Crock Pot Cassoulet

I went to Kona this past weekend to buy some bulk items...dog food, eggs, toilet paper, etc.  It was the first weekend for the new offers, so, as can be imagined, Costco was packed. 

Going to Costco on a weekend is a sure-fire way to run into many people you know.  I saw the boss man and his lovely wife in the frozen foods aisle.  I even saw my neighbor!  Had I stayed longer, I would have also run into the BWCK ohana.  But staying longer in Costco was out of the question.  Because of the crowd, it was difficult to navigate, and I spent barely over $100.

In spite of the masses at Costco, the worst part of the day was driving to and from Kona.  There were a whole bunch of idiot drivers on the road.  Going over, some slow ass red Geo Metro was taking their sweet time.  The Honda Pilot following was no better, as it refused to pass.  Fortunately, the Pilot pulled off the road, which allowed The Help to pass the red Geo Metro just before we got to the thick blanket of fog on the DKI.

On the way home, a white Toyota Corolla held up over 2 dozen cars.  The Help was too far back in the lineup to make any attempt to pass, but it didn't stop him from cursing the second car, who should've been the one to pass the Corolla when the fog cleared.  Because of the Corolla, it took nearly 2 hours to get home, which is unheard of since the new section of the Saddle opened.

I didn't mention it above, but one of the things we bought was a bulk package of little smokies.  Costco sells them in 3- or 4-pound bags, and they have my favorite brand, Hillshire Farms.  Little smokies are a guilty pleasure.  Yes, I know they're packed with fat and sodium, but they taste so darn good.  I've tried several Pinterest recipes with them...grape jelly bbq smokies and the bacon-brown sugar baked smokies.  Both were delicious.  I love them just fried too!  Unfortunately, I'm getting back on the wagon in my battle against cholesterol, so I need to diffuse cholesterol in preparation for my upcoming dr appt.

About a year ago, I saw the recipe for Smoked Sausage Cassoulet Soup in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser one morning (I've since seen that version called Smoked Sausage Cassoulet in Cooking Light).  I don't normally get to the paper until the afternoon, but I happened to open up the app one morning.  12 hours later, we were sitting down to our version of it for dinner.  Thank goodness The Help wasn't working that day, and thank goodness he can follow my directions.  I adapted the recipe to make use of what we already had on hand. . .little smokies and fresh herbs!

In spite of being tempted to make the brown sugar-bacon smokies, I will be making Crock Pot Cassoulet instead.  The chilly weather and the smell of it cooking sort of eases the pain of missing out on brown sugar & bacon!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Crock Pot Cassoulet

(adapted from Hawaiian Electric/Cooking Light)

     3 bacon slices
     1 onion, chopped
     3 thyme sprigs
     1 tsp rosemary needles
     3 garlic cloves, minced
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
     2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
     2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
     1 pound boneless pork (I used shoulder), cut into 1-inch cubes
     1/2 pound little smokies smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
     3 tbsp finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
     2 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion, thyme, rosemary, and garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.  Stir in crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.  Add beans, pork, and sausage; stir well. Place half of bean mixture in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; top with half of tomato mixture. Repeat layers.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours.  Ladle into bowls, removing thyme sprigs.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.  Makes 6 servings. 

I went to Kona this past weekend to buy some bulk items...dog food, eggs, toilet paper, etc.  It was the first weekend for the new offers, so, as can be imagined, Costco was packed. 

Going to Costco on a weekend is a sure-fire way to run into many people you know.  I saw the boss man and his lovely wife in the frozen foods aisle.  I even saw my neighbor!  Had I stayed longer, I would have also run into the BWCK ohana.  But staying longer in Costco was out of the question.  Because of the crowd, it was difficult to navigate, and I spent barely over $100.

In spite of the masses at Costco, the worst part of the day was driving to and from Kona.  There were a whole bunch of idiot drivers on the road.  Going over, some slow ass red Geo Metro was taking their sweet time.  The Honda Pilot following was no better, as it refused to pass.  Fortunately, the Pilot pulled off the road, which allowed The Help to pass the red Geo Metro just before we got to the thick blanket of fog on the DKI.

On the way home, a white Toyota Corolla held up over 2 dozen cars.  The Help was too far back in the lineup to make any attempt to pass, but it didn't stop him from cursing the second car, who should've been the one to pass the Corolla when the fog cleared.  Because of the Corolla, it took nearly 2 hours to get home, which is unheard of since the new section of the Saddle opened.

I didn't mention it above, but one of the things we bought was a bulk package of little smokies.  Costco sells them in 3- or 4-pound bags, and they have my favorite brand, Hillshire Farms.  Little smokies are a guilty pleasure.  Yes, I know they're packed with fat and sodium, but they taste so darn good.  I've tried several Pinterest recipes with them...grape jelly bbq smokies and the bacon-brown sugar baked smokies.  Both were delicious.  I love them just fried too!  Unfortunately, I'm getting back on the wagon in my battle against cholesterol, so I need to diffuse cholesterol in preparation for my upcoming dr appt.

About a year ago, I saw the recipe for Smoked Sausage Cassoulet Soup in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser one morning (I've since seen that version called Smoked Sausage Cassoulet in Cooking Light).  I don't normally get to the paper until the afternoon, but I happened to open up the app one morning.  12 hours later, we were sitting down to our version of it for dinner.  Thank goodness The Help wasn't working that day, and thank goodness he can follow my directions.  I adapted the recipe to make use of what we already had on hand. . .little smokies and fresh herbs!

In spite of being tempted to make the brown sugar-bacon smokies, I will be making Crock Pot Cassoulet instead.  The chilly weather and the smell of it cooking sort of eases the pain of missing out on brown sugar & bacon!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Crock Pot Cassoulet

(adapted from Hawaiian Electric/Cooking Light)

     3 bacon slices
     1 onion, chopped
     3 thyme sprigs
     1 tsp rosemary needles
     3 garlic cloves, minced
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
     2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
     2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
     1 pound boneless pork (I used shoulder), cut into 1-inch cubes
     1/2 pound little smokies smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
     3 tbsp finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
     2 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion, thyme, rosemary, and garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.  Stir in crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.  Add beans, pork, and sausage; stir well. Place half of bean mixture in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; top with half of tomato mixture. Repeat layers.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours.  Ladle into bowls, removing thyme sprigs.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.  Makes 6 servings.