A Year of Slow Cooking

8 Perfect Rib Recipes for the Slow Cooker

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:19:00 +0000

Happy almost Memorial Day!

Happy almost The Last Day of School!

Happy almost "It's the Beginning of Summer"

Happy "I'm So Glad I Didn't Burn My Retinas Out Staring At The Eclipse!

let's celebrate with some ribs --- slow cooked to perfection in the very best appliance known to man. (and three side dishes, just in case!)

Smoky Home-Style Ribs

Hawaiian Ribs

Orange Chipotle Ribs

Greek-Spiced Ribs

Original Barbecue Beef Ribs

Red Ribs

Lemon Pepper Ribs

Korean Ribs

Garlic Baked Potatoes

Corn on the Cob

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chili, Cumin, and Lime

ENJOY!

P.S: there is still time to enter the $100 Visa gift card giveaway from Simply Cranberry!

I Had A Cranberry Party

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:32:00 +0000


plateful of cranberry goodness

A few weeks ago I had a cranberry party. And I only had to make one thing with cranberry juice, but I'm a total over-achiever and made FIVE things. BOO-YAH!
(recipes below!)

The Back Story:

The Simply Cranberry Cocktail people (through BlogHer) contacted me and asked if I'd like to throw a dinner party and use their new Simply Cranberry Cocktail as a springboard for the menu-planning.

I was already familiar with the Simply Orange Juice Company--we like their orange and apple juice an awful lot, and I'm a complete and total sucker for a challenge.

Before I responded, I texted Adam:

"Hey, we need to have a cranberry juice party, sort of an Iron Chef thing. You cool with that?"

He wrote back: "a la cuisine!"

I love that man.

I was given coupons for Simply Cranberry Cocktail by the Simply Orange Juice Company, and BlogHer paid me for my time and to purchase supplies for our cranberry party.

I then set to work planning the menu: baked brie with cranberries, cranberry martinis, cranberry chicken, triple-threat cranberry brisket, and cranberry fluff for dessert (scroll down for all the recipes).

To round out the meal I also roasted asparagus and made mashed potatoes (out of a box! Capital K classy, I tell you...).

Just so you know: Simply Cranberry Cocktail can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store; it is kept chilled from the time it is blended with not-from-concentrate cranberry juice and gently pasteurized with no added preservatives. It's sweet and tart and unlike other cranberry juice cocktails in that you don't shudder after drinking it.

I decided this was a really good excuse to buy cranberry red tablecloths and retire the ecru tablecloths I usually dig out of the china cabinet. (I'm pretty sure stained and bleached and then stained and bleached tablecloths are ecru. Right?)

Since we were having our party on April Fool's Day, I also bought silly straws and nose glasses for everyone out of the dollar bins at Target.

I invited my two best friends (guess what their names are? did you guess? wait for it... wait for it...

JENNIFER and JENNIFER) and their families. This meant we had 6 adults and 9 children for our dinner party. I set up two tables, with the idea that the kids would be at one and the grownups could sit at the other, and we'd all sit down and have sparkling dinner conversation and lovely table manners.

Bree Van de Kamp Hodge would be so proud.
(of course she's on trial for murder right now, but I think Gaby is about to confess.)

It was wonderful.

I need to have dinner parties more often. I think sometimes in the name of saving money I forget it's the little things in life that matter--good friends, good food, and good fun.

Someone else picking up the bill is awfully nice, too.

Thank you Simply Cranberry Cocktail !!

Recipes:

I don't have any photos of the brie because I may have already had a cranberry martini (or 2? not sure) before I thought to take pictures, and by then we pretty much killed the whole thing.

I used the candied pecan and cranberry brie recipe I made back in 2008 but didn't use the pecans because one of our little friends has a nut allergy. I did, though, add a drop of balsamic vinegar to the brown sugar and a bit of rosemary they way I did with the balsamic apricot brie.

8 ounce-brie round

1 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary

Stir topping together and place on top of the brie. Place the brie into an oven-safe bowl or dish and plop it into a slow cooker for about 2 hours, or until melty and gooey and delicious. Serve with apple slices and your favorite crackers. I'm not supposed to name brand names in this post, but we used the popular round gluten free crackers that come in the white box. Email me if you don't know what I'm talking about!

Cranberry Martinis

Since The Cocktail Lady was at our house I figured I'd use her expertise, and we came up with the most awesomest cranberry martini recipe ever. She also lent me her drink shaker because I accidentally gave away the one we got as a wedding present in one of our many moves.

Thanks, Jen! xoxo

Fill the drink shaker half-full or so with ice.

For each drink, add:

1 shot Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1 shot citrus flavored vodka

1/2 shot Triple Sec

1/2 shot Sweet and Sour Mix

Shake well and serve in chilled martini glasses with sugared rims. (Adam did the glasses by rubbing a cut lime on the edge then dipping the glasses in Baker's Sugar. He froze them for 2 hours or so before the party).

We were able to double this recipe and get two drinks in each shaker.

And they rocked.

Srsly.

Cranberry Glazed Chicken:

4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 large onion, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce

1 (16-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1/2 cup Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1 lime, juiced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the chicken into the bottom of your cooker (frozen is fine). Add diced onion and garlic. In a mixing bowl whisk together the soy sauce, cranberry sauce, and juices. Pour this mixture evenly over the top of your chicken. Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked (if you cook it longer, it’ll shred—it’s up to you!)

With tongs, carefully remove the chicken and place on a serving platter. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water to create a slurry. Stir this into your slow cooker to thicken, then serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.

Triple Threat Cranberry Brisket:

5 pound beef brisket

1 onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (16-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce

1/2 cup Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the meat into the bottom of your slow cooker insert. Add onion and garlic. In a mixing bowl, mix together the can of cranberry sauce, soy sauce, juice, and dried cranberries. Pour this combination evenly over the top of the meat. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for about 6 hours. Your meat is finished when it has begun to lose it’s shape and can pull apart easily with a fork. Serve over mashed potatoes with a spoonful of sauce.

Cranberry Fluff Dessert

I was channeling TW from Retro-Food.com when I decided to serve this dessert. I knew I wanted something we could all eat together and didn't want a big production (think ice-cream bar) or a huge mess to deal with later (again, think ice-cream bar). But I wanted the kids to like it and the adults to at least give it a half-hearted thumbs up.

I was WAY SURPRISED. We licked the pyrex clean. All 6 adults and 9 children couldn't get enough.

2 cups boiling water

2 (4-ounce) packages cherry gelatin dessert

1 cup Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1 (8-ounce) container whipped dessert topping, room temperature, divided

1 (15-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 package shortbread cookies (or something similar. Ours were gluten free, of course!)

Whisk the dried gelatin powder with the boiling water until it's completely dissolved. Whisk in the juice, and then refrigerate the mixing bowl for 90 minutes. You want the gelatin slightly set, but not really.

Now stir in 2 cups of the dessert topping and the entire can of cranberry sauce. Pour this mixture into a 9 x 9 glass baking pan. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or until completely set. Spread on the additional whipped topping and dot with shortbread cookies.

Cranberry retro yumminess. It's tart, but not too tart, and sweet, but not too sweet.

It was the perfect end to a perfect night. And you know it was good when you wake up to this in the morning:

I had so much fun and feel so lucky to have the best friends ever. Thank you to Simply Cranberry Cocktail for giving me an excuse to have a party. And for the realization that I shouldn't have to have an excuse to have friends over--I should just do it!

I'm pretty sure we're not going to have a UTI anytime soon...

Guess what?

Simply Cranberry Cocktail understands that sometimes it's just not possible to have a spur-of-the moment party when you're busy living your life and all "extra" (HA on the extra!) income goes towards retirement, or college, or braces, or new tires. So they are offering to help out by giving one lucky winner a $100 Visa gift card to spend however you'd like.

Maybe you'd like to have a cranberry party of your very own?

What is your favorite way to make a party or get together at your home more festive? Tell me about it in the comments for a chance to win a $100 gift card.

Rules:
P.S: I didn't make these up.

No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

I'll randomly select a winner from the responses (leave an email address or sign in so I can find you!) and will make sure the gift card gets sent out promptly.

The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/7/2012 - 6/1/2012

Be sure to visit the Promotions & Prizes page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

"Simply Cranberry_™" is a trademark of Simply Orange Juice Company.

BOO-YAH!

Hot Dogs for a Crowd

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:22:00 +0000

Guess what? You can fit 60 hot dogs in a 6-quart slow cooker. This is kind of big news if you happen to be:

planning an end-of-the-year swim party for the 5th grade graduating class
planning a block party potluck and know that kids really don't want to eat 75 different types of salad
manning the Little League concession booth
trying to beat the world's record in hot dog eating
interested in testing out your cholesterol medication

The Ingredients.

a crap load (technical term) of hot dogs (60, to be exact, although you can wimp out and do fewer, if necessary)
buns
fixens'
6-quart slow cooker
an outlet

The Directions.

Unwrap all the hot dogs and throw the wrappers in a plastic bag and then immediately take out the garbage because if the kittens knock over the garbage can and hot dog juice gets all over the kitchen floor you're going to get annoyed and then have to mop unless you just wipe it up with a baby wipe and pretend the cats didn't really lick your floor.

Stand hotdogs on end if you're trying to cram in 60. If not, you can just dump them in. There's no need to add water. This is for two reasons: 1, the hotdogs will release moisture all on their own, and 2, if you have a crockpot full of hot dog water it'll just be kind of gross to dig through the water to pick them out. and 3 (I lied, there are 3 reasons) if the hotdogs hang out in hot water for too long they'll end up splitting on you.

Cover, and cook on low for 4 hours, or on high for about 2 hours--check to make sure the ones in the middle are fully hot before serving. Serve with tongs into buns and top with desired fixens'.

Your dogs can stay on the "warm" setting for an awfully long time. If your pot has a hot spot (mine does), the dogs on the edge will get kind of crispy and blackened, which will COMPLETELY fool your 10-year-old into thinking you learned how to barbecue.

The Verdict.

If you eat too many hotdogs in a day because you don't want to waste them you'll be really really thirsty for the next three days.

Also? 6 hotdogs in two days is too much for a 2-year-old. Don't do that.

and? it's kind of fun to call your neighbors and have them over for spur-of-the moment hot dogs and it's even cooler that when you call to squeal that 60 hotdogs can totally fit in a 6-quart they know what you mean and highfive you through the phone.

Adam says these dogs remind him of the hot dogs from 7-11 or the movies where they cook on the roller bars--they aren't boiled, aren't barbecued, but hot. And hot dogs are fully cooked anyway in the package, so all you're doing is heating them through.

Happy Almost Summer!!

more cool stuff:

crockpot baked potatoes

use your crockpot as a rice cooker

crockpot as a smoker

make yogurt in a crockpot

crockpot as foot bath

crockpot as air freshener

1 Minute Muffin (not in a crockpot)

Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:12:00 +0000

I made my very first Matzo Ball Soup yesterday. In the crockpot.

I called my friend Jennifer and she talked me through how to make the broth and Matzo dough--she's not gluten free, but after a lot of googling and texting to confirm my hard-core journalistic researching I figured out what I should do.

AND IT WORKED.

[insert Crush voice from Finding Nemo] I SO TOTALLY ROCK.

This is a 2-day process, or at least a really, really full day process. First we're going to make the homemade chicken broth/soup.

The Ingredients
serves 6-8

3 pounds bone-in chicken parts
2 onions, peeled, cut into quarters
6 cloves garlic, peeled with cloves intact
1 cup baby carrots
3 ribs celery, cut in large chunks, leaves okay
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon kosher salt
12 cups water
1 package gluten free matzo ball mix, or make your own (recipe below)

gluten free matzo balls
makes 8-10 or so

1/2 cup finely ground almond meal
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons dill
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Use a hand-held or stand mixer to blend the ingredients together to form a dough. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before using in soup.

The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the chicken into your slow cooker. I used chicken quarters, and did try to take as much of the skin off as I can (because of my weird issues). Add vegetables and seasoning. Pour in a bunch of water (4 cups per pound of chicken)—be careful, your pot will be quite full. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Unplug the slow cooker, and let it sit for 3 hours, or until the meat is cool enough to handle.

Remove meat from pot, and discard the bones. Scoop out the vegetables and set aside. Some people prefer their matzo soup to be simply broth, some like chunks of meat and vegetables—it’s up to you. I decided to get rid of the onion and celery (the garlic kind of melted into a paste), but kept the chicken and carrots.

Strain the broth through a cheesecloth or fine-mesh sieve to remove the peppercorns and extra bits. Return the broth to the slow cooker.

Plug the cooker back in and cook on high for 2 hours. While the broth is reheating, mix the matzo dough (if using packaged matzo, prepare according to the written instructions).

Homemade matzo dough. Don't handle it too much; you want it light and fluffy

Once your soup is hot, drop rounded spoonfuls of matzo into your slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through and “bounces” in the broth when poked with a spoon.

the matzo balls bounce when you poke them with a spoon!

Serve and enjoy!

The Verdict
I must admit, since I've never had this soup before, I don't have anything to compare it to. But we liked it. The five in my family ate every last smidgen in our bowls, and I packaged up a little tupperware to send home to my mom and grandma. I really liked the dill flavor. Everytime I cook with dill, I'm reminded more and more that it's such an under-utilized herb in my pantry. I hope you enjoy this soup--I look forward to making it again and again in the years to come.

Thank you to Jennifer, for holding my hand (AGAIN)!

other recipes you might like:
chicken and dumpling soup
apple dumplings
honey cake
sweet mustard roast
I just Spent The Whole Day on Pinterest...

Easter Dinner in the Slow Cooker

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:53:00 +0000

Happy almost-Easter! I have rounded up some of our favorite Easter Dinner favorites to help with your meal planning. We aren't hosting this year, but I am going to make a leg of lamb and take it along to my mom's. Thank goodness for the locking-lid on the slow cooker!

Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Lemon.

Mint Glazed Leg of Lamb


Honey and Thyme Glazed Ham


Maple Ham

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chili, Cumin, and Lime

The Best Brussels Sprouts, EVER!

Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Sour Cream

Scalloped Apples

Have a wonderful Easter! Happy Slow Cooking!

Slow Cooker Mint Glazed Lamb

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:39:00 +0000

I hope this works. I have always used the free Blogger software to run this website, which is owned by Google. And they changed it. And they are making me use it and even though I had three months of "warning" that this change was going to happen I'm slightly irritated.
This is the first time I'm typing with the new format and it looks different and my buttons are in different places and I am not the best when it comes to change.

so there you go. I'm an old fuddy-duddy stuck-in-my ways crockpot lady.

BUT. I have new and exciting lamb for you. Lamb so good you're going to want to test it out EVEN THOUGH you already love your tried-and-true "but everybody already loves my lamb" recipe.

I know.

change is hard.

We're all in this together. (insert High School Musical soundtrack)

The Ingredients.

serves 6-8

(ha. that sticky has the words "mint-glazed leg of lamb" on it. I probably should have taken that off before I shot the photo. oops.)

1 onion, sliced in rings

4 to 5 pound boneless leg of lamb

1/3 cup prepared mint jelly

3 sprigs fresh mint leaves (about 10)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Separate the onion rings with your fingers and place in the bottom of your cooker. Put the meat on top. In a small mixing bowl, combine the mint jelly, fresh mint, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Smear this mixture on all sides of the meat. Cover, and cook on low for 7 hours, or until the lamb is fully cooked and begins to relax and lose it’s shape.

Serve with mashed potatoes and a spoonful of accumulated gravy (you can thicken the gravy by making a cornstarch slurry: 1 tablespoon cornstarch whisked into 2 tablespoons cold water).

The Verdict.

I have always shied away from mint jelly—it looks like lime jello to me, and I couldn’t figure out why lamb was supposed to be paired with something that smelled like Doublemint gum ~ until I tried this! Lamb and mint are meant to go together! This sweet, salty, and minty glaze can not be beat. It really is a good combination-- good enough to make me want to CHANGE our normal Easter Lamb recipe for keeps.

I've got an Easter line-up post in the works, and will get it up soon so you can start your grocery lists. Use the ZipList feature at the bottom of the posts! It's completely free and will create a customized shopping list. Super cool.

I also want to give a shout-out to Kiwi Krate, the neat art box subscription service for kids that I reviewed the other week. It's a great product, and they are really trying to get the word out about their new company. Thanks for taking the time to click over and check it out -- I appreciate it.

New England Clam Chowder in the Slow Cooker

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:21:00 +0000

I feel very lucky that we live pretty close to the coast. If we hopped in the car, we'd see the ocean within 15 minutes --- that's pretty cool.

I'm kind of embarrassed that we don't take advantage of this as often as we should.

My kids love the beach. Adam loves the beach. I love the beach.

Yet most of our weekends are filled with boring stuff like Costco runs, random sporting events, assorted kid birthday parties, and Drop Dead Diva marathons on Netflix (oh Drop Dead Diva, how did I only just now discover how completely awesome you are?).

So I brought the beach to us. No mess, no sandy feet, and no bird poop.

(and it totally rained this entire weekend anyway.)

The Ingredients.

serves 6

there's no half-and-half in this picture. I didn't buy it yet!

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and diced

1 (6.5-ounce) can minced clams, drained

5 small red potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 cup sliced celery

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half (or you could use heavy cream)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (to add later)

optional: bread bowls for serving. If you're gluten free, I've made them myself by using boxed bread mix, then plopping 4 round dough blobs on a piece of parchment paper--they bake right up, and are perfect!

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Brown the bacon on the stovetop, and drain the accumulated grease (I saved bacon from breakfast-- about 6 4 slices (I accidentally ate a few...)

Put the bacon into your crockpot, and add clams. Add all the vegetables and spices and pour in the broth. Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the onion is translucent and the potatoes squish easily with a fork.

Use a hand-held stick blender and pulse a few times to naturally thicken the soup. Stir in half and half and shredded cheese. Ladle into wide-mouthed bowls or bread bowls.

The Verdict.

This is an awesome chowder. The canned clams really do a great job of flavoring the broth and the soup, and are terribly inexpensive, and will keep in the pantry for a long time. They're a great canned item to keep on hand. My kids lapped up their servings and played with their new art supplies.

While I cried. Because of Drop Dead Diva.

other stuff you might like:

fish chowder

canned soup in the Little Dipper

Crab and Corn Soup

Kiwi Crate Art Box Review

Dijon Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:43:00 +0000

Hey Steph, did you really cook that corned beef in the slow cooker? How come it's not wet and slimy? Isn't corned beef supposed to be wet and slimy?

Until a few years ago, I shied away from St. Patrick's Day. I hated getting a plate full of wet meat topped with lifeless cabbage. (is that too harsh? I'm sorry if I've offended the soggy cabbage and wet meat lovers of the world...including my husband...)

Corned beef is quite a delicious piece of meat. It's brined, and packed with flavor all on it's own. In this recipe, the meat cooks in it's own juice--no additional liquid is required--creating a beautifully roasted (not slimy!) meat with a sweet, mustard glaze.

The Ingredients.

serves 6

3 pounds corned beef, trimmed of fat

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard

10 whole cloves (or you can use 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Unwrap the corned beef, and remove the seasoning packet (use it in another recipe, such as roasted cabbage and potatoes) and trim as much of the fat from the meat as you can. In a small bowl, make a paste of the honey, brown sugar, mustard, and cloves. Rub this mixture on all sides of the meat. Place the meat into your crockpot, and cover. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Let sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

I prefer to cook my vegetables separately, but if you'd like everything in one pot, feel free to add quartered red potatoes, carrot chunks, and cabbage wedges around the meat. Again, no need to add additional liquid.

The Verdict

This sweet and salty glazed meat will shine on your St. Patrick's Day table. It's a winner, sure to please the picky leprechauns in your household. I like this meat so much, I'm going to pick up a few extra corned beef packages to freeze so we can have it much more often.

other recipes you might like:

the first corned beef I made all by myself

cabbage rolls

the cabbage soup from the cabbage soup diet

roasted garlic spoonbread

roasted winter root vegetables
Irish Potatoes

Since St. Patrick's Day is on Saturday this year, does that mean that the leprechauns need to visit our house? The teachers at school usually destruct the classroom and overturn furniture, toilet paper the play yard, and sprinkle gold glitter all over the grass. I'm up for the TPing, but I have a severe allergy to glitter...

also, I wanted to share that my friend Jen started her own 365 Day Challenge: A Year of Cocktails! Cheer her on and submit your favorite cocktails to test out--she's got a lot of work ahead of her!

Slow Cooker TV Dinners

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:12:00 +0000

One of the finer comforts in life is having a well-stocked freezer. Before our family became gluten free, I regularly bought packaged frozen lasagna, pizza, and hot pockets (mmm, hot pockets) to pop in the oven on a busy weekday night when I forgot to plug in the slow cooker.

This really isn't a possibility now: not only is packaged gluten free food terrible expensive, I'm just not comfortable feeding the family manufactured food on a regular basis.

So I've combined two of my favorite loves into one completely awesome package: Slow Cooker TV Dinners.

I've always been a meal-planner, but I like that I can plan two or more weeks of meals and get them all in plastic zipper bags in the freezer, so I'm not chopping onions or potatoes each and every day. I figure if I'm already chopping an onion, I might as well chop up 10 and get it over with!

(or you can go the environmentally-friendly route and use Tupperware!)

One of the easiest ways to stock your freezer is to cook large batches of food, and freeze half of it. Clearly label and date the food, and then serve it again a few weeks later.

My family will ALWAYS eat the following things--- no matter how often I serve it:

taco soup, easy lasagna, chile verde, beef bourguignon, chicken makhani, balsamic chicken

Instead of saving the leftovers for the next day, I freeze them to pull out later in the month. The food is already cooked-- so I thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then microwave or heat on the stovetop. I don't find the slow cooker all that useful to reheat leftovers.

Another way to successfully stock your freezer is to assemble freezer bags with raw meat, vegetables, sauce, and spices. I like to buy my meat in bulk, and then I simply put the ingredients needed for a specific recipe into a freezer bag and clearly label the outside with a magic marker. I then pull the frozen bag out the night before to thaw in the refrigerator. In the morning, I dump the food into my slow cooker and cook according to the recipe's directions (I'd suggest writing that on the bag, too).

It's recommended to thaw the food overnight, and not just put a block of ice into your slow cooker in the morning. In general, it's fine to cook with frozen meat, vegetables, etc., but the other ingredients should be room temperature, and the stoneware should always be room-temp before being plugged in. You can read more about this on Crock-Pot's official website.

Read through the ingredients and directions on each recipe-- if it makes more sense to add chicken broth, etc. in the morning, do so, and if I've got directions to add something right before serving, follow those guidelines--- don't just dump everything into the bag if it doesn't seem appropriate. :-0

if you'd like, you can sign up at ZipList to create a personalized shopping list. All of these recipes are in their database (I've included a little button that says "save recipe" under each recipe). It's free, and I've found it immensely helpful.

10 Chicken candidates for Slow Cooker TV Dinners:

brown sugar chicken, honey garlic chicken, margarita chicken, chicken adobo, cream cheese chicken, applesauce chicken, lazy chicken, green pepper chicken, apricot chicken, Vietnamese chicken

10 Beef candidates for Slow Cooker TV Dinners:

super simple cranberry roast, 3-packet pot roast, sweet mustard roast, ropa vieja, Italian beef, pomegranate beef, Azorean beef stew, simple Thai beef, Korean ribs, easy fajitas

10 Pork candidates for Slow Cooker TV Dinners:

teriyaki and apricot pork chops, peanutbutter pork, rootbeer pulled pork, cranberry pork roast, pulled pork with sauerkraut, peking pork chops, hirino psito, carnitas, pineapple pork, apple cinnamon pork roast

my kids will also eat the following fish dishes (ooh, Dr. Seuss!) twice a month:

parmesan tilapia, honey orange tilapia, pesto fillet of sole

I hope this helps a bit with your meal planning!

P.S.: some of the photos in these recipes are HORRENDOUS-- they were taken before I (somewhat) knew what I was doing with food photography. If you make a recipe of mine and take a better picture, send it my way and I'll give you full credit.

other stuff you might find useful:

meal planning for dummies (or for normal people, whatever)

The Daily 7 For a Highly Successful Household

Help! My Slow Cooker Cooks Too Hot!

Italian Beef Sandwiches, and other Super Bowl- Type Food

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:08:00 +0000

I must admit that I don't watch very much football. I grew up in a 49er household, and that's pretty much the only football I'll watch, and even then I kind of daze in and out unless it's a rather exciting game. I did watch last week's game, and followed along until the bitter end.

when we lost.

That said, I'm a sucker for parties, and for hearty comfort food. We aren't hosting a super bowl party this year because 1) it snuck up on me, and 2) I'm not even sure exactly who is playing. Those East Coast teams all look/sound the same to me.

(~~ ducking~~)

BUT! You should TOTALLY have a party. And make these sandwiches. Because they rock.

The Ingredients.

serves 8-10 for sandwiches, 6 if spooned over rice

3 to 4 pound beef rump roast

1 onion, sliced in rings

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon anise

1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes (undrained)

1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (Redbridge, by Anheuser Busch is gluten free)

8 hoagie rolls (I use gluten free bread)

8 slices of mozzarella cheese

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the meat into your cooker (frozen is okay). Top with sliced onion, and all the dried herbs and spices. It will seem like there are way too many herbs—try not to worry. Add the entire can of tomatoes and bottle of beer. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat shreds easily with two large forks. Shred the meat completely, and stir well.

Serve on toasted rolls with melted mozzarella cheese.

The french bread shown here is gluten free--it's from the Against The Grain Gourmet, and comes frozen. I can only find it at one of our fancyish family-owned grocery stores, but there are distribution phone numbers on their website.

All I did was thaw the bread, slice it down the middle, then bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the bread felt toasty, and the cheese was melty, I took it out.

The Verdict.

Having a party? This is a fantastic pot-luck meal, or game day feast. The resulting meat is fall-apart tender and nicely seasoned. The cayenne provides a bit of a kick, but not enough to bother sensitive palates. If you’d like more heat, sliced pickled jalapeño peppers works great as an additional sandwich topping. I sent the leftover meat home with my friend Sharyl, and she reported back that her three kids LOVED their sandwiches the next day.

other rocking sandwiches and football-type fare:

peperoncini sandwiches
bbq beef and bean

party little smokies (two recipes here)

Honey Beans and Spinach Slow Cooker Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:24:00 +0000

HELLO THERE! I'm sorry for shouting. I just wanted to prove that I was still here, alive and kicking. I sort of took an extended vacation for the holidays. I was planning on one week, and then all of a sudden it was m u c h longer.

but I'm back! and it's 2012, and that means I've been writing on the Internet for 4 years, which in cyberspace time is an ETERNITY (there I go again with the yelling).

I'm a slow cooking dinosaur.

Was your New Year's Resolution to cook more? Save money? Eat lighter/healthier fare?

mine too.

I wanted to make a vegetarian dinner that we would all enjoy, and thought about making Honey Lentils, since it's always such a hit, but desperately needed to use up the sweet potatoes and spinach from the produce drawer. The end result was PHENOMENAL (shouting warranted, this time).

enjoy!

The Ingredients.

serves 4-6

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, diced finely

2 medium (or 4 tiny) sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced (not pictured)

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground corriander

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup honey

1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach, washed (even if the bag says washed, rinse it off again)

2 tablespoons cream cheese (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Drain and rinse both cans of beans, and dump them into your crockpot. Add the onion, garlic, and sweet potato. Add dry spices, and stir in honey and lemon juice-- you want the beans and veggies in the pot to be coated with them. Rinse off your spinach, and add it to the pot. You'll need to squish it all in, but I promise it'll fit. Plop a dollop of cream cheese on top. Cover, and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for about 3. Stir well before serving over a bed of white or brown basmati rice.

The spinach on top may stick to the edges of the pot and get a bit crispy. This is okay-- just peel them off and stir them in. The bit of cream cheese mixes with the lemon and honey to create a fabulous sauce. If you'd like to keep the dish dairy free, just omit the cream cheese; it's not necessary and won't be missed unless you do a side-by-side comparison, which would be kind of a weird thing to do if you're avoiding dairy.

The Verdict.

I get it that I can't rave about every dish each time I write and have it be believable. BUT I LOVED THIS. Dishes like this make me happy that I've learned how to cook with the slow cooker. I never ever ever would have attempted such a dinner 4 years ago; the ingredient list would have sounded funky.

ps: the kids ate salami and cheese.

more stuff you might like:

the slow cooker diet

write on/wipe off chore charts

artichoke pasta

hot and sour soup

restaurant-quality tomato soup
Totally Together & More Make it Fast giveaway at Lee Woodruff's blog

Not Your Mother's Meatballs -- slow cooker recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:39:00 +0000

Oh they're just so pretty! I've got a meatball recipe for you today that will become a new family favorite. I'm not going to lie -- you're going to have to dirty up your hands a bit, but you won't have to wash a frying pan.

Those beautiful meatballs pictured up above? They held their form and browned beautifully all on their own in the crockpot --- no pre-browning required.

score!

The Ingredients.

makes 24 golfball-sized meatballs

1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley

1.5 pounds lean ground beef

4 slices smoked bacon, diced (raw; don't cook it)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Panko-style breadcrumbs (I used Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Bread Crumbs)

2 eggs (the eggs pictured are duck eggs! thanks, Grandpa John!)

2 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

additional ingredients:

1 cup flour (I used rice flour)

2 cups chicken broth (can use beef)

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Spray the inside of your cooker with cooking spray, or rub it down with a bit of olive oil (don't go crazy, just a little glisten) and set aside. In a good-sized mixing bowl, combine the chopped parsley, ground beef, and diced bacon. Add in Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, and the dried spices. Combine well--- I'd use your hands (remove rings, wash appropriately, and all that good stuff that if I had a legal team they'd tell me to include).

After the meat is mixed, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Pour 1 cup of flour (I used rice flour) into a shallow dish (pie pan works great).

Roll meat into golfball-sized balls and then lightly dust each meat ball with flour before placing onto the lined cookie sheet. When all the meat is gone, put the whole cookie sheet into the freezer for 1 hour, or until completely frozen. It's okay to freeze overnight, if you'd like to break this into two days (put in sealed dish/tupperware if freezing for longer).

Once your meatballs are frozen, place them one-by-one (this means don't dump!) into your lightly greased slow cooker. It's okay to stack them. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the broth and tomato paste to create a gravy. Pour this evenly over the meatballs. Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the meatballs have browned and are fully cooked. I cooked the meatballs pictured above on low for 5 hours, then let them sit on warm for another 3 1/2 hours before dinner was served.

Serve alongside pasta or rice, or all on their own. These are filling!

The Verdict.

You will love these. I couldn't stop taste-testing these throughout the afternoon and kept texting Adam to come home quick because dinner was going to rock.

and it did. I shared the leftovers with my dad who is somewhat of a meatball connoisseur and he *really* liked them. I learned about the flour-and-freezing trick from Pinterest--- it worked great, and is such a fantastic technique to keep the meat together. I already knew meatballs didn't need to be browned in the slow cooker beforehand but dredging them in flour first gives a bit more of a "crusty" texture and thickens the tomato gravy beautifully.

The internet is so much fun!

more meatballs in the crockpot:

apple, cheddar, and turkey meatballs

meatballs in peanut chile sauce

Albondigas (meatball) Soup

turkey meatballs with cranberry barbecue sauce

two little smokie appetizer recipes (but you can use meatballs!)

mercury in food, a last-minute gift giveaway, and the best ham(s) ever

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:03:00 +0000

this is a compensated post. I was asked by BlogHer to help spread the word about Mom's Clean Air Force.

I stopped eating tuna fish about 11 years ago, when I first became pregnant. I took my baby-prep research seriously, and followed all the "rules" the "experts" told me I should and shouldn't do.

After my first was born, I remember quizzing the pediatrician, "I can eat tuna again, right?"

I will never, ever forget her non-answer: "I don't think anyone should ever eat tuna. It's just not worth the risk since we don't know enough about it."

She was talking about mercury poisoning. Until a few days ago, I didn't know much about mercury except that it was bad. I didn't know it actually came from burning coal, and the coal emissions get in the clouds, which then get into the water supply through rain and snow. Every state in the country has issued a fish advisory of some type because of unsafe mercury contamination.

If you really think about it, everything has a high level of mercury because it's in our water supply; all fruits and vegetables are watered with it, and all of the animals we eat have consumed it.

Mercury is linked to Alzheimer's disease, cancer, premature birth, brain damage, premature death, and birth defects.

I can't fix this.

All I can do, and all you can do, is become educated. Be aware. I've been asked to share the Moms Clean Air Force website with you. Please consider joining, take the time to read the literature and pass it along; change happens from the bottom up.

I've also been asked to share this youtube video for further information.

Hug your kids tight.

thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

in other news, I've got book giveaways over on the review page for you. I've got my friend, Crystal Paine's (the Money Saving Mom) new book, Hallie Klecker's new cookbook, The Triumph Grocery Guide, two DVDs that Elana Amsterdam sent, and 5 copies of Totally Together. Last minute gift ideas? No problem, I've got you covered!

also, our buddies at DinnerTool wanted to share that they are feverishly working on adding new recipes. They are eager to share their Chili Cook Off recipes with you, and would like to give you a head's up that in February they will be hosting a slow cooker recipe contest.

Gluten Free Home for the Holidays is happening right! now! at Gluten Free Easily. Tune in each day for the whole month of December for a new recipe and new giveaway. The grand prize is a Vitamix!

Ham! I've got ham! Every day this week I've gotten an email about ham in the crockpot. Yup, it works, and it is WONDERFUL. Here are our favorites:

maple ham

honey glazed ham with thyme

have a wonderful day.

21-Ingredient Chili Slow Cooker Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:35:00 +0000

quite possibly the world's best chili

This is not an ordinary chili recipe. I received an email from Jennifer D., at the beginning of October.

Her email read: I'm not a chili fan after having endured my mom's "chili" (really ground beef, a can of kidney beans, a can of stewed tomatoes), but I love this recipe. Like would eat it every day kind of love. It's a lot of ingredients, but it's well worth it. And gluten-free.

I made Jennifer's chili over the weekend and while I balanced the cans and spice bottles for the "before" photo, Adam walked into the kitchen. I believe his exact words were, "this better be a damn good chili."

It was.

Adam, the baby, and I each had THIRDS. Thank you, Jennifer!!

The Ingredients.

serves 8

a lot of ingredients. don't freak out.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut in 1-inch chunks)

1 onion, diced

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can corn (drained and rinsed)

1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes (whole can)

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated

1/2 cup spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari Wheat Free are gluten free)

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (this has heat, if you are sensitive, start with 1 tsp. 3tsp = 1tblsp)

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon white pepper (this has heat, if you are sensitive omit completely or go slow)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

2 cups chicken broth

add salt to taste at the table, if needed

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of your cooker; frozen is okay, but cut it into chunks. Add the diced onion, canned beans, tomatoes, chiles, corn, and grated sweet potato. Now add the mustard, honey, and dried spices. Carefully stir well to distribute spices the best you can. Pour in the chicken broth.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until chicken easily shreds with two large forks. Although you could cook this on high in 4 hours, the flavors will meld best when cooked low and slow. Stir very well and serve in a large bowl with your favorite chili toppings. We like shredded cheese and sour cream.

The Verdict.

Such. Good. Chili. This is a whole meal in a bowl. I thought I was going to make cornbread to go with, but the day got away from me. We didn't need it, though--- this is incredibly hearty and has a fantastic range of flavors. My tongue was first hit with sweet, then a slow heat came out. The children ate their servings---it was not overly spicy (the baby had three helpings!). The heat is from the white pepper, not the chili powder. If you've got sensitive palates, cut back on the white pepper (you can always add more at the table).

Thank you again to Jennifer D.!

additional chili recipes:

What to Do With Your Turkey Bones and Leftover Meat

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:06:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey, what are you doing on the computer on Thanksgiving day anyway.....?

hmm.

it's okay. I won't tell.

Are you wondering what to do with your leftover turkey meat and the bones? Look no more--I've got you covered!

Here are three completely different but absolutely wonderful soups. I can't decide which one I'm going to do this year, but I'm leaning towards the stew because it's good cold-weather food and it's supposed to rain the next few days.

enjoy your family! and don't pick fights with the crazy uncles...

{PS: click on the words under the pictures--- for some reason Blogger isn't letting me add a URL to the photos today. grrr.}

turkey and wild rice soup

turkey stew

old fashioned ~~chicken~~ turkey and noodle soup

Have an absolutely wonderful day with your family.

updated, November 28: Happy Cyber Monday! I'm giving away 5 Hamilton Beach Slow Cookers this week! Click on over to my review page for your chance to win!

A Slow Cooker Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:13:00 +0000

Be thankful for your crockpots this year.

It sounds peculiar, and maybe even a bit stupid, but if you stop to really think about it, your crockpots are providing a gift. The gift of time.

thanks to this simple machine you have more time in your day to do the things you really want to do: garden, read, play, tickle, sleep, write, create, and spend time with your family.

life is good.

traditional stuffing

cornbread stuffing

candied sweet potatoes

homemade cranberry sauce

amazing mashed potatoes

sweet and sour caramelized onions

perfect turkey breast

creamed corn

spinach artichoke dip


crustless pumpkin pie


even MORE holiday food!

and just in case...


how to company clean in 30 minutes or less

have a wonderful Holiday! We're hosting again this year, and I'm looking forward to having all of our family in one place instead of making the rounds. As an added bonus, my birthday falls on Thanksgiving--pumpkin pie as birthday cake! yum.

I'm hosting a new giveaway this week: a Deny Designs Bling Box, an approximate $150 value. Click on over for your chance to win!

gobble ~ gobble ~ gobble

Italian Minestrone Soup in the Slow Cooker

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:32:00 +0000

The temperature has followed the clock's lead, and has turned back a notch. It's officially cold outside, and we're ready for soup season.

mmm.

There is something terribly soothing about minestrone soup--- regardless of your age, curling up with a bowl of hearty soup is as if you're being cuddled from the inside.

simply lovely.

The Ingredients.

serves 6-8

1 pound lean ground meat: pork, beef, or turkey. I used beef.

4 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 cup chopped carrot

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced or stewed tomatoes

1 tablespoon dried oregano

4 cups beef broth

2/3 cup dried elbow pasta (to add later; I used Tinkyada brand which is gluten free)

kosher salt (add to taste at the table)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Brown the first four ingredients on the stovetop, and drain the fat. I know, I hate cooking before I cook too, but this is a good thing because you're draining the rendered grease/fat.

Add meat to the slow cooker, and your vegetables. Add the whole can of tomatoes, the oregano, and beef broth. Stir to combine. Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, stir in the dry pasta. Flip to high, and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until pasta has become bite-tender.

Serve in wide-mouthed bowls with a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

The Verdict.

I served this soup last week to my family of five, my parents, and my grandma. We didn't have any leftovers. I am beginning to really prefer beef broth to chicken in my heartier soups that have tomatoes--- it's just a more rich flavor.

If you plan on freezing this soup, I wouldn't add the noodles until you reheat and serve; they'll break up on you in the freezer.

additional soup season favorites:

Albondigas Soup

Tortilla Soup

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Doro Wat

Black Bean Soup

Corn Chowder

Clean out the Pantry Minestrone

End of Summer Harvest Soup

African Peanut Soup

GIVEAWAY!! I'm hosting a giveaway for Chime.In over on the review page, and I have a FREE Amazon Kindle Fire for a lucky (randomly selected) winner!

Slow Cooker Shredded Korean Beef Tacos

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:45:00 +0000

I can tell you've been really good lately. And because of that you deserve a really, really good crockpot recipe.

Not mediocre.

Not eh, it's okay, I guess.

Nope.

A REALLY GOOD RECIPE THAT'S ALSO REALLY EASY AND ALSO PRETTY CHEAP.

here you go:

The Ingredients.

serves 6-8

3-4 pounds beef roast (I used a trimmed chuck roast)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari Wheat-Free are gluten free)

1 head garlic (peeled, but leave cloves intact--approx 10 cloves)

1/2 onion, diced

1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 whole jalapeno, diced (be careful! use gloves!)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Okay. This truly can't be any easier. I didn't brown my meat, but I did trim off the visible fat. I can make these directions complicated and tell you to add this or that first,

but it honestly doesn't matter. This is going to cook on low all day long, and the ingredients will distribute just fine all on their own. Throw everything in however you'd like.

Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat has fully shredded--- you can help it out by cutting the meat into pieces an hour or so before serving time. Serve in soft corn or flour tortillas (we are gluten free, and used tiny corn tortillas that are labeled gluten free) with shredded cabbage salad and white or brown rice.

this is how I made my shredded cabbage:

1 bag shredded coleslaw from the grocery store's produce section

1 tablespoon soy sauce (la choy or tamari wheat-free)

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

toss together and serve immediately (it gets too wilty if you make it early in the day)

The Verdict.

Oh gosh. I must admit I've never had an authentic Korean taco off of a food truck because I'm not sure of the ingredient list, but I can't imagine they'd be any better. I was so pleased with this ingredient combination I was eager to share with my brother and sister-in-law and the neighbors. Everyone gave high praise.

My own children ate everything off their plates--- the jalapeno leaves a slight tongue burn, but it sneaks up and really isn't anything major--- just mostly smokey.

yum.

Head's up--- the wonderful people at DinnerTool.com want to let you know that they are in the midst of a $1000 American Express giveaway right now to help with Thanksgiving grocery shopping (that's a LOT of groceries!) and get a head-start on Holiday shopping. This contest will run until November 15.

Halloween Slow Cooker Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:02:00 +0000

Happy Halloween! Put your slow cooker to good use this weekend to keep all the goblins in your life happy and well-fed.

Witch's Brew. Green, slimy, sweet, and sour. The star anise look like tiny little spiders--fun!

Caramel Apples. YUM. I made these for the first time on my daughter's 7th birthday. Now she's 10, and her LITTLE sister is 7. I'm not okay with this.

Autumn Sausage Casserole. A bowl full of fall. Great dinner to fill the belly before heading out for the night.

Chocolate and Marshmallow Fondue. Skip the waxy supermarket Halloween candy and make the good stuff.

Jamaican Pumpkin Soup. A rich, velvety, creamy soup-- restaurant quality and super delicious. You decide the amount of cream to add at the table.

Mulled Wine. Warm up after a chilly night out with a hot mug of mulled wine. The perfect by-the-fire adult drink.

Pizza Soup. The kids have requested this for dinner this Halloween--liquid pizza. If you normally order pizza delivery before heading out, make this instead to satisfy your pepperoni craving.

Pumpkin Spice Latte. The one and only!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in the Slow Cooker. Yes, you can roast pumpkin seeds in the crockpot. But that doesn't mean you should. It's kind of a pain.

Orange Glazed Beets. Food that bleeds! Fantastic for Halloween--- if you're a beet fan, you'll like these an awful lot. If you aren't a beet fan, you probably never will be. That's okay. I'm not either.

Stewed Tomatoes. They look like baby animal hearts, which is great for a spooky dinner, but taste A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. ---even if you aren't a big tomato fan.

Have a wonderful Halloween weekend, and enjoy your trick-or-treating! Viva la Crocktober!

Sausage and Lentil Stew Slow Cooker Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:33:00 +0000

I love one-pot meals. This is a nutritiously sound meal that will hopefully keep your meat-loving husband, your carb-conscious mother-in-law, and veggie-hungry aunt all happy.

And that there is a very steep order.

The Ingredients.

serves 4-6 depending on the size of the people

1 cup lentils

2 cups beef broth

1 (12-ounce) package smoked chicken or turkey sausage, sliced--your choice of flavor. I used a spicy mango chicken from Aidell's.

1 cup chopped carrots

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

9 ounces (or so) fresh spinach (to add at the very end)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Rinse your lentils under cold water, and place them into an empty slow cooker. Add beef broth, and sliced sausage. Add the entire can of tomatoes and a cup of chopped carrots. The broth and the seasoning from the sausage is enough to flavor this dish-- there is no need for additional spices.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, then stir in fresh spinach. It'll look like a lot at first, but the spinach will wilt and I promise it will all fit. Cover again and let the spinach soften for about 15 minutes. Serve in a shallow bowl with cornbread.

unless you don't like cornbread. then you really shouldn't eat it.

The Verdict.

We all ate it! I usually pick a sausage that has a bit of heat instead of the sicky-sweet sausages (think chicken apple) when I make casseroles or stews because the spice dissipates enough to not upset the kid tongues, but there is still a great amount of flavor. I am now such a fan of lentils--- they're cheap, filling, fat free, and full of fiber.

I've partnered up with DinnerTool.com, and wanted to share their new recipe and grocery list maker with you. It's completely free, and uber-easy to use. Which is good, because yesterday I spent 45 minutes at Lucky's only to walk out without the one thing I walked in for: bananas. grr.

All Hail the Lentil!

Honey lentils

Indian spiced lentils with chicken

Moroccan Lentil Soup

16-bean soup (I'm pretty sure there's a lentil in there somewhere)

Slow Cooker Troubleshooting

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:24:00 +0000

We have two new family members! Meet Sugar and Oliver (Ollie)--- who were in the house all of 45 minutes before I decided to throw them in a crockpot. [PETA disclosure; it wasn't plugged in, they weren't drugged---all just fun and games!]

While cooking in the slow cooker is pretty easy, sometimes things don't go exactly quite as planned. Since I've used the crockpot eight million and fifty-six times I have a few tricks up my ~~robe~~ sleeve that might be of some help to you.

Part 3 of Frequently Asked Questions. 1 and 2 are here.

Cleaning Baked on Gunk.

If you make a casserole in the slow cooker, like a lasagna, sometimes the baked on gunk is hard to get off. Don't use a brillo pad, or harsh abrasive scrubber to scrape it off. Instead, fill the crock with hot water and drop in a fabric softener (dryer) sheet, and let it sit over night. In the morning, rinse out the crock and wash it normally (either by hand or in the dishwasher).

Do You Use the Slow Cooker Liners?

I don't. But that's because I use my pots so much (I have 7 plugged in today!) it wouldn't be cost-effective for me to do so. If I think what I'm making will be difficult to clean, I'll spray a bit of cooking oil on the crock before loading it up. Otherwise, I just clean promptly, or use the above fabric softener sheet trick.

Hard Water Stains or Bean Residue.

The white, filmy stuff left behind on a black stoneware is lime scale, and comes from hard water, soap scum, or bean goop. Once you wash your pot with hot, soapy water, it's fine to use, even with this white discoloration. If it really bothers you, you can use a mixture of water and vinegar to wash away the stains, or make a big pot of tomato-based something or other (chili, stew, marinara sauce) to get rid of the stains.

I live in an area with hard water, and have these stains pretty often. I simply ignore them and keep cooking.

There is Water Trapped in The Handle of the Glass Lid of My CrockPot.

Ew. This happens if you don't have a tight seal on the handle of the glass lid and you run it through the dishwasher. The best thing to do is to unscrew the lid, wipe out the water, and then hand-wash the lid from now on. I'm sure you could hunt down a rubber gasket from a hardware store to make the seal tighter, but usually the glass lids don't get so dirty you can't just hand wash them.

The Handle Fell off the Glass Lid and it's Broken and I Need a New One.

You can order new glass lid handles from the Crock-Pot main website. You'll need to get the model number from the bottom of the heating element before seeing what type of knobs are available.

Or, you can go to a hardware store and get a single screw drawer-pull and use that instead for a new handle.

The Glass Lid is Broken.

You can order replacement glass lids from the Crock-Pot website (again, have your model number ready), or you can use a few layers of foil as a lid. Crimp the edges tightly, and cook your food the same way. Be super careful when removing the foil, the steam will be quite hot!

Which Slow Cooker do you Recommend?

I have all my recommended slow cookers and accessories listed on the Store page of the website.

What Do I Do With the Temperature Probe My Slow Cooker Came With?

Throw it in a junk drawer. I don't use the temperature probe, and none of my recipes call for using one, because I try to keep them pretty simple. If you are cooking a whole chicken or a fancyish piece of meat and would like the meat to turn off when it reaches a desired internal temp, use the probe. The probe is not to be used as an instant-read meat thermometer, but as a tool to turn the pot to a "warm" setting once the desired temp is reached.

I Only Have a 6-quart. How Do I Make Recipes that Call for a 4-quart or 2-quart?

Slow Cookers work the best when they are pretty full---about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. You can still use them if they aren't to this capacity, but your food will cook faster.

If you are making a smaller recipe in a 6-quart, you can load the ingredients in and shorten the cooking time, or you can insert an oven-safe dish and then load the food into that. I recommend a Pyrex or Corningware-type dish, although a metal loaf pan or baking dish would work fine also. It's okay if the food mounds over the top, or overflows.

This is also what I use to make creme brulee or cheesecake.

I hope this helps! I have other answers listed in this Frequently Asked Year of Slow Cooking questions post and this one, too.

If you have any other questions, please let me know and I'll try my hardest to answer them the best I can. I hope you're enjoying your Crocktober!

Smoky Country-Style BBQ Ribs in the Slow Cooker

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:34:00 +0000

A few years ago I was in a Buffalo Wing phase--- my tongue itched for the spicy tang of Buffalo Wing sauce pretty much always.

It was a fun time.

This year, though, I seem to be on a rib kick. I love testing out new BBQ restaurants and trying to recreate the "oh-this-is-the-best-sauce-ever" flavor at home.

and in the crockpot.

I think we've hit the jackpot with this particular combination. The sauce has the perfect blend of twang, sweet, smoke, and heat without needing to brown the ribs beforehand, leave the house, or get dressed.

I used 3.5 pounds of pork baby back ribs, but you can certainly use beef if you'd like, or use this sauce on chicken thighs. I did NOT brown the meat at all--- the color shown up above was achieved solely in the slow cooker.

The Ingredients.

serves 4, unless you're really hungry.

3-4 pounds ribs

1 large yellow onion, sliced in rings

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce (in the ketchup aisle)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (read labels for gluten. Lea & Perrins, made in the USA is GF)

4 chopped garlic cloves

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce

1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Cut the rack of ribs in half with a large knife or poultry scissors and make sure they fit all the way in the cooker, with the lid on. Now take them out.

Place the sliced onion in your pot, then put the ribs back in. Combine the dried ingredients: brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub this mixture all over the ribs.

Wash your hands well.

Now combine the wet ingredients: chili sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Tabasco, and Liquid Smoke. Pour this mixture evenly over the top of your ribs.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until the meat is tender, and has begun to pull away from the bone. The longer you cook the meat, the more tender it will become. Before serving, flip the ribs over a few times to get all sides nice and saucy.

The Verdict.

These are lick your fingers (and your forearms) good. Yum.

I could put this sauce on an old tire.

more ribs? no problem!

Hawaiian Ribs
Red Ribs

Slow Cooker Caribbean Jerk Chicken Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:50:00 +0000

Happy Friday! It's the last day of September, which means CROCKTOBER begins tomorrow!

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

In honor of the end of September, and the official beginning of Crock-Pot season, I'm hosting a giveaway for a brand-new (not even in stores!) Crock-Pot countdown, and copies of my three books. This is a 24-hour giveaway, and will end Tomorrow, October 1 (7am pacific), so make sure to enter today!

Today's recipe is one of my new favorite chicken recipes. I used a whole chicken, but this spice rub would work great on whatever you've got in the house---it might be really fun to do party drumsticks or wings, too.

I skin my chickens because of my weird issues. If you don't want to skin the bird, you don't have to. You can also insert a rack under the bird to let the drippings settle away from the bird, if you'd like. If you don't have a wire rack, you can make a foil snake (3 feet long, then twist up and create a coil at the bottom of the pot) and use that instead.

The chicken pictured was skinned as much as I could with poultry scissors, then cooked in the crock, breast-down. I didn't throw in potatoes or use a rack, but you certainly can if you'd like.

The Ingredients.

serves 4 to 6

4-5 pound whole chicken

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon all spice (not a typo, I used a whole tablespoon!)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Skin the bird as much as you can (or don't. it's your choice.) and place it into the slow cooker. I prefer to cook my chickens upside down, to keep the breast meat as juicy as possible. Make sure all the giblets, neck, etc. are out!

In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and dry spices. Rub this spice and sugar mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Pour on the lime juice.

Cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4. Check doneness with a meat thermometer, or cut in to make sure the meat is no longer pink. Usually the bird falls completely apart--which is great. Moist, juicy, wondefully-flavored meat.

You can serve with lime wedges for a bit of extra citrus flavor, if you'd like.

mmm.

The Verdict.

My family and my friend Sharyl's family ate this chicken and we all loved it. Even my super-picky 10-year-old (I can NOT believe she's ten. #nothappyaboutthis) ate her serving and said it was good.

Sharyl asked for the recipe, which is always a good sign.

The bit of heat from the cayenne is there--- but not enough that any of the kids (six in all) complained. The pan drippings would be great to cook your rice in as a side dish.

more chicken? no problem!

lemon roasted

herb garden roasted

chicken with summer tomatoes

Vietnamese roasted

20-40 garlic clove

rotisserie-style

Have a great weekend! Make sure to enter the giveaway!

Slow Cooking in the Real World

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:08:00 +0000

Crock-Pot plugged in the garage, on the dryer

We're doing a tiny bit of remodeling right now. Nothing fancy---- we're (and by we, I mean not me) tearing up the linoleum that came with the house and having tile installed in the kitchen.

This was my anniversary present to Adam. I promised that if he got me tile, I'd never again complain about the flooring.

I'm such a giver.

the last of the nasty linoleum

Because our kitchen has pretty much been rendered useless (the refrigerator is plugged in the dining room, and the stove/oven combo and dishwasher are under a sheet behind the couch) I've been needing to utilize my own advice and use the MANY MANY MANY slow cookers we own to get dinner on the table.

Crock-Pot loaded with baked potatoes
in an otherwise unusable kitchen

and it's been kind of fun.

The kids wanted a baked potato bar the first night. No problem. Then they wanted brown sugar chicken. Not an issue---I already had it frozen in a ziplock, so I thawed it in the fridge overnight then squeezed the contents into the slow cooker in the morning. Tonight, we're having baked sweet potatoes and foil-packet tilapia (the fish won't go on until later this afternoon).

and so far, so good.

the coffee pot is also a necessity

I get a lot of emails, and some of my favorites are from readers who use their cookers in non-traditional ways. Last night I got an email from a construction worker who leaves a crockpot plugged in the trailer so he doesn't have to rely on fastfood or soggy sandwiches for lunch and dinner.

I like hearing from people who travel with their crockpots and plug it in the hotel room while they are out sight-seeing for the day.

I have great kids, but after a long day of vacationing, sometimes they aren't up to "restaurant manners"--- and it's nice to come back to a pot full of Korean Ribs or BBQ Beef and Bean sandwiches.

My friend Mir brings her crockpot camping. They have a pop-up trailer and she likes knowing dinner is taken care of before leaving camp for the day to play in the water. The crockpot also came in handy when an unexpected rain storm left barbecuing outside impossible.

We recently got back from a roadtrip to Oregon, and stopped at a few pioneer museums that were built along the Oregon Trail. Talk about hardships! A bit of rain, a torn up kitchen? That's nothing.

We are so lucky to be living in the time we are living----roughing it just really isn't roughing it anymore.

What about you? Do you have any odd or different uses for the slow cooker?

I'm greatly enjoying my month of 24-hour Give Aways---today I've got 5 copies of the More Make it Fast cookbook to give away. These recipes were all chosen to be budget-friendly. Pop on over and enter yourself to win!

and speaking of budget-friendly, it looks like Amazon has my book for sale for an unheard of $7.61 today. Ouch.

Have a wonderfully great day.

Honey Garlic Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie O'Dea) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:28:00 +0000

Good morning! It's the first day of school in our house, and I'm typing super quick to get this recipe out to you so I can bask in the fact that the baby is napping, the sun is shining, and the HOUSE IS QUIET.

QUIET QUIET QUIET

I may go do cartwheels on the back lawn...

right after I watch a soap opera marathon while eating a box of bon-bons...

This is a quick, easy, and super-tasty chicken recipe. I'd highly recommend using thighs--- they hold up better in the slow cooker and dark meat just tastes better. :-) I use boneless, skinless thighs. If your thighs have bones and skin, fish them out of the pot before serving (the chicken will separate from the bone and it'll be pretty easy).

The Ingredients.

serves 4

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (4 or one thigh per family member)
3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup soy sauce (La Choy or Tamari wheat-free are gluten free)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker (if using a 6-quart, this will cook faster. Check after 3 hours on high, 5 hours on low).
Put the chicken into your cooker. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, then pour evenly over the top.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 (I'd go with low---).
Serve with basmati rice and steamed or roasted vegetables.

The Verdict.

My kids adore this chicken. The ketchup and honey taste a bit like barbecue sauce, but slightly more tart. The basil gives it a different, herby flavor which I like a lot. If you are into freezer meals, this is a great candidate--- load all the ingredients into a freezer bag (raw chicken, the sauce ingredients) and then freeze. Thaw the bag overnight in the fridge, then plop the ingredients into your cooker for a fast morning plug-in.

Enjoy!

I've been doing a GiveAway a Day for the whole month of September. Today I'm giving away 5 copies of my new book, Totally Together: Shortcuts to an Organized Life. Click on over for your chance to win!