Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

Who doesnt love a baked potato?

But seriously they take so long to cook, and I dont always have an hour to wait for them to bake in my hot oven.

Problem solved--throw them in the crockpot and let them cook all day and wa-la, DONE!

LOVE THIS!!!!!

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

5 Potatoes (I used russets)

DIRECTIONS:

Wash your potatoes well and let them dry.

Then wrap each potato in a piece of foil (no need for pricking them).

Place the foil wrapped potatoes in your crock pot.

I put 5 medium sized potatoes in my 4 quart crock pot, but I probably could have fit at least 10. If I double layered them

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Honey Pulled Pork

Slow cookery is becoming quite popular in my house. Thanks to recipes like this. I am a huge fan of North Carolina BBQ, which is more vinegar based then BBQ sauce. And this recipe is unique in that most slow cooker pulled pork is more BBQ sauced. I hoarded these leftovers and ate it for lunch 2 days in a row. I also dont like coleslaw ON my sandwich. I like it on the side. You eat it any way your hungry belly likes.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Honey Pulled Pork

borrowed from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients:

1 2 1/2 - to 3-pound boneless pork loin

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

3/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 medium)

1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

hamburger buns or small round dinner rolls, split and toasted

Deli coleslaw or see the coleslaw I made----***recipe below

Sweet or dill pickles, coarsely chopped-optional

Directions:

1. Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut meat to fit into a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. In the cooker, combine onion and sweet pepper. Add meat; sprinkle with thyme and rosemary. Pour broth over meat.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 9 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

3. Meanwhile, for barbecue sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, black pepper, and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

4. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Using two forks, pull meat apart into shreds, discarding fat. Return meat to the slow cooker and Stir in barbecue sauce. If using high-heat setting, turn to low-heat setting Cover and cook for 1 hour.

5. To serve, spoon meat mixture onto bun bottoms. Add coleslaw and pickles if you chose. Add bun tops.

My Coleslaw Recipe:

4 cup(s) cabbage/carrot mix

1/2 medium red onion(s), thinly sliced

1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), thinly sliced

1 medium carrot(s), thickly shredded

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 1/2 Tbsp sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp water

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, cucumber, onion, garlic, and carrot.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; pour over vegetables and toss to mix and coat. Chill in refrigerator, tossing once or twice, for about 1 hour. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

Crockpot Carne Asada

Every year we have a family vacation to the Outer Banks

If you check the history of the blog, I always record the meals I make so I dont forget them and its a little snap shot for me to know if they worked as a meal for a large group. We are a large group and every year we seem to grow.

I love to practice cooking for a large group BUT, it sucks when its gorgeous out, and you just want to be at the beach. Instead you have to shop, prepare, cook for 10 Adults (sometimes 13), 4-5 kids with 2 more infants who will be looking to eat "real" food soon. All that in a kitchen were you have no clue what to expect. Sometimes its stocked and sometimes its NOT.

So I am a freak and I prepare and practice at home. It helps it go smoother, I can figure out what I can delegate to be handled by my husband sous chef, and I can work out the timing so I can get it all done in roughly 2 hours. I also bring a bunch of kitchen tools from home. I know I am a freak, but embrace it and move on.

One boring Saturday I sat down and decided on another repeat Mexican fiesta. I found the sombreros from 7 years ago in the attic and I know the kids will have fun with it.

So game on, time to practice and perfect!

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds flank steak

MARINADE:

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 limes, juiced

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

TO SERVE:

1 (32 ounce) package corn tortillas

2 cups grated cotija cheese (optional)

2 limes, cut into wedge

My Quick Avocado mix—recipe to follow

DIRECTIONS:

Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate overnight.

Next day, pour the entire contents into the Slow Cooker and cook for 3-4 hours on low. Drain meat , Shred and serve on tortillas

NOTE: I cooked it too long (I think it was 6 hours on low). It was slightly dry, and I think I need to use a little fattier of a cut of meat next time, and to make double that batch it would be more cost effective to use a cheaper cut. The flavor was awesome…..I mean AWESOME, just need to check the cooking time next time. It was originally supposed to be grilled, but I never like to rely on the grills in rental homes, and I am using my grill pans for chicken already so the crockpot seems a logical solution….and because I don’t need pack and plays, high chairs, and all that baby stuff I can bring my crockpot 8 hours J

My Quick Avocado Mix Recipe:

I make this all the time and throw it on top of lots of recipes, tacos, burritos, anything really. I know it could be better, fancier and have more things but it’s fresh, easy and yum.

1 Avocado smashed

2 Roma Tomatoes seeded and chopped

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp salt

juice of ½ lime

Slow Cooker Apple Pie Breakfast

Make this.....no really, do it

So stinking good.

I am hot and cold with oatmeal but this was really yummy and it makes a ton and we ate it a couple of mornings reheated with a little milk. You could add so many yummy things to it to make it even more hearty. You do need to figure out the ratio of liquid for your crockpot and cooking time. That was key.

I was suffering from a few weeks of insomnia so I could easily get up at 2:00 am and turn it on and stir it once or twice before I finally had to wake up for the day, and then it went to warm mode. I just needed to stir it up before serving and I added a little milk to it. It was perfect texture. You also MUST use Steel Cut Oats, the other varieties I could see breaking down too much and turning to hard slop.

So there, I made it sound so difficult and not appetizing but it was really truly great and I am going to make it again one of these days

Apple Pie Breakfast

Ingredients

- 1 cup of steel cut oats*

- 3 diced apples (I use Gala)

- 1 cup apple juice - 3 cups water

-2 tbsp. Brown Sugar (optional to lower sugar and calories, but I thought it was just enough)

- 2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions -

For Best Results: Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 2-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low until it reaches the consistency that you like. Be sure to stir every hour or so.

* You can also cook longer without stirring, but you have to add more water liquid and it does come out a bit mushier. Add an extra cup of liquid for 7-8 hours in the slow cooker.

Chicken Stew

I am a little more in love with my Crock pot then I used to be. Mostly because of recipes such as this. It was so easy and while I made a HUGE mistake when I threw it all in....it still came out delicious in spite of me being a total bone head.

***I used an entire 1 pound bag of beans instead of 1 cup, I did have to add a ton more liquid because the beans were too hard and thankfully I had a lot of cooking time left when I realized what I did, but it still came out great

Chicken Stew

borrowed from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed

1 jar (11 ounces) mild or medium salsa (1 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped (will add 2 next time)

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken.

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir.)

Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro.

OVEN METHOD--I am adding this so when I forget to start the crockpot I can still make it :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Follow step 1, using a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot, substituting 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed, for dried beans, and increasing water to 2 cups. Cover pot and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Transfer to oven, and cook until chicken is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Proceed with step 3.

Slow Cooker Autumn Sausage & Rice

If you have kids and you have to actually feed them, you know it isnt always easy. Sometimes I pick recipes thinking they will both love it. Then they hate it. I can never tell which might like what anymore and while they arent the worlds pickiest eaters, it drives me nuts when they turn their nose up at something I was just they would ask for again and again.

This was such a recipe. I was sure my little one would love it, and she did not. But I might try again, it has all her favorite things so I cant imagine what went wrong?

This is a great slow cooker meal and the flavors are really delicious

Slow Cooker Autumn Sausage & Rice

adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients

-1 pound sausage (I used chicken roasted garlic pre-cooked)

--1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)

--1 yellow onion, chopped

--1 tbsp. butter

--1/2 cup chopped carrots

--3 cups already cooked long-grain rice (I used white )

--1/2 cup crasins (could use raisins also)

--1 T dried parsley flakes

--1 T brown sugar

--1/2 tsp allspice

--1/2 tsp cinnamon

--1/4 tsp black pepper

--1/3 cup chicken broth or water (I used broth)

The Directions.

The amount of ingredients fit nicely in a 4 quart crockpot. I'd say this comfortably feeds a family of 4-5 with a bit of leftovers. If you have a large family or teenagers, add more rice and sausage. It's a pretty easy recipe to adapt to your needs.

Add butter to a saute pan on med. heat. Add the onions and saute until light brown color. Add chopped sausage to the onions and cook until the sausage pieces get nicely browned. Add mixture to the crockpot. You can omit this step, and will achieve fine results, but I like my sausage cooked this way and I think it makes the flavor better.

**If you are using uncooked pork sausage you can remove onions to the crockpot and brown the sausage completely before adding them to the crockpot**

Dump the rest of the ingredients into the crock, and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4. You're really only heating through, and allowing the vegetables to soften.

This will not stick together like a gloppy casserole; it has the consistency of fried rice. Use bowls to serve rather than plates.

Hearty Beef Stew--Slow Cooker

My kids ate meat!!!

MY KIDS ATE MEAT!!!

I think my kids have finally gotten over their meat phobia. I was so shocked I almost fell off my chair. They have been eating chicken regularly, and tonight la-la-la they ate beef stew. When I asked them to eat the veggies, they said they would rather eat the meat. Usually its the other way around. So this is now magical beef stew and we will be making this all winter long.

I love beef stew. It reminds me of my childhood, and this one blows all other beef stew recipes away.

Now, this is IMPORTANT.....You may think the methods are a little different, and a little more time consuming then just dumping all the ingredients into the slow cooker. I swear its worth it. You need to brown the meat, and put the veggies in the foil pack. You want to go those extra steps to get the best results. You wont be sorry, I promise. The veggies are little bits of heaven and they didnt get too mushy from cooking all day.

Hearty Beef Stew

borrowed from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

5 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (I used about 3 pounds of meat)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound red potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 cups frozen peas (I didnt have any in my freezer so I omitted this time)

After the meat has been cut into chunks, pat it dry with a paper towel and season all the pieces with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Cook half of the beef until it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes. No need to cook it all the way through – just get some great brown color all around. Toss the meat in the slow cooker and follow the same process with the second half of the meat (you may need to add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if it looks a little dry). Remove the meat to the slow cooker, trying to keep as much oil in the pan as possible.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and transfer it to the slow cooker, pouring it over the meat.

In a large bowl, toss the carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On the counter, lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (use two sheets of regular foil on top of each other if you don’t have heavy-duty). Place the tossed vegetables on one side of the foil. Fold the foil over the vegetables and crimp the edges really well to form a little foil packet that will fit in the top of your slow cooker. Stir the tapioca into the slow cooker. Place the foil packet of vegetables on top of the stew, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 10-11 hours.

When the stew is finished cooking, carefully remove the foil packet from the top of the stew. Discard the bay leaves from the stew. Carefully open the foil packet (be careful of steam that may escape as you open it!). Return the vegetables and any juices to the slow cooker and gently mix them into the stew. Stir in the frozen peas and let them rest in the stew for 5-10 minutes, until they are heated through. Serve.

Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

You can't beat a good Stroganoff......
I love it, and I love this recipe. It is so easy, so tender and the sauce is just so perfect. Its actually not that ridiculously unhealthy either. Score, Score and SCORE!
Now you know I am not always 100% thrilled with my crock-pot meals, but this one is perfect for the pot, because the more tender the meat the better the dish. So file this away for a snow day and add it to your shopping list with your bread, milk and eggs. Oh and I realize how ridiculous it is to talk about snow when its like 80 degrees with 100% humidity in NJ and its almost October. Crazy Mother Nature!
Oh and make sure you visit Mel's Kitchen Cafe Blog I love almost everything I have made from her blog and they tend to be recipes I go to again and again.

Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

borrowed from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2-3 pounds stew meat (or a 3-pound chuck roast, cubed)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups beef broth or stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/3 cup flour
6-7 tablespoons apple juice or water
4-8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I still don't eat fungus so I omit these)
1/2 cup light or regular sour cream

Place the stew meat, salt, pepper and onion in the slow cooker. Stir to distribute the seasonings and onion. In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt, Worcestershrie sauce, beef broth and ketchup. Pour over the meat. Cook for 7-9 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. About 30 minutes before serving, combine the flour and apple juice in a small bowl, whisking vigorously to combine well. The roux should be thick but still pourable so add a tablespoon of apple juice or water at a time to thin, if needed. Pour the flour mixture into the slow cooker, whisking quickly to mix in the roux with the stew meat and juices and to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms and stir. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir in ½ cup sour cream right before serving. Serve over pasta, rice or baked potatoes. ***I have to go with the Egg Noodles on this one***

Super Simple Cranberry Roast

This recipe has been edited with a new picture and a little tweaking.....scroll down to read the changes that totally make the dish

I am always looking for a crockpot recipe that makes me want to skip cooking and use the darn thing instead. In theory it always sounds like such a great replacement for me actually cooking but the results are always kind of underwhelming. You be the judge..........

Super Simple Cranberry Roast

borrowed from Crockpot 365

Ingredients

2-3 pounds beef or pork roast or stew chunks **I have used a roast beef & stew chunks**
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes, or 1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat-free are gluten free)
2 (14-ounce) whole berry cranberry sauce

that's it!

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Plop in the meat (frozen is fine), and add the onion and soy sauce. Pour in the entire can of cranberry sauce over the top. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 5-6. If you are cooking on high, you may need to "help" the meat break apart by taking it out an hour or so before serving by cutting it into chunks, then returning to the sauce. I like it when the meat is tender and the juice has fully soaked in.

Serve over mashed potatoes, or egg noodles

EDITED on 10/16/2011---I made this again today and I made some changes. I removed the meat from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and covered it with foil to keep warm. I mixed 1 tablespoon of corn starch in with 1 tablespoon of water into the remaining sauce. I cranked the slow cooker up to high....NOW, the slow cooker was already keeping the food warm and had finished cooking so it was taking way to long to get hot again and boil the sauce to thicken. So I dumped it into a saucepan and boiled it down for a few minutes. THE SAUCE WAS PERFECTION---it was so much better then the first time. The sauce stuck to the noodles and it was so tasty I was trying to figure out what else I could put it on. It was a pain to dirty another pot but it was much faster, so you can really do it either way. Next time I am going to try it with pork.....

Verdict-I really liked the flavor of this dish. It had a little sweetness, but it wasnt overly sweet. The meat was really juicy and tender. Next time if I made it I would only change one thing. I would remove the juice from the crockpot and put it in a saucepan and add some cornstarch and reduce it a little bit. It was so thin that it didnt stick to the noodles and that would have made it even yummier. But if you are looking to use your crockpot I would give this recipe a try, its actually one of the only crockpot recipes I would make again