Addiction of the Week: The Slow Cooker

My Crockpot is also my favorite kitchen appliance, my "dirty little secret" is that I actually own four of various sizes. I cook breakfast in my 3q one every day, I have one that will hold a 25lb turkey (great oven space saver at holiday time) and dinner comes out of one at LEAST five nights per week. My current favorite source of ideas is NOT Your Mothers Crockpot Cookbook by Hensperger and Kaufman. I also enjoy the sites http://www.crock-pot-recipes.info/ and http://www.a-crock-cook.com/. It may be "old fashioned" but I am never worrying about having to slave in the kitchen when I get home from work. After dinner when the kids are making lunches for the next day I get the next nights dinner ready to start in the morning and start breakfast in my smallest one. I would rather give up my dishwasher than my crockpots.

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My mom has made beef and pork roasts in her slow cooker for years. She covers the roast with water and mixes in a packet of onion soup mix and a dash of worcestershire sauce and lets that cook for hours, eventually adding in a lot of veggies near the end.

I'd love to hear some veggie ideas, too.

I made a lo-cal beef stew in my slow cooker the other day that was pretty tasty. I blogged it at my food site http://skinnymeals.blogspot.com/2008/01/chunky-beef-stew.html/.

I bet a lot of soups would be yummy when prepared in a crock pot.

Cheryl
http://redpens-diapers.blogspot.com

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These aren't terribly light, but they're really good.

Salsa Chicken:
Put in 2 cans of corn
2 cans of beans
Throw in a bunch of chicken thighs (they can be frozen)
Cover with a jar of salsa

Cook all day. About an hour before you're ready to serve, put in a brick of cream cheese. Or add a dollop or sour cream on individual servings, or some shredded jack cheese.

Here's my recipe for babyback ribs:

This is the sauce (ignore the gluten stuff. Everything I make is gluten free):

Gluten Free Homemade Bar-B-Que Sauce

1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (The bottle of Lea and Perrins I have is gluten-free, but check the label, they change the formula from time to time)
1 tablespoon wheat free soy sauce (such as Tamari)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Just mix it up and pour over ribs. Slow cook for at least 8-10 hours. Most of the fat ends up in the sauce if you cook them. I usually do them on high for a few hours and then turn it down.

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Oh, I LOVE mine!!!
Like you, when I first considered getting one I thought it was so old-fashioned. But I had found this great little cookbook: "Fix It & Forget It: Slow-Cooker Recipes" and thought I would give it a shot.
I had never attempted homemade chili before, but now it's a regular favorite around here!

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Sandra Lee of Semi Homemade has a wonderful slow cooker cook book

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whole chicken abed onions, carrots, potatoes. and in 6-8 hours VIOLA you got moist off the bone chicken. if want use the fat in the bottom and add flour, chicken knorr ouch of gravy for 30 minutes, some hot water VIOLA gravy!

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Love my crockpot. From fall through the end of spring I use it at least twice a week. My favorite non-recipe if I'm going to be rushing about and I don't even have time to chop veggies is to throw in a pork loin and top it with a bunch of my favorite BBQ sauce (I make my own if I have time) and a handful of diced onions. Turn it on low for 8-10 hours and when you get home, just cook up some Uncle Ben's whole grain rice and some corn. Kids are happy, hubby is happy and our dog is happy because there is usually something left for her.

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Try to find somewhere to get smoked Turkey Legs and sub those for the Ham Hocks. That way the recipies you already have become lower fat right off the bat. Love love love doing this!

II just got myself a new slow cooker with a thermometer built in and a timer that will automatically switch to "Warm" when the cooking time is done.....it's sad how excited this still makes me 3 weeks later!!!

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just made butter nut squash soup.
i cooked squash, carrots, white potatoes in slow clooker for 6 hours with chicken broth. then i pureed them and added some fried onions, fresh garlic, celery to the pot, with some skim milk, plain yogurt to make it thicker, and left for another few hours for the spices to mingle. it was delicious!!

also love to cook all day spag sauce with stew tomatoes, fresh spices, ground turkey or chicken, or ground round, a little wine, some tom paste and VIOLA fresh sauce instead of canned sauce.

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Crockpot Chicken Taco meat: http://www.recipezaar.com/4957
Makes tacos even quicker, or use it in oven fried chimichangas (I can't post the link because there are only 3 allowed per comment, but it is recipe # 28148)

I love this recipe, great for company and sooo easy! Whole chicken in Crockpot: http://www.recipezaar.com/33671

And this pulled BBQ chicken recipe is awesome for lunch or dinner in the summer and (shocker) easy! http://www.recipezaar.com/95569

All are from my favoritest recipe site- literally 90% of what I make comes from their recipes.

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