Creamy Beef Over Noodles CrockPot Recipe

Day 121.

We had a busy Saturday this past week and I didn't have a meal planned. Usually that means take-out or macaroni and cheese, but instead I dug into the depths of the freezer and found a forgotten bag of frozen stew meat.

I wasn't sure exactly what to do with it, so just kept pulling stuff out of cabinets. The end result was actually pretty good, and although the kids dipped their meat into A-1 sauce (weirdos) we sat down together for a nice meal that was free! instead of a good $40.

The Ingredients.

--2 lbs stew meat

--2 T butter

--1/4 cup soy milk

--1 T gluten free worcestershire sauce

--1 T black pepper

--2 T dried minced onion

--1/4 cup beef broth

--1/2 t kosher salt

--1 t herbs de provence

--1/2 block of cream cheese (not pictured)

The Directions.

I plopped the frozen meat into the crockpot---it was so frozen that it stood up, so I poked at it with a wooden spoon until it behaved and stayed inside.

We were on the way to swim lessons, so I didn't do anything at all except for dump everything on top. I have no idea in which order, it really doesn't matter. Don't put in the cream cheese yet---save it for later.

Cook on low for 10-12 hours. I cooked this for 10, then tasted the broth. I liked it, but felt like it needed something---like cream cheese.

Squeeze in a half block of cream cheese, and stir until it is incorporated.

Serve over hot pasta. We had Trader Joe's Brown Rice fussili. yum.

The Verdict.

This was a nice, hearty, but not overly rich meal that we all enjoyed. I've been picking at the leftovers, and they've held up nicely.

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CrockPot Indian Chicken Recipe

Day 120.

My favorite kind of take-out is Indian. I was thrilled when I came across a recipe for an Indian Masala-inspired slow cooker recipe on Michelle's What's Cooking Blog. After reading her ingredient list, I finally got up the nerve to buy my very own spice bottle of garam masala---I had put it off long enough.

I'm so glad that I did. It was well worth the $3.99, because now that I know how flavorful and how full of depth it is, I am sure I will use it often. If you'd like to not buy a bottle, you can make your own by following this mixture (scroll down to the bottom where it lists the ground spices).

The Ingredients.

There's a lot. It'll be okay.

--frozen chicken pieces--enough to feed 4 grownups

--1 can tomatoes (drained, mine had seasoning, I don't think it matters)

--1/2 diced onion

--1/2 t ginger

--2 cloves garlic, minced

--1/2 t ground coriander

--1/4 t cayenne pepper

--1 t garam masala (1/2 t to add now, 1/2 later)

--1/2 cup plain non fat yogurt

The Directions.

--put your chicken pieces into the crockpot and add the can of tomatoes and all of the spices, minus 1/2t of the garam masala.

Don't add the yogurt yet.

cook on low all day. I cooked this for 8 hours, and the chicken shredded and lost it's shape, but tasted so good that it didn't matter. Remember that the food you cook at home in your crockpot will not look like restaurant food---but trust me that the spice combo is spot-on. Michelle did a fantastic job with this one.

30 minutes before serving, stir in the yogurt, and taste. I wanted the garam masala flavor to be pronounced, so I added another 1/2t to the mix. Add what tastes right to you.

The Verdict.

All four of us enjoyed this a lot. The kids liked the sauce a lot and dipped warmed corn tortillas into the rice and "juice" to soak up the yummy flavors.

I am interested in trying this again with pieces of lamb, and watching my chicken a little closer so it retains shape.

Very yummy. Thank you so much, Michelle!

other great Indian and Thai Recipes:

Thai Curry
Indian Curry
Vegetarian Curry
Thai Coconut Soup
Lamb Vindaloo
Tomato Curried Potatoes
Indian Spinach with Potatoes

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CrockPot 5 Layer Brownie Recipe

Day 119.

Hold on to your hats. This is one rich, satisfying, amazing dessert. And it took all of 5 minutes to prepare. The most difficult part for me was climbing up on to a bar stool to reach the baking cabinet over the refrigerator.

We were lucky in that we had everything on hand for this brainstorm---which is good because after all the vegetable dishes I've been eating lately, my sweet tooth was on the prowl.

The Ingredients.

--1 16 oz package of brownie mix (I had a box of the Whole Foods GF 365 brand--it has chocolate chips in it!)

--1/4 cup melted butter

--1 egg

--1/4 cup water

--1 can sweetened condensed milk

--1/4 cup walnuts

--1/4 cup coconut

--1/4 cup oats (I used Bob Red Mills Gluten Free Rolled Oats)

The Directions.

I used my mini 1.5 quart crockpot for this dish, because my other one had a chicken dish in it (coming tomorrow!). The proportions of the oats, coconut, and walnuts are for the mini crock. If you decide to use a larger size, use enough of the toppings to spread over the whole surface area.

--melt butter (I was lazy and didn't want to dirty another bowl, so I melted the butter in the crock while I was doing the dishes)

--add 1/4 cup of water, the egg, and the brownie mix

--stir until none of the powder is left dry; batter will be quite thick

--pour can of sweetened condensed milk over the top.

--Shuffle children quickly out of the kitchen because you are "working" and lick out the inside of the can, being careful so you don't cut off your tongue.

--wash sweetened condensed milk off of your face

--cover milk with a layer of oats, then coconut, then walnuts.

--close up crockpot and cook on high, if using a little crock, low if using a bigger one. Test with a knife after two hours, if it comes out clean, cook for another 20-30 minutes with the lid off to get rid of the collected condensation and to help solidify the condensed milk. You will know this is done when the edges pull away from your stoneware.

Since I used my mini crockpot, this cooked for about 4 1/2 hours altogether. That's a really long time to wait for brownies, so I needed to go to Target and buy stuff we didn't need to eat up the time.

The Verdict.

Well worth the wait.

We ate these for dinner.

and then for breakfast.

and we were happy.

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CrockPot Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms Recipe

Day 118.

We went to a birthday party last weekend and they had a bunch of vegetables roasted in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Along with the roasted zucchini and peppers were slices of portabella mushroom. I couldn't get enough, and kept finding my way back at the buffet table to sneak a little bit more.

Portabella mushrooms are nice big, meaty mushrooms that can mimic the texture of meat in your mouth. They are amazing, and hold up well during slow cooking.

The Ingredients.

--4 large portabella mushrooms

--1 1/2 cups baby tomatoes

--1/4 cup olive oil

--1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

--1/2 t kosher salt

--1/2 t black pepper

--1 T dried basil

--1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

--1/4 cup bread crumbs (I have a bag of gluten free breadcrumbs I keep in the freezer)

The Directions.

--with a paring knife, carefully cut off the stems of each mushroom. Chop the stems up, and put them in a mixing bowl.

--use a spoon to scoop out the brown hairy looking stuff from the mushrooms. Put that in your mixing bowl, too.

--chop up the tomatoes, and add them to the mix along with the bread crumbs, olive oil, vingegar, cheese, and spices.

--mix it up.

--smear a bit of olive oil on the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert

--put the mushroom caps on top of the oil. I have a large 6qt, and my mushroom caps did not fit "nicely"---they were kind of on top of each other at the edges and were leaning a bit up the sides of the stoneware.

It's okay. They will still cook for you.

--spoon your filling mixture on top of the mushrooms. Remind yourself that you aren't making food to appear in Gordon Ramsay's kitchen---this is for your family. It needn't look "perfect!"

Cover and cook on low for 4-7 hours. I left our mushrooms on for 6 hours and served them over rice.

Except Adam went out and got a steak for himself to go along with his mushrooms.

The Verdict.

These were moist, flavorful and amazingly delicious. It reminded me of fancy restaurant food. The mushrooms themselves were perfectly seasoned, but the sauce at the bottom of the crock was a bit too vinegar-y for my taste to put on top of the rice as gravy.

The kids picked out the tomatoes, and were polite enough when they asked for salami and cheese.

I would count on only serving 2 grownups with these proportions, but I think if you layered the mushrooms and filling you could fill a whole crock up nicely.

--> on a side note, this site surpassed 100k visits yesterday. Which is amazing, mind-boggling, and thrilling all at the same time. Thank you for passing my recipes along and testing them out---this is a lot of fun and so far my family hasn't committed me. ;-)

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CrockPot Baked Spinach and Cheese Noodles

Day 117.

I took like twelve pictures of this and none of them look very appetizing---I don't see myself with a career as a food stylist any time soon.

But!

It tasted good!

Michelle's Slow Cooking Thursday post a month ago or so popped into my head while I was at the store last week. I couldn't remember everything that went in it at the time, but remembered enough to sort of recreate it for an easy weeknight dinner. This is a wonderful, creamy dish, and if you use low or fat free ingredients, the creaminess stays without unnecessary calories.

The Ingredients.

--2 T butter

--1/3 cup flour (I used Pamela's again. And I'm almost out. We need to hit up Whole Foods this weekend.)

--2 1/2 cups milk

--1/2 t pepper

--1 t kosher salt

--3 T dijon mustard

--15 oz ricotta cheese

--1/4 cup parmesan cheese

--10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

--1 chopped red pepper

--16 oz package of un-cooked noodles

The Directions.

I made a roux (and this time I spelled it right!) with the butter and flour, and then added the milk, the container of ricotta cheese and stirred in the spinach, red pepper, and spices. Oh! Use a big pot, so you don't have to transfer halfway through the way that I might have needed to do. And then you won't drop slimy spinach on the floor...

Spray the inside of your slowcooker with cooking spray and dump in a package of uncooked pasta noodles. Turn on your crockpot so you won't "shock it" when you stir your cheese and spinach mixture into the noodles. Crockpot stoneware shouldn't change temperatures rapidly.

Top with 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

Cook on high for 5-7 hours, or until the noodles are tender. The noodles on the top will be a bit crunchy, but this seemed to have more liquid than the ziti I made, and every noodles could be eaten.

Ours took 6 hours to cook on high.

The Verdict.

I initially had to give the starving children speech, but once my kids tasted this they gobbled it down. Adam and I had ours with a great big salad. I would definitely make this again.

I wonder what it would be like if I added nutmeg? I felt like I wanted a dash of nutmeg...

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CrockPot Play Dough Recipe

Day 116.

In my former life, I used to run preschool centers. I've made lots of playdough. I've also bought lots of playdough---both generic and the Play Doh brand.

It's wonderful, it's now incredibly cheap, and it keeps your children entertained for hours.

And making your own is fun. You can add texture by throwing in some cornmeal or playground sand, add drops of essential oil for smell, or even add a packet of sugar free Koolaid for a bright color and strong kid-approved smell.
Homemade playdough makes great gifts for the holidays or party favors. If you have a gluten free preschool-aged child, I would highly recommend being the "playdough mom" who brings in a new batch (or the storebought) each month into your child's class. That way everyone plays with the same stuff, so there isn't a worry of cross-contamination, and the teachers will adore you for bringing new stuff regularly. Trust me in that you do not want to know how gross playdough can get after a month or two in a preschool classroom. 20/20 should do a segment on playdough germs...

This is easy to make, and children can help without the worry of being burnt by standing near a hot stove.

The Ingredients.

I have bought all of this in bulk from Smart and Final or Costco---except for the rice flour. I get rice flour at an Asian grocery store for 59 cents a bag.

--2 cups rice flour (if you are not gluten free, use plain ol' All Purpose)

--1 cup corn starch

--1 cup salt

--1/4 cup cream of tartar

--2 cups hot water

--2 t cooking oil (not a typo! that's all the oil you need!)

The Directions.

--Plug in your crockpot and turn to low to warm up slowly.

--Dump in your dry ingredients, stirring to evenly distribute.

Add the water and oil. Close the lid and switch the heat to high.

Set a timer and check your playdough every 30 minutes, stirring well each time. Our playdough took a little under 2 hours to make.

You will know it's done or close to done when the playdough begins to form a ball when you stir it.

When that happens, remove the stoneware insert from your crockpot and stir some more. Dump it out onto a smooth surface and begin to knead----be careful---- it's going to be hot. If your dough is overly sticky, add a bit of cornstarch; if overly dry, add a touch more hot water. Each time you make the dough, the water required will be a bit different, depending on the humidity in the air.

Separate the dough into manageable lumps and push a hole into the center for a few drops of food coloring--let the kids squish the dough around to distribute the desired color. Their hands will be a bit colored for a few hours...

The Verdict.

We prepared this during a playdate, and the kids had a ball. In order for everybody to see clearly and to "help"--I spread a vinyl tablecloth on the floor and used a mini-extension cord for the crockpot.

This recipe makes enough dough for 4-5 children to play with at a time.

Store in a ziplock bag or a tightly sealed plastic container. If stored properly, the dough will last 3-4 months.

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CrockPot Tamale Pie Recipe

Day 115.

Happy Slow Cooker Thursday!

Please stop by Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and visit Sandra and the rest of the slow-cooking participants.

I am so excited to share this recipe---it worked really well, and was incredibly easy. I was thrilled that the cornbread topping set so nicely and it complimented the flavor of the filling perfectly.

I was inspired by this post from Lorie a month ago or so during slow-cooking Thursday. I get the best ideas from reading blogs!

The Ingredients.

Cornbread topping:

--3/4 cup cornmeal

--1 1/4 cup flour (I used Pamela's baking mix)

--1 cup milk

--1/4 cup sugar

--1 egg

--1 t baking powder (only if not using Pamela's or similar gluten free baking mix that already has baking powder added)

The Filling.

I chose to make this vegetarian because I put this on at 6am and had no interest whatsoever in browning meat that early in the morning. I was lucky my slippers were on the right feet. You, however, can add 1lb of your favorite browned meat if you'd like.

--1 can drained and rinsed black beans

--1 can fire roasted tomatoes
--1 can drained corn

--1 T chili powder

--1 t cumin

--1/2 t paprika

--1/4 cup diced onion (I had some leftover in the fridge from a previous dish)

--1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

The Directions.

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Dump in the filling ingredients--cheese, too!-- and stir well to distribute the spices. You will not be able to stir this again, so please check to see that the spices aren't in a clump anywhere.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. When finished, pour evenly over the filling, spreading with a spatula if needed.

Cover and cook on low for 4-7 hours or on high for 2-4. I was shocked at how quickly this cooked. I set it on low and expected it to take about 8, but it was all brown and golden and perfectly crispy at the 6hr mark. So we ate it for lunch!

The Verdict.

The kids at first only ate the cornbread topping, but then discovered that the beans and the corn were tasty and ate the rest. This was a nice, hearty meal that didn't leave me over-full. I am totally going to make this again.

next year. :-)

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Basic Chili CrockPot Recipe

Day 114.

Chili! Finally! I've held off as long as I could----but it was time to put my crockpot to work for it's intended use.

There are nine hundred trillion chili recipes. I know, because once I watched a good six hours of some sort of chili championship on the Food Network.

Some people use beans, some don't. Some are purists, some aren't.

I live in California, and have only had chili that has a lot of beans in it, so that's what we made. Adam and I had an absolute ball pulling stuff from the fridge and the spice cabinet. This is a very basic chili---it has some heat, but not enough to scare (my) kids.

The Ingredients.

--1 lb ground meat (I used 4% beef)

--1 bag small red beans (are they kidneys? it didn't say---they sure looked like kidney beans to me)

* EDITED TO ADD: I just learned this freaky thing about kidney beans... I guess they have a toxin in them and need to be boiled well before adding to a slow cooker. Please research this on your own! *

--2 whole jalapeno peppers

--1 diced onion

--8 garlic cloves, minced

--1 29oz can tomatoes (whatever you have in the cabinet or is on sale. this happened to have basil in it)

--1 15oz can tomato sauce

--3T chili powder

--2t cumin

--1t black pepper

--1t salt

--1T tobasco sauce

The Directions.

The night before you are going to make chili, sort your beans and soak with a healthy amount of water. Pick out any cracked beans, or any that float to the top or look funky.

In the morning, drain the water (in honor of earth day stuff you should water the garden. Now you will feel guilty if you don't. sorry.)

Brown the ground meat on the stovetop with the onion. Drain fat. Have a rather heated discussion about whether or not to drain the fat with the man of the house who seems to think that the teensy bit of fat left from the 4% meat is full of flavor and should be added to the pot.

win.

Drain the fat from the meat, and add on top of the beans. Add the rest of your ingredients to the mix and stir gingerly. If you are using the jalapenos, don't open them, but instead rest them on top of the beans and meat for a nice mellow smoky heat.

cook on low for as long as you can stand it and the beans are tender.

These were some rather hard beans and didn't tenderize until about 9 hours in.

If you are antsy, cook on high for at least 6 hours.

The Verdict.

We've been munching on chili for the past 3 days, and I truly believe each day it improves. I was impressed with this spice combination and liked the hint of smokiness. The kids enjoy their chili topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

This makes a very thick chili--you can do the fork trick!

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Cooking Marinated Meat in the CrockPot

Day 113.

I get a few emails here and there from new crockpotters asking for an easy fool-proof recipe to get them started.

I'm pretty sure that I answer differently each time I answer, but today's answer would be this: use marinated meat.

As I was digging through the freezer over the weekend, I found a package of frozen chicken from Trader Joe's that was marinated in some curry seasoning. I have no idea when I bought it (I must have been on something because the sodium content is through the roof..) but do know that it wasn't purchased in 2008. Which meant I better cook this meat before it went bad.

There is nothing easier than cooking marinated meat in the crockpot.

Nothing.

Except for---

Nope.

Couldn't think of anything.

The Ingredients.

--Frozen, marinated meat. Unless you're fancy and get the fresh stuff from a butcher.

--1/2 cup of water

PLEASE, please, please check all ingredients four times if you have food allergies. If something doesn't sound right, please call the manufacturer and check. Saving a tad bit of time isn't worth it if you end up getting sick.

In our case, the celiac in the house had no interest in tasting this meat whatsoever, so I wasn't terribly worried about calling the manufacturer to check on the seemingly "safe" ingredients.

I am not going to label this dish gluten free.

The Directions.

put hunk o' meat into your crockpot.

top it with a half cup of water.

cover and turn on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6, depending on the type of meat you are using and the cut.

You won't need any added liquid other than the 1/2 cup of water, unless you are a peeker. If you are a peeker, add a touch more near the end of the cooking time if you'd like more gravy.

Serve with some rice. We had this over coconut saffron rice.

The Verdict.

The chicken was really tasty and so very easy. Before this year of crockpotting, I always had a few packages of different meat in the freezer, ready to pop into the crock whenever I didn't have a fresh meal planned.

You can make your own marinated meat packets with teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, and other pre-packaged marinade mixtures (read ingredients! duh.) when you buy meat in bulk. Plop the meat into ziplocks in family-sized portions and top with your favorite sauce. Meat will keep nicely in your freezer for a good six months.

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CrockPot Creamed Corn Recipe

Day 112.

I adore creamed corn. I've only had it at a few restaurants here and there, and have never tried to make it on my own (before yesterday). I assumed it was corn mixed with heavy cream and some butter and sugar. I spent a few minutes digging around on websites and found that many of the recipes I dug up called for using an entire block of cream cheese to get the creamy consistency, or to simmer fresh corn cobs in cream and then cut the kernels off.

It's almost tank top season.

I can't bring myself to knowingly eat my daily allotment of calories in a 1/2 cup serving. I'm just weird that way. Yet I'll eat an entire pan of this. Or eat all of this. Oh, and remember when I ate all of this? I'm nothing without contradictions.

So anyhow, I played around in the kitchen and came up with a creamy and delicious creamed corn that won't make you (me) want to jump off a bridge if/when you (me) eat the whole pot.

The Ingredients.

--1 bag frozen white corn

--1 can corn

--1 T butter

--1 T cream cheese

--2 T flour (I used Pamela's baking mix.)

--3 T fat free milk

--1/4 t black pepper

The Directions.

--in a small saucepan, melt your butter and cream cheese over low heat on the stove top and make a rue, adding your flour slowly and wisking until there aren't any lumps. Add your milk and the liquid from the can of corns to the mix and wisk some more. The cream cheese is pretty thick, and you may need the liquid in the saucepan before the flour will melt nicely for you. Mix in the black pepper.

I've learned a lot about rouxs since the sea food alfredo debacle! Yay for helpful bloggers!

--empty the contents of the frozen bag of corn and the rest from the can of corn into your crockpot.

--cover with the sauce.

--cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4.

This is done when everything is hot and melty.

The Verdict.

Wowsers, this was amazing. I thought we'd simmer it on low throughout the day and have it alongside dinner, but we got too excited after our 3hr taste test and ate it all for lunch instead.

The kids each ate 2 bowls and couldn't stop talking about how good it was and how I should tell the Internet that it's the "best thing ever."

I would definitely put this on a holiday meal table. Mom? Sign me up for bringing this on Thanksgiving.

Adam guesstimated this would serve 6 adults as a side-dish.

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Margarita Chicken CrockPot Recipe

Day 111.

I read a lot of blogs. An awful lot. One good thing about my job (other than reading a lot of blogs) is that I read food blogs and am inspired daily to try new recipes, and also to recreate them in my crockpot.

I love Alanna's Kitchen Parade blog. She also has a vegetable blog filled with creative and delicious-sounding ideas.

I got the idea for this chicken dish from her lime chicken recipe. We didn't happen to have any limes in the house, but we always have margarita mix.

The Ingredients.

--4-5 frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs

--1/4 cup dijon mustard

--1/4 cup honey

--1 T gluten free soy sauce

--2 minced garlic cloves

--3 T margarita mix

The Directions.

--mix your sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl

--plop the frozen chicken in the bottom of your crockpot

--cover with the sauce

--cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 4-5. If your chicken is fresh, check it after 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

The Verdict.

This was delicious! The kids enjoyed it a lot, Adam and I each had seconds, and we didn't have any leftovers.

We served the chicken with some rice pilaf from Trader Joe's.

I think what I liked the most about this dish is that I wouldn't have come up with this flavor combination on my own---but it so totally works and tastes amazing.

Alanna rocks.

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Original Cracker Jacks made in the CrockPot Recipe

Day 110.

Last weekend, Marc Summers showed how the original cracker jacks recipe was made on Unwrapped. I love Unwrapped. The kids enjoy seeing their favorite candy come down the conveyor belt and get packaged, and Adam and I enjoy hearing about whatever "secret" ingredient makes the candy or snack special.

I also really like Marc Summers, because it reminds me of coming home after school to my grandparent's house and watching Double Dare. I really wanted to be on Double Dare. My brother and I would set up makeshift obstacle courses to "practice" in case we were ever on the show. We never applied or filled out any paperwork---- so I don't know how we thought we would magically appear in the TV, but that didn't' stop us from trying.

Anyhow, last weekend while watching Unwrapped, I muttered "I could make that" as Marc narrated the ingredients list for cracker jacks. That's all it took for Adam and the kids to pop up and run off to the store, stopping at my parents to pick up an air popped popcorn machine.

I love how my parents keep everything so I don't have to.

The Ingredients.

adapted from an EHow recipe.

--an air popped popcorn machine (or you could do the brown bag method--do not add the oil or salt. I forgot about the brown bag method last week, but it would work if you don't have access to a popcorn machine.)

--1 cup brown sugar

--2T molasses

--4T butter

--1/2 cup light corn syrup

--1-2 cups peanuts

--1 t kosher salt

--1 cup popcorn kernels

--parchment paper or Release foil

The Directions.

--put the sugar, corn syrup, molasses, and butter into your crockpot and set on high.

--pop the corn. and then some more because your kids will eat it all.

Get out a few mixing bowls in preparation for the popcorn coating. Spread out a bunch of Release foil or parchment paper on your counter top or the floor so the popcorn will have room to cool and dry. I used the floor.

You are melting and heating the corn syrup mixture until everything is hot and bubbly. This will take 1-3 hours, depending upon the size of your crockpot and your altitude. Check on your concoction after 45 minutes, and every 15 min thereafter. The EHow article said to use a candy thermometer and that it is done at 250 degrees---I don't like candy thermometers, so eyeballed it.

When the candy coating looks hot, bubbly and everything is completely melted, mix in your popcorn and peanuts. If you don't have a big enough crockpot for everything to fit in nicely, put the popcorn in a large mixing bowl and carefully ladle the hot syrup over the top and mix with wooden spoons. You may need to do a couple of batches.

It is okay if it doesn't look "perfect"--this is just for fun!

Spread the popcorn on the Release foil or parchment paper and sprinkle with the Kosher salt. Taste--depending on how salty your peanuts were, you may need less or more salt.

The Verdict.

We ate so much of this that we didn't eat any dinner!

It was very, very good. And very, very sticky.

We weren't smart enough to seal it up in an airtight container overnight, so it went all stale and funky over night.

the exact same way the real cracker jacks does!

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CrockPot Honey and Orange Tofu Recipe

Day 109.

This is a tofu recipe. If you don't like tofu, the marinade will taste great on chicken or pork.

But tofu is good for you. You should really get over it, already.

The Ingredients.

--1 brick of extra firm tofu (this was the lite version. I had no idea tofu came in a lite version, or why it could possibly be considered high in fat, but I still bought the lite version because the package marketing evidently works.)

--2 cloves of minced garlic

--1/4 cup soy sauce (we use LaChoy because it's gluten free)

--1/4 cup orange juice

--1/4 cup honey

--fresh broccoli florets

The Directions.

--drain your tofu well and chop into bite-sized chunks

--brown in a skillet in a bit of butter with the 2 cloves of minced garlic (this isn't absolutely necessary, but will help the tofu keep it's shape and provide a texture that your tongue really kind of wants)

--add to crockpot and top with the liquid ingredients

--wash and cut your fresh broccoli--add to the mix

--cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Tofu doesn't take long (it's already cooked, anyhow)---you are really just letting the flavors meld and steam the broccoli.

If you are going to use frozen broccoli, add the last 30 min of cooking time

Serve over steamed brown rice.

The Verdict.

This makes a very good sauce that makes anything taste good. If you are scared to try tofu, give it a try with this sauce---it truly is tasty.

My kids did a good job eating this meal. They like tofu a lot and will eat their weight in broccoli.

And since tofu is so good for you, it's okay to have a pint of Ben and Jerry's for dessert.

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CrockPot Bacon Wrapped Scallops Recipe

day 108.

Happy Thursday! Happy Slow Cooking Day!

Remember to go see Sandra for a bunch of totally awesome crockpotting recipes. Because (um.) this isn't one.

I got cocky.

I thought you could cook anything in a crockpot. I was very way wrong. And I don't even want to know how much money I wasted (I sent Adam off to the store and he never saves receipts) on making this catastrophe.

The Ingredients.

(don't go buy them.)

--beef bacon. or pork. whatever.

--1 1/2 pounds of fresh scallops

--juice from 2 lemons

--1 t black pepper

--toothpicks

The Directions.

soak scallops in the juice from 2 lemons and a teaspoon of black pepper in the fridge for 2 hours (you will be wasting your time, btw)

very carefully and with a lot of effort wrap each scallop gingerly with a half slice of bacon. Push a toothpick lovingly into each scallop to hold the bacon in place.

Stagger the lovely little scallops in a pretty pattern in the bottom of your crockpot. Smile at your handiwork and give yourself a pat on the back for your creativity.

cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours.

(please don't really do this. please.)

The Verdict.

This will stink up your house. You will not be happy.

And noone will come to your rescue when you whine about the icky layer of fatty disgusting slime at the bottom of your crock.

and you will be sad.

but then you will be taken out to dinner.

which makes you wonder if it was all worth it...

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Balsamic Chicken with Spring Vegetables CrockPot Recipe

Day 107.

It is officially spring over here, and one of my favorite things to do during the spring and summer months is to walk to the neighborhood farmer's market or to our local produce stand. I love seeing piles of fresh fruits and vegetables ripe in all their glory. Most of the fruits and vegetables featured are organic and are grown by local farmers---I like the idea that I am helping a family by buying their offerings.

But these vegetables were from Safeway. I had good intentions of going to the produce stand but it was really early and it wasn't open and I wanted a tall nonfat with whip mocha.

I totally suck.

This meal, however, doesn't. I hope you are a better person than I am, and score some locally-grown vegetables.

The Ingredients.

--4-6 boneless skinless frozen chicken thighs

--1 whole head of garlic

--2 zucchinis

--2 yellow squash

--1 orange bell pepper

--1 yellow bell pepper

--1 red onion

--1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

--2 t Worcestershire sauce

--salt and pepper

The Directions.

salt and pepper your chicken pieces. Mine were still frozen, so a lot of it fell off, so I had to just dump it on top.

put the chicken into the crock.

Wash and cut all your vegetables and put into a mixing bowl. Peel the head of garlic, but keep the cloves intact.

toss the vegetables with balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.

pour the vegetables on top of the meat.

cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I cooked this for 8, and then clicked it over to warm for another hour.

We ate this on top of quinoa.

The Verdict.

This was very tasty! I was happy with the sweetness of the red onion, and the roasted flavor of the garlic. The chicken was nice and tender, and the zucchini and squash soaked up the balsamic flavor nicely.

The kids weren't impressed, but ate what they were supposed to before asking for popsicles.

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CrockPot Spanish Rice Casserole

Day 106.

Growing up, this was one of my favorite dinners. Both my mom and my grandma made Spanish rice and I always ate at least two servings.

I brought up this memory the other night while talking at the dinner table, and realized that I haven't ever made it on my own. So I did. In the crockpot.

The Ingredients.

--1 lb of ground meat (I used turkey)

--1 cup long grain brown rice

--1 can diced tomatoes

--1 T dried minced onion (I tossed our last fresh onion because it went slimy)

--1 t Italian seasoning

--2 cloves chopped garlic

The Directions.

You have to brown the meat. I'm sorry.

I browned the meat with a bit of olive oil, and tossed the onion, the Italian seasoning, and the garlic in too.

After your meat has browned, toss it into the crock and add the 1 cup of rice.

open the tomato can, and drain the liquid into a measuring cup. You're going to need 2 cups of liquid, so add enough water to the measuring cup to equal two cups.

this is very scientific.

then dump in the tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours, or until the rice is cooked and tender.

I cooked this in my oval 6 qt. for 3 1/2 hours, then flipped it to warm for the next 3 hours.

The Verdict.

This made enough for 4 servings. It was plenty for us, but if you have a large family or want a bunch of leftovers, make more.

I served this with some fresh asparagus. The kids added shredded cheese and sour cream to their servings, Adam added salsa.

I really liked it a lot---the rice ended up being a little mushy. Just like I remembered.

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Seasoned Potato Wedges CrockPot Recipe

Day 105.

This was our contribution to a family barbecue yesterday. I think this will be the closest I will get to making french fries in the crockpot. They weren't overly moist, and the wedges on the side even got a bit of a crust on skin--an unexpected happy bonus.

The Ingredients.

--bag of brown baking potatoes (there were 13 lucky little guys in our bag)

--1 T seasoned salt

--1 t dried basil

--1/4 t chipotle chili powder

--cooking spray

The Directions.

--Have your kids wash the potatoes with the vegetable scrub-brush thing. Take your cup of coffee into the backyard while they "work" so you don't 1) micromanage or 2) get involved in the arguing over sink sides.

--slice potatoes into long wedges

--in a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the seasoned salt, basil, and chili powder

--spray the inside of your crock stoneware insert with cooking spray

--dump the seasoned potato wedges inside

--cook on high for 4-6 hours.

--after 2 hours, carefully dump the collected liquid. I had Adam help me with this. I dumped while he held the lid close to the potatoes and let the liquid drain out (a collinder would have worked, but I realized after the fact).

--the potatoes are done when they reach desired softness

if your crock has collected more liquid, drain one more time.

The Verdict.

These were a nice accompaniment to our hotdogs and hamburgers. We did add a bit more salt, and next time I'd like a bit more spice.

It was nice to not heat up the oven today (we're having a bit of a warm streak), and I was able to make more in the crock than I could have on baking sheets.

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