CrockPot Goodness!

I LOVE my CrockPot!  Why?  Lots of reasons, mostly, I love how the CrockPot frees me up to be with my family when they hit the door at the end of the day.  The food can be “almost ready” and I can be conversing with my family about their day and helping with homework and hugging my littles.  J 

So, what’s in the CrockPot today?  Campfired Sloppy Joes!  I can hardly stand the yummy smells!  Last year I picked up a CrockPot Brand cookbook at Kohl’s for a $5 Steal!  The book is titled, “Busy Family Recipes” and although we are (on purpose) NOT a busy family, I do like the fact the recipes are quick and yummy!   This is one of my favorites from that book. 

I take the time the day before to prepare the ingredients so that I can just dump and run.  However, if you have the time on the day of the meal, you can easily prepare this the same day you intend to eat it.  It only cooks on high for three hours.  OK, so here’s the recipe.  All Credit goes to CrockPot!  I have added my changes at the end.

Campfired Sloppy Joes

Brown Together:

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

½ cup chopped sweet onion

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 large garlic clove

Mix in a small bowl:

½ cup ketchup

½ barbeque sauce

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon chili powder

ADD:

1 can (8ounces) baked beans

BROWN the meat mixture.  Mix the sauce.  Toss in the baked beans.  Mix them together.  Put it in the CrockPot and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.  Serve on buns!

*** My alternations:  I use a mixture of lean ground beef and ground turkey and because it is convenient, I just use 2 pounds total.  I also roast my red bell peppers and then add them to the mixture before I put it in the CrockPot.  I LOVE roasted red pepper!  It is sooo easy and delicious!  How it took me this long to find this out, I will never know!  I add some green bell pepper, just because I like them and I typically double the garlic.  So, as you can see, it is pretty much a free-for-all!  You can make this recipe uniquely yours!

CAUTION:  If you add a significant amount of additional “chunks” to your mix, you will want to add some moisture also!  Just dump a little extra ketchup and bbq sauce to the mix.