LESSONS LEARNED

Here's a few things I've learned in cooking for one month with the SLOW COOKER.

**  Arranging your meal plan in the morning and getting the work out of the way, makes for a wonderful and peaceful afternoon, just enough time to watch Oprah !!
**  It's tough to do a slow cooker meal everyday, the leftovers were at times overwhelming.  I wasn't always serving all 5 in my family so we had a good amount of leftovers.
**  My slow cooker cooks fast, I need to keep that in mind in the future.
**  Not having to clean an entire meals dishes in the evening is a God send........I was able to keep my kitchen much cleaner throughout the week.
**  The recipes other people give you almost always turn out to be GREAT.  Never turn down a suggested recipe.  Cooking out of a cookbook is such a hit or miss.  Believe me, I had 21 of them.
**  Coming in the house at 4pm and knowing dinner is almost done, is heavenly.  
**  It's fairly easy to shop for the ingredients for these recipes.  Most are either pantry items or meat that is fine in the freezer till the night before you need to use it.
**  Slow Cooking, simply put, makes a busy life MUCH less hectic and it can significantly reduce the amount of times you feel "forced" to eat out since nothing is planned nor shopped for.
**  This was FUN, fun enough where I am going to continue to slow cooker and I'll post my favorites on this blog.   Thanks for everyones encouragment, recipe sharing and enthusiasm.

I DID IT  !!  Julie & Julia would be proud, I think..........

TOP 10 from 31 days of Slow Cooking

Here is what I thought was the TOP 10 recipes that I will most certainly do again (&again)!
No particular Order

Karen's French Dip Sandwiches  (exactly as recipe is written)
Easy-Does-It Spaghetti  (the best spaghetti flavor I've tasted in a home cooked spaghetti)
Laura's Taco Soup   (just simply wonderful)
Chicken Azteca   (follow the modifications I listed)
Buffalo Chicken Lasagna   (different but very tasty)
Slow Cooker Beef Bourginon    (family LOVED it)
Mom's BBQ Beef Sandwiches   (passed down many generations)
Kim's Tortilla Soup    (wonderful !)
Soft Shredded Chicken Tacos   (taste just like the restaurants serve)
Rigatoni  (follow modifications listed)

7 out of 10 were recipes others gave to me.  THANK YOU !!

Sweet Potato Soup

Had to try this one.  Just for the nutritional content alone is what initially drew me to this recipe.  And it's soup weather.

3 sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped into cubes
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can sliced mangoes, and their juices
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 cup heavy cream.

Place potato cubes in bottom of slow cooker.  Add broth, mangoes & their juice and allspice.  Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.  When the potatoes are tender, blend 1/3 of mixture at a time in blender.  Add heavy cream to blender with each blending.   Serve warm.

I could not find mangoes in a can so I used used fresh, peeled & diced.  I added the 1/2 cup heavy cream but next time I'd reduce it down to 1/4 cup.   I was missing the extra liquid from the mangoes in the can so I added 1/4 cup broth.   I thought it was a little too thick but overall the taste was WONDERFUL.  So healthy.  I'd like to see how it would taste with the mangoes in the can with juice.  Will continue to be on the lookout for them.

Would be perfect alongside a warm sandwich.   Great Flavor, very sweet & tasteful.

Bon' Appetit'

Day 31 Encore' Recipe

Day 31 of 30    Wait, am I going over the 30 days ???
I have been waiting for a good opportunity to try Julie's Beef Bourginon recipe she shared with me a few weeks ago.

Report:   Fabulous!!!  The entire family ate it up immediately. I love the tiny onions and the flavor was wonderful.  I served it with a spoonful of white rice on top.   Will most certainly do again.

Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourgignon

1 can (14 oz) reduced sodium, fat free beef broth
1 cup burgundy or other full-bodied red wine
1/4 cup water
1 envelope (1.2 oz) plain brown gravy mix, such as Knorr
2 tsp bottled minced garlic (fresh is best)
2 bay leaves
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
5 slices already-cooked bacon
1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)
20-25 baby carrots
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 lbs. Beef cubes for stew
1 bag (16 oz) frozen small whole onions
salt to taste, if desired
3 tbsp. cornstarch

Pour the beef broth, wine and water into slow cooker.  Pour the powdered gravy from the envelope into the broth mixture and whisk until any lumps disappear.  Sprinkle the garlic, bay leaves and thyme over the broth.
Cut up the bacon into roughly 1/4" pieces.  Scatter the bacon in the slow cooker.
Peel and coarsely chop the onion.  Scatter the onion pieces, whole baby carrots and sliced mushrooms evenly in the slow cooker.  Place the beef cubes evenly over the vegetables and press down and stir as necessary to make sure most of the beef is submerged in the broth mixture.  Add the whole onions to the top.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.  (The stew can cook on low as long as 9 hours).
Before serving the stew, remove the lid and stir it well.  Remove the bay leaves, taste the broth and season with salt if desired.  Mix the cornstarch and 3 tbsp water in a jar that has a lid.  Shake well until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain.  Pour the mixture evenly over the stew (the stew needs to be hot when you do this step).  Stir well.  Continue stirring until the stew reaches the desired thickness, about 5 minutes.  Serve the stew in bowls.

Recipe #30 Day 30

Day 30 of 30
Cream of Broccoli Soup

1 small onion, chopped
oil
20 oz pkg. frozen broccoli
2 (10.75 oz) cans of cream of celery soup
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 soup can of milk

Saute onion in oil in skillet until soft.
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
Cover.  Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours.

Everyone in my family loves broccoli (good thing because it is one of the most healthy vegetables) so I thought this would be a good recipe to try.  Mid way through cooking, I took a little sample and I wasn't sure I was going to like it, the flavor seemed kinda odd.   Anyway, off to pick up the kids at school and when I came back and we were ready to eat it, the flavor was great.  I would most certainly do this again.  Super Easy.  I served this with turkey/provolone/pesto/tomato paninis.   Everyone loved them.   We had the 4 ingredient panini's I just listed at a swim meet and they were the best.  Try em'.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 29 Day 29

Day 29 of 30
Creamy Chicken Italiano

In the slow cooker now, this is really easy, takes only 4 hours total.  Hope we like it.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 cup water
8 oz. pkg. cream sheese, softened
1 can (10.75) can of cream of chicken soup
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.  Combine salad dressing mix and water, stir and pour over chicken.
Cover & cook on LOW for 3 hours.
Combine softened cream cheese and soup until blended.  Stir in mushrooms.  Pour over chicken.  Cover & cook on LOW for an additional 1 hour or until chicken juices run clear.
Serve over noodles or rice.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 28 Day 28

Day 28 of 30
Potato, Corn & Clam Chowder
Perfect for a cold day !

I thought this was really good and very, very easy.  If you like corn, this is a chowder for you.  My kids love corn so this was a winner for them.

1 bag (16 oz) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed  (I used the cubed kind)
1 can (15.25 oz) whole kernal corn, undrained
1 can (14.75 oz) cream-style corn
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped celery
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small can minced clams
1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients in slower cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Notes:  I feel like the potatoes became too mushy, I may have overcooked this.  I would only cook for 5-6 hours next time.  Also, I tried using turkey bacon instead of regular bacon and I think it affected the flavor.  It needed more of that "bacon-y" flavor, I will use regular bacon next time.  I used the already cooked bacon, love that option.  Just cut it up and put it in.   I also might try using a few baking potatoes cut up into small cubes instead of the frozen hash brown potatoes.

I thought the flavor was good but could have been spiced up a bit.  I'm going to try regular bacon next time and I might even try adding some fresh broccoli to add more nutrition.  Overall, great recipe.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 27 Day 27

Day 27 of 30
Mom's BBQ Beef Sandwiches

THIS IS A WINNER, Great every time I make it and my kids gobble it up !

3-4 lb. beef rump roast  (definitely use beef and definitely use rump roast for best flavor)
1 onion  (divided)   3-4 slices, the rest chopped
10 whole cloves
your favorite bbq sauce (I used Kraft Honey flavor)

Put rump roast in bottom of slow cooker.  Push 10 cloves into top of roast over the top surface of the meat.  Slice 3 slices of onion and place on top, side by side.
Cover roast with water till the top of the onion slices but not over the onion.
Cook on LOW for 8 hours or overnight.
Take beef out of slow cooker and shred.  Discard onion slices.  Chop remainder of onion.  Mix with shredded beef.  Add bbq sauce.   Add a small amount of water (maybe 1/4 cup) to bbq bottle, shake to get out all of the sauce, add to beef.  Cook an additional hour on LOW.

Serve on Cobblestone Onion rolls or your favorite type of rolls.
Variation:  I like to add coleslaw on my sandwich, my husband like to put mustard.  
My mom used to serve these every Christmas eve, definitely a crowd favorite.  My 14 yr. old ate 4 sandwiches last night.
I know other people who have used this recipe with a Boston Butt (I really don't like the name of that), but I don't think it is as good.  Personal preference.

This would be a perfect recipe for game day, especially if The University of Michigan is playing.........

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 26 Day 26

Day 26 of 30
Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
I got this recipe last winter from a Good Morning America Episode
I loved it but it was a bit too spicy, I am going to try to tone it down a bit to make it more "family" friendly

uncooked traditional lasagna noodles  (I used the healthy request noodles, they were great)
4 chicken breasts, skinless/boneless, cooked & shredded
1 jar garden combination RAGU spaghetti sauce
1 cup buffalo wing sauce (mild)  I used Kroger brand MILD sauce
3 bell peppers (green, red, yellow), chopped
1 tub ricotta cheese (15 oz)
2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar blend)
1/2  cup blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup water (add at very end)

In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, spaghetti sauce and 1 cup wing sauce.  Mix well.

Ladle a big spoonful of the chicken/sauce mixture into the bottom of the slow cooker.  Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles.  You'll have to break them to get fit, try to keep in large pieces if possible.  Add a smear of ricotta cheese to the top of the noodles.  Spread around evenly.  Add a layer of chopped bell peppers.  Sprinkle on a handful of shredded cheese.  Sprinkle with a few crumbles of blue cheese.

Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients.  Add 1/4 cup water to the empty spaghetti sauce jar, shake well.  Add to the top of the mixture.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours.  When cooking time is complete, unplug slow cooker and take off the lid.  Let sit for 20 minutes before cutting into it or it will fall apart.


Report:   I really like this recipe.  There is a lot going on with this recipe as far as flavors but I think it is really delicious.  Even good as leftovers.   
The milder ingredients helped a lot with my kids liking it better but you can spice it up as much or as little as you'd like.

Bon' Appetit'

Must Tries !!

Well, so far I certainly have my favorites.

Loved, loved, loved the Easy Does It Spaghetti    great flavor, so incredibly easy

Laura's Taco Soup      can beat this one on a fall day.  Everyone loves this.

Karen's French Dip Sandwiches        Kids couldn't get enough of these

I'll post a top 5 or 10 at the end of the month.
Try the spaghetti, you'll be so surprised at the flavor.

Recipe # 25 Day 25

Day 25 of 30
Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs. beef stew meat
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of golden mushroom soup  (I could not find "golden" so I used regular cream of mushroom soup)
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of onion soup
1 can (8 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
6 cups hot cooked noodles, I use the extra wide noodles
or could serve over rice

Mix beef, onion, soups, mushrooms and pepper in slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or until beef is very tender.
Stir in cream cheese into beef mixture until melted.  Stir in sour cream.
I allow it to cook for another 40 min.
Serve over noodles.

This is the traditional beef stroganoff, creamy kind.  I used both reduced fat cream cheese and sour cream and it was fine, not too runny.  My kids really liked it, especially with added salt & pepper.

Somehow, this recipe was even better the next day.  Two of my kids liked it better the second day.  I would add fresh ground pepper next time to give it more of a peppery flavor.  Overall, a great recipe and I would certainly do it again. 

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 24 Day 24

Day 24 of 30
Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding

I was disappointed in this recipe. I thought it would turn out kinda like a coffee cake but it was more like cubes of raisin bread with some sticky stuff in between.

Basically, it was cut up cinnamon-raisin bread with a mixture of eggs, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, cinnamon and water.  It smelled wonderful during baking but the taste was just ok.

Won't post the recipe, don't think it would be worth passing on.

Win some and some not so good !

Recipe # 23 Day 23

Day 23 of 30
Chicken Stroganoff Pot Pie

Hmmm............I really wanted this to be a good recipe.  The name of the recipe sounded great, the ingredients all seemed good together but the flavor was overall just bland.  My thoughts are this:  We are all so used to pot pies from a commercial vendor, which has a tremendous amount of sodium.  It tasted so bland because it tasted just like chicken, vegetables and gravy, without the sodium.

I am actually going to work a little with this recipe.  I am going to use fresh cut up vegetables next time (I'm thinking baking potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, onions, cut green beans, possibly squash and zucchini).  The vegetables were much too mushy at the end of the cooking for my liking.  The topping of the bisquick was good but I think I'll add some type of spice to it, possibly fresh ground pepper and italian seasoning.  I would also add salt to the mixture while cooking.  The absence of salt made it just overall too blah.

I'll post a better version if my alterations produce a better dish.

1 envelope (0.87 oz) chicken gravy mix
1 can (10.5 ox) condensed chicken broth
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bag (16 oz) frozen stew vegetables, thawed and drained
1 jar (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Bisquick Original or Reduced Fat baking mix
4 medium green onions
1/2 cup milk
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Mix gravy mix and broth in slow cooker until smooth. Stir in chicken, stew vegetables and mushrooms. Cover and Cook on LOW for 4 hours or until chicken is tender.
Mix sour cream and flour. Stir sour cream mixture into chicken mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes.
Mix Baking mix and onions; stir in milk just until moistened. Stir in peas. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto chicken-vegetable mixture.
Cover and cook on high heat for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of topping comes out clean. Serve immediately.

In slow cooker now, seems delicious but the smell has fooled me before. We'll see................Update:  the smell did fool me............way too bland.  Needs some alteration...........maybe next time.

Bon' Appetit' (sort of')

Recipe # 22 Day 22

Day 22 of 30
Easy-Does-It Spaghetti

I wasn't sure how this was going to taste, but to my surprise, I really liked the flavor of the sauce. Now, keep in mind, I'm usually one to buy the spaghetti sauce out of the jar so any homemade recipe would probably be a step up for me. I loved how easy it was and how there were no pans left over to clean up except for a pan to brown the meat. I thought this was really good and I'll certainly do it again. My kids really liked it too, ate everything up without talking. That's usually a good sign that they like it.

2 lbs. ground chuck, browned, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
3 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 4 oz. can of sliced mushrooms, drained
6 cups tomato juice
16 oz. dry spaghetti, broken into 4-5 inch pieces (I used the healthy harvest kind)
grated Parmesan cheese (I used the pre-shredded parm. chz in the pkg., liked it)

Brown meat, rinse and drain. (I don't normally use ground chuck 80/20 but I think it really added to the overall flavor).
Combine all ingredients except spaghetti and cheese in slow cooker.
Cover. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.
Turn on HIGH the last 30 minutes of cooking and add dry spaghetti broken into 4-5 inch pieces. Stir gently into sauce. If spaghetti is not fully cooked after 30 minutes, allow to cook for 10 minutes intervals till done.
Using slotted spoon, portion onto plates and top with parmesan cheese. I found the sauce a little on the runny side so the slotted spoon worked well. Or it you like the sauce thinner, serve in a bowl.

Sometimes, Italian food tastes even better the next day. I think this is definitely going to be the case with this. I am truly surprised that I liked this as much as I did. The 6 cups of tomato juice is what had me wondering.
Also, I loved not having to use an extra pan to boil the noodles, nice step removed from a spaghetti dinner.

Update: This is my NEW spaghetti recipe. I just loved it and my family was disappointed that we couldn't have it for leftovers a 2nd night. Meaning, 3 nights in a row ! I HAVE NEVER HEARD THAT !!

Approx. cost: $15.00

Bon' Appetit'

Comments Welcome !!

Hello Everyone!
A few people have asked why they can't post a comment???
thanks for inquiring because I want to hear the suggestions/reviews.
Well I looked into it and it was my fault: I didn't check off the box for anyone to be able to put in a comment (oops, sorry !), now it's open to anyone, you do not have to be a registered google user.
Yea..........
Can't wait to hear what ya think
AND if you've made something, let us know !!
thanks

Recipe # 21 Day 21

Day 21 of 30
Chalupas
Dry pinto beans need to soak overnight. I've truly never soaked dry beans, I've always used canned which concerns me because of the sodium content. This should be interesting to compare dry to canned.

This recipe was just OK. I liked all the steps and thought it would be a good recipe but I feel like the meat was sorta bland. It was a 3 lb. pork roast with seasonings and dry pinto beans. I did exactly as said, cook for 6 hours, shred meat, return and cook on high for 1 hour and I felt like the beans were still undercooked. I cooked the mixture another hour on high and it was bubbling then I thought it was done. I served it on a bed of romaine lettuce, shredded pork, shredded cheese, diced onions and diced tomatoes. It had all the components of a delicious, light meal but it was bland. I think it needed more of a "taco seasoning" flavor rather than 3 to four spices.

With the left overs I am going to add a pkg. of taco seasoning to the meat, put it in a flour tortilla with cheese and serve as a burrito topped with salsa. I think this would be good. Will let you know. 5:00 pm update: Ok, served these as burritos for lunch. It was good with the taco seasoning, not great. I probably won't do this again and if I do, I'll play around with the seasonings.

Bon' Appetit'

Full Fridge !

Friday, Oct. 2 ONLY 10 days to go !
We are up to the top of the fridge with leftovers.
Tonight was finishing them up !!
Back with it tomorrow.
Tomorrow Chalupas.
Next day: Some easy-schmeezy spaghetti recipe (can't remember the name)

Recipe # 20 Day 20

Day 20 of 30
Broccoli Corn Bread
My kids love broccoli and they love corn bread so let's see if they like 'em together.

I, personally thought this was really good but I was really the only one. If you've ever had corn casserole, it tasted very similar. As you scan down the ingredients, you'll get an idea of what it would taste like. It's a side dish and would be good served with ham or pork, it just seems like it would fit with that. Or perhaps for a brunch. I would call this more a "ladies" favorite. It's not that the kids didn't like it, they just thought it was OK. I would do it again.

1 stick margarine, melted
10 oz. pkg. chopped frozen broccoli, cooked and drained
1 onion, chopped
1 box Jiffy corn bread
4 eggs, well beaten
8 oz. cottage cheese
1 1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients. Mix well.
Pour into greased slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I only ended up cooking mine for 5 hours. The edges started to get brown so I went ahead and turned off the slow cooker.
Serve like spoon bread or cut into wedges and remove with a flexible spatula.

My notes: As I typed the ingredients I realized I didn't "cook" the broccoli. I just thawed it, drained it and put it in. It turned out fine. I did not use a whole onion, I used about 1/2 of a medium onion. I think it needs to sit for 15 minutes after cooking if your going to slice it into wedges, just enough time to allow it to firm up.

Approx. cost: $5.00
EASY and would be perfect for a ladies luncheon.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 19 Day 19

Day 19 of 30
Soft Shredded Chicken Tacos

If you ever wondered how Mexican restaurants make their chicken so tender, THIS IS HOW ! I will never "bake" chicken again. Using a slow cooker all day makes chicken so incredibly tender, its amazing. We fixed our tacos up with soft flour tortillas, topped with chicken and sprinkle shredded mexican blend cheese on top. Microwave for 20-30 seconds until cheese is melted. Top with shredded lettuce, black olives and a little bit of ranch dressing.
They were wonderful and super easy & fast. I served VIGO black rice on the side, this is one of our favorites.

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 large container of chicken broth
taco toppings (cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, any kind of dressing, etc.)

Put chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning on both sides. Pour chicken broth over top till chicken is covered. Cook on LOW all day.
Take chicken out of slow cooker and shred. Serve with soft flour tortillas and your favorite toppings.

thanks Judy for this idea.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 18 Day 18

Day 18 of 30
Shrimp & Sausage Creole with Dirty Rice
a request from my boys

DELICIOUS !!!
It was such a nice break from chicken & beef. My 13 yr. old gave it a two thumbs up and we'll see about the other two. Yum. We'll have left overs for many days. This makes a TON of food.
This is perfect for a cool fall day such as today.

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 3/4 cups sliced onions
1 cup diced green peppers
1 cup diced celery
1 1/2 large carrots, shredded
2 3/4 lb. can tomatoes
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of rosemary
1 tbsp. sugar
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. salt
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
2 lbs. shelled shrimp, deviened
1 pkg. your favorite sausage, sliced on the diagonal

Melt butter in skillet. Add flour and brown, stirring constantly till rich, golden brown but not overly browned. Add onions, green peppers, celery, and carrots. Cook 5-10 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients , except shrimp & sausage, and stir well.
Cover. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.
Add shrimp & sausage during the last hour of cooking.
Serve over rice.
I used Zatarain's dirty rice mix, I think it added "too much" flavor. I'd use white jasmine rice next time.

Note: I used frozen medium size shrimp and they ended up too mushy. I'd use fresh peeled & deviened shrimp next time and probably the large size.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 17 Day 17

Day 17 of 30
Slow cooker Pumpkin Pie Pudding

This was just like a pumpkin pie just not as "set". It was really good even with adding a whole extra TBSP of pumpkin pie spice. oops ! (I was talkin' on the phone)
It was very tasty and would be perfect with a little whipped topping on top sprinkled with nutmeg. Great for the holidays.
I also think that when I serve this, I would crumble graham crackers in the bottom of a small bowl, put a scoop of pumpkin pie pudding on top (still warm from the slow cooker) and top with vanilla ice cream. That would make it REALLY good.

1 can 15 oz. pure pumpkin
12 oz. can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk baking mix
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. vanilla
whipped cream.

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl except whipped cream. Pour into greased slow cooker. Cover. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. Edges will look like they are getting overdone but their fine.
Serve in bowls topped with whipped cream.

Recipe # 16 Day 16

Day 16 of 30
French Dip Sandwiches

THIS WAS THE BEST RECIPE YET !! Oh, my goodness, this was great. My boys liked it so much, they asked if we could have it again tomorrow. This is a must try !!!

3-lb. rump roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
3-4 peppercorns
1 tsp. garlic powder
Cobblestone rolls
provolone cheese slices

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Add water to almost cover meat.
Cover. Cook on LOW 10-12 hours. Remove meat and cut against the grain in thin slices. Slice rolls and place meat on rolls, top with provolone and bake in oven till bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Cut sandwiches in 1/2 on the diagonal. Strain liquid left in slow cooker and serve on the side of the sandwich for dipping.

8:00 am I am using only a 1 1/2 lbs. roast so I'm hoping it will take less time to cook. My friend Karen gave me this recipe and she usually puts this recipe together at night and lets it cook all night.
Planning to serve on Cobblestone Rolls with melted provolone cheese and waffle fries.

Next time I'll be sure to use a 3 lb. roast, everyone wanted leftovers.

Bon' Appetit'

HALF WAY REPORT !!

So, here I am, half way into the 30 day challenge.
Just like anything else, once you get into a groove with planning ahead, it really does make your day easier. The mid-day thought of "What am I going to make for dinner" is sometimes agonizing and I haven't had to deal with that. YEA !
I think the best part is waiting to see what the recipe will turn out like. It's kinda like a little surprise each afternoon and it's fun having something to look forward to. I am not accustomed to eating such a planned meal every night so for me, this seems like a lot of food. It's nice having the leftovers for lunch the next day.
The kids are enjoying it too. On the way home from school they'll ask "So, what's in the crock pot?" Sometimes they'll see me put it together in the morning then later they'll see the end product and are surprised at how different it can be.
The only drawback would be the constant flow of having to clean up the kitchen. I always let the slow cooker soak overnight in water to make clean up easier.
For the most part, this is fun. I like how it is making my life easier and I'm finding lots of good recipes that I'll repeat come this fall. I really don't know how the young Julie did 500+ recipes in one year and the recipes she was doing were very involved and unique. I don't think I could make it one month with French Cooking.

Thanks for hangin' in there with me, it's fun when I hear back a report that someone has tried one of the recipes and they give me their feedback.
Please share any recipes with me that you find are your families "favorite". It's nice to not have to pick one out of a book and HOPE it's good.

Bon' Appetit' for now

Recipe # 15 Day 15

Day 15 of 30 HALF WAY THERE !!
Kim's Tortilla Soup

3 chicken breast, skinless/boneless
2 cans diced tomatoes, Zesty green chilies
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or any type of bean you like)
1 cup salsa
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
1 can chicken broth

Put chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Put remaining ingredients on top of chicken. Cook on LOW all day or HIGH for 4 hours. Remove chicken and shred and put back into slow cooker.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

I also cut up an avocado into slices and put on top of the soup. This needs to be done just before serving it or the avocado will get mushy.

This TRULY tasted like you would get at a restaurant. Really, really good and would be perfect to have on a cool, chilly fall day.
The crushed chips, shredded cheese and avocado were a PERFECT addition.

I will certainly do this one again, thanks Kim.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 14 Day 14

Day 14 of 30 2 weeks down, 2 weeks to go!
Mary Ann's Italian Meatloaf
From the Fix it & Forget it Cookbook

If your a meatloaf fan, this is a easy variation from which I think is probably 1 of thousands of meat loaf recipes. It was so easy & quick and my kids really liked it. Now, do they like it more than a McDonald's hamburger, NO, but did they eat it and not complain, YES.
Here's my theory: We've been accustomed to eating out so often in the past few years that every evening was a culinary feast. Everything they ate tasted really, really good and then when they ate at home, it seemed boring & less tasty. Well, I feel some nights are more like an average meal, then when you do go out, it is more of a treat. I'd like my kids to get used to more home cooked meals than being able to recite five local restaurant menus by heart.
Just my 2 cents.


2 lbs. ground beef, I got 80/20 beef.
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup quick-cooking oats (I used the regular slow cooking oats and it was fine)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup pasta sauce (your favorite)
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
onion slices

Combine ground beef, eggs, oats, soup mix, pasta sauce, and garlic powder. Place into bottom of slow cooker and using the back of a fork, push mixture down until you have a flat surface. Garnish top with onion slices.
Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours.
Allow loaf to cool for about 1/2 hour in slow cooker with lid on it for loaf to become firm.
Serve with more heated pasta sauce over the top.

I served this with canned, sliced potatoes that I fried with just a tsp. of vegetable oil in a skillet till brown on the edges & applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon.

Surprisingly, all three kiddo's cleaned their plates without prompting or feeding it to the dog.
Success !!!

have no clue what I'm doing tomorrow. Need to get a plan and get to the store. Might be Kim's tortilla soup.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe # 13 Day 13

Day 13 of 30
Rigatoni
This was GREAT ! If you like lasagna and you like pizza and you put the two tastes together, this is what this Rigatoni tasted like.

I gave it a 10, the kids really liked it too.

28-oz. jar spaghetti sauce (any flavor)
12 oz. rigatoni, cooked
1-1 1/2 lb. ground beef, browned
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb. pepperoni slices
1 can sliced mushrooms, optional
sliced onions, optional

Layer 1/2 of each ingredient in order listed. Repeat. The last layer on top should be spaghetti sauce. (so you'll have 3 layers of spaghetti sauce).
Cover. Cook on LOW 5 hours.

Variation: Use 1 lb. ground beef and 1 lb. italian sausage
I used 1 lb of each ground beef and sausage and I think it was a little too "meaty". I would add just 1/2 lb. italian sausage next time.
Also, I felt it was just a bit dry so I would add more spaghetti sauce than just 28 oz. Maybe 36 oz. Also, I think I would add a some chopped green peppers to this.
I did add the mushrooms and onions, I really liked it. It added a good amount of flavor.

I served this again with Artisan Garlic Bread from Costco. Loved it. I slice the bread and put it in the toaster and then top with butter instead of turning on the oven. I browned the meat/sausage the night before to make assembly in the morning easier.

Note: This make ALOT of food, you'll most certainly have leftovers. It says it makes 10 servings.
I'd say cost was about: $20.00

Bon' Appetit'

Intermission Day

Taking the Day off
Birthday day for 13 year old son........
Can't imagine he doesn't want me to make something in the slow cooker.........
hhmmmm.....
Either Rigatoni or Homestyle Meatloaf tomorrow.

Recipe # 12 Day 12

Day 12 of 30
Homemade Chicken noodle soup
11:00 am Yikes !! A failure is in the slow cooker......
Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker a few hours ago, just went to check on it and YIKES !
The recipe called for "uncooked" wide noodles. The noodles are turning to mush and the soup is becoming "starch soup". Ugh !! I'm gonna let it play out till 4 and see what I have. Kinda like a science experience. May be eating at Chick-Fil-A tonight.

4:30 pm Ok, this was a failure. I think maybe I'm unaware of what "homestyle" noodles are. This is what the recipe called for and it said add them uncooked. Not good. The noodles were mush and the broth was all starch. Not good.

Guess it's a NO for tonight. I made this from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook, well I fixed it and and now I need to forget it.

On to Rigatoni for tomorrow then Karen's French Dip sandwiches.

anyone know the difference in homestyle noodles???

Recipe #11 Day 11

Day 11 of 30
Easy Chicken Teriyaki

Just five ingredients, this could not get any easier.
We thought this was very good and had a good flavor. We'd add just a few things next time.

2-3 lbs. skinless chicken breasts or cut into pieces
20 oz. can pineapple chunks
1 tsp. Asian seasoning
1 cup teriyaki sauce
Linguine noodles

Place chicken in slow cooker. Place remaining ingredients over chicken. Cover. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. Place cooked linguine noodles on plate, place chicken on linguine (I used chicken breasts so I sliced the chicken before putting it on the noodles) Top with teriyaki sauce and pineapples.

Here are a few additions I'd do next time.
After placing the chicken in the slow cooker, I would then sprinkle the chicken (both sides) with the Asian Seasoning. (found in the spices section). I would separate the pineapple juice and the pineapple chunks. I would add just the pineapple juice and reserve the chunks for adding back in just before serving. I didn't like the pineapples cooking all day, they seemed mushy and absorbed too much of the teriyaki sauce. I think they'd taste better added in just before serving to heat them up. Very last I would add a sprinkle of sesame seeds for a little bit of texture.

I served this with Artisan Garlic Bread. (I got this from Costco, it is wonderful. It is sold in the bakery section in a pkg. of 2 for less than $5.00)

I'm finding out that chicken cooked in a slow cooker is MUCH better than baking it. It is so moist, not dry and tasteless.

Overall cost: about $10.00

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #10 Day 10

Day 10 of 30
Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

SUPER EASY ! This was a great recipe to "try out" since I didn't need to purchase any new ingredients, I already had everything, so essentially it was free. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean FREE calories, bummer...........

This took me literally 5 minutes to assemble, 2 1/4 hours to cook and it was done. The only thing is that it does not create very large serving pieces and the cake portion was very thin. Flavor was delicious and very "hot fudge" like which surprised me from the assembly portion. My boys loved it and gobbled it up in a second.

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
vanilla ice cream

Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and baking powder. Add milk, oil and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Stir in peanut butter. Mix till smooth. Pour into slow cooker, spread evenly over bottom.
Mix together 1/2 sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually stir in boiling water. Pour mixture over batter in slow cooker. Do not stir. (In order to not create a hole in the batter on the bottom of the slow cooker, I poured the hot water slowly on the wall of the slow cooker in a complete circle so it evenly covered the top of the cake batter.)
Cover and cook on HIGH 2-3 hours or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Serve warm with ice cream.

The neat thing is that the sugar and cocoa and boiling water mixture really did turn into hot fudge. Fun transformation. Easy and simple. I'd like the cake portion to be a little thicker, I wonder how it would turn out if the batter was doubled??? Maybe I'll try it some time.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #9 Day 9

Day 9 of 30
Tangy Pork Chops

This was a really great recipe. I wasn't sure how tangy the sauce was going to be but it was really tasty. My boys really like it, my daughter was so-so about it. I serve it with couscous, becoming our newest, favorite grain. I would certainly do this again. Easy ingredients and easy to assemble. Smelled great. It's wonderful leaving the house with food in the slow cooker and coming home to dinner made, it truly feels like your own personal chef has been to your house. I also served this with the flat green beans (Allens Cut Italian Green Beans - 28 oz can). We like these green beans.

4-6 1/2 inch thick pork chops
salt/pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large green pepper, sliced
14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. water

Place chops in slow cooker. Sprinkle both sides with salt & pepper.
Top with onions, celery, green pepper and stewed tomatoes.
In small bowl, combine ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and bouillon. Mix. Pour over vegetables.
Cover. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours or until internal meat temperature reaches 160 degrees.
Combine cornstarch and water and stir till smooth. Stir into slow cooker.
cover, cook on HIGH for 30 minute or until sauce is thickened.
Serve over rice or couscous or fettucine noodles. Spoon sauce over top of pork chops, the sauce is really delicious.

Cost was only about $10 since I already had most of the ingredients in my kitchen. Only had to buy pork chops, celery, onion, green pepper and bouillon cubes.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #8 Day 8

Day 8 of 30
Laura's Taco Soup

1 lb. lean ground beef, browned
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can stewed tomatoes with juice
1 can corn (drain)
1 can french style green beans, (drain)
1 can pinto beans (drain and rinse)
1 can chili beans with juice
1 pkg Dry Ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
1 can beer (any kind)

Brown meat. Put meat and remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Stir. Cook all day - 8 hrs. max or it will start to lose too much liquid.

This is a GREAT recipe. So easy and perfect combination of ingredients. You could even serve it over rice for added texture. I also added a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese on top with a few broken up tortilla chips. Yummy !! Everyone in my family loved this and I remember my friend Laura bringing this to a tennis match and it was gone in seconds. Great fall recipe on chillier days. Thanks for sharing Laura.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #7 Day 7

Day 7 of 30 1 week down, 3 weeks to go
Seven Layer Cookie Bars

I'm going to leave the notes I've written below on this blog but honestly, this recipe did not turn out as well as I thought it would. The bars never became firm enough to know that they were done. I ended up cooking them for 4 hours to see if they would look done but they never did. As a result, I would say cook them for the full 3 hours, remove and let sit till firm. Don't expect them to get firm in the cooker. I cut them and put them in an air tight container overnight and today they are actually pretty tasty. My sons liked them. I have all the ingredients left over to try another batch, I may do that and see if they come out a little better.

2nd note: The blog that won't stop...........ok, made another batch. Turned out much better, I only cooked them 3 hours, let sit for 1/2 hour, cut into wedges, put in air tight container and they are actually very good. I just expected them to "look done", they never did. Allowing them to cool helped, they still look kinda shiny, not dry like Toll House bar cookies would look. Still taste good and my kids were fighting over them, they even added a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it. I had a bite, very yummy.

11:00 am I have a feeling this is going to be a big winner in my house. There is only one catch. You don't actually put the ingredients directly into the slow cooker. You'll need to find a small cake pan that will fit in the bottom of the slow cooker (the heavy insert). I used an 8" mini baker from Pampered Chef. Since everyone has a different slow cooker, you'll just have to find a cake pan that will fit in the bottom of your cooker.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (I used walnuts)
1/2 sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter and put in bottom of cake pan. Swirl butter around bottom of pan so it goes up the sides of the cake pan to provide for a non-stick surface. Continue to layer in the order listed. Each time, spread out ingredient evenly. Do not stir, keep everything in layers. Place cake pan in bottom of slow cooker, cover with lid, cook 2-3 hours on HIGH or until firm. Cool in pan, invert to remove from pan then re-invert to serve. (so that the nuts are on top)


Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #6 Day 6

Day 6 of 30
Moroccan Chicken Tagine

This recipe was a complete "unknown" to me. Had no idea what to expect.
The recipe calls to be cooked only 5 hours so I assembled everything at 11:15am, set on LOW and went about my day. After 12:45pm I went to check on the progress, thinking I should be smelling something by now. Hmm....nothing. Check everything out and realize, It's best to plug in the slow cooker to get the best results. UGH ! 1 1/2 hour setback for dinner time, which affects swim team practice, and you know, just about the whole evening routine. Oh, well.

Have you ever felt like you were just tired of the same ol' recipes? Meat, Chicken, Spaghetti, Tacos and maybe, maybe a fish recipe. And you think to yourself, I want something new. Well, I can say this recipe is truly something new. It was very good and it really was a flavor that I've never really had before, even in restaurants, although I'm not frequently visiting Moroccan restaurants these days.

My family liked it and ate all of their portion without coaxing on my part. The chicken was again very tender and I loved the toasted almonds on it and the couscous underneath. Overall, I'd give it a solid 8, no more no less. I would love to hear someone else opinion of this recipe. So if you like just a tad of adventure without too much difficulty, this is a good one to try. Don't let the long list of ingredients deter you, it's really quite simple, especially if you plug in your slow cooker.

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast (I used two packages of 3)
2 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5 ox) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 onions, chopped (I use 1 1/2, my onions were fairly good size)
1 cup dried apricots, chopped (I cut each apricot in 8th's, you don't want them too big)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
6 springs fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. water
1 can ( 15 oz) chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Hot cooked couscous or rice

Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine broth, tomatoes with juice, onions, apricots, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and red pepper. Mix to combine. Pour over chicken. Place cilantro sprigs on top of mixture. Cover; cook on LOW 4-5 hours or until chicken in longer pink in center. Transfer chicken to serving plate, cover to keep warm. (I put mine in a 200 degree oven with foil over the top)

Combine cornstarch and water in small bowl; mix until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture and chick-peas into slow cooker. Cover; cook on HIGH for 15 mixture or until sauce is thickened. It took 25 min. for mine to thicken. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro. Serve with couscous. (I used chicken herb couscous).

To toast almonds: Heat small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds' cook and stir about 3 mintues or until golden brown. Removed from pan at once. Let cool before adding to other ingredients.

I think the toasted almonds MADE the dishes, loved it. Very good flavor and unique, in a unique good way. Try it, I'd love to hear what ya think.............


Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #5 Day 5

Day 5 of 30
Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches

This recipe is beyond easy and it was very delicious. I got this recipe from a friend, Kim M., and she was right, it was great and very easy.

1 pork tenderloin, I got the cracked peppercorn (18.4 oz)
1 bottle of Williamson Bros. BBQ sauce

yes, that's it !
Put pork tenderloin in slow cooker, add BBQ sauce on top, cook on low for 8 hours.
Take pork out of slow cooker and shred. Find the grain of the meat and simply put the meat apart from there. It should simply fall right off your knife. (I, at first, was slicing the tenderloin in slices then realized I was going against the grain, instead of "with it".) Kinda like swimming upstream, eh??
Once pork is shredded, put back into slow cooker with bbq sauce and cook for 15-20 minutes. I added 1/2 onion, chopped, to the pork. I like this combination.

I served the pulled pork on Bakery Kaiser rolls. I cut up two baking potatoes & one sweet potato into wedges, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with seasoned salt and black pepper and baked at 350 degrees for 1 hour. The potatoes were not yet crispy, I think 400 for 40 min. would have probably been better.

Family loved it and thought it had just a little spice to it. Could have been either the bbq sauce or the cracked peppercorn tenderloin, either way, the spice was good and even my 9 year old daughter loved it.

Overall cost: $16.00 including the potatoes
Note: Williamson Bros. bbq sauce is a local recipe that I am not sure can be found anywhere. If not, just substitute your favorite bbq sauce. Watch to be sure the pork doesn't dry out. Mine was very moist but I think is was because I had quite a bit of bbq sauce in it.

Something Moroccan tomorrow - can't remember the name.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #4 Day 4

Day 4 of 30
Chicken Azteca

This was super easy and very tasty. Next time I'd make a few adjustments, see below.

2 cups frozen corn
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chunky salsa, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. (8 oz) 1/3 less fat cream cream, cubed
Hot cooked rice
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Combine corn, beans, 1/2 cup salsa, garlic and cumin in slow cooker. Arrange chicken breasts over top; pour remaining salsa over chicken. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours or until chicken is tender. (I cooked it 5 hours, cut up chicken, cooked an additional 30 min.)
Remove chicken; cut into bite-size pieces. Return chicken to slow cooker; add cream cheese cut into cubes. Cook on HIGH until cream cheese melts and blends into sauce.
Spoon chicken mixture & sauce over rice. Top with cheddar cheese.

I served this with Jiffy Cornbread mini-muffins.

My family really liked this, especially my 13 yr. old boy who tends to be the more finicky eater of the family. He gave it a 10+.
My husband & 14 yr. old son thought it was good but could use a little kick, I agreed.

Here's what I did this time:
I used more salsa than 1 cup total, I'd say I used approx. 1 1/2 cup.
I added more garlic, 3 cloves minced total. Garlic mellows as it cooks so its ok to add more.
I cut two of the chicken breasts in half, horizontally. They seemed really thick to me and I was worried they would not cook all the way through. One horrible bout with salmonella poisoning has made me ULTRA cautious.

I stirred the mixture in the last step to incorporate everything together.
I also added crumbled tortilla chips on the top of the shredded cheese to give a little texture.
I used Mahatma Jasmine rice, we love this rice, it's similar to a Japanese Sticky Rice. You could use any rice you wish, I'm thinking a mexican rice would also be good.

Next time I would use a Medium Salsa rather than the Mild salsa to give it a little more spice.
Otherwise, I will definitely do this recipe again. This is the first time I've baked/cooked chicken and as I "forked it" to get it out of the slow cooker, it fell apart. Very tender chicken.
If you're not a huge fan of cream cheese, cut the cream cheese down to 4 oz., I think it would still be very good.

Total cost: $12-14.00 with corn muffins

ps. If you have a really good slow cooker recipe, I'd love to try it and post it.
thanks in advance. Kim M.'s BBQ Shredded Pork Sandwiches tomorrow. thanks Kim.

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #3 Day 3

Day 3 of 30
Mixed Berry Cobbler

Had to do a dessert recipe since, honestly, I've never tried a dessert in a slow cooker. Dairy Queen is always more than sufficient for me & my family.

The fruit part inspired me because it "sounded" healthy but everything else after that fell in more of the "really tasty" category rather than healthy. Oh well, 1 serving can count as a fruit serving if nothing else.

1 pkg. mixed frozen fruit (16 oz bag). I used the mixed berries (rasp/blue/straw)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. quick cooking tapioca (dry)
2 tsp. grated lemon peel, finely chopped
put all 4 ingredients in bottom of slow cooker, turn on LOW.
mix together in a separate bowl:
1 1/2 cup flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
mix till blended
add:
3/4 milk
1/3 cup melted butter
and mix entire mixture just until lumps are gone. Spoon over top of fruit mixture.
Cover.
Cook on LOW for 4 hours. Remove cover and let sit 30 min.
Makes 5-7 servings depending on serving size.

Serve with ice cream, I used Mayfield's Vanilla Bean

Again, super easy and it was fun to watch it turn into a cobbler, kinda like watching a cake bake yet much slower. (sounds similar to watching grass grow perhaps) Kids kept opening up the top, anxious for it to be done.
When I think of a recipe being "rich" I think of chocolate, but this was a really rich dessert. I think the sugar could be cut down significantly and it would still be good. Husband and two sons LOVED it, I don't think they came up for air. Next time I would use less sugar and add a granola-like topping. I've gotten away from using a lot of white sugar so this seemed especially sweet to me. I like more natural flavors but overall, this was delicious. It would be great for a dinner party where you served dinner, had this finishing in the slow cooker and then served it a while after dinner. It was excellent and seemed very fancy and "restaurant-like". I think this would also be good with peaches.

Note: When shopping for ingredients for the slow cooker recipes, buy 2-3 days of ingredients at a time, it really feels like a load off my mind when I have a plan for the next three days. Who knows what will happen in the next three days otherwise but at least I know whats for dinner.......

Yes, so far, cooking in the slow cooker is making my life easier but all it is doing is providing me more time to do the cleaning I'm having a hard time getting to. UGH ! I've found out, "dust bunnies" are very patient beings. :)

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #2 Day 2

Day 2 of 30
Slow Cooker Beef & Noodles

Ok, this is a recipe I'll post here. If I like it, I'll pass on the recipe. If I don't, I won't post it. Think about it, do you ever taste someones recipe and say, "yuck, I don't really like this, can I have the recipe?"

1 can (10.50 oz) condensed French Onion Soup
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 lbs. beef for stew
1 bag (12 oz) extra-wide egg noodles, cooked

Combine soups in slow cooker, mix till well combined. Add meat; stir.
Cover; cook on Low 8 to 10 hours. (I cooked mine 9 hours)
Serve over prepared noodles.

I put the soups and meat in the slow cooker at 7:00am. Went out for awhile, came home at 10:45am, house smelled wonderful. (reminds me of the days when I was little and I would walk in from playing and my mom was cooking dinner!)
Back out again, (why are we called stay-at-home Mom's when were almost never stayin' at home) returned home at 3:50pm. We were not ready to eat yet so I put the meat mixture in the fridge till 6pm. Started cooking the noodles at 5:45, heated the meat mixture up in the microwave, served dinner at 6:00pm. SUPER EASY !! Served it with a can of green beans, fancy of me, huh??

Comments: Son, 14, daughter 9 and her friend, also 9 gave the recipe an 8 out of 10. It most certainly needed an added dose of salt & pepper. Meat was incredibly tender, fell apart when you put a fork in it. Also, I mixed my green beans in with my noodles & meat and I thought it was tasty.
Cost: $10.00 total
Ingredients, easy to find.
Note: This recipe only served 4 of us, and at that, not huge portions. I'm thinking you could double the recipe and cook it for maybe 2 hours longer.

Additions: I might add a jar of sliced mushrooms next time. The onions in the French Onion soup gave some texture to the sauce so that was good.

Overall, loved the ease, loved how the house smelled AND I DID NOT MAKE THE 4:00 Grocery Store run, yeaaaaaaa!!!

Bon' Appetit'

Recipe #1 Day 1

Day 1 of 30
Turkey Breast with Pecan Cranberry Stuffing

I had to do this recipe because it was a cover recipe on a Slow Cooker Recipe book I have. It looked fabulous although I think is was just ok.

I had to purchase a 4 lb. fresh turkey breast and that was not easy to find. Luckily, the very nice (&helpful) meat guy at Publix helped me out. We picked a 6 lb. fresh whole turkey and he took out the bone for me, re-wrapped it and gave it to me. He even gave me a little "how to cut" lesson. Very interesting. My daughter thought is was "GROSS". Homeschooling at it's finest, I guess.

The stuffing was pecans, cranberries and poultry seasoning stuck between slices in the turkey breast. It cooked for 6 hours (plus a little more, Kim you know why!). Last step, mix peach preserves with worsheshire sauce, drizzle on top, cook 10 more minutes and it was done. I served it with fresh asparagus, same as the cover picture. Kids did not much like it. My 13 yr. old boy said, "Mom, turkey shouldn't be mixed with fruit". They ate it reluctantly, all 3 kids said they liked the fresh steamed asparagus better. Guess that says a lot.

Aside from the B- overall grade I gave it, I thought it was pretty good. It reminded me of a thanksgiving turkey dinner, definitely a fall recipe. I felt like it was a little dry and needed seasoning with salt & pepper, something I feel food should not have to "need".

Wouldn't make it again because the turkey breast set me back $20 alone and the family didn't rave over it. Good first start overall and I believe it or not, I was still at the grocery store at 4pm. Ugh ! (forgot the worsheshire sauce) Great to see Kim. B though.

See ya tomorrow, a beef recipe planned. Not a big meat fan but kids like it so I'm givin' it a shot.

Julia Childs Inspiration

Day 1 of 30
My daughter and I went to see Julie & Julia on Tuesday. I thought the trailer of this movie sounded interesting so we went to an afternoon matinee. (I love a bargin!)
I like (not love) to cook and I have to cook because I need to feed my family...........

If you haven't seen the movie......this blog won't make as much sense for the journey I've embarked on. I related to Julie, the younger one, I wanted to do something that was of interest to me and benefited me and others in some way.

My interest is in cooking (so there is the me portion) and benefiting others is this blog portion. My friends all struggle with "---UGH! What to make for dinner ?????---" 4:00 is NOT the time I want to think of this, yet I find myself at the grocery store at 4:00, feeling like picking up a frozen pizza or two and calling it dinner.

Therefore, I concluded I certainly couldn't cook my way through Julia Child's cookbook in 365 days but I could manage 30 days with ALL slow cooker recipes. Heck, what would I have to lose, I need to cook something for my family and I'd eliminate the 4:00 grocery store run.

This is where you come in. I'll cook something each day (or almost each day!) and I'll blog about it. Where I got the recipe, how easy it was to prepare, how easy it was to find the ingredients, generalization of the overall cost, and most importantly the review of the recipe from me and my family. Me, husband, 3 kids - age, 14,13, 9 oh, and can't forget the dog - she'll eat the "not so good recipes" which hopefully will be few.

Wanna join me?? Try some of the recipes I do and give your review. Post it on here and we can all keep up with the progress. My wish is this: To create a sense of, "I actually have a plan for dinner", and to simply make my life easier. Everyone could use a dose of that, eh? or as my boys would say, "Yea, I know, right??"

1st recipe is in the slow cooker right now..........it smells yummy.

I'll "blog ya tonight" with the review.......

ps. I won't use the word "CrockPot", it gives me a vision of the 70's Avocado Green CrockPot. I loved my childhood but I'd rather forget the color schemes of the 70's.

Bon' Appetit'