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.

CrockPot Green Bean Casserole

Day 161.

It's day 2 of Retro Week!

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

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

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

Canned green beans are not my cup of tea.

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

The Ingredients.

--1 lb fresh green beans

--2 cups homemade cream of mushroom soup.

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

--1/2 t onion powder

--1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

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

The Directions.

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

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

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

Pour evenly over the top of the beans.

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

The Verdict.

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

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

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

CrockPot Ranch Vegetables

Day 195!

One hundred and ninety-five. Holy cow.

I made the easiest vegetables yesterday in my four quart crockpot. We had a busy day planned, and I wasn't able to get to the grocery store. We also have SO many leftovers from last week, that we needed to desperately clean out the refrigerator.

The Ingredients.

--5 cups of fresh vegetables. I had broccoli, two different bell peppers, and tomatoes in the house, so that's what I used. I think carrots would have been a nice addition, and squash, if I had any.

--1 packet dry ranch dressing mix (please read label carefully if you have allergies. I used Hidden Valley Original mix.

--1/4 cup water


The Directions.

--wash and trim all the veggies
--dump them into the crock. 5-6 cups of fresh vegetables will fit in a 3.5 qt or larger crockpot.
--sprinkle in the ranch dressing mix, toss gingerly with a large spoon to coat vegetables a bit
--add 1/4 cup of water

Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours. The vegetables are done when they reach desired tenderness for your family. I like vegetables to have a crisp to them, and took ours out of the crock at 2.5 hours.


The Verdict.

This is a simple way to have steamed, flavorful vegetables as an accompaniment to your main meal. My kids both really like broccoli, and they like ranch dressing.

The flavor is mild, it isn't dripping in flavor; which is okay with me---we like vegetables to taste like vegetables. If you are trying to mask the vegetables completely, you might want 2 packets of seasoning.

I was surprised at how much liquid formed in the crockpot. There wasn't tons, but I think you could get away with 2-3 tablespoons of water instead of a whole 1/4 cup.

CrockPot Swiss Chard Soup Recipe

Day 202.

Swiss chard! In a soup!

I don't really have anything other than that to say.

This recipe came from my new friend, Astrid, who grows a lot of chard in her garden, and needed a way to use it up. So we crockpotted the chard.

The Ingredients.

--2 big bunches of swiss chard, chopped (I only chopped the green part and gave the stems to the guinea pigs)

--1 cup baby carrots, chopped

--1 onion, chopped

--7 baby red potatoes, or equivalent, chopped

--5 cloves of garlic, chopped

--1/4 cup fresh basil (hey! guess what? chop this, too!)

--5 cups broth (I used chicken, but if you want this to be vegetarian you should use veggie broth)

--1/2 t black pepper

--1 t kosher salt

(you might want to add more salt and pepper after cooking, to taste)

--garnish with Parmesan/Romano cheese, optional

The Directions.

Wash and chop all of your vegetables, and add them to the crockpot. This is a lot of stuff, so I'd stick to a 5qt or larger crockpot.

Add whatever kind of broth you are using.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Soup tastes best the longer you cook it.

Serve with some cheese on top, and some crusty bread.

The Verdict.

This tastes like swiss chard. In soup. If you don't like swiss chard, you won't like this soup.

It reminded me a lot of the cabbage soup from the cabbage soup diet. And that soup kind of gives me nightmares.

It gives Amie nightmares, too.

We didn't save the leftovers.

But I really, really, really appreciate Astrid for sending me this recipe. I needed something like this in my repertoire, and I bet there are at least a dozen people out there who really like swiss chard.

:-0

Vegetarian No Noodle Lasagna CrockPot Recipe

Day 215.

I got a lovely email from Lynda, who is a mother of 6, a grandmother of 4, and a first-grade teacher. She wrote to tell me about one of her favorite crockpot dishes: no-noodle lasagna. I bought the ingredients, plopped everything into the crock, and went about my day. 8 hours later, the house smelled wonderful and we had a fantastic vegetarian dinner. Thank you, Lynda!

The Ingredients.

--1 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
--1 small container of ricotta cheese (I recycled the plastic already. 10 oz? 12 oz?)
--8 slices of mozzarella cheese
--2 cups shredded Italian cheese mix
--1 large eggplant
--3 summer squash
--1 pound of slices mushrooms
--bag of baby spinach
--2 T warm water

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart Smart Pot for this dish, it was the correct size pot to use. If you have a smaller crock-pot, you will need to scale back a bit.

Wash all of the vegetables. Slice the squash and the eggplant in long, slices, about 1/4 inch thick. These are going to be your noodles! I did not peel the squash or the eggplant. In the bottom of your crockpot, pour about 1/4 cup of pasta sauce. Layer in a few pieces of squash and eggplant. Smear some ricotta cheese on top. Add a handful of baby spinach and mushrooms, and a few slices of mozzarella cheese. Pour in some more pasta sauce. Continue layering the ingredients until your crockpot is full, and you have run out of ingredients. Top with the end of the pasta sauce and the shredded cheese. Put 2 tablespoons of warm water into the empty pasta sauce jar, cover, and shake. Pour the remaining sauce on top of everything.

Cover your crockpot and cook on low for 5-8 hours. This is done when the vegetables have reached their desired tenderness and the cheese is melty.

Serve with some garlic bread sticks, yum.

The Verdict.

Delicious! I tested our veggies at 6 hours, and the squash wasn't quite done enough for me, but at 8 hours it was cooked perfectly. I love eggplant, and love the way it performs in the crockpot, it takes on all the flavors of the marinara and cheese. If I make this again, I may use another eggplant and scale back on the squash.

The kids picked a bit and mostly ate cheese and spinach. One of my kids really likes mushrooms, so she ate quite a bit of those.

This is a keeper! Thanks so much, Lynda, for sharing.

other lasagna recipes to try:
pesto spinach lasagna
buffalo chicken lasagna
traditional lasagna
ravioli lasagna
 

CrockPot Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Day 226.

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

The Ingredients.

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

The Directions.

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

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

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

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

but it's very, very good.

Southwestern CrockPot Sweet Potato and Corn Medly

Day 229.

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

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

The Ingredients.

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

The Directions.

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

CrockPot Layered Dinner--Steak, Potatoes, Corn on the Cob

Day 232.

I made a complete meal in the crockpot last night, and it wasn't a soup, stew, or casserole. I made rib eye steak, baked potato, and corn on the cob. It wasn't soggy, nor was it dried out, and I was able to leave the house for six hours.

The crockpot rocks.

I had been meaning to try a layered dinner in the crock for a few months, now, but kind of forgot. I am so glad that Julie emailed me! She made steak and sweet potatoes that way last week, with great success.

The Ingredients.

This is what I used. You can use whatever meat or vegetables you have in the house. The trick is to not use too much liquid when cooking the meat, so the potatoes and the corn (or whatever you're using) isn't floating in juice.

--1 1/1 lbs rib eye steak
--1 T of your favorite seasoning rub
--1 T dried onion flakes (a fresh onion would be fine. I wasn't in a chopping mood.)
--2 T Worcestershire sauce (Lea and Perrins is GF)
--1/4 cup tequila (or broth, apple juice, etc.)

--2-4 potatoes
--2-4 ears of fresh corn
--aluminum foil

In my 6 quart Smart Pot, I used 2 whole brown potatoes, and 4 ears of corn. I could have fit another potato in, probably.

The Directions.

Put meat in the bottom of the crockpot. Rub with seasoning and onion, and flip over to get the other side. Add tequila and Worcestershire sauce.

Wash potatoes and cover with foil. Add to the pot. Shuck the corn, and wrap each ear in foil. Add to the crockpot.

It doesn't seem to matter if the potatoes are closer to the meat, or the corn. The new crockpots heat from the sides as well as from the bottom, so everything will cook through regardless of location.

Cover and cook on high for 5-7 hours, or on low for about 8. I cooked our dinner for 6 hours on high. My crockpot was quite full.

The Verdict.

This was a great dinner. It's out-of-the-norm for us to have such a complete meal on a Monday night, which made it fun and new. I plan on doing more layered crockpot cooking---it's so nice to have everything plopped in and the kitchen clean by noon.

Indian Spinach and Tofu CrockPot Recipe

Day 234.

I can't seem to get enough Indian food lately. Palak tofu is one of my favorite things to order as a side dish when we get take-out, and although it's not my favorite, I get the little foil packets at Trader Joe's for lunch about once a month. The problem (for me!) is that both the restaurant and the Trader Joe's version is hot and spicy---much too hot and spicy for me and my sensitive tongue. And, if I go digging around on the Internet, I find that many times the spinach is simmered in ghee (clarified butter), and that can't be good for my thighs.

This dish did the trick. It has a bit of a kick, but didn't leave me gasping for air and reaching for bottle after bottle of water. I had it for lunch and dinner yesterday, and am looking forward to today's lunch.

The Ingredients.

There are a lot of spices. Don't get nervous.
You can do this.

--2 boxes of frozen spinach, drained (I used one chopped, and one whole leaf)
--1 lb of extra firm tofu
--1 yellow onion, diced
--3 smashed and chopped garlic cloves
--1 can garbanzo beans, drained
--2 inches of ginger, peeled and grated
--1/2 tsp kosher salt (and then more later to taste)
--1 tsp cumin
--1 tsp curry
--1 Tbl coriander
--1/2 tsp chile powder
--1/2 tsp garam masala
--1/2 cup water

--cornstarch (to coat the tofu)
--butter (to fry the tofu)

The Directions.

Use a 3 or 4 quart crockpot.

Drain your tofu. Squeeze it in between some paper towels or a clean dish cloth if need-be to get as much of the liquid out as you can.

Cut it into 1-inch cubes and toss it with corn starch. Fry in butter until golden brown--resist the urge to flip; tofu takes a while to brown. I made some here, and there are pictures.

While the tofu is browning, squeeze out all of the moisture from the spinach and dump it into your crockpot. Dice up the onion, and mince the garlic. Add that, too. Drain your garbanzo beans, and pour them in. Add all of the spices.

Stir in 1/2 cup of water.

Add the tofu to the very top of the spinach.

Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. This doesn't take very long to cook. Serve over white rice, and scoop up with naan, pitas, or corn tortillas.

The Verdict.

I loved this. Adam did, too. The kids each picked out a few pieces of tofu, but mostly they ate the tofu after it was fried in the butter, and ate rice with Parmesan cheese.

I will make this again. It's a very satisfying lunch, or flavorful side dish.

Other Indian food you should make and have a party and invite me:

lamb vindaloo
Indian coconut curry
vegetable curry
Indian chicken
tomato curried potatoes

Jalapeno Corn Pudding CrockPot Recipe

Day 241.

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

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

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

The Ingredients.

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

The Directions.

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

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

How to Make Baby Food in Your CrockPot

Day 240!

The lovely Merideth who lined up the Crock-Pot Cook & Carry give away just had her first baby.

I love new babies.

Because I'm oh-so-helpful, I told her she could use her Crock-Pot to make baby food. After I blurted that out, I realized she probably already knew that...

but! Maybe you didn't. And now you do.

Since I'm a crazy California Hippie along with being a total cheapskate I didn't buy little jars of baby food for my kids. I wasn't concerned about chemicals as much as I was blown away by the cost and the packaging. The jars of organic food I bought for this picture cost $0.85 each on sale.
The vegetables I bought cost a total of $4.23, and I have enough baby food to feed all of John and Kate Plus 8's kids for a few days. Except now they aren't babies, they're 4, but if they were babies, I could do it.

The Ingredients.

--fresh or frozen fruit or vegetables
-- water

Frozen vegetables (in this case the little green beans) are quite good for you. They are picked at the exact right time and all of the nutrients are preserved perfectly in the freezing process.

The Directions.

I used yellow squash, sweet potatoes, and frozen green beans.

Wash your vegetables and peel the skin. Cut into chunks. Put the chunks into your crockpot and cover with the least amount of water you can to fully cook them.

For the yellow squash, I used 1/4 cup of water.
Frozen green beans (toss in frozen), 1/4 cup of water.
Sweet potatoes, I ended up using 3/4 cup of water.

Make baby food on a day that you are home to monitor the food. Each variety will cook differently, depending on the moisture content and the density of the fruit or vegetable.

I used a 4 quart, and two 6 quart crockpots, and everything was cooked fully within 3 hours.

When the veggies or fruit are quite tender, unplug your crockpot. Use an immersible blender, a real blender, or a food processor to puree the food. If you need to add a bit of water to make it thinner for your baby, do so in little drips.

Freeze in ice cube trays, then pop out and store in a freezer bag. Here's a great article about freezing baby food.

The Verdict.

I tasted each with a small spoon. It tastes like pureed vegetables. I'm going to be all Deceptively Delicious tonight and sneak a block or two into pasta sauce.

shhhh. don't tell.

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.

Acorn Squash CrockPot Recipe

Day 279.

Autumn is here, and the grocery stores and produce stands are full of squash and colorful seasonal produce. I love the colors and smells of fall and the cooler weather. I purposely find piles of leafs to crunch through when walking the kids to school---this is a great time of year, and the perfect time to dig out the crockpot.

The hardest thing about this recipe is cutting through the squash. My mom told me (too late, I had already plopped the pieces in the crock) that she usually microwaves squash for a few minutes to soften the skin before cutting. I look forward to trying that next time. I ended up using the little orange serrated knife that comes with the jack o'lantern carving kit to get through the tough skin.

The Ingredients.

--acorn squash
--2 T brown sugar
--2 T butter
--2 tsp cinnamon
--4 pinches of salt

The Directions.

I use a 4 quart crockpot. Cut the squash in quarters, and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. I gave the innards to the guinea pigs; they were thrilled.

Put 1/2 T of butter and 1/2 T of brown sugar into each quarter. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of cinnamon onto each brown sugar pile. Add a small pinch of salt to each quarter.

Lower the pieces into your crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for about 3. The squash is finished when it is fork tender and peels away from the skin easily.

The Verdict.

My mom and I ate this, and liked it a lot. I was able to get one kid to try a bite, and she liked it, but I think she mostly got brown sugar. Adam doesn't like squash, but ate a few bites to be nice.

I will make this again. It was simple, tasty, and smelled wonderful. I'll just share with my mom.

CrockPot Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chili, Cumin and Lime

Day 296.

This is a Tyler Florence recipe. He pricks sweet potatoes with a fork, rubs equal parts cumin, chili powder, and kosher salt all over the skin, wraps the potato in foil and throws it on the grill.

This is the same thing. Instead of the grill, you can use your crockpot. I made regular baked potatoes earlier in the year, and was pretty confident that this would work nicely.

The Ingredients.

--4 large sweet potatoes, washed well
--1 tsp cumin
--1 tsp chili powder
--1 tsp kosher salt
--2 to 4 limes

The Directions.

I comfortably fit four sweet potatoes in a 6.5 quart crockpot. I couldn't have fit another.

Scrub the skin of each sweet potato with a vegetable brush under running water. Pat dry. Use a fork to prick the skin of each potato--maybe 6 times.

In a small bowl, combine the dry spices.

Lay out a length of foil big enough to encompass one sweet potato. Put the potato in the middle of the foil, and rub 1/4 of the spice mixture on the potato skin. A bunch will fall off. That's okay.
Wrap the foil all around the sweet potato. Repeat for each of your potatoes.

Put them all into a large crockpot and cover. Cook on high for 6-8 hours. The potatoes are done when a knife inserts easily and the potato flesh is fluffy. Ours cooked for 6.5 hours.

Squeeze lime juice on before eating.

The Verdict.

Delicious. I loved the flavor and the kick of lime. Adam didn't use the lime, because he thought the flavor was so good he didn't want to screw with it.

The chili, salt, and cumin made the skin tasty, but didn't really penetrate through to the inner flesh.

The kids didn't have any.

CrockPot Sweet and Sour Caramelized Onions

Day 300.

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

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

She couldn't be happier.

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

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

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

The Directions.

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

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

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

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

Pecan Topped Baked Sweet Potatoes CrockPot Recipe

Day 304.

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

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

The Ingredients.

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

The Directions.

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

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

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

Slice the butter, and dot it on top.

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

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

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

The Verdict.

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

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

I'd proudly serve these for Thanksgiving dinner.

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

CrockPot Stuffed Onions Recipe

Day 314.


Have you ever had a stuffed onion? I hadn't, until last night. I had planned on making some granola in the crockpot, but wasn't able to find any certified gluten-free oats. Our neighborhood Whole Foods* didn't have any. I was counting on those oats. I had my meal plan laid out for the week, and the granola was important.

grr.

Instead of stomping around the house frustrated (more than once, that is) I started digging around the fridge and freezer and decided to stuff some onions.

Adam said it wouldn't work, which gave me the push I needed.

Guess what? They worked, and they were tasty. The kids had no interest, but who could blame them? They're onions. Stuffed. With stuff.

The Ingredients.

--4 large yellow onions
--1 handful of baby spinach
--1 chicken and apple sausage (I think a spicy one would be good, too!)
--1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
--2 T chopped pecans (or walnuts or pine nuts)
--1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
--1 T olive oil

The Directions.

This is enough filler for 4 large onions, and I used my 6.5 quart crockpot. If you're interested in cooking more than 4, increase the ingredients, and feel free to stack the onions. They will still cook.

Peel and core the onions. If you don't have one of those apple-corer thingies, this will be hard to do. I tried to core with a knife, and found it immensely difficult. I used the corer 4 times for each onion---you want a pretty big hole.

Chop up the spinach and bell pepper, and put it in a mixing bowl. Chop up the sausage and add it to the bowl along with the chopped pecans and the Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

Put the 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot, and swirl around so the bottom is coated.

Stuff each onion with as much filling as you can.

Put the onions into the crockpot.

Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or on low for 7-8. I was surprised how long they took to cook. I cooked ours on high for a bit over 5 hours.

The onions are done when they have turned golden brown and are pliable.

The Verdict.

These smelled wonderful while they were cooking, and made a stormy night feel warm and cozy.

I thought the flavor was quite good, and was happy to have discovered another "something" to stuff. Adam wanted his with a steak.

They are more of a side dish than a full meal, unless you eat 2.


*cross your fingers that the other Whole Foods has the oats I want/need...

CrockPot Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

Day 340.

I learned back on February 5, that roasting vegetables in the crockpot was easy and fool-proof. We've eaten a lot of roasted vegetables since, but I always kind of stick to my comfort zone and pick out the same ones at the grocery store. Not this time. I wanted some sort of traditional winter-y vegetable dish to share at our upcoming holiday dinner. So I googled winter vegetables.
Carrots.
Parsnips.
Rutabagas.

I know carrots (quite well), and I did buy parsnips for the first time this year (they look like big white carrots!) but have never bought a rutabaga. The produce guy was eager to lead the way, and for the rest of the afternoon I sang "rutabaga sits in the old gum tree" even though I know darned well that those aren't the correct words. I just couldn't get it out of my head.

The Ingredients.

--2 pounds carrots
--2 pounds rutabagas
--2 pounds parsnips
--1/2 cup chopped parsley
--3 T olive oil
--1 tsp kosher salt
--1 tsp black pepper
--1 tsp basil

The Directions.

This is enough food to feed about 12. I used the 6.5 quart crockpot. Peel all of your vegetables, and cut into 2-inch chunks. Feed scraps to the guinea pigs. I'm usually a huge fan of the baby carrot (because of laziness), but wanted a more rugged look for this dish. If you would like to use baby carrots, go for it, and don't cut them. Chop the parsley.

Put all the vegetables into your crockpot, and add the olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat fully coat the vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5. The vegetables are done when they have reached desired tenderness. I cooked ours on low for 6 hours, then on high for about 90 minutes.

The Verdict.

I love the ease of roasting vegetables in the crockpot. I would have needed to cook this much food in batches in the oven, and stirred them a few times to keep them from burning (I am no good with the oven!) but in this case, I put the veggies on in the morning and was out for most of the day. The kids picked out a few carrots, but found them to be spicy.

Broccoli With Toasted Garlic and Hazelnuts CrockPot Recipe

Day 347.

This is a lemony broccoli that is such a nice change from heavy winterish vegetables. The garlic adds a great depth of flavor, and hazelnuts provide a nutty burst. These are some yummy veggies.

The Ingredients.

2 pounds broccoli florets
1 cup large raw hazelnuts
1 head garlic, peeled (12 cloves)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart crockpot for best results. Wash and trim broccoli, and add to crockpot. Peel garlic, and add with salt and pepper. Add hazelnuts. Squeeze lemon juice evenly over the top. Toss with wooden spoons.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for about 4. This is finished when broccoli has reached desired tenderness. I like my vegetables al dente.

The Verdict.

This was a great side dish to our leftover hickory smoked brisket. The lemon is the predominant flavor, and complements the hazelnuts, broccoli, and garlic wonderfully. The kids picked out just the broccoli pieces.

CrockPot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Day 357.

It's the first day of Winter Vacation, and the girls and I are sick. Which means this is a very. normal. year. for us.

We'll be fine. We've got a bunch of books and videos from the library, the good tissue with the built-in Vicks, and 4 quarts of spinach artichoke dip.

This recipe comes from Joey in Minnesota who has a nineteen-month-old and is pregnant. She needs a juggling book for Christmas.

The Ingredients.

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (9-ounce) bag baby spinach, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 T jalapeno slices, chopped

The Directions.

I used a 4-quart crockpot. Drain and chop artichoke hearts, and add to the crockpot. Scrunch the spinach and chop it the best you can---mostly try to get the long stems off if you can. Add to the crockpot. Add mayo, sour cream, and chopped jalapenos. Top with 1/2 cup each shredded mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, or high for 1. Stir. The spinach should begin to welt. If it hasn't, cook some more. When the spinach is totally wilted, take the lid off and add the other 1/2 cup of each cheese, and let it melt while the lid remains off. The spinach will have created some liquid that doesn't really need to be in there.

Serve with your favorite chips, sliced veggies, or bread cubes.

The Verdict.

I liked this a lot. I couldn't taste the jalapenos at all and whined that it "wasn't working" (I wanted my sinuses to drain. lovely image, sorry. but that's what I was going for) but Adam and the kids could taste them and thought it was plenty spicy. I think though, I'd add many more jalapeno slices next time and maybe switch out the mayo for a half-block of cream cheese.