Best Crock Pot recipes??

[SusanTeach]

Now that it's getting cooler (well, it's TRYING to here in the south!), I'd love to make some stews, soups, etc... in my crock pot. My son has basketball practice several days a week, so I need to find some that would cook all day and be ready when we get home. I'm tired of fish sticks and chicken nuggets! Any good (and easy!) ones?!

 

[mlg]

Crockpot recipes

The crockpot has become my new best friend. I use it at least once or twice each week in order to keep me sane during the school year. Besides, there's nothing better than walking through the door to the wonderful aromas wafting out of the crockpot and knowing that dinner's ready and waiting.

If your family likes corned beef (with or without cabbage), all you need to do is put a corned beef brisket (I prefer the flat cut, but the point cut works, too) into the crockpot with a few peppercorns, a couple of minced garlic cloves, a cup of water, and a sliced onion or two. If you want, you can put some cut-up potatoes and carrots on the bottom of the pot, then put the corned beef on top of the vegetables. Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours and voila, dinner is served. I personally don't like to cook cabbage in the crockpot, but will slice a head of it into about six chunks and steam them in a little chicken broth in a covered skillet for about 15-20 minutes.

A great cookbook with LOTS of really good recipes for crockpots is "Fix it and Forget It". My husband got it for me two or three years ago at either Barnes and Noble or Borders, but I'm sure you can find it at any book store or even at Amazon.com. Also, I've picked up a couple of Betty Crocker crockpot booklets at the grocery store. My local markets usually stock these right at the checkout counter. At this time of year, there's usually at least one of them being featured. Happy eating!!

 

[Teresa]

Tacos

I just made a dinner yesterday. It was my second time trying this recipe. It is made with:

2 1/2 lbs chuck beef roast
1 onion
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. galic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 can diced tomatoes with chili's
fresh cilantro

Chop the Onion into 1/4 and place lining the bottom of the crockpot. Cut the chuck roast into 6 pieces and place ontop of the onion.

Mix together the cumin, salt, chili powder, and garlic powder in small bowl, and sprinkel 1/2 of the mixture on top od the roast, turn the roast pieces over and sprinkel the other half of the mixture.

Poor the can of diced tomatoes and chilis over the pot roast and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

The last 20 min or so of cooking pull out the pieces of roast and shred with a knife place back in the pot and stir, sprinkel the cilantro on top.

Warm up some flour totillas and serve with cheder cheese or sour cream!

My kids and DH love it and my mom loves the left overs for lunch!

 

[mksbugs]

Ever tried this?

My husband and I love to cook meat in our crockpot. (we work all day, who wants to cook when we get home? hehehe) Here are a couple of our favorites:

1. Turkey: put a small turkey (you can get small ones at the store that are deboned and are turkey breast and some dark meat as well tied together) pour 2 cans of turkey gravy over the top (you can also add spices there's one that we found in Oregon called Trail Dust (way yummy) )

2. Brisket Take a chuck roast or another cut of beef pour barbeque sauce over the top and let cook. The meat comes out very tender and delicious!

 

[h0kie]

Cookbook

My all time favorite cookbook is the Fix It and Forget It cookbook. I LOVE it. It is full of crockpot recipes and I haven't had a bad one yet. I've also seen a lot of new ones coming out: Fix It and Forget It Lightly, Fix It and Forget It Entertaining, Fix it and Forget it for Diabetics, etc.

If you are interested in purchasing a cookbook, my suggestion would be to get that one.

Banquet also makes CrockPot meals. All you do is toss the concoction in the crock pot and when you get home. Dinner! Those are good when I am really limited on prep time too. I've seen Chicken and Noodles, Beef Stroganoff, and Beef Stew (I think there is one more).

I also love tossing in a pork roast with some bar-b-que sauce. By the time I get home, we can have bar-b-ques pork sandwiches for dinner. Works well with beef too.

 

[bonnie]

soup

You can make some great chili in your crock pot. Just about any recipe will adapt well, I think.
I got a packet of Chili seasoning (located with the taco seasoning in the grocery store), some chopped onion, a can of diced tomatoes, a couple of cans of Bush's Chili Beans . . . and you could brown some ground beef or turkey and put that in, too (or cubed tofu). It worked great. I have the "Crock-It" cookbook - that's where I got the recipe, but its pretty flexible.

Just make some cornbread from a mix when you get home and you're good to go, or serve w/ tortilla chips.

I also made potato leek soup. I took the recipe from the last issue of cooking light and adapted it for the crock pot - also a very flexible recipe.
6C cubed Yukon gold potatoes, 2 14 oz cans of veg or chick broth, 2 cups or so of sliced leeks (make sure you wash them really well! sand hides in the layers! and you need to saute' them first), some dried thyme, salt and pepper, add a little more water to just barely cover the potatoes. Cook on low for about 6 hours. Just before serving, partially mash w/ potato masher. Put about 1/2 the mixture in the blender until smooth and add back to pot (or you could blend all of it if you want it all smooth). The recipe suggests adding a little cream before serving... but (and I know you'll think I'm weird) I added 1/2 a package of silken tofu into the blender with 1/2 the soup and it came out really smooth and creamy without all the added fat of cream (my mother was visiting and she's on a strict no cholesterol diet). A great way to sneak tofu into your diet - I promise you won't know its there. My daughter (almost 2) loves it! Serve with some of that texas cheese toast stuff from the freezer isle in the grocery store. YUM!

 

[kteach2]

recipes

I have tried the Banquet Crockpot meals (Stew and the Chicken one) and they were both great and soooo easy! My family really loved both of them and thought that they were the same dishes that I normally make! I also like to put in a pork roast with a can of tomato sauce and a package of Taco seasoning. When I get home, I shred the pork and make burritos with it. Family loves it also. During the winter, I use my crockpot 2-3 times a week. With just a little prep in the morning or the night before, it is so nice coming home to a meal that I don't have to cook !!

 

[wig]

The Fix It Cookbooks are terrific. I like the Crockpot meals you can purchase, but I find them a bit pricey.

I have always used my crockpot a lot! I like things to be quick and simple.

1. Put chicken pieces in the crockpot, pour BBQ sauce or a jar of salsa over it and cook on low all day.

2. Pot Roast, quartered red potatoes, little carrots, covered with onion soup. Cook on low all day.

3. Sausage and saurekraut. Put a layer of suerkraut, sliced apples and sprinkle with brown sugar. Put chunks of smoked sausage on top, and another layer of sauerkraut/apples/brown sugar over that - I also pour a half cup of apple juice or cider over it if I have it. Otherwise water will work..

4. Cut round steak into serving pieces. Cover with a can of tomatoe pieces (with green peppers and onions or mushrooms), a can of tomatoe soup, a can of beef broth. Serve the liquid over noodles. You can also cut the round steak into smaller pieces and serve over the noodles with the liquid.

5. Thick pork chops covered with sweet and sour red cabbage.

6. Any soup recipe will work well as it can simmer all day in the crockpot.

7. Stew requires more prep, but this one is very good:

Crock Pot Beef Stew

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
4 potatoes, chunked
6 carrots chunked
1/2 stalk celery, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cans beef broth
1 tsp. paprika
2 onions, chopped
2 tsp. tapioca (helps thicken the broth)

Place meat in crock pot. Mix flour, salt, pepper and pour over meat. Stir to coat meat with flour. Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or high for 4 to 6 hours. Stir stew thoroughly before serving.

Note: To save time, I have the butcher cut the meat, I use red potatoes so I don't have to peel them, and I use the little carrots so I don't have to peel and chunk.

This site has some very easy, good crockpot recipes. http://www.aliciasrecipes.com/crockpot.htm

 

[mlg]

Crockpot recipes

Here are another couple of recipes that I use often.

CHICKEN SOUP ( I usually double this and freeze half)

3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium stalks celery (with leaves), sliced (1 1/4 cup)
1 large carrot, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces ready-to-serve chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 package frozen green peas
1 package frozen tortellini

1.) Cook chicken in skillet 5 minutes, stirring frequently until browned.
2.) Mix chicken and remaining ingredients except peas and tortellini in slow cooker.
3.) Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6 1/2 to 7 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Stir in peas and cook about 10-15 minutes longer. While peas are cooking, cook tortellini on stovetop according to package directions, then drain and stir into soup mixure. Serve with grated parmesan or romano cheese, if desired.

If you double the recipe, freeze the vegetable and chicken mixture without the tortellini. While you are reheating the soup, cook the pasta and then add to hot soup before serving.


BARBECUE PORK RIBS

This is super easy. Slice 1-2 large onions and place in bottom of crockpot. Take 3-4 pounds of meaty pork ribs and cut into sections (3-4 ribs each) then put in crockpot on top of onions. Pour 1 small bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce over ribs. Cook on low heat setting for 8-9 hours. Serve with rice or noodles and a salad.


Happy eating!!