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 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.

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 Chocolate Frito Candy Recipe

Day 158.

We went on a road trip over the weekend, and road trips mean Fritos. When we were first diagnosed with celiac, we were pleased to discover that good ol' Fritos were gluten free. It's so nice to know that they are THERE---at every gas station, and in every vending machine.

When we returned home, I still had half a bag left, and they were awfully squished after being in the backseat for 2 days. The best thing to do with crushed Fritos? Make candy! I saw this recipe posted on the Cookie Madness site, and knew we had to make it. We just had to.

The Ingredients.

--1 stick of butter

--12 oz bag of chocolate chips

--2 T peanut butter (optional if you have allergies)

--1/2 cup brown sugar

--1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional--we used honey roasted because that's what we had)

--2 cups Fritos

--2 cups Pretzels (I used Glutino)

The Directions.

Put the Fritos and the pretzels in a large Ziploc and smash until crumby. Set aside.

Line a 9 x 13 or so cookie sheet with Release foil or parchment paper. Set that aside, too.

Put the butter, the brown sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate chips into your crockpot and set on high for 1-2 hours or until everything is really melty and you can mix it well.

It took 1 hour, 15 minutes to melt nicely for me in a 6qt Smart Pot.

Stir in your pretzel and Frito pieces. Anna at Cookie Madness did it differently. You can read what she does, here.

Using oven mits (use them! The crock is hot!) dump the hot candy out onto your lined cookie sheet and spread out with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the peanut pieces on top.

Put the pan in the refrigerator for about an hour, or until candy has set completely. Break into pieces.

The Verdict.

Woah, mama! Man, these are amazing and wonderful and so scary in that they are SO good you want to take them all into a corner of the garage and eat them all by yourself.

Amazing. You must make them.

Thank you, Anna!

CrockPot Hamburger Patties Recipe

Day 159.

School is officially out, which means many more meals at home. Usually the "cooked" lunches around here are canned chili or soup, but I tried my hat at making hamburgers yesterday. Tracy (hi, Tracy!) emailed me earlier in the day to report that she was trying to make hamburgers, and I thought it was a great idea. She was a few hours ahead of me, and when she reported back she said that they worked, but there was a bunch of grease left in the crock.

That got my brain buzzing and I scoured the kitchen and garage for a little grill that would fit inside of my large, 6qt crockpot. I couldn't find one.

So I made a grill out of aluminum foil. This is a fun, easy way to make hamburgers for lunch (I could only fit 2 pre-formed burgers) without grease splatters on the stove. And I have yet to figure out the barbecue. That thing scares me.

The Ingredients.

--2 pre-formed hamburger patties, or 4 hand-made small ones

--a bit of seasoning (I used seasoned salt)

--slices of cheese; optional

hamburger fix'ens

The Directions.

Insert a tiny grill into your crockpot to keep the meat from cooking in grease. Unless that's okay with you.

Put the meat on top of the grill--I did not thaw the meat.

cover and cook on high. Check after 1 hour. Our burgers were completely cooked in 90 minutes. Although it's not shown in the picture, I did add a slice of cheddar cheese 15 minutes before turning off the crock. It melted nicely.

Drain on paper towels, and serve on a bun, or rice cake.

Top with all of your favorites.

The Verdict.

These were a hit! My six-year-old said it was the best hamburger she ever ate. I am very happy to have another easy lunch to put in the rotation this summer.

I really love my crockpot.

CrockPot Sloppy Joes Recipe

Day 162.

Good morning! It's day 3 of Retro Week, and last night we tried sloppy joes for the first time as a family. I think I was in second grade the last time I had a sloppy joe---and I was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty good, and not overly sweet as I had remembered.

Cooking the sloppy joes in the crock is incredibly easy. I didn't bother to pre-brown the meat, and it cooked and browned nicely for me. I chose to use lean ground turkey because I'm a weirdo with fat and grease--but any ground meat would work great.

The Ingredients.

--1 pound lean ground meat

--packet of sloppy joe mix ( I always use McCormick for spice mixes)

--1 6oz can tomato paste

--1 cup of water (the package says to use 1 1/4. I chose to use 1 because the condensation doesn't escape in a crock)

UPDATED 11/08: guess what? McCormick's spice packet now lists wheat starch. ugh. Use this instead:

--1 T onion flakes
--1 T paprika
--2 T brown sugar
--1 tsp cumin
--1 tsp salt
--1 tsp cornstarch
--1/2 tsp garlic powder
--1/4 tsp ground mustard
--1/4 tsp celery seed
--1/4 tsp pepper

The Directions.

This really will work the best with thawed meat. If you meat is frozen solid, you might want to defrost in the microwave---or be prepared to mix the ingredients into the meat an hour into cooking time.

Mix the meat with the sloppy joe mix and the tomato paste. Add the cup of water, and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 3-5.

The meat is done when it is crumbly and fully cooked.

Serve with hamburger buns, or on top of rice.

The Verdict.

These were delicious! The kids enjoyed the "ketchup meat" and liked that they were kind of messy. I made hamburger buns out of a box of Whole Foods 365 Gluten Free sandwich bread, the same way I did for the Philly Cheese Steaks. The bread came out well--and held up with the sloppiness of the meat.

CrockPot Edamame Dip Recipe

Day 180.

I've gotten a few requests for more Little Dipper recipes. Boy, that little guy is adorable. Or is it a girl? I go back and forth. Maybe it's unisex.

Anyhow, most of the dip recipes can be easily adapted to the Little Dipper. I'd recommend the garlic dip, the sundried tomato, and the hot and spicy artichoke. Or, test out this edamame dip---it's reminiscent of hummus. Sort of. But not really.

well, kind of.


The Ingredients.

--1 cup shelled edamame, slightly thawed
--2 chopped garlic cloves
--1 T mayonnaise
--1/2 t cumin
--the juice from 2 limes

The Directions.

If your edamame is frost-bitten like mine was, thaw for about 45 seconds in the microwave. Chop or food process the edamame and garlic into tiny chunks. I used my pampered chef chopper-thingy.

Add to the Little Dipper. Add the mayo, cumin, and lime juice. Stir well.

Cover and cook (there isn't a temerature setting on the Little Dipper) for 30-45 minutes, or until heated through.

Serve with pita chips, pita bread, tortilla chips, or corn tortilla triangles.


The Verdict.

This was a very nice snack, it would have been even better if the chips weren't stale. The girls and I gobbled it up, although it was a bit spicy for them. My garlic cloves were enormous.

I have FOUR bags of frozen edamame, and am glad to have a way to use them in a way we all enjoy. Four bags. How did that happen?

CrockPot White Bean and Pesto Spread

Day 190.

Yay! Another Little Dipper recipe!

This is such a yummy spread, and it is so easy it practically makes itself. It must eat itself, too, because I have no idea where it went. I made a batch, took a picture, and then it disappeared.

Keep the ingredients on hand for last-minute company. They will keep in your pantry forever, and you will thank me when your guests eyeballs roll back in glee.

The Ingredients.

- 1 cup of drained and rinsed white beans (cannelloni, white kidney)
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto

The Directions.

After draining and rinsing the beans, scoop out one cup. Smash them. I used my Pampered Chef chopper thingy, but you could squeeze them in a zipper bag or use a tiny food processor, too.

Mix the smashed beans with a 1/4 cup of pesto. Add mixture to the Little Dipper, close it up, and plug it in.

There isn't a heat setting on a Little Dipper, you just plug it in. I cooked our dip for about 45 minutes, and it was warm and gooey.

Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, or crustini.

I made crustini out of leftover bread that I had made for the french dip sandwiches. It was easy--I dipped the pieces in a bit of olive oil, then sprinkled with salt and pepper. I baked them in the oven at 400 degrees until the bottoms were toasty, then broiled until the tops were toasty, too.

The Verdict.

These were great. I liked how the beans soaked up the oil from the pesto, and the flavor was pronounced, but mild at the same time. All four of us enjoyed this snack.

CrockPot Tapioca Pudding

Day 196.

Adam has fond childhood memories of eating homemade tapioca pudding. I have fond memories of peeling back the foil of a Handi-Snacks and then licking it. Repeatedly.

Yesterday, we made some new memories.

Thank you, Becky. Thank you for sharing your tapioca recipe with us.


The Ingredients.

-- 2 quarts of 1% milk (half-gallon)
-- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
-- 1 cup small pearl tapioca (Becky says you can find this at an Asian market; I found it in our "fancy" grocery store, but not at Safeway)

-- 3 eggs (her recipe calls for 4, but I only had 3 in the house and took a chance. It worked!)
-- 1 t vanilla

The Directions.

In a four quart or larger size crockpot, combine the milk, sugar, and tapioca pearls. Stir well to mix. Cover and cook on high for 2-5 hours. You are looking for the tapioca to be soft and somewhat slimy. The mixture will not be very thick, it's okay.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs with the vanilla. Take a 1/2 cup of the hot milk and tapioca mixture and whisk it into the egg bowl (I just learned from my father-in-law that this is what they mean by "tempering the eggs" in cookbooks!). Add another 1/2 cup of the hot milk and tapioca, and whisk that into the eggs, too. Then add yet another. Now you'll have a bowl of yellowy tapioca gooeyness.
Pour the contents of the egg-bowl into the crockpot, and whisk until it is all thoroughly combined.

Cover your crockpot and cook on high for another 30-45 minutes, or until the tapioca is pudding-like in consistency. Unplug and let it sit for about an hour to cool.

Ladle into serving-size bowls and chill in the refrigerator.

or eat it with a serving spoon, hot, right out of the crockpot. Your choice.

The Verdict.

Fantastic! Wonderful! You've got to make this! Thank you so much, Becky, for sharing with me/us.

Adam thought we could get away with cutting the sugar quite a lot. He's probably right.

I was very pleased with the consistency---just like a Handi-Snacks. But much, much better.

CrockPot Crab with Sundried Tomatoes and Horseradish Spread

Day 201.

I was playing in the kitchen yesterday and came up with this crab spread. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not---even after I ate two rice cakes smeared with the stuff. Adam thought it was too fussy.

But! I got to use my Little Dipper. And I think that thing is just so darn adorable, that everything that comes out of it tastes like princess food. And that can't be a bad thing.

Ever.

The Ingredients.

--1 4.25 oz can of crab meat, drained

--2 T prepared horseradish cream

--5 reconstituted sun dried tomato halves

--1/4 cup parmesan/romano cheese

--3 fresh basil leaves

The Directions.

Soak the dried sun dried tomatoes in some hot water until they are soft and pliable. Chop. You could use the sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, but be sure to wring out the oil, or your pate will be awfully oily.

Drain the can of crab and add it to the little crockpot. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes, the horseradish, chopped fresh basil leaves, and the cheese.

Mix with a fork.

Cover and cook (there isn't a temperature adjustment knob on the Little Dipper) for about an hour.

Serve with pita chips, corn chips, or on rice cakes.

The Verdict.

This was good, but maybe a bit too flavorful. I like horseradish, but maybe mixed with both the crab and the sun dried tomatoes was too much. It didn't stop me from eating a bunch, but it might have been better with fewer full-of-flavor ingredients.

The kids had no interest, whatsoever, in giving this dip/spread a try.

CrockPot Chex Party Mix Recipe

Day 207.

Way back on the 8th day of this year, I made a Nuts and Bolts Trail Mix in the crockpot. It was delicious, and we ate it straight for two days.
Since then, General Mills has re-formulated Rice Chex cereal to make it Gluten Free. Which rocks. It overjoys my mommy heart to know that every single grocery store will carry a tasty, affordable cereal--a cereal that can be found when traveling, and something grandma can easily pick up to keep on hand.

For a while, some stores had the old version on the shelves until they sold out. If you are picking some up at the store, make sure it has the Gluten Free label.

This is actually the 4th or 5th time I've made Chex Mix in the crockpot with the new cereal---I kept forgetting to take photos. This is so very easy to throw together for an after-school snack, for a boring Sunday afternoon, etc. I love that I'm not heating up the house with the oven or monitoring closely, worried about burnage.


The Ingredients.

--5 Cups General Mills Rice Chex Cereal
--1-2 cups of dry roasted peanuts (salted or not, your choice)
--2 cups pretzel sticks (I used Glutino)
--1/2 t onion powder
--1/2 t seasoned salt
--3 T butter
--1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrins is GF.)


The Directions.

--put the butter into the bottom of your crockpot.
--turn it on low
--add the onion powder and seasoned salt
--add the Worcestershire sauce
--add dry ingredients
--stir. if the butter is still clumpy, it's okay
--cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring every 45 min or so

Dump out onto a cookie sheet to cool.

Serve and enjoy.


The Verdict.

We ate every last ounce of this in one day. It is seriously addicting. The kids liked it immensely, and have requested me to make it again today. But with less peanuts.

The recipe that I have written here has less butter than the original Chex Party Mix recipe, and I was pleased that it was still enough to coat the cereal, peanuts, and pretzels nicely without a layer of grease left on my hands. Or the kids hands.

because then the couch stays clean.

CrockPot Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe

Day 243.

More tomatoes! Tomatoes are good for you. They have stuff in them that is good. Vitamins.

I had more tomatoes on the counter, and decided to stuff them with some leftover cheese I had in the fridge. I had a little baggy with some goat cheese, some feta, and a little block of cream cheese that I must have picked up on sale.

I have stuffed jalapeno peppers and bell pepper with success, and assumed that the tomatoes would work the same way.


The Ingredients.

--5 or more largish vine-ripened tomatoes
--creamy cheese. You'll need about 2 T per tomato. I used a mixture of cream cheese, goat, and feta. Ricotta and maybe even cottage cheese would work, too.
--one garlic clove, chopped
--2 T fresh chopped basil

The Directions.

Cut the core out of each tomato. This is much more difficult that I thought it would be. I got slimy and gross and made one of my new back-to-school tops polka-dotty. Wear an apron.

In a bowl, cream together the cheese that you are going to use with the chopped garlic and basil. Stuff the cheese mixture into the cored tomatoes.

Pour 1/4 cup of water into the crockpot you are going to use. I used a 4 quart with 5 tomatoes, and easily could have put another 5 in there.

Nestle the tomatoes into the bottom of your crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours. These will not take long at all. If you overcook, it's not the end of the world, they will just begin to lose their shape and you'll get a stewy tomato covered with yummy cheese.

The Verdict.

I ate them all. We were going out to dinner, and were meeting Adam. The kids already had on nice(ish) clothes and I didn't want tomato juice on them.

So I took one for the team and ate them all myself.

Then I went out and ate an entire platter of Flautas.

I'm going to go for a run today.

Brownie In A Mug CrockPot Recipe

Day 248.

It's like it's hot chocolate... but it's a brownie! in a mug! baked in your crockpot!

Melba emailed me yesterday with a brownie-in-a-mug recipe, and I knew the second that I opened the email, I was going to have to make it. Right then and there.

But in the crockpot.

The Ingredients.

--mugs. I fit 4 mugs inside of a 6 quart crockpot. Don't pick fancy-schmancy mugs--use the ones that you don't think twice about throwing in the dishwasher or heating up in the microwave.
--your favorite brownie mix
--the stuff your favorite brownie mix tells you to use

The Directions.

Mix up the brownie mix according to the directions listed on the package. I used the new gluten-free brownie mix from Trader Joe's.

(psst. I did NOT spray the mugs first with cooking spray. You might want to. They're kind of a pain to clean.)

Spoon brownie mix into each mug, filling it about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way. The brownie mix I used only makes an 8 x 8 pan, so each of my mugs were 1/2 filled.

Put the mugs in the crockpot.

Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 3 hours.

Our brownies were finished at 2 hours, 15 minutes (see note down below). You will know they are fully cooked when they have risen, pulled away at the sides and you can insert a knife and pull it back out clean.

Unplug the crockpot, and let the mugs sit with the lid off. They will be TERRIBLY HOT. Don't get burnt. Leave them alone for a bit before removing.

When the mug is coolish to the touch, top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

The Verdict.

Perfect! A wonderful, fun dessert that we all enjoyed, and that will evoke fun memories for the kids. We had a ball sitting on a blanket in front of the TV eating our "hot chocolate."

This was a really fun idea, and something I will do quite often, now that Melba gave me the heads up!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
added 9/5/08 2:08 a.m because I totally have insomnia after eating so much chocolate...
GO see Amie's hysterical video about making brownies in a crockpot. It will complete you.
Life with the Boys CrockPot Brownie Video. Amie used Duncan Hines Brownie Mix---it is thinner and it makes more than the batter I made up with the TJ's GF mix; therefore the longer cooking time.

CrockPot Fruit Leather Recipe

Day 251.

I tried to make fruit leather in the crockpot. It didn't work.

I think it could have worked----everything was right in theory----but I cooked it way too long because I fell asleep and it was my sleep-in day so I didn't get up right away to check on it.

The house now smells like a charred apple pie.

The Ingredients.
blurry picture. I didn't change the lens.

--4 apples, cut in quarters
--2 tsp vanilla
--1/2 cup dried cranberries
--juice from one lemon

The Directions.

I used apples as a base, but you can use any fruit you'd like. Except this doesn't really work, so you'd mostly just be wasting fruit.

I didn't peel the apples, but quartered them (removing the seeds and core) and threw them into a 4-quart crockpot. Add the juice from one lemon, 2tsp of vanilla, and a 1/2 cup of dried unsweetened cranberries.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The apples will be quite squishy, and it will be like applesauce.
Blend the applesauce mixture in a blender until the mixture is blended into a thin pulp. Cut pieces of parchment paper to fit into the crockpot you are going to use. I ended up using 10 pieces.

Put a piece of parchment into the crockpot, and spoon on some mixture. Layer another piece of parchment on top, and continue layering until you run out of fruit pulp.

Cover, but prop lid open with a chopstick, and cook on low for 12-20 hours. I cooked ours for 20. That was too long.



The Verdict.

I used to have a food dehydrator. It never worked the way it said it would on the infomercial. I tried banana chips, fruit roll-ups, and beef jerky. I was disappointed each and every time. During one of our moves we gave the dusty machine to my father-in-law. He has used it to make deer jerky a few times, and it worked okay for him.

I wanted this to work. I think in principle, it could have, if I had watched it more closely. It wasn't burning, but was drying bit by bit before I went to bed. I think I figured since the food dehydrator never really worked (for me), the food would still be pretty wet in the morning.

I'm beginning to think it's cheaper and better for my self-esteem to stick to buying fruit leather at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. They make quite a few varieties now with no extra sugar and sometimes they are on sale--5 for a dollar.

CrockPot Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Day 256.

I got the neatest email from Melissa yesterday, explaining how she made chicken nuggets for her children. I was really impressed with how she layered the chicken pieces on top of foil that was punched with little holes to allow steam to escape.

I made some yesterday, and while I don't think I had quite as much success as she had, I will most definitely try them again, and I love it that I have a freezer bag full of nuggets to heat up for lunches and snacks.

yay!

The Ingredients.

--4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
--4 T butter or olive oil (I used butter)
--4 eggs
--1 cup breadcrumbs, or a mixture of cracker, cereal, tortilla chip, etc. crumbs.
--1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
--1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
--1 T flax seed meal (optional---I threw it in. They'll never know.)

The Directions.

I used 6 chicken breast halves, and layered the cut up pieces in a 6 quart Smart Set Crock-Pot.

Make sure the chicken is fully thawed. Cut into child-size pieces. I found that the smaller pieces I made cooked better than the larger ones. The larger ones also didn't get crispy on top---stick to about 2 inch pieces.

In a bowl, mix the melted butter or oil with the egg. Blend up the cracker and cereal crumbs to make a fine bread crumb mixture and pour into a pie plate.

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. I did not. You really should.

Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then toss in the crumbs. Put a layer of battered chicken pieces in the bottom of the crock. When the bottom is full, add a piece of aluminum foil. Poke tiny holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. I found that the layer I did with the most holes worked the best, and the layer I skimped on resulted in soggy topping. The holes are important.

I made 4 layers with 6 cut-up chicken breast halves.

Cover your crock, but vent the lid with a wooden spoon or chopstick. Cook on high for 2-4 hours. Melissa's took 2 hours to cook, my batch took 4. After cooking, we both left our crockpots on warm for a few hours before eating.

The Verdict.

These were really good. I had a few in the middle that were soggy that I ate, and gave the kids the ones that were crunchier. I was impressed with the topping, and the kids didn't freak out, so they must have been okay too. My eldest daughter thought they were store bought until her sister said that we made them in the crockpot.

My kids now emphasize in the crockpot! when describing food which cracks me up.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me/us, Melissa!

CrockPot Puppy Chow/Monkey Mix Snack Mix

Day 255.

This is a snack for good kids. Really good kids.

If you want your kids to finish their homework promptly, make their beds, or rub your back, say you're going to make Puppy Chow. or Monkey Mix. or Guinea Pig Poop.

The Ingredients.

--1 box (10.6 oz) Peanut Butter Panda Puffs Cereal
(if you don't have access to Panda Puffs, you can substitute Rice Chex, Kix, Cheerios, etc. and add 1/2 cup peanut butter to the mixture.) (but of course if you are gluten free you will stick to GF Rice Chex, and you probably have tons of Panda Puffs anyhow, so this is really a moot thought to share, but just in case.)

--1/4 cup butter
--1 cup chocolate chips
--1 cup dried cranberries
--1 cup almonds
--1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
--1 cup powdered sugar
--3 freezer size zipper bags
--parchment paper or Release foil

The Directions.

use a large (5 qt or higher) crockpot.

Put the chocolate chips and the butter into your crockpot. Turn it on low for about 90 minutes, or on high for about 45 minutes.

When chocolate chips are beginning to lose shape, stir in cereal, cranberries, seeds, and almonds.

Turn off crockpot. Spread out a big length of parchment paper or Release onto your countertop.

Add 1/3 cup powdered sugar into each zipper bag. Shake and bake about a third of the chocolatey cereal in each bag.

Spread out on the foil or paper to cool.

Get hugs.

The Verdict.

Thankfully we packed up half of this to send home with some friends, or I would have eaten my weight in it today. This makes a lot. The kids love it.

And. If you are wearing a cute new dress from Old Navy, you will get powdered sugar smeared all over, and you might be tempted to wipe the powdered sugar off with a Clorox Wipe so then you'll smell like citrus.

All day.

Buffalo Wing Soup CrockPot Recipe

Day 258.

Even though I tried my hardest not to let it happen, football season has begun. The best thing about football season is the food, buffalo wings in particular. I love buffalo wings. LOVE them. The love affair started when I was pregnant with my second, and realized that all I needed to do was call a number and Dominoes would bring them right to my door. I've made hot and spicy wings this year---which is kind of a grown-up version of traditional buffalo wings, and I've made buffalo wing dip at least a dozen times.

But sometimes you (me) need something a wee bit different. This soup hits the spot and satisfies any wing cravings. I really enjoyed it.

The Ingredients.
adapted from Recipe Zaar

--2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
--1/2 yellow onion, chopped
--3 stalks celery, chopped
--1/4 cup unsalted butter
--1/4 cup flour (I used rice flour)
--2 cups fat free milk (no higher content than 2%, or it will curdle)
--3/4 cup chicken broth
--4 oz Velveeta
--1/2 cup hot wing sauce
--1/2 tsp celery salt
--1/2 tsp garlic salt

The Directions.

A 4 to 6 quart crockpot will work well for this soup.

Make a roux with the flour and butter. I usually use the stove top, but tried the microwave yesterday---it worked great. In a bowl, melt the butter on high for 45 seconds, then whisk in the flour. Set aside.

Chop up the onion and celery, and dump it into your crockpot. Add the cooked and cubed chicken. Pour in the chicken broth and milk. Add Velveeta. Add the salt (note: this is saltier than I am used to. If you are on a lower sodium diet, omit the salt all together. The cheese and the broth are pretty salty on their own. You can always season to taste after cooking.)

Stir in the flour and butter mixture. Add hot sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. The soup is done when the celery and onion reach desired tenderness and the flavors have melded.

The Verdict.

I really, really liked this. I first made the soup following the directions on Recipe Zaar, and was icked out at how salty it was. After adding a bunch more milk (reflected in my recipe) it was much more pleasing. I also needed to add more of the wing sauce after the milk. Adam and I were both happy with the finished result.

The kids aren't too big on the spice and tang of anything buffalo-flavored, but were overjoyed to have Velveeta in the house.

CrockPot Applesauce Recipe

Day 260.

I made simple and tasty applesauce yesterday for an after-school-snack.

In the crockpot.

The kids each ate two bowls---it was a complete success.

The Ingredients.

This makes enough for 4 people. If you would like to freeze or can, use more apples.

--4 large apples, skinned ,cored, and cut in quarters
--juice from 1 lemon
--1/2 tsp cinnamon
--1 tsp vanilla
--1 T brown sugar
--1/4 cup H20

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart crockpot for the applesauce.

Skin, core, and cut your apples into quarters. Plop the pieces into your crockpot. Add the juice from the lemon, and the water. Pour in the vanilla (I used imitation--we were out of the good stuff), and add the cinnamon and brown sugar.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. When the apples are super tender, mash with a potato masher or large fork. My apples were very tender after 6 hours, and I used a fork.

The Verdict.

The kids ate it all. It was delicious, super easy, and I will be making this again. It was a great snack on a foggy day.

Little Dipper Southwestern Salsa Dip

Day 261.

yay, a Little Dipper recipe! I love this Little Dipper because it's so gosh darn cute, but I'm having a hard time coming up with mini-sized dips or sauces to cook in it.

I made up this dip. I kind of wish I had something else to post in it's place, but I don't. There is nothing wrong with it---it just tastes a bit different. I can't decide if the different is good or bad. Just different. The kids ate a few chips dipped in it, then asked for a slice of cheddar cheese. Adam came home, I threw a chip in his mouth covered in dip, and he said "huh. that's different."

I love that man.

So. If you have a favorite warm dip and think I can make it in a Little Dipper, please let me know.

'cuz I obviously could use some help.

The Ingredients.

--2 cups of prepared salsa
--1 package of dried Ranch salad dressing/dip mix
--1/2 cup shredded white cheese (I had Monterey Jack in the house)

The Directions.

The Little Dipper says that it only holds 1 cup. I started with 2/3 of a cup of salsa, and stirred in the Ranch dressing packet. It was so tangy and weird, I added another 2/3 of a cup. That gave me 1 1/3 cups inside. And it still tasted weird. So I added another 2/3 of salsa. And I'm pretty sure that gives me 2 whole cups.

So the Little Dipper can hold 2 cups. I did stir in the cheese, but it mostly melted away (except that I used Kraft because it was on sale and it's coated with some weird anti-stick coating so it doesn't melt as nicely as other shredded cheese or cheese that you shred yourself. I should know this. But I still get sucked in to the buy-one-get-one deals at Safeway.)

Cover and cook for about 2 hours (there is no heat setting on a Little Dipper). Since the Dipper is so full, it will take longer than normal.

The Verdict.

It's not offensive, but it's not very good. Ranch may taste good with teriyaki sauce, but it doesn't go well with salsa.

CrockPot Cheeseburger Soup Recipe

Day 267.

Good morning! I decided to take the advice given from Fortress of Awesome to make a soup with Velveeta to get my kids excited about the Crock-Pot again.

It worked.

Velveeta is wonderful.

I had a bit left over from the Buffalo Wing Soup, and was happy to use it up. That stuff is dangerous. I found myself cutting off a sliver here and there just because it was 10 am. Or 1 pm.

I've made this soup for years----I think Carmen is who first gave me the recipe, and it was before I had children. Adam and I were pretty much still kids ourselves, and I remember sitting together on a zebra "skin" rug in front of the TV eating this with a loaf of sourdough bread.

I have since lightened it up the best I can without losing the cheesy-goodness. I have also omitted the can of condensed cream-of-something soup.

The Ingredients.

--4 cups chicken broth
--1 T dried onion (or 1/2 of a white onion, diced finely)
--1 lb lean ground beef, browned and drained on the stove top
--1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
--2 potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes (the photo showed 4, but after cutting 2, I saw it was plenty)
--2 small garlic cloves, minced
--1 cup milk (to add later, soy is fine)
--24 oz Velveeta, cubed (to add later)
--Tabasco sauce, optional
--crumbled bacon, optional

The Directions.

Brown the meat on the stove top with the onion, and drain fat. I have used 1/2 pound instead of a whole pound before, and we didn't miss the extra meat. Set aside to cool a bit.

In a 5-6 quart crockpot, pour in chicken broth. Add garlic, bell pepper, and potatoes (I didn't peel them), and add. Stir in the browned meat and onion.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until onions are translucent and potatoes are tender. Stir in milk and Velveeta 20-30 minutes before serving. If you'd like the broth thicker, blend a bit with a hand held stick blender.

Garnish with Tabasco sauce and crumbled bacon if desired.

The Verdict.

Everyone liked this. Surprise, surprise.

We are now out of Velveeta. This is probably a good thing.