Good morning….and… happy Crocktober.
Crocktober is my high holiday where for 31 days I slow cook using my crockpot and Instant Pots. I create recipes and enjoy waking up to the smell of sucess, delicious meals made while I sleep!
These tools came to me later in life as a working mom and while I am only cooking for two now - I find I still use my Instant Pot at least once a week as a rice cooker.
I admit Crocktober is a bit more fun when its not 90 degrees in Minnesota but they say the heat wave we are having will likely end today and I see highs in the 60’s and lows in the 40’s in the ten day forecast. Oh and If you are new here, welcome! I am a Midwesterner specifically a Minnesotan so talking about the weather is a daily check in like asking your partner how their day is going. Its something we typically do every day, multiple times a day.
I have had a lot of new folks subscribing. I suspect since the syndication of my TV show “Taste Buds with Stephanie” into 85 TV markets across the United States (and always available on my website stephaniesdish.com, Tubi or YouTube) so welcome!
My name is Stephanie Hansen and I am a crockaholic. I am also a Midwestern home cook who cooks delicious tasty food that isn’t complicated and typically uses ingredients you would easily have already at home or could source at any grocery store in the United States. I have a radio show about food on Mytalk 107.1 every Saturday from 9-11 that is also a Podcast called Weekly Dish. I have a podcast I host and produce called “Dishing With Stephanies Dish” that releases 2x a month. This months episode with Hank Shaw brings us the story of his new cookbook Borderlands which is fantastic! I have two cookbooks that are organized seasonally by month and set in the North at my cabin in Ely Minnesota called “True North Cabin Cookbook Vol 1, May-Sept. and Volume 2, Oct-April”
I had a note from someone who unsubscribed last week that said my newsletter was confusng as to what is free and what is behind a paywall. I totally understood why its confusing so let me refresh. I send newsletters Wednesdays that are free every week with at least one recipe. 2 x a month on Fridays I release a podcast episode or Live Cook a Long for everyone that are also free. On Sundays, I really pour myself into the newsletter. There are lots of personal photos, insights and essays. I release at least 3-5 recipes I made that week or detail travel or behind the scenes of shooting my TV show. I also recap any interesting content that got produced that week and I share videos, TV appearance clips of snippets of intersting topics that came up onnteh radio show - all in one place so you dont have to hunt for things to find them. You are Immersed in my food world for the week. There is also an exclusive recipe archive for Sunday Substack subscribers that you can access anytime that is just for you!
Why this can be confusing is because sometimes I get so excited about my Sunday content I want to share it with everyone and I dont paywall it. In fact thats the case lots of times. The whole idea of pay walling content is foreign to me. I spend hours on these emails and I love writing them - its the place I feel like I get to be the most me. With over 10,000 subscribers and over 300 paid or (comped with a book pre-order) that would mean only 300 people would see the work or get the recipes I put into the Sunday edition. I dont like that ratio so many times I don’t paywall them.
Whats also confusing is.. I am a 100 percent freelance content creator. This is very unique for TV and radio. I submit freelance invoices to be paid for my radio show and TV show. I pay my own employment tax, health insurance, a buy all the food I make on TV and I pay technology folks to help host my web site, keep my computer tip top and thank god for the I-phone that makes shooting photos for a book or YouTube videos possible. I get my silly nails done so when I hold food on TV it looks ok and I am endlessly on the hunt for thrifted dishes, napkins or tablecloths that make the food look good on camera and in books. The plus side is I am my own boss and set my own vacation time but its alot to keep track of and I cobble it together every month and the Substack income is a part of the puzzle that makes it work.
I toy with the idea of ditching the paywall all together but in the forseeable future I dont see that happening as we just got word our health care premiums are increasing 35% so…while that is WAY more information than you needed - when you see me standing in two grocery stores on a 85 degree October Sunday selling my cookbook - thats why! I am the ultimate girl boss, bossing my own life, always on the hustle and I appreciate you being a part of the puzzle that makes it work.
Want to support my work after that long overshare? 🫣
Buy me a cup of coffee or Subscribe to the Sunday newsletter for $60 a year.
Lets dig into Crocktober in anticipation of the weather turning cooler! On my website I have released - 5 Crocktober recipes so far…
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Lemon Chicken Pasta
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Butternut Squash Soup
Hot Beef Itlaian Sandwiches
Crocktober Giveaway
Each day I’ll announce a new recipe on social media that you can find on my recipe page on my website Stephaniesdish.com. Rate ANY recipe between 10/1 and 10/31 (every recipe on my site, slow cooker or otherwise, is fair game!) and you’ll be entered to win one of several prizes. Each recipe you rate will get you an additional entry! Each prize has one winner.
Prizes
Crock-Pot 7-Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel Crockpot
Signed Copy of True North Cabin Cookbook - Vol 2 (2 winners)
$25Visa gift card
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Valid for U.S. residents only.
Here is a recipe I am releasing next week for Chicken Tinga with peppers that we made into a cheesy griddled taco but cold easilly be used as a soup, in a bowl over rice or as a taco salad or burrito base.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga with Peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion diced fine
1 jalapeno diced fine
1 poblano chil diced fine
1.5 Tbsp cilantro stems
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
2 lbs chicken breast
1 14 oz can of enchilada sauce
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce minced
Instructions
Heat the oil in a medium skillet or Instant Pot set to saute over medium heat until shimmering.
Add the onion, jalapeno, and poblano peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the cilantro stems, garlic, cumin, oregano and the 1 teaspoon of salt, and stir to combine.
Stir in the enchilada purée, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and the chicken.
Add the mixture to your slow cooker, or if using an Instant Pot, change the setting to Slow Cooker.
Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and tender, 2 to 3 hours on the LOW setting or 1 to 2 hours on the HIGH setting of your Slow Cooker
Turn off the slow cooker and transfer chicken to a clean cutting board.
Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks.
Return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve in tortillas with desired toppings.
Where we traveled:
If you like to follow along on our adventures - we got back from being in the Van and driving through Utah and leaving the van in Las Vegas.
, my husband, wrote a hilarious Substack about his trip on Lake Superior Sailing this Summer to Isles Royale.
I am getting ready to lead a foodie group to Sicily. These trips are great fun. We eat, we drink, we see the important sites and we lean into food with cooking classes and wine tastings but we also relax! We are gathering for Happy Hour as a meet and greet before we go and I am making two Sicilian Favorites:
Caponata Siciliana (Sicilian Eggplant Stew)
A savory-sweet dish made with eggplant, celery, olives, capers, and a sweet vinegar-sugar reduction. It’s typically served as an appetizer but can also be eaten with pasta or on bread.
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
1/4 cup capers
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a pan, sauté the onion until soft.
Add eggplant and celery, cooking until golden.
Stir in olives, capers, tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Sicilian Meatballs (Polpette alla Siciliana)
These meatballs are flavored with pine nuts, raisins, and a touch of cinnamon, giving them a unique and delicious sweet-savory taste.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Olive oil (for frying)
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Combine the ground meat, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, raisins, egg, cinnamon, parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Shape into small meatballs.
Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the meatballs until golden brown and cooked through (about 5 minutes per side).
Serve with tomato sauce or alone with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Turkey is our next destination and we already have a handful of folks signed up so don’t delay - these adventures do usually sell out and I have many repeat guests who join us!
Substack Superstars!
I love to share other gems I have found on Substack each week like:
My friend
who is releasing her new book for pre-order! I love the color and pre-ordered! My friend @setthetablephotography Rachel White did the beautiful photos!
I loved the story of this rustic country cabin in Wisconsin. look at he dreamy kichen
Caramel apple bark by @rachaelmansfield feels perfectly autumnal
Get her recipes here
What I Recorded:
if we ever get to Soup Season this is my brothers favorite recipe from book one of the True North Cabin Cookbook
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are perfect this time of year
Recipes:
A new Taste Buds Episode dropped all about Fried Chicken and we even got Jason Matheson to join me in my kitchen to make his famous buttery buttermilk biscuits!
Happy CROCKTOBER!!
Thanks for the shout-out, Stephanie!!! 😘