CrockPot Green Bean Casserole

Day 161.

It's day 2 of Retro Week!

That is not a picture of dog barf. It's green bean casserole. I've never actually had green bean casserole. It's on the table, lots, during the holidays, and I'm sure I've put some on my plate, but I don't actually eat it.

I don't like canned green beans. My grandma makes a 3-bean salad that uses canned green beans, and I like that. But that's it.

I kind of could go on and on about why I find canned green beans icky. But I'm not going to, because they are staple in a lot of homes, and I should be nice.

Canned green beans are not my cup of tea.

I really like fresh green beans, though, and in honor of Retro Week decided to make a new-and-improved green bean casserole. In the crockpot.

The Ingredients.

--1 lb fresh green beans

--2 cups homemade cream of mushroom soup.

--1 cup General Mills Rice Chex cereal (make sure the label is marked Gluten Free if you are gluten free. There are still some old boxes on shelves)

--1/2 t onion powder

--1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

if you would like the recipe using the canned cream of mushroom soup, it is here. This recipe calls for 4 cups of cooked green beans. Since you're going to be using your crock, the fresh will cook nicely, and you can put in raw beans.

The Directions.

Wash and trim the green beans. If you feel the need to cut the green beans so they are all the same length, go for it, but they will cook fine left uneven.

Add the frozen soup, or canned soup and the milk that the canned soup version asks for. Mix the green beans with the liquid.

Put the rice chex in a ziploc and smash to desired crumbiness. Add the onion powder and the parmesan to the bag, and shake to mix.

Pour evenly over the top of the beans.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-3.

The Verdict.

I liked this much better than the canned green bean casserole. The green beans still had a crunch, even after being slow-cooked. The topping wasn't as crisp as it would have been if I had used the french's fried onions, but the flavor was there, and the cheese added a nice salty flavor. The homemade cream of mushroom rocks, and was quite flavorful.

The brown chunks of mushroom were really unnerving, though. It felt like we were eating dog food. Or puked-up dog food.

But it tasted good. I don't know what to think of this. It worked, it tasted good, and if you like green bean casserole, you'd probably like it. I think I like lightly steamed green beans better with a squeeze of lemon. or stir-fried with some chili oil. or baked with salmon. or in a stew.

CrockPot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Day 181.

This is the best macaroni and cheese, ever. Ninety-seven days ago, when I made the crockpot ziti, my buddy Alison wrote in the comments her recipe for macaroni and cheese.

I waited too long to make it----this is a superb recipe.

I wouldn't recommend putting this in the crockpot unsupervised. There is a lot of liquid and the noodles cook VERY quickly. Our pasta was perfectly cooked and al dente after about 90 minutes on high, but I left it on and accidentally fell asleep on the couch when I should have been folding laundry. An hour later, the pasta was still amazingly delicious, but it got mushy. The above picture was taken after I fell asleep. Imagine the pasta fully intact, doing the back float in a yummy sea of cheesy goodness.

The Ingredients.

--1/2 pound uncooked macaroni or hearty pasta (I used a 1/2 bag of Trader Joe's Brown Rice fusilli)
--4 cups of milk (I used skim cow's)
--1 egg (Alison's recipe calls for 2. I only had one in the house because we had company over the weekend and they ate all my eggs. Well, Adam cooked them all my eggs. And left the carton in the fridge with only 1 egg in it and didn't write eggs on the list even though I've been to the store numerous times this week and could easily have bought eggs. It's a good thing he's so cute.)
--4 cups shredded cheese (I used all cheddar)
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1/2 t black pepper
--1 tsp dried mustard (edited 8/24: okay. I made a mistake and originally wrote a BIG T which is tablespoon. yet, some people made it with that much mustard and liked it. So use what you'd like. I'm so sorry!)


The Directions.

Spray crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whip egg and milk together. Stir in spices.

Add cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the crockpot.

It will be very liquidy.

Cover and cook on low for 2-5 hours, or on high for 1-3. The cooking time will vary depending on what size crockpot you are using, and how quickly it heats and cooks. I was quite surprised at how quickly our pasta got fork-tender.


The Verdict.

Woah. This tastes like macaroni and cheese should taste. The cheese on top was bubbly and brown and had the neat texture it gets when baked in the oven. The pasta was perfectly cooked.

Until I fell asleep.

The kids each ate 2 bowls, and my three-year-old has requested that I make this every single day for lunch from now on. In the crockpot.

I was a little surprised that the ingredients called for only a half-pound of pasta. This was more than enough food for 6 people to eat. The pasta swelled and completely filled a round 4qt.

Thank you, Alison! xoxox

*** Edited July 7 to add: There have been mixed reviews on this dish! Please read the comments for suggestions, and attempt at your own risk! ;-) *** -steph

Baked Brie CrockPot Recipe

Day 208.

Happy Saturday! One of my most-requested and best-received crockpot appetizers is brie with candied pecans and cranberries. I like making it, because it's so gosh darn easy and because it seems more involved and elegant than it really is.

I was reminded about baked brie in a pastry crust last week when I was thumbing through and old cookbook put out by Pillsbury. I had a wheel of brie in the fridge, and thought I might as well try to do it in the crockpot.

The Ingredients.

The super easy way:

--a wheel of brie
--refrigerated crescent rolls

The Gluten Free Way (or a home-made way of making crescent rolls):
from the best crescent roll recipe ever, thanks to Delightfully Gluten Free

--1 /4 cup butter
--3/4 cup small curd cottage cheese or sour cream
--1 cup Gluten Free Flour mix (I used Pamela's) or All-Purpose Flour
--1 t xanthum gum (omit if using AP flour)
--1/8 t salt
--1/4 t cream of tartar
--1/2 t baking soda
--1 T sugar

--wheel of brie

The Directions.

If making the dough at home, follow the tutorial from the Delightfully Gluten Free site. I used sour cream the first time I made this dough, but used the cottage cheese this time. Both types of dough were delicious.

Roll out the chilled dough or crescent rolls on a cutting board. Don't tear apart the little crescent roll triangles, keep them together. I didn't bother to use an actual rolling pin, I just squished the dough down with a piece of plastic wrap. Place the wheel of brie in the center and fold the dough around the edges. If you have enough dough to cover the top, go for it. I did not, and left a peek-hole.

Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, with a toothpick wedged in the cover for just a bit of a vent hole. I usually use a chopstick, but tried a toothpick this time. I did get some condensation on the lid, but was pleased with the results. Your brie will be done when the dough has browned on top, and begun to pull away from the sides of the crockpot, or dish.

I put the brie and the dough directly into my 4qt crockpot and baked it like that. In retrospect, I should have put the brie into an oven-safe round dish, and then put it into the crockpot for easier removal. I was able to get it out, but it wasn't very pretty. There may have been some bad words said.

The Verdict.

Oh Em Gee. Delicious, and very fun to make and present. I am overjoyed to have found this gluten free dough, and was so happy to give a nice big slice of this to my kids. They hated the cheese but liked the dough.

CrockPot Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Day 226.

I spent some time (three hours!) the other day reading through the archives of Alanna Kellogg's blog, A Veggie Venture. I didn't realize that her Vegetable site started as a year-long project to make something with vegetables everyday. She has so many neat ideas--if you ever find yourself wondering what to do with any kind of veggie, she will have you covered with her A-Z vegetable guide. I'm excited to try out more of her recipes in the crockpot.

The Ingredients.

--2 pounds of fresh broccoli, washed and trimmed (I only really like the florets)
--1/3 cup flour (I used Pamela's)
--1/4 tsp kosher salt
--1/4 tsp black pepper
--1/2 tsp ground mustard
--1 cup low fat or fat free milk
--1 cup chicken broth (but if you're vegetarian that would be wrong, so you should use veggie broth)
--1 cup shredded yummy white cheese (I used Fontina, Alanna used provolone, I think swiss or gouda would be great, too)
--Parmesan cheese--enough to cover the top. I didn't measure this. 1/4 cup? maybe more?

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round crockpot for this. Everything fit in nicely.

Wash and trim the broccoli and give the trimmings to the guinea pigs. They will squeal in delight.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and dried mustard. Toss the broccoli in the mixture. Dump the broccoli into the crockpot.

Cover with 1 cup of whatever shredded cheese you are going to use. Add the milk and the chicken broth.
Top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for about 3-4. This is done when the broccoli reaches desired tenderness and begins to brown a bit around the edges.

The Verdict.

My kids loved this. LOVED it. They each ate 3 little plastic bowls for dinner and had more the next day for lunch.

they do like broccoli a lot though... so I don't know if this is enough to sway kids who can't stand broccoli.

but it's very, very good.

CrockPot Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Day 228.

In the past few weeks I've gotten a few different emails from fantastic people sharing their hash brown layered casserole breakfast concoctions. This is a combo of Melba, Mikell, and Alison's recipes.

We were ecstatic with the results. This is a keeper, and something you should definitely file away for a brunch or potluck get-together.

The Ingredients.

30 ounce package of plain frozen hash brown (shredded) potatoes
4 already-been cooked sausage, or leftover diced ham (I used chicken and apple sausage)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 cup skim or fat free milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart Smart-Pot for this recipe.

Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. Dump in the whole package of hash browns. Spread them out with your fingers, and break up any clumps.

In a mixing bowl, mix the dozen eggs with the milk, salt and pepper, cheese, cut up sausage, and diced vegetables. Pour everything on top of the hash browns.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. This is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges start to brown a bit. If you want the cheese to brown and get a bit crispy on the sides, cook it longer.

The Verdict.

Delicious. Yummy. We've eaten this for breakfast everyday for the past three days.

Updated 2/28/09: I made this vegetarian this morning. I used 1/3 of a small yellow onion, 1 red and 1 green bell pepper diced, and 1 cup sliced mushrooms, chopped. I also upped the cheese to 2 cups. Since there isn't the additional flavor from the sausage, I increased the salt and pepper to 1 1/2 tsp of each, total.
I then cooked on high for 4 hours, then another 30 min with the top off to release condensation. It was wonderful.

more breakfasty goodness in the slow cooker

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Southwestern CrockPot Sweet Potato and Corn Medly

Day 229.

This is a great side dish. The flavors dance in your mouth---which is a saying I never, ever thought I'd ever say (or type), but there you go. That's what they do.

Simple to put together, but looks great on a buffet table--this is a great dish.

The Ingredients.

--3 med. sweet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs)
--1 can corn, drained
--1/4 cup chopped onion
--2 limes, juiced
--1 tsp chili powder
--1/2 tsp kosher salt
--3 T chopped fresh basil leaves

The Directions.

This is a good recipe for a 3-4 quart crockpot. If you have a larger one, consider doubling for leftovers, or stay close by so the sweet potatoes don't over cook and turn to mush.

Peel and cube the sweet potato into 1-inch or so chunks. Plop them into the crock. Add diced onion, the drained corn, and the fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle in the chili powder and salt. Squeeze the limes, and then toss everything so the seasoning is dispersed somewhat evenly.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or on high for 3-4. This is done when the potatoes have reached desired tenderness.

The Verdict.

A delicious, and incredibly healthy side dish, or in my case, lunch for the next 3 days. The kids didn't like the lime flavor at all.
oh well, more for me!

CrockPot Peanut (Not Brittle) Candy

Day 237.

I made some really good candy the other day, with all of the ingredients you would use to make peanut brittle. But the crockpot doesn't really get hot enough to make peanut brittle, so you get this awesome chewy fudgey peanut wonderfulness which is an awful lot like a Payday candy bar.

The Ingredients.

There's a lot of sugar here. Because it's CANDY.

--3 cups of sugar (Baker's sugar has finer granules and will dissolve well)
--1 cup light corn syrup
--4 cups of your favorite nuts (I used 3 cups dry roasted lightly salted peanuts and 1 cup raw almonds. because I care about health.)
--4 Tbl butter
--2 tsp vanilla extract
--2 tsp baking soda

--parchment paper or Release foil

The Directions.

I used my 6 quart Smart Set crockpot for this. I like the Smart Set because I can set it for 30 minute intervals and it will beep for me when the 30 minutes is done. And I seem to need the beeps, because I tend to wander off if I find something shiny.

Drop the 4 tablespoons of butter into your crockpot. Add the sugar and the corn syrup on top of the butter. Pour in the vanilla.

Cover your crockpot and turn to high for one hour.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or release foil.

After an hour, stir well to mix everything around. Add the baking soda. It will sizzle and make fun noises.
Your sugar mixture will be kind of milky-yellow and the sugar might still look granulated.

Cover again and cook on high for another 30 minutes. Check and stir in nuts.
Cover and cook again for another 15-30 minutes, or until the sugar mixture is brown and looks the color of peanut brittle. Or a payday candy bar.

Stir in your nuts.

Then, USING OVEN MITTS, carefully (CAREFULLY! seriously---use the oven mitts) pour half of the pot onto each cookie sheet and spread out with a spatula.
It will be lumpy.
that's because there are nuts.

Let cool at room temperature for about an hour, then tear into pieces.

Prepare to be amazed.

The Verdict.

This makes about 3 pounds of candy. Everyone who tried it (10 of us, minus my cousin who for some reason doesn't care for nuts) couldn't get enough. It's quite tasty.

I'd like to make it again, but melt semi-sweet or dark chocolate in the mini 1.5 quart crock to pour out and then layer the candied nuts on top. mmm.

Jalapeno Corn Pudding CrockPot Recipe

Day 241.

I've never had corn pudding before. There are a lot of things I've never had before. I don't seem to get out much. I'm working on it.

The kids and I went to the library with my mom last week and I checked out a bunch of cooking books and magazines. One of the books was on Southern Cooking, and I xeroxed a corn pudding with chiles recipe. When I went to make it yesterday, I realized I didn't have a few of the listed ingredients, and wasn't in the mood for heavy cream and a bunch of butter.

So I tweaked. The finished result is sweet and velvety with a tangy-spicy kick. If I wasn't badly sunburned, I'd give myself a pat on the back.

The Ingredients.

--2 cups of frozen or fresh corn kernels (I used frozen, 1 cup regular corn, and 1 cup roasted)
--2 T unsalted butter, melted
--1 cup milk (2% or lower)
--2 eggs
--2 T white sugar
--2 T flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
--1 tsp baking powder (I omitted this because Bob's has it in there already)
--1/2 tsp Kosher salt
--2 T jalapeno pepper slices, chopped
--1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round crockpot for this recipe. It was a good size.

Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. Melt the butter in the microwave and put it in. Add milk, eggs, salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder. Whisk the ingredients together. Stir in the corn kernels, cheese, and chopped jalapenos.

Cover and cook on low for 3-5 hours. This is cooked through when the edges brown and begin to pull from the sides and the center is set. Take the lid off for 20-30 minutes when set and continue to cook on low to get rid of the added condensation.

I cooked our pudding for exactly 4 hours on low, then let it cook for another 20 with the lid off.

The Verdict.

Adam and I loved this. The kids had plenty of leftover food in the house to munch on---but did try a spoonful or two with the jalapenos removed. Adam and I had this alongside a spinach salad.
This would be a welcome addition to a holiday dinner or potluck supper.

CrockPot Barbecued Shrimp Recipe

Day 246.

This recipe is taken directly from The Pioneer Woman. We had the best weekend, ever, and spent the night with our good friends at their new house. My friend, Nancy, says, "bring your crockpot and make something really good. I'm going to invite my sisters, and their boyfriends, too."

Nothing like a little pressure....

But you really can't go wrong with a PW recipe, and I had bookmarked her spicy barbecued shrimp eons ago, and was waiting for a good occasion to make it.

I know I've said it before, but the crockpot rocks. It totally and completely rocks. I love bringing food to people's houses, but it always becomes a bit awkward when you need to prepare and cook the food while you are there. Will the oven be available? How about a stove burner? You just don't come across that problem when visiting with a crockpot dish. There is always, always an available outlet, and you can easily stash the crockpot in the bathroom or garage if your host is low on counter space.

The Ingredients.
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

--2 pounds fresh raw shell-on shrimp (ask the fish guy for shrimp in the 21-25 per pound size range)
--1 stick of butter (it's a lot, but it was supposed to be 2!)
--1/4 cup olive oil
--1/4 cup gluten free Worcestershire sauce
--1-2 T Tabasco sauce (I used 1 1/2)
--1 tsp ground black pepper
--1 tsp kosher salt
--3 lemons, juiced
--1 T chopped fresh basil

The Directions.

You'll need a 5 to 6 quart crockpot for this meal.
Rinse the shrimp, but don't soak them too much. Dump them into the crockpot.

Add the stick of butter, olive oil, and Worcestershire sauce. Measure out the tobasco, salt and pepper, and throw that in there, too. Juice the lemons, and add that, and top with the freshly chopped basil. Toss just a bit with a big spoon to mingle the flavors. The butter will be in a big stick, but that's okay.

If you are wearing a white shirt, it will get sprinkled with oily Worcestershire spots. You will feel sad, but a good friend will hand you a raspberry martini so you'll stop caring.

Cover and cook on high for about 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes. You'll know the shrimp is done when it has turned pink, and can be peeled easily. I turned ours off at exactly 2 hours. It was perfect.

Serve with bread to sop up the juice. We did do that. My little one who has celiac wouldn't touch a shrimp if it was covered in chocolate, so I wasn't terribly worried about gluten goobers. If you are GF, I'd make a fresh loaf of your favorite bread to go along with this. The juice is amazing.

The Verdict.

This was so good, I think I only got to eat one or two. We had 8 grown-ups and at least 2 kids who gobbled the shrimp. This is a very fun get-together dish, something that I would definitely serve again. I was thrilled with the way the shrimp cooked in the crockpot--they were perfect.

CrockPot Honey Cake Recipe

Day 273.

Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown tonight. Last week, Brenda emailed me ask if I've ever made a honey cake in the crockpot. I hadn't. After I called my friend, Jennifer (yes, I realize all my friends are named Jennifer), I learned that honey cake is usually pretty dry and dense. She said "I don't like it, I won't eat it. But my dad does."

I really like Jennifer's dad, and was on a mission to make a moist honey cake---the crockpot delivers moist cakes.

Unless you burn it.

I messed this up completely. The cake was rising properly, smelled delicious, and was brown and pulling away from the sides of the crock. The top was still pretty jiggly, so I felt comfortable leaving it for 45 minutes on high while we went to swim lessons. I came home to a horrible burnt-cake smell. The top and middle was okay, but I threw the rest away.

That said! If I had taken the lid off, and watched it for about 30 minutes, I think this would have been wonderful. I'd love to hear back if anyone tries this;I was happy with the texture and flavor of the non-burnt portions.

The Ingredients. --2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used Pamela's baking mix. I DID add the additional baking powder and soda, and would recommend doing so.)
--2 tsp baking powder
--2 tsp cinnamon
--1/2 tsp baking soda
--1/2 tsp salt
--1/2 tsp cloves
--3 eggs, room temperature
--1 cup honey
--1 cup sugar
--1 cup oil
--1/2 cup coffee
--1/4 cup water

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round crockpot. The batter fit nicely.

Grease and flour the inside of your crockpot. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, and then add the wet.

Mix on high speed for 2 minutes. Pour into your prepared crockpot.

Cover, but vent with a chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon.

Cook on high for 2 hours, then check. When the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the crock, uncover and continue to cook on high, checking every 20 minutes. The cake will be moist, but a toothpick should come out clean.

The Verdict.

Other than the horribly burnt parts, this was very tasty, and I enjoyed it a lot. Jen? Sign me up for honey cake next year for your dad. I won't burn it, I promise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was interviewed at Work It, Mom, and the interview is now live. Thank you, Nataly, for featuring A Year of CrockPotting!

CrockPot Sweet and Sour Caramelized Onions

Day 300.

It is the 300th day of the year, and the day my youngest turns 4. If it wasn't for writing the day of the year each morning, I'd have no idea that every leap year her birthday falls on the 300th day. That's kind of neat.

She was awake at 5:51 this morning, hopping on her bed. Thankfully her older sister continued to sleep. She and Adam are in the living room playing with her birthday request: a toy barbecue. It has wheels, a little rotisserie complete with plastic chicken, and 'realistic' cooking sounds.

She couldn't be happier.

I made these onions last night on a whim because I had found this recipe in one of the Cooking Light magazines my mom brought over, and I liked the picture. They tasted fantastic and would be great paired with a nice juicy steak.

The Ingredients.
adapted from Jan. 2008 edition of Cooking Light, page 164

--2 pounds tiny onions (sometimes called boiler or pearl onions)
--1/2 cup raisins (one box)
--1 T butter
--2 T balsamic vinegar
--1 T sugar
--1/4 tsp kosher salt
--1/4 tsp black pepper
--1/4 cup pine nuts

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart crockpot, but anything 4 quarts and up will work.

Cut the top and bottom off of all of the onions and peel away the skin. If you get some of the onion and peel that off an outer layer, that's okay. It takes a while to peel the onions; make sure you're in a good mood.

Put the onions in the crockpot and toss with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the pat of butter and the raisins. Toss in the pine nuts.

Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours, stirring every 45 minutes or so. I cooked ours for a bit more than 3 hours, and stirred 3 times. I wanted the onions to get brown and caramely on all sides.

The Verdict.

Adam and I liked this a lot. This would be a great accompaniment to a holiday meal, or to bring as an addition to a potluck dinner.

It looks fancy, and tastes fancy, but is easy to throw together. The raisins plumped and took on the vinegar flavor, and the pine nuts added a bit of crunch and some smokiness.

I'm off to eat a plastic chicken. I can't wait.

Pecan Topped Baked Sweet Potatoes CrockPot Recipe

Day 304.

ssshh. Don't look now, but Thanksgiving is around the corner. Tomorrow is actually Halloween, but I decided to get a move on and test out this sweet potato dish while I had 4 fresh in the house.

This is good. The kids liked it, Adam liked it, and while it was sweet, it wasn't overly sweet. No marshmallows were involved, which is usually how my kids enjoy baked sweet potatoes.

The Ingredients.

--4 peeled and sliced (1/4 inch thick) sweet potatoes
--1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
--1 cup nonfat evaporated milk (in a can in the baking aisle---I don't know how fresh transfers)
--3/4 cup brown sugar
--1 tsp vanilla extract
--4 T butter
--1 cup chopped pecans
--2 cups crumbled pretzels (I used EnerG gluten free)

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round crockpot, and it was a great size. If you have a bigger one, go ahead and use it, but the cooking time will be quicker.

Peel and slice the sweet potato and stagger-stack in your crockpot. Cover with the 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Open the can of cranberry jelly and squish it out all over the top of the sugar and potatoes.

Mix the 1 tsp of vanilla with the cup of milk, and pour over the entire top.

Slice the butter, and dot it on top.

Crumble the pretzels and mix them with the chopped pecans. Sprinkle over the top.

Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 5-6. This is done when the sweet potatoes have reached desired tendency. We like ours pretty squishy.

Unplug and uncover. Let sit for 15 minutes before cutting into.

The Verdict.

These are some good sweet potatoes. The pretzels completely disappeared and are probably not necessary. I guess they added a bit of salt, but otherwise the texture was only from the pecans.

I liked the mixture of the tartness of the cranberries with the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

I'd proudly serve these for Thanksgiving dinner.

I adapted this from the Halloween edition of Taste of Home, page 48. The original recipe asked for 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, and a WHOLE cup of butter. Woah.

CrockPot Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Day 319.

It's Friday. Instead of fondue, you're getting cranberry sauce. It's a fair trade.

This worked! I've made cranberry sauce exactly once before---in a kindergarten class. We followed the directions on the bag, and it came out quite bitter. No one except this one little boy who enjoyed shocking his classmates with odd behavior would eat it. I could tell it was bitter just by the smell.

I did not have high hopes for cranberry sauce in the crockpot, but was pleasantly surprised. This not only worked, the kids each had some with leftover turkey and I've had it now a few times on top of spinach salad.

I think the secret is the enormous amount of sugar I added...

The Ingredients.

12 ozunces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed is best)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

The Directions.

Use a 2- quart crockpot. If you only have a huge crockpot, you can put an oven-safe dish into it to create a smaller cooking vessel --- like a pyrex or Corningware. This is what I use in the crock (scroll down to see them).

Rinse off the cranberries and put them into your crockpot. Add the orange juice and water. I had the kids squeeze fresh juice, but you can use store-bought if that's what you have on hand.

Add the sugar and the cinnamon. Stir. There will be an awful lot of liquid, and the cranberries will float and you'll wonder how on earth it could possibly turn into cranberry sauce.

Cover and cook on high. It will take about 3 hours.

Stir every hour or so. When the skin from the cranberries has softened, the cranberries will "pop" when pushed with a spoon up against the side of the crock. It wasn't until about 2 hours in that my cranberries were soft enough to do this.

Smoosh all of the cranberries. Stir well.

Heat enough for it to be warm throughout. Take the lid off and heat on high for another 30 to 45 minutes. Your house will smell wonderful!

Serve. This easily can be made a few days before your holiday dinner.

The Verdict.

This is pretty much the best cranberry sauce in the history of the world. I like it so much I'll eat it right off the spoon. My mom makes batches and batches of it and gives it to her friends for gifts (seriously!) and freezes little Tupperwares of it so she can have it all year round.

if you like cranberry stuff, check out these dishes:

super easy cranberry pork or beef roast
potroast with cranberry and red wine glaze
turkey meatballs with cranberry barbecue sauce
cranberry party recipes: martini, chicken, cranberry surprise dessert!

Perfect Homemade Stuffing CrockPot Recipe

Day 317.

I am so excited I can hardly stop squirming. I grew up on Stove Top stuffing, and was pretty sure I'd never make or come across a gluten-free stuffing that didn't make me want to hurl. (not a very nice image early in the morning, but seriously. The idea had pretty much just been stricken from my imagination.)

Until a few weeks ago and I began planning Thanksgiving-y crockpot recipes and I figured the Internet needed a crockpot stuffing recipe, and if I was going to make one, it'd have to be gluten free, so I might as well just give it a go.

I did it. Yesterday.

and it's good! and I'm not even exaggerating or lying or anything!

eeek!

If you're not gluten-free, go ahead and use your favorite sliced sandwich bread, or a loaf of french bread.

The Ingredients.

1 loaf of bread, lightly toasted in the oven (approximately 10 pieces, I used gluten free sandwich bread)
1 large yellow onion, diced
 cup celery, diced
1 cup tart apple, peeled and diced
1/4 cup butter, melted (I use salted, but it  doesn't really matter)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (and maybe 1/4 cup later if needed)
1 tablespoon ground sage (important flavor)
1 teaspoon ground marjoram
1/2 teaspoon savory
1/2 teaspoon thyme
(if you have poultry seasoning in the house, use 1 tablespoon and omit the sage, marjoram, savory, and thyme.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart crockpot. I'd recommend a big guy, so you have room to toss. If you only have a 4 quart, toss everything well in a very large mixing bowl, then put into your crockpot.

Toast the bread slices in the oven at 300 degrees. I needed to keep the brown rice bread in for about 30 minutes before it was all toasty. Regular bread will toast much quicker, be aware.

While the bread is toasting, chop up the onion, parsley, celery, and apple. Add to crockpot. Add the seasoning, and add melted butter. Stir well.

When the bread is done, cut into 1/2 inch size-or-so cubes.

Add to the crockpot.

Toss very well with the butter, chopped vegetables, and spices. When the bread is coated nicely, pour in 1 1/2 cups of broth.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Sweep up the bread crumbs.

When finished, the bread will have browned a bit on the top and around the edges, and it will be hot throughout. It can stay on warm for probably another 2 hours before serving, if needed. Stir. If you'd like it a bit more moist, you can add a 1/4 cup more (or as much as you desire) of broth.

If you'd like to start the day ahead---you can do the bread cubes, and seal in zipper bags, and chop the vegetables and keep separate. Combine as directed the day of your dinner.

The Verdict.

Amazing. In a blind taste-test, I'd never guess this was made with gluten-free bread. Holy toledo.
My kids don't really like stuffing, but they tried it to be nice.
yay!

CrockPot Cornbread Stuffing
CrockPot Whole Entire Turkey
Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Sour Cream CrockPot Recipe
CrockPot Corn Risotto
Sweet and Sour Caramelized Onions CrockPot Recipe
lots more CrockPot Holiday Food!

CrockPot Turkey Breast Recipe

Day 316.

Happy Veteran's Day! Make sure to thank those in your lives who have or who are actively supporting our country in this most honorable way.

And then make turkey. In the crockpot.

I do plan on finding a little turkey (probably a 10 pounder?) to cook in the crock, but I wanted to test out a turkey breast first.

I used my mom's "famous" and "secret" family recipe. Hey mom! Your recipe is now going to be even more famous, and it's no longer a secret. :-) Thanks mom, I love you!

This is good turkey. It's moist and juicy, even though there isn't any brown meat. If you'd like, you can certainly throw in some turkey legs along with the breast. The rule of thumb is usually 1 pound of turkey per person.

The Ingredients.

4 to 6 pound turkey breast (bone-in or out. your choice)
2 cups cheap white wine (you can use broth or apple juice instead, if you'd like)
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 onion
salt and pepper

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart crockpot and a 4 1/2 pound turkey breast. I easily could have fit in some legs or a larger breast piece.

I know that it's suggested to not cook with any wine that you wouldn't drink, but it's okay because I drink cheap wine.

Unwrap the turkey breast and pat it dry with paper towels. If desired, cut off the skin with poultry shears, and discard. (I did this. I couldn't help myself.)

Salt and pepper the breast liberally.

Plop it, breast-side down into the crockpot. Wash your hands well.

Cut up an onion coarsely and push some pieces down next to the turkey and put a few in the rib cavity. Add the stick of butter.

Pour the wine over the top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. Use a meat thermometer to test doneness--it should register at 170°.

Remove from crockpot, and let sit for about 20 minutes before carving. The meat will be much more tender than if cooked in an oven.

The Verdict.

We all ate turkey! And not on Thanksgiving!


Here are other absolutely amazing Thanksgiving recipes for the slow cooker.
And don't throw your bones away! Make:
turkey and wild rice soup or
turkey stew

CrockPot Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Sour Cream Recipe

Day 320.

psst. Make these potatoes. You won't be sorry.

This is one of those recipes where I wonder if the crockpot is really necessary, or is it just being used to keep the potatoes warm. You have to use the stove to boil the potatoes, and then you smash them with the cream cheese and the sour cream.

I suppose you could argue that the crockpot isn't necessary, but I used it. Because it makes me happy, and that's what I do.

These potatoes are too good to not share, and I'll let you be the judge about whether or not the crockpot is a necessary tool.

The Ingredients.

--5 pounds of red potatoes
--1 block of cream cheese, room temperature (8 oz. I used light)
--1 cup sour cream (I used light)
--1 chicken bouillon cube
--1/2 cup of water, reserved from boiling the potatoes
--1 tsp garlic powder
--1 T dried parsley

The Directions.

Wash and peel the potatoes, leaving the skin on some if desired. Cut in quarters to quicken boiling time. Put the pieces into a large pot and cover completely with water.

Bring the potatoes to a boil on the stove top. Boil rapidly for 10-20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Scoop out 1/2 cup of the water from the pot. Add the bouillon cube to the water. Drain the potatoes, and return to pot.

Open the cream cheese and put into the pot with the hot potatoes. Add sour cream. Pour in the water with the bouillon cube, also. Add the parsley and garlic powder.

Mash with a potato masher. If you don't have a masher, the way that I seem to not, you can use a wire wisk. It'll work just fine.

After smashing well, scoop the potatoes out of the pot and place into a 4 to 6 quart crockpot. Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4. Can be kept on warm indefinitely. After two hours on high, my potatoes got a bit crusty on the top and edges.

They were divine.

The Verdict.

So very good. My kids seemed to have thought that these were spicy (makes no sense whatsoever) and weren't thrilled with the bits of skin I left on. I like a bit of skin, and so does Adam, but apparently the kids find it highly offensive.

I gave a quart to our friends, and they loved them. I will make these for Thanksgiving.

CrockPot Corn Bread Stuffing Recipe

Day 318.

Dude. I so love my crockpot. It has gotten me to think out of the box, and I now have a refrigerator full of 2! TWO! kinds of perfect crockpot stuffing.

I think I need to bronze the crockpot after this year.

I've never had cornbread stuffing before, so I turned to the master: Paula Deen.

The Ingredients.


--8 x 8 pan of baked cornbread (I used the Whole Foods 365 brand of GF cornbread mix)
--4 slices of toasted bread (I used the GF Food For Life brand in the pink bag)
--2 cups celery, chopped
--1 large yellow onion, diced
--3 beaten eggs
--1/4 cup butter, melted
--1 T poultry seasoning
--1/2 tsp salt
--1/2 tsp pepper
--2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable!) --and another 1/4 cup if desired, later

The Directions.

I changed Paula's recipe quite a bit, but tried to keep the basics exactly the same.

I used a 6 quart crockpot. If you only have a 4 quart, toss the stuffing together in a huge mixing bowl, and then transfer to your 4 quart.

Bake the cornbread according to package directions (or by all means, make it by scratch!)

If you have a few days to let it go stale, do that. Other wise, cut into slices and bake at 300 degrees until toasty (along with your bread slices). It took about 30 minutes in my oven.

While the cornbread is toasting, chop up the onion and celery. Put the pieces into your crockpot. Add the seasoning.

Melt butter in the microwave, and mix together with 3 beaten eggs. Stir well into the veggies and seasonings in the crockpot.

Cut the cornbread and toasted bread into cubes, about 1/2 inch square.

Toss the cubes of bread and cornbread well with the ingredients in the crockpot.

Pour in 2 cups of broth. Stir gingerly to combine. The cornbread will break up more than the bread did in the other stuffing, but try to keep a few pieces whole for texture.

Cook on high for 2 hours. This can be on warm successfully for up to 2 hours.

If you'd like a more moist dressing, add another 1/4 cup of broth before serving.

The Verdict.

Tasty. Delicious.
I think we have a new member at our dinner table this Thanksgiving!

CrockPot Homemade Cranberry Sauce
CrockPot Mulled Wine
CrockPot Potatoes Au Gratin
CrockPot Candied Sweet Potatoes
CrockPot Whole Turkey
CrockPot Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken
more Holiday(ish) CrockPot Food