Cooker: Large round or oval
Setting and Cook Time: LOW for 9 to 12 hours
Serves 12 to 16

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 pounds lean ground beef or chuck

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 6 large yellow onions, chopped

• 4 medium-size green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

• 3 ribs celery, chopped

• Four 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• Three 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes, with their juices

• Two 6-ounce cans tomato paste

• 1/4 cup chili powder or pure New Mexican chile powder, or to taste

• 3 pinches of cayenne pepper

• 3 whole cloves

• 1 bay leaf

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• Salt to taste

• For serving:

• Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

• Shredded sharp Monterey jack cheese

• Shredded iceberg lettuce

• Sliced ripe black olives

• Strips of roasted green chile peppers

• Tomato wedges

• Sliced radishes

• Sour cream

• Guacamole

• Chopped fresh cilantro

• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. In a very large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, then cook the ground beef and garlic until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any clumps; drain off the fat. You may have to do this in two or three batches.  Place in the slow cooker.  Add the onions and bell peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring, until tender; add to the cooker.  Add the celery, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cayenne, cloves, bay leaf, and vinegar to the cooker and stir to combine.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 12 hours, stirring occasionally.  The last hour, season with salt.  If the chili is too thin, leave the lid off and cook a bit longer or thicken with masa harina mixed into a paste with some water; if it is too thick, add a splash of red wine.  The longer you let it simmer, the better it gets.  Serve with toppings on the side.

Sour Cream Cornmeal Muffins

What’s a bowl of chili without some cornbread. Here are muffins for piling into a big basket and let people serve themselves.

Makes 12 standard-size, 24 mini-sized, or 6 over-sized muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal, fine or medium grind, preferably stone-ground

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.   Grease 12 cups of a standard muffin tin, 24 cups mini-sized, or 6 cups over-sized.

2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the oil, eggs, and sour cream.  Mix into the dry ingredients just until evenly combined.  Take care not to overmix.  The batter will be lumpy.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling cups almost to the top.  Bake until golden around the edges, the tops are dry, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 23 minutes for standard muffins (12), 10 to 14 minutes for mini-muffins (24), and 25 to 30 minutes for oversized muffins (6).  Let stand 5 minutes before turning out of the cups to cool.  Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

Excerpted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining, by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. (c) 2007, used by permission from the Harvard Common Press.

Smoothered Bark-less by Sifu Renka

Overview

• Cooker: Medium or large round or oval
• Setting and Cook Time: LOW for 8 to 9 hours
• Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 10 to 12 (about 2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ground chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 to 12 soft white or whole wheat hamburger buns, split

Instructions

1. Spray the crock with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the onion and garlic over the bottom of the crock, then arrange the chicken thighs on top.
2. Stir together the ketchup, cider vinegar, oil, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, chipotle chile powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until well blended; pour over the thighs.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours, until the chicken is fork tender and easily pulls apart.  Remove the chicken to a medium-large bowl, then in batches, pull the meat apart into chunks; return to the slow cooker and stir to combine.  Cover and place on KEEP WARM until serving spooned onto the fresh buns.

Excerpted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook Recipes for Entertaining, by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. (c) 2009, used by permission from the Harvard Common Press.