Crock Pot Chicken Broth

As a working mom I rely on easy to prepare meals to get nutritious food into my kids without having to hit the drive-thru every night. One of my favorite things to do is cook well seasoned boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crock pot. I buy a large pack at Walmart (usually 8-10 breast), place them all into the crock with plenty of seasoning, and fill it to the top with water. The chicken is cooked and incredibly moist which is important when you're going to be further cooking it in other recipes. I'm also left with this wonderful broth to use as a soup base or in recipes later. Doing my chicken this way allows me to make 4-5 different meals from that one pack of chicken.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

The temperature here in North Carolina has been over 100* for the last weeks which makes standing in front of a hot stove or baking something almost unbearable. That's why I haven't posted much because we've been having leftovers and simple foods. I decided though to try a new recipe I've made from a few different beef stroganoff recipes floating around the internet. This is usually served over egg noodles, but would be just as good over mashed potatoes.

2-3lbs beef stew meat
1-2 cans golden mushroom soup
1 envelope onion soup/dip mix
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels
8oz sliced mushrooms
2tbsp worchestershire sauce
4oz cream cheese
1/2cu sour cream

1. Place all ingredients except cream cheese in slow cooker and cook on low for 8hrs. If you like a thicker sauce only add one can of soup. I used 2.

2. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream just before serving.

Crock Pot Curry

Today I decided to take a flavor trip to Asia with a crock pot curry. I used chicken thighs because they were the cheapest meat and the deep flavor of dark meat is great in a curry. This will be served over brown and jasmine rice cooking in my small crock pot. I also got some naan bread which is kind of like a pita without the pocket.

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
6 small red potatoes, cut into eigths
1/2 bag frozen California blend veggies
6oz sliced okra
1 jar curry sauce

1. Layer potatoes, okra, and frozen veggies in crock pot. Add half the jar of sauce.

2. Place chicken on top, pour over rest of sauce, and allow to cook for 6-8hrs.

Crock Pot Chili

One of the best parts about cooking chili in the slow cooker is you can start with dry beans and frozen meat, but a delicious meal is ready come dinner time. It's much more affordable than cracking open cans and you control the seasonings used. I like to use a bagged 15 bean mix so I get variety of beans, peas, and lentils without buying a bunch of different kinds. This recipe can be used for any combination of meats and beans. Today I used some cubed beef chunks that I bought on sale. If you want to use ground meat I would suggest you brown it off before adding to the crockpot. You don't have to cook it through all the way. Just enough so it starts to crumble or you will end up with one big chunk in the pot come dinner time. I always season my meat and allow it to marinade then add additional seasoning once the food hits the crockpot. I don't have much room in my kitchen for a full array of cooking supplies, so the convenient seasoning packets you find in most stores are my favorite.

1lb of meat
1 1/2cu frozen corn kernels
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/2 red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 20oz bag of 15 bean soup
2 10oz cans of tomatoes and chile, undrained
seasoning

Add all of the ingredients to the crock pot and turn on to your desired time. I suggest using a slow cooker liner for easy cleanup. The beans DO NOT have to be soaked overnight and the meat doesn't have to be unfrozen. If you prefer your chili to be thick no additional liquid is needed. Add up to 1cu of liquid to the chili if you like it to be a bit thinner. You can always thicken it up by boiling off some of the liquid later.

Before cooking

After cooking

Drunk Pulled Pork

Meat taste better when its drunk. I mean cooked in alcohol. It imparts a depth of flavor that's hard to get with a standard marinade. Tonight for dinner I cooked a pork roast in the slow cooker with a can of Jeremiah Weed Spiked Cola. It's flavors are reminiscent of Jack and Coke with a much lower price tag. I seasoned my roast with brown sugar and a Jim Beam barbeque rub I found at Walmart. In the crock pot while I enjoyed Mother's Day! There's no real recipe here. Just put enough meat in the pot to feed your family, add a cup or two of your favorite beverage combo, and let the slow cooker do all the work...