Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup with Five Peppers and Ham

Andrea Meyers - Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup with Five Peppers and Ham

It’s May and I want to dream about picnics and cooking outdoors. We thought summer was well on it’s way when temperatures climbed into the 80s a couple weeks ago, then we were startled with the cold front that came through yesterday bringing lots of rain and dropping temperatures back into the 40s. Everything is [...]

Slow Cooker Four Bean Baked Beans

When I was growing up, baked beans were a delicious part of all our cook outs and potlucks. Cans of pork and beans were mixed with ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and onions, then baked in the oven. Sometimes strips of bacon were laid on top, creating a smoky aroma and flavor that reminds me [...]

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork with Chipotle BBQ Sauce

It’s a little too cold to do the grill these days, but we still crave pulled pork BBQ in the winter, and making it in the slow-cooker is a great way to indulge the craving. We’ve made this with both bottled and homemade sauces, and our preferred bottled sauce is Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Roasted Garlic Honey [...]

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

Andrea Meyers - Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

It’s official—we’re moving. Over the Christmas holiday we learned that Michael has a new job in the DC metro area, and now we’re in the midst of selling a home and looking for another. I’m excited about returning to that area and I think it will be very good for our family, but right now [...]

Ann’s Spaghetti Sauce

This is Michael’s mom’s spaghetti sauce, the one he grew up with. His mom has quite a sense of humor. She jokes that she isn’t Italian so she can’t make Italian spaghetti, but she’s Polish so she can make “Polish spaghetti.” Authentic or not, it’s a good, easy multi-purpose sauce that you can use for [...]

Slow Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans with Rice

Slow Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans with Rice - Andrea Meyers

There is something about beans and rice that I find very comforting. We can make a whole meal out of a simple dish such as this. I like to eat beans and rice just about any way, but this is probably my favorite. The recipe is inspired by several that I’ve tried over the years, [...]

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Andrea Meyers - Chicken Tortilla Soup

My husband pestered me for several years about making some tortilla soup for him. I’d never had it, so I wasn’t exactly sure what it should look like or taste like, and I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. I found a slow cooker recipe, but I was afraid that it would turn [...]