Passporter *Recipe* Challenge - 4/23-4/29 About This Page:

[TinkerBelz]

The Recipe Challenge Today will be a "Style of Cooking".....

SLOW COOKER - MAIN DISHES



History of the Crockpot

Where exactly does the crock pot fit in kitchen history? In the 1950s, the great time-saving device for the harried housewife was the pressure cooker. This gadget did not allow the steam from the heated food to escape, which raised the pressure in the cooker and allowed the temperature to get higher than it would in conventional pots, where escaping steam carries off much of the heat.

The Emergence of the Slow Cooker

The laid-back, 'stop and smell the roses' sixties and seventies saw the invention of the slow cooker, which allowed food to cook all day. This was advertised as a great advance for working mothers, since they could start dinner before they left the house in the morning, and when they returned that evening, dinner - having been simmering all day - would be ready for the table.

INSTRUCTIONS

Just send us your recipe and picture (if you are able) of the finished product to this thread - no later than Sunday 4/29. Give us a little history (if any) on this recipe. Was it easy to make? Where did you get it? and MOST importantly - Did you and your family LIKE IT??

Also, please share what type of slow cooker you own and how many you have (some people have multiples because they want many sizes).

[stretch2864]

I made this a couple of weeks ago~Beef Roast with Potatoes and Carrots~and it was delicious. It is based on a stovetop recipe that I adapted for the crockpot.


4 to 5 pound bone-in beef short ribs, 3 pound boneless beef short ribs, OR one - 3 pound beef chuck roast (I used the chuck roast! )

2 TBSP olive oil or cooking oil

3 large white or red onions, sliced in 1/2 inch rings

1 - 14 oz. can of beef broth

1 - cup dry red wine ( I actually used Merlot, however! )

2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes ( I substituted 6 medium baking potatoes cut into quarters.)

1 pound small carrots peeled (I used a 16 oz. bag of the baby carrots)



Directions:
1. Trim fat from meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In large frying pan, brown beef in hot oil over medium heat. Drain off fat and discard. (the fat, not the meat! )

2. Transfer meat to crock pot. Add onions, broth, and wine. Then add the potatoes and carrots. Put the lid on, and simmer in the crockpot on a medium-low heat for 8-10 hours. (I had mine in the crockpot for 9 hours, and it came out so tender that the meat just fell apart! )

Recipe adapted from BH&G recipe found in March 2007 issue.

It was easy and delicious. I was telling DD about it, and she wants me to make it for her when she comes home from school in May!

[wheatenwalker]

I used to make 'pulled pork' in the slow cooker- I just put a pork roast in with a bottle of bbq sauce and cooked it on low until it was falling apart, then it got 'pulled' and put on rolls.

[loobyoxlip]

Ooh ooh.

My favorite crock pot recipe - I've shared it here before.

Put the roast in the crock pot, cover with 2 TB A-1 sauce or A-1 marinade sauce. Cover that with 1 envelope of meatloaf seasoning mix. Cook on high for 7-8 hours. YUMMO!!

Easy? Uh, YA!
Got recipe online. Found it - looked interesting. Tried it...we all love it. Kylor asks for it frequently.
Just 1 crock pot around here. It's the basic size with the Warm,L,H settings

[graygables]

Chicken, put peeled onion cut in half inside w/ 10-15 garlic cloves, sprinkle outside liberally w/ seasoned salt. Line the bottom of the crockpot with whole peeled carrots and chunks of potatoes. Turn it on and let 'er go. Tastes like rotisserie from the grocery (I usually do 2 in my massive crock pot so DH can have leftovers).

[fan of pan]

EASIEST RECIPE

LARGEST ROAST I CAN FIND
20 OZ BOTTLE OF COKE

COOK 6-8 HOURS. DRAIN JUICE OFF OF MEAT. USE A COLANDER BECAUSE MEAT WILL BE FALLING APART TENDER. PULL IT APART.

We all like different types of barbecue sauce, so I just shred it up and let everyone make their own. Regular BBQ, spicy, Heinz 57. My DS2 likes spicy mustard on his.

If I am making it for a group, I go ahead and put one sauce on it like KC Masterpiece or something like that. Serve with onion rolls, hawaiian sweet rolls, etc.

[Teresa]

4 to 8 pds. cheapest cut of beef roast you can buy.
1 large jar of Peppercinis (in the pickle aisle)

Pour Peppercinis over beef including juice. sprinkle meat with pepper, and any other spices you want. Cover, set to low for 8 hours. come back, take peppers out and use two forks to pull meat apart. This is really good served on King's Hawaiin Rolls!

A friend of mine with a reputation of not knowing how to cook made this for her daughter's graduation party. We were amazed it was so good, and all demanded the recipe. If I make 8 pds. of it, it's usually gone in a day or less.

[TinkerBelz]

Originally Posted by Teresa

4 to 8 pds. cheapest cut of beef roast you can buy.
1 large jar of Peppercinis (in the pickle aisle)

Pour Peppercinis over beef including juice. sprinkle meat with pepper, and any other spices you want. Cover, set to low for 8 hours. come back, take peppers out and use two forks to pull meat apart. This is really good served on King's Hawaiin Rolls!

Would you believe I have that on my list to make this week. Only my recipe comes out of a low-carb cookbook (Low Carb in 15 Minutes)!! Amazing!

But tonight I will be making a slow cooker recipe for DH and I as it's our business' busy night of the week, that is different than that one. I need dinner to be quick and easy for me as I'll be working a 12hr day today.

I am making Thai Chicken Legs. I got it out of a Woman's Day magazine.

[debe]

Yvonne, let us know how that chicken recipe is because it sounds like something my DH would like.

[KrisLuvsDisney]

Oh...I know exactly what I am going to make! I will go get everything tonight and make it Thursday and post my pic

[dsnyscrapper]

I make a roast very similar to Teresa's but I also add a packet of Good Seasons dry italian dressing mix, a cut onion and a tad of water and I leave the peppers in and serve over pasta or on bread as sandwiches. It's is one of my family's favorite meals.

[TinkerBelz]

Well I'm not sure dinner went over well. I LOVED it, DH HATED it. In fact, he walked in the door and said "Hey, it smells like Chili in here". I said "Nope, we're not having Chili" and he says "Hey it smells like Chili in here" and I rolled my eyes at him! I should also remark that he is pretty picky when it comes to food. Ever since he quit smoking (almost 2 years ago YEA for him!!), everything tastes "funny" to him and many spices & seasonings (most all of them) he doesn't like because he says they are "too strong". He basically likes, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and ummm, well, that's about it. I can throw in a small amount of basil in things and he doesn't complain too much.

I made Thai Chicken Legs. I would have thought it would be spicy, but alas, it was not, which is good because I'm not one to love spicy things. So here is the recipe (my changes to it) and the pictures follow. I got this out of Woman's Day magazine on 7/11/06 (been holding onto it for a while).

Thai Chicken Legs

4 each Chicken drumsticks and thighs (skin removed)
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, quartered and sliced (I used orange pepper)
1 Can (14.5oz of petite diced tomates with zesty jalapenos (I used petite diced with mild green chilis)
1/3 cup of creamy peanut butter (I used chunky - hey it was all I had in the house! LOL)
2 Tbsp each of fresh lime juice and soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
8 oz of snow peas (OK, so I totally spaced these and did not have them)
1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves (NOPE, DH would have HATED this too!)
1/4 of chopped peanuts (skipped this because I used chunky peanut butter - although those peanuts ended up SOFT so I should have added them for crunch)

1. Put chicken on onion in 3.5qut or larger slow-cooker. Add red pepper. Mix tomatoes with peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce and ginger in a bowl; pour over top.

2. Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours or until meat is tender. Stir in snow peas; cook 15 minutes or until snow peas are crisp-tender.

3. Sprinkle each serving with mint and peanuts.

Per serving (if made exactly as they describe it):
Calories: 445
Fat: 22
S. Fat: 4
Carb: 21gms
Fiber: 7gms
Protein: 44 gms
Chol.: 130mg
Sodium: 1171mg

Crockpot ready with liner...................................Layer of Onions


Chicken Added on top of Onions...............................Getting ready to Cut Pepper


Peppers Added to Crockpot..............................Sauce Added on Top of it All


Dinner is Served!!


The chicken just fell off the bones. It was DELICIOUS!!!

[Chrissi]

Ooh, DH bought me a new one-dish cookbook yesterday with slow-cooker recipes in it. I'm not sure I'm going to do any cooking before the end of the week, though. DH took some time off and he's doing all the cooking while he's home. (His cooking is much better than mine. )

I hope there's another slow-cooker week sometime in the future.

[TinkerBelz]

Oh yes, there will be. I'll have to rotate things. Plus we may have Slow Cooker Veggie; Slow Cooker Side Dishes and even Slow Cooker Desserts!!

[songbird]

I LOVE to put a dinner in the crockpot in the morning and have that great smell when I come home from work, and dinner READY!
Just love to "make it up" as I go. Last night: Pork Roast, Paula Deen's Butt Massage(YES, that's the name on the label!!!) Onions, olive oil, carrots, sliced potatoes...come home to YUM!

I usually don't even follow a recipe with the slow cooker, I just enjoy!