Monday, November 8, 2010

Fast Crock Pot Recipes! Easy to Make and Never Boring Crock Pot Chicken Recipes!

Tired of the same old crockpot recipes? I'm going to give you 2 that are different, so easy and delicious! What's worse than the same old chicken, carrots and potatoes? That's a good meal, but you get tired of it quickly. So here are a couple that are a little bit different. There are 2 things you need to remember when it comes to crock pot cooking.

1. Don't put frozen meat in the crock pot. Slow cookers bring up the temperature of meat slowly. That's the point isn't it? But if meat doesn't reach 140 degrees within 4 hours, you run the risk of developing bacteria in your food. We don't want this, so no frozen meat. No matter what other recipes say.

2. All crock pots cook differently. Timing will vary for each one. However, you must be absolutely sure that your crock pot brings food up to 140 degrees when on LOW. If it doesn't, you need a new one. So, get a meat thermometer and test it.

Now here are those recipes - 2 of my family's favorites.

Crock Pot Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo

1 1⁄2 pounds chicken breast or tenders
2 packages (8 ounces each) white mushrooms, cut into thirds
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, cut into chunks
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces
1 1⁄2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
1 1⁄2 cups whole milk 1 package (1 pound) fettuccine Spray bottom of slow cooker with cooking spray and arrange chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Top with mushrooms. In medium sauce pan over medium heat, stir together remaining ingredients, except for the pasta. Stir constantly. Heat through and pour over chicken. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours or HIGH 4-5 hours. You can add broccoli to crock pot about 2 hours before serving. Serve over hot fettuccini.

Crock Pot Merlot Chicken

2 1/2 to 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken pieces 12 oz sliced fresh mushroom, your choice 1 large onion, chopped 2 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves minced 3/4 cup chicken broth, low sodium 1 6oz tomato paste 1/4 cup Merlot or any dry red wine ( if you absolutely won't use red wine substitute chicken broth) 2 Tbsp quick cooking tapioca 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 t. dried basil 2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 t. black pepper 2 cups cooked noodles 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano

Place the mushrooms, onion and garlic in slow cooker. Place washed chicken pieces on top. Combine broth, tomato paste, wine, tapioca, dried basil (if using), sugar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour mixture over the chicken and cook on Low for 7 to 8 hours or on High for 4-5 hours. If you are using fresh basil, stir it in after the chicken is cooked, shortly before serving. To serve, spoon chicken mixture over cooked noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve with a salad and you're done.




If you like these, you'll love what you find on my blog at Terrific Crock Pot Chicken! You'll find tons of recipes including the always popular, even with kids, Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki! Plus I'll recommend cookbooks, special recipe books and crock pots.

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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Crock Pot Chili - Easy Recipes For The Best Chili

If you haven't used your crock pot recently, its time to pull it out of the cupboard. Crock pots are perfect for those busy weeknights. Here are 3 different chili recipes for a chilly evening.

Mom's Favorite Chili

1 pound ground beef ; browned, drained

1 can pork and beans

1 can chili beans

1 regular can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

Red pepper ; to taste

Salt ; to taste

Mix all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.

Navajo Beef And Chile Stew

3 pound lean beef stew meat ; cut 3/4 " cubes

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can ready-cut tomatoes with juice - (14 1/2 oz)

1 can diced green chiles - (7 oz) drained

1 can whole-kernel corn - (8 1/2 oz) undrained

1 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

Combine all ingredients, except cornmeal, in a slow cooker, mixing well. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until meat is tender.

20 Minutes before serving:

Turn control to HIGH. Stir in cornmeal. Cover and cook on HIGH 20 to 25 minutes.

No-Bean Chili

2 pounds ground beef

(or cubed lean stew beef)

1 can tomato sauce - (8 oz)

1 can tomato paste - (6 oz)

1 can stewed tomatoes - (16 oz) ; (optional)

2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce ; or more

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. (Add a can of your favorite beans if you wish, but then it wouldn't be No-Bean Chilli.)

This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.




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Diane Watkins is a traditional southern style cook. She enjoys cooking, teaching, and writing about good food and family. For more information on southern cooking and recipes visit her website at Easy Southern Cooking

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Saturday, November 6, 2010

Crockpot Recipes For Your Fire Pit

It's late fall and the crisp air fills your mind with thoughts of vibrant colored leaves gently floating to the ground and the faint smell of wood smoke floating through the air. You start craving comforting foods, hearty soups and wrapping up in your favorite sweater. There is no better time to take a break and enjoy gathering around the fire pit in the back yard, sitting with your family and friends, and enjoying the clean, fresh air, a satisfying dinner, and a welcoming fire.

With everyone's busy lifestyle lately, it seems hard to fit in such a comforting, relaxing moment into your schedule; but really it's not. For any cook of any ability or style, the crock pot can be a great way to cut your time in the kitchen and extend your time with family and friends; put something in the crock pot before you leave for work in the morning and by that evening when you get home, dinner is waiting for you.

It doesn't take much time at all to make a great meal in a one of these little miracles of the kitchen. Most recipes are so simple they require very few ingredients and no time at all to start enjoying. For instance, before leaving the house for the day, try placing a three to four pound beef roast in the crock pot with a 12 ounce can of your favorite dark soda and an envelope of dry onion soup mix. Add a couple of your favorite spices like pepper or garlic, turn the crock pot on low, and by the time your gathering starts around the fire pit in the back yard, you have dinner ready to go for pulled meat sandwiches. Add some chips and pick up some deli-style potato salad for sides and no fuss, no muss, all enjoyment. Don't forget to top off the evening with a round of S'mores!

Not only are crock pots a great way to make dinners, but desserts are also a wonderful way to utilize them. Everything from cobblers to bread puddings and cakes; yes, even a cake! And it doesn't stop there, either. Once you get the basics of crock pot cooking down, anything is possible; appetizers, dips, stews, roast chicken, desserts, it's all possible with just a little preparation and planning, leaving you more worry free time to spend with the ones you love.




Geoffrey F. Moore
Firepits

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Friday, November 5, 2010

How to Make Desserts in a Crockpot

Perhaps you associate crockpot cooking with stews, casseroles and soups but these handy kitchen appliances are way more versatile than that. Did you know that a slow cooker is a big help if you are making appetizers or great for making delicious desserts?

You can make all kinds of desserts in a crockpot actually. If you have a slow cooker which you do not use much, why not try making some sweet treats in it. Maybe you never thought about making dessert recipes in your crock pot but they come out so nicely.

Some of the Best Slow Cooker Desserts

Puddings, fruit recipes and even cheesecake recipes are a breeze if you have a slow cooker and easy crockpot recipes for desserts are not difficult to find either.

If you are a fan of baked apples you can make this delicious dish in your slow cooker. Add raisins, cinnamon and butter to some apples and arrange them in the crockpot in warm water. The apples slowly poach and the result is incredibly soft and tender apples with a richly flavored filling.

You can make cakes in there too, using brownie mix or cake mix. Spread the batter in the crockpot and cook it slowly for a couple of hours.

Recipes like these are great when you are busy making entrees with the stove or oven because once you have mixed the ingredients together and added them to the crock pot you can forget about dessert until it is done.

Making Cheesecake in a Slow Cooker

You can even make cheesecake recipes in a crockpot. Usually the recipe will tell you to use a rack or a ring of aluminum foil to keep the crust off the base of the slow cooker. Most crockpot cheesecake recipes only take a couple of hours to cook and you can switch the machine off and let the cheesecake slowly cool down, before garnishing it with chocolate, fruit, jello, nuts or whichever topping you like.

Sometimes when you bake a cheesecake in the oven the sudden switch from room temperature to heat and back to room temperature can cause the cheesecake filling to crack and split. This is avoided when using the gentle heat of a slow cooker and allowing the cheesecake to slowly cool down in there. Cooking cheesecake recipes this way is great.

More Crockpot Dessert Ideas

Another easy recipe is baked custard. Combine sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla and any flavorings you like and cook it slowly for two or three hours. Baked custard is really tasty and it comes out really nicely in a crock pot.

You can stew fruit in a slow cooker. Try prunes with sugar, water and citrus peel or a combination of apples and pears. Stewed fruit is healthy and you can enjoy it with yogurt or ice cream. Sprinkle some chopped nuts over the top and you will have a filling and very tasty dessert. There are bread pudding, rice pudding and cobbler recipes you can try and lots more besides. The crockpot is an ideal cooking method for more than just savory dishes and most of the recipes are really easy to follow.




A slow cooker is perfect for making dessert recipes as well as savory meals. There are lots of different crockpot recipes to choose from, whether you want to make appetizers, hearty traditional meals for your family or even some easy dessert recipes. Slow cooker recipes are both a time saver and easy to make, the perfect mix for busy cooks

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