Armadillo Meatballs

Doesn't this creature look absolutely scrumptuous?


A new study finds that armadillos carry the bacterium that causes leprosy, and have somehow passed the disease to several dozen humans in the southern United States.

"It's important to realize that the risk of contracting leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease) from armadillos "is still infinitesimally small."

Results of the study are published in the April 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"This is a warning for people in the south and southwest who might have environmental exposure to stay away from armadillos".

The study authors recommend that frequent direct contact with armadillos should be discouraged, as should consumption of armadillo meat.

    .....BUT if you just really want some anyway....


Armadillo Meat Balls

~ 1 lb cooked armadillo meat, ground
~ 1 egg
~ 2 tbsp minced celery
~ 2 tbsp minced onion
~ 1 tbsp minced parsley
~ 1 tsp salt
~ 1/2 tsp pepper
~ flour
~ 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a bowl, mix together the meat, egg, celery, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.

Form into 1 inch balls and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Turn crockpot on high with the olive oil and let preheat about 10-15 minutes, depending on how quickly your crockery heats.

Roll the meat balls in the flour.

Place in crockpot. After about 3 minutes, gently rearrange meatballs in the crockpot with a spoon, as you would in the frying pan.

After about 3 more minutes, gently rearrange once again and turn crockpot on low. Continue cooking on low for 4 or 5 hours.

photo obtained from Wikimedia Commons

Don't know exactly what to do with the Armadillo after you catch it? Me either, but I found killing, gutting, cleaning and cooking instructions on Yahoo.


Armadillos need to be handled carefully due to a form of leprosy. I have, on several occasions, had armadillo while in South Texas and Mexico. They take the animal and feed it corn for several days to clear its dietary track. The armadillo is killed by a knife strike to severe the head, then the shell is split along the sides. Remove the organs and wash. The shell, skin, and meat are then cooked in a oven until done. Remove the meat and peel the skin. Flavor with chili's and add beans and onions, and put back into the top shell for serving. Serve with cornbread, jalapenos, and cold beer.

It's an aquired taste.

Source of information: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090402071929AAFvbnU

Should You Put Frozen Meat Into a Crockpot?

I recently read that so-called experts say to never put frozen meat into the crockpot; meat should always be properly thawed before cooking. I haven't been able to find a reason for this and, of course, they don't say. It's just a blanket statement.

I almost always put frozen meat into the crockpot. I don't even cook it longer than I would if it were thawed (because it's done) and I rarely add water. We haven't died yet!

The danger of frozen meats are that you could actually damage your crockpot. THE RULE - Never Preheat Your Crockpot (unless you are going to boil eggs or your food is already hot) - COLD CROCKPOT - COLD FOOD. HOT CROCKPOT - HOT FOOD. If you put cold meat in a hot crock pot or vice versa it may crack your crock pot.

Also, always gently place frozen food into the crockery. Otherwise it could crack upon impact. My daughter once dropped a frozen roast from the store package into the crockpot, not thinking that the frozen food is hard and the crockpot is basically glass. Of course, it broke in half.

Hard Boiled Eggs in the Crockpot

I just wanted to know.... I did a search and the best I could find was on crockpot365. I wouldn't even think of ever cooking eggs in a crockpot for hours. It's eggs!


So what I did was put enough water in the crockpot to cover the eggs.  I set the crockpot on high for around 30 minutes. Then I placed the eggs in for about 30 minutes. I then immediately placed them in ice water. After coloring them, I even cracked one open so you could see how it turned out.

The perfect hard boiled egg and yes, we did eat them. For some reason, the die adhered immediately; much better than the regular boiled eggs we colored. As you can see, there is no discoloration of the inner egg and they didn't smell bad while cooking.

Stuffed Peppers In The Crockpot

I recently did a post for stuffed peppers in the microwave. I found this video for stuffed peppers in the crockpot. It looks really easy. I wonder if the trade off of corn versus meat equals out in calories. This is obviously a vegetarian dish but it really looks good.

Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup
• dash pepper
• 2 cups Velveeta cheese, shredded or cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds frozen hash brown potatoes

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, soup, pepper, cheese, onions, salt and pepper; stir in potatoes. Pour mixture into sprayed or buttered crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours; turn to low and cook 2 1/2 hours more.

Chocolate Cream Peeps Pie

Easter is next weekend and I'm trying to find a desert that is fun for kids but satisfying for adults. My daughter always loved Peeps at Easter time. She would eat them until she was sick if I'd let her. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had found what I was looking for because I love chocolate cream pie! Hmmm. I wonder if I could make this in the crock pot.

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
4 large egg yolks
3 cups milk
1 cup chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

2 packages Peeps chicks, in contrasting colors

Preheat the oven to 325F. In a small bowl, stir together the graham crumbs and butter; press into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until pale golden around the edges.

Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and whisk in the egg yolks, then the milk. Cook until the mixture thickens and boils. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla. Let sit a minute or two, then stir until smooth. Pour into the pie shell.

Let cool for about 10 minutes, then set the Peeps in alternating colors atop the pie. Chill Completely before serving. Serves 8 t .

I found this recipe on Babble's Family Kitchen Page. You view this and other great Easter recipe ideas HERE>

UPDATE: I actually ended up making a yellow butter cake with classic choclate icing, at my Mom's request. It must have been good. There was nothing left.

Georgia BBQ Pork and Beef Ribs

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.


These ribs are also great cooked on the grill.

Vegetable Soup

A while back I wrote about the Bear Creek Tortilla Soup. It was so good I decided to try the vegetable soup to see if I liked it too ..... not so much. My husband liked it, though. I added some onion and a can of tomatoes and served it with biscotte and a salad.

All ingredients went into the crockpot and cooked for 1 hour on high and 1 hour on low. My husband is a picky eater. Since he liked it, the soup was probably good. It just didn't appeal to me that day.

Stuffed Pepper

Ingredients

1 Large Bell Pepper
3.5 oz of ground beef
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon bragg liquid aminos
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

Instructions:

Cook ground beef and onion in microwaveable glass container for 2 minutes. Chop with spatula and cook for one more minute. Drain liquid. Add all other ingredients.

Cut the top off a bell pepper (any color) and scrape out seeds and core; add filling.

Microwave on high for 3 and 1/2 minutes. Cook in 30 seconds to one minute intervals until desired tenderness is achieved.

*Placing a glass lid or bowl over pepper results in a moister and more evenly cooked pepper.

**If you choose the cut the pepper in half to make 2 stuffed peppers, double all ingredients, including ground beef.

Sprinkle with parmesan or cheddar cheese or bread crumbs for added flavor.

These are more filling than you might think. I served mine with a slice of cantelope and a biscotte and it was more than enough.

Eggplant Casserole

Even if you don't like eggplant, chances are you'll like this casserole.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, or 2 medium eggplants
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup skim milk, scalded
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup reduced fat Cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Process
1. Cut eggplant in cubes and steam for about 5 minutes or cook in boiling water for 15 minutes until tender.
2. Afterwards, drain and salt eggplant, and place in crockpot ( or in baking dish).
3. Add breadcrumbs, milk, onion, and cheese, salt and pepper. Mix together.
4. Cook on low for about 4 hours or in the oven at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Eggplant Health Benefits:

Brain Food

Research on eggplant has focused on an anthocyanin phytonutrient found in eggplant skin called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. In animal studies, nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. Cell membranes are almost entirely composed of lipids and are responsible for protecting the cell from free radicals, letting nutrients in and wastes out, and receiving instructions from messenger molecules that tell the cell which activities it should perform.

Rich in Phenolic Antioxidant Compounds

Researchers at the US Agricultural Service in Beltsville, Maryland, have found that eggplants are rich sources of phenolic compounds that function as antioxidants. Plants form such compounds to protect themselves against oxidative stress from exposure to the elements, as well as from infection by bacteria and fungi.

The good news concerning eggplant is that the predominant phenolic compound found in all varieties tested is chlorogenic acid, which is one of the most potent free radical scavengers found in plant tissues. Benefits attributed to chlorogenic acid include antimutagenic (anti-cancer), antimicrobial, anti-LDL (bad cholesterol) and antiviral activities


ARS researchers studied seven eggplant cultivars grown commercially in the U.S. and a diverse collection of exotic and wild eggplants from other counties. In addition to chlorogenic acid, they found 13 other phenolic acids present at significantly varying levels in the commercial cultivars, although chlorogenic acid was the predominant phenolic compound in all of them. Black Magic-a commercial eggplant cultivar representative of U.S. market types-was found to have nearly three times the amount of antioxidant phenolics as the other eggplant cultivars that were studied. In addition to their nutritive potential, the phenolic acids in eggplant are responsible for some eggplants' bitter taste and the browing that results when their flesh is cut. An enzyme called polyphenol oxidase triggers a phenolic reaction that produces brown pigments. Scientists have begun work on developing eggplant cultivars with an optimal balance of phenolics to ensure both optimal nutritional value and pleasing taste.

Cardiovascular Health and Free Radical Protection

When laboratory animals with high cholesterol were given eggplant juice, their blood cholesterol, the cholesterol in their artery walls and the cholesterol in their aortas (the aorta is the artery that returns blood from the heart back into circulation into the body) was significantly reduced, while the walls of their blood vessels relaxed, improving blood flow. These positive effects were likely due not only to nasunin but also to several other terpene phytonutrients in eggplant.
Nasunin is not only a potent free-radical scavenger, but is also an iron chelator. Although iron is an essential nutrient and is necessary for oxygen transport, normal immune function and collagen synthesis, too much iron is not a good thing. Excess iron increases free radical production and is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and cancer. Menstruating women, who lose iron every month in their menstrual flow, are unlikely to be at risk, but in postmenopausal women and men, iron, which is not easily excreted, can accumulate. By chelating iron, nasunin lessens free radical formation with numerous beneficial results, including protecting blood cholesterol (which is also a type of lipid or fat) from peroxidation; preventing cellular damage that can promote cancer; and lessening free radical damage in joints, which is a primary factor in rheumatoid arthritis.

Information from WH foods