| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 3/16/2008 2:37:35 PM | If there is an applicance in the kitchen that has quite literally SAVED MY SANITY in the kitchen it's the crock pot. I can't believe how many meals that thing has churned out for me over the years. If it died tomorrow, it wouldn't owe me a thing. I just love it. It is absolutely wonderful to walk into the house after a long day at work and find dinner ready and waiting. Sure, it takes a little forward planning, but in the end it's SO worth it.
Sometimes, you might take a little time to make some rice or a nice little gravy with the juices in the bottom of the cooker, when the dish is done, but for the most part, it's pretty much ready to go! All you have to do is set the table and have dinner!
Does anyone out there cook with it???? How about some recipes??? Don't be shy, share your favorites! I am looking forward to hearing from you! Here is one of my new favorites!
Curried Peach Chicken
2 15 ounce cans of yellow cling peaches
3 tablespoons Peach Preserves
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon Ground Ginger
1 tablespoon Curry Powder
1 tablespoon Minced Onion
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 cup chicken broth
2-3 pounds of your favorite chicken parts
salt
pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
toasted flaked coconut - optional
Arrange chicken in a 5 qt slow cooker, salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the peaches and reserve all the liquid in a bowl. Place peaches in a dish, cover and put in refrigerator for safe keeping. Add the preserves, melted butter, ginger, curry powder, minced onion, garlic powder, and broth. Wisk and mix well. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until chicken juices run clear.
Remove chicken from the slow cooker and keep warm. In the meantime, drain the juices into a saucepan. Mix cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into cooking juices and heat and stir constantly until desired thickness.
Serve this over hot cooked rice or noodles, and garnish with the coconut and peaches. A nice tossed green salad can really round out this good meal! Delicious!
| |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 3/16/2008 2:58:18 PM | Easy Pot Roast
1 Tb olive oil
3-4 lb boneless chuck roast
2 med onions quarterd
4-5 carots cut in 2-3 inch chunks
3 lrg potatos peeled and chunked
salt/pepper to taste
1 envelope Lipton Beefy Mushroom soup mix
Brown roast in olive oil on all sides. Layer ingredients into crock pot as follows
onions/roast/soup mix/carrots/potatoes/salt and pepper
add water or red wine to the level of the carrots and let cook on low all day.
Remove the dinner, and transfer liquid to a sauce pan and reduce to half and make gravy or reduce to 1/4 and add 2 Tb butter and a little fresh thyme and rosemary and pour over meat as a sauce.
Careful, as the meat will be falling apart tender. | |
|
| |
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 3/16/2008 3:12:03 PM | Ok, this thread is taunting me. Telling me how I never use my crockpot enough.
I love making chili in it because it is the only real way to get a long, low, slow marriage of flavors and development of the proteins. I don't make chili that is chunky with vegetables. I make either chili with pieces of chuck, cut differently than for stew, lots of spices and it makes it's own thick chili gravy without any thickeners.
I also make a real New Mexican Red Chile Pepper chili with lots of herbs and some spices. Then there is the Chili Colorado, oh good heaven.
I also make my top secret French type beef stew.
Then there is the old, bad for you, but oh so fun and tasty, especially for the kids, chili cheese dip, or TexMex style queso.
I once ate a banana bread made in a crockpot that was good. I was thinking of trying it with Orange Cake, or a Chocolate Lava type cake.
I so need to use my crock more often. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/2/2008 7:19:03 PM | Chili!!!
Brown some ground beef, a pound or three or four, depending how meaty you like it; drain off excess fat and water, add to large crock pot.
Drain and rinse one of more cans of kidney beans or chili beans, filling crock pot to about 2/3 full; fill to within an inch of the top with salsa, mild to hot, depending how hot you like it. Add some diced onions if you like, or some diced tomatoes, and maybe a packet or two of chili seasoning. If you prefer your chili a bit more soupy, add tomato juice with the salsa, remembering to keep the approximate one inch of headroom in the pot. Stir to mix well, simmer on LOW for as long as you can, 4-6 hours minimum, longer is better.
This is slightly different each time I make it. Often I start with dried beans instead of canned, but salsa is my trademark ingredient.
When you think it's done, stir it up, get yourself a medium size bowl and fill 3/4 full with chili; sprinkle with shredded sharp cheddar if you like, or some finely diced fresh white onion; grab a handful of crackers, pop a DVD in the player, sit down in front of the TV and enjoy your chili. Ignore questions about "is it done yet?" until you're on your third bowl... | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/3/2008 10:11:36 AM | I Cook Ribs in the crockpot.
They fall off the bone-
1 slab--cut up into 4 quarters.
or wrap the slab arond the crock pot if you want,
Use whatvere kind of BB-Q sauce yo prefer and one 1/2 can of coke or pepsi.., and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar-- and squeeze 2 limes or an ornage and lime.. as that cooks to take awy some of sweetmes, I also use choppled Vidaila Onions,
Let cook and Enjoy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I also make Kielbasa and saurkraut with a couple cans of white potatoes sliced or whole, Then I use Crushed red peppers -The kind some use on Pizza,,, I like SPICE
Cook for about 3 hours and the meat gets so tender and the flavors are good together,
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do that Roast , beef or pork, too alot--- with lipton onion soup,, and all the veggies and THE ONION makes it smeel so good when you walk in the door after work, as it cooked,, OMG---wonderful.. Then I make a dip for it,,sourcream and horseradish mixed together for dipping. I LOVE the CROCKPOT I just bought a new one on Qvc that sears and Frys,,,, Can't wait to get it..
Love COOKING
| |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/3/2008 10:58:05 AM | Damsell's Kielbasa & Kraut (sounds good, by the way) reminded me...
1 pound Italian Sausage (hot)
1 pound Italian Sausage (Mild)
2 Onions sliced thick and separated
1 med Bell Pepper sliced
about 1 1/2 quart red marinara (plain) sauce
1/3 cup wine
Lightly saute onions and peppers in olive oil, remove to crock pot
Sear and brown sausages but DO NOT finish cooking- poke a hole in the sides and remove to crock pot.
Deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup wine and dump into crock with all pan scrapings
Cover with marinara.
Cook for 10-14 hours in crock. Serve in warmed mini Italian breads, ladle the onion/pepper sauce over.
Keep for leftovers, it tastes better the second and third day. (If you can wait that long).
Have not actually used either of the crocks I have in such a long time... once the dogs discovered that paws on the counter was only punishable when someone was home to see it, anything up there was fair game; and then there were the cats who, despite any amount of water-gun usage put up with it to get to the damn thing- even empty. Never got in the habit of using them after that. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/3/2008 9:59:56 PM | Y'all will think this is so odd, but it is really goood. Stick either a pork or beef roast in the crockpot. Pour over it the leftover juice from either sweet or bread and butter pickles. and turn it on for however long your basic roast recipe calls for. Works on ribs too. Sometimes I do a smoky paprika and cumin rub overnight and then proceed as above. The finished product is almost like a BBQ. Very tender. I think it's the same concept as sauerbraten.
Gotta get back to my project and not be playing here in the forums!!  | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/4/2008 4:13:30 AM | Slow cooking is such a great way to cook that not nearly enough people use. It's nearly failsafe. Put it in a pot, get the temperature right and remember in a few hours. How hard can it be?
Therefore, I endorse this thread. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/4/2008 9:45:57 AM | Sounds GOOD too Cheron...
Always LQQING for new Ideas too..I love IT....
Thanks,,
Meatballs- (perrino are good ones) or any frozen ones you like... and cream of chicken or muhroom soup-campbells,, EASY as all get OUT....Kids like it too...
Mushroom is better for me----
Then pour over egg noodles......or serve without noodles as an appateaser 
I endorse this Thread tooooo....
Jeanette | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/4/2008 9:51:00 AM | I *love* my slow cooker. In fact, I'm not sure just how I survived before I got my own.
---> Creamy Manhattan Clam (Seafood) Chowder
Serves 9.
1/3 pound bacon, diced
1 large onion
3 medium carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced (3 long stalks)
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
827 g tomatoes, diced (1 796 ml can)
1 cup half and half cream
1/4 teaspoons salt
426 g baby clams, with liquid (3 cans)
100 g crab meat
213 g pink salmon, 1 can
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 g bay leaves, 3 small leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, crumbled
3 large potatoes, diced
Directions
Brown bacon in a large skillet; add onions and cook until onions are tender.
Place potatoes, carrots, celery on bottom and around sides of slow cooker.
Transfer bacon & onion mixture to slow cooker and add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. Potatoes should be soft and core temperature of soup should be about 180C for food safe handling.
Serves 9-12 (318 Cal - 238 Cal). For 9 servings is a nice hearty 2 cups of soup! Yummmy!
Note - I will be cutting out the salt in my next version, since I feel the fish / clams provides enough.
For calory information: http://caloriecount.about.com/recipe/85964.html | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/4/2008 10:02:59 AM | I love my crock pot!
Every year for our Superbowl Party-my friends want me to make this recipe-it's super easy, and tastes great!
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 1/2 to 3 lbs lean chuck roast or bottom round
* 1 1/2 cups ketchup
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/4 cup wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons spicy mustard or Dijon
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
PREPARATION:
Place beef roast in crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Remove roast, shred meat. Place shredded meat back in crockpot; stir to coat well. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 5:20:28 AM | | some of these sound delicious i will be trying some! And i agree fully the crockpot is amazing. Keeps my lazy sunday lazy. Just throw in some food check in a few hours, nothing better. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 5:47:10 AM | My fav thing in the crockpot is cornbeef. It is so wonderful and falss apart
Just put it in some mustard on top along with the seeds and turn on low. Can add fixins to it later. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 5:59:32 AM | I got a family size slow cooker a couple years ago... works well for my son and I... ;) I usually make chili in it so it lasts a while...
Easy chili:
-2-3 lbs of either ground turkey or 93% or leaner ground beef (cooked and well drained)
-7 lb can of kidney or chili beans -OR- 4-5 cans of black beans (DRAINED - depending on how many beans you want)
-1 or 2 cans (15oz) of tomato sauce
-Mrs. Dash to taste
-sodium free Mexican seasoning to taste
-let simmer for preferably about 8-10 hours, stirring every few hours
Pork/Beef roast:
I like the roasts wrapped in a net/bag, about 3-4 lbs is a good size.
-Crockery Gourmet packet mixed with 8oz of water and poured over top is really good
(Instead sometimes will use some Worst. sauce and Mrs. Dash... trying to cut down on excessive sodium these days, but the W. sauce is loaded with it.) | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 6:52:39 AM | Awesome thread OP! I nearly forgot I even OWN a crock pot! lol I'll definitely be trying out some of these recipies!
Mark
 | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 6:52:46 AM | Sweet Sour Pork Roast
Several Vidalia onions, sliced
4- 6 lb Pork roast (good with the inexpensive pork shoulders)
Hot water or pineapple juice
Brown sugar
Vinegar
Soy sauce
Bay leaf
Peppercorns
Fresh or powdered ginger
Fresh or garlic powder
Dash hot sauce
Layer onion slices on the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the roast on top. Add remaining ingredients. Cook 4-6 hours on low. If using a pork shoulder, score the fat and put under the broiler or on the grill, until the skin is crisp, before serving. Serve with rice. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 7:03:45 AM | I so love my crock pot, so much that I have 4 sizes depending on my needs! i love to make easy chicken n noodles
2 chicken breast
a few celery stalks
a handful carrots
some low sodium stock
that cooks all day while i am at work,when i come home i remove the meat and veggies and shred add water to the stock in a sauce pan and some whole grain noodles and dinner is done.
Whenever i cook a roast i brown in a skillet add a lil water to the drippings and scrap the pan with a spatula, layer the onions, potatoes, velery and carrots and meat on top but the drippings on top lid it and go to work. The house smells so good when u come home from work.
I will also make some chicken breast in any jar pasta sauce , make some whole wheat pasta add a salad and dinner is done .
Also makes a yummy turkey breast in the crock pot | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 7:24:19 AM | | ok i have never made anything with pasta IN the crock pot i hear u can do that. does anyone out there cook with oasta in the crock? | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 8:55:17 AM |
pasta IN the crock pot i hear u can do that.. I did that once. My very first crock pot. I think it was chicken and noodles or some soupy type thing. Got home from work that night to find a solid mass of congealed paste (NOT A TYPO: pastE not pastA) with chicken bits in the middle and crusty sides cemented to the crock's non-removable interior. Not only inedible, non-salvageable. Tossed the crock, pasta paste, chicken bits, and all into the trash and went out for pizza.
A much-later reading of the books, I found that pasta needs LOTS of moving water to carry off the starches. Same as trying to simmer pasta for long periods- the starches congeal and it forms a brick.
***Note also that the above is for most commercial wheat-based pasta. Gluten-free pastas CAN be slow cooked, and only TASTE like library paste. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 4:32:53 PM | I make a Eggplant Lasagna in the crockpot....A friend gave me this recipe for stuffed Manicotti. Although delicious, I found the shells stuck together, ending up like lasagna. People that do not normally like eggplant love this dish.
Do not cook it longer than 2 to 3 hours in the slow cooker or the cheeses will curdle and the pasta will become tough.
1 tbl. olive oil
1 medium-size eggplant, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
4 cups Prego traditional Italian sauce, divided
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8-oz.) pkg. uncooked lasagna noodles or manicotti shells
1. Pour olive oil into medium-size skillet and add in eggplant cubes, pepper
and garlic.
2. Sauté eggplant and garlic over medium heat until soft.
3. Add 2 cups of Italian sauce to skillet and continue cooking on low until
sauce is heated.
3. Transfer mixture to bowl and blend in cheeses.
4. For Lasagna, layer the uncooked lasagna noodles with the Eggplant filling. Pour 2 cups Italian Sauce over. For Manicotti....Generously fill each pasta shell (about 8) with stuffing and put in slow
cooker. Pour 2 cups Italian sauce over all.
5. Cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours.
6. Sprinkle top with 6 cheese Italian blend.... | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 4/16/2008 5:58:34 PM | Perfect to make in the morning and come home to after work. You can probably substitute beef or lamb, but be careful to trim as much fat as you can. Like most of my recipes, the measurements for the barbeque sauce are suggestions, and it's definitely "to taste". I've been making it so long I don't measure anything at all anymore.
Barbequed Bambi
4-5 pound venison leg
marinade: The night before...
1 1/2 cups soy sauce
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp sesame oil
barbeque sauce:
1 32-oz bottle Heinz ketchup - not Hunts, not Town House, not house brand - HEINZ
1/4 cup Worcestshire sauce ( I use French's)
1 - 2 tablespoons hickory liquid smoke
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup honey
1/8 tsp. orange extract (powerful stuff, so be careful with it)
dash curry powder
dash cinnamon
Cut the venison into 1 inch cubes. Place marinade ingrdients into a large sealable bag or bowl. Shake or stir until sugar dissolves. Add venison and seal. Refrigerate overnight.
Drain venison and place in crock pot. Empty ketchup into a saucepan and place over medium heat on stove. Fill the ketchup bottle halfway to completely full with water, depending on how thick you like your sauce, and shake to get the leftover ketchup. Add to ketchup on the stove. Stir in remaining ingredients until completely blended. Heat until just short of boiling. Pour sauce on top of venison in the crock pot, cover, turn to high and forget it for the next 5-8 hours.
One word of warning, for some reason this seemed to kick out a LOT of extra liquid when I made it, so the level got pretty close to overflowing. Ladle out any extra sauce and keep refrigerated. I used the leftover barbeque sauce after the party with some ground elk, green pepper, onion and mushrooms for some awesome spaghetti. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 5/1/2008 9:51:55 AM | Holy, the curried peach chicken looks so good.
I just made cabbage roll casserole in the slow cooker. Super easy.
Cabbage Unrolls Slow Cooker Style
6 cups chopped green cabbage
1 large onion sliced
1 lb of ground beef, turkey or veggie ground meat
1 1/2 cups white rice
spices: 2 tsps garlic powder, salt, pepper, dry basil and chili flakes
1 can tomato soup
1 can diced tomatoes
Preheat slow cooker on high. Put onions with a little oil in a pan and cook till carmelized at medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Put half the cabbage in the slow cooker. Sprinkle on rice, spices (to taste with those that have no measure...I use lots of all of them. Crumble meat or alt on rice. Top sauteed onions. Keep the heat on the onion pan and add tomato soup and tomatoes and heat to boiling scraping flavour bits of onion off pan. Top up the slow cooker with the rest of the cabbage and pour on hot tomato mixture. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high. At 2 hr point you might need to add some water for the rice.
I made this and it was SO good. The kids loved it too. Next time I think I'll put all the cabbage in and then put everything on top. The rice kind of disintegrated and would be better on top steaming from the moisture then immersed. Just my thoughts. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 5/1/2008 10:40:36 AM | LOVE my crock pot... I think I would give up just about any appliance in my kitchen except that!
Easy Italian Chicken
3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 small potatoes
4-6 small carrots (i use 1lb pack of baby carrots)
1/2C Italian Salad Dressing
Place Veggies in bottom of crock pot, place chicken on top & pour dressing over all.
Cook on low for 6-8 hrs.. | |
|
| The Slow Cooker AKA Crock Pot
Posted: 5/1/2008 11:36:07 AM | Ya know, I don't love mine. I wanted a pressure cooker and the kids and my ex got it for me for my birthday. But the best thing about it was that my son made dinner in it on my birthday and we went away for the whole day. I didn't realize he had and the surprise of BBQ ribs when we came home hungry was the BEST gift ever.
But now I have it and I want to make use of it. The biggest drag of having it is that we are home through the day so I'll put something on for supper and the kids come home for lunch and smell the food and are bummed they can't eat it now (they were used to the pressure cooker...20 mins to slow cooked goodness). It is nice though because I am often working over the supper hour and I just have something in the crockpot for them to eat when they are ready. | |
|
Home
login 
