Budget Travel

Slow Cooker Nacho Dip

SERVES 8 | PREP TIME 10 Min | COOK TIME 1 Hour 20 Min

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, or more
1 (15.5 ounce) jar chunky mild salsa, (or hot)
1 (32 ounce) brick Velveeta cheese, sliced into 4 smaller logs

Add ground beef to hot, 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet, over high heat. Don't break down the beef right away, let it cook for 3-4 minutes first, this way it caramelizes first. Start breaking it down after that, add 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning to it, or just salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 more minutes stirring often, or until the beef is fully cooked and nicely browned. Drain excess fat.

Transfer cooked and drained beef to the slow cooker, add diced onion, diced green chiles, salsa and Velveeta cheese.

Cook on high for 1 hour or on Low for 1 1/2-2 hours. Stir the mixture every 30 minutes.

The dip is done when the cheese is fully melted and combined with the other ingredients when stirred. Place slow cooker on warm to keep the dip creamy and melty and serve with corn chips.

Garnish dip with sour cream and homemade or store bough Pico de Gallo, chopped fresh parsley and green onions.

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One-Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Shrimp Pasta

SERVES 6 | ACTIVE TIME 5 MIN | TOTAL TIME 20 Min

3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 pound angel hair pasta
1 cup parmesan
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

In a wide deep skillet (I love this 4-qt braiser), melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until lightly golden.

Pour the water, milk, cream, salt, and pepper in the skillet and whisk together. Bring to a simmer, then add in the angel hair pasta. Cover and cook until almost al dente, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Top with the shrimp and sprinkle with parsley. Re-cover and simmer for an additional 5 minutes, until shrimp is cooked through, pasta is tender, and sauce is thickened. Serve immediately.

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Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

SERVES 24

Christmas sugar cookie dough (click for recipe)
red food coloring (gel is best)
Christmas nonpareil sprinkles

Separate prepared dough into 2 halves. Add red food coloring to one half. Add 1/2 of your cookie dough to a stand mixer and add red food coloring until your mixture reaches your desired color. You can also knead food coloring into dough until completely combined if you do not have a stand mixer.

Place red cookie dough on parchment paper. Roll red cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Set aside.

Place plain cookie dough on a parchment paper (or wax paper). Roll plain cookie dough out to about 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Stack cookie dough sheets on top of one another with the parchment on the outside. Remove the top parchment and roll over the dough gently with a rolling pin (to help the 2 doughs become one). Begin on one end and roll the cookie dough into a log (removing the remaining paper as you go). If dough is too soft to work with, refrigerate for 30 minutes and then try again.

Once dough is formed into a log, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour . Meanwhile: pour sprinkles into a cookie sheet. Unwrap dough and roll into sprinkles. Rewrap and refrigerate 3 hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Slice cookies and place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake according to your sugar cookie directions or until the cookies feel set. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

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Spaghetti Carbonara

SERVES 4 | PREP TIME 5 Min | TOTAL TIME 15 Min

8 ounces dry spaghetti
4 slices bacon, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated (plus more for garnish)
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
Flat leaf parsley, minced (optional)

Cook spaghetti in heavily salted water (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) as directed on box. Reserve about 1 cup starchy pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon over medium in a medium skillet, until almost crisp. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk parmigiano and eggs together. Set aside.

After draining the pasta, add it to the egg mixture and toss quickly to coat the noodles. Add a little starchy pasta water at a time to achieve desired consistency (about 1/4- 1/2 cup). Mix in the bacon/garlic and serve immediately topped with fresh parsley and more Parmigiano.

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Slow Cooker Beef Brisket

SERVES 8-10 | PREP TIME 10 Min | COOK TIME 8 Hours 40 Min

4-5 pounds beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat

1 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon beef bouillon
1/2 cup homemade barbecue sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with sides/jelly roll pan with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up. Set aside. Spray 6 quart (or larger) slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.

Trim brisket of excess fat and rinse and pat dry.

Add 1 tablespoon Spice Rub to a medium bowl for the barbecue sauce and set aside.

Rub all remaining Spice Rub evenly all over the meat then place brisket on prepared baking sheet. (You can let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 24 hours if desired). Bake for 30 minutes at 425°F to sear meat.

Meanwhile, add all of the Barbecue Sauce ingredients (recipe to follow) to the 1 tablespoon reserved Spice Rub and whisk to combine. Remove 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and add to slow cooker along with water, Worcestershire, reduced sodium soy sauce and beef bouillon. Whisk to combine (the bouillon will not be completely dissolved but will dissolve during cooking).

Using tongs (so you don’t burn yourself) carefully transfer the brisket to slow cooker. It will be large so you will have to squish it in. Not all of it will be under the liquid.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours until brisket is very tender, flipping over half way through cooking. Remove brisket to a foil lined baking sheet. Brush with barbecue sauce and broil 5-10 minutes, until slightly caramelized. Meanwhile, simmer barbecue sauce until warmed through.

Brush brisket again with barbecue sauce and slice across the grain. Serve with remaining barbecue sauce.

Spice Rub
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for more heat)

In a medium bowl, whisk together Spice Rub ingredients.

Barbecue Sauce
1 tablespoon Spice Rub (recipe above)

1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup seedless blackberry preserves
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mesquite liquid smoke (optional but recommended)

MAKE AHEAD: I often will cook my brisket until tender then remove the removable ceramic insert and refrigerate the brisket in the juices. The next day, I skim off all the hardened fat then cook on low for 1-2 hours until warmed through.

RECIPE NOTES: Liquid smoke can be found next to the barbecue sauce in most grocery stores. It adds a wonderfully smoky flavor.

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Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes

SERVES 8 | ACTIVE TIME 10 Min | TOTAL TIME 4 Hours 30 Min

4-5 large sweet potatoes
1 cup water
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp celtic sea salt
1 tbsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Wash potatoes and stab each 4-6 times with a sharp knife to create steam vent holes.

Add water to slow cooker cover and cook 4 hours, until potatoes are soft.

In a small bowl, add butter , honey, and all herbs and spices (everything but the nuts), blend well to create compound butter. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in refrigerator.

Remove potatoes and drain water. Wait until potatoes are cool enough to touch (but still very warm), and remove peels. They should slide right off when sweet potatoes are cooked. Add peeled sweet potatoes back to slow cooker.

Add 1/2 compound butter mix to potatoes and using a handheld mixer, whip potatoes and butter until soft, fluffy, and creamy.

Optional: Cook potatoes in slow cooker another 30 minutes to bring out the rich flavors from the compound butter even more!

Mix nuts into potatoes, serve, and top with pats of compound butter for extra-indulgent sweet potatoes your guests will love!

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Best Ever Bacon Jalapeno Popper Dip

SERVES 8 | ACTIVE TIME 5 MIN | TOTAL TIME 25 MIN

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon New Mexico chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound bacon, (cooked and crumbled) divided
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Colby Jack Cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded pepperjack cheese, divided
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapenos , well drained (or 2 fresh jalapenos, deveined, deseeded and diced)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 or 2 (4.5 ounce) packages Crunchmaster Roasted Garlic Multi-Grain Crackers

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, New Mexico chili powder, ground cumin, pepper, garlic powder. Stir with a spoon until well mixed. Add 3/4 of the bacon, 1 cup Colby Jack cheese, 1 cup pepperjack cheese, and drained jalapenos.

Spread into a 10" cast iron skillet (or (2) 5" skillets for the perfect party plate). Top with the remaining cheese.Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley.

Serve with a bag of Crunchmaster Crackers. I love the garlic with this dip!

Enjoy!

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