Tracy's Crockpot Dulce la Leche

I got this recipe from my friend, Tracy, at Baby Spit is the New Black. This is the easiest thing ever. I can totally see serving this at a party. I copied the recipe here directly from her blog.

Get a can of Sweetened Condensed Milk. Put a liner in your crockpot (This is VERY important). Peel the label off the milk. Put the can of milk in your crockpot. Don't open it or anything. Just put it in there, all sealed up. Trust me. And the liner is to avoid rust in your crockpot. Put water in your crock so that the can is WELL COVERED with water. There should be a fair amount of water over the can. Put the lid on your crockpot. Put your crockpot on low, let it go for 8 hours.

At 7.5 hours, start cutting up fruit and other goodies to dip in your Dulce La Leche. Apples and bananas are favorites around here. If you have a sweet tooth, marshmallows are also quite yummy. Use your imagination here, people!

When 8 hours is up (it's ok if it goes a little over, no worries) take the can out of the crockpot. Careful!!! It's very, very hot. I use tongs for this. Then slowly use the can opener to open your can with little turns at a time. If you go too fast your Dulce will squirt out of your can and across the room. Let my experience be your learning tool here. Go slow.

Pour the dip into the middle of a chip and dip tray, surrounded by your cut up fruit and whatnot. Dip and enjoy.

Thanks Tracy!

Fried Squash

A delicious way to use up excess squash and zucchini! The kids loved these, and so did I. These are addictive and can easily take the place of french fries or chips. They would also make a great appetizer.

Forgive me for not having actual amounts in this recipe -- I freehanded it! I used some oil in a saucepan, but if you have a deep fryer, even better.

Fried Squash
squash or zucchini
flour
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
canola oil

In a medium saucepan, heat about 2-3 inches of canola oil over medium-high heat. Slice squash into 1/4-inch pieces or so. In a bowl, combine flour and Lawry's until the mixture is a pale orange color. Dip slices into flour mixture until well coated, then drop pieces into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Serve plain or with ranch dressing or other dressing of your choosing!

Italian Meatballs

I made these for a dinner of meatball subs, but they'd also work great over pasta with additional sauce, or as an appetizer.

Italian Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 slice of day old bread, crumbled
1 jar of spaghetti sauce

In a large bowl, knead together beef, egg, garlic, onions and bread. Form mixture into meatballs, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place all the meatballs in a crockpot, then cover with the spaghetti sauce. Cook on low 8 hours. Makes about 36 meatballs.

For Meatball Subs, spoon onto your favorite sub loaf or Italian roll, then top with grated Mozzarella.