Super Easy Fajitas Thanks to the CrockPot

Day 174.


I've mentioned before how much my family loves Mexican food. My kids will eat anything with cheese and sour cream on it, and avocado was their very first food. Fajitas are fun to make (I like the name---they sound much fancier than tacos for some reason), and are very easy to prepare with the help of the crockpot. I get the meat going in the morning, and then can head out for fresh ingredients at some point during the day, or ask Adam to stop on his way home.

The Ingredients. --2 lbs of thin cut stir fry beef (you could use chicken)
--1 or 2 packets of fajita seasoning mix (I said one or two because I've found that it's awfully spicy if I use 1 packet per pound of meat as directed on the label--use what you think is right for your family. Make sure to read labels carefully if GF. I stick to McCormick for their clear labeling.)
--1 onion
--2 bell peppers (I used 1 orange, 1 yellow)
--1/2 cup of water

The Directions.

Dump your meat into the crockpot. It can be frozen or thawed. Cut the onion and the peppers in strips, and add to the crock. Add the seasoning and water. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or high for 6. The meat is done when it reaches desired tenderness. I like to cook on low for as long as possible, because I don't like to chew forever. Serve with your favorite fajita fixens'. We really like squeezing some fresh lime over the top of the meat before doctoring it up.

The Verdict.

This is a family favorite. We make fajitas often, and always use the crockpot. I can't imagine taking the time to brown the meat on the stove and then let it simmer in the fajita seasoning until it's tender enough.

CrockPot Salsa Chicken Recipe

Day 177.

I got an email last week from Beckie, who suggested that I make her salsa chicken recipe. I'm so glad that I did! This is a super easy, super delicious meal, that is very low in fat, and filling. We had it over some rice, and scooped up the extra sauce with corn tortillas.

The Ingredients.

--6-9 chicken thighs, or equivalent body parts
--1 can rinsed black beans
--1 cup chunky salsa
--1 cup frozen white corn

The Directions.

Put your chicken in the crockpot; mine was still frozen. Top with the rinsed black beans, salsa, and corn.

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. Cooking time will vary depending on whether or not your chicken is frozen, and how big the pieces are.

If you decide to use breasts, increase your salsa by 1/2 cup. Breasts are drier than thighs.


The Verdict.

This was a really yummy dish, and I liked how low in fat it was. If you don't have enough meat in the house, or would like to stretch the dish, you can add a 1/2 block of cream cheese, a cup of sour cream, or a can of cream-of-something soup to the ingredients. I really liked it like this, though---but I know that I've made something similar in the past with a creamyish sauce.

Thank you, Beckie! This was a great meal for my family, and I'm enjoying the leftovers as nacho topping.

Creamy Corn and Spinach Enchiladas CrockPot Recipe

Day 222.

recipe updated in Make it Fast, Cook it Slow to: 2 cups enchilada sauce, and to layer the tortillas with the filling. mmm!


It's the two hundred and twenty-second day of the year, the day after 8/8/8. That means today is good luck, too.

I've just decided.

Way back on the 9th day of the year, I threw together an enchilada casserole that was really good, and I've been meaning to do regular enchiladas ever since. We had some leftover brisket, so I used that as the filling---but you could use rotisserie chicken meat, PORK, or leave it vegetarian.

Enchiladas are very versatile.

The Ingredients.

--1 can (14.5 oz) creamed corn
--1 cup shredded already-cooked meat
--1 cup baby spinach leaves
--1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
--2 T chopped sliced jalapenos
--1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used a packaged Mexican blend)

--1 can (28 oz) green enchilada sauce
--2/3 cup sour cream
--corn tortillas
--more shredded cheese

The Directions.

I used a 6qt Smart-Pot for this. You can easily use a 4qt, but instead of making each enchilada separately, you can just stack the ingredients in a casserole.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded meat, creamed corn, cilantro, spinach leaves, jalapenos, and shredded cheese. Mix. You may need to use your hands to get the spinach leaves really wilty and coated with the creamed corn.

This is your enchilada filling.

Put a corn tortilla out on the counter, and plop a spoon full of filling in the center. Roll into an enchilada shape and put it seam-side down in your crockpot. Repeat until you run out of filling. I used 10 corn tortillas before I ran out. I stacked them to fit.

Either wash your mixing bowl, or get out another. Combine the green sauce with the 2/3 cup of sour cream. This is optional, I guess, but it tastes really good.

Pour the sauce on top of your enchiladas. Add a few handfuls of shredded cheese for good measure.

Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours, or on low for 5-7.
I cooked ours on low for 8 hours and it was too long. Everything got really mushy.

Let stand for 20 minutes with the lid off before cutting into.

The Verdict.

This tastes amazing. It looks disgusting. I'd like to tell you what I think it looks like, but Adam is standing over my shoulder and making me delete.

It tastes wonderful. Really wonderful.

But if you use as much sauce as I did, it will fall apart on you. I'd love to make this again and use about half the sauce, and maybe vent the lid a bit with a toothpick to see if the enchiladas keep their shape.

or I'd just layer it all in and not spend the time making separate enchiladas. But even then, I'd probably only use 2 cups of liquid.

But all in all, this tasted amazing and we all liked it, a lot. The sweetness of the corn balanced the slight spiciness of the jalapenos nicely, and all four of us cleaned our plate.

And if you plate it with some fancy garnishes, it instantly looks much, much better. I learned that from Food Gawker.

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Mini Slow Cooker Recipe

Day 224.

I used my Little Dipper Slow Cooker yesterday to make a Tex-Mex inspired black bean dip, and I loved it. It was kind of spicy, but the goat cheese complimented the spice nicely with it's creamy mellow flavor.

Since I used my Little Dipper, I cut the recipe down quite a bit to fit inside. Feel free to double, triple, or exponentially increase---it's very good, and I wouldn't mind making a whole meal out of chips and dip one day.

very soon.

The Ingredients.

--1/2 can of refried black beans
--2 cloves garlic, chopped
--1/2 of a lime, juiced
--1 t cayenne pepper
--1 t cumin
--2 T chopped cilantro leaves
--3-5 slices of goat cheese

The Directions.

Open the can of refried black beans, and scoop out about half of the contents into the Little Dipper. Squeeze in the lime juice. Add chopped garlic, the spices, and the cilantro leaves. Stir. Top with the sliced goat cheese.

Cover and plug in. The Little Dipper doesn't have a temperature gauge. Cook for 1-2 hours, or until the goat cheese has melted and the beans are warm and gooey.

Serve with corn tortilla chips.

The Verdict.

Very tasty. I was quite pleased with the kick the dip had, and loved how the goat cheese was creamy and mellow. The cilantro gave a "freshness" that I really appreciated---it didn't just taste like a canned bean dip. The kids mostly scooped the goat cheese off the top, but did try the black bean dip enough to know that it was spicy.

I have the other half of the can in the fridge, and plan on making this for myself for lunch while I watch taped Olympics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. I'm having Feed Burner issues. I don't use a reader myself, so I don't really understand them. If anyone knows what I should do to fix whatever error is happening that makes it look like I haven't updated since February, I'd love to hear from you! crockpotlady AT gmail DOT com.
xoxo steph

CrockPot Refried Beans Recipe

Day 236.

We eat a lot of refried beans in our house. The kids love them in simple bean and cheese burritos, and Adam I like them covered in salsa for an afternoon snack.

We also have also have a 25-pound sack of pinto beans that lives in our garage. I think we've probably moved with the beans twice.

I bought the bag at a restaurant supply store when I taught preschool and was planning on starting a preschool or homeschool co-op in our home. Kids really like playing with beans---it's a great sensory activity and it's soothing to pour the beans back and forth between measuring cups and feel them falling through fingertips.

Anyhow, we were out of refried beans the other day, so I decided to make my own. Don't worry, I didn't use the beans the kids had been playing with. The rest of the bag was tightly sealed.

The Ingredients.

--2 cups of dried pinto beans that have been picked through to get all the broken and funky-looking pieces taken out
--water

--1 1/2 yellow onions
--1 1/2 red onions
--10 whole garlic cloves
--2 tsp cumin
--1 tsp coriander

The Directions.

You will need to soak the beans overnight. Not only will this soften them better, but it will help release the gas.
Rinse the beans well in a colander, and dump into the crockpot. Add enough water so the beans are fully immersed, with an two to three inches of water on top. Put the lid on your crockpot. Do not turn on.
Let them soak.

In the morning, drain and rinse the beans under cold running water.

Put them back in the crockpot with enough clean water to cover the beans with about an inch of water.

Stir in the cumin and coriander.

Peel and cut the onions in half, and put them in the crockpot. Peel all of the garlic, but toss them in whole.

Cover the crock and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are tender.

I cooked ours for exactly 9 hours. The were soft, and some of the beans had split.

Fish out the onion and the garlic cloves. If you want to keep some of the garlic in for flavor, you may. It's your choice. If the beans are soft and you still have a bit of liquid left, carefully drain it, saving a little to help with the smooshing and for added flavor.

Using a potato smasher, or hand mixer, mash the beans.

Now you have two options. You can just start using the beans (the way I did, because I'm pretty darn lazy), or you can scoop hunks of smooshed beans out of the crock and fry them on the stove top with a bit of butter or olive oil (or lard (ick)). Your choice.

No salt was added, so you'll need to season to taste.

The Verdict.

These were surprisingly easy and tasty. The kids have been eating them for lunch. The next day they were a bit dried out, but a touch of warm water fixed that. I needed to add quite a bit of salt to make them taste like the canned variety. I have 4 baggies of ready-to-go beans in the freezer, which is great for after-school snacks.

not-too-spicy bean dip
chicken nachos
smoky refried bean soup

Jalapeño Pot Roast CrockPot Recipe

Day 259.

This is a set it and forget it recipe. I came up with this recipe while I was holding a package of frozen chuck meat and was looking through the fridge and pantry. I've never made this before, but I will again. It was easy and quite flavorful.
6 adults ate this last night for Sunday dinner---while the 2 kids ate buttered pasta.

The Ingredients.

--3 lb chuck roast (frozen solid is fine)
--can of cream of soup (or homemade, or you can make it on the stove)
--2-4 T of sliced jalapeno peppers (a can or two of green chilies would work. We had the jalapenos on hand)
--can of black beans, drained and rinsed
--1 yellow onion, sliced in rings
--1-2 cups plain non fat yogurt (to add at the end of cooking--you can use sour cream, too)

The Directions.

Dump everything into the crockpot. I used frozen homemade cream of mushroom soup---it took about 40 minutes for it to melt all the way and coat the meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

After cooking, remove meat with tongs, and stir in the yogurt or sour cream.

It's up to you how spicy you'd like this meal to be. I used 4 T (1/4 cup) of the sliced jalapenos, and then used 2 cups of plain yogurt to mellow the flavor. I liked it like that, and so did my family. There was definitely a kick, but it wasn't too crazy.

If you're worried about the heat, stick with 2 T of the sliced jalapenos, and then slowly add the yogurt at the end to taste.

The Verdict.

I really liked this, and so did Adam, my parents, my brother, and his wife. I rinsed the meat off and offered it to the kids, but they didn't give it a try.

When the cold yogurt (or sour cream) hits the hot liquid, it will separate a bit and create white chunks. Don't be alarmed---they will dissipate after heating fully and with some quick stirring.

CrockPot Cream Cheese, Sausage, and Rotel Dip

Day 277.

Happy Friday Fondue Day! Except this is more of a dip, than an actual fondue. I've never been very good at rules.

This dip is famous. This is The Internet's Dip. When I posted that I needed more recipes for the Little Dipper, I got no less than FORTY emails telling me about this dip. Pretty much everybody acknowledged that the ingredients were weird and shouldn't taste good together, but they just do.

Last night I had the extreme honor of going to a local book signing for Sleep Is For the Weak (which you should totally buy for everybody you know for a holiday gift) and then the fabulous Mizz Jenny spent the night.

Because I love her, and I know how much she loves The Internet, I made her this dip. I also gave her pink champagne. Because nothing says high-class like rotel and sausage dip with pink champagne.

The Ingredients.

--8 oz block of cream cheese
--1 can tomatoes and green chiles (aka Rotel), drained
--1 lb breakfast sausage, browned and drained

The Directions.

I didn't use the Little Dipper (I said I wasn't good at rules!), I used my 1.5 quart crockpot, and it was the right size. You'll need to cut the recipe in half to fit the Little Dipper.

Brown the sausage on the stove, and drain on paper towels.

Unwrap the cream cheese, and put it into your crockpot. Chop up the sausage and add on top. Drain the Rotel, and add it.

Cover and cook on low for about 90 minutes, or on high for 45. Stir well and eat with tortilla chips.

The Verdict.

Dude. This is good. I can not believe how good it is.

The ingredients are still weird. I totally agree.

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Day 328.

My kids each ate their weight in this soup. It smelled delicious while cooking, and tasted even better.

This is a brain-child of Natalie, who emailed me early last week. The neat part about this soup is that she (and then I did, too!) used dry black beans instead of canned or pre-cooked dried beans.

The beans will take a super long time to soften, so this is a great candidate for those who are out of the house for long periods of time. It's soup---there's a lot of volume, and it won't burn on you. The even-neater (more neat?) trait of this soup is that there is no chopping or dicing, yay!


Thank you so much, Natalie!

The Ingredients. --1 pound chicken (I used frozen breast tenderloins)
--1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
--4 cups chicken broth
--1 cup sliced mushrooms
--1 cup frozen corn
--1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
--1 1/2 tsp cumin
--1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
--shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

updated 12/15: Pace salsa is pictured in the ingredients. Pace, and many Campbells products are now no longer being classified as "gluten free"---please read all labels and use your best judgment when making choices to feed your family. You can read a discussion about the labeling, here.

The Directions.

I used a 6.5 quart crockpot. You will need a 4 quart or larger.

If you know you are going to make this the night before (yay for meal planning!) soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.

If you don't have super hard water or live in a super high altitude, you can quick soak the beans by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour or two. I did an hour, but 2 would really be better if you have the time.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cover and cook on high for 9 hours. Yup. High. For 9 hours. It took a crazy long time for the beans to soften, but they did.

If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre-cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time.

If you'd like to thicken the broth (I did this), you can use your immersible blender (I love that thing) to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditonal blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices.

The Verdict.

We all loved this. My crockpot was more than half way full, but the four of us ate so much we only had a small tupperware full for leftovers.

This is a new favorite in our house. I thought that the salsa might be too spicy, but the kids didn't complain once. They are used to spicier things than some of their peers, but I didn't find the soup spicy at all, just packed with flavor. If you're concerned, stick with mild salsa. You can always add some white or red pepper to the grown-up portions.

Thanks again, Natalie, for a new family-favorite!

How to Make Tamales in the CrockPot

Day 353.

I don't think I've been this excited to share a post since the crockpot falafels.
I was pretty sure when I began this project that tamales would work in the crock, but wanted to wait until closer to the holidays so I could tie them together with one of my favorite children's books, Too Many Tamales, by Gary Soto. They did work, and I brought them to my daughter's class yesterday to share. So these have been kid-tested not only by my own two, but by 18 second-graders.

They liked them.

The Ingredients.
adapted from the master recipe from All Recipes

Filling (quite mild, since I was feeding children):

1 (3.5-pound) store-bought rotisserie chicken
1 tsp cumin
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, mild
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Tamale Dough:

4 cups masa harina
2 1/2 cups beef broth
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening (I used crisco)
1 (6-ounce) package dried corn husks (I needed to go to a Mexican grocer)

The Directions.

There are a few parts here. I "cheated" and used a fully-cooked chicken as the meat in my tamale filling. If you'd like, you can cook a hunk of beef or pork overnight with spices and chili pods in your crockpot. The meat should shred easily with forks before it is ready to go inside the tamales.

If you're going to use the rotisserie chicken, combine the meat with the onion, garlic, can of green chilies, cumin, salt, and drained corn in a 4 quart (or so) crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6. The onions need to be translucent before going into the tamales. If you don't have time for this step, skip the garlic and onion, and combine the chicken with the chiles, cumin, salt, and drained corn in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Soften the corn husks by soaking them in very hot water until they are quite pliable.

To make the masa, combine all dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium-to-high speed until everything is mixed well and the dough is spongy. Check the dough by dropping a little ball of it into a glass of water. It should float. If it doesn't float, this source says to continue to beat the dough.

Take a bit larger than a golf-ball size piece of masa dough, and spread it into a wet corn husk. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick--you do not want to see the corn husk through the dough. Add a bit of filling, and some cheese. Fold the corn husk over to join the edges of the masa. If you need to add more dough, do so---no filling should peek through. Fold all corn husk edges into the center and place into the bottom of an empty crockpot, seam side down (I used a 6.5 quart, and fit 19 inside).

Repeat. Many, many, many times. It took me about 2 hours to make all of the tamales. If you find that your corn husks are unraveling, you can add another the other way to secure it, and tear off a long piece to tie around. I had to do this a few times. I also needed to add more hot water to the soaking husks to keep them pliable. If you need to step away from the tamale-making-process for a bit, put the lid on your crockpot to keep moisture inside.

When the crockpot is full, put the lid on and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or until a tester tamale looks and tastes done. The tamales on the edges will cook a bit faster. Once your tester looks good (I used the same one, and kept re-wrapping it and adding it back when it wasn't ready), unplug the crockpot and keep the lid off. Don't unwrap any others until they've set for about 15 minutes. My tamales were cooked at 6 hours, but I began checking every 45 minutes at 4 hours.

The Verdict.

I was thrilled that these worked so well! They are definitely labor-intensive, but pack such an impressive presentation. Now that I know how to do them, I'll make them again----but not for a while.

CrockPot Mole Recipe

Day 358.

Mole is pronounced Mol-AY. That did not stop the "holy moly" jokes.

You can use any meat you'd like: chicken, beef, or pork. I followed this recipe and Jim has even tried tofu.

The Ingredients.
adapted from Jim, who adapted from Sunset Crockery Cookbook 2 pounds meat (I used frozen tri-tip)
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds (I used sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup raw slivered almonds
1 dry California chili pod
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (and juice)
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup tequilla (or white wine, or apple juice)
1-2 ounce unsweetened chocolate (I used 2 and liked it, but some commenters found it too bitter)
1 cup water
salt to taste

The Directions.

Use a 5-6 quart crockpot. In a small pan, brown the raw sesame seeds and almonds on the stove. You could also toast them in the toaster oven (we need one of those). Set aside to cool.

Put the meat your going to use into the crockpot. Cover with everything else. I threw the entire dry chili pod into the pot; I didn't soak it in water first. I also just threw in the 2 squares of baking chocolate (after unwrapping!)--no need to melt it first.

Add the toasted nuts and seeds, and cover up. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Shred meat with forks, and serve over rice and with corn tortillas. Salt to taste.

The meat I had was half-frozen, and it took 6 hours on low, then I cut the meat up and added it back in for another 2 hours on high. It was fully shredded by then.

The Verdict.

This is such a satisfying meal. The kids weren't interested in trying the "chocolate meat" and mostly ate corn tortillas and butter. I will make this again. Soon. I need to serve this to company---the flavor is so rich and full-bodied---you get a bit of a crunch from a nut here, and a sweet burst from a raisin there.

It's incredible.

This is one of the dishes that the slow cooker was invented for ~~ the meat really needs to stew slowly and for a very very long time to soak up all of the flavors, and to allow the spices to break down and mingle. There are a lot of ingredients; I know. Turn on some good music, throw the kids outside or in front of a movie, and just go down the list. I promise you'll really like the end result!

CrockPot Chile Verde Recipe

Good morning! I swear I haven't fallen from the face of the planet. I'm here. I took a week off from all things crockpot.
But now I'm back!

and better than ever!

or just back.

I had a really neat conversation last week with a mom at the softball field, and she was telling me about her husband's hunting trips and how he likes to make chile verde with wild boar. It sounded wonderful. Except for the wild boar part. She mentioned that he once put in some homemade sausage that had a lot of sage in it, and it really made the dish "pop"---so now they always toss in a lot of sage. After some googling, I learned that a lot of verde recipes use sage.

I don't really have a way to end this thought.

You can do what I did, and make the Chile Verde by scratch, or you can totally go the lazy way, and get a bottle of salsa verde from the store and pour it on top of a hunk of meat. That is perfectly okay.

The Ingredients.

4 pound chuck roast, or pork shoulder/butt (I used a chuck roast)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 (4 ounce) can diced chile (mine were mild, your choice)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
10 tomatillos, diced (peel off the outer wrapper, if they have one)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sage
1 Tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart. Trim any visible fat from the meat, and plop into your slow cooker stoneware. Add diced bell pepper and onion. If your tomatillos have the leafy-outer skin left on them, take the skin and stem off, and dice finely (I used the pampered chef chopper thingy. You can pulse in a food processor, instead, if you'd like). Pour in the contents of the diced chile can and the tomato can. Add spices. Stir a bit to get the spices down the sides of the meat. Add chopped cilantro to the top.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, high for 6, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. After 7 hours on low, my meat was still pretty tough, so I chopped it into large chunks, and put it back in the pot for another 2 hours. By then, it had shredded nicely for me.

Serve with rice, corn tortillas, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. oh! and refried beans.

The Verdict.

Delicious. 3 out of the 4 of us ate this happily, and the other had a quesadilla. The meat was super tender, and had a good flavor. Ours was not spicy *at all.* If you'd like more heat, you can add more red pepper or top with some jalapeno slices at the table. Adam and I had the meat the next day for lunch, and it had even more flavor.
If I was going to make this for company, I'd maybe cook it over night, shred the meat, then keep it on low during the day to soak up the sauce flavor throughout the day.
If your slow cooker releases a lot of steam through a vent hole, put a layer of foil over the stoneware, then put the lid on. You want a lot of moisture to tenderize the meat. Be super careful when removing the foil----the steam will be quite hot.

Slow Cooker Mexican Breakfast Casserole

We went to a museum opening last weekend, and my brother's mother-in-law, Shari (hi Shari!) told me that she had a breakfast casserole with green chiles that I should really make. She said she'd email me the recipe.
This isn't her recipe. She hasn't had the opportunity to email hers, and I didn't have the patience to wait, or the perseverance to bug her.
so I made this up.

I think she'd like it.

The Ingredients.
serves 8, easily.

corn tortillas (I didn't count them. Maybe I used 8? 7?)
8 eggs
2 cups fat free milk
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (7-ounce) can green chiles, drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tiny onion, diced
1 cup corn (I had leftover fresh corn from the weekend, but frozen would totally work)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round slow cooker. Butter or Pam the inside of your stoneware. Put a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom---you may have to tear some to make them fit nicely.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients, and whisk together. Pour about 1/2 of the mixture into the slow cooker, on top of the tortillas. Put in another layer of tortillas, and top with the remaining egg/milk/cheese/other stuff mixture. Top with another layer of corn tortillas.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. If your cooker seals well (my 4-quart has a plastic lid, and a lot of condensation builds up), uncover 15-20 minutes before serving and cook on high to release condensation and to firm up the top a bit. You know your breakfast is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges have begun to brown and the cheese gets a bit crispy on the sides.
Adam really likes crispy cheese---the kids do not.

The Verdict.

I loved this. LOVED it. The chiles were not spicy in the slightest, and Adam added salsa to his bowl. The kids picked out the "green stuff" but ate the rest just fine. I served this for dinner a few days ago, and have been eating leftovers for breakfast and lunch the past 2 days.

If you don't have corn tortillas in the house, or would prefer to go another way, you can pour the egg mixture on top of a bag of frozen hashbrowns, just like I did in this recipe.

If you have sausage or other meat you'd like to add, go for it, but take out the salt, and season to taste at the table.

other great slow cooked breakfasts:

hashbrown casserole
overnight breakfast casserole
overnight breakfast sausage and potatoes
egg, feta, and mushroom casserole
overnight grits
pancakes
granola

CrockPot Albondigas (Meatball) Soup Recipe

Good morning! I made a wonderful meatball soup a few nights ago. I was inspired by Elise Bauer's Albondigas Soup recipe posted on Simply Recipes. I bookmarked this soup about a year ago, but hadn't gotten around to trying it. When I found that Costco started carrying some gluten-free meatballs I knew I was ready to test it out. Elise makes her own, which you can too, but you'll need to fully cook them before throwing into the crock. They will disintegrate otherwise.



I really liked this soup, and what I liked EVEN more about it was that I made do with pantry and freezer stuff instead of going to the store, which makes it "free"! I'm speaking with Elise in July at BlogHer on the FoodBlogging During a Recession Panel. The Crock-Pot is such a useful tool when creating low cost meals for you and your family.



The Ingredients.



4 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup baby tomatoes, quartered

1 cup baby carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup prepared pasta sauce (I used pizza sauce; it worked!)

1/2 teaspoon dried mint

15-18 frozen meatballs, Italian or similar flavored (The Coleman Natural say gluten free right on the label)

1 cup frozen peas (if you stir them in 20 min before serving, they will retain their color. I did not do that, and my peas looked canned. I wish I had waited and stirred them in at the end.)



The Directions.



Use a 6 quart slow cooker. Put the broth, vegetables, pizza sauce, and mint into your slow cooker. Stir in frozen meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. The seasoning from the meatballs is what is going to flavor your soup. The longer and slower you cook the soup, the more flavor the broth will have. Stir in frozen peas 20 minutes or so before serving.

Garnish with a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese.



The Verdict.



Adam and I really liked this soup. I was intrigued by the mint, which is what caused me to bookmark this soup to try so long ago. Elise said that the mint is what really differentiates Albondigas (means "meatballs") Soup from other soups and provides a unique flavor. I was happily surprised by the subtle mint flavor, and how it provided a cooling sensation on my tongue. I wanted a bit of heat, and added some Tabasco to my bowl. Adam ate it as-is, and the kids drank the broth and ate the veggies---no meatballs for them (yet they eat them plain with ketchup all the time...?).



Very cool. Thank you, Elise! I look forward to seeing you again in July.



BlogHer '09">



For those who aren't familiar with BlogHer, it is (primarily) a women's networking community and conference for bloggers, although many attend who do not yet blog, they are just interested in learning more about it. The three women founders wanted to create a conference specifically for women bloggers---this is now their 5th year. I went last year, and really enjoyed myself. It's a lot of fun to put faces with screen names, and meet new writers.

I do a bit of work during the week for BlogHerads, which is the ad network BlogHer started to help compensate women for their online writing work.

Adam and I are celebrating our 10-year anniversary this July, and will attend the conference together. Sort of. I think he's mostly looking forward to sleeping in and ordering room service.



related: Save Money by Using Your Crock-Pot Slow Cooker

A Year Ago Today: Ginger Teriyaki Tofu

A Year Ago Yesterday: Dulce de Leche

Totally Together: Managing Children's Art

Slow Cooker Green Pepper Chicken Recipe

I've been inspired lately by reading $5 Dinner Mom and Family Feasts for $75, and have started to trim down our grocery bills. Meat is definitely the biggest expense on the shopping list, and I'm realizing that our family of four doesn't need to be eating quite as much as we do. I usually plop 4 chicken breast halves into the slow cooker without thinking, but for this dish I used 3.

Guess what? We still were full, and there was still some leftover for Adam to take to work the next day for lunch. Go figure. We ate our chicken tucked into corn tortillas and had a side of basmati rice to soak up the yummy juices.

The Ingredients.
serves 4.


3 chicken breast halves
2 large green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 (7-ounce) can whole or diced green chiles (mine were mild)
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon dried minced onion, or 1 large yellow onion, diced finely
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream (to add before serving)
corn tortillas, optional

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of the cooker, and add the bell peppers and the whole can of chiles. Add basil, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir a bit to combine. Pour in the 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for 3-4.

Before serving, use tongs to remove the chicken, and set aside. Using an immersible blender, blend the peppers and sauce left at the bottom of the slow cooker. If you don't have an immersible blender, carefully(!) pour the slow cooker contents into a traditional stand blender and pulse until fully combined. Pour back into the cooker.

Stir in sour cream until melted. If you don't have sour cream in the house, plain yogurt or cream cheese would work just fine---this is only to thicken the sauce a bit and to mellow out the peppers and chile flavor.

Slice chicken, and return to the cooker. Set to high for 20-30 minutes, or until your dinner is fully hot. Serve the meat in corn tortillas, or over rice.

Or both!

The Verdict.

I've gone on the record saying I don't like green peppers. I really don't---they remind me of soggy cafeteria pizza. But they are MUCH less expensive than red, yellow, or orange peppers, and since the flavor is so pronounced a little goes a long way. Adam and the kids don't seem to mind the flavor, and the kids actually eat raw green pepper dipped in ranch, something I would never do. So I took one for the team.

I'm happy to report that I really liked the flavor when cooked like this, and when paired with the chiles. The chicken turned green, which the kids thought was neat. They happily ate their chicken over rice with a ladle full of sauce, but ate their corn tortilla as a quesadilla.

Chicken Enchilada Chili

It is officially chili weather.

It's been raining an awful lot here, and since I'm in California, and part of living in California means complaining every time it dips below 60, I've been making a lot of hearty comfort food.

I'm very happy that we've never lost power, so my slow cookers could continue to bubble away unattended while I watched the gutter outside overflow onto the sidewalk and lawn.

I may have even taken some video.

This is a fun twist on traditional chili, and I finished off the last little plastic container this morning. Like many soups, stews, and chilis, the leftovers are even better than the original!

The Ingredients.
serves 6

1 1/2 pounds chicken (boneless & skinless, OR fish out the bones and skin after about 4 hours)
1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce (read labels carefully if avoiding gluten)
2 chopped celery stalks
2 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes with seasoning (your choice: I had garlic and olive oil on hand)
2 (15 oz) cans pinto or kidney beans, undrained (or 1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight)
1 onion, diced (or 1 tablespoon dried, minced onion flakes)
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin

The Directions.

Pour enchilada sauce and canned tomatoes into the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Add beans, celery, onion and spices. Stir to combine. Place chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until flavors have combined. If you are using dried beans, you may need to cook longer to fully soften the beans. Since I was using the chicken quarters I got on sale, I fished out the chicken after about 4 hours, and removed the bones. I then stirred the chicken back into the pot.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

The Verdict.

Oh I LOVED this chili. And I loved it even more that Adam and the kids loved it, and that the baby doesn't seem to mind when I eat beans. I made an afternoon snack of nachos with some of the leftovers yesterday. Divine.

There is definitely a bit of heat in the sauce. I used a mild enchilada sauce, but it still has a kick. If your family doesn't like much heat, start with 1 teaspoon of chili powder. You can always add more later to taste.

Gluten Free Progressive Dinner
and a Make it Fast, Cook it Slow give-away!

This month's Gluten Free Dinner theme is "Winter Warmers," and here's a listing of all the participants:

Creamy Potato Leek Soup
Roasted Cauliflower Soup with GF Croutons
Fire Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Prosciutto
Mexican Seafood Soup
Vegan Un-Chicken Roasted Vegetable Soup
Wassail (this is my recipe! and Shirley is giving away a signed copy of my Make it Fast, Cook it Slow cookbook. Click over and leave a comment under her post for entry by January 27th)

Slow Cooker Cheese Enchilada Stack Recipe

How is it May already? Someone has been screwing with the calendar and been pressing the fast forward button.

I made a well-received dinner the other night, and figured out how to make enchilada sauce using pantry staples that tastes like enchilada sauce instead of watered down tomatoey water.

All by myself.

except for the part where I got a little help from the Internet.

I love the Internet.

The Ingredients
serves 6

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (the whole can)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion (or 1 small onion, finely diced)
8 corn tortillas (check labels for hidden gluten)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4-ounce) can sliced olives, drained
6 tablespoons sour cream

The Directions

First off, this is vegetarian (well, except that I used chicken broth because I always have chicken broth in the house, and I think vegetable broth kind of smells like compost).

If you want to add meat, you should use already cooked pork, beef or chicken (great use for shredded chicken!).
This is NOT because the meat won't cook---it definitely will, but while it cooks, it will give off so much liquid that your enchilada stack will be soggy and gross.

And nobody wants that.

Anyhow. Use a 4-quart slow cooker. In a large mixing bowl, make enchilada sauce by combining:
broth
tomatoes
spices
onion
Stir well and set aside. Put a layer of tortillas into the bottom of your slow cooker (you may need to tear a few). Add a handful of cheese, and some sliced olives. Scoop a large spoonful of sauce on top. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until cheese has melted, is brown and bubbly, and the top layer has begun to pull away from the sides. Let it sit unplugged for about 15 minutes before serving with a dollop of sour cream.

The Verdict

We all cleaned our plates. It's a bit messy, but this tastes fantastic and was super easy to throw together.
You could make this on Wednesday, which happens to be Cinco de Mayo!
Already.
how is it May? what is going on?
I must be getting old. or something.

other stuff you should make for Cinco de Mayo and then invite me over because we've got nothing planned:

fajitas
easy chicken tacos
tamales (impress your friends!)
tamale pie
enchilada casserole
enchilada chili
carnitas
taco dip
chimichangas (so much fun!)
albondigas soup
rotel and sausage dip
Mexican Breakfast casserole
tortilla soup

and then for your leftover drink mix:
margarita chicken

also, I thought I'd post a review and give away today on Totally Together Reviews, but it's not quite ready to go yet.
Instead, you can get your give-away fix over on my friend Shirley's blog!