Crock Pot Beef Stew

Original Recipe

Ingredients

SERVES 8

1-1/2lbs stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
1lb white potatoes (about 1 large potato,) peeled then chopped
8oz whole mushrooms, cut into quarters or sixths if large
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (I like Lea & Perrins)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
32oz gluten-free beef broth (which is 4 cups FYI)
1/4 cup gluten-free or all-purpose flour (dish will not be GF if using all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions
Add ingredients from stew meat to beef broth into a 6-quart crock pot then cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat is tender (mine took 6 but it will depend on how big your stew meat is cut.) I added everything to the crock pot the night before then popped into the crock pot base in the morning and turned it on.
Add flour to a bowl then add a ladleful of cooking liquid and whisk until smooth. Pour back into crock pot then stir well to combine and cook on high for 30-45 more minutes, or until broth has thickened (Note: broth will continue to thicken while cooling.) Add peas then let sit until heated through, 5 minutes, before serving.

Just as a note I did not make this because it was gluten free! I liked the ingredients in this one. 

I used 4 yellow potatoes for this one. Otherwise I actually followed the recipe (mostly because it already had garlic LOL)

The boyfriend was over for this one and he and the kid both agreed that it could use less rosemary. I decided that I need a spice mill so I can turn rosemary into something that isn't a pointy little stick that gets stuck in your gums!!!

The flavour of this was really good. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I used the 3 tbsp of tomato paste out of one of those little cans and what was left was about another 3 tbsp so I popped it into a zipper top bag and into the freezer it went for the next time!

I was VERY leery about adding the flour as I have made other recipes in the past that got very gelatinous the next day with the addition of it. That was not a problem at all here. Actually there were complaints the night of that it wasn't thick enough and I found it didn't thicken much more overnight.

The one thing the recipe forgets to tell you is to find that darn bay leaf and toss it out!!! You don't want anyone eating that thing!

I will definitely make this recipe again with maybe just a few little tweaks like the rosemary thing!

Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

Original recipe

• 1(10.5) ounce can of cream of chicken soup (or use cream of mushroom soup, it’s less salty)
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 (6 oz.) box Stove Top stuffing mix*
• ¾ cup water
• 1 (16 oz.) bag frozen green beans
• 3-4 large chicken breasts, salted and peppered if desired.

Instructions

Place the chicken on the bottom of the crock pot. 

Mix together the soup, sour cream, stuffing, half of the water, and place over the chicken. 

Place the string beans either on one side of the crock pot or over the stuffing. You'll want to mix the stuffing periodically if possible- I don't mind mixing the string beans in with the stuffing but if you'd prefer that they remain separate, place the string beans more to the side. 

Add the remaining water during the cooking process as needed. I always use all of the water but crock pots cook slightly differently, so adding as needed is safer. If you're leaving for the day, add the remaining water when you return if you feel you need it. 

Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-7.

*No need to cook the stuffing mix prior to adding to crock pot

Notes

I like to try to mix the stuffing periodically if I can, just to keep it blended and to mix the moisture around. If the stuffing seems too moist for your liking, leave the lid off the crock pot for the last 30-40 minutes of cooking, or until your desired consistency is achieved. 

I love adding diced sausage, onions, and celery to my stuffing- even dried cranberries are delicious! You can also add onion tops toward the end of the cooking process- (YUM.) 

This meal is delicious with some whipped potatoes prepared on the stove-top!

I followed the instructions on this one exactly (OK besides garlic powder) and the results were at best MEH. I used 4 chicken breasts and seasoned them with garlic powder. I used cream of chicken soup. I didn't add anything to the stuffing other than what is in the main recipe. Also bag of green beans here do not come in 16 oz so I added two cups of beans. 

I took the lid off for almost an hour at the end of cooking and it was still a soggy mess even after stirring the stuffing several times (mixing in the beans in the process). I had such high hopes for this recipe! If I do make it again I wouldn't even bother adding water to the stuffing mix and I think I'd leave the beans out and steam them on the side! I'd probably add some celery  and onion to the stuffing too! If you happen to decide to make this please let me know what changes you made and if you were more successful than me!

Slow Cooker Pepperoni Pizza Bake

Original Recipe

Ingredients

1 can (16.3 oz) refrigerated biscuits (such as Pillsbury Grands)

1 cup sliced pepperoni

3 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 cup pizza sauce of your choice

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

Directions

1. Spray insert of 6- to 7-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Open and separate the refrigerated biscuits into 8 biscuits.
2. Cut each biscuit into 6 pieces; place in large bowl.
3. Cut 1 cup pepperoni slices into quarters. Place half of the quarters in bowl with biscuit pieces. Add 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning to bowl with cut biscuits and pepperoni quarters; toss to mix.
4. Place biscuit mixture as evenly as possible in bottom of slow-cooker insert.
5. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over top of biscuits, making sure to get some sauce around edges so that biscuits are not touching insert without sauce in between.
6. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese and remaining half of pepperoni over top, trying to keep cheese away from touching insert.
7. Cover top of insert with large paper towel. Place slow-cooker lid on top of paper towel. (This will prevent condensation from dripping onto biscuits during cooking.)
8. Cook on High heat setting 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hour. (Not all slow cookers cook the same. Test for doneness after 1 hour and 30 minutes by inserting knife into center to make sure biscuits are fully baked; outer edge will be dark golden brown.)
9. Remove bubble-up bake from slow-cooker insert while warm to prevent biscuits from sticking to insert.
10. Serve warm.

First of all I couldn't seem to find grands biscuits that weren't cinnamon buns so I used Pillsbury flaky rolls.

3 teaspoons of Italian seasoning is WAY TOO MUCH!!! Even the 2 tsps I used was a bit much for me. I think 1 tsp would be plenty! Of course I added garlic powder to my seasoning too (about 1/2 tsp). I used basil and garlic pizza sauce. I think this was a fatal mistake. It had an oddly sweet edge to it that we didn't like. I cooked this for longer than the instructions said on high and found that there were still some uncooked bits of biscuits in the center. Inserting a knife was useless cause the cheese coated the whole thing.

I also added about 2/3 of the cheese then the toppings and then the last 1/3 of cheese so that the toppings weren't falling off the top. I think you could safely cut the cheese back to 1-1.5 cups too!

Overall I think this could be a decent recipe if you cut back the Italian seasoning, used plain pizza sauce and cooked it in the oven and not the slow cooker! I did reheat my leftovers in the oven for lunch and even found those tasted better and had a more well done mouth feel than the fresh out of the slow cooker result!

Crockpot BBQ Pork Chops with Potatoes, Carrots and onions

Original recipe

Crockpot Barbeque Pork Chops with Potatoes, Carrots, & Onions

Ingredients

• 6-8 pork chops (I prefer bone-in)
• 6-8 potatoes, cut into quarters
• ½ of a 16oz bag of baby carrots
• 1 large onion, cut into quarters
• 1 28oz bottle of barbeque sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup cola
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped green onions (optional)

Instructions

1. Layer the potatoes, carrots, & onions in the bottom of a slowcooker. Season with salt & pepper. Layer the pork chops on top of the vegetables, & season with another dose of salt & pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the barbeque sauce, ketchup, cola, & Worcestershire sauce until combined. Pour on top of the pork chops.
3. Cover the slow cooker, & cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the meat & vegetable are tender. Garnish the pork chops with chopped green onions (optional)

I halved this recipe and only used two pork chops and thank goodness I only used two because it would have been a horrible waste of meat! Rarely does food ever go to waste in our house but the leftover veggies from this dish went straight to the garbage from the crock :(

It was bitter and just had an overall odd flavour. The kid said she'd give it maybe a 3/10 but asked that I never make it again. I sadly have to agree with her there.

I guess this is one of the cases where my loss in your gain so you don't have to waste your food, time and energy to make this one! Onward an upward folks....I'm trying new recipes all the time

CROCK POT CHEESY CHICKEN, BACON, & TATER TOT BAKE

Original recipe

CROCK POT CHEESY CHICKEN, BACON, & TATER TOT BAKE

PRINT

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 10 mins

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tater Tots is a delicious and super easy meal to put together! Your whole family will love it!

Author: Real Housemoms

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 6 or more

INGREDIENTS

• One 32 ounce bag frozen tater tots
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon
• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese or Colby jack cheese blend
• 2/3 cup 2% milk (whole milk would be fine too)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Once bacon cools, crumble it into small pieces, and set it aside.
2. Coat the inside of your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Dump half the frozen tater tots into the crock pot, and spread into an even layer. Top tots with 1/3 of the cheese and 1/2 the crumbled bacon.
4. Place uncooked chicken on top of the tater tot layer. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Top chicken with 1/3 of the cheese.
5. Spread remaining tater tots over the chicken layer. Top with remaining bacon and cheese. Pour milk over the top of the dish.
6. Cover your crock pot and cook on HIGH on 3 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Serve warm.

NOTES

You can cut down on your prep time buy using ready to serve (cooked) bacon as well.

Alright so this is a decent recipe BUT I made the mistake of doing it on low for 7 hours instead of high for 3. This was a critical error! The chicken ended up VERY dry because of this. I'd say if you want to go this route leave your chicken breasts whole instead of cutting them up. I also used pre-cooked bacon bits instead of cooking fresh just because it was easier before heading out the door for the kids first basketball tourney of the year. I used 1% milk and don't think it made a lick of difference. 

Overall this was tasty but I should have seasoned the chicken layer with some garlic (YES, I forgot garlic BAH) and when I make it again I will cook on HIGH for 3 hours as directed instead of trying to make the recipe fit my schedule!

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup

The ORIGINAL recipe
The recipe I followed (mostly)

INGREDIENTS

1. 4 small potatoes, peeled and diced
2. 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
3. 1 cup shredded carrots
4. 1/2 cup diced celery
5. 1 teaspoon dried basil
6. 1 teaspoon dried parsley
7. 3 cups chicken broth
8. 1 pound lean ground beef
9. 3 Tablespoons butter
10. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
11. 2 cups milk ( I use 2%)
12. 1/2 teaspoon salt
13. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14. 1 (16 oz.) package Velveeta processed cheese, cubed OR 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, dried basil and parsley in a large crock pot. Pour chicken broth over vegetables. Cover with lid. Cook on low heat 6 to 8 hours OR on high heat 4 to 5 hours or until potatoes are tender.
2. About 20 minutes before serving, cook and crumble ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain any grease. Pour cooked ground beef into crock pot. Carefully wipe out hot skillet with a paper towel then add butter. When butter is melted whisk in flour and cook until golden brown and bubbly (about 1 minute.) Whisk in the milk, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into the crock pot and stir to combine everything.
3. Add the cubed velveeta cheese or shredded cheese to crock pot. Stir again. Cover with lid and cook another 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
4. Serve and enjoy!

NOTES

1. Cook Time: 6 to 8 hours (because all crock pots heat differently)

By Holly

Adapted from Taste of Home

OK so 4 small potatoes didn't even cover the bottom of my slow cooker so I used 6 potatoes. I definitely could have cut them smaller (My bad, I am used to mashing potatoes in my soups!) I think because of using more potatoes I needed more liquid so I ended up using 5 cups of chicken broth (I use the stock powder added to boiling water because it's cheaper and still very tasty just not clear). I used 1% milk because that's all I buy.

I prepared my vegetables the night before and added a chopped clove of garlic, cause well...GARLIC people! If it's a savory recipe and doesn't have garlic chances are pretty damn good I'll add some or a LOT! I put everything up to the chicken broth in the crock and let it sit on the counter over night. I browned my ground beef with garlic powder of course and added it with 2 hours and 40 minutes left of the 8 hours. This was done at this time because my daycare boys were quietly reading and they let me sneak into the kitchen for a few minutes!

I don't buy processed cheese...EVER! OK maybe not never but very, very rarely! So we used the two cups of shredded cheddar. What I find a little confusing is that in step 2 it says about 20 minutes before serving etc  but then step 3 says to cook for another 30 minutes after adding the beef and milk/flour mixture! So I added the milk/flour mix and cheese and just cooked it on low for another 30 minutes. 

Overall this is a good recipe! It's very tasty, especially with the addition of garlic! (I did mention I love garlic right?!) To call it cheeseburger soup is a bit of a stretch to me as I don't know anyone who has potatoes, celery or carrots on a cheeseburger! This was enough for the kid and I for dinner, lunch the next day and one more dinner tucked into the freezer. I am sure it yielded more due to my potato and broth additions. 

When I make this again, and I will, I will definitely cut my potatoes smaller and I will very likely cut back the addition of salt and add a good bit of bacon instead!!! Being that the recipe I copied and pasted is already an adaptation on the original recipe (also linked at the very top of this post) I think it's safe to say that one could make many variations on this recipe and still have it come out tasting good!

I served this soup with a quick yeast roll because we love bread almost as much as garlic ;)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13827/quick-yeast-rolls/

Intro-A little about me

My name is Jenn. I am a 37 year old single mom to an awesome yet frustrating at times 13 year old daughter. The kid has a sensitivity to citric acid so she cannot eat oranges, can only have tomatoes in limited quantity and has to be careful of other foods containing citric acid. She will not touch a berry if her life depends on it. Sometimes I think the list of what she will eat is shorter than the list of what she wont! As for me, I am deathly allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, squid and scallops. I also have texture issues and cannot eat certain foods without gagging or being sick.

As you can imagine that you add all that together and we are quite the pain in the rear to feed! I am constantly looking for new recipes because I get bored of eating the same things all the time. Yes I love meatloaf and mashed potatoes...probably in an unhealthy manner but I don't want to eat them every week anymore!

Now that the child is older I am starting to cook more of what I want and if she doesn't like it she is welcome to make herself a sandwich or salad for dinner instead.

A lot of my focus is going to be on reviewing slow cooker recipes and eventually developing my own. I will usually make a recipe close to the original instructions the first time I make it and then play around with ingredients from there. I have been cooking since I was about 6 years old so I do have a very good grasp on what kinds of flavours go well together and what kind don't.

It is hard to find recipes geared towards 2-3 people instead of feeding 6-8. We do like leftovers for lunch the next day but I don't want to eat the same thing for a week. I know some people don't have a lot of freezer space and some things just don't freeze all that well!

I ran a home based baking business for over a year so there will be some baking recipes as well but I will lean more to the savoury side here because I don't often change up a baking recipe. That is science you just don't want to mess with!

Hopefully this gives you a little insight into what I am trying to do with this blog. I haven't decided how often I will be posting but I am aiming for at least once a week.

Poor Man's Stew Review

Poor Man's Stew original recipe

Poor Man's Stew

Author: Sarah Olson

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  6 hours

Total time:  6 hours 15 mins

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
• 1.5 lbs potatoes, diced large
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced (I had this on hand already)
• 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions

1. Add the cooked ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic to a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, onion powder and oregano. Pour this mixture over everything in the slow cooker. Stir.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.
4. Serve with buttered sandwich bread.
5. ENJOY!

I made this for the kid and I. While it was a good base recipe it definitely needs a few tweaks to be an awesome recipe!
I have chosen to make this again with cut up inside round steak instead of the ground beef as I found that the beef just kind of disappeared in this. The garlic needed to be amped up too (You will find quickly by reading my recipes and reviews that we have a love for garlic in this house!). 2-3 cloves are needed here. Adding a little thyme or basil would be good too.

Saying this serves 5 would be generous. It served the two of us with enough leftovers for both of us for lunch the next day.

One footnote, I will be taking pictures to post with my blog entries but hadn't decided to blog when I made this!