Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Meatballs
1- 12 oz bottle chili sauce
juice of 1 lemon
1 c grape jelly
2 lb ground beef (or 1 lb beef and 1 lb turkey)
1 egg
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 t salt

1. In a small bowl, combine chili sauce, lemon juice, and jelly; pour enough in slow cooker to coat the bottom and set the rest aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine beef, egg, onion, and salt; roll into 2" balls.
3. In a large pan, sear meatballs; layer meatballs and sauce in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring a few times. Serve over rice.

Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak
6-8 1/4" thick eye of round steaks, pounded to tenderize
1 c milk
1 T vinegar
1 1/2 c flour
1 T salt
2 t fresh ground pepper
2 t garlic powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t onion powder
vegetable oil, for frying

Gravy:
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 c chicken broth
1 c milk (or 1/2 & 1/2, or a combination of both)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t fresh ground pepper
2 dashes hot sauce (I use Frank's)
1/2 t salt

1. In a gallon-sized ziploc, soak steaks in milk and vinegar for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.

2. Mix flour and spices in a ziploc bag and then pour about 3/4 of it into a shallow dish; pour milk marinade into another shallow dish.
3. One by one, coat each steak in the flour mixture, the milk marinade, and then the flour mixture again; place on a wire rack over a foil-lined jelly roll pan. Place the rack of steaks in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. [If you are really good at multitasking, you can make the gravy simultaneously with the steaks, otherwise I'd do it before you move on.] In a medium pot, melt butter and stir in flour; cook for about 2-3 minutes. Whisk in broth and milk, bring to a simmer, and allow to thicken. Add Worcestershire sauce, pepper, hot sauce, and salt; bring back to a simmer and then turn the burner down to low just to keep it warm until ready to use.
5. Preheat oven to 250*; line a jelly roll pan with paper towels and put a wire rack on it. Heat an iron skillet over medium-high heat (I put the burner on a 6), place 1" of oil in the skillet, and heat to about 350*.
6. Pour the remaining 1/4 flour mixture in a shallow dish; coat each steak one more time in the flour mixture before putting it in the oil. You can probably fry two steaks at a time, 2-3 minutes on each side. Using tongs, transfer the steaks to the second wire rack and place that in the oven to keep them warm while you cook the rest.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
1/2 c butter, cubed
1/4 c chocolate chips
3 3/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c milk
2 t vanilla

1. In a small pan, melt butter and chocolate together over low heat; remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth; gradually add chocolate mixture and whip until light and fluffy.

Classic Chex Mix

Classic Chex Mix
3 c corn Chex
3 c wheat Chex
3 c rice Chex
2 c pretzel sticks
2 c mixed nuts
1/2 c butter
3 T Worcestershire sauce
6-12 dashes Tabasco sauce
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 t seasoned salt
1/4 t onion powder

1. Preheat oven to 250* and line two baking sheets with foil.
2. In a large bowl, mix cereal, pretzels, and nuts.
3. In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients and microwave until butter is melted; stir together and toss with cereal mixture.
4. Transfer mix to baking sheet and bake for 75 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Mississippi Roast

Mississippi Roast
about 3 lb chuck roast
pepper and seasoned salt, to taste
1 oz envelope Ranch mix
1 1/4 oz envelope au jus mix
1/4 c butter, cut into pats
5-10 pepperchinis

1. Place roast in slow cooker and sprinkle with pepper, seasoned salt, Ranch mix, and au jus mix.
2. Arrange butter pats on roast and then peppers on top of the butter.
3. Turn slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours.

Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pies
5 T butter, melted
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1 c sour cream
1 t vanilla
3/4 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
7 T unsweetened cocoa

1. Preheat oven to 350* and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars; stir in sour cream and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa; stir in to wet mixture.
4. Spoon batter on to cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until tops are slightly cracked.

Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 t vanilla
1 1/4 c powdered sugar

1. In a small bowl, whip cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together; beat in powdered sugar. Be generous on cookies to make sandwiches.

Makes 8-9 sandwiched cookies.

Baked Beans

Baked Beans

1 lb bacon, chopped

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

4- 15 oz cans pork and beans

1/2 c molasses

1/4 c brown sugar

1-2 T mustard

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. In a large pan, fry bacon until crispy; spoon bacon on to paper towel to drain. Drain most of the bacon grease, leaving a little bit in the pan.

3. Place onion in reserved bacon grease and saute until softened. Stir in beans, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, and bacon.

4. Pour beans into a 9x13 pan and bake for about 45 minutes.