CrockPot Corn on the Cob Recipe

Day 152.

Remember how good and how easy the crockpot baked potatoes were? CrockPot corn on the cob is just as easy, and doesn't take as long to cook. The corn steams in it's own juices and is cooked to absolute perfection.

The Ingredients.

--fresh corn

--aluminum foil

I used my 6qt Smart Pot and six ears of corn fit perfectly. I probably could have shoved in one more, but I only bought six.

The Directions.

shuck the corn, or get your kids to do it. because I'm pretty sure that is why kids were invented.

wrap each ear in aluminum foil

place the foil-wrapped corn in the crockpot

DO NOT ADD WATER

cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

I like my corn to have a crunch--two hours was perfect for us, but check and taste for your family's preference.

The Verdict.

Absolutely perfect corn.

Read More

CrockPot Tomatoes and Goat Cheese with Cranberry Balsamic Syrup

Day 151.

Happy Friday! Although Fridays are supposed to be margarita nights, you should scrap that plan and go get a nice bottle of red wine and the ingredients to make these stuffed tomato slices.

In your crockpot.

They are so good you will be tempted to say bad words.

The Ingredients.

adapted from Simply Ming

--4 medium vine ripened tomatoes

--3 T balsamic vinegar

--log of goat cheese

--1/4 cup dried cranberries

--1/4 t kosher salt

--1/4 t black pepper

--1 T sesame oil ( I think this could be optional)

The Directions.

I used a 6qt oval Smart-Pot for this recipe. My tomatoes touched and some were on top of each other. If you are going to use a 4qt, put the tomatoes on top staggered a bit. They will turn out fine.

--Swirl the balsamic vinegar on the bottom of your crockpot.

--slice the tomatoes into thick slices

--slice the goat cheese. In the original recipe, Ming says to use dental floss. Our dental floss is either mint or bubble gum flavor, so I used a knife. It worked fine.

--put the goat cheese on top of the tomatoes and then add the tomatoes to the crock

--sprinkle your salt and pepper

--add the dried cranberries

--pour the 1 T of sesame oil evenly over the top of the tomatoes and goat cheese

cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the goat cheese is melty and the tomatoes are starting to pucker and look so good you have to eat them or you're going to freak out.

The Verdict.

Oh My Little Pony, these couldn't possibly be any better. I do think the sesame oil is optional---the balsamic and the juice from the tomatoes add enough moisture for the roasting to occur, and I could not taste the sesame flavor at all. If you don't have sesame oil, I think you could omit the oil fully or try a nice olive oil.

The kids loved these. I so wish they didn't, so I could have eaten them all myself. They were intrigued to try goat cheese for the first time, especially because they've been hearing about my friend Alison and her goat farm. Hi Alison! Goat cheese is like a nice, creamy, mild feta. I have found it at Trader Joe's and in the regular grocery store in the "nice cheese" case. If you wanted to, you could use feta for this dish, but I totally recommend trying the goat.

We ate them warm with our fingers, but they'd taste great on slices of french bread, probably.

Read More

CrockPot Strawberry Jam Recipe

Day 150!

yay! only 216 (because of leap year) to go! Not that I'm counting or anything...

I made jam in the crockpot, and it's delicious. The above photo was taken out in the grass because the inside photos came out really dark and the jam looked brown.

Making jam in your crockpot is super easy, and super sticky. Keep a container of wipies near by---the stick seems to spread.

The Ingredients.

--4 pounds of fresh strawberries

--3 cups of sugar

--1-2 boxes (1.75 oz) of pectin

The Directions.

Wash all of the strawberries, and cut out the stem. Quarter them and throw into your crockpot. I gave all of the strawberry leaves and stems to the guinea pigs and they were so excited they did back flips.

Use a potato masher to squish the strawberries and to create some liquid. We didn't have a potato masher so my helper used the hand mixer attachments.

Add the sugar and pectin and smash some more.

Cover and cook on low for a hundred million years.

Or 10-12 hours; same thing. I used one box of pectin because that is what I bought. After about 10 hours, if your berries are still not jelling the way that you'd like them to, add another 1/2 box to a full box. You can test the "jell" by putting a small amount in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

I don't have enough Little House on the Prairie in me to fuss with proper jarring, so I used a well-washed jelly jar and made tupperwares to give away to family. If you would like to can, here's a great resource.

Keep your jam in the freezer if you'd like it to top toast and sandwiches, or in the refrigerator for more of a syrup or ice-cream topping.

The Verdict.

YUM! This is very good.

did I mention the stick?

Read More

CrockPot African Peanut Soup

Day 149.

I was looking through All Recipes the other day and stumbled on African Peanut Soup. The ingredients were simple, and we happened to have everything on hand. I was excited to give it a go, as there were 111 positive reviews.

The result was delicious--a thick, hearty soup with a bit of spice and a beautiful peanut flavor.

The Ingredients.

--1 yellow onion, diced

--2 green onions, chopped

--2 red bell peppers, chopped

--4 cloves minced garlic

--1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, with liquid

--8 cups vegetable broth

--1/4 t black pepper

--1/4 - 1/2 t chili powder

--1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

--1 cup peanut butter (to add later)

--dollop of sour cream and a bit of tabasco sauce (optional)

The Directions.

--wash and chop all of the vegetables, and put into the crock. Add the entire can of tomatoes, the uncooked rice, and the spices.

--pour in the vegetable broth.

--cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4. The soup is done when the onions are fully cooked and are translucent.

--stir in peanut butter, and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, or until fully heated through.

add a dollop of sour cream and a touch of tobasco sauce

The Verdict.

I really liked this! I REALLY liked it the next day for lunch. It had thickened overnight, and the peanut butter flavor was much more pronounced. The original recipe asked for 2/3 of a cup of crunchy peanut butter, but I used a whole cup of creamy all-natural. I don't like the little pieces of peanut in crunchy peanut butter in a sandwich, so I was pretty sure the texture in soup would weird me out. The rice kind of disappeared, and just added to the thickness, which was okay with me, but is something to note.

My kids refused to try this. I tried, but they were pretty stubborn in their decision that peanut butter shouldn't be cooked unless it's in cookies or brownies.

Read More

CrockPot Vietnamese Pho Soup Recipe

Day 148.

Phee Phi Pho Phum.

this is good.

you should make some.

I think one of the best things about making this soup was the day of jokes. The jokes rock.

"You made this? Pho reals?"

"Pho sure I did."

Every Monday Adam goes out to lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant and has pho. I've never gone out for pho, and he has never brought me back any. After about the sixteenth week, I stopped secretly hoping he'd bring me some and started whining about it out loud.

I was thrilled when I discovered Erin's blog and read her Pho recipe. I could tell that it would transfer nicely to slow crockpot cooking, and was excited to have some pho of my own.

Although I used homemade beef stock for this recipe, it's okay to use a can or a carton.

The Ingredients.

adapted from The Skinny Gourmet

--6 cups beef broth or stock
--2 inch chunk of ginger (I just read that Erin said to use 1/4-1/2 inch of peeled ginger. oops. I didn't peel and just threw a hunk in)
--3/4 t anise
--1 cinnamon stick
--2 sliced green onions
--1 lb thin sliced beef (I used stir-fry meat from the butcher)
--package of rice noodles (usually in the ethnic aisle in the grocery store)
--1 t fish sauce (anchovies, salt, water. ethnic aisle again. it smells horrible.)
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1/2 t black pepper



The Directions.


Put all of the broth into the crockpot. Add the meat, green onion, ginger, fish sauce, and spices. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 4-6. It's done when the meat is fully cooked. I used a 6qt Smart Pot for this recipe and it took a good 4 hours on high for the large amount of broth in my crock to get hot enough to cook the meat.


15 minutes before serving, add the entire package of rice noodles to the pot. Push them under the liquid with a wooden spoon, and cover.


By the time you set the table, the noodles will be tender and glass-like. Serve in bowls. We didn't add any additional garnish, but you can add bean sprouts, fresh cilantro or basil, and lime wedges.



The Verdict.


This has a very nice mellow flavor. I loved the hint of anise (tastes like black licorice) and the cinnamon. I needed to add more salt because I used the homemade stock as the base. Adam said it tasted the same as the restaurant's, but not as oily or as salty.


The next day the flavors were even more pronounced (but the noodles got weird. Next time I'm not going to add all the noodles at once) and made a lovely lunch. The night I prepared this, we had company and the children were playing too hard to stop and give it a taste test. But the little one ate quite a bit the next day for lunch.



Thank you, Erin!

Read More

Homemade Beef Stock in the CrockPot

Day 147.

mmmm. Doesn't that look appetizing? It's a big pot of cold swirly beef juice. Yum.

Like a bunch of things I've done this year, I've never before attempted to make my own beef stock. I've made chicken--but not beef. It was Erin's idea, because I wanted to make her Pho (coming tomorrow!) Homemade beef stock tastes much better than the canned stuff. It is well-worth the effort involved.

I used a combination of a recipes that Chris and Kalyn posted as a guideline, but with ingredients I had on hand. I put the broth on at 5am, and had a sick kid in the house. Running to the grocery store was not an option.

The Ingredients.

--4 lbs oxtail (leftover package from when I made oxtail stew)

--1 cup baby carrots

--1 onion

--head of romaine lettuce (supposed to be celery)

--8 cloves garlic

--1 T Italian seasoning

--1 t kosher salt

--1 t pepper

--1 T apple cider vinegar (not pictured)

--water

The Directions.

This will take two days. Prepare yourself.

I used oxtail because I already had it in the freezer. Ox tail is rather expensive to use for beef stock---I ended up cutting the meat off the bone and mixing it with barbecue sauce to have over rice for lunch. Kalyn recommends saving scraps of meat for a few months in the freezer, and Chris recommends asking your butcher for free bones, or stealing them from the neighborhood dog. Your choice.

Roast whatever meat or bones you are going to use in a high-ish sided cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

While the meat is roasting and releasing a bunch of flavor, wash and coarsely chop your vegetables to put in the crockpot. They do not need to look pretty.

When the meat is done, let it cool a bit, then scrape the meat and the juices into the crock. Add your spices and vinegar, and cover with enough water to fill the remainder of the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

--about the vinegar-- My broth was half-way through the cooking time and I received an email from Chi who mentioned that a nutritionist recommends adding the vinegar to help suck out the flavor from the bones. So I added it then. You should add it with the spices.

Let your crockpot cool down on the counter top, and then place the removable stoneware in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning the fat will all have floated to the top. It will be really gross.

Pick off the fat with a wooden spoon. Put a colander inside of a large pot or bowl, and pour the contents of the crockpot into the strainer. Discard the bones and vegetables.

Your stock is now ready to be used in your favorite soup or stew, and can be frozen for later use.

The Verdict.

I used this beef stock the next day for Vietnamese Pho--coming tomorrow! It worked well, and was full of flavor. But it was a lot of work, and took a lot of time. I'll probably make stock again, but not for quite some time. Touching the gelatinous fat is not something I am eager to do anytime soon.

Read More

CrockPot White Bean and Sausage Soup

Day 146.

We went from a hundred million degrees to freezing in the course of about 4 days. Weird.

I get cold easily, and really felt like some soup. I'm making my way through the garbanzo bean surplus and threw together a soup with what we had on hand.

The Ingredients.

--1 can white kidney beans

--1 can pinto beans (I guess these aren't really white)

--1 can garbanzo beans

--1 t thyme

--2-4 spicy chicken or turkey sausage

--1/2 chopped yellow onion

--1/2 cup leftover rice pilaf (if you want to use raw rice, you should have enough liquid to add 1/4 to 1/3 cup without losing soupiness)

--2 cups chopped fresh vegetables (I had broccoli, carrots, asparagus)

--1 quart chicken or vegetable broth

The Directions.

Drain your beans (I didn't rinse, for no reason other than sheer laziness) and throw them into your crock. Chop up whatever vegetables you are going to use in tiny pieces. I used my Pampered Chef handy dandy chopper. Slice the sausage that you are going to use. I chose to use two spicy turkey sausage---if you would like your soup to have a kick, use more than two. Two just kind of gives flavor without spice.

Cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The soup is done when it's heated through and the vegetables are tender, but it's not going to hurt anything to cook it longer and give the flavors more time to meld.

The Verdict.

This was super easy to throw together, because I had everything on hand. I am usually tempted to throw tomatoes into soup, and was glad that I refrained this time. The broth was mellow and wasn't too spicy for the kids. I served it with shredded Parmesan cheese on top.

Read More

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Apples in the CrockPot

Day 145.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! If you don't live in the US, and don't celebrate, Happy Weekend! The US uses Memorial Day as an official un-official summer kick-off. The weekend is usually filled with lots of barbecues, pool parties, beer, and eating.

It's raining here today.

and we have to stop by the doctor's office.

But that's okay, because we have fruit covered in chocolate. And that makes everything right with the world.

The Ingredients.

--fruit

--chocolate chips (I didn't measure. A bunch.)

--crockpot (I used my big one. Any size would work just fine.)

The Directions.

Dump chocolate chips into the crockpot. I didn't spray cooking spray. I didn't add anything. I just put in the chocolate chips.

While the chocolate is melting, wash and prepare the fruit you're going to use, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cook on high for 30 min-1 hr. You will know that the chocolate is ready to stir when it gets really shiny and begins to break down. You can start stirring it when the chip forms are still visible.

Dip fruit pieces into the melted chocolate. I had lots of help with this, and although the chocolate was hot, nobody got burnt, and nobody seemed to mind. And somehow "nobody" got chocolate fingerprints all over the outside of the dishwasher and refrigerator. hmph.

Put the covered fruit onto the parchment-paper lined cookie sheets and place into the refrigerator to harden. This doesn't take long---I think we only waited about 20 minutes.

You can go totally fancy and have one crockpot for semi-sweet chocolate, one for white, and one for milk. You can make little swirls with the different chocolates and double-dip to create culinary masterpieces. I'd really like to do this one day.

Alone.

The Verdict.

These are awesome. I can not wait to make them again. But I need to get Clorox wipes first.

Read More

CrockPot Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe

Day 144.

Cream cheese chicken is usually one of the first dishes tried in a crockpot. It is delicious. There are many different variations, but the standard recipe revolves around a can of cream-of-something soup, a package of Italian salad dressing mix, and a block of cream cheese.

I have a freezer full of cream of mushroom soup, so I made this recipe fully from scratch. But it's okay with me if you use the packaged stuff. It's really good either way.

But the made-from-scratch way gives you lots of bragging rights.

The Ingredients.

--2 cups homemade cream of mushroom soup

--frozen chicken--enough to feed four adults

--2 T Italian seasoning

--1/2 t celery seed

--1 T onion powder

--1 T sugar (weird, I know.)

--1/4 t black pepper

--1 t kosher salt

--2 cloves minced garlic

--block of cream cheese (to add later)

or you can make it with:

--1 can cream-of-something soup

--1/2 cup chicken broth

--frozen chicken pieces

--packet of Italian salad dressing mix

--2 cloves minced garlic

--block of cream cheese (to add later)

The Directions.

Put everything except for the cream cheese into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and begins to shred. Shred the chicken with two large forks, and mix in the block of cream cheese. Switch the crock to high and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted.

Serve over pasta. We used Trader Joe's brown rice fusilli.

The Verdict.

This is really, really, really, really good. I like the original cream cheese chicken an awful lot, but this truly did taste better. The homemade mushroom soup just tastes better and gives it that "restaurant" flavor.

My six-year-old retorted that this was the very best pasta she's ever had. I let her skip bathtime.

Read More

CrockPot Crunchy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Day 143.

I'm making my way through the garbanzo beans! Since the falafels turned out so nicely, I tried my hand at roasting garbanzo beans. I came across the idea while searching for falafel recipes, and knew that I needed to give it a try. The different accounts likened the roasted beans to corn nuts. I like corn nuts! I probably haven't had them in 20 years, but I still like them!

The Ingredients.

--2 cans garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed

--juice from one very small lemon (that lime-looking thing is actually a lemon; I've picked our tree clean)

--1 t kosher salt

-- 1/4 t cayenne pepper

The Directions.

I used a 6qt oval Smart Pot.

Drain and rinse your garbanzo beans, and dump them into the crockpot. Sqeeze on the lemon juice, and add the salt and the touch of cayenne.

Toss well to distribute the flavors.

Prop the lid open of your crock to release the condensation. I didn't feel the need to do so for the falafels, but these beans were awfully wet and slimy. I couldn't find the ONE chopstick left in the house (the kids "borrow" them for art projects. I guess they finally borrowed this one too.), so I used a wooden skewer. It worked well, and provided just a bit of a gap, which was nice.

cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the garbanzo beans have shriveled up and have a crunch.

I cooked this batch on low for 9 hours overnight.

The Verdict.

Oy. These are fun to munch on, are slightly addictive, and were super easy to make. Every once in a while I get a soggy-ish bean, but the crunch of the beans are nice. They aren't quite as hard as corn nuts, which is good for the thousands of dollars of dental work I've had done.

The kids are still sleeping, so I'll have to report back on what they think. My mommy-gut thinks they will think they look weird (I think they look like shrunken brains), but after a try will enjoy them.

Read More

CrockPot Falafel Recipe

Day 142.

Last weekend I went through the pantry and put like items together. Since I had helpers, it took a really long time, and it sort of looks the same way it did when I started, but I now have a pretty good idea of our inventory.

We have a surplus of garbanzo beans.

So I made falafels.

In the crockpot.

I've never made falafels before, but figured if it didn't work out, at least I'd have a nice story to tell.

But it worked! I am ecstatic to have a new meal to put in our repertoire--a light and healthy dinner to have on a warm evening.

The Ingredients.

 

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans (chick peas)

1/2 onion, finely chopped (I used a yellow onion, red is okay too, if you like that flavor)

1 tablespoon dried parsley (dry is better than fresh because it's too wet)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 egg

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 juice from 1 lemon (that's a lemon. a weird looking lemon, but a lemon nonetheless)

1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs (I have gluten free crumbs made from a loaf of brown rice bread that I keep in the freezer)

2 tablespoons olive oil (for the bottom of your crock)

The Directions.

Take a deep breath. It looks like there are a lot of ingredients, but this comes together awfully quick. I seriously only spent 25 minutes from start to finish. The hardest part was getting all the spice bottles arranged for the photo.

Drain garbanzo beans. Dump them into a mixing bowl and smash them with a fork. Set aside.

Get out your blender or food processor (I used our vitamix. I love that thing!). Blend together all of the spices, the onion, the garlic, the egg, and the lemon juice.

Pour on top of your smashed garbanzo beans. Use your fork to mix together, and add the breadcrumbs slowly until the mixture is wet and sticky but can be formed into balls nicely. I needed 3/4 of a cup of breadcrumbs.

Pour 2 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert.

Form squished golf-ball sized patties of falafel. Dip each side into the olive oil and then nestle into your crockpot. It's okay if they overlap or are on top of each other.

Cook on high for 2-5 hours. Ours cooked on high for 3.5 hours--you will know that the falafels are done when they turn brownish-golden. You can flip them halfway through the cooking time if you feel like it, but they will brown on top even without flipping. (I know. I don't get it either.)

Serve with yogurt sauce or mayonnaise. I made a quick yogurt sauce with Greek yogurt, celery seed, dill, salt and pepper and lemon juice.

The Verdict.

These were awesome! I never would have imagined that a delicate falafel would turn out so nicely in a slow cooker. I am thrilled that this worked and even more thrilled that my kids didn't run screaming from the kitchen when I showed them what we were having for dinner. They had plain pasta, but were polite with their "no thank yous."

Adam and I ate ours on corn tortillas with lettuce, tomato, and the yougurt sauce. This is enough food for a family of four. We were stuffed. Falafels are filling.

When I make these again, I'm going to add a bit more salt and at least double the cayenne pepper.


and you can make gyro, too! :-)

 

Read More

A-1 and Dijon Steak CrockPot Recipe

Day 141.

Sometimes the easiest recipes taste the best. Which can be kind of a bummer when you put in a lot of time and effort chopping, mixing, and tasting.

oh well.

This tastes good. This tastes really good.

That pretty much sums it up.

The Ingredients.

--4-6 steaks, or a hunk of tri-tip you cut into 4-6 steaks because the internet doesn't know what tri-tip is (insert winks and smiles)

--2 T A-1 sauce

--2 T dijon mustard

--1/4 cup white wine

The Directions.

--combine the A-1 steak sauce and the dijon mustard in a little bowl

--paint the sauce mixture on all sides of each piece of meat

--place the meat into your crockpot

--pour in the 1/4 cup of white wine

cook on low for 6-8 hours.

serve with potatoes or rice or french fries or vegetables or something that you normally want to eat with steak.

The Verdict.

This couldn't have been any easier, and it tasted marvelous. The kids ate their servings eagerly. We had rice pilaf as a side dish, and poured the remaining sauce over the top. It was divine.

Read More

CrockPot Pineapple Chicken Recipe

Day 140.

This is a very simple dish--and chances are you have all four ingredients already! The sweetness of the pineapple works great with the salt from the soy sauce and the touch of spice from red pepper flakes.

The Ingredients.

--enough chicken for 4

--20 oz can of pineapple chunks

--1/4 cup soy sauce (Tamari wheat free or La Choy are gluten free)

--1 t red pepper flakes

The Directions.

plop the chicken into the crockpot. I used frozen breast tenders. Drain the pineapple, and add the chunks with the soy sauce and the red pepper flakes.

cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 3-4.

The cooking time will depend on how thick your pieces of chicken are, and if they are frozen or not.

My frozen breast tenders only needed to cook on low for 4 hours.

Serve over rice, quinoa, or on a bed of fresh spinach.

The Verdict.

We ate this over spinach and ate outside. It was a hot evening, and we were in swimsuits. The kids had a ball feeding the guinea pigs any spinach that fell to the ground. I liked the flavor a lot, and the kids ate the chicken and picked at the pineapple. I did open a fresh can for them, though. Eating hot pineapple weirded them out. I added more red pepper flakes to my dish, and I can't remember what Adam did.

Our chicken was dry. I'm always a touch disappointed when I use the frozen breast tenders after using thighs for a while. The breast pieces just don't retain moisture the way the thighs do. I don't seem to remember this while I'm at the store, though.

Read More

CrockPot Mahi Mahi With Asparagus, Broccoli, and Spinach

Day 139.

It's been hot here. It's been hotter, but we are definitely having a mini heat-wave. The heat doesn't bother me too awful much at home, but it does when I'm out in the car or running errands.

Adam also just signed us up to run a half-marathon this summer. Which means I've got to go back to eating mostly light and lean foods for the next eight weeks or so.

Except for the days off.

Because I'm totally planning for those!

I had a long run planned last week, and I knew it was going to be hot. When it's hot, I'm not interested in eating too awful much, but knew I needed some protein.

After digging through the freezer, I found a neglected package of frozen mahi mahi with some sort of lemon-pepper marinade.

I had it for lunch with a bunch of fresh veggies; it hit the spot, it didn't heat or stink up the house, and I had enough good-for-me-food floating around inside to go for a proper run.

The Ingredients.

--16 of mahi mahi or other favorite fish

--> ours was seasoned already. If you have unflavored fish, rub with some olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, chili flakes, or other seasoning blend that you really enjoy.

--fresh somewhat-soft vegetables. I use broccoli, asparagus, and spinach.

--a touch of water, or lemon juice (about 2T)

The Directions.

Wash all your veggies, and put damp into the crockpot. Top with your fish. I squeezed the marinade out of the fish, because it seemed awfully oily.

I added 2T of water to the crockpot and cooked on LOW for approximately 2-3 hours. Mahi Mahi is pretty thick; if you are using thinner fish (such as tilapia) check after 90 minutes.

The Verdict.

I was very happy that I made this and ate it for lunch. I sort of forget about lunch a lot, and grab whatever is lying around, or pick at leftovers. I've also noticed the kids are more inclined to try new foods in the middle of the day, before the 4 o'clock crankies hit. My three-year-old ate this with me, and my six-year-old had it as an after school snack. The stars must have been in proper alignment or something, because there wasn't any fuss about having fish and vegetables as a snack.

I don't expect a repeat of that performance any time soon, but I am happy that it occurred!

Read More

CrockPot Lamb Vindaloo Recipe

Day 138.

Have I mentioned how much I like Indian food? I love the depths of the flavors, the different spice combinations, the lean meat, and the heat.

I have really been liking spicy things lately.

When we reach for a menu from the take-out menu drawer (that's not weird to have a whole drawer devoted to take-out menus, is it?) we pretty much always go for the Indian place that we have on speed dial in the cell phone and who nicely have stored the credit card number.

Because I've found when you want food, you don't want to have to dig around for the credit card number. You want to sit on the couch and watch the cake decorating competition on Food Network (again) and have food brought to you.

or! You could put on a huge ol' pot of lamb vindaloo in the morning before swim lessons, before the birthday parties, before the Home Depot trip, before the IKEA run, and before you're tired and cranky and don't want to do anything except for becoming one with the couch.

The Ingredients.

--3 lbs boneless leg of lamb (unless you can find lamb stew meat)

--2 T dried minced onion (or 1 medium yellow onion, minced)

--6 cloves of minced garlic

--1/2 t clove

--1 t ginger

--1/2 t red pepper

--1 T ground coriander

--1 T cumin

--1 t cinnamon

--1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

--2 chopped potatoes ("aloo" means potato)

optional:

--1 can tomatoes

The Directions.

I opted to throw in tomatoes to create a bit more of a vindaloo stew. And didn't make any other sides, other than having corn tortillas available for scoopers.

--carefully trim the lamb, and cut into stew-meat sized chunks

--toss in your crock with all of the dry spices and onion

let it sit overnight in the fridge. This could be optional, but having the meat soak up the spice flavor is a part of making a really good vindaloo.

In the morning, put your crock on the counter and let it warm up a bit. It's never a good idea to put a freezing cold piece of stoneware directly into the heating element. Because your stoneware might crack.

And then you will email me. And I will feel sad.

Ad the 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Toss in the potatoes and the can of tomatoes, if you are using them.

* If you are NOT using the tomatoes, add 1/2 cup of water. *

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

The Verdict.

Very tasty! There wasn't quite enough spice for me. I think I'm going to be brave and put in a whole teaspoon of the red cayenne pepper next time. Or maybe 3/4 of a teaspoon.

The kids mostly ate the corn tortillas we had as dippers, but did pick a bit at the meat. If the meat is separated from the sauce and cut up, there isn't much of a kick at all.

Adam and I ate it for lunch the next few days in a row, and found that the flavors were intensified the subsequent days.

very yummy; and this dish hasn't any heavy cream, which is good, so then I can eat more sweets!

other fantastic recipes:

Thai Curry
Indian Curry
Indian Chicken
Vegetarian Curry
Thai Coconut Soup
Tomato Curried Potatoes
Indian Spinach with Potatoes

Read More

CrockPot Fried Chicken Recipe

Day 135.

My friend LuAnn has this awesome oven-fried chicken recipe that she makes to bring to picnics. I vividly remember standing at a picnic bench shoveling little chicken drumettes and wings in my mouth--and not caring who was watching-- at a first birthday party.

They were so very good.

I was so excited when I finally got the recipe, and was eager to test it out on my own.

It has MSG in it.

I just can't do it. I can't knowingly put MSG in something. Which sucks, because man, those drumsticks were the best.

I tried to create my own version (minus the MSG) over the weekend. They were good, but not as good.

The Ingredients.

--18 thawed drumsticks (or however many will fit nicely into your crockpot)

--1/4 cup butter

--1/4 cup flour (I used Pamela's)

--2 t seasoned salt

--1 T Italian seasoning

--1 t onion powder

-- 1 t paprika

--1/2 t black pepper

The Directions.

--combine all the spices and the flour in a freezer bag or in a shallow dish. Dredge each chicken piece well, and plop into your crockpot. I used the shallow dish method, because we were out of freezer bags.

--when all the chicken is in the crock, pour 1/4 cup of melted butter over it.

--cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8-10.

The Verdict.

They needed more salt. I am such a chicken (ha! chicken! so didn't plan that...) when it comes to salting food. I used 2t of seasoned salt, but I probably could have used a whole tablespoon. And maybe some more onion powder.

The pieces of chicken on top and near the sides of the crock got a bit crispy, which was a nice surprise. We've all been munching on the drumsticks for lunch the past few days. I like them better cold, the kids like it heated and chopped up with barbecue sauce.

Read More

Overnight Grits CrockPot Recipe

Day 134.

I am not from the south, which means I am not very familiar with grits. I did watch a southern cooking show on the Food Network that discussed grit cooking methods, and I love "My Cousin Vinny"---so I know that any self-respecting Southerner stays away from instant grits.

But that's pretty much where my knowledge ends.

So I turned to the experts: the blogosphere. I ran a google blog search for crockpot grits and found The Kitchen Madonna. She has a recipe for overnight crockpot grits.

And it's perfect.

The Ingredients.

--1 cup grits

--5 cups of water

--1/4 cup butter

--1/2 t kosher salt

The Directions.

I used my mom's 4qt round crockpot for this recipe. I haven't given it back since Easter. sorry, mom!

Combine all of the ingredients. I didn't spray the stoneware, or bother to melt the butter. I just threw it all in (butter floats!).

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

This cooked for exactly 7.

Stir well and top with desired fixens'. The kids and I used a bit of shredded cheese the way that The Kitchen Madonna recommended. My mom likes to stir in preserves.

The Verdict.

Wow. I like grits! They weren't slimy the way I imagined them to be, and the texture was really nice in my mouth. The big kid wasn't terribly impressed, but the little one ate almost a whole bowl. I loved how easy they were to prepare, and that they are naturally gluten-free.

I have quite a bit of the package left over, and grits are now going to make it into the regular breakfast rotation.

Read More

CrockPot Bacon and Cheese Dip Recipe

Day 133.

I got a new toy! My mother-in-law surprised me with a brand new teeny tiny Little Dipper Crock Pot for Mother's Day. This little guy is small. The stoneware is attached to the heating element and the capacity is only 1 1/2 cups.

He is so very cute. Here he is next to my coffee cup for a size comparison (yes, the girls and I have decided that the Little Dipper is a boy. The other's are girls, yet this is a boy. We can't explain our reasoning).

We had some leftover bacon from breakfast (beef, not pork) and made a very lovely bacon and cheese dip in him. At 9:15am. Because nothing says Happy Mother's Day better than bacon and cheese dip.



Right?



The Ingredients:

These are the proportions for this crock---if you are going to use a larger one, adjust accordingly.


--1/3 cup milk
--5 pieces of cooked bacon
--2 slices of American Cheese
--2 slices of cheddar
--1 t worcestershire sauce



The Directions.


Add the milk to the crock, and crumble the cheese and bacon on top.


Cover and cook for 1 hour.

This new crock doesn't have a heating control--you just plug it in and it's on. I would do 1 hr on high and 2 hours on low, probably.



The Verdict.


I really liked the flavor of this dip. We had it with tortilla chips, but I imagine celery, carrots, or bread cubes would work nicely. It had a smokey flavor and wasn't overly greasy.

Read More

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup CrockPot Recipe

Day 132.

Happy Mother's Day! I hope all the moms out there are fully rested and fully pampered. If you are not a mom and are looking to feed your mom easy-to-prepare food, check out the archives and the categories over in the sidebar. There are lots of goodies to choose from! psst. Go for the Rocky Road Candy.

I decided to attempt to make my own cream-of-mushroom soup. I am not against the kind from a can at all. I have cooked with canned soups for years and years and years and years.

That line makes me feel incredibly old all of a sudden.

I'm not too awful old, but I did ask for a crockpot for my 21st birthday...

There are whole books that list crockpot recipes that revolve around cream-of soups. So, I sort of felt like it was cheating if I used them. Some people choose to not use the soups due to sodium restrictions or other dietary needs.

So! If you have your own reasons for not wanting to use canned cream-of-whatever soup, you can make your own and freeze it in bags or containers to use at your convenience.

or you can curl up on the couch and read a girly magazine and sip the soup out of your favorite mug while you're waiting for your toenails to dry.

it is Mother's Day after all...

The Ingredients.

This recipe is for a LARGE crockpot. Don't attempt these proportions in anything smaller than a 5qt.

--2 lbs mushrooms

--2 cups water

--2 cans (4 cups) vegetable broth

--1 qt of milk (to add later)

--juice of 1 lemon

--1/2 t salt

--1/2 t pepper

--1 T dried minced onion

--2 T Italian seasoning

The Directions.

Wash your mushrooms well and cut them into fourths. Put into your stoneware and add the spices and lemon juice. Pour in the vegetable broth and water.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

CAREFULLY use an immersible hand blender and blend until soupy. If you don't have an immersible hand blender, very, very carefully blend in batches in a regular blender.

Stir in an entire quart of milk. I used fat free cow's milk. You can use any percentage you'd like; even cream.

let cool on the counter for quite a few hours, then pour into freezer bags to store or plastic containers. I used 2 cups per bag--which is 16 fluid ounces. A can of cream-of-soup is 10 ounces.

The Verdict.

I am excited to cook with this soup. I haven't tested it out yet. It isn't as thick as the canned soups, but is very flavorful.

and it's brown.

Cream soups are white.

Even after adding the entire quart of milk.

it's still brown.

I'm working on my hypothesis as to why this is the case.

Read More