Sunday, November 30, 2008

Crockpot Pizza

From my old CrockPot Blog-
When I was looking for a recipe like this, I found several and I have just combined them into this one that works for us.

Crockpot Pizza - feeds 6

1 lb hamburger, browned and well drained
8oz shredded mozarella
1/4 c chopped onion
1/2 package sliced pepperoni - chopped
half a package of rotini (spiral) pasta
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup (substitute)4 oz mushrooms
1 jars pizza sauce


Brown hamburger with onion. Mix hamburger, onion, pepperoni, cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms and pizza sauce together in Crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours.


Just before you are ready to serve, cook pasta. Add the pasta and shredded cheese to the sauce mixture in crockpot and cook together until the cheese in melted - about 15 minutes.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my old CrockPot Blog-
We are having Thanksgiving over at my sister's house this year. Our plan is to keep the menu very simple. My husband is not home for the holiday and he is the one who loves a lot of variety. So, while I will miss him - we have a simpler menu!

I'm not usually very creative on Thanksgiving. But the other day I was listening to our local Christian Radio station and they had a guest chef on - Clive Berkman. I had never heard of him but he had some very interested recipes and a wonderful testimony.

I tracked down the radio station's website and found the recipes.
COOKING WITH CLIVE.

I'm going to try the stuffing, I think. It does sound wonderful.

But I'll probably have a sample of "Stove Top" available!


THANKSGIVING DAY EDIT -

I declare that the Stuffing/dressing recipe is a HIT. It was phenomenal!!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Country French Beef Stew

From my old CrockPot Blog-
Country French Beef Stew

6 slices bacon; cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 (3 lbs) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed; cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion; cut into 1/2 in wedges
3 cups ready to serve baby carrots
1 cup red Zinfandel wine OR nonalcoholic red wine
3/4 cup beef broth
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms; (3 cups)
1/2 cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes; (not oil-packed)
Hot cooked noodles;
if desired Chopped fresh parsley OR basil leaves; if desired 1.

Spray 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with coking spray. In a 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Place the bacon in cooker. Discard all but 1 TBSP bacon fat in skillet, Cook beef in bacon fat in batches, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Stir onion into beef. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Spoon mixture into cooker. 2. Stir carrots, wine, broth, flour, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and canned diced tomatoes into mixture in cooker. 3. Cover; cook on LOW heat setting 7 to 8 hours. 4. Stir in mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover; cook on LOW heat setting 20 to 30 minutes longer or until sun-dried tomatoes are tender. Serve mixture over noodles; sprinkle with parsley.

Pork Chops with Apples, Sweet Potatoes, and Sauerkraut

From my old CrockPot Blog-
4 (1 inch thick) boneless pork chops
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 medium onion, sliced
2 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (16 ounce) can sauerkraut, drained


DIRECTIONS
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Quickly brown the pork chops on each side. Set aside.
Arrange sweet potato slices in the bottom of a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker. Cover with the onion slices, then the apple slices. Sprinkle brown sugar, nutmeg and salt over the apples, and grind a little pepper. Place the pork chops on top of the pile, and cover with sauerkraut. Cover, and cook on Low for about 5 hours. It can go an extra hour without drying out though.
Serve pork and vegetables with juice from the slow cooker spooned over them.

Basil Chicken Merlot

From my old CrockPot Blog-
Basil Chicken Merlot with Wild Mushrooms
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 pounds roasting chicken, cut into individual pieces, skinned
1½ cups crimini mushrooms, cleaned and thickly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
6 ounce can tomato paste
1/3 cup Merlot, or other dry red wine
1 teaspoon ground oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
3 cups cooked ziti pasta, drained
Romano cheese for garnish

Directions:
In a large skillet on stovetop set to medium-high heat, heat oil.
Once the oil is hot, brown one-half of the chicken pieces on each side about 3 to 5 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set all of the browned chicken aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Sauté these vegetables for 7-8 minutes or until the onions are soft.
Place the stoneware on the slow cooker heating base and add the vegetables. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the broth, tomato paste, wine, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or on Low for 7 to 9 hours. Stir in the fresh basil. Spoon the pasta into a deep, large serving bowl or platter. Ladle the chicken and mushrooms over the pasta and spoon the extra sauce over all. Garnish with the Romano cheese.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

From my old CrockPot Blog-
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

I accidently made this with too many potatoes. I used 4 lbs of potatoes and I sliced them in my food processor. My husband is sure that it is better with more potatoes as I did it. He may just be being nice, but I do agree with him.

I actually have not tried this in the Crock Pot yet. I am concerned about the cream and how it will work in a Crock Pot. I might be able to get away with it if I don't put the cream in until about 30 minutes before I serve it. I'll update here if I ever try it via Crock Pot.


~~~Andrea~~~

Chicken and Artichokes

From my old CrockPot Blog-
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless chicken breast halves, skin removed
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package frozen artichokes, 8 to 12 ounces (I used 1 can of artichoke hearts, quartered)
1 cup chicken broth, (you may need to use the whole can)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (3 to 4 ounces) sliced ripe olives
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups hot cooked rice

PREPARATION:Rinse chicken; pat dry and set aside. In a 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker combine the mushrooms, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, chicken broth, chopped onion, sliced olives, and wine. Stir in tapioca, curry powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add chicken to crockpot; spoon some of the tomato mixture over chicken.Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Serve with hot cooked rice.Makes 6 to 8 servings

***Notes***
This was the first time I ever made something with tapioca as the thickener. It turned out wonderful! The first time I made it, I left out the olives. The 2nd time I made it, I did make it with olives. I still didn't eat them. But my husband raved about it with the olives!

Pork and Black Bean Chili

From my old CrockPot Blog-
Black Bean Chili With Pork Recipe
1 lb. boneless pork, cut into cubes
2 (16 oz.) cans black beans drained
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 med. tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 sm. red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 t. ground cumin
2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 c. sour cream
2 T. chopped cilantro

In a crockpot, stir together pork, beans, bell pepper, tomato, onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on low 8 to 9 hours. Spoon into bowls and top with sour cream and cilantro.Crockpot Black Bean Chili With Pork Recipe 1 lb. boneless pork, cut into cubes2 (16 oz.) cans black beans, drained1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped1 med. tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped1 sm. red onion, thinly sliced1 clove garlic, crushed1/2 t. ground cumin2 t. chili powder1/2 t. salt1 can tomato sauce1/2 c. sour cream2 T. chopped cilantroIn a crockpot, stir together pork, beans, bell pepper, tomato, onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on low 8 to 9 hours. Spoon into bowls and top with sour cream and cilantro.

**My Notes**
I never seem to have fresh cilantro around and truthfully, I don't like it that much. So, I skip it. I've also used a Can of Rotell in place of the peppers. If I do that, I adjust how much tomato I use.

~~~Andrea~~~

What's Cookin'?

Several weeks ago on a homeschool forum I heard about a blog of someone who had committed to using her Crock Pot every day for a year. I felt inspired to try and use my Crock Pots more. Before this, I had used my Crock Pot for soups, stews and the occassional chicken. I'm excited about the recipes I have found and I want to share them.


~~~Andrea~~~