CrockPot Garlic Baked Potatoes

Day 136.

Happy Slow Cooking Thursday! 

These potatoes are so easy, and are so wonderful. All it is is a big baked potato with garlic shoved in it. They are a snap to make, and if you can find fresh garlic already peeled in a bag, all the better.

The Ingredients.

--4 big brown potatoes

--2 tablespoons melted butter

--2 tablespoons olive oil

--salt and pepper

--8 or so garlic cloves

The Directions.

Peel the garlic and cut it into long slivers.

Wash your potatoes, and pat dry. Carefully cut slits into each potato about 1/2 inch thick almost do the very base. The potato should start to separate a bit like an accordion.

Shove as many garlic slices as you can in each slit of each potato.

Nestle the potatoes into your crockpot. I used an oval 6qt Smart Pot, and the potatoes didn't fit all the way down to the bottom, they kind of were halfway on each other. It doesn't seem to matter.

Liberally salt and pepper. Combine the melted butter with the olive oil and drizzle over the top of each potato, trying to get some in the garlic-filled slits, if you can.

Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for about 6. They are done when the potatoes reach desired tenderness.

Top with sour cream.

The Verdict.

This is a beautiful side dish to any meat dish, or a wonderful lunch all on it's own. The potatoes were not too wet or slimy as I feared, and the garlic roasted perfectly in the slits.

The kids ate the sour cream off of theirs, and maybe tried the potato. I wasn't watching them too carefully.

All in all, I would definitely make these again.

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CrockPot Mahi Mahi With Asparagus, Broccoli, and Spinach

Day 139.

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

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

Except for the days off.

Because I'm totally planning for those!

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

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

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

The Ingredients.

--16 of mahi mahi or other favorite fish

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

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

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

The Directions.

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

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

The Verdict.

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

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

CrockPot Apple Dumpling Recipe

Day 137.

This is why I need the free Wii.

Holy toledo, these puppies are yummy. I found the recipe eons ago on the Pioneer Woman Cooks website, and bookmarked them for some reason in my gluten-free folder. I have no idea why, except for maybe at the time I wanted to try and attempt them gluten-free.

I then promptly forgot all about trying to tweak the recipe.

It's been a hundred million degrees here the last few days, and sweating buckets makes me feel like a-little-something sweet. So I dug through the cubbards and fridge and found a way to make them. Gluten free. In the crockpot.

And they rock.

The Ingredients.

--2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls.

* Unless you are gluten free. If you are gluten free, use this recipe. I followed it to the letter except that I doubled it, used Pamela's, and used sour cream instead of cottage cheese. It is a delicious, moist, yummy dough that is perfect for so many things; I am positively giddy to have found it! (psst. chill your dough for at least 2 hours!) *

--2 granny smith apples

--1 stick of butter

--1 cup white sugar

--1 t vanilla

--1 t cinnamon

--1 cup Mountain Dew

The Directions.

Spray your crock insert with cooking spray.

If you are using the crescent rolls, roll out the little triangles and fill each one with an apple slice or two and roll it up.

If you are using the GF dough, do the same thing, but realize that it will be a bit lumpy and not quite as thin. It's okay. This dough recipe is beyond fantastic. Seriously.

Pile the crockpot high with all of your little dumpling guys.

Melt the stick of butter in the microwave, and stir in the cup of sugar, and the cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over the dumplings, making sure to get down in the nooks and crannies.

Then add 1 cup of Mountain Dew, the same way---pour it over the top. It will make a delightful bubbly sound!

Prop lid open with a wooden spoon or chopstick and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or until the dough is brown and cooked through.

The Verdict.

Delicious, moist, and gooey. They were very, very sweet. The kids (those nutty kids) couldn't eat their whole serving because of how sweet they were.

Adam and I didn't seem to have that problem.

I liked them even better the next morning cold.

Have I mentioned how beyond stoked I am to have this basic gluten-free dough recipe that I can fool around with? I'm thinking overnight pull-apart rolls, cinnamon buns, crescent rolls for Thanksgiving...

eek! I'm so excited!

OH! and I haven't had Mountain Dew in years. I couldn't waste the bottle, so I finished it. LOL, I was instant-messaging with Laura and was so hopped up on caffeine and sugar I could hardly type.

CrockPot Pineapple Chicken Recipe

Day 140.

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

The Ingredients.

--enough chicken for 4

--20 oz can of pineapple chunks

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

--1 t red pepper flakes

The Directions.

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

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

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

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

CrockPot Lamb Vindaloo Recipe

Day 138.

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

I have really been liking spicy things lately.

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

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

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

The Ingredients.

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

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

--6 cloves of minced garlic

--1/2 t clove

--1 t ginger

--1/2 t red pepper

--1 T ground coriander

--1 T cumin

--1 t cinnamon

--1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

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

optional:

--1 can tomatoes

The Directions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

The Verdict.

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

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

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

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

other fantastic recipes:

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

A-1 and Dijon Steak CrockPot Recipe

Day 141.

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

oh well.

This tastes good. This tastes really good.

That pretty much sums it up.

The Ingredients.

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

--2 T A-1 sauce

--2 T dijon mustard

--1/4 cup white wine

The Directions.

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

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

--place the meat into your crockpot

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

cook on low for 6-8 hours.

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

The Verdict.

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

CrockPot Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe

Day 144.

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

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

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

The Ingredients.

--2 cups homemade cream of mushroom soup

--frozen chicken--enough to feed four adults

--2 T Italian seasoning

--1/2 t celery seed

--1 T onion powder

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

--1/4 t black pepper

--1 t kosher salt

--2 cloves minced garlic

--block of cream cheese (to add later)

or you can make it with:

--1 can cream-of-something soup

--1/2 cup chicken broth

--frozen chicken pieces

--packet of Italian salad dressing mix

--2 cloves minced garlic

--block of cream cheese (to add later)

The Directions.

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

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

The Verdict.

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

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

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Apples in the CrockPot

Day 145.

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

It's raining here today.

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

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

The Ingredients.

--fruit

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

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

The Directions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alone.

The Verdict.

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

CrockPot Falafel Recipe

Day 142.

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

We have a surplus of garbanzo beans.

So I made falafels.

In the crockpot.

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

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

The Ingredients.

 

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

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

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

2 cloves minced garlic

1 egg

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

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

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

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

The Directions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

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

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


and you can make gyro, too! :-)

 

CrockPot Crunchy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Day 143.

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

The Ingredients.

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

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

--1 t kosher salt

-- 1/4 t cayenne pepper

The Directions.

I used a 6qt oval Smart Pot.

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

Toss well to distribute the flavors.

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

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

I cooked this batch on low for 9 hours overnight.

The Verdict.

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

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

Homemade Beef Stock in the CrockPot

Day 147.

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

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

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

The Ingredients.

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

--1 cup baby carrots

--1 onion

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

--8 cloves garlic

--1 T Italian seasoning

--1 t kosher salt

--1 t pepper

--1 T apple cider vinegar (not pictured)

--water

The Directions.

This will take two days. Prepare yourself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

CrockPot Strawberry Jam Recipe

Day 150!

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

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

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

The Ingredients.

--4 pounds of fresh strawberries

--3 cups of sugar

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

The Directions.

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

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

Add the sugar and pectin and smash some more.

Cover and cook on low for a hundred million years.

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

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

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

The Verdict.

YUM! This is very good.

did I mention the stick?

CrockPot Vietnamese Pho Soup Recipe

Day 148.

Phee Phi Pho Phum.

this is good.

you should make some.

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

"You made this? Pho reals?"

"Pho sure I did."

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

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

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

The Ingredients.

adapted from The Skinny Gourmet

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



The Directions.


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


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


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



The Verdict.


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


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



Thank you, Erin!

CrockPot White Bean and Sausage Soup

Day 146.

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

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

The Ingredients.

--1 can white kidney beans

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

--1 can garbanzo beans

--1 t thyme

--2-4 spicy chicken or turkey sausage

--1/2 chopped yellow onion

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

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

--1 quart chicken or vegetable broth

The Directions.

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

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

The Verdict.

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

CrockPot African Peanut Soup

Day 149.

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

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

The Ingredients.

--1 yellow onion, diced

--2 green onions, chopped

--2 red bell peppers, chopped

--4 cloves minced garlic

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

--8 cups vegetable broth

--1/4 t black pepper

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

--1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

--1 cup peanut butter (to add later)

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

The Directions.

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

--pour in the vegetable broth.

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

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

CrockPot Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Day 153.

This was a fun dish to prepare because I had no idea what I was doing. I completely made it up. And not only did it cook nicely in the crock, it tasted good.

always an added bonus.

The Ingredients.

--enough chicken pieces to feed 4

--10 oz package of mushrooms

--1/2 chopped onion

--3 cloves minced garlic

--1 small sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped in chunks)

--2 green onions, chopped

--1 diced red bell pepper

--1/2 cup chicken broth

--1 t chipotle pepper

--1 t paprika

--1/4 t black pepper

--1 cup sour cream (to add later)

The Directions.

Add the chicken to the crockpot. I used frozen breast tenders. Prepare the vegetables and add on top of the chicken. Put in the broth, and add the spices. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the chicken is done and is beginning to shred.

Before serving, stir in the sour cream. If needed, heat on high for 30 minutes to bring back to desired serving temperature.

Serve over pasta or brown rice.

The Verdict.

This is a wonderful dish. The heat from the chipotle is nicely mellowed by the sour cream and the sweetness from the sweet potatoes. I would serve this to company---very yummy.

My kids ate this, but I did separate the chicken and the mushrooms for them, and gave them the rice in a separate bowl.

Blogger is giving me problems with extra spaces. It's quite annoying.

CrockPot Stuffed and Baked Apple Recipe

Day 155.

This is an easy and delicious dessert or afternoon snack. I decided to omit butter and just stew the apples in their own juice, some brown sugar, and a bit of water. None of us missed the butter, which is great, and really lightens up having an apple dessert.

The Ingredients.

--the right amount of apples to fit inside your crockpot. I used my 6 qt oval Smart Pot and fit in 3 Fuji apples and 2 tiny little red guys.

--1/3 cup brown sugar (if you are using more or less apples, use approx 1/2 T per apple)

--1/2 cup raisins

--1/2 cup dried cranberries

--1/2 cup walnut halves or pieces

--2 t vanilla

--1/2 cup water

The Directions.

put the 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of your crockpot, and swirl in the vanilla. Wash and core your apples---core out a bit extra, so you have room to stuff. Put the apples into the bottom of the crock, on top of the vanilla water. Stuff the apples with the toppings, and shove a bit of brown sugar into each core. You are going to have more brown sugar and toppings than will fit inside of the apples, so heap the extra toppings and sugar on top of the apples.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-7. The apples are done when they have reached the desired tenderness for you and your family.

I cooked ours on high for exactly 4 hours. The apples still had their shape, and were tender enough to cut with 2 spoons, but the halves also were able to be picked up and munched on (really sticky this way).

The Verdict.

I served these as an after school snack, and everyone was happy. I'm tempted to try them again with either a bit of sweetened condensed milk poured over the top, or one of those chewy caramel candies pushed down the center. I'd also like to try them with Granny Smith apples---we had the red ones in the house, but if I was going to the store specifically for baking apples, I'd gravitate towards the Granny Smiths.

yum.

CrockPot Corn on the Cob Recipe

Day 152.

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

The Ingredients.

--fresh corn

--aluminum foil

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

The Directions.

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

wrap each ear in aluminum foil

place the foil-wrapped corn in the crockpot

DO NOT ADD WATER

cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

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

The Verdict.

Absolutely perfect corn.