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'