Reader Favorites

I wanted to put together a favorites page for a while, but couldn't figure out how to properly gauge what were "true" reader favorites. Until I remembered Facebook.

doy.

The following recipes have the most "likes"--- which has got to mean something, right?

 

Creme Brulee

156 likes

 

 Falafel -- yup, Falafel!

201 likes

 

Pasta Fagioli: an Olive Garden knock-off

 339 likes

 

Peperoncini Beef Sandwiches

340 likes

 Cream Cheese Chicken

346 likes

 

 Taco Soup

589 likes

 

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

650 likes

Brown Sugar Chicken/Candy Chicken

716 likes

Pumpkin Spice Latte

over 1k likes

ABC Index of all slow cooker recipes

over 3k likes

Slow Cooker Yogurt Recipe

over 5k likes

When I started this site, I never thought I'd come up with new or innovative uses for the slow cooker. I figured people might tune in to see if I actually kept my resolution, but I had no idea that I'd learn new uses for the cooker or come up with recipes. It has really been a complete trip--- and I'm truly thankful.

Thank you so much. 

other stuff I did this week:

Time Management for Moms

2008 Flashback, the complete year of crockpotting, in order
interview with Amy Green: Simply Sugar and GlutenFree
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Read More

Sundried Tomato and Artichoke Slow Cooker Dip

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

This is a compensated post by BlogHer and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and is part of the Real Women of Philadelphia project. This is the fourth out of four recipes.

Oh my. This will be made again.

I used the Savory Garlic Cooking Creme for this recipe--- and it truly couldn’t have been any easier. The Cooking Creme is perfectly seasoned; no need to add anything but the artichokes and sundried tomatoes.

The Ingredients.

serves 6 (maybe more, but I accidentally ate too much)

1 (10-ounce) container of Savory Garlic PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked, then drained and chopped

chips for dipping

The Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Scoop out the Cooking Creme and put it into an empty slow cooker. Lick the spoon.

Add the chopped artichokes and sundried tomatoes. Stir (but not with the spoon you licked, because that would be gross). Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or until fully hot.

Serve with your favorite chips.

The Verdict.

DEEEE LISH OUS.

and super garlicy. Keep gum in your back pocket.

I ended up making this back when school was still in session (EONS AGO!) and had a house full of kids after school. I had kids ranging from 13 down to the baby (16 months at the time) for snack, and the dip was finished before the homework was complete. 

It was easy to prepare, and a great "something new" to bring along to a backyard barbecue or potluck.

Now for some fun!

There is a GREAT BIG HUGE HONKING LIVE EVENT on June 30^th that you should all know about.

For the last few months, women all over the country have been submitting videos and original PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and Cooking Creme recipes to RealWomenOfPhiladelphia.com in the hopes of competing in a live judging event hosted by none other, than Ms. Paula Deen.

The showdown will occur at the Lucas Theatre in Downtown Savannah at 7pm (eastern) on June 30^th, and will stream live on RealWomenOfPhiladelphia.com (I did not enter this contest). Winning this event is a big deal: winners receive a cash prize of $25,000, recipes featured in cookbooks, online cooking videos, and will participate in publicity appearances.

The good news for you/us is that all of the finalist recipes are available online, for free on the Real Women of Philadelphia  website. Click on over and see which one you should try with your family (slow cooker optional. :-) )

Mark the 30^th on your calendar--- it’s always fun to witness live events in action, and you can participate in the action by joining the online community at Real Women of Philadelphia.  I bet there will be a twitter party, too!

Want even more? There are more blogger reviews and recipes posted on BlogHer’s Promotions & Prizes section. Long live Cream Cheese!


other stuff:

I'm still working on the site redesign and am compiling websites/urls for the "everyone is included" blogroll. If you have a website or blog that you'd like listed (and you aren't a spam bot or anything else ridiculously offensive) send me an email at contact@stephanieodea.com with the subject line: blogroll and your site's name and URL. 
I'm hoping to get the site stuff up and running sometime after the Fourth.


Also, I've got a new interview up on the webTV section. This time it's with Amy Green, of Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. Amy shares how cutting sugar and gluten out of her diet is to credit for her 80 pound weight loss and for completely eradicating the migraines that had plagued her for years.
Also? She's giving away a copy of her new cookbook! click on over and watch Amy's interview and enter to win a book of your very own.


in the crock today: Asian spiced turkey breast (recipe to come--I played around with some new-to-me ingredients for this one). It's starting to smell good---
I'm excited. I've got a hunkering/hankering for a turkey sandwich. 


or three.


have a great day!

Read More

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili Shepherd's Pie

 

I got an email yesterday from Donna who asked if I had a recipe that used leftover chili and it dawned on me that I hadn't ever posted the vegetarian chili shepherd's pie I included in the second book.

This recipe first has you make some chili, but if you made 3 crockpots-worth of chili for Father's Day weekend, definitely feel free to use that as the filling!

The Ingredients.

serves 6

 

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

don't want to use canned beans? Here's how to cook dried beans.

 

1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn

1 small onion, diced

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups mashed potatoes (leftover, fresh, from a box-- your choice!)

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Drain and rinse the beans, and add to the crockpot. Add corn and diced onion. Pour in the tomato sauce, and add cumin, salt, pepper. Stir well to combine. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.

Squish the 2 cups of mashed potatoes down on your chili with the back of a wooden spoon. Now dust with the smoked paprika.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 3-4. Uncover the slow cooker near serving time and let cook uncovered on high for 20-30 minutes to cook away any collected condensation. The potatoes will brown on top a tiny bit and begin to pull from the sides.

The Verdict.

This is a fantastic was to either use up already-made chili, or clean out your pantry! The touch of smoked paprika at the end is my favorite part, it gives a bit of something special to the mashed potatoes. If you'd like a traditional shepherd's pie (well, sort of traditional. you'd need to use ground lamb to make it really truly traditional), here's a recipe for you.

I'm getting an awful lot of questions about the sponsored posts. No, I will not do only sponsored posts from now on. The timing with the Coca-Cola event and the Philadelphia cream cheese posts was/is unfortunate--and I can see how it would look that way. I spend a lot of time on the internet, and need to compensate myself for the time spent. 

I also need to sell books, or the publishers will not continue to allow me to write for them. It's just how it all works. I'm immensely fortunate I have the opportunity to work from home while being full-time with my children. But I can't ignore the bills or the mortgage, and it isn't fair to me to work for free.

I've put the recap post for Coca-Cola over on the Totally Together website because I needed to put up a cream cheese post here yesterday (only one more of those to go!)--- the most valuable information I learned at the Coke event was that women need to help women.

I’m in the midst of a new site redesign (nothing will change, but it will all be different. don’t freak out.) and would like to start an everyone-is-included blog/website roll. If you have a site that you’d like included and you’re a REAL person and not some spam monster, please email me at contact@stephanieodea.com (I’m the contact!) with the subject line: blogroll and I’ll get you on the list. This roll will constantly be updated—it’s time we reach out and support one another.

Thank you for being so wonderful. Have a fantastic day.

Read More

Corn Chowder with PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Slow Cooker Recipe

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

This is a compensated post by BlogHer and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and is part of the Real Women of Philadelphia project. This is the third out of four recipes.

The kids are officially out of school for the summer, which means that 4/5 of us are home for a sitdown lunch.

I like this.

I find the kids are easier to please in the middle-of-the-day and are more willing to try new things. I regularly tease our nightly meal right afterschool, when I know they’re famished.

mean? Maybe.

But I prefer crafty.

This is a great lunchtime soup. It’s not as heavy as some chowders can be, and the kids each ate their whole servings.

The Ingredients.

serves 6

1 (16-ounce) bag frozen white corn

1 (15.5-ounce) can cut corn (and juice)

1 quart chicken broth

1 small onion, diced finely (or 1 tablespoon onion flakes)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces (1/2 block) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese

salt to taste at the table

The Directions.

I used a 4-quart slow cooker, but a 6-quart would work just fine. Empty the frozen corn bag and the can of corn into your crockpot. Add chicken broth, onion, and pepper. Drop in Cream Cheese. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or until onion is translucent and the soup is fully heated. 

Stir well.

Now, carefully use a hand-held stick blender and pulse to chowderify.

I didn’t add any salt to the kid servings, but salted my bowl when no one was looking. It needed a bit for my tastebuds, but the kids were fine.

Now for some fun!

There is a GREAT BIG HUGE HONKING LIVE EVENT on June 30^th that you should all know about.

For the last few months, women all over the country have been submitting videos and original PHILLY Cream Cheese and Cooking Creme recipes to Real WomenofPhiladelphia.com in the hopes of competing in a live judging event hosted by none other, than Ms. Paula Deen.

The showdown will occur at the Lucas Theatre in Downtown Savannah at 7pm (eastern) on June 30^th, and will stream live on RealWomenof Philadelphia.com (I did not enter this contest). Winning this event is a big deal: winners receive a cash prize of $25,000, recipes featured in cookbooks, online cooking videos, and will participate in publicity appearances.

The good news for you/us is that all of the finalist recipes are available online, for free on the Real Women of Philadelphia website. Click on over and see which one you should try with your family (slow cooker optional.  :-)  )

Mark the 30^th on your calendar--- it’s always fun to witness live events in action, and you can participate in the action by joining the online community at Real Women of Phildelphia.

(I bet there will probably be a twitter party, too.)

Want even more? Visit the Promotions and Prizes section at BlogHer.com for a complete blogger round-up. Long live Cream Cheese!

Read More

Father's Day Favorites

Good Morning!
We're spending Father's day weekend at the local water park at a Girl Scout event. I expect there to be a LOT of screaming. 

Before we head out the door I wanted to share 5 fantastic meals packed with flavor yet still pretty darn easy to prepare.

Bacon and Cheese chicken. Horrible picture, but big on taste. This is a well-reviewed recipe and makes the rounds on the internet pretty regularly. If you make this and get a better picture, send it on in--obviously I could use some help in this department.

This will keep picky kids and dads happy. (probably because of the bacon. :-) )

Orange Chipotle Ribs. A bit of orange bite mixed with some chipotle heat and a touch of sweetness makes these ribs quite tasty. They are sticky but not soggy--I don't brown my riibs at all. I used beef in the picture but have used babyback when entertaining.

Hirino Psito, slow-roasted pork. If you are up to a bit of a challenge, this is my new favorite pulled pork type dish for entertaining. There are more ingredients than some might prefer but it truly comes together quickly and then slow roasts all day. To PERFECTION. If you serve the meat in hoagie rolls, you can easily feed 10 with this recipe.

Peperoncini Beef Sandwiches. This is the easiest recipe I've got, and readers love it. I keep seeing it linked all over twitter, which is kind of neat. Chances are you've already got everything in the house--- any kind of frozen hunk of meat is A-Okay.

Cedar-Planked Salmon. This is such a neat idea--- put a cedar board directly into your slow cooker and cover it with a bit of foil and then steam your fish on top. Fish always does such a great job cooking in the crock in foil packets--and this is a way to infuse a bit of cedary flavor.

Adam's training for a marathon, which means he's pretty much constantly eating. Thankfully the freezer is stocked and I have all the ingredients in the house for 4/5 of these recipes. (no orange marmalade---yet 3 jars of peperoncinis?) Dinner will simmer away unattended while we're at the waterpark.

Have a wonderful weekend! Any big plans happening in your house to celebrate?

Read More

Scalloped Apples Dessert in the Slow Cooker

After the weirdness of last week's carrot pudding, I figured you all need a REAL dessert recipe. This is pretty much apple pie without the crust.

You're welcome.

The Ingredients.

serves 8

4 Granny Smith apples

4 Golden Delicious apples

1 cup sugar (feel free to cut back)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup butter, sliced

vanilla ice cream and/or sweetened whipped cream (optional, for serving)

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. If you've only got a 6-quart, that's okay, just check on your apples after 3-4 hours on low.

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Curse yourself that you've never taken the plunge to purchase one of those cool apple gadget things...

Plop the apples into your slow cooker and toss the slices with sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and butter slices. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or until apples have reached desired tenderness. If you cook too long, the apples will turn into applesauce--- not a bad thing, but something to note!

The Verdict.

If you don't like this, then I don't think we can be friends.

more fruit desserts:

apple dumplings

bananas foster

brandy spiced peaches

peach compote

applesauce

red wine poached pears

stuffed and baked apples

blueberry buckle

banana pudding

Read More

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

This is a compensated post by BlogHer and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and is part of the Real Women of Philadelphia project. This is the second out of four recipes.

Guess what? I have over 500 recipes for the slow cooker, but not one for Beef Stroganoff.

How on earth did this happen?

I really don't have an explanation--- somehow this household staple completely flew off my radar.

I'm actually kind of embarrassed.

This is a great beef stroganoff recipe, and it couldn't be simpler.

You can fancy it up by adding a sliced onion or two and a pound of sliced (or button) mushrooms. I didn't, and it still worked beautifully, but I think I would add some veggies next time-- it felt a bit meat heavy to me.

and? no cream-of-something soup required!

The Ingredients.
serves 6 2-3 pounds beef stew meat (my meat was fresh)
1 (10-ounce) container PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme -- savory garlic flavor

optional: 2 sliced yellow onions, 1 pound mushrooms (sliced, or whole button) sliced bell pepper, etc.
hot cooked pasta for serving (I used brown rice fusilli)


The Directions.
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Place the meat into the bottom of your pot. Add the Cooking Creme.

If you'd like to throw in onion and mushroom, go for it.

That's it!
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Stir well and serve over hot cooked pasta.

Enjoy!

The Verdict.

I love dump and go recipes. I made this on one of our crazy end-of-the-school-year nights when we were only home together for about 20 minutes before heading back out the door. This made us ALL happy, and the baby probably at a good half-pound of meat herself. 

As I said up above, I'd add some vegetables next time to round out the meal. The morning I threw this in the pot was terribly hectic, and I truly didn't have the time to dig  out a cutting board. I  bet sliced red bell pepper would be lovely...

The garlicy flavor from the Cooking Creme was lovely, and provided a beautiful sauce for the pasta. The leftovers freeze and reheat well!

PS: I've contacted the folks at PHILADELPHIA regarding gluten, and the company does not hide gluten in "natural flavorings." As always, please do your own research and use your best judgment when using packaged products.



Want to read more? Visit the Promotions & Prizes section of BlogHer.com for more PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and Cooking Creme recipes and reviews.

also, all of the Real Women of Philadelphia finalist recipes are available to peruse/test out online at the Real Women of Philadelphia's Recipe Page. 

What looks good to you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've got a new webTV video up of Laura, from I'm an Organizing Junkie. Laura hosts Meal Planning Monday each and every week on her site and is one of the most lovely people in the world. I love her, and you will too.

Read More

Pizza Chili Slow Cooker Recipe

 

I can always count on a successful family dinner when the word "pizza" is in the title. This chili was a definite success--- it fed 3 adults and 5 children, and the crock was scraped clean at the end of the night.

The Ingredients.

serves 6-8 or so

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey, browned and drained

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans (and the goop)

1 (14-ounce) jar premade pizza sauce

1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

25 pepperoni slices

1 cup water

shredded mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese (for serving; optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Brown your ground meat on the stovetop, and drain any accumulated grease. Put the cooked meat into an empty slow cooker and add the entire can of beans, pizza sauce, and the whole can of tomatoes. Add diced bell pepper, and stir in the Italian seasoning and pepperoni (I didn't chop the pepperoni, but you can if you'd prefer). Add 1 cup of water.

Cover and cook on look on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for about 4. Serve with a sprinkling of cheese, if desired.

The Verdict.

This has fantastic pizza flavor and is super low-carb. Unless you serve it in bread bowls, which would be pretty cool (I've made bread bowls out of free-formed loaves of Pamela's Amazing Bread mix which works well).

If you're looking to stock the freezer, this is a great make ahead meal---no pasta or starches that have a tendency to break down when reheating.

more slow cooker pizzay goodness:

puffy pizza casserole

pizza soup

pizza fondue dip

Have a great weekend! 

Read More

Another compensated post. Don't get mad.

This is a compensated post. Coca-Cola is paying for my travel, lodging, and activities in Atlanta, and BlogHer is paying me to write this post. 

I know, I know. You hate it when bloggers get paid and "sell out." I get it. But some of these offers are so good I'd be stupid to pass them up, and I try my hardest not to be a stupid person.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m getting on a plane in a few days to fly to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the Conversations with Coca-Cola blogging leadership event that will be held at Coca-Cola’s national headquarters.

I’m kind of excited.

I’ve always been a Coke girl. When I order a Coke in a restaurant and the waiter asks, “is (insert competitive product) okay?” I say no and change the order to an iced tea. I don’t know if this is because of marketing prowess, stubborn tastebuds, or habit. I can’t think of another product I’m so brand loyal to--- usually I go for what’s on sale, or try something new/different upon recommendation or because of slick advertising.

Because of this brand loyalty, I immediately said YES, PLEASE when asked if I’d like to attend the event.

That, and it’s a free trip. F.R.E.E.

I’ve always been one to embrace the free.

The focus for this upcoming conversation is Living Positively, which is something I definitely try to do on an (almost (--- because really. this is real life, here.)) daily basis. I try to Live Positively by remembering to take time to be thankful. to breathe. to listen more than I speak. to cut myself slack. to model wise choices for my girls. to help when needed, yet refrain from doling out the assvice.

I’ve always been a big reader of personal development and self-help books. I believe that one of life’s meanings (of which I believe there are many) is to continuously self-reflect. to grow. to try to understand different perspectives. to learn something new everyday.

and evidently to use lots and lots of uncapitalized prepositional phrases!

I want to ask about getting Coke products in our school district. Not the actual soda, but perhaps Minute Maid, Odwalla, or Dasani water. This is a rather tight rope to walk, since many of my peers are against any advertising in schools, but our school district needs funds, badly. We no longer have PE, music, summer school, or any enrichment programs. Our classrooms are badly overcrowded, and I’m worried the teachers are beginning to “phone it in” in some cases. I, too, worry about advertising directly to kids, but I also worry about my kid getting lost in the shuffle because of over-crowding.

Do you have any questions for the Coca-Cola corporation that you’d like me to ask?

Read More

Slow Cooker Creamy Tacos Recipe

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

This is a compensated post by BlogHer and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and is part of the Real Women of Philadelphia project. This is the first out of four recipes.  

Raise your hand if you're a pretty lazy cook.

Raise your hand if you don't really like to cook.

ME! I'm raising two hands! pick ME! ME! ME!  

Whenever I speak to groups of people, the audience acts surprised when I admit that I don't really like cooking. 

Don't get me wrong--- I cook daily, read cookbooks faithfully, watch Food TV constantly, and enjoy exploring new recipes and flavor combinations.  

But the actual act of cooking? The dicing, slicing, preparing, and handling?

not my favorite.  *

This is why I like love my slow cookers so much. I love that I can toss food in, push a button and walk away.  

And when you pair PHILADELPHIA's new Cooking Creme with the slow cooker, you've got the ultimate in lazy cooking.

Life just couldn't be better.  

* much of this probably stems from the fact that I've got a toddler firmly attached to my leg while I'm trying to chop, and can usually overhear the other two arguing in the living room.
Zen Cooking? it just doesn't happen in our house.


The Ingredients.
serves 4-6 2 pounds chicken breast pieces (mine were frozen solid)  
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes (you can use garlic-seasoned, or plain in a pinch. I wouldn't do tomatoes with chiles if feeding kids)  
1 (10-ounce) container PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme--- Santa Fe flavor
taco shells or corn tortillas

optional fixins': sour cream, avocado slices  
optional add-ins to stretch the meal to feed more people: 1 cup frozen corn, or 1 can corn, drained, 1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed  


The Directions.  

Use a 4-quart slow cooker (if adding the optional add-ins, a 6-quart might be a better fit). 

Put the chicken into your cooker. Add the entire can of tomatoes. Scrape out all the Cooking Creme (lick the container. It's GOOD!)  
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Stir well and serve in taco shells or corn tortillas with your favorite toppings.  

The Verdict.  

Okay. These are delicious. I love, love, love that I can get dinner done within 6-and-a-half minutes in the early morning without needing to put on my contacts. 

This seriously couldn't be easier to throw together and I love not dirtying up a cutting board. The kids ate everything on their plate and my nine-year-old had seconds (Adam had thirds).

The Santa Fe Cooking Creme has a fantastic flavor--there is no need to add any additional seasoning. There's definitely a kick, but not enough to bother kid tongues. I do think it would be too much for us with added chiles (if you wanted to use tomatoes and chiles).
 

I will make this again. Happily.  

Here's a snaphsot of the ingredient label (click on the photo to make it larger). 

Have you heard of the Real Women of Philadelphia? It's a play on the Real Housewives tv show franchise (I got sucked into the Beverly Hills and the DC Housewives, but then canceled the extended cable and now no longer get that channel. probably a good thing.)

Anyway--it is/was a cooking contest sponsored by PHILADELPHIA and the finalists have been selected. the winner will be announced during a Streaming Online Live Event on June 30th hosted by Paula Deen.


All of the finalist recipes are available to peruse/test out online at the Real Women of Philadelphia's Recipe Page. 

Which looks good to you?

Want to read more? Visit the Promotions & Prizes section of BlogHer.com for more PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and Cooking Creme recipes and reviews.

also, over on Totally Together I wrote a bit about starting a family game night. It's not all sunshine and roses (in fact, last night's Apples to Apples ended up in crumpled cards and an early bedtime...) but lots of great life lessons can be learned through card/board games. 

Have a fantastic day!

Slow Cooker Carrot Pudding Recipe

Carrot pudding? Are you serious? That's the recipe you've got today?

I know. It sounds really weird, but I had some with a slab of roast beef at a steakhouse a few years ago and haven't been able to get it out of my mind ever since.

This is a side dish, not a dessert. Serve it alongside a nice juicy steak with a baked potato. Serve it to your inlaws---they'll think you're fancy.

The Ingredients.

serves 10

4 cups grated carrots

1 small onion, grated

1 cup heavy cream

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon white granulated sugar

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. If you've only got a big guy, that's okay, but your pudding will cook faster--check it after 2 hours.

Grate the carrots and onion--- Adam bought himself (he said it was for me, but I'm scared to death of the thing, so he uses it each and every time) a  food processor, which is what we used to grate our carrots and the onion. If you want to buy the already-grated carrots (near the bagged salad and coleslaw), go for it.

Add the grated veggies to your crockpot.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream, egg, salt, nutmeg, and sugar. Pour this mixture into your slow cooker, and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for about 2 to 3. Your pudding is done when the carrots are tender. Now, using a hand-held stick blender (CAREFULLY) pulse a few times to create a pudding-like consistency. You can also (carefully!!) transfer the carrot concoction to a traditional blender to pulse a bit.

Some might ask if the blending is necessary. I think so. The consistency is changed quite a bit by blending, and the pudding becomes velvety and smooth. You don't want it smooth like baby food, but definitely creamy and combined.

Serve with meat and potatoes for a rich and satisfying meal.

The Verdict.

My kids like this, but have a hard time with the "weird" factor. Adam likes it a lot----we usually pair it with grilled steaks. This is a great companion to a summer cookout when you want something different, but aren't sure what that is exactly.

It's the last week of school for us! I'm terribly excited to have everyone home with me. I'm planning to stay in my slippers each day for as long as I can.

I've written a bit about our summer plans over on Totally Together Journal, and why I consider myself to be a "closet homeschooler."

Any big summer plans for you and your family?

Read More