I LOVE MY CROCKPOT

I love my crock-pot. I used it frequently when I was still working and living in a house, and I still use it now that I live on a sailboat. Regardless of the size of your boat, galley storage space is always in short supply. One item that has earned a permanent spot in Solitaire’s galley is my West Bend 4 Quart Oblong Slow Cooker (item number 84624). It can function as an oven, an extra burner, or even a griddle – and it lets me bake while keeping the galley cool in the summer months. When I’m living on land, I use a much larger Hamilton Beach Crockpot with a removable pot and a lid that locks in place for transporting your meal.

Just about any recipe can be adapted for slow cooking. You can bake potatoes or even a roast by wrapping them in foil and just placing in the slow cooker. Since liquids don’t boil away as in conventional cooking, you may need to reduce the amount of liquid by about one-half. Most ingredients do not need advance preparation – you can simply put the meat, vegetables and liquids in all at once and just let in cook all day on low. One exception is milk or cream – always add that during the last hour. For most recipes, I would plan to cook ingredients for 8-10 hours on low.

One of the easiest crock-pot dinners for a busy working person is Roast Chicken. Rinse and pat dry one whole chicken. Rub with butter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and whatever other seasonings you like. Place in crock-pot and cook on low until you get home from work. You don’t need to add any liquid; the chicken will create its own stock as it cooks. Whip up some instant mashed potatoes. Put the chicken on a serving platter. Turn the crock-pot up to high, add a couple tablespoons of cornstarch to the stock and about a cup of milk or water. Stir until thickened. Viola – an old fashioned Chicken dinner will be on the table within just a few minutes.

Here are just a few of my other favorite crock-pot recipes:

SMOKED BEEF BRISKET

Season a beef brisket with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Sprinkle with “Liquid Smoke” and a little soy sauce. Wrap tightly in foil and place in crock-pot on low heat. Ignore for 8-10 hours until your house smells so good that you can’t stand it. Your family will think you’ve gotten an old-fashioned smoke house hidden somewhere on the property.

CRAZY STANDING-UP PORK CHOPS

Stand up 4-6 Pork Chops in your slow cooker on their edges. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and other spices of your choice. Slice two medium onions, separate into rings and lay on top of chops. Add about one tablespoon butter. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Chops will be moist, tender and brown.

FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES

This is much better tasting than you’d ever imagine from just reading the ingredients.

Place a 3 pound beef chuck roast (trim fat off), 2 cups of water, ½ cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, thyme and garlic powder, 1 bay leaf and half a dozen pepper corns. Cook on low for about 9 hours. Remove beef from broth, shred with forks and keep warm. Strain broth, skim off fat and pour into small cups for dipping. Serve on buttered French rolls.

SHRIMP AND CHICKEN CROCKPOT CASSEROLE

This is so easy to prepare and so good to have waiting for you when you get home from work. You can throw this together using canned ingredients from your pantry.

1 cup rice

½ cup melted butter

2 cups chicken broth

4 cups cut-up cooked chicken

12 oz. frozen shelled shrimp

2 cans sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup soy sauce

 

Mix rice with melted butter in slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours. Garnish with green onions and slivered almonds.

CROCKPOT MAC N’ CHEESE

Here’s a great tasting way to take an old, boring favorite up to a whole new level.

2 cups dried macaroni 2 cups (16 oz.) shredded cheese (sharp cheddar or a mixture of your favorites) 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 4 tablespoons butter 3 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup sour cream 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon mustard 1/2 cup mayonnaise Cook macaroni according to package, drain, set aside. Melt butter in saucepan and stir in cheeses until melted. Combine the remaining ingredients in the crock-pot; add the cheese mixture and the macaroni. Mix well and cook on low for 3 hours.

CAROLINA PULLED PORK

Brown a 3 lb. pork loin roast in 1 T. Oil. Mix the following ingredients together in a crock-pot: 1 can French onion soup (undiluted), 3/4 cup catsup, 1/4 cup mustard, 1/4 cup bottled barbecue sauce, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, and 4 T. brown sugar. Add pork loin to crock-pot and turn to coat with sauce. Cook 8-9 hours on low. Remove pork from crock-pot and pull pork apart with forks. Turn crock-pot on high for about 15 minutes to thicken sauce. Serve sauce with pork.

CREAM CHEESE POTATOES

I made these last year for a Thanksgiving potluck. They disappeared before my husband and I even made it through the buffet line.

Grease your crock-pot with butter or margarine. Combine 2 T. dried onions, 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 Teaspoon Salt and 1 Teaspoon Pepper. Cut up one 8-ounce package of cream cheese into cubes. Slice 6 potatoes. Layer the potatoes, cream cheese and spices in crock-pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. During the last hour of cooking, stir the potatoes to distribute the cream cheese. An alternative recipe is to make a big batch of mashed potatoes. Layer mashed potatoes with cream cheese, butter and spices. Use crock-pot to keep warm until dinner time.

PARTY MIX IN A CROCKPOT

Here is an easy way to make the classic Chex™ Party Mix in a crock-pot and keep in warm and fresh all through your party:

Mix together in a crock-pot: 4 T. butter, 2 T. Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce to taste, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Stir in 2 cups each Corn, Rice and Wheat Chex™ cereals. Add 1 cup of peanuts and 1 cup of pretzels or whatever other snack strikes your fancy. Cook uncovered in your slow cooker on low heat for 3 to 4 hours – stirring every 30 minutes.