What a Crock

I like my crockpots. I also like to brag about my crockpotting prowess on Facebook.


This lead to me being asked to teach a class at church on crockpotting. I should have buried my crockin talents under a bushel.

In any case, I told the powers that be that I was happy doing a lesson on crockpotting basics. Here is the presentation if you are the least bit inclined to read it.

Crockpot Tips and Tricks

Purchasing a crockpot

~Make sure you buy a crockpot with a removeable insert for easy washing.

~I recommend a crockpot with an automatic timer. You can set it in the morning, it will cook while you’re away, and automatically switch to ‘warm’ when it’s done cooking. Much better option than one that’s only warm, low, and high.

~Good brands are Rival and Hamilton Beach. A programmable crockpot will cost around $50. All major stores have them, as does Amazon and Ebay.

~I suggest having at least 2 crockpots—one 3 quart for smaller side dishes, and one 6-7 quart for large dinners like roasts, whole chickens, and soups/stews.

Cooking in Your Crockpot

~Plastic cooking liners are a great way to save time and cleanup. Always give the inside of the cooking bag a spray of Pam. Make sure you remove the food from the liner before putting it in the refrigerator to make sure the food has time to cool down—the liners retain heat.

~Never overload the crockpot. Make sure you never fill it over 3/4 full. Always have it at least ½ full, however, or the food will cook too quickly.

~Don’t open the crockpot or remove the lid. If you do, add 15 minutes on to the cooking time.

~In general, one hour on high is equal to two hours on low.

~Though not necessary, searing or browning meats prior to adding to the crockpot brings out the flavor of the meat, and helps eliminate some of the fat.

Why Use a Crockpot?

~You can use cheaper, tougher cuts of meat. The slow cooking process breaks down the meat, and makes it tender with time. A good example of this is stew meat, which tends to have a tougher texture, but cooks up tenderly.

~It’s convenient. You can be away all day, and come home to a delicious dinner.

~Stronger flavor on day two and later. The longer a dish sits, the better the flavor.

~Crockpots can make an entire meal, start to finish—appetizer, main dish, dessert—even drinks like cider and hot chocolate!

Adapting Recipes to Cook in a Crockpot

Read Here: http://southernfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa980215.htm

Vegetables
Dense vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables should be cut no larger than 1" thick, and placed in the bottom of the pot, since they take longer to cook.

Liquids
Usually liquids may be decreased in slow cooking - about half the recommended amount. Unless the dish contains rice or pasta, one cup of liquid is usually enough.

Pasta and Rice
If a recipe calls for cooked pasta to be added, cook it until just slightly tender before adding to the pot. Add 1/4 extra liquid per 1/4 cup uncooked rice, and use long grain converted rice for the best results. For long-cooking recipes, add cooked rice shortly before serving.

Milk/Cheese
Milk, sour cream, and cream break down over long periods of cooking, and should be added during the last hour. Condensed cream soups are good substitutions for milk and can be cooked for extended times. Cheeses don't generally hold up over extended periods of cooking, so should be added near the end of cooking, or use processed cheeses and spreads.

Big Batch Cooking in a Crockpot

~Saves time, energy, and money, and effort cleaning up. You can purchase large quantities at Costco, Sam’s Club, and regular grocery stores when food is on sale.

~You have food on hand to take to people when needed i.e. baby or illness.

~You can tailor the recipes to your taste preferences or food allergies. You can make low-fat, gluten free, or vegetarian options for much cheaper than buying prepared and/or frozen food.

~Great way to make several meals out of leftovers. You can use shredded chicken for enchiladas one night, and then leftover chicken for BBQ chicken sandwiches the next night, or several weeks later.

~Get an electric can opener.

~Get at least 2 programmable crockpots with removeable liners. I have 3. These are the ones I have: http://www.crock-pot.com/Product.aspx?cid=113&pid=10220

~Spaghetti sauce, casseroles, enchiladas, chili, soups, and stews work well in the freezer.

~When making a big batch, simply double or triple all ingredients, including spices and liquid. Some sites say to halve the liquid, but I’ve always found it effective to keep the quantities normal.

~My preference is to buy a Foodsaver, and use it to store the items you want to freeze. The benefit is they lay flat, and you avoid freezer burn. You can also use Tupperware containers, or Ziploc Freezer Bags. If you do this, make sure you use the Freezer bags. The regular bags don’t work in the freezer. The Foodsave is great because food will last in the freezer for much longer than other containers.

~Leave at least an inch or an inch and a half in the top of the bag of container to allow for expansion when freezing.

~Make sure you cool the food at room temperature for an hour (no longer!) before loading into containers for freezing. You should never add hot ingredients to freezer bags or containers.

~I prefer to cool at room temperature for an hour, then cool in the fridge overnight before freezing the next day.

~Label and date your food. Spaghetti sauce and chili, for instance, look exactly the same when frozen.

~Frozen soups, sauces, and casseroles generally keep for 2-3 months; 6 months or longer if you use a Foodsaver.

~A lot of people like to freeze items they can use different ways, such as cooked ground beef, or cooked shredded pork. They cook the meats, freeze the items, thaw them out, add various spices and sauces, and then serve them different ways.

~Don’t re-freeze any food that has been frozen and thawed. It’s only safe to freeze and thaw it once.

~Thaw foods in the fridge, or in a container with warm water if it’s a sealed bag. You can also use your microwave. Then add to a pot for stovetop, or bake in the oven.

~Start small, and use recipes that you know your family already loves. Double or triple the ingredients, and let your corckpots do the cooking for you!

~Some people find it helpful to have a master list with all of the frozen items so they know what they have, and what they need.

~When in doubt, throw it out! If something looks bad or smells bad, toss it!

Foods that Don’t Freeze Well

~Dairy products—cheese, sour cream, milk

~Mayonnaise

~Jell-o

~Fried Foods

~Cabbage, celery, cucumbers

Favorite Books for Big Batch Cooking

Once a Month Cooking

Frozen Assets

The Best Freezer Cookbook

Best Websites for Crockpot Recipes

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

http://crockingirls.com/

http://slowandsimple.com/

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/main-dish/slow-cooker/

http://www.momswhothink.com/crock-pot-recipes/crock-pot-recipes-for-the-crockpot-and-slow-cooker.html

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cooking-Style/Slow-Cooker-Recipes

http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/slow-cooker-classics-00400000001101/

http://www.myrecipes.com/slow-cooker-recipes/

http://southernfood.about.com/library/crock/blcpidx.htm

http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=slow+cooker

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/preparation/slow-cooker-recipes

http://family.go.com/food/pkg-dinner-recipes/pkg-crock-pot-recipes/

http://www.bhg.com/recipes/slow-cooker/

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/slow-cooker-favorites-00400000038588/

http://www.familycircle.com/recipes/slow-cooker/

Best Books for Crockpot Cooking

Fix It and Forget It Series

Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Series

The Gourmet Slow Cooker

My Most Requested Crockpot Recipes

Nanny's White Chicken Chili
3 cans of white northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
3+ cloves garlic
2 4oz cans green chilies, diced
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 t cayenne pepper--omit if you don't like the heat
1 t oregano
1/2 t salt
One whole cooked chicken, shredded
1 large (49 oz can or box) chicken broth
1 cup water

Put all ingredients in the crockpot, and cook on High 3-4 hours. Serve with grated white cheese (Jack, Muenster, Mozzarella) and corn chips.

Crockpot Kalua Pork
5-7 lbs boneless pork shoulder ribs
1 Tbsp mesquite liquid smoke
1.5 Tbsp Hawaiian sea salt--available at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's

Place ribs, liquid smoke, salt, and 1 cup of water in crockpot. Turn on low and cook for 12-16 hours. If your package of ribs is closer to 5 lbs, cook it closer to 12-14 hours. If it's closer to 6-7 pounds cook it 14-16 hours. Shred with forks, and enjoy! Gluten-Free.

Hayley's Crockpot Veggie Soup

1 onion, diced
1-3 cloves of garlic
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 cups of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of water
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 12 oz. can of tomato paste
2 tsp of Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
(2) 10 oz bags of mixed veggies--I use the one with corn, peas, green beans, lima beans, and carrots
16 oz of Knudsen's 'Very Veggies' juice--can use V-8 instead. I bought the VV @ Whole Foods

Mix together and heat on low for 6-8 hours. Freezes well. Can stir in cooked pasta or meat when serving for a heartier meal.

Brooke's Crockpot Creamed Corn

2 lbs frozen whole kernel corn
12 oz cream cheese cut into cubes (can use low fat)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Spread corn over bottom of crock pot. Top with cream cheese cubes. Stir together remaining ingredients in small bowl; pour over corn and creamed cheese.
Cover and cook on high heat setting 2-3 hours.
Stir well before serving. Corn will hold on low heat setting up to 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Kaari's Spicy Homemade Crockpot Chili

2 lbs lean ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 TBSP bottled minced garlic, or 1-3 cloves of fresh garlic
2 1/2 cups water
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes, drained
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 10 oz can Rotel--diced tomatoes and green chile peppers, undrained
1 TBSP yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper--omit if you don't like spicy

Brown beef, onions, green pepper, and garlic until meat is brown and onions tender. Drain fat.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large crockpot (4, 5 or 6 quart) and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours. Freezes well!

Kaari's Split Pea Soup in the Crockpot
1 lb package of dried green split peas
2 cups diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 onion, diced

3 ribs of celery chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
5 1/2 cups hot water

1. Layer ingredients in the crock pot in the order that they’re listed and pour in water. Do not stir ingredients.

2. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours until peas are very soft. Remove bay leaf. Serve. DOES NOT work heating it on high, low only.

BBQ Baked Beans

1/2 pound sliced bacon, diced

1/2 pound ground beef

1 c. chopped onion

1 (28 ounce) can pork and beans—remove fatty pork

1 (17 ounce) can lima beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 Tbsp prepared mustard

2 Tbsp molasses

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. chili powder

In a large skillet, cook bacon, beef and onion until meat is browned and onion is tender; drain. Transfer to crockpot; add all of the beans and mix well. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir into beef and bean mixture. Cook on low 2-3 hours.

Lazy BBQ Pork

1 container of Costco’s pre-cooked and shredded pork

1 onion

1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce (don’t sub in another brand!)

Heat pork in microwave for about half the time. Sautee the onion, and add to crockpot. Add the bbq sauce and pork. Heat on low 2-3 hours, can keep on warm until you serve it to prevent overcooking.

Lazy Spaghetti Sauce—Triple Batch

6 lbs of ground beef

6 jars of spaghetti sauce—I prefer the taste of organic sauce

6 lb can of drained diced tomatoes, undrained

3 large cans of drained mushrooms—the size from Safeway

1 large can of tomato paste—the size from Safeway

6 onions, chopped

3 green peppers, chopped

8 TBS jarred garlic

1/2 bottle of red wine—omit if you don’t care for the taste. The alcohol burns out during the cooking process.

Brown beef, onions, garlic, and peppers. Drain. Add the rest of the ingredients. Split the mixture between 3 or 4 large (5-6 quart) crockpots and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Freezes well!

Here is the recipe for Janelle’s coconut curry chicken: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/slow-cooker-coconut-chicken-curry/

7th Annual Cookie Swap--AKA Hayley's Redemption

Cookie Time is always big around these parts. This year was my 7th annual cookie swap. It may or may not have been two weeks ago now. I have no idea what day or month it is, or what I've been doing until 2 AM for the last weeks, but it sure wasn't blogging. It's a blur of parties, trees, lights, and candy.

Partying is hard biz with a baby whose "job" consists of following you around making messes where once things were clean and orderly. But I prevailed like the party girl that I am, and threw this party like a seasoned pro. Probably not, but nobody likes a Negative Nelly, right?

Let's start with the judges. It's the same crew as always. They're seasoned professionals, though I'm contemplating flying Greg out next year since he takes his role as a judge very seriously. Seriously, Greg. It's always the first Sunday in December. Pencil me in now!

The judges consist of a professional chef, 2 amazing cooks, one amazing baker, and 2 everyday gents who decide what the masses would like. I won't tell you who's who...expect that Lancer is one of the everyday gents. His proximity to me automatically makes him a judge. Lucky him! And, hey, maybe the other dude is a great baker or cook. Invite me over for a gourmet meal, and I may upgrade you to "great cook" next year.

It's a tough job. It really is. I would puke about 12 cookies in, and they had to eat 34 of them. Oh my Pepto.

The ladies stepped up the competition, and baked up some tasty offerings. Here they are on display in their sugary glory.



As the judges ate, deliberated, and tallied up the votes, we got to sit around and enjoy a tasty dinner. This year, I made white chicken chili. Everyone asked for the recipe, so here it is:

Nanny's White Chicken Chili

3 cans of white northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
3+ cloves garlic
2 4oz cans green chilies, diced
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 t cayenne pepper--omit if you don't like the heat
1 t oregano
1/2 t salt
One whole cooked chicken, shredded
1 large (49 oz can or box) chicken broth
1 cup water

Put all ingredients in the crockpot, and cook on High 3-4 hours. Serve with grated white cheese (Jack, Muenster, Mozzarella) and corn chips.


The lovely bakers

Somebody even burnt their hand on a hot pan. Settle down, girl! It's not like you're vying for an Ultimate Grand Supreme title--though I think you would rule mini-guns.

The judges came out and delivered the anxiously awaited results.

The lovely and talented baker Natalia placed third. She has placed every single year for the last 5 years. Her tree now has 5 gingerbread ornaments to serve as reminders of her greatness.

Candace won second place this year. Last year, she placed first, and three years ago she placed second. She is clearly a talented baker as well.

And the first place prize goes to....the long-suffering, always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride, multiple loser......HAYLEY ATWOOD!!! PS...your hair looked fab!

She was so excited to win that she hugged my family out of sheer joy. Beezie found this suspect....because she clearly remembered last year, when Hayley was ALL KINDS of crazy about losing for the 4th year in a row.

In case you needed a visual reminder about her breakdown. See below.

The winners showing off their prizes. I loved each and every piece I gave away this year, and thought twice about squirreling them away in the Party Shed, and giving them crap prizes instead. This is always my litmus test to see if the prizes are good. They were.

The swap begins while the boys eat some dinner, and dodge the angry ladies who felt cheated. This scene is always awkward.



Thanks to all who made the 7th Annual Cookie Swap a sweet and tasty success. But mostly I would like to thank the judges who made Crazycakes Hayley the first place winner. I feel like January through November of 2012 will be much more enjoyable without her constant bellyaching and ballyhooing. That makes me the real winner. Now give me back that gorgeous red pedestal bowl!

Lollipop, Lollipop

I was minding my own business this evening, sucking on a a delicious lollipop. All of the sudden, a little hand reached out and filched my sucker! Smart cookie.


This should have come as no surprise to me. After all, I tried to hide her puffs the other day. I left the room to throw in a load of laundry, and came back to an awfully silent room. What could Beezie be up to?




Speaking of delicious food, I had been craving the sweet pork barbacoa salad I had at Costa Vida a few weeks ago. It was so tasty. So I whipped up a CV inspired dinner party.

The result was pure perfection! I made the pork, loosely following this blog. She posts her recipe for the pork here, and the creamy tomatilla dressing here. We did a potluck, which is a great idea for this dinner.

The designated food thief of the evening also thought it looked delicious.

We made B and B race to their pacifiers. The other B won.

I finally got my booty in gear, and will be sending B's photos to the modeling agencies in SF tomorrow. This was spurned on by an ad with a questionable baby model. If that creepy kid keeps getting work, and Beezie doesn't get representation, I will be totally annoyed. Kind of like the time I wasn't chosen to be a flight attendant by Delta. But worse. Way worse.

Our little Giselle Bundchen needs all of the beauty rest she can get. However, I'm not sure how she gets any sleep like this.

A sleeping gals gotta have options...or 3 options.

Wish B luck! We will keep you posted about any upcoming modeling appointments, or rejection letters. Hopefully the former. As Lancer said--"I like that another member of the family is a potential revenue stream for me." Get to work, Beezie!

Holiday Breakfast

My MIL, Bon-Bon, shared her recipe for "Holiday Breakfast" the first Christmas I spent with Husbie's family. It's a tasty and hearty dish, perfect for brunch and showers. I served this at my friend Alie's baby shower, and my friend Vickie is going to serve it at her bridal shower in UT. It's my most-requested recipe, so I figured I would post it for you. Bonus--it's naturally gluten-free, and is a tasty alternative to a traditional quiche:

Holiday Breakfast--serves 10-12

3 TBS Vegetable Oil

2 LBS Frozen Hash Browns, thawed

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 cup cubed, cooked ham

1 dozen eggs, well beaten

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil; add onions and green peppers and brown. Add hashbrowns and cook until they start to brown. Pour into a greased 9 X 13 pan. Spread ham out on top. Pour eggs over ham. Top with cheese. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes @ 375 degrees. Make sure the top is browned, and that the eggs have set, especially in the middle. Tastes great with salsa or ketchup.

For Alie's shower, we served it with croissants, strawberries, veggies & dip, and spinach salad (w/raspberries, almonds, and a poppy-seed dressing). It was a very tasty spread.