Baton Rouge Adventure Part 2 - Slow Cookin' in The Fast Lane

Baton Rouge had HUGE Barnes & Nobles - we went to two different ones. One to shop, the other a free wifi iPod Touch fix to get directions for our next stop. Not only do I heart BN, but I love to check out the regional section whenever I travel, especially the cookbooks. And I found this -- "Slow Cookin' in the Fast Lane" by Julie Kay. Double bonus, it is a slow cooker/crockpot book!

Julie Kay writes a weekly column, "What a Crock", in Baton Rouge's newspaper, The Advocate. You can also find and buy the book online. 126 pages, covered spiral bound hardback. Poultry...Beef...Pork...Soups & Stews...Louisiana Favorites...Lagniappe. Crocking with a Louisiana flavor. There are several unique ones I plan to try soon.

Chicken Thighs with Olives and Tomato Sauce - Cooking Light, March 2009

From the March 2009 issue of Cooking Light, page 106 - Chicken Thighs with Olives and Tomato Sauce



A very good result with a few changes -- I used a package of Costco's boneless chicken thighs and regular black olives. (Someone around here got into the kalamata ones. But the regular black olives were able to step up to the plate.) Since it was a smaller amount of chicken thighs, I only used one can (14 ounce) of diced tomatoes and also reduced the tomato paste to 2 tablespoons. Minced about 3 small/medium garlic cloves. I also substituted 1/4 cup of chicken broth for the white wine. Because these were boneless thighs, it was finished in a little under three hours. I had to turn it down from High to Low after about an hour and half. It all fit into the smaller, 3 quart crockpot.

Served over spaghetti, this is a nice variation to meatballs. The chicken thighs really picked up all the flavors. Easily served three people with leftovers. Definitely a keeper and will make again!

Don't flip your lid!

Once again, the design and quality of Rival's CrockPot lids leave a lot to be desired. My newest CrockPot isn't even a year old and despite handwashing the lid, the plastic still fatigued and the handle broke right off. Since Rival has a less than customer favorable lid replacement price (see earlier post here) (but click here for a great lid replacement website) and lid was still intact, all I really needed was a new knob. I went to Lowes today and purchased a cupboard/drawer knob for 97 cents. Added a few extra washers since the screw was a little bit too long, and voila! I'm ready to start crocking again!

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

You can't get much easier than this - chicken drumsticks, a bottle of BBQ sauce and a crockpot. With a few slices of onion tossed in, I'm trying to use up a 10# bag! Crock on Low for 4-6 hours or High for 3-4 hours, depending how hot and fast your crockpot is. And surprisingly in addition to costing less, the Kroger store brand of BBQ sauce had less sodium and sugar than the name brands and tasted just as good.

Crockpot Coney Island Sauce

Modified from the Taste of Home version by Shirley Heston. I double the recipe and then freeze the leftovers. I crock it on Low for 2-3 hours -- this helps save time if we've been all out and about and getting home close to dinner. You can also just cook the sauce in a saucepan if you are hungry now!

CONEY ISLAND SAUCE

1 pound ground round 85% beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 tablespoons chopped celery or 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

2 cans (15 ounce each) tomato sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder or 4 teaspoons Penzeys Chile Con Carne

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

dash of salt

In large skillet, brown beef, onion and celery over medium heat. Drain. In crockpot (or saucepan) stir in remaining ingredients and add the browned beef. Cook on Low 2-3 hours (or for the stovetop version, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally). Grill or cook hotdogs, put in buns and top with sauce. It's enough to top at least 16 hotdogs. Enjoy!

No Strings Attached Chicken Rotisserie Crockpot Soup

When all you have left is the rotisserie chicken carcass, stick it into a crockpot, add water, carrots, onion, garlic, seasoned pepper, a little chicken soup base - cover and let simmer. But be sure you remove the string holding the wings and legs underneath first! (Hmm, chicken seems a little stringy...)

After I crock it for about 6 hours, I strain it and put the broth into a container and refrigerate overnight -- to let the fat rise to the surface so I can skim it away. Then I reheat it and add fresh sliced carrots, chicken bits, 2 cups of egg noodles and voila! I think the rotisserie seasonings help to make a pretty and flavorful broth. And it is one more money-saving way to get another meal out of the bird. Leftovers freeze easily -- I put a bowlful amount in individual Zip-locs and freeze flat to save space.

Slow-Cooked Baked Sweet Potatoes

I got this idea from the Fall issue of Prevention's Slow Cooker Recipe Book-let on page 7. Which I couldn't find last night, trying to clear the areas for painting yesterday. But I found it this morning. So instead of combining canola oil (1T), trans-free margarine (1T melted), honey (1T), water (3T), cinnamon (1t) and nutmeg (1/4 t) to coat the potatoes (4), I just rubbed a little shortening on the skins, pierced with a fork and wrapped in foil. Cook on Low 4 hours if small, longer if larger. I liked how they turned out. An easy way to enjoy sweet potatoes. They had two good suggestions what to do with the crocked potatoes -- Puree 2-3 peeled potatoes with 2 cups milk or broth in blender until smooth and microwave for a quick, easy soup. You can also sprinkle sliced potatoes with brown sugar or honey and cinnamon, dot with trans-free margarine and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350. Though my potatoes were a little too mushy to slice, scoopable-yes; I bet the mushies would still work.

Let's Get Crocking - Beef Burritos

Taking advantage of the Super Bowl grocery specials - I was able to get beef chuck roast on sale to make Mable Hoffman's Beef Burritos in the Crockpot. The recipe is from her Crockery Cookery (Revised, Updated 1995) on page 58. I've tweaked it a little along the years, here's my current rendition and dinner tonight --

BEEF BURRITOS

2 pounds boneless beef chuck

1 garlic clove, crushed/minced

1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules or Penzeys Beef Soup Base

1 onion, quartered and separated

3/4 teaspoon Penzeys Chili Con Carne (or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili powder - the chili powder was too hot for us)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Dash of Penzeys Smokey 4S salt (or regular salt)

Dash of Penzeys California Seasoned Pepper

Trim fat from beef and discard. In slow cooker, layer some of the onions on the bottom and then add the meat, garlic, beef bouillon, onion, chili powder, cumin and salt/pepper and the rest of the onions on top. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until meat is very tender. Shred meat with two forks. Serve with warmed tortillas and refried beans.

Let's Get Crocking - Crockpot Ribs

I've never tried ribs of any kind before in the Crockpot, and a sale of pork ribs at Kroger presented the opportunity to me this past weekend. I found this recipe at about.com. I had almost three pounds, which I cut in half to fit into the 6 quart crockpot. It smelled wonderful in the beginning. Apparently the ribs cooked a little faster than the 8 hours the recipe called for and by the 7th hour I had to light a candle, open a window and set the table -- time to eat! So start checking at the 6 hour point to gauge how fast you are crocking along. The ribs were falling off the bone (literally) tender and weren't that bad. But we live in Texas and I'm thinking next time go (or go out) for the beef instead. Definitely give this a try, the rub combination is great and makes a lot. I bet it would taste good on the Crocked Chicken. And with the Super Bowl coming up, there will probably be good rib deals in your area supermarkets, too.

Oops! What's for Dinner?

Having a just don't want to go to the store day and wondering what to have for dinner? Next time you are at Costco, buy a set of the boneless/skinless chicken thighs to store in the freezer and the Simply Natural Organic Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce to keep on hand.

One package of thighs is good for four servings. Pour a little sauce on the bottom of the crockpot , and then place the (defrosted) thighs on top, covering each layer with a little more sauce, using about 1/2 of the jar. Crock on Low for 4 to 6 hours. When they are done, heat the remaining sauce from the jar, cook the spaghetti, add a green veggie and you're set. To avoid additional fat, I don't use the sauce from the crockpot but instead start fresh with the remaining unused sauce. It's a 28 ounce jar, so you'll have enough to spoon over the spaghetti. I really like this Simply Natural pasta sauce. Not only is it organic, but it has less salt, sugar and fat than even the Healthy Choice version. Pay the extra dollar plus change and get this instead. Costco has it in a 4-pack for around $8. Good to keep on hand when you want a thick sauce. It really made the chicken thighs very flavorful and the house smell great. I shall name this "Italian Chicken Thighs"

Let's Get Crocking - Maple Ginger Sauced Apples

I got the inspiration for this from the January 2009 issue of Fitness magazine. They had a month-long calendar of healthy snacks, one of which was Maple-Ginger Applesauce on page 76. I've been wanting to try making crockpot applesauce. And I liked the interesting combination of fresh ginger and maple syrup. I had 5 Red Delicious apples a little past their prime - but a good volunteer for this experiment. Peeled and sliced, I then added 1/4 cup water, some grated fresh ginger (about a teaspoon), drizzled some maple syrup on top, sprinkled a little Ceylon cinnamon, and tossed in a handful of craisins for color into a 2-quart slowcooker. Crock on Low for 2-4 hours. I did not mash the slices, just stirred and ladled some warm over Blue Bell's Low Fat Country Vanilla Frozen Yogurt. It's not a snack anymore but dessert. So good! I found this porcelain ginger grater at Whole Foods. It did a great job saving my fingers and using that last bit of leftover ginger .

Let's Get Crocking - Creamy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

Another recipe from Prevention's Fall/Winter Slow Cooker magazine - page 21. I used a $1 box of Stovetop Stuffing - Low Sodium Chicken from the pre-Thanksgiving sales, a Costco package of boneless chicken breasts (3), 1 can of Healthy Cream of Chicken soup and 3/4 cup of water. Mix water with the stuffing in one bowl, mix the chicken and the soup in another. Beginning with the chicken/soup mixture, alternatively layer chicken and stuffing, ending with stuffing on top. I skipped the recipe's zucchini (2!), chopped bell pepper, 8 ounces fresh mushrooms and 1 chopped onion, as I knew they would get picked out. I served it with green beans on the side instead. Crock on Low for 4 hours (High 2 1/2-3 hours). Verdict - A solid B It needed more zip - probably salt since everything was low sodium, or maybe the missing veggies. The combination just did not appeal to me. But I liked the idea of an easy meal to toss together. I may try boneless chicken thighs for more flavor next time. Or try turkey cutlets with the turkey stuffing.

Let's Get Crocking - Crockpot Corn Chowder

From Prevention's Fall/Winter Slow Cooker Recipe Book on Page 17 - Corn Chowder. I give it a C-, since no one else around here will touch it. I thought it was bland and needed more zip.

CORN CHOWDER

2 cans (15 ounce each) whole kernel corn, drained

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups 1% milk

1/4 cup trans-free margarine

chives, optional

Place corn, potatoes, onion and broth in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on Low 7-9 hours. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Puree half of the broth in a blender (the potatoes were soft enough, I hand mashed instead). Return pureed mixture to cooker and stir in milk and margarine. Cover, cook on High 1 more hour. Garnish with chives, if desired.

I only used one 11 ounce can of corn, good thing, and five small potatoes. It was corny enough with just one smaller can. I wished they had specified the size of the potatoes or the volume/weight. I also substituted skim milk for the 1% and skipped the margarine. I added a chopped carrot for color and extra oomph nutritionally, and seasoned salt and pepper to give it some kick. Will I make it again? Probably not this one. There are other potato soup recipes out there. I'll use the crockpot for my stovetop potato soup recipe instead.

Let's Get Crocking - Brisket

This is another morphing over the years of different brisket recipes. I try to find the Flat Cut, between 3-6 pounds. I layer onions on the bottom, between pieces of meat if necessary, and on top; season both sides and place fat side up in the crockpot. Depending upon the size of your brisket and preferences, you can use whatever amount you like:

2-3 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

1 sliced onion

Celery salt

McCormick Garlic Pepper Blend

Penzeys Smoky 4/S Seasoned Salt

Crock on High for 30-60 minutes and then Low for 6-8 hours, depending upon your crockpot. Makes your house smell wonderful!

Here's another great deal

Right now Costco has a $10 off coupon for the electronic 6 quart Smart Pot CrockPot - Costco's price is $39.99. And it comes with a serving spoon, carrying strap, cookbook and a Little Dipper. (The cookbook has new recipes, too) There was another woman getting one, saying her future daughter-in-law registered for it at Dillards and their price was $50. She wasn't even sure if theirs came with all the goodies packed into Costco's. And if you purchase one before November 30, there's a $5 rebate -- click here for the PDF form. What a deal -- all this for $25!

What a Crock!

This morning I lifted the lid on my red 4-quart Crock-Pot and...the handle came off! The plastic handle literally disintegrated and broke free from the screw attaching it into the glass. Into tiny pieces and plastic dust. Since this was definitely a lid malfunction and it was only a little over a year old, I called the Rival 800 number to request a replacement. Customer service said the lids were out-of-stock (others had similar problems?), but to call back in three weeks, and if they were available then, they could order one for me at a total cost of $21.59! Lid, shipping, tax. I told her for 40 cents more, I could buy a new one at Target and probably even less in the store. I think I got it on sale for around $17. I'll go to Target later this afternoon and see if for grins they will replace it. I'm doubtful, but it's worth a try. No offense, but if I can find a 4-quart size slow cooker that is not a Rival, I'm more inclined to replace mine with a new brand. . . How many lidless Rival crockpots are clogging our landfills?

Let's Get Crocking! Seasoned Whole Chicken

So easy! Just sprinkle lots of Penzeys Northwoods Seasoning all over a whole chicken (don't forget to remove the giblets/livers from the cavity) and place in the crockpot. Do not add any water or broth. (Click here for more Penzey spice seasonings from an earlier post. This is one of my favorite go-to crock pot recipes and I'm constantly trying new variations.) Cook on Low 5-6 hours or High 4 hours, depending upon how "fast" your slow cooker is. The newer ones seem to get hot and cook faster than the old crockpots. Now you are set with enough chicken for at least 2-3 meals! I've also made versions with poultry seasoning...and salt and pepper with garlic and a cut up onion or a lemon cut in half inside the bird. All smell great while crocking, too!

Chilled Red Pepper Soup - Slow Cooking Thursday Crockpot Challenge

This was from the June 2008 issue of Family Circle magazine, page 202. Click here for the recipe.

First, you should really like red peppers, and you may not be as fond of them for awhile after trying this. And you better have a strainer ready. It sounded promising, but it looks like ultimately what's left over will go down the drain, hopefully not clogging it.

Despite the Kitchen Aid immersion blender, there were still sticks of rolled pepper skin found hidden the next day. Ick. It is supposed to be served chilled overnight. Do that, as warm it tastes awful - awful!. I strained it and will try a little again later today...third time's the charm, right? But I'm not optimistic and I won't be adding this to my recipe notebook.

Sneak Peek at this week's Slow Cooking Thursday & Crockpot Challenge

Yes, this same skillet pan did pull double duty this morning. I love it but it is is so big and awkward, I didn't want to go two rounds wrestling it back into the cupboard. Besides, these red peppers from Costco weren't long for this world. The red ones are always the first to go.

Crockpot Challenge and Slow Cooking Thursday - Split Pea Soup

This is a combination of many different recipes, including Mable Hoffman and Martha Stewart and me!

SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 pound package green split peas, rinsed

1 ham bone

2 carrots, diced

9 cups of chicken broth, or water with 4 1/4 teaspoons Penzeys Chicken Soup Base

a few shakes of California Seasoned Pepper or regular black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried fennel

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients in 5 quart crockpot. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours (check at 6 hours if your c/p is fast and peas look mush-able). Remove bay leaf and bone, and pick off any edible-looking ham pieces, set aside. Use an immersion blender to puree. (Or you can process in a regular blender). Keep or return to the crockpot on Low an additional 1/2 hour if desired. This also freezes well in quart sized Zip-Loc baggies - stack and freeze flat on a plate to save space.