Recipe: Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

I really like spaghetti, but after a long day of work or an evening full of grad classes, I don't have time to whip some sauce up from scratch.  Luckily, I found this wonderful recipe that freezes really well!  I'm still eating my first batch of this from the freezer on a regular basis.  Simple to make, and simple to reheat.  Yay.  I did, however, tweak it a little.  Check it out.

1 lb. Grass-fed, local ground beef (from Greenwood Farms!)
1 lb. Ground sausage (I got some from the g-store that was minimally processed)
Chopped Onion to taste (I like a lot of onion)
Minced garlic cloves (I like a lot of garlic. ALOT)
2 - 28 ou. can of chopped tomatoes
2 - 8 ou. cans of tomato sauce
2 - 6 ou. cans of tomato paste
2 c. homemade chicken bone stock (mine was frozen)

Spices to taste: (because I like a lot of spice)
Oregano
Basil
Salt
Pepper

In a large skillet, brown the beef and sausage over med-high heat with the onion and garlic until cooked through. Drain off any grease. Combine in a slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and turn on low. Cook for 6-8 hours.  Allow to come to room temperature.  Portion and freeze.

Recipe: Chicken and Corn Crockpot Chili

***UPDATE***
I ended up not liking this recipe!  Maybe I don't like pinto beans or chicken with beans and these spices, but I ended up throwing this away.  It wasn't worth the precious space in my freezer, unfortunately!  Let me know if you try it and like it.  Maybe I'm just picky!

Photo Credit

It's finally starting to feel like November here in St. Louis, and I'm continuing my brave quest of trying new recipes, cooking at home, trying to cook in a nourishing fashion, and tweaking recipes to make them more nourishing.  I adore crockpot cooking.  Today I tried and tweaked something from the internet.  It's still cooking...so I guess I'll find out later if it is super awesome.

I started with a recipe from here.  Here's what I ended up doing:

1 frozen package of free-range, pastured, local chicken (2 legs, 2 thighs)
2 c. frozen homemade chicken bone broth
1 pkg. dry pinto beans
2 -15 ou. jars of salsa (I used mild)
3 ears frozen sweet corn (picked and prepared in season)
1 small can of tomato paste (I added halfway through to thicken a bit)

All spices to taste (I like a LOT of spice: me-ow):
Cumin
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Salt

Directions:
1.  Prepare your beans.  Either soak overnight or prepare the quick cook way.  Don't forget to rinse and pick out the rocks!
2.  Put frozen chicken and broth in your crockpot on high.  Cook until chicken is done enough to pick off the bone.
3.  Pick chicken off of bones (I hate this part, but worth it).  Discard the bones, skin, fat.  Return shredded chicken to the crockpot for additional cooking.
4.  Add drained beans, spices, salsa, tomato paste, and corn to the crockpot.  Continue cooking on high/low (your preference) until done and ready to serve.

I plan on serving mine with cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream.  I am trying to add homemade broth to as many recipes as possible, so I'm hoping it works nicely here.  The original recipe also says to use more chicken, and boneless, skinless breasts.  However, I used less chicken to frugal it up, and thighs/legs are less expensive as well.  Plus, bone-in cooking is more nutritious!  Let me know what you think!  Do you have a better spin on Mexican Chicken Chili?  I want to know about it!