Crockpot Recipes [Recipes]

2006 Nov 24
Anyone care to share their tried, tested and true crockpot recipes?

Here's my latest creation. Boy did it turn out good! I hope someone copies this recipe and enjoys it! (I added about half a cup of pico de gallo that I had left over from something I made before but it's not necessary for the recipe.)

Crockpot Beef Stew and Dumplings

5 strips of bacon
1 or 2 pounds stew beef
5 shallots
2/3 cup red wine
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 beef boullion cube or 1 cup beef broth or stock
4 large potatoes
3 medium carrots pealed and chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 small green pepper chopped
5 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Flour as needed

In a good frying pan, cook the bacon, drain and chop it coarsely. Remove all but 2 tbsp of bacon fat from the pan. Cut excess fat off beef, and cut into 1 inch pieces. Toss with flour till coated, then brown the beef in the bacon fat. Place the browned beef at the bottom of your crockpot. Peal and chop the shallots in half, from root to stem, and add them to the pan. Sautee the shallots till they begin to turn brown, and put them on top of the meat in the crockpot.

Add the red wine and garlic to the sautee pan and cook on medium for 3 minutes, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Dissolve the boullion cube into a cup of hot water, (or use 1 cup of beef broth or stock) and add to pan, mixing well. Turn it off and save this mixture for after.

Cut the potatoes into chunks, about twice the size as the meat chunks. Leave skins on scrubbed new white potatoes if you like, and put them on top of the meat in the pot. Add the chopped carrots, celery, green pepper and bacon to the pot.

Mix the ketchup, worchestershire sauce, oregano, salt, pepper, and pour over the stew.

Pour the wine mixture over the top and add enough water to cover by an inch. Do not stir.

If you're doing this the night before, you can put everything except the water, store it in the fridge, then in the morning, add the water to cover and start it cooking.

Cook covered on low for 8 - 10 hours, checking potatoes at the end with a fork. Potato should be cooked through, but not falling apart. Stir gently, making sure to mix up all the layers.

If you're not making dumplings, thicken the stew by mixing 1 or two tablespoon of flour into a cup of the liquid from the stew. Mix it up well and remove any chunks before adding this to the stew.

If you are making dumplings, turn the crockpot to high and wait til it starts to bubble. Then add the dumplings.

----------------------
Dumplings

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup milk

Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium size bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Drop by spoonfuls into simmering stew. They might sink a bit, but don't worry, they'll come back up for air. Cover and simmer 10 minutes without lifting lid, then 10 minutes with the lid off to dry the tops of the dumplings a bit.

Serve a bowl of stew with a dumpling on top, dry side up. And a spoon.

Store leftover dumplings separately from stew so they don't get soggy.







2006 Nov 24
Yummm. My mouth is watering. When are you going to cook it? Just tell us and we will come over to enjoy the food. When's your next party?

2006 Nov 24
Nice! I did cook it tuesday. Roomie and I ate it all week. I think there's one more serving left. Want to share?? haha

How bout you give me a nice recipe and we'll throw a party together?


2007 Jan 3
I just wanted to say that I tried this recipe however I didn't use red wine..just used beef stock instead and it was absolutely delicious!

2007 Jan 4
Your recipe sounds awesome! I printed it off and will try it soon. We just got our crock pot for Christmas so we have a whole list of stuff to try.

We ate this one (below) last night. Prepared it in the crock on Tuesday night, put it in the fridge overnight and then plugged it in yesterday morning before work and it smelled amazing when we got home last night. The pork was so tender it fell apart when you touched it with a fork. Very delicious! We felt it could do with another teaspoon of curry powder (if you like curry). We also added some frozen peas for colour and veggies.
Let me know if anyone tries it!

Slow-Cooker Pork and Apple Curry

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Hot cooked rice
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

DIRECTIONS
In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 10 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender. Increase heat to high. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring once.

Serve over rice if desired. Sprinkle with raisins and coconut.

2007 Jan 4
Mmmfood: your stew has been cooking for an hour and I CAN'T WAIT to get home tonight and see how it turned out.

Your stew has the honour of being the first "slow-cooked" meal from our 3-in-1 rice cooker, steamer, crockpot! I was a little concerned, as the machine's capacity is for only 10 cups of ingredients; I cut back a potato, a carrot and skipped the green pepper. Everything is pretty densely packed as well -- hopefully this won't affect the cooking.

I will be sure to take images of the results and post here -- thanks for sharing!

2007 Jan 4
I'm so happy people are using my recipe!!

I also copied the Pork/Apple Curry recipe and I will make it soon.

Thanks ksw!!

2007 Jan 5
As promised, here's your stew sans dumplings. I didn't have the opportunity to really set the picture up as I was damn hungry!

Lovely, rich flavours. Cramming all the ingredients in tight together didn't result in anything being undercooked. That's what 9 hours of heat gets ya.

In future, I'd probably cut the potatoes a bit smaller as they're a bit of a mouthful like this.

I hope people share more crockpot secrets; I'm hooked. What a cool way to prepare food.

2007 Jan 8
Fantastic! Looks so good.

Careful not to cut your taters too small cuz they will cook too fast and get mushy :)


2007 Jan 9
Here's a recipe for a favorite of mine - pulled pork sandwiches. I've tried this recipe and it was delicious!

www.foodies.ca

2007 Jan 9
This recipe looks great! There's a place here in Victoria, Ferris' Oyster Bar, that offers a sandwich called "The Other Great White Hope" which sounds pretty similar to this. It's my standby order.

What's the best way to shred the pork? Is a proper meat grinder a necessity or is there a way to jury-rig the process?

Thanks for sharing, Brent.

2007 Jan 9
Ack no, then it would be called ground pork! You pull the pork with your fingers. en.wikipedia.org

Of course you can't make real pulled pork in a slow cooker -- you should use a proper smoker or barbecue, like the Big Green Egg I'm trying to convince Mrs Foodie we need.

That said, I bet the slow cooker recipe tastes good... just don't be calling it pulled pork around any southerners!

2007 Jan 11
I know I keep coming back to the Foodies TV show, but coincidentally, the episode coming up this weekend is all about Slow Cooking, and has Lucy Waverman as a guest...

2007 Jan 12
Thanks Brent - I have set up the PVR to tape it on Sunday. Looking forward to watching it!

2007 Jan 12
I use my crockpot often, but more for prep than meals. I cook steel cut oats in it, black beans or chickpeas (works really well, no need to soak them first) or the occasional batch of rice pudding. I've made curry or stew in it once or twice but find it never tastes quite the same as when it's been cooked on the stovetop.


2007 Jan 19
We also tried out mmmfood's stew recipe and it was yummo! I rarely follow a recipe properly but I really tried not to stray too much with this one (deviations were: red pepper instead of green and no exact measurement of anything).

Having oregano as the sole herb in a beef stew was new to me and worked very well. Next time, I'll probably substitute tomato paste for the ketchup and toss a few bay leaves into the pot. Thanks for the recipe!

2007 Jan 21
You got it! I too, might have used half a can of tomato paste instead of ketchup, if I had it in stock. Tomato paste is something I haven't used alot because past experiences with it have been disapointing - too acidic/tomatoey. I'm sure it's because of my lack of education using this form of tomatoes. Recently I've realized that it's an essential ingredient in many dishes, and to be used moderately and carefully.

The bay leaf is an excellent idea! I use bay leaf in many dishes, however I intentionally left it out this time, because I wanted to see how the oregano would do on its own. I'm sure it would definately enhance the flavour.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

2007 Jan 21
Mark, nice picture! You also get the blurry background. This is great! After OttawaFoodies.com, you can think about OttawaPhoto.com.

I can tell from the photo that it tastes good.

2007 Jan 21
Thanks Ashley! It only looks good because I took it with my digital SLR. ;-)

Actually, anyone who buys a Canon DSLR should get the incredibly good and affordable 50mm f/1.8 lens (assuming they don't want to blow big bucks on the 1.2L). It's my cheapest lens, yet it is my favourite for all non-telephoto applications. I used it to snap the bowl of stew and also for this low-light picture at the Lisbon Oceanarium in 2005.

2007 Feb 8
Just thought I would let all the Farm Boy fans out there know that I submitted my Apple Pork Curry recipe (see below)for the Farm Boy recipe of the week contest and I won this weeks $50 gift certificate!
So if anyone gets the weekly e-mails with coupons as I do, you will see my name and this recipe!!

Yayyy! I NEVER win anything so this is quite exciting for me :)

(I am submitting this under the Farm Boy string as well....)

2007 Feb 8
Yay!! Congrats!!

I've had your recipe saved since you posted it, just waiting for the right occasion - I think this is it! Good for you!

What are you going to buy??

2007 Feb 8
Thanks!!!

We actually have friends coming down tomorrow night from MTL for Winterlude and hubby and I made our Farm Boy shopping list last night for the two breakfasts and a dinner (we are eating out one dinner - at Allium - or as I call it AlliYum!). So the list was getting pretty long and expensive looking and then surprise!, I got the e-mail this morning saying I had won. So the $50 will come in VERY hand towards the bill tomorrow. :)

Incidentally, we have now made this recipe twice since I first posted here and have made a few adjustments.

1. Add another apple - because it cooks so long, the apple tends to disintegrate and you don't get the full effect

2. If you like curry - make it two tablespoons instead of just one - again, that amount just doesn't seem to stand out

3. Reduce the orange just a bit if you don't like a strong taste of it

4. We added frozen green peas for added veggies and color

2007 Feb 8
Thanks for the tips! I've added them to the recipe and I plan to make it this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out!

2007 Feb 8
ksw: congrats! I made your apple pork a few weeks back and cooked it overnight. I woke up at 2:30 a.m. to go the bathroom and the house smelled so delicious, I had to go sit in the kitchen for a bit, just to enjoy the aroma.

Mmmfood: I made your beef stew for the second time this week and it's been sustaining my family for 4 days and counting!

Some thoughts: cutting potatoes in one inch cubes (like the beef) was no problem with no overcooking of the taters and easier mouthfuls. I think the bacon makes it a little too rich and I'm going to cut back to 2-3 slices in future. (And this is coming from someone who likes their food a little fattier and saltier than most!)

2007 Feb 9
Picking up ingredients for the Apple Pork Curry, after work.

I always only buy sweet Gala apples.

What kind of apples should I be getting for this? Which ones are "tart".?


2007 Feb 9
Granny Smith is an easy to find tart variety.

2007 Feb 9
Paula Reds, Ginger Golds & Northern Spys all have a wonderful "tart-y-ness" to them.

2007 Feb 9
Just printed it off from my Farm Boy email!

2007 Feb 10
Couldn't find any of those varieties at Loblaws - "Paula Reds, Ginger Golds & Northern Spys all have a wonderful "tart-y-ness" to them."

So I got some Granny Smiths. Making it today!

2007 Feb 12
I just finished my second bowl of ksw's Apple Curry Pork.

Absolutely delicious! I think there's one serving left, even though it finished cooking at 8pm last night, when we had our first tastes, and we were both at work all day today! Roomie had 2 servings last night, took it in his lunch, and ate 2 for dinner tonight! His words in no PC terms "This is so effing good!".

I took your advice and doubled up the (granny smith) apples, and curry powder. Being a frugal cheapo I used pork shoulder instead of tenderloin. It is alot of work to cut most of the fat off, but it was worth the effort imo. I also like to use shoulder in pork recipes because then I have the bone left over to make black beans. The cut is cheaper, but cooks up well in the crocker.

It turned out fantastic. I couldn't be more pleased.

I toasted the coconut for today's meal and topped with raisins and it was sublime.

The key flavours are a perfect threesome of apple, cinnamon, and curry. It's a keeper! And so easy.

Thanks again - you rock!

P.S. I'm sure the spices could be tripled for those of you with a braver palate, but it was just perfect for me.

P.P.S. I handed the recipe to C, but she doesn't eat meat. Do you have any suggestions to vegetarianize this recipe? I'm thinking potatoes.

2007 Feb 14
Here's one of my favourites. We always end up with several days worth of leftovers with it. (Yay!)

Also, an awesome vegetarian/vegan slowcooker cookbook (for those who are interested) is "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" by Robin Robertson.

Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dhal

Ingredients

1 ½ cups dry red lentils

Vegetables:
1 potato, cubed
2 medium carrots, sliced
½ small cauliflower, florets separated
1 small onion, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini
~6 large mushrooms, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 cup some frozen peas

Spices:
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp mustard powder
3 tsp turmeric
2 ½ tsp chilli powder
2 tsp curry powder
3 slices ginger, thickly sliced
1 ½ tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste

Liquids:
3 Tbsp vegetable oil or margarine
400ml coconut milk
400ml water


Directions

1. In the slow cooker, combine all of the vegetables except for the
peas. Firmer vegetables should go at the bottom, mushy ones on top.
2. Add lentils.
3. Add spices.
4. Add liquids.
5. Cook for 7-9 hours on low, 3-4 hours on high or until the lentils
have dissolved. Add the peas, cook for 10 minutes more.
6. Serve with basmati rice, naan or other flat bread.

2012 Jan 25
Does anyone still use a slowcooker? My slowcooker sat in storage unused for several years until I dusted it off in December. It's not my favourite way to cook, since I find the meat often ends up tasting the same no matter what I do to it, but I'd love to find some great recipes that avoid this pitfall and, in doing so, simplify my life. I hope to try the dishes already on this thread, but does anyone else have any recommended recipes? I made the recipe below last week and thought it was pretty good for a weeknight meal, though I substituted prunes for dates and chose a cheaper cut of lamb at the butcher and deboned it myself.

latimes.com/features/la-fo-slowrec25a-2009feb25,0,5587760.story

Recipe: Lamb tagine with dried fruit

Total time: 40 minutes, plus cooking time (3 to 4 hours on high; 6 to 8 hours on low)

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: Serve the tagine spooned over couscous or rice. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve each portion with a wedge of lemon. This recipe requires a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. The lamb shoulder should be weighed after it is boned and trimmed.

4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon finely ground chile powder

3 pounds boneless, trimmed lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 large onions, cut into 1/2 -inch slices lengthwise

10 shallots, peeled and left whole

4 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup raisins

1 tablespoon honey

2 to 3 cinnamon sticks

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, more as needed

1 cup pitted dates

1. In a large bowl, stir together the cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, paprika and chile. Add the cubed lamb and toss until the pieces are evenly coated with the spice mix. Sprinkle with the flour and toss to give the lamb a light coating of flour (you may have a little flour left in the bottom of the bowl; save this to thicken the tagine).

2. Heat a large saute pan or stove top-safe slow cooker insert over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the lamb pieces in a single layer (this may need to be done in more than one batch) and sear until the pieces are browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon back to the large bowl.

3. Add the onions and shallots to the pan. Saute the onion and shallots until the onions are just softened and slightly golden, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from heat.

4. Place the onions and shallots in an even layer in the slow cooker insert (if not already in use). Stir in the garlic, ginger, apricots, raisins, honey, cinnamon sticks and broth. Place the lamb pieces over the onion mixture in an even layer. Gently sprinkle any remaining flour over the lamb.

5. Cover the insert and place it in the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to the high heat setting. After 2 hours, remove the lid and sprinkle the dates over the lamb. Replace the lid quickly (heat is lost whenever the lid is removed) and cook an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the lamb is fork-tender.

6. Remove the insert from the heat and briefly prop the lid open to allow the mixture to cool slightly. Gently stir the lamb with the vegetables and fruit; the apricots and dates will crush easily if stirred too hard.

Each of 8 servings: 528 calories; 40 grams protein; 49 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 21 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 125 mg. cholesterol; 1,255 mg. sodium.

2012 Jan 25
cardamom I love my slow cooker and I make most of my meals in it during the winter months. The best meats to use in the slow cooker are the cheaper cuts since they can be cooked low and slow for long periods of time and still keep their shape. The more tender cuts will fall to pieces.

My favourite recipe is one that my mother gave to me when I first moved out. It's an easy chicken dish with mushroom sauce. I place 3 lbs. of chicken in the slow cooker. (I like using drumsticks). In a bowl I mix together a can of cream of mushroom soup, a pint of fresh mushrooms, 1/2 a cup of chicken stock or white wine, and one chopped onion. Mix everything together and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6 hours.

2012 Jan 25
I also like to make the split pea soup recipe from Anne Lindsay's Lighthearted Everyday Cooking (recipe below). The instructions are for the stovetop method but you can cook it in the slow cooker on high for 4.5 hours.

2 cups dried yellow soup peas or split peas
10 cups water
1 ham bone or 1/4 lb. ham, chopped
5 medium onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery (including leaves), chopped
1 tsp. summer savory
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Rinse peas. In large soup pot, combine peas, water, ham bone or hame, onions, carrots, celery, summer sasvory and bay leaf; bring to boil. Skim off any scum. Cover and simmer for three hours or until peas are softened and soup has thickened. If soup is too thin, uncover and simmer 30 minutes longer. SEason with salt and pepper to taste. Dicard bay leaf and ham bone.

Makes eight servings, about 1 1/4 cups each.

2012 Jan 25
I've mentioned before that the crockpot is my favorite method of cooking hot dogs. Toss them in for a couple hours and they get a slow roasted flavor and if you put the buns in for the last 20 minutes they get nicely steamed.

I also use mine for oatmeal. At night put in 2 cups of steel cut oats, 8 cups of water, 1/3 cup dried cranberries and 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots and a dash of salt. Cook on low for about 8 hours, and when you wake up breakfast is ready.

2012 Jan 26
Thanks Pasta lover and blubarry. I'll give these a try.

2012 Jan 26
blubarry Have you ever tried making sausages in the crockpot? I've been buying lots of sausages from the Sausage Kitchen these days and I'd be curious to try other cooking methods other than grilling or boiling. I also seem to have lost my taste for hot dogs for some reason...

2012 Jan 26
haven't tried sausages. I guess they would be similar to cooking them low and slow in an oven.

2012 Jan 26
This recipe is very yummy so much so think it will be Saturday or Sunday supper depending on if I can get some fresh pork.
www.tastebook.com

2012 Jan 26
Sausage + kraut + crockpot. Through in some apple slices and caraway and you are looking at a fantastic supper.

2012 Jan 28
I find it interesting that almost all of these suggestions involve some form of pork. I love it (can't wait to try these latest offerings actually - thanks Ken V, Zymurgist and sourdough) but does anyone have any beloved non-pork or veg recipes?

2012 Jan 28
Here's one with chicken that's been a go-to potluck dish for me for years. It was originally published in the citizen and can easily be doubled.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN STEW

1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
2 large onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 chicken thighs with skin, bone-in
2 teaspoons (10 mL) flour
Salt, pepper, to taste
1 cup canned chick peas(125 mL) drained
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup (125 mL) raisins
1 cup (125 mL) dried apricot, chopped coarse
2 cups (500 mL) chicken broth
2 tablespoons (25 mL) tomato paste
1 teaspoon (7 mL) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (1 mL) turmeric
1 tablespoons (22 mL) fresh grated ginger root, peeled
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cinnamon

Instantcouscous, Chopped peanuts, cilantro leaves and/or plain yogurt to garnish.

1. In a skillet on medium heat, heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic. Toss chicken pieces in flour, season with salt and pepper, then add to skillet to brown on both sides.
2. Transfer all ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low setting 7 to 8 hours
3. Serve in bowls with couscous. Garnish with chopped nuts, cilantro leaves and/or plain yogurt.

2012 Jan 28
Thanks blubarry!

2012 Jan 29
You could do a pot roast/sauerbraten. I usually do those in the oven, but I'm sure they would do ok in a crockpot too.

2012 Feb 3
I generally use our crockpot for baked beans or stew, but will also do roasts in there frequently.

If I cook a roast in it though, I will only add a small amount of water or stock. I find if I fill up the pot with liquid that way that is often suggested, it's never as nice a roast as when I use a much smaller amount of fluid.

Once of my favorite unusual things I like to do with the crock pot is bake bread or cakes in it. Most regular cake recipes work, but I find that a bread dough needs to be a bit more moist.

Cakes come out amazing. You have to really grease and flour the crock, or cheat like me and use an angel food cake pan. I have one that fits in there perfect, and it makes the cake much easier to turn out.

2013 Feb 25
Just got myself my first slow cooker. I noticed the lid isn't tight fitting, not even close. almost looks like the wrong lid! Just wondering, is the lid supposed to be tight fitting, or is it supposed to let steam/moisture evaporate?

2013 Feb 26
Slow cooker lids are usually glass that sit on top of the ceramic base. The weight of the glass on the lip of the ceramic should be enough to keep everything in. If you have a space between the lip and the lid you have a problem.

2013 Feb 26
Mine is glass and fits but is not heavy and steam does seem to escape ever so slightly while things are cooking. Nothing comes out though. I'm not sure if it's supposed to do that but I don't have any problems with food being cooked and tender meat (if I have meat in it) within the suggested cooking times.

2013 Feb 27
Thanks. I seem to have found a way to get the lid to sit nicely on top, however I'm still not impressed with the design. I made refried beans yesterday and they turned out great!

2013 Apr 24
Today I served this Lemongrass coconut rice pudding for the second time to rave reviews and lots of recipe requests. Very easy and reliable and it made 50 shot glass sized tasting portions. It's good warm or cold, but I prefer it warm. One of the best uses for a crockpot.
www.finecooking.com

2013 Apr 24
Here's my usual go to chili receipe

1-2lbs stewing beef.
1-2 bottles of crud beer (Nothing you wouldn't mind using for the purpose of cooking)
1 can of Salsa
1 can tomato sauce
Beans (Optional)
Jalapenos, diced
Tortila chips
Chili powder to taste

Marinate the beef in the beer for 24 hours to get it really nice and tender.

Brown beef in a frying pan.

Combine all ingredients except corn chips in slowcooker (Include some of the beer you marinated the beef in)

Grind up tortilla chips (One of two handful worth) and add to slow cooker to provide thickening and seasoning.

Let cook for 6-8 hours.

2013 Apr 24
OK so I don't own a slow cooker but I have a recipe that I made tonight that is very popular on google and has slow cooker instructions on various sites, including www.gaiaclinic.ca and every time I make it I love it served over some chewy brown rice - it's Jamaican Red Bean Stew (sometimes it's called Soup and has an extra cup of broth in it). My dear wife said it was very tasty and added that if she had made supper it would have been a dry old pork chop, boiled potatoes and maybe some peas, no chopping involved. Glad I made this super easy stew!!! And happy for lots of leftovers!

2013 Apr 24
I'm curious why someone would thumbs down James C's chili recipe above. Seems a bit of a nasty thing to do.

2013 Apr 25
Maybe it was the onion marketing board protesting the lack of their product.

2013 Apr 25
There is no thumbs down there now. Please ignore single thumbs-down. They are statistical noise. Maybe I should hide them. Or stop talking in short sentences. At the very least.

2013 Apr 25
Loblaws frozen meatballs.
One large container of any bbq sauce, tho better if it's a smokey flavour.
One jar of any kind of jam.
A few jalapeno peppers if you want some extra heat, chopped for more, whole for less.

Slow cook on low for 4hrs'ish.

Voila - easy appetiser or meal. Freezes well too.

2013 Apr 25
You know, maybe the thumbs down was just a misclick. Whoever did it probably meant to give me a thumbs up and accidentely hit thumbs down instead.

2013 Nov 1
I'm a bit addicted to Pinterest, but unlike some of my Pinterest loving friends, I try at least once a week to make one of the recipes I've "pinned".

I've seen the "3 ingredient crock pot pork chops" quite often, and I thought I'd give it a shot. There were more than three ingredients in my version.

4 Thick-cut pork chops (boneless)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 package of dry "Ranch" dressing/dip mix (mmm sodium)
1 can + a bit of water (this is to fill my crockpot to half-way)
1 medium onion
pepper to taste

The pork chops were browned before going into the crock pot. The soup, dressing mix, water and onion were all mixed together and poured in. Set on high for 4 hours (the recipe says low, but we used high with the way the crockpot sets the heat and time and it was perfect). The sauce/liquid in the pot when it's all finished make a tasty "gravy" over the chops (and any side).

It's not a pretty dish, but it was tasty and I'll be happy to "make" it again, or eat the leftovers.

2013 Nov 1
that does not sound appetizing

2013 Nov 1
I love the idea of the slow cooker, but most of the recipes for meals that I've found contain a lot of prepared stuff (condensed soup, powdered gravy mixes, etc) and I don't use that in my normal cooking, so I'm loathe to use it in a slow cooker. Most of the recipes remind me of the Company's Coming series of cookbooks (a can of this, a package of onion soup mix, some salt, etc., or they're variations on stew.

I do like to have a paper cookbook to refer to when doing meals like this -- anyone know of one that isn't full of recipes like I described above? I use it more for when I'm making really large batches of soup, etc, than anything else. but I'd like to get back into using it for meals a couple times a week..

2013 Nov 1
I like using my slow cooker to make soup/stock with. I can toss my ingredients in, and then leave it be while I am at work/school/sleeping

2013 Nov 1
Eastcoast, you're absolutely right, it doesn't sound appetizing, but I brought it up because I was surprised that it was actually enjoyable to eat.

At the very least my unappetizing recipe might have revived this thread, and a discussion about slow cooking. :)

2013 Nov 2
I've been thinking about getting one, but can't really see it working for us.

They don't really get hot enough to make stock. You have to boil it at some point, so transferring everything to the slow cooker afterward just seems to be an extra step and something else to clean.

I have a bean pot for making baked beans. I don't know if you can make baked beans in a crock pot or not, but assume that there is a way.

Soups, meats, other dishes ... I'll just continue to use my oven, toaster oven and stove.

2013 Nov 2
Crock pots make really good beans. Though you have to fine tune the water since there is less evaporation.

But if you want something to do all of the above and more, get an Instant Pot. The pressure cooker mode is fantastic for doing stock quicker and better than in a regular pot. It also has a crock pot mode for doing the slow cooker stuff.

Forum - Instantpot - programmable pressure cooker

I have not made beans in it yet but I grew up with my mom making beans in the regular pressure cooker and they are fantastic and quick.

EDIT: and the new model is due out any time now and is supposedly going to have a sous vide mode

2013 Nov 2
I will second the Instant Pot idea. I have used it to make beans and I will never buy canned beans again -- it is just that easy. Even if you have not soaked the beans, the Instant Pot will come through with flying colours. I have also used the Instant Pot to make soup with great results. Considering I bought it to replace our rice cooker, it has become one of our go to appliances.

2013 Nov 2
America's Test Kitchen has 2 excellent crock pot recipe books. I find ATK to consistently publish the most reliable books. They explain why things happen and go into detail.

2013 Nov 4
refashionista I don't eat much in the way of prepared foods either so when I cook something in the slow cooker either I just use my usual ingredients but cooked in the slow cooker instead of the oven/stove top.