Slow cooker pepper steak

Skirt steak, cut into strips	1 ½ pounds
Bell pepper, cut into thick strips	1 green + 1 red
Onion, white, sliced	1
Water	¼ cup + ¼ cup
Bouillon, beef	2 cubes
Cornstarch	1 tablespoon
Soy sauce	3 tablespoons
Ginger, ground	¼ teaspoon
Garlic powder	¼ teaspoon
Pepper, freshly ground	¼ teaspoon
Sugar, brown	2 teaspoons
Rice, cooked

1. Place the beef, bell peppers, and onion in a 4-quart or larger slower cooker; set aside. 
2. In a measuring cup, microwave the bouillon cubes in ¼-cup water for 60 seconds; stir to dissolve. 
3. In a small bowl, combine ¼-cup, cornstarch, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, pepper, and sugar; whisk until the cornstarch dissolves. 
4. Stir in the bouillon water, and pour over the beef mixture in the slow cooker. 
5. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. 
6. Serve over rice.

Perfect slow cooker chicken breasts

Salt, cherry wood smoked, finely ground	¼ cup
Sugar	¼ cup
Water, cold	5 cups
Lemon, scrubbed, quartered	1
Lemon juice	2 ½ tablespoons
Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless	2
Oil, extra-virgin olive	3 cups
Garlic	8 cloves
Bay leaves	3
Thyme	2 springs
Rosemary	1 sprig
Peppercorns	½ teaspoon
Salt, kosher	1 ½ teaspoon + ½ teaspoon
Egg	2 large yolks

1. In a large bowl, whisk the water, ¼-cup salt, and sugar until dissolved. 
2. Squeeze and add two of the lemon quarters into the bowl. 
3. Add the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours. 
4. Meanwhile, add the oil to a 6-quart slow cooker with the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, 1 ½-teaspoon salt and the two remaining lemon wedges. 
5. Cover and cook on low until the oil registers 200°F, about 1 hour. 
6. Remove the chicken from the brine, and pat dry; transfer to a plate, and discard the brine. 
7. Using tongs, carefully lower the chicken into the warm oil. 
8. Cover and cook on low until the chicken reads 155°F, about 40 minutes. 
9. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and garlic to a clean plate. 
10. Using a ladle, transfer 1 cup of the oil to a measuring cup, and let cool 15 minutes; do not use the peppercorns. 
11. In a blender, puree the egg yolks with the juice, half of the cooked garlic cloves, and ½-teaspoon salt until smooth, about 30 seconds. 
12. With the blender one, gradually add the cooled oil until creamy, about 1 minute; season with salt. 
13. Slice the chicken, and serve with the aioli and green salad. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, January 2017.

Slow-cooker chicken molé

Chicken breast, bone in, skinless; cut off meat reserving bone	2 pounds
Tomatoes, diced	14 ½ ounces
Beer, lager	¾ cup
Chocolate, semisweet, broken into piece	2 ounces
Cornmeal, yellow	3 tablespoons
Onion, finely chopped	1 small
Garlic, finely chopped	2 cloves
Raisins, chopped	¼ cup
Prunes, pitted, chopped	8
Sesame seeds, toasted	2 tablespoons + ½ tablespoon
Ancho chile, ground	1 tablespoon
Chipotle chile, ground	½ teaspoon
Salt	1 ½ teaspoons
Cinnamon, ground	1 teaspoon + ½ teaspoon
Cloves, ground	Pinch

1. In a 4-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes with their juices, beer, chocolate, cornmeal, onion, garlic, raisins, prunes, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, ground chiles, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the clove; stir to mix. 
2. Tuck the bones down into the sauce, place the breasts on top, and spoon some of the sauce over the breasts. 
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the sauce is thick. 
4. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and shredded into bite-sized chunks.
5. Discard the bones in the sauce.
6. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the sauce and, using a hand-held immersion blender, puree until smooth. 
7. Return the chicken to the sauce and stir to coat well.
8. Sprinkle with the remaining toasted sesame seeds, and serve with steamed rice and sautéed zucchini. 

Recipe adapted from Slow & Easy by Natalie Haughton