Being honest, I really don't like ribs. It's about the bones--I hate gnawing away feeling like a caveman. Ricky and Olivia, on the other hand, love ribs and wings. I've had to leave the room while Olivia was eating because she grossed me out so much!

I accidentally bought Country Style ribs once thinking it was a roast (hey....I was shopping with kids) and they have been our favorite ever since.  They're cheap, too! I put a quick rub on, squirt some mustard on them and let the meat slow cook all.day.long.   When it's time for dinner, just throw them on the grill with some BBQ sauce.

How-To: Make a Perfect Slow Cooker Whole Chicken {...and Stock After!}

I use my slow cooker at least 2-3 times a week--it's one of my favorite appliances to use.  Especially for busy days when we need dinner ready in a snap!

This winter, I've was on a mission to find a way to make the PERFECT slow cooker chicken.  I love to make whole chickens in the slow cooker, but I find it's hard to get one that turns out like an actual rotisserie chicken.  Most of the time, the skin is all soggy and the veggies are overcooked.  First try, I used too much liquid.  Next try, the chicken was super dry.  The third bird was too small and all bones. I thought I would NEVER get it right! There are so many different recipes on Pinterest that make it sound super simple.  It's not y'all!

Slow-Cooker Meals: Chipotle Peach Ribs

I realize prime BBQ season is over now that we've hit fall, but Ricky LOVES ribs.  I found some racks of ribs on markdown at Walmart for $3.99 and they've been hogging my freezer space. (Pun intended) Desperate to find an easier way for fall off the bone meat, I turned to my Hamilton Beach slow-cooker.  You won't believe how easy this recipe is!  I am wishing I would have done more than one rack!!

After this week's Walking Dead episode, it took me a few days to even be able to type up this recipe.  If you don't watch the show, you're lucky!

Don't forget: I have a Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Slow-Cooker giveaway going on this month! Head over to this page to enter!

Not a fan of chipotle peach flavor?  Use whatever style BBQ sauce you love.  I highly recommend sticking with the tasty Sweet Baby Ray's varieties!

Here's what you need:

• 1 large rack of ribs 2-4 pounds (always check for markdowns!)
• 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup McCormicks Pork rub
• 2 tablespoons Smuckers Peach Preserves

1. Preheat slow-cooker to LOW setting for 7 hours.
2. Rinse ribs with water and dry.  Place on a large cutting board and coat both sides with pork rub.
3. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce with peach preserves. Set aside.
4. From the bottle, squeeze enough BBQ sauce in the base of the slow-cooker to coat the bottom.  
5. Brush the sauce from the bowl on the ribs. Discard any remaining sauce, since it's touched raw meat. 
6. Place ribs in the slow-cooker and cover.  DO NOT TAKE OFF THE LID.  It's tempting, I know, but let them cook for the full 7 hours.
7. Once cooked, remove and brush with the rest of the sauce in the bottle, adding some extra peach preserves if wanted.  They are great out of the slow-cooker, but for more of a char, broil them for 3-4 minutes.

This sauce mixture is amazing on any meat.  I like to throw boneless chicken thighs in the slow-cooker with a can of peaches and the sauce for pulled chicken sliders.  Use on pork roast for a new spin on pulled pork.

What's your go-to BBQ sauce?

Simple Summer Suppers: Crock Pot Carnitas

I love to find cheap helpers at the grocery store and doctor them up with fresh ingredients.  I've had a ton of luck with the new Campbells Slow Cooker sauces.  Usually, I don't follow the directions and use up whatever markdown meat I have in the freezer.  I buy them for the flavors!

A little note about markdown food: it's SO worth it!  I scan the whole meat section for orange stickers and stock up if the price is right.  Some easy tips:

• Always look at the quality of the meat: brown or grayish meat is a NO NO
• Repackage and freeze, or use that night.  Don't let it sit any longer in the fridge.
• Consider adding a marinade or seasoning before freezing.  Pork chops could be seasoned with jerk spices or a tasty Hawaiian marinade.   When you take them out of the freezer, they are infused with tons of flavor as they defrost. 
• Larger cuts of meat like pork shoulders or pot roasts are GREAT markdowns.  I love pork roasts for pulled pork or carnitas!

For this recipe, I used the Campbells Slow Cooker sauce in Mexican Red Chile Taco.  Another reason these sauces are great is that they have SO much flavor.  If you don't have a ton of spices at home, you can use these without the addition of anything else!  We had a pork roast in the freezer and carnitas sounded perfect for dinner.

When it's hot and humid, the slow cooker is my BFF.  I can start dinner after breakfast and have it ready by dinner time with minimal effort.  Even with the air on, our house gets super warm with the oven on.  I try to avoid it as much as I can....although it's quite hard!

Here's what you need:

• 1 pork roast (this is a Boston shoulder roast) around 3-3.5 pounds
• 1 packet Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauces- Mexican Red Chile
• 1 (4 oz) can of diced green chiles
• 1 cup chopped onion
• Toppings: lime wedges, cilantro, green onions, lettuce, cheese
• Corn or flour torillas
• Slow Cooker

1. Preheat the slow cooker to LOW heat.  
2. Season the roast with salt + pepper.
3. Add onion, chiles and roast to the cooker.  Top with sauce packet and cover.  Try to avoid peeking! 
4. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or until falling apart.  
• Ours did have quite a bit of extra juices, but keep them for after shredding.  You don't want dry carnitas!
• You can try HIGH heat, but I'm not sure you will get the same juicy flavor. Let me know if you try it!
5.  After cooking, remove meat from cooker and pull the meat with two forks.  It should fall right apart! Return to cooking juices and serve with tongs.  They will be juicy!
6. Toast the tortillas over open flame or in a pan before serving.

For sides, we like green quinoa or rice.  Simply make rice/quinoa like you normally do.  On the side, blend a handful of each: cilantro, green onions and spinach/kale with a splash of chicken stock and zest of a lime (save the actual lime for later).  Add to hot rice or quinoa and mix, adding a dash of salt and squeeze of lime.  It adds a great POW of flavor! Mexican rice is tasty too!

Also, you always can use some chips with salsa and guac.

 Have you tried the Slow Cooker Sauces?  What's your favorite?

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Slow Cooker Southwest White Chicken Chili

Sometimes, you magically come up with a great recipe by mistake.  Don't you love when that happens? Since I've been trying to only do one big shopping trip a month, by the end of month we are at the end of our freezer and pantry supply...which is perfect and hard at the same time!  It forces you to be creative!

One day, I was craving white chicken chili, but we were out of chicken breasts.  I did happen to have some ground chicken in the freezer.  Voila! This recipe was born!

I have this amazing new Ninja cooking system (another swag item from BlogHer!) which is an oven, slow cooker AND a stove-top in one.  I KNOW!  It seems too good to be true, but I am in LOVE! I can even steam and make CUPCAKES in this thing.  It is so fun to play with!

I was able to saute the ground chicken first with some onion, then I just started cleaning out the pantry: beans, chicken stock, tomatoes, green chilis and a packet of White Chicken Chili seasoning. At first, I wanted to add sour cream, but we were out.  Alas, I used plain yogurt (Greek would be even better!).  I had some fresh corn I added during the last 20 minutes of cooking, but canned or frozen would work too!

This chili has a mild heat that is  perfect to load up with toppings: especially lime, avocado and some cilantro.

Yes, I do realize it's summer still...but I love soup!  Served with a salad, this is still the perfect dinner to beat the heat!  And it's quite healthy!

Ingredients

• 1.25 lbs of ground chicken (lean) or 93% ground turkey
• 1 can of Great Northern Beans, 1 can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (regular or Greek)
• 1 can (5 oz) chopped green chiles
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh, frozen or canned corn 
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock
• 1 packet McCormick White Chicken Chili mix
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained (the ones with chilis add heat!)
• Optional: Perfect Pinch fiesta citrus seasoning
• Topping suggestions: green onions, jalapenos, cilantro, Mexican blend cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, lime

Let's (Slow) Cook!

1. Cook the ground chicken with the onions before adding to the slow cooker, season with the Fiesta Citrus seasoning, if you want!
2. Add everything else to the slow cooker, except toppings.
3. Cook:
• High: 3-4 hours
• Low: 6-7 hours
4. Top with whatever you want and enjoy!  If it seems thin, mash the beans up a bit.  It's great with another dollop of yogurt!

What are your favorite toppers for chili?