Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Lemon Slow Cooker Recipe

I can not believe that March is over and it's already April. or at least it will be in only a few short hours...
Easter is this Sunday, and so I decided we needed a new lamb recipe. I made this a few weeks ago when my grandfather and uncles were visiting. It's lovely.

The Ingredients.
serves 8

3 pounds whole leg of lamb
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons prepared dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon, juiced)

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine honey, dijon, the spices, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to form a paste. Smear this paste on all sides of the lamb roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5. You can check the doneness with a meat thermometer, if you'd like, but I usually cook until it's super tender and I can cut it with a fork. If your meat isn't as moist/tender as you'd like, you can cut it in half or in chunks and return it to the pot to soak up more moisture. I don't like dry lamb.

The Verdict.

I really liked this! The flavor of the rub is fantastic, and the drippings make a wonderful gravy. Serve with mashed potatoes and a big side of your favorite vegetables. Baaa.

other lamb recipes:

original leg of lamb
leg of lamb with prunes
smoky spiced lamb chops
lamb, olive, and onion tagine
lamb chops (easy.)

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Potluck Beans Slow Cooker Recipe

Our wonderful neighbors, Sandy and Sherman, have been making this bean recipe for a good twenty years to take to family events and potlucks.

It's a lovely recipe.

I made it last week to bring to a potluck party up the street (Sandy and Sherman weren't at this particular get-together, but their daughter was!) and overheard many happy murmurs, and received lots of compliments.

This is evidently a bean dish for people who don't even like beans (which I can't imagine. I dream about beans.)

You've got to break out the skillet out for this recipe. I know. I'm sorry. It'll be okay, though. I promise.

The Ingredients.
serves a lot. I'd guess 15-18 nice-sized servings.

1 pound lean ground meat, browned and drained
1 pound smoked bacon, browned, drained, and diced
1 medium onion, diced and browned
1 cup ketchup (no need to brown!)
1/4 cup brown sugar (already brown!)
1 (30-ounce) can Pork n' Beans (I love products with the "n" instead of an &)
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can butter beans, drained and rinsed (they look like huge lima beans, and if they aren't in the bean section, try the canned veggie section)
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (yup, it's gluten free!)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart or larger crockpot. This makes a lot.
In a large skillet, brown the hamburger, bacon, and onion. You could probably do this all together, but I did the bacon separately (and woah, mama. pork bacon spatters *way* more than turkey bacon, but it tastes a whole lot better, so I sort of got over it rather quickly. for me. I hate spattery messes.)

While the meats and onion are browning, add the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. No need to really stir things up quite yet, or the beans will fall apart. Drain the meats well, and dump into the slow cooker. Use a large spoon to gingerly fold in the hot ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Stir well and serve to your very best friends.
remember to clean the stove!

The Verdict.

I really liked these beans. I liked that they were comfort food, but didn't come across as just doctored up pork n' beans, which was my initial concern. I liked the meat in there, and when I make them again (which I WILL, and soon!), I might cut back a bit on the quantity of the meat---not because it was overwhelmingly meaty---but more because I don't think the flavor would be compromised and I could get away with it without notice. Kind of more like a challenge, I suppose.

All the kids at the party who tried the beans loved them, and my girls ate leftovers happily for lunch the next two days.

Thank you, Sandy and Sherman, for sharing your famous beans!

more great bean recipes you can take to a potluck:

Top 10 Slow Cooking Potluck Recipes (compilation)
lima bean casserole/cassoulet
sweet potato chili
traditional chili
taco soup
beans and weenies
boston baked beans
cowboy beans
baked beans with apple and jalapeno
honey lentils
salsa chicken and black bean soup

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Slow Cooker Meatballs in Peanut Chile Sauce Recipe

Happy Oscar Night!

I made these fantastic meatballs last night for some friends, and they were so well-received I figured I better hurry up and share them with the Internet. I cheated and used store-bought already cooked meatballs, but you certainly could make your own to use.

I'm pleased to see that our friendly neighborhood Trader Joe's is selling chicken meatballs that don't have any added bread crumbs or other gluteny filler in the deli meat section. If you don't live close to a Trader Joe's, Aidells makes a gluten free meatball (read the label carefully--the Teriyaki flavor is NOT SAFE!).

Anyhow, the 7 of us (4 adults, three kids, aged 3 to 8.5) all really liked the flavor: creamy and slightly coconuty with a bit of spice.

The Ingredients.
serves 10

40 already cooked meatballs (frozen or fresh)
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 cup canned coconunt milk (I used light, it was fine. If using regular, shake well and include the cream on top)
1 tablespoon red chile paste (jarred, in the Asian cooking aisle)
2 teaspoons fish sauce (in Asian cooking aisle, surprisingly inexpensive, although I bet you could substitute a gluten free soy sauce and not notice much of a taste difference)
1 1/2 tablespoons white granulated sugar

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart slow cooker. It's okay to use a 6 quart, but decrease cooking time by about an hour.

Put meatballs into slow cooker (frozen is fine). Add peanut butter and coconut milk. Drop in a gollop of red chile paste, then add fish sauce and sugar. Stir as well as you can to combine---it won't be perfect because the peanut butter will still be clumpy. No worries.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours, high for 2-4, or until peanut butter mixture is fully melted and the meatballs are heated throughout.

Serve as a hot appetizer, or over long grained basmati rice as a meal.

The Verdict.

These are delicious!! I ate 3 cold for breakfast, and they still were quite tasty. The spice of the sauce is noticeable, but kind of mellows when eaten with the meatball. If your meatballs have a kick to them on their own, cut back on the chili paste. We all really liked the bit of crunch from the chunky peanut butter, but if you aren't a crunchy person, by all means use creamy.

Enjoy!

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