot Kielbasa Bites! This is a great dish to take to any New Year celebrations or playoff footbal/Super Bowl parties! I doubled the recipe for the work potluck. Just make sure you don't overcook it though, and Hubs said that the leftovers the next day weren't all that fantastic. But they sure are delicious when eaten fresh right out of the crock! You may look at the ingredients and think I'm crazy, but for real, it's a wonderful flavor. I used a mix of kielbasa and smoked sausage when I made it. I imagine this would taste great on any kind of sausage you wanted to slice up and throw in! Even cocktail weinies!

 

 

CROCK POT KIELBASA BITES

• 1 lb. kielbasa (or smoked sausage)
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard

Slice up the kielbasa and put in the crock. In a bowl, mix together the apricot preserves and mustard until well combined. Pour into the crock and stir together to evenly coat all of the sausage. Cook on low for 2-3 hours or high for 1-2.

Crock Pot Whiskey Meatballs

**Originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 12-3-13**

First, a big shout out to my husband who bought me a programmable slow cooker for Christmas! Some women would not be thrilled with a gift like that from their husbands, but NOT ME! I love it. I already used it this past weekend for this week's recipe...Whiskey Meatballs! With New Year's Eve parties, and now a Packer playoff game this weekend, this is a great dish for a party. I actually made it for a gathering of friends yesterday. Now, back in season 1, I shared with you my Dad's meatball & weinie recipe , and I admit that I still prefer that one best, but this one is tasty as well.

Crock Pot Whiskey Meatballs

• 1 bag (2 lbs) frozen meatballs (I prefer Italian Style)
• 1 heaping cup ketchup
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whiskey
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Use a smaller crock for this, like a 4 quart one.  Add  all ingredients into the crock pot EXCEPT meatballs. Whisk together to create the sauce, then add in the meatballs and stir to coat them all.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or if you need them for a midday event, you can put them on high for an hour, then low for a few. Leave on warm when serving at a gathering. Just don't cook on high too long or the sauce with get too thin.

The Crock is BACK!! Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches!

Julie's Crock of the Week on 97.7 WGLR is BACK by popular demand! The leaves are falling, the air is getting that chill in it, so that means it's time to pull out that crock pot! The first recipe for this season is one that can be enjoyed as a family meal, or as an awesome appetizer for your next football party! Serve it on large hamburger buns, or mini slider buns.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CAESAR SANDWICHES

-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing (I like the refrigerated kind near the salads in the grocery store)
-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons of dried parsley
-1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
-shredded romaine lettuce
-12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

Place chicken in slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from cooker and shred it up with two forks. Remove any water left in the crock, and then put the shredded chicken back in the crock. Pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until mixture is heated through an the cheese has melted.

Serve on buns with the romaine lettuce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese! YUM!

Crock Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken

Well, it is that time of year! Superbowl time! Even though my Green Bay Packers are not making a repeat appearance this year, we will still watch, of course. And that also means eating lots of food at a Superbowl party! So, if you are hosting or bringing a dish to a Superbowl get-together, I will help you out with this week's recipe, Shredded Buffalo Chicken! I posted a Buffalo Chicken Penne recipe a few months back that got a lot of good comments, so I am sure you will all enjoy this one too. The best part is that you can use it as a base for SO MANY dishes! My family enjoyed it this weekend in sandwich form, on toasted sourdough sub rolls. But it would also work great for tacos, nachos, on crackers, or even made into a buffalo chicken cheese dip, just throw it together with some velveeta! You can even freeze it to use later if you don't eat it all. Yum. Also, if you are like me and often forget to thaw the meat you intend to cook for dinner, this uses FROZEN chicken, so you don't even have to think too much in advance :) So, have fun with it, it will be a big hit at your Superbowl party, or any time of the year!

Shredded Buffalo Chicken

3 pounds FROZEN chicken breasts (I like tenderloins, but regular breasts will work well too)
1 large bottle Frank's Red Hot Buffalo WINGS sauce
1 envelope ranch dip dry mix

Place the frozen chicken breasts in the crock. Pour about 3/4 of the bottle of Frank's over the chicken (I used the whole bottle but it was a bit too juicy, you can always add more sauce at the end of you think the mixture is too dry). Sprinkle the envelope of ranch dip over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Take the breasts out of the crock onto a plate, and use 2 forks to shred the chicken (if it doesn't shred easily, the chicken isn't quite done, but after 6 hours that really shouldn't be an issue), and return the shredded chicken into the crock pot. Continue to cook on low for another hour, to let all of the shredded chicken soak up the sauce. Enjoy!

Crockpot Meatballs & Wienies

This week's recipe is like last week's sugared pecans, in that this would make a great dish to take to a potluck Christmas party, or it would be a tasty addition to any appetizer table you may be hosting or attending. I got this recipe from my Dad. When I was growing up, I was active in sports, music & theatre, so we had lots of potluck banquets to attend. My Dad usually brought these, and they were a hit. When I asked him for the recipe when I was in college, I was so surprised at how simple it was, and what the ingredients were. I whipped these up yesterday when we got home, made for a nice quick supper, too! Don't let the ingredients scare you, the sauce is not sweet, like you may think it would be with the grape jelly.

Crock Pot Meatballs & Wienies

One 32oz jar Grape JELLY (NOT jam)
Two 12oz jars chili sauce (chili sauce is by the ketchup/BBQ sauces in the store)
One 32oz bag frozen meatballs (I prefer the Italian style)
Two 14oz bags pork cocktail wienies, beef cocktail wienies, or Lil Smokies weiners (I like to use 2 different kinds, I usually do 1 pork and 1 beef)

For this amount, use a 6 quart slow cooker or larger. Now, you can put the jelly and chili sauce in the crockpot until the jelly melts, but I find that takes waaaay too long. So I throw the jelly in a glass dish (don't use plastic, the jelly gets really hot) and microwave it for about 5-6 minutes to melt it, then I combine it in the crock with the chili sauce. Then add the meat, stirring to coat all the pieces.

When I make these, they are usually for a potluck or holiday get together at midday. So I turn them on high in the morning for an hour or 2 while I get ready. Then I transport them and leave on low for a few hours when I get to where I am going, until it is time to eat. When at home, I cook on high for an hour, then low for at least 3. Everything in there is already fully cooked, so it is up to you how long you want to cook them. The longer you cook, the more tender and flavorful they are. But don't leave on high for long, because the sauce will get too thin and you don't want it to burn.

These are GREAT for football parties too! You can also make a half batch for a smaller event. which is what I do when I make them at home. Just use 1 smaller jar of jelly (around 18oz), 1 jar chili sauce, 1/2 bag meatballs, and one package of wienies. I use my smaller 4 quart crock for that.