I have been considering buying a crock pot for quite a while, well this last weekend my two sweeties surprised me and clubbed there allowance together and brought me one, now i have no clue what to cook in it , i do have a beef roast sitting in the fridge so girls help a first timer out and give me some wonderful ideas of what to cook lol
Invest in the book, "Fix-It and Forget-It: Feasting with your Slow Cooker" by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good. It's PRACTICAL, and has so much stuff in it that even the PICKIEST eater will find recipes they will eat! Well worth the cost (about $15). You can ask for it for Christmas!
I make Italian beef sandwiches: 3 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon onion salt 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 bay leaf 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix 1 (5 pound) rump roast DIRECTIONS Combine water with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix in a saucepan. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork.
Place a beef roast in the crock pot with about a cup of water (you may need more water depending on the size of your roast). Put a package of lipton onion soup mix on top the roast. Then potatoes, carrots, onions or whatever vegetables you want. Let it cook. Don't be turning it or the potatoes will get mushy. I cook this whenever we are going to be out for the day and it is so good and the house smells great.
Read the direction book that came with it. You do not need nearly as much water as other methods of cooking. We make French dip sandwiches 1 roast 2 cloves garlic 1 cheap beer ( or water etc) 5-6 pepperchini peppers 1 onion quartered Put the roast, into the crock pour the beer over it, then put the garlic in there on top of it along with the peppers, and onion quarters. When it is done, shred the meat and put on toasted hard rolls, or just plain toast. Serve with the juice to dip the sandwiches in. ***As a funny side note, my hubby drinks dark high quality beer. I used just part of one, to make this, and it was terrible. It was like you could get drunk off the roast, it was so strong. It was like eating a beer. hehe But if you use something cheap like PBR or coors then it doesn't do that.
I love my crockpot! I have made lasagna in it, as well as roasts, pulled pork or beef sandwiches, roasts, stews, well just about anything goes in a crockpot. Here's a basic formula that I use for lots of things maybe it will help. Choose a meat - either a whole cut or pieces (always use skinless chicken...the skins is icky in the crockpot) Choose a starch - rice, noodles (added 30 min before service), dumplings (again 30 min before service), potatoes Choose veggies - any combination you like Choose sauce or broth - some of my favorites include onion soup packets, beef broth, chicken broth, tomato sauce, water with spices and seasonings added, and the flavor packets from ramen noodles. Mix all that together in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours and voila instant dinner!
I went 3 weeks without a kitchen and did all of our cooking in a crockpot. You can bake taters in there just like in the oven. Great for when it is hot and you don't want to heat up the house. There are recipies for bread and cakes in the crock pot as well. One thing we did was make spag. in it. I browned the meat in the crock ( it took like 2-3 hours) Then added the sauce ( tomato sauce, seasonings). About an hour before it was time to eat I added dry noodles and let them cook in there. It was really easy considering I didn't have a kitchen to fix dinner for a crowd. Another favorite is a whole chicken. I just skin it, take out the insides and plop it into the crock. I add several garlic cloves, several quartered onions, several carrots and celery cut into 1 inch lengths, Salt and pepper. I pick it off the bones, that first night so I don't have to mess with it after that. We eat the chicken the first night with mashed taters and a salad. Then for left overs as chicken wraps, chicken soup, and many other chicken dishes.
this is from a lady on taste of home DIE FOR CROCK POT ROAST 1 beef roast, large enough to fit in your crockpot 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix 1 pkg. brown gravy mix 1 pkg. Italian dressing mix 1/2 C. warm water Place roast in crockpot. Mix all three envelopes and sprinkle on top of roast. Pour water in the bottom of the crockpot. Cover and cook on low 6 to 7 hours. Note: Can use half of seasoning packages without jeopardizing the taste. Also you can add more water at end for more gravy
Oh Crockpot is my favorite way of cooking. I think if you look back there is thread with recipe for the crockpot.
well, for a roast i just add a cup or two of water and 2 beef buillion cubes. Cook on high for about 3-4hrs, then i add quartered peeled potatoes and baby carrots and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another hour or hour and half and it is done. So yummy and tender and sometimes i take the broth and thicken it for gravy, very simple.
Second the suggestion on the "fit it and forget it" book. Favorites here are stews, pot roast and chili. I will hang my head in shame and admit that when we go camping I use the "crock pot meals".....open bag, dump in, turn on. There's a great one with meatballs and noodles and a spaghetti like sauce the kids love. HEY! Camping is my vacation too!!!
After growing up camping and doing it for YEARS, I just recently "discovered" that you can take it camping, lol!!! We will be going to Sandy Cove again next summer (which is a GREAT vacation for homeschoolers, btw! They have a Homeschool Week!), and I've discovered that I simply don't have time to do any "real" camp cooking. Meals will have to be quick and easy. I've already told Carl that it will be pretty much the crock pot all week!
Jackie, I take the breadmaker along too. Nothing like coming back to the campsite and smelling dinner all ready! Only worry I ever have is if any stray critters will be attracted while we're gone. I use the screenhouse as a small deterant.
Oh, no breadmaker here! I have one, but don't like it at all! I can't get the bread to turn out well consistently, but I can sure make a mean loaf from hand! We've been trying to clean out the basement, and I was telling Carl two days ago that I wanted to take it to the thrift shop. (But bread baking at the camp site DOES sound awful GOOD....) I absolutely love my electric griddle. I got it for Carl for Christmas a few years back, and found it to be one of the best purchases I've ever made! That is a must when we go camping.
Not to hijack the thread but..... griddle is a must have for camping! Otherwise I'd be flipping pancakes in a small pan all morning for my crew!
I would highly recommed a crock pot! I use mine at least once a week, I kid you not! I throw a roast in there with onions, beef stew powder mix and beef gravy powder mix, dump water over it and let it simmer all day. When I get home I open 3 cans of whole potatoes, cut them up, drop them in with 3 cans of whole carrots and let simmer for 30 more minutes. VOILA :0). Chicken is awesome too--just throw it in, add some lemon seasoning or whatever seasoning you like with water and chopped onions. Serve over some noodles. Talk about falling off the bone! It is fabulous! You can make the best beef tips with some brown gravy mix. Serve over rice and it's heaven! I highly recommend razzledazzlerecipes.com under "crock pot". It is amazing!
Really enjoyed your Italian Roast tonight Aball. this Die For crock pot roast sounds really good too...NEXT!
Fix it and Forget It cookbook is really great. Also look under allrecipes dot com for some great crock pot recipes. Love this site as you can read the user ratings and suggestions. There is a chicken taco soup that is yummy. I even put my frozen chicken breast right in and cook them in the soup that way. Nothing easier. Also, if you're stumped for dinner and keep some BBQ sauce on hand, you can just throw in some chicken breast, pour the BBQ sauce on top and cook for a few hours. Shred the chicken and make sandwiches.
