March 25, 2010

Curious George Uses a Slow Cooker. Also known as a crockpot. Winter is almost upon us down under and it will soon be time to haul out the slow cooker. I had a recipe book but had to give it back to my sister before she got mad at me, and I'm too stingy to buy another. Share your tips, recipes or links to recipes for everyone here!
posted by tracicle 14 years ago
  • Wow...after about five years of MonkeyTime (I'm including the lurking years, before I registered), I never realized you were down under. And btw, one of the things I love best about MoFi is that I can say things like that without someone hollering "Off topic! DELETED!" Anyway...I don't really use recipes (I just have lists of ingredients), but I throw together something like turkey chili and leave it in the crockpot all day. Also I'll leave spaghetti sauce all day, and it comes out much better than leaving it on the stove all day, for some reason. Chicken soup from scratch, too. Recipe Source has 132 crock pot recipes listed. That might get you through the winter!
  • One of the sites I follow for the dinner blog is http://www.thecrockpotblog.com/ ... I think they might have a few items of interest :)
  • Ooh, a post right up my alley! Split Pea Soup--simple, delicious, and filling. This recipe is vegan, but I always substitute the potatoes & liquid smoke for a smoked ham hock, shredding the meat off of the bone after a few hours. And I add waaaaay more thyme. Use 8 cups of water to start and add more water later to your desired thickness: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/12/thick-and-hearty-split-pea-soup.html Pork Roast with Apples & Sauerkraut--so freakin' easy: http://www.recipezaar.com/Crock-Pot-Pork-Roast-with-Apples-and-Sauerkraut-81930 Jambalaya! I make this one a lot during the winter: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/slow-cooker-jambalaya-recipe/index.html
  • Ooh kittenhead, I've always wanted to make jambalaya! I also want to try some odd meats like goat, which are apparently quite tough normally but soften up beautifully in a crockpot. Queso, that link is right up my alley too, cheers! Any more personal faves? I can make a mean shin beef stew.
  • *favorites thread* Ooh the split pea zoop looks good! And nice site, queso, thanks! Here's another: A Year of Slow Cooking. Also, scalloped potatoes work well.
  • Yum, I love scalloped potatoes. Carbolicious!
  • 2 cups uncooked regular grits, 2 14oz cans chicken broth, 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 10-3/4 oz can cheddar cheese soup, 1 jalapeño pepper, 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn thawed, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 1-1/2 teaspoons hot sauce, 1/2 pound sausage, 3 tablespoons butter. combine first 8 ingredients in 4quart slow cooker , stir in sausage,cover and cook on low for 4.5 hours or until thickended
  • I keep meaning to use my slow-cooker, but then I realize it's just another way to braise, which is so easy and so good, plus makes the house smell wonderful. Basic braise: Get your short ribs/ chuck cut into 2" chunks/ pork butt cut into 2" chunks/ lamb cut into two inch chunks / quartered chicken or two. Salt and pepper the meat. Douse the meat in flour, shake off excess flour. Brown the meat in hot fat of your choice in a big pan for which you have a lid. Remove the meat, wipe the pan of excess fat. Put in some fresh fat (I use grapeseed oil, or olive oil - not extra-virgin - and maybe some butter). Throw in some chopped onions, let them cook a bit, then add some diced carrots and garlic and maybe some diced celery. Let that brown a bit, then put the meat back in. Add some wine and broth. Cover and put in a 350 oven (180 C?) for a couple or three hours. Smell how good it is. Then take it all off heat. Serve as is. OR, let it sit for a while, skim off the fat, and serve. OR remove the meat, put the liquid through a sieve, put the liquid back into a pan, and reduce it to a nice sauce, and serve sauce over the meat.
  • tracicle: for your scalloped potato jones: we do this weekly: Slice a few spuds thin. Put them in a big pot with half & half (here in the US, that's half milk and half cream), some sliced garlic, a little salt and a little pepper. You should think you have a little too much liquid in the pot. Butter a dish you can put in the oven, and sling the contents of the pot into it. Grate some nutmeg over, if you have it. Top it with Gruyere or some such cheese. Bake in a 200 C oven for a little over a half hour, or until you see the cheese brown and bubble on top. I sometimes add sauteéd leeks. Easy-peasy.
  • MonkeyFilter: Smell how good it is!
  • Oh, dear. There are so many possibilities here: Monkeyfilter: I sometimes add sauteéd leeks. Monkeyfilter: Put in some fresh fat Monkeyfilter: simple, delicious, and filling I could go on, but I don't want to hog all the fun.