Slow Cooker Jambalaya

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Makes 4-6 servings

8 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into chunks

8 oz cooked ham, sausage or kielbasa (use what you prefer and what you have on hand)

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 Tbsp dried minced onion

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules or 1/4 tsp Shirley J chicken bouillon

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp ground red pepper (more if you like it hot)

1/4 tsp dried ground thyme

1 tsp dried parley flakes

1 tsp minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca

2 Tbsp tomato paste

Salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups hot cooked rice (I used brown rice)

1.  Add the chicken, ham or sausage, tomatoes, onion, water, bouillon, oregano, Cajun seasoning, red pepper, thyme, parsley, garlic, bay leaf, tapioca and tomato paste to the slow cooker.  Stir to combine.

2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.  Remove bay leaf.  Stir in rice.  Adjust seasonings and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.

Recipe adapted from Crockpot Tuesdays.

Review:

I have a new way of deciding if I like a recipe or not:  if the leftovers get eaten and how fast.  This recipe seemed tasty enough the day of...probably a 3 star recipe.  As the leftovers sat in my fridge over several days it seemed less and less appetizing.  I don't know if I really like jambalaya all that much to begin with.  I don't think I do.  Maybe I've never had really great jambalaya.  Maybe I don't really like spicy things.  Anyhow, it's an okay recipe.  There are many that are far better.  2 stars.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup diced onion

1 tsp oil

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat

1.  Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.

2.  Saute the onion in a teaspoon of oil until soft.

3. In a small bowl combine the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire and onion.  Pour over the chicken.

4.  Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

Review:

My husband said to me about this meal, "I can't believe you would ruin chicken by putting sugar in it."  We are not the biggest fans of our meats being sweet.  Even knowing this, I thought, "I haven't done a sweet and sour chicken ever in the slow cooker...I need to."  I knew full well that I wouldn't love it but felt I didn't want to deprive any of you that enjoy this sort of thing.  So for me personally I would give this 2 stars, but I'm sure if you love this sort of thing, you'd rank it higher.

Slow Cooker Mexican Rice with Black Beans and Corn

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Makes 6 servings

1 cup diced onion

2 large garlic cloves, diced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp oil

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 (10.75) can tomato soup

1 cup instant brown rice

Salt and pepper

Cheese

Cilantro

Sour cream

1.  Combine onion, garlic, tomato paste, oil, chili powder and cumin in microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute until onions are soft.  Transfer to slow cooker.

2.  Add beans, corn, soup and rice to the slow cooker.  Stir until ingredients are combined.

3.  Cover and cook on HIGH for about 90 minutes to 2 hours.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with cheese, cilantro and sour cream, if desired.

Review:

This recipe let me down.  It totally has potential though.  The tomato soup was the wrong wrong wrong choice.  It was too processed-tasting and overpowering.  If I was to make this side dish again I would substitute tomato sauce or even better salsa...over maybe half tomato sauce and have salsa.  2 stars (as is...but like I said it has potential).

Cheesy Beef Casserole

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 Makes 6-8 servings

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 cup diced onion
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) green chiles
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 3/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup biscuit mix
3 eggs
Shredded lettuce
Salsa

1.  Brown the beef and onion in a frying pan.  Drain off any grease.  Layer in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker.
2.  Pour tomatoes over beef.  Pour chiles over tomatoes.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over chiles.  Sprinkle cheese over chiles.
3.  Combine biscuit mix and eggs and whisk until smooth.  Pour over the top of the beef mixture.

The use of a kitchen towel helps the contents of the slow cooker stay dry and not get dripped on.

4.  Place kitchen towel over the slow cooker and then place lid on top of the towel, making sure the lid is secure.  Cook on HIGH for about 2 hours.
5.  Serve topped with salsa and lettuce.

Review:
Eh.
Bleh.
Totally a mediocre recipe.  It was eaten but without enthusiasm.  Flavor was lacking.
2 stars.

Ground Chicken Stroganoff

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Makes 4 servings

1 lb lean ground chicken

2 Tbsp ketchup

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion soup mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup sour cream

Parsley flakes

Mushrooms (optional)

1.  Break up the ground chicken and place in bottom of slow cooker.

2.  Combine ketchup, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion soup mix and soup and pour over the chicken.

3.  Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours.  Stir to break up meat and add in sour cream, parsley flakes to taste, and sliced mushrooms, if desired.  Cover and cook for another 1/2 hour.

5.  Serve over noodles or rice.

Review:

I have been loving ground chicken lately, but not so much with this recipe.  It left me with a bad taste in my mouth, figuratively and literally.  I think if I was to try this recipe again I would use chicken chunks and not ground chicken.  The consistency of the chicken just got all weird and gross. 2 stars.

If you want better ways to use your ground chicken try out these recipes:

Chicken Meatballs and sauce
Ground Chicken Taco Filling
Lime Chicken Chili
Ravioli Casserole
Healthy Chicken Fiesta Soup
Chicken Meatballs
Thai Chicken Wraps



Happy Birthday Crockpot Cake

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Crockpot Cake?!

Makes 4 servings

2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk

1.  Remove the round (not oval) crockpot insert and preheat the base to HIGH.
2.  Make a foil collar. (see instructions below)
3.  Make a foil sling.  (see instructions below)
4.  Spray the slow cooker and foil with nonstick cooking spray.
5.  Cream together the sugar and butter.  Beat in the egg then stir in the vanilla.  Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixtures and mix well.  Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.  Spoon batter into prepared crockpot insert.  Spread evenly and smooth the top. 
6.  Cover and slow cooker tightly and cook on HIGH for 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs, until toothpick inserted in the middle is clean.
7.  Remove foil collar and let the cake sit 10 minutes. 
8.  Carefully remove foil and place cake on a platter.  Frost, decorate and enjoy!

Review:
Today is my birthday!  Woo!  In celebration I decided to do something I haven't done yet.  Attempt an actual cake (not a pudding cake or cobbler) in the slow cooker.  This was my attempt.  Although it actually doesn't look half bad, there are just some things that you should make conventionally.  After it cooled the outside got really hard and crunchy.  It just wasn't great.  Make it in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes and it should be fine. 
Oh, and don't you worry.  Lest you think this is the only cake I'm having for my birthday, I'm having the Great Wall of Chocolate at PF Changs tonight.  (please don't attempt that one in the slow cooker)
2 stars

Foil Collar and Foil Sling


• Most slow cookers have a hotter side that can cause casseroles and other dense dishes like meatloaves to burn. Line with a foil collar: Layer and fold sheets of heavy duty foil until you have a six layered foil rectangle. Press the collar into the back side of the slow cooker insert; the food will help hold the collar in place during cooking.

• For recipes that you want to lift out of the insert intact, like lasagnas, breakfast casseroles, meatloaves, some desserts make a foil sling. Line the slow cooker insert with a foil collar. Then fit two large sheets of foil into the slow cooker, perpendicular to one another, with the extra hanging over the edges of the cooker insert. Before serving, these overhanging edges can be used as handles to pull the dish out fully intact.

March Madness Day 17: Italian Mashed Potatoes

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6 Russett potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup milk

1 Tbsp butter

Place potatoes, onion and garlic in slow cooker.  Cover with water.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.  Drain water and add in milk and butter.  Mash with a potato masher.  Add in seasoning to taste.  Makes 6 servings.

Review:

I was inspired by these mashed potatoes and thought I would try again.  Bad idea.  These potatoes with soooo  onion-y.  It was overpowering and gross.  I was sad.  Don't make them.  Make the other recipe.  2 stars.

Slow Cooker Lemon Dill Chicken and Rice

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Serves 3-4

6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
2 cups cold water
1/2 cup Shirley J Universal Sauce
1 tsp chicken bouillon (or 1/2 tsp Shirley J chicken bouillon)
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups instant brown rice
1/2 tsp black pepper

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.  In a saucepan, combine the water and universal sauce.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add in the bouillon, lemon juice, dill, onions, and garlic.  After it has simmered for 10 minutes pour the sauce over the chicken.  Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours or on HIGH for 45 minutes.  For the last 45 minutes of cooktime add in the instant rice.  Push it down so that it is covered by the sauce.  Cook until rice is soft and cooked.  Add black pepper when ready to serve.

Review:
Suprisingly, this dish didn't have bold enough flavor for me.  I ended up squeezing a little lemon juice over my rice and chicken and that helped a bit.  I probably won't make this dish again it was pretty mediocre.  2 1/2 stars 

Slow Cooker Mustard Sauced Country Ribs and Red Potatoes

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1 1/2 lbs boneless country style pork ribs
6 medium red potatoes, quartered
1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into chunky slices
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup French's spicy brown mustard
1 tsp dried Thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp pepper

Place potatoes and onions in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Top with the ribs.  Combine the broth, mustard, thyme, garlic and pepper in small bowl and pour over the top of the ribs.  Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.  Use liquid in slow cooker to make a gravy for the potatoes, if desired.

Review:
Unfortunately, this meal just didn't really turn out the way I had hoped.  It was lacking in flavor.  I think that if I were to do this again I would definitely dredge the meat in a little flour and sear it in a tablespoon of canola oil before adding it to the slow cooker.  Refer to my post about browning for more info on that little subject.  I give this a sad 2 stars, sorry family for the gross meal...I'll make something better tonight, I promise.

Slow Cooker Curried Hummus

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1 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 tsp salt
4 cups water
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp curry
1 T olive oil

Combine chickpeas, salt, and water in slow cooker and cover.  Cook on LOW for about 8 hours, or until chickpeas are very soft.  Drain and reserve the liquid in the slow cooker.  Mash the chickpeas with a potato masher, a fork, or mix with a hand mixer until creamy.  Add about 1/3 cup of the reserved liquid back in to cream a mashed potato consistency.  Stir in the garlic, cumin, curry and olive oil.  Add more liquid, if needs be.  Serve with pita bread or fresh raw veggies.

Review:
Eh.  It was okay.  What I really wanted to add for a punch of flavor was lemon  juice, but I was all out.  I think that would have really kicked up the flavor to a new level and made me more excited about it.  Next time I'll do that, but I still have about 2 cups of this batch left to eat.  Those garbanzos really expand.  2 stars.

Day 358: Rice Pilaf

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4 oz water
8 oz chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup brown rice
1 Tbsp dried onion
Dash of pepper

Combine water, broth, garlic, rice, onion, and pepper in slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours, or until rice is tender. Stir and serve.

Review:
Not so good, really don't try this. There wasn't any flavor to it. I was so disappointed. Luckily, it wasn't the main dish. 2 stars.

Day 346: Vegetable Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pin It 3 cooked and diced chicken breasts
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 red onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp dried parsley
2 cans black beans, drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder

Add all ingredients into a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with Frito's, cheese, and sour cream.

Review:
Surprisingly tasteless. The only redeeming factor was the cheese, corn chips, and sour cream. Try the creamy corn chowder instead. 2 stars

Day 338: Thai Coconut Meatballs

Pin It 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 green onions, white and green parted chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp Thai curry paste (I used mild)

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Form into meatballs. Place on rack inside slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours. Serve with rice, if desired.

Review:
I had extremely high hopes for these meatballs. Boy, was I disappointed. They just did not have the flavor that I expected. They were dry and didn't have enough zip. I won't be making these again. 2 stars.

Day 335: Country Chowder

Pin It Serves 5

1 lb lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 red potato, cubed
1 can cream of potato soup
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 cup whole milk

Add all ingredients to slow cooker except the milk. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Stir in milk. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve.

Review:
Although my family ate this, we didn't appreciate it all that much. It was lacking in flavor and it was just very mediocre. 2 stars

Day 328: Spanish Paella

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1 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds chicken thighs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound hot smoked sausages, sliced
1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on all sides and place in slow cooker. Add onions to skillet, cook and stir until translucent. Stir in garlic, sausages, tomatoes, rice, and chicken broth. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on High 3 to 4 hours or until chicken and rice are tender. Remove chicken pieces to platter and fluff rice with fork. Spoon rice onto platter with chicken.

Review:
As you can tell from the picture, my rice got really mushy. The dish had good flavor and my family ate it, but I just couldn't get past the mushy texture. I think this would be better over the stovetop. 2 stars.

Day 317: Orange Chicken

Pin It 6 oz frozen orange juice, thawed
2 tbsp chopped onion
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips

Combine the first four ingredients. Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour orange sauce over the top. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Review:
I thought this sounded good, it even looked good when I served it. However, it did not taste good. The orange flavor was way too strong. We had a lot left over and made a stir fry with it. The stir fry was a lot better because it had other flavors to drown out the orange. 2 stars.

Day 314: Dirty Rice

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Serves 4

1/2 pound Italian sausage

2 cups water

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

Brown sausage in skillet. Drain. Place in slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours or until rice is done.

Review:

We served this as our main dish instead of a side dish and it was okay. After two hours the rice wasn't close to being done. There was still a lot of liquid so we transferred it to the stovetop for a few minutes. I thought it would be a little more flavorful. If I was to make it again for a main dish I would double the amount of Italian sausage. That is really what gave it it's flavor. 2 1/2 stars.

Recipe Source: Crockpot The Original Slow Cooker

Day 308: Cranberry Rice Pudding

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Serves 6

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 cup hot cooked rice

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Pour mixture into greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (see picture above). Cover with foil. Place rack in bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour in one cup of water. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Remove dish from slow cooker. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Review:

While I was visiting my parents this past week I decided I would make this rice pudding dessert for my dad. I don't enjoy this sort of dessert but I know that he does. He actually loved it and thought it was at least 4 stars. He ate most all of it and had the rest for breakfast the next day. I had a couple of bites and thought it was much better than the other rice pudding that I did a while back. It had a custard-type layer on the top and the almond extract added an interesting flavor. I give this 2 stars, but if you're a rice pudding type of person it's 4 stars.

Recipe source: adapted from Crockpot The Original Slow Cooker

Day 306: Mushroom Potatoes

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Serves 8-10

7 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8 oz) can mushrooms stems and pieces, drained
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

In slow cooker, layer half of the potatoes, onion, garlic, mushrooms, flour, salt, pepper and butter. Repeat layers. Pour soup over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese with the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Review:
These potatoes sounded good to me, but were way too salty. Besides being too salty they weren't that great anyway. I'd prefer to eat the cheesy potatoes or the creamy red potatoes. 2 stars

Day 291: Meatloaf

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2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist.) Shape into a round loaf; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meat loaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Review:

I didn't enjoy this meatloaf recipe as much as this one. I didn't really appreciate the sweet sauce that was on top and would have preferred just having ketchup on the top, or leaving out the brown sugar. 2 stars.

Recipe Source: allrecipes.com