I'm switching things up a little bit here at Life as Two. You will love it. At least I hope you will.
Monday is a crazy day this semester. Len has school until 6:00PM (and gets home at around 7PM if class doesn't run late) and I leave for class at around 4:45PM. We don't really see each other. This morning when I left for work and Len was still snuggled under the covers he actually said, "I'll see you tomorrow." Ouch.
I've been thinking about making Monday night dinner all about the crock pot. Something we can eat on our own, with minimal preparation and still have a satisfying, hearty meal. And winter is coming; that means warm comfort foods are perfect for warding off the chills.
Here's where you come in. Please welcome a new mini-series to the blog:
It's a Crock Pot Contest: leave me your recipes in a comment or in an email. Over the next weeks I'll try them out, post them here on a bi-weekly schedule, give them a rating, and the recipe The Len and I love the most will win the following:
So as not to deter the single ladies (or men?), should you wish to participate and win the contest, I would love to send you a copy of Alistair Begg's The Hand of God, another amazing book.
- Leave a comment with your recipe. I'd prefer if you left an anonymous comment, only so I wouldn't be biased by who submitted the recipe. This way I can be completely impartial.
- No pineapple. The Len doesn't like pineapple. I feel like that should be a rule. I think he'll appreciate that.
- There must be at least 10 entries for this contest to be valid.
- All entries must be submitted by Saturday, October 9th, 2010.
- Here's the clincher: all recipes must be unique. For example, if there is already a lasagna recipe posted in the comments, you'll need to submit a different recipe. I know, it's totally selfish, but that way I'm not trying out five weeks worth of lasagna recipes.
* For those of you wondering whether My Favourite Things: Monday is a thing of a past, have no fear! I'm just dropping down the frequency to bi-weekly!
** Disclaimer: Neither of these authors know I am endorsing their books. They don't know me, and they're fine with that.
Super fun! Can't wait to try everyone's recipes!! This on is a hit at our house! You can do the prep the night before, refrigerate and then put everything in the crock pot in the morning.
ReplyDeleteJudy's Pork Chops (and no, I'm not Judy)
6-8 lean pork chops
2 TBSP oil
3 cans chicken and rice soup
Flour Mixture
* 1 cup flour
* 1/2 TBSP salt
* 3 tsp dry mustard
* 1 tsp garlic powder
Dredge pork chops in flour mixture (I throw it all in a big ziploc and shake it around). Brown in oil in large frying pan. Place browned pork chops in crock pot and pour soup over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice with a side veggie. Enjoy!
Ooooh this is fun! I seriously love this recipe because it is 1. cheap 2. easy 3. healthy 4. delicious...the list goes on.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!!!
Greek Crock Pot Chicken
Ingredients:
1 can artichokes, cut into strips
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can mushrooms
1/2 large onion, cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, smashed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. basil (dry or fresh)
1/2 tsp. oregano (dry or fresh)
1 tsp. thyme
orzo pasta
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Directions:
Coat chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and put into crock pot. Dump all the remaining ingredients over the chicken, including all the liquid from the cans. Place on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6- 8 hours. Serve over orzo pasta and sprinkle with cheese. Enjoy!
We love this at our house... quick and super yummy!
ReplyDelete2-3 boneless chicken breast (you can use boneless thighs if you like dark meat)
1 jar of picante sauce
1 lg can of black beans
1/2 bag of frozen corn
2 small cans of green chiles
I put everything in the crockpot in the morning except the black beans. I put them in about an hr prior to eating just to heat through. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs
Serve over Spanish rice, or wrap up as a burrito and top with toppings you love, ie, sour cream, cheese, guac, olives. Enjoy!
What!?!?!? Change???? But, I was just getting into the swing of My Favourite Things: Monday!! *sniff*
ReplyDeleteBeef Stew
ReplyDelete1 pound of beef stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package of baby-cut carrots
1 can (14.5 ozs) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10.5 ozs) condensed beef broth
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
12 new potatoes cut into fourths
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
Mix all ingredients except beef in slow cooker.
Add beef (do not stir)
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours until vegetables are tender.
Stir well.
I usually make some scones to eat with stew but you could also by a loaf of your favourite bread or buns.
Enjoy!!
Okay - I don't know if I'm more excited about the chance to win some good books, or getting some good crock pot recipes?!?!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy pea soup ... must be getting old! But after Thanksgiving I also had a lot of turkey leftover - so I found a recipe that combined the two and really enjoyed it.
1 bag of yellow split peas
a bunch of cut up turkey (already cooked)
some bacon (if you like it)
1 cup of diced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves (or more if you like!)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
7 cups of boiling water
1 tbsp of powdered chicken broth
- I like to add some hot pepper flakes, but that's optional.
Directions - through it all in the crock pot for 4 - 5 hours and if you like some cheddar buiscuts (from the Company's Coming 'Muffins and More' page 97) Enjoy, add some extra salt or pepper to taste!
Oh, this is a wonderful idea - I'm looking forward to trying some new crockpot recipes too.
ReplyDeleteHere's my entry:
Pork Stew
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds cubed pork stew meat
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch, or as needed
8 red potatoes
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
1 can whole kernel corn
1 large (28fl oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 fl oz) can beef broth
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (I use ½ tbsp instead)
1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle pork on all sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and lightly coat with cornstarch. Place pork in the skillet, and cook until lightly browned but not done.
2. Transfer to a slow cooker. Place potatoes, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and corn in the slow cooker.
3. In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, milk, broth, and Italian seasoning. Pour into the slow cooker.
4. Cover, and cook 1 hour on High. Reduce heat to Low, and cook for 4-6 hours.
Notes:
The original recipe said to cook it for 1hr on high, and then for 1 or more hours on low. "1 or more hours" was misleading anyways, the potatoes would never be ready in 2 hours. I haven't made this recipe very often (even though it is very good), but I think it would work fine to cook for 6-8 hours on low. I don't see why you couldn't prepare the pork the night before either, although I might cook the meat pieces all the way through before refrigerating overnight - half-cooked meat sounds like an invitation to bacteria to me.
Enjoy!
P.S. The original recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Savory-Pork-Stew/Detail.aspx. I've adjusted it based on the can sizes available in Canada (bigger tomato can, no milk, etc.)
THE best bean stew.
ReplyDeleteever.
ingredients:
1/2 lb hamburger
1/2 red onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can baked beans with bacon
1 can six bean medley
1/2 bottle pasta sauce
1/4 cup lentils
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 carrot (grated)
1 1/2 tsp beef boullion
salt and pepper to taste
fry hamburger and onions with chilli powder and pepper till done. throw everything in a slow cooker and put on high for five hours. Or if you're gone all day, low for eight plus hours should work fine too.
Serve with bread:
If you have a breadmaker, set it to be ready soon before dinner, or if you don't, use some french bread.
or those almost baked rolls by dempsters.
Or something else similar to fresh bread.
I'm not sure if this will count for the contest or not, since one of the ingredients is a pre-packaged seasoning, but it is one of our favorites so I'm sharing it anyway! :)
ReplyDeleteBBQ Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
1 package McCormick BBQ Pulled Pork seasoning
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, well-trimmed
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
Directions:
1. Place pork in slow cooker.
2. Mix seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.
3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.
4. Shred pork using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker, mix and heat with sauce before serving.
My DH eats his on hamburger buns, and I just eat mine with a fork. It is so good and it makes your whole house smell amazing! Also, I will often buy a smaller pork roast and just half the recipe, but if you make the full amount it makes really yummy left-overs too! Enjoy!
BTW - I tried to be anonymous but it wouldn't let me post a comment that way... so I hope you're still able to be fair and impartial! ;)
ReplyDeleteGracie (from HP)
A whole Barbecue Chicken Dinner Cooked in the Slow Cooker
ReplyDeleteThe trick is in foil packets and layering the food.
It's great to pull everything out of the crockpot, done and ready to go. Clean up is a breeze too, because there’s just the crock to wash.
Here’s what you’ll need:
boneless chicken breasts
barbecue sauce
potatoes, chopped
cheddar cheese, shredded
onion, diced
salt and pepper
a bit of olive oil
frozen corn on the cob
plenty of foil
Place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Pour on some barbecue sauce. You don’t want to add too much, because the goal is to have as little liquid as possible in the bottom of the pot.
Stir the potatoes, a bit of olive oil, onion, cheese and salt and pepper together in a bowl. Make a large packet out of foil and wrap the potatoes in it, loosely.
Wrap each corn in foil. Place the potato packet on top of the chicken. Add the corn. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8.
Note: The chicken is not wrapped in foil.
You might also like this blog:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
Crockpot Rice Pudding
ReplyDelete1-1/2 cup cooked rice
16 oz. half and half, or milk
3/4 cup raisins
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Grease stoneware of crockpot with butter.
Beat half and half (or milk), eggs, sugar & vanilla with electric mixer.
Stir in rice and raisins.
Pour in crockpot.
Sprinkle nutmeg on top.
Cover, cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir well.
Cook on low, 2-3 hours (2 is plenty)
Makes about 8 cups.
My Favorite Pork Chops
ReplyDeleteI don't really measure stuff. Is that a problem??
Dredge pork chops in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper. Coat a skillet lightly in oil, and heat the oil on the stove. When the oil is hot, sear the pork chops. They should not be done all the way through -- just browned and a little caramelized on the outside.
Put the browned pork chops in the crock pot. Add one can of cream of mushroom soup. You may wish to add a little milk (or water) to thin the soup. Cover and cook on low all day.
The pork chops will be fall-off-the-bone tender and are great with mashed potatoes and a green veggie. (:
Chili
ReplyDelete1 lb. extra lean hamburger
1 clove garlic
Fry these together till meat is done.
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
Layer in bottom of crockpot (raw).
Mix the following together in a separate bowl:
14 oz. canned kidney beans, NOT drained
10 oz. canned sliced mushrooms, drained
10 oz. condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. seasoning salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Add the hamburger to the mix and stir well. Add to crockpot - do not mix the onion and green pepper into this mix.
Cook on low for 6-7 hours or hight for 3-4 hours. Serve with fresh bread. Enjoy!
Hi! My name is Anonymous, and I'd like to withdraw my submission of Crockpot Rice Pudding and submit the alternate recipe below. I am realizing a bit late that I did not provide a "main dish" recipe, which was the purpose of this blog post. Feel free to try the rice pudding recipe at some point, but perhaps as a dessert instead of a main dish. ;)
ReplyDeletePrep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite-cut diced tomatoes, drained
* 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
* 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) eye of round roast, trimmed
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
* 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
* Pickled jalapeño pepper slices (optional)
Preparation
Combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl.
Sprinkle roast evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brown roast on all sides in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Transfer roast to a 5 1/2-quart slow cooker. Pour tomato mixture over roast. Cover and cook on HIGH 5 to 6 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
Remove roast from slow cooker, and cut into large chunks; keep warm.
Skim fat from juices in slow cooker. Mash 1 1/2 cans (about 2 3/4 cups) pinto beans; add to slow cooker, and stir until combined. Stir in black beans and remaining 1/2 can pinto beans. Add roast pieces back to slow cooker; cover and cook on HIGH an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Top each serving with jalapeño pepper slices, if desired.
Me again! The recipe above is called Cowboy Pot Roast.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for submitting an additional recipe! I was trying to decide what to do with the rice pudding recipe; I wanted to consider you in the contest but it didn't suit the requirements!
I'm so pleased you submitted a new one. I accept your new submission! Welcome back to the contest!