Our First Official Crock Pot Recipe!

Amy and I had lunch with our pastor the other day (totally by coincidence, he just happened to be at Country's BBQ and so were we!) and I ordered Brunswick Stew as a side item with my meal. When it came, he commented that he made some of the best Brunswick stew, to which I commented that my Granny Cole used to make some - and I had never been able to find a recipe that came close to hers.

Many people can cook the same thing and cook it in different ways, even going back to how simplistic Amy says her spice cabinet is - mine is much more complex, but I enjoy adding extra spices and seasonings. And I think I own all the spices Amy mentioned - except for rosemary! I'm not a big fan...the one time I tried it, it was disgusting. No offense to those of you who enjoy it!

So Amy makes her own version of crock pot spaghetti sauce, which I've tried, and the other night I had to be at church for choir practice. I didn't have every single item Amy adds to her sauce, but I was able to improvise. My sauce was wonderful! (Not that Amy's isn't, but we always have a ton left over if I make hers.)
So here is my recipe for my homemade sauce, and then Amy's!

Miranda's Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu traditional)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. diced tomatoes in juice (I had some leftover in the fridge from a recipe)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chopped dried onion (or fresh onion is good too!)
1 pack Italian sausage, cooked and drained

Whisk all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve over spaghetti noodles or your favorite pasta!

Amy's Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce
2 jars of spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu Sundried Tomato and Sweet Basil and 1 store brand traditional or meat sauce)
2 cans of petite cut diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 lb ground beef
chopped onion to taste (I use Pictsweet frozen chopped onion)
garlic salt (to taste)
sugar (a couple of tablespoons)
spaghetti noodles (I love Ronco Angel Hair)

Brown ground beef and onions. Drain. Add to the crock pot with all the other ingredients. Cook on low 3-4 hours. It will also be fine if you leave it on all day on low. Cook spaghetti noodles and serve with a salad and dinner rolls.

So now you have both of our spaghetti sauces. They share a lot of the same ingredients, but we each put our own little touches into them, so they taste completely different. Try them out and let us know what you think! Have a great day!