Archive for September, 2009

Baked potatoes

September 24, 2009 at 2:00 pm · Filed under Potatoes, Side dish ·Tagged ,

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Source: A Year of Crockpotting

So this is pretty cool — you can make baked potatoes in the crockpot! This really came in handy for me the other day when we had 40 clove garlic chicken for dinner. I needed a side dish, but didn’t feel like taking 20 or more minutes to prepare something after work when our main course was sitting there, ready and waiting for us. So, since I have two crockpots, I set them both to work, and our complete dinner was ready for us when we got home!

I actually enjoyed these potatoes more than traditional oven-baked potatoes. They were so much softer. At first, Rick said the texture tasted a little off, but the more he ate, the more he liked it!

Ingredients:
potatoes
foil

Directions:
P9140724Wash potatoes, and set aside to let them dry completely. Pierce several times with a fork. Wrap potatoes in foil, and place in crockpot. I made 4, and it just barely covered the bottom, but  you can stack them as high as you need them to go. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

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40 clove garlic chicken

September 21, 2009 at 10:50 am · Filed under Chicken, Main course ·Tagged ,

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Source: Cuisinart

The new crockpot I treated myself to a few weeks ago came with a cookbook. Rick and I were looking through it one day, and as soon as he saw this recipe, he got excited! If you can’t tell already, we both LOVE garlic. I had seen a similar recipe before and had planned to make it sometime, but just never got around to it. I am sorry I waited so long! This was really good. It had a strong garlic flavor, but not too strong at all. Give it a try!

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Ingredients:
2 lbs. skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (I used breasts)
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
40 cloves garlic, peeled (about 3 heads)
1/2 celery rib, sliced
1/2 cup onion, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
3 tbsp. chicken broth

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine chicken, herbes de Provence, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Lightly coat the stoneware of your crockpot with cooking spray (I used the Reynolds liner bags, and it was fine without cooking spray). Place the chicken in the crockpot, and layer celery, onions and garlic on top.  Pour in wine and chicken broth.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

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Menu Sept. 21-25

September 19, 2009 at 8:31 am · Filed under Menus ·Tagged

mpm121
Monday: Chicken tortilla chip casserole

Tuesday: Cheesy hash brown chili 

Wednesday: Spicy angel hair pasta

Thursday: French dip sandwiches

Friday: French dip leftovers

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Beer cheese fondue

September 17, 2009 at 8:25 pm · Filed under Appetizer, Dips ·Tagged

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My birthday was this week, so to celebrate, I wanted to have a fondue night. It’s so much fun to eat a fun dinner while watching a movie, so that’s exactly how I wanted to kick off my birthday weekend. I came across this recipe that sounded great. I had made beer cheese one other time, and it didn’t turn out so well, but I thought I’d give it another chance. I’m so glad I did! This was awesome. It lasted us for dinner on Friday night, a snack on Saturday, and dinner again on Sunday.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. chili powder
1 pound shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 oz. bottle beer
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz. can chopped green chiles
sliced jalapenos, to taste (we omitted) 

Directions:
I used by 3.5-quart crockpot for this. A slightly smaller one would be fine, too.

Mix flour with chili powder and toss with shredded cheeses. Pour beer into the crockpot and cover with shredded cheese mixture. Place garlic, green chiles, and jalapenos over cheese. Turn crockpot on low, but do not stir until cheese has begun to melt. Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hours.

Dippers: Herb bread, tortilla chips, broccoli

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Check out 365 Days of Slow Cooking

September 15, 2009 at 11:14 am · Filed under Random Thoughts ·Tagged

Hi, everyone! Check out the guest post I did on 365 Days of Slow Cooking. Karen’s blog chronicles her journey to use her crockpot every day for 365 days. She’s on day 232 now, so there are plenty of great recipes to check out!

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Menu Sept. 14-18

September 14, 2009 at 10:11 am · Filed under Menus ·Tagged

mpm121
Monday: Tater tot casserole
Tuesday: 40 clove garlic chicken 

Wednesday: Pizza

Thursday: Out

Friday: Out
Saturday: Chipotle ranch chicken fingers 

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Honey glazed ham

September 10, 2009 at 9:24 pm · Filed under Ham, Main course ·Tagged , ,

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Source: About.com

This is the second recipe I made using the 11-pound ham we bought awhile ago. Comparing this to the Cola Ham, this had a more traditional taste, in my opinion. However, Rick liked the cola ham better, saying that the texture in this honey glazed ham was a little off. Personally, I really liked both of them! But if I had to pick one, I’d pick this honey glazed ham, simply because it tasted like what ham is “supposed” to taste like.

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Ingredients:
3-4 pounds fully cooked ham (mine was about 2 pounds, but I kept all the other measurements the same)
1 can Sprite, 7-Up, Sierra Mist, etc.
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:
Place ham and soda into crockpot. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours or 3 to 4 hours on high.

About 30 minutes before serving, combine honey and seasonings and mix with 3 tablespoons liquid from bottom of crockpot. Spread glaze over ham and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Let ham stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

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Menu Sept. 6-11

September 5, 2009 at 9:22 am · Filed under Menus ·Tagged

mpm121

Sunday: Pulled pork sandwiches
Monday: Chicken peanut chow mein

Tuesday:  Rosemary chicken burgers w/oven fries

Wednesday: Chicken and macaroni casserole

Thursday: Shrimp lasagna rolls

Friday: Fondue night

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Pasta Fagioli

September 3, 2009 at 7:54 pm · Filed under Beans, Beef, Main course, Soup ·Tagged ,

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This was one of the first recipes I made in the crockpot, way back before I started blogging. According to the Crockpot Lady, this is based upon the recipe Olive Garden uses. The first time I made this recipe, neither of us had had the Olive Garden version, but we thought the soup was delicious! Since then, Rick has ordered the pasta fagioli at the restaurant, and said that my version is much better. 🙂

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Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained (I only used 1/2 lb.)
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups beef broth
1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup dry pasta (to add at end)

Directions:

Brown the meat and drain well. Let cool a bit.

Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the crockpot. Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper and oregano. Stir in the meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. At end of cook time, stir in 1/2 cup pasta. Cover and cook for another hour on low.

Serve with parmesan cheese if you’d like. Enjoy! This recipe makes about 8 generous servings.

Shared at Eat at Home Cooks.

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