Friday, May 8, 2015
CrockPot Pie Recipe
Day 288.
Ive wanted to make a fruit pie in the crockpot for a while. I bought a GF pie crust mix from Whole Foods and had every intention in the world of making it.
But then yesterday happened. The kids did not start off well. There was arguing and attitude in the morning, tears on drop-off, and stomping on the way home from school.
It was not pretty.
There was no way no how I could get to the store, and it was already 3 oclock. I had actually planned on making potato-leek soup, but didnt have potatoes. Or leeks.
So I made pie. I didnt use the mix because it seemed like too much work. I threw this together in exactly 6 1/2 minutes, cleaned the kitchen, then we spent the rest of the day outside playing soccer, turning somersaults, and being goof balls.
After dinner we went for a long walk to look at the full moon (which Ive decided has a lot to do with the tude) and came home to eat pie in our pajamas.
It was a good day.
The Ingredients.
--2 cans sliced peaches with the juice (15 oz cans)
--1 1/2 cups Bisquick-type mix (I used Pamelas)
--1/2 cup brown sugar
--2 T melted butter
--1 t vanilla
--1/2 tsp cinnamon
--1/4 tsp nutmeg
--1/4 tsp allspice
The Directions.
I used a 4-quart crockpot.
Dump the canned peaches into the bottom of the crock.
In a separate bowl, melt the butter, then add the dry ingredients and vanilla.
Stir with a fork to combine. The topping will be crumbly. I didnt even attempt to work it with my hands to create a smooth crust. I do think it would work, though, if you added some more butter.
Pour mixture on top of peaches, and press down with your hands (I didnt do this, because I didnt want to get gooky, but I probably should have).
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. The pie is done when it has begun to brown on the edges and the fruit is bubbly and looks like the juice has caramelized a bit.
The Verdict.
This did the trick. Even though the top looks awfully crumby, the topping ended up being baked and bit chewy like a traditional pie crust. If I had taken the time to form the dough a bit and pressed it down, it would have been better.
I believe this simple dough can be used with any variety of fruit---canned or fresh---and with canned pie filling. We just happened to have a case of canned peaches in the garage.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Hawaiian Ribs Slow Cooker Recipe
Ive been on a real rib kick lately. Our family has been taking mini roadtrip vacations during the weekends, and have been tasting ribs. I try really hard to order non kid-menu food for my kids when we travel, and also try to steer clear of chain restaurants (sometimes easier said than done). The two favorites of the summer are (both on the CA coast, Im sorry!) Aptos Street Barbecue and McClintocks (we went to the one in Pismo Beach).
or you can make ribs at home. in the crockpot. because the barbecue is scary, and my friend Georgia just needed to get a hair cut because she CAUGHT HER HAIR ON FIRE while testing the grill.
ugh.
When she told me what happened, I asked: did you stop, drop and roll? she replied: No. I patted and screamed.
bwhahahaha!!!
but not really.
The Ingredients.
serves 4
2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, or about 4 pounds babyback ribs
1/3 cup gluten free soy sauce (LaChoy or Tamari Wheat Free)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice powder (Ill put a recipe to make your own down below)
6 cloves minced garlic
Chinese 5 Spice Powder recipe:
(mix spices well, and store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon crushed anise seed
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
The Directions.
If youre using boneless ribs, they will probably fit nicely in a 4 quart slow cooker. If youve got bones, youll most likely need a 6-quart.
Put the ribs into the cooker, and top with the sauce mixture. If you really want to, you can combine all the sauce stuff in a little bowl and then paint it onto the ribs, but that seems like a lot of work. Theyll be fine if you just dump everything on top. Theyll be fine if the meat is frozen solid, too. Mine was!
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for about 4 to 5. Flip the ribs over a few times before serving to cover evenly in the sauce. The longer and slower you cook the ribs, the more tender the meat.
The Verdict.
These ribs are fantastic. I served them in the backyard (far away from the bbq!) with corn on the cob (you can do corn in the crock, too!) and a big salad. They were sticky and sweet, and the normally tough meat fell apart nicely. The kids ate their ribs in the wading pool, making clean up super easy. :-)
more slow cooker rib recipes:
barbecue ribs
korean ribs
greek ribs
lemon pepper ribs
orange chipotle ribs
red ribs
use your slow cooker as a smoker!
Slow Cooker Rootbeer Pulled Pork Recipe
This is a reader recipe sent in by Monique, who calls this particular dish her "one successful slow cooker recipe."
Your pork is MUCH MORE than successful, Monique---its out-of-the-ball-park wonderful. I served 5 kids and 3 adults sandwiches with this meat (with a side of tater tots) and EVERYONE cleaned their plates.
Thank you, Monique!!
The Ingredients.
serves 6 (adult-size servings)
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast (butt)
1 large yellow onion, sliced in rings
1-2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce (start with 1, then season to taste after cooking and tasting)
1 cup chili sauce (near ketchup in the grocery aisle. if you want to make it, use 1 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1 tsp chili powder---its not identical, but pretty darn close)
2 cups root beer
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 hamburger buns or soft rolls (I make them myself, or use toasted Udis white bread to keep it gluten free)
The Directions.
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. A 6-quart is fine, but your meat will cook faster.
Put the meat into your pot, and add sliced onion. top with Tabasco sauce, chili sauce, root beer, and vanilla. cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until pork shreds easily with a fork. I plopped my pork in fully frozen, and it took 10 hours on low to be shreddy.
Serve over rice, or on toasted breads or buns.
The Verdict.
This is such a quick and easy recipe that makes everyone in the house happy. The rootbeer has a nice sweetness that really brings out the hint of ginger from the chili sauce. Its easily adaptable spice-wise, and is a great way to feed a houseful of people on a limited budget.
Thanks again to Monique for sharing her secret to slow cooking success!
Theres a new video up over on Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) with Leah Ingram. Leah has written 13 books and shares her publishing and publicizing expertize and goal-setting advice. Theres also a giveaway for her new book--- so go check it out!
2008 Flashback:
March 1 Vegetarian Curry (have too many cans of chickpeas?)
March 2 Mediterranean Chicken (sounds fancy, tastes fantastic, beyond simple to prepare)
March 3 Barbecue Beans & Weenies (good for your heart)
March 4 Use Your CrockPot as a Rice Cooker (who needs another appliance, anyways?)
March 5 Cabbage Soup Diet (you can thank Amie :-) )
March 6 White Chili (and this one is from Headless Mom!)
March 7 Bananas Foster (cruise ship not needed)
March 8 Broccoli Beef (one of our favorite takeout fakeout dinners)
March 9 Seafood Alfredo (3 years ago I didnt know how to make a proper roux. now I do. :-0 )
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Choosing the right bread the key to a balanced diet!
Gray, white, full-grain or multigrain ...
There are a variety of breads. And thats good news, because it is the basis of a balanced diet.
Provided, of course, to make the right choice!
Bread and regime incompatible?
To begin with, tweak the neck to popular belief, the bread is not fattening.
There is no need to banish him from the outset of his power, even when you want to lose weight. The key is to not eat as an accompaniment to other starchy (rice, pasta ...) and not eating too much, knowing that a slice of bread makes between 20 and 40 kcal depending on the variety.
In fact, when well chosen, bread meets all the recommendations of dieticians in terms of nutritional composition. Indeed, it contains:
dietary fiber, which facilitate intestinal transit and cause a feeling of satiety,
complex carbohydrates (mainly starch) which, digested, turn into glucose and provide energy to the body,
of B vitamins involved in the proper cell function and nervous system and vitamin E, which has antioxidant properties,
minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and phosphorus.
White bread or wheat bread?
Without hesitation, dieticians advise to focus wholemeal bread.
Its advantage?
Its high content of dietary fiber.
Unlike white bread, wholemeal bread is made from a flour in which use complete wheat grains. And it is precisely in the bran and germ found as dietary fiber but also minerals and vitamins.
A simple rule is necessary for choosing the bread crumb is more dark, more nutritional qualities are interesting!
Bread for everyone!
It is found in bakeries dozens of different kinds of bread, it would be a shame not to enjoy.
By varying the bread you eat, you discover new flavors but will also diversify your nutrient intake. Rye, spelled, wheat ... every cereal has a nutritional feature that makes it interesting in the context of a balanced diet.
Do not forget the bread with seeds (sunflower, sesame, flax ...) they are very rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which contribute to good cardiovascular health.
Avoid, for against the bread: often been the addition of sugars and fats. In addition, this soft bread, like sandwiches, too easy to chew and delays the onset of satiety.
Often associated with the regime, rusk is, in reality, much less nutrition than it seems. Not only it has a
Juicing The Garden
Last year was my first venture into gardening. I found so much enjoyment in harvesting groceries from my own backyard and juicing my garden each morning that I went hog wild with the greens this year. And well, as you can see, my greens have gone hog wild!
Beeeee-uuuuuuu-teeeeee-ful!
No chemicals here.
No chemicals here.
Ever see an organic head of lettuce like that in your grocery store?
How much do they charge you?
Grow, baby, grow! I have BIG plans for you.
Its so hard to find good help these days.
Im keeping this guy!
Daily morning elixir: fresh greeeeen juice from the garden.
Cheers!
Cheers!
How green does your garden grow?
What have you planted this year?
Black Bean and Goat Cheese Mini Slow Cooker Recipe
Day 224.
I used my Little Dipper Slow Cooker yesterday to make a Tex-Mex inspired black bean dip, and I loved it. It was kind of spicy, but the goat cheese complimented the spice nicely with its creamy mellow flavor.
Since I used my Little Dipper, I cut the recipe down quite a bit to fit inside. Feel free to double, triple, or exponentially increase---its very good, and I wouldnt mind making a whole meal out of chips and dip one day.
very soon.
The Ingredients.
--1/2 can of refried black beans
--2 cloves garlic, chopped
--1/2 of a lime, juiced
--1 t cayenne pepper
--1 t cumin
--2 T chopped cilantro leaves
--3-5 slices of goat cheese
The Directions.
Open the can of refried black beans, and scoop out about half of the contents into the Little Dipper. Squeeze in the lime juice. Add chopped garlic, the spices, and the cilantro leaves. Stir. Top with the sliced goat cheese.
Cover and plug in. The Little Dipper doesnt have a temperature gauge. Cook for 1-2 hours, or until the goat cheese has melted and the beans are warm and gooey.
Serve with corn tortilla chips.
The Verdict.
Very tasty. I was quite pleased with the kick the dip had, and loved how the goat cheese was creamy and mellow. The cilantro gave a "freshness" that I really appreciated---it didnt just taste like a canned bean dip. The kids mostly scooped the goat cheese off the top, but did try the black bean dip enough to know that it was spicy.
I have the other half of the can in the fridge, and plan on making this for myself for lunch while I watch taped Olympics.
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P.S. Im having Feed Burner issues. I dont use a reader myself, so I dont really understand them. If anyone knows what I should do to fix whatever error is happening that makes it look like I havent updated since February, Id love to hear from you! crockpotlady AT gmail DOT com.
xoxo steph
Slow Cooker Chicken with Apricots and Dates Recipe
Dont be turned off by the name of this recipe or the list of ingredients. It sounds a bit odd, I know---
dried apricots? dried dates? with chicken?
Trust me. This tastes good.
The Ingredients.
serves 6
1 1/2 pounds chicken meat (boneless, skinless thighs are the best. If youre going to use chicken with bones, fish them out about halfway through cooking)
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried pitted dates, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
The Directions.
Put the chicken into the bottom of a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker. My chicken was frozen solid. If you are using fresh chicken, shave off about 90 minutes or so of cooking time.
Add diced onion, and spices. Sprinkle on the apricots and dates. Pour the broth and orange juice evenly over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 3-5. The chicken should be quite tender and shred easily with a fork. If your chicken isnt tender enough, stir well and cook for a bit longer on low.
Serve with quinoa or brown rice with the juices----the broth is delicious!
The Verdict.
What a fantastic combination of flavors. The chicken was super tender, with just a touch of sweetness. The dried fruit softened immensely, and kind of became one with the cooking liquid (the apricots shown in the picture were placed there as a garnish).
All of us ate our dinner happily, and my grandma enjoyed the leftovers. Id make this again for sure.
The most expensive component to this dish was the dried fruit. The packages were $2.99 each at our local grocery store, and we finished it off by putting it in steel cut oatmeal.
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