December 5, 2011: Lil Smokies in Barbecue Sauce

This is an old favorite recipe for serving at holiday parties because it’s quick and easy to make while being quite popular with guests. Sometimes, however, I prefer to serve it as a main dish for my husband and I (it makes a little bit more than the two of us can eat but it’s great for a leftovers lunch the next day). Although it may sound strange to add jelly to the sauce, try it before you knock it; it’s quite yummy!

Lil Smokies in Barbecue Sauce

¼ cup finely minced white or yellow onion

1 one-pound package Lil Smokies (Hillshire Farm brand, for instance) sausage

½ cup ketchup

2 T. corn syrup

1 T. prepared yellow mustard

1 t. chili powder

½ t. ground cumin

2 T. grape jelly (or seedless jam, such as blackberry)

1 t. Tabasco sauce

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

In a small crockpot, add minced onions and turn heat to high. Allow onions to cook for a few minutes, until they begin to soften. Add remaining ingredients and turn heat to low. Simmer for an hour or so, until heated through and the flavors have been allowed to meld. Taste and adjust sauce as necessary.

Serves 3 – 4 as main dish, 8 as appetizer

October 8, 2011: Slow Cooked Sirloin in Mushroom Sauce Over Pasta Recipe

As the days get shorter, I naturally turn to my crock pot to slowly cook a meal all day long. Of course, crock pot cookery is a natural for tough meats. For this recipe I used a couple of really thick sirloin steaks. Usually sirloin is a fairly good cut of meat but perhaps because of the size of these steaks, slow cooking was an ideal way to make them fork tender. Feel free to use any beef cut, such as chuck steak or London broil (flatiron), in this recipe.

Simply add all the ingredients to your crock pot and let it go all day long!

Slow Cooked Sirloin in Mushroom Sauce Over Pasta

1 pound top thick cut top sirloin steaks

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

½ yellow or white onion, thinly sliced

1 T. steak sauce

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. ketchup

1 t. yellow mustard

1 cup beef broth

4 ounces mushrooms, quartered

1 T. cornstarch

2 T. water

8 ounces penne pasta

2 T. butter

1 t. garlic salt

1 T. fresh parsley, minced (or 1 t. dehydrated parsley)

Combine all ingredients, except mushrooms, in slow cooker. Set to high for at least one hour. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 6 – 8 hours. Half an hour before serving, add mushrooms. If you wish to thicken the sauce, mix together cornstarch and water and add to slow cooker. Increase heat to high. Cook another 20 – 30 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and sauce is thickened.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Add butter, garlic salt, and parsley. Toss together lightly.

Serve steaks with sauce over pasta.

Serves 4