Slow Cooker Sausage and Potatoes

 I never think to take a photo, sigh.

This came from Tiktok and is so easy to put together, versatile, and delicious.

Ingredients:

• One (what used to be a pound) of cooked sausage (smoked, turkey, andouille)
• One package of baby potatoes, or cut up larger potatoes
• Vegetable of your choice. I used frozen green beans. My son thought they were too mushy, so next time I will try fresh. Other possibilities include chopped cabbage, carrots, or another firm vegetable.
• Seasoning of your choice. I used Kinders meat and vegetable seasoning. Lots of it.
• Half stick of butter, cut up.

Throw it all in the crock pot and cook on low for about 6 hours (I checked it with half an hour left and it was ready).

Stir and serve.

Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Cabbage

 This recipe comes from Brooklyn Farm Girl, It is so easy to put together and very tasty. A great choice for a Sunday meal that I can throw together and my hubby and I can go off wandering around Georgia, come home and eat! It's also a great Sunday or Monday choice because they are at the end of my grocery week and I don't have to worry about the meat expiring before we get to it.

My amounts were a bit different so I will use mine.

• 12 oz. package of turkey kielbasa or cooked sausage (I used sausage because that is what they had in the store), cut in two inch lengths
• 1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped in fairly large pieces
• 1 24 oz. package of baby potatoes, left whole
• 1 pound back of baby carrots (the recipe doesn't call for it but they would be great to add)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 0.5 t salt
• 0.5 t pepper
• 1 t chopped garlic
• 2 T brown sugar

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts With Gravy

 Usually I will try a new recipe two or three times before permanently posting it here, but I found a couple of recipes last week that were so good, they are getting posted after one time. This recipe comes from Dinner At the Zoo.

• 2 T olive oil, divided
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used four but they were large)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 t Italian seasoning
• 1 C chicken broth
• .25 C soy sauce
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 t minced garlic
• 2 T corn starch
• 1 T butter
• 2 T chopped parsley
• carrots, optional

1. season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
2. brown in 1 T oil on medium high heat, about 5-7 minutes per side
3. place chicken in slow cooker (I sliced some carrots and put them in the bottom, then chicken on top)
4. mix together remaining oil, broth, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic, pour over chicken
5. cook on low 4-5 hours, or high 2-3 hours (I cooked it for 4-5 hours on high, worried because the pieces were really big, but they were cooked longer than necessary.)
6. take out chicken and pour liquid in a pot, bring to a simmer
7. mix cornstarch with .25 C water and stir into broth, bring to boil and cook one minute
8. stir in butter (I forgot to do this and it was still really good), pour gravy over chicken (sliced), sprinkle with parsley

Tuscan Beef Stew

1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can condensed beef broth
1/2 C water
2 lbs stew meat
1 can Italian style chopped tomatoes
3 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t garlic powder
2 cans cannellini beans

put all ingredients except beans in crockpot
cook on low 8-9 hours (or high 4-5 hours)
stir in beans and heat
add cooked rice, pasta, or wheat berries

Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Veggies

beef rump roast

1/2 t salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t paprika

1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 potatoes cut into eighths
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped

1 C beef broth
3 T corn starch
1/4 C water

place veggies in bottom of slow cooker
pour broth over veggies
rub seasonings into meat
place meat on top of veggies
cover and cook on LOW 8-9 hours
remove meat and veggies
dissolve cornstarch in water
stir into juices
cover and cook on high 15-20 minutes (might be worth pouring into a pan to cook quickly)

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

I really liked this sauce made from a recipe on DamnDelicious.net. It was really good, although I am not a large enough fan of italian sausage to eat it regularly, so I intend to use this recipe as a base from which I can adapt to different tastes. Next time I intend to use two pounds of ground beef, omit the sausage, and add thyme.

Brown 2 pounds ground meat (beef, sausage, pork, turkey, chicken) in 2 T olive oil (optional) with a minced onion.
Add two minced garlic cloves, cook for about a minute.
Drain meat and add to slow cooker.
Add 3 (14.5 oz) cans chopped tomatoes, 2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 3 bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir together and cook on low 10-12 hours.

I did not add any salt and pepper and it was still delicious!

New England Chuck Roast

From: Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery page 90

This was really good. I loved the gravy, and I love a recipe that teaches me how to make an easy but tasty gravy. The gravy is so good, I could eat it with a spoon!

1 3lb chuck roast

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 onion, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 celery stalk, cut into 8 pieces

1 bay leaf

1 T vinegar (used apple cider vinegar)

2 C water

1/2 small cabbage, cut into wedges

3 T butter

1 T instant minced onion

2 T flour

2 T prepared horseradish

@ 1 t gravy master

• sprinkle meat with 1/2 t salt and pepper
• place onion, carrots, and celery in slow cooker
• place meat on top of vegetables
• add water, bay leaf, and vinegar
• cook on LOW 5-7 hours (I did 7 hours)
• remove meat
• turn control to high, add cabbage
• cook for 20 minutes
• remove 1 1/2 cups of beef broth
• melt butter in saucepan
• stir in minced onion and flour
• add broth, horseradish and 1/2 t salt
• stir over low heat until thickened

I made mashed potatoes to go with the the meal and some frozen peas for those who don't like cabbage. Delicious! Must make again soon!

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

(image courtesy of http://www.cookingclassy.com)

This recipe came from 

• 4 pounds ground beef
• 1 C chopped onion
• 1 C chopped green bell pepper
• 1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup
• 1/4 -1/3 C packed brown sugar (The original recipe calls for 1 whole cup but I cut it back to a little under 1/2 and think it could still use less.)
• 1/4 C ketchup
• 3 T Worcerstershire sauce
• 1 T dry mustard
• 1 T prepared mustard
• 1 1/2 t chili powder
• 1 t garlic powder

Cook beef in skillet in batches over medium-high heat until no longer pink, drain fat.

Add onion and green pepper to the pan and cook 5 minutes

Transfer meat mixture and vegetables to slow cooker and add remaining ingredients, stir well

Cover, cook on LOW 4-6 hours

My kids had this the traditional way on rolls, but I also made rice and my husband and I ate it over rice (it is a bit saucy, but that might be because I was 1/4 pound shy of 4 pounds of ground beef). I thought this would make so much (recipe says it serves 20-25 people) that I would be freezing a couple meals' worth, but we ate a lot of it that night, and are slowly eating the rest this week.

You could easily just finish cooking this on the stove, but I needed the slow cooker option because we were eating at different times that night.

Very tasty! I am making more rice and having some for lunch today : )

Pantry Taco Soup

As in eating right, not hurrying, although I do a lot more of the latter.  These days I am lucky if I get dinner on the table. My slow cooker has become my best friend. As a matter of fact, I bought a second, slightly smaller one. So far I have used it to cook potatoes for a side dish and it has worked great.  Here is a recipe that is quick and easy, albeit EVERY INGREDIENT IS A PROCESSED FOOD. So I think I will save this recipe for tax season. Or for the next natural disaster to come our way that causes a power outage. It is modified from Fix It and Forget It. 

Pantry Taco Soup

2 28 oz cans tomatoes (I used crushed tomatoes)

2 15 ox cans corn, undrained

4 cans beans, rinsed and drained (the recipe called for black beans, but I only had one can left so I used a can of black, garbanzo, kidney, and cannellini or white kidney beans)

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 packet ranch dressing mix

shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips

mix first 5 ingredients in a slow cooker heat for 4 hours on low (or put it on your stove and heat through)

serve with above fixings

Four hours is too short a cooking time while I am at work, but since today was errand day, and I have to drive people around tonight during the time I should be making dinner, four hours in the slow cooker is perfect timing. If we didn't have power I could easily heat this on the side burner of my gas grill.

Vegetarian Bean Soup

The name of this soup, love this, is

Oh! Good! Soup!

(This is not the soup I made, but it looks a lot like it. Photo courtesy of Betty Crocker.)

and comes from the book Fix It and Forget It Lightly on page 194.  I did change it a little, and would like to change it more the next time I make it, and there will be a next time!

This is a healthy soup, and does not call for a lot of seasonings, nor does it have any meat or bouillon, so at first taste I thought it was a little bland, but after a few bites the natural flavors of the ingredients come out, and your tongue begins to appreciate the taste. Having said that, the original recipe calls for hot sauce, but next time I will replace the hot sauce with some salsa. Other than that, and the fact that I did not choose low sodium canned tomatoes, I wouldn't change a thing, unless I do, like maybe adding some thyme.

2 cups mixed, dried beans

2 1/2 quarts water

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

28 oz can diced tomatoes

red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

several drops hot sauce @ 1 C salsa

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

1 cup assorted small pasta, cooked (I did not have room for this, and don't think it is necessary, perhaps because my bean mix had some barley in it)

Soak beans 2-6 hours overnight, drain

place beans in slow cooker

cover with 2 1/2 quarts water

cover and cook on high 2 hours

add all remaining ingredients (except pasta, if you are using it)

add water to cover if needed

cook on high 4-6 hours, low 8-10

Instead of having just bread and butter with this, I made a cheese quesadilla. All of the cheese kind of counteracts the healthy aspect of the soup though.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

(photo courtesy of Real Simple magazine)

Beef stew is a life necessity in my mind. My parents used to make it on the stove - Mom would do all the work, then Dad would come in and doctor up the broth. And it was very good.

I made it that way once. On the stove, flouring and browning the meat first, doctoring up the broth. And it was really good.

But I don't have time for that now, because not only does it take time to brown the meat, it also takes time to clean up the stove afterwards.

Don't think I am a whiner, I really don't have time most nights.

So, I am on a quest for the best crock pot recipe for beef stew. Last night I tried one from Real Simple magazine. You can find the original recipe here. I will give it to you here and tell you what I did differently and how I will change it further in the future.

Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew

4 pounds bottom round, well trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces (I cut mine to 1/2 - 1 inch size. I wanted it to fit in my mouth.)

1 cup flour
1/3 cup olive oil (This is to coat and brown the meat first. I skipped this step entirely and have no regrets.)

2 large onions, diced (I sliced mine into half rings so that the picky ones could easily avoid them - or better yet - give them to me! I also wound up using maybe 1 1/2 onions - it just seemed like too much onion.)

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 cup red wine (I used the cooking wine, but I think I will just substitute it for beef broth next time.)

1 pound potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces (I cut them to about 1 inch, maybe 1 1/2 inches most.)

1/2 pound baby carrots (about 2 cups)

2 cups beef broth

1 T kosher salt (too much salt for me, especially with the beef broth, I used about half of that)

1 tsp dried thyme leaves (oh yes, I love thyme!)

1 bay leaf

1 cup frozen peas, thawed (oops, forgot these, but why bother thawing them anyway? just add them sooner to the pot)

Coat the beef pieces and brown in oil if you must, otherwise just skip all of that and save yourself the mess (and the added fat and starch), put meat in slow cooker

Then you are supposed to add the onions to the skillet, saute a little and stir in the tomato paste. I just threw the raw onions in the slow cooker and mixed the paste into the rest of the liquids and seasonings.

Add the potatoes and carrots to the slow cooker, and then mix the rest of the ingredients (including the tomato paste) and pour over beef and vegetables.

Mix well, cover and cook on low 7 1/2 hours or on high 4 hours (I started mine late so I took the high road, lol).

If you happen to remember the peas, add them once everything is ready and cook a little while more till the peas are heated.

This was a hit, even with all of the omissions. My husband purposefully went on and on about how much he liked it. (Because I am much pickier than him, and if I don't like a recipe, I won't make it again, and apparently, he wants it again!)

What I will do differently next time:  substitute red wine for beef broth (or some of it, anyway), and use less meat and more vegetables. It really is a meat heavy recipe, but delicious!

Perfect Crockpot Chicken

DON'T LAUGH AT ME.

Because you figured this out a long time ago. I'm a slow learner.

I finally found the magic formula for making chicken in a slow cooker. Well, at least boneless, skinless chicken breasts. And at least in my slow cooker.

Start with frozen chicken breasts.

One quart water (for 4 -8 chicken breast halves)

4 bouillon cubes (yea, I know they are salty - I do not keep the broth, although the frugal homemakers who DO NOT HAVE A WATER RETENTION PROBLEM would want to strain it and freeze it for future use)

Cook on high for 4 hours. (Just until the liquid starts to bubble in the cooker)

Remove chicken, cut up, shred, or leave whole (although pieces will fall apart if you are not careful)

Add favorite topping such as barbeque sauce, salsa, gravy, whatever.

Last night I shredded the meat, drained the liquid from the pot, threw the shredded chicken back in the pot, added salsa (heated first in the microwave) and shredded cheese.  I kept it in there for just a few minutes until everything was gooey and it was ready for tortillas. My family ate it up. And the chicken stayed tender.

I know you are not supposed to be able to ruin meat cooked in a slow cooker, but I find that if it is in there too long, it immediately dries up when you remove it from the pot. At first it will look nice and juicy, but then, EVAPORATION, and poof, you have dry, stringy meat.

So I am thinking the key is the AS SOON AS THE LIQUID STARTS TO BUBBLE part.

Will try a pot roast soon to see if my theory is correct.

Bean Soup That Smells Delicious While It Cooks

One pound dried beans, pre-soaked (used small white this time)

Ham bone or leftover ham

2 quarts water

One large onion, chopped

1 C chopped celery, more or less

1 tsp salt

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

Simmer on stove about 2 hours or in crock pot on low for 8 hours