Freezer to Crockpot meals May 28th, 2013

What's for dinner? yep I get that a lot too.  Mostly from myself.

Prepared ahead these freezer meals can be a life saver for those days you know are going to be crazy.
Here are the tips I gave at the Test Kitchen May 28th:

Preparation:

-Plan ahead, make sure you have all you need to finish

-Make only what you have room for or can eat in a timely manner

-Do multiple batches of the same thing, easier to streamline

-Do what is on sale or in season, to save money

-Pick what you like, it doesn't save you money if you don't eat it

-Assembly line: do all of one task at a time, washing veggies, chopping, opening cans, adding spices etc

-Use your food processor for chopping or slicing

-Cut zucchini and other quick cooking vegetables larger than carrots etc.

-Place your gallon sealing bag in a gallon pitcher to help stabilize it while you fill it

-Put the meat in last, so that it has more time in the refrigerator

-it's ok to add liquid when you cook, as there may not be enough room in your bag or freezer

-Do it with a friend, this is not a quick process.  This takes considerable time, just like preserving

Freezing:

-Remove as much air as possible to reduce freezer burn

-Aluminum foil helps to avoid freezer burn, more likely to happen in an auto defrost freezer

- Items in the shelves on the door get greater temperature fluctuations so are more susceptible to separation or freezer burn.

Cooking:

-You can thaw it overnight in the fridge if you want.  There is some worry about food born illness if trying to cook from frozen, so please use your best judgement.

-If you put it in frozen lean towards the higher recommended cooking time.

-Make sure your meats reach the recommended minimum temperature

-To help it release from the bag place the bag, still sealed in warm water for 30 seconds to 1 minute to soften the sides so it can slide out

-Every slow cooker cooks differently so experiment.  Newer crockpots usually cook at a higher temperature than older ones

-Or throw it in the pressure cooker, make sure you know how long to do that.

Here are the recipes we tried.

All are from http://www.lovingmynest.com/learning-activities/cooking/freezer-crock-pot-recipes/

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Freeze. Thaw and put into a slow cooker add 2 cups water and one 14 oz can of chicken broth. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot after cooking is done.

Serve with:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup. Serves approx. 5-6 people.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch slices
1 can (28 ounces) whole stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup nonfat, low-sodium chicken broth
1⁄4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Combine ingredients minus broth and add to gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze. Thaw add broth and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves 6-8 people.

Chicken Curry with Cabbage and Peppers

1 to 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken, cubed
2 cups of milk (use a dairy free option if needed)
2 tsp curry powder
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped

Add all ingredients except milk to a gallon zip lock bag. Freeze flat. On day of cooking add milk and cook on low for about 4 hours or until done.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

5 assorted bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
1 pound of ground Italian hot sausage.
1/2 head of cauliflower, grated or chopped into a rice consistency.
1 small (8 ounce) can of tomato paste.
1 small white onion, medium dice.
5 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano.
2 tsp dried thyme.

Mix all ingredients and stuff into seeded bell peppers. Place in gallon zip lock bag and freeze. On cooking day, place in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

4.5 Cups sweet potatoes (mashed if adding on cooking day, raw, grated if freezing)
1.5 lbs ground beef
3 cups frozen peas and carrots, or any frozen veggie mix
2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp herbs de provence
3/4 cup beef broth (or water)

Brown beef with onions and drain excess fat. For the best results add all ingredients to gallon zip lock bag, except the sweet potatoes. On cooking day, cook and mash sweet potatoes and add to the top of thawed veggie meat mixture. Alternatively, grate sweet potatoes in separate bag and freeze together. On cooking day add meat and veggie mixture to crock pot and top evenly with grated sweet potatoes. Cook on low 5-6 hours

More to try:

Mac n Cheese
http://www.thetipgarden.com/2011/09/one-pot-mac-and-cheese.html

Cookbook:

http://www.mamaandbabylove.com/2011/04/05/freezer-cooking-with-slow-cooker-recipes/

Beef and broccoli:
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/04/crock-pot-beef-and-broccoli/

Relief Society Retreat to Aptos

We had some scrumptious taco salads at the retreat down on the beach.  Sister King gave me the recipes and I thought I would share

Cafe Rio's Sweet Pork

Ingredients
-2 lb pork (I use boneless pork rib meat)
- 3 cans Coke (NOT Diet)
- 1/4 c brown sugar
- dash garlic salt
- 1/4 c water
- 1 can (4 oz.) dice green chilies
- 3/4 (10oz.) can red enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, medium, but any spiciness will work)
- 1 c. brown sugar

Instructions
- Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade.  Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar.  Marinade for a few hours or overnight.
- Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in a crockpot.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low 6-8 hours, until it shreds easily, but don't let it get too dry.  Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.
- In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can of Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce an remaining brown sugar (about a cup, adjust to taste).  If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.
- Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.  That's it!

Cafe Rio's Cilantro-Lime Rice

Ingredients
- 1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain white rice)
- 1 tsp. butter or margarine
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions
- In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic. 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender.
- Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl combine remaining lime juice, sugar and cilantro.  Pour over hot cooked rice and mix as you fluff the rice.

Cafe Rio's Black Beans

Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 c. tomato juice
- 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions
 - In a nonstick pan, cook garlic cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it.  Add beans, tomato juice, and salt (optional).
- Simmer until tomato juice is reduced, stirring every few minutes.
- Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Sweet Pork from Vickie Morris

Ingredients
- 1 (3-5 lb) boneless pork roast
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed

Instructions
- Place ingredients in a greased slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours
- Shred pork with a fork.  Keep lid off after shredding for about 15 minutes so juice will thicken.
- Use meat in burritos, tacos, or salads.  IF freezing, keep juice and freeze with meat.


Café Rio style salad dressings

Cafe Rio’s Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients
• 2 tomatillos
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp. diced jalapeno (canned) --you can use less if you don't like it spicy at all. I like a little kick.
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 c. balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (NOT balsamic VINEGAR... there is a difference. We used Kraft brand vinaigrette)
• In a food processor or blender, combine tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, and sugar. After it is all blended up well combine with balsamic vinaigrette in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).

Cafe Rio’s Cilantro Ranch Dressing

• 1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Instructions
• Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

October 23, 2012 part 2 Cooking Meat

Randy Steenblik made us some delicious Tri-tip here are some of my notes and the recipes he gave us.

The type of cow and the amount of marbling will determine the quality of meat

There are several grades of beef. Select is what you find in the grocery store.  Prime is the best, then choice and select, and then lower grades.

For best results use a Meat thermometer and pull the meat out 5 degrees lower than the optimum.  The residual heat will continue to rise 5-6 degrees. It also lets the juices settle in the meat, and keeps them from all running out too quickly.

Do not use a fork or pierce the meat when turning, as this releases the delicious juices.

Tenderloin is the most tender.

Marinade 24 hours for flavor penetration.
Discard any marinade that had been used with raw meat, do not save or make in sauce.  If you want to make a sauce put aside what you need before adding the meat.

Cut meat perpendicular to the grain, or on the bias (45 degree angle) for a fancier look.

RECIPES:



Turkey Brine
Ingredients
• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Directions
2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe  thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.





Pork Tenderloin
1 (l 1/2to 2-pound) pork tenderloin

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry red wine
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 green onions (green parts only), chopped

If you want a little spice add some Chinese hot chili sauce to marinade

Combine marinade ingredients in a measuring cup and whisk to combine. Pour over pork tenderloin in a plastic bag. Marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 45 minutes or until meat is 145 degrees F when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Allow meat to rest about 10 minutes before cutting into 2-inch serving pieces. Drizzle a small amount of the meat juices from cooking over each piece of meat.




Lime and Habanero Marinated Tri Tip
Ingredients
• 1 tri tip
• 6 limes
• 6 habanero peppers
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of sea salt (good quality sea salt makes a difference!)
• 2 tablespoons of freshly ground pepper
• 1 quart-size, sealable plastic bag

Preparing
If you have a hard time finding a tri-tip, use a couple of petite sirloins.
Squeeze the limes, and place the juice in a bowl. Slice the peel from 3 of the squeezed limes, and put them in with the juice. Peel and crush the garlic, and throw it with the juice. Chop the habanero peppers up, and throw them in also. Be careful not to touch the peppers (or if you, wash your hands thorough afterwards, as they are extremely hot (but don't worry - the meat will not be super hot, it will merely have that fantastic, piquant taste!)

If you want the flavor to REALL Y get into the meat, consider buttertlying it -- slice half inch deep cuts into the tri tip. This also makes it cook faster.

Then, grind the pepper, and salt (1 use freshly ground pepper and course sea salt, that also need grinding), and cover the tri tip with it. Place the tri tip into a sealable quart-sized bag, and pour the marinade in with it. Arrange the contents so that it covers the tri tip evenly, and squeeze out the air, and seal it.
Leave in fridge to marinade for at least 24 hours. (I have had reasonable results with 10 hours of marinating, and great results with 48 hours.)
Barbecue. And wait to be mobbed by people demanding the recipe!


Basic Rub
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• l/4 cup paprika
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients together and transfer to an air tight container. Maybe stored up to six months

October 23, 2012: Canning and Cooking Meats

We had some awesome demonstrations by Ann Harker (Canning) and Randy Steenblik (Cooking) meats and I'm finally getting them up.  I'll do them in 3 parts Canning, Cooking, and Halloween Treats.

Canning Meats - handout from Ann Harker-


MEAT ROTATION: If you are storing one pint (or quart) of meat per day, you will bottle 365 jars of meat. While this sounds like a lot, I once used 3 pressure canners to bottle 150 pints of meat in 12 hours. To rotate, place 50 jars of bottled meat in your kitchen pantry and place the rest in your food storage. If you use 3 jars per week, those 50 jars will be gone in about 4 months. You will then bottle 50 more jars, place them in your food storage and take out another 50 jars for your pantry. Your entire stock will be rotated in about 2 years. If you use 2 jars per week, it will take about 3 years to rotate your supply.

BOTTLING MEATS
(Caution: If you have a glass-top stove, you may want to use a propane camp stove outdoors to bottle meats. I have a glass top stove and have had no problems, but I still need to caution you.)
Bottling your own meats is extremely easy and it's what makes this food storage system so unique. It's real chicken in your sweet and sour and real beef stew. The meat is tender, juicy, ready to eat and needs no freezing or refrigeration ...just like your tuna fish from the store. The shelf life is at least 3 years, but the process is so easy, you may want to rotate your meats more often to be sure the nutritional quality is high. You can bottle any kind of meat; chicken, turkey, beef, hamburger, fish, ham. ..I've even had moose.

PRESSURE CANNERS: You must use a pressure canner to bottle meats. Pressure cookers will not safely can meats. Canners come in quart sizes, meaning they hold a certain amount of liquid quarts, but don't purchase anything smaller than a 15 quart canner, which will usually hold 7 quart jars.
for used canners, check the internet. If you buy a used canner, be sure to have the gauge tested at your County Extension Center or buy a new gauge. This will ensure that you are cooking at the right pressure and your food will be safe. Try to avoid canners with the rubber gasket in the lid because the gasket will eventually leak. A good canner will have a metal to metal lid, a pressure gauge, a pressure release valve, wing nuts to hold the lid down and an inside tray. A canner is a great investment even if you're not doing food storage because canning meat will save time (no more defrosting chickens) money (shopping the sales) and a good canner will last forever. I have one that is over 70 years old and it still works.

CANNING MEATS: A pint bottle will hold 1 pound of meat, a quart will hold 2 pounds. Jars from thrift stores or yard sales are fine for vacuum sealing dry foods, but not for bottling meats. Old jars might crack under the pressure. Invest in some new jars when you first start canning and reuse them over and over.

 Many books will tell you to cook the meat before you bottle it. With the exception of ground meats, I prefer the raw pack. Put your raw meat and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of salt into a clean jar. Jars do not need to be sterilized. Fill jars to 1/2" from the rim. No other spices should be added. With the exception of ground meats, no water is added to the meat. In a small pan, boil the lids for about 2 minutes to soften the rubber seal. Make sure the rim of the jar is completely clean before you put the heated lid and ring on. Tighten the ring down finger tight. Pour about three inches of water into your canner and place the tray inside. Place your jars in the canner on the tray, screw down the canner lid, making sure the top is even, and turn your stove on high. Don't put the weight on the pressure valve until steam has spouted out of the valve for about 10 minutes. This expresses the air out of the jars and the canner. After expressing the air, put the weight onto the pressure valve. In desert altitudes, can meats at the 10 pound mark. For other altitudes, check your manual. If you have an older canner, there may not be a weight but there will be some kind of pressure release mechanism. Keep this mechanism open to express the canner then, close it to begin your pressure. When the gauge gets to the correct pressure, (according to your altitude) begin timing ... 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts (Fish is 15 mln longer), This is the formula for all meats.  You will need to immediately start turning down the heat to keep the pressure stable and continue turning it down over the allotted time. Keep the gauge at the correct pressure. When the pressure drops or increases, a vacuum effect causes the juices in the jar to be pulled out. Do not leave your canner. At the end of the 75 or 90 minutes your heat should be at a very low level and you will then turn the heat completely off. Don't move the canner; just let the pressure go down on its own. When it's back to zero, release the pressure valve (or remove the weight) take off the lid, put the jars on the counter away from cool drafts and wait for them to seal. You'll hear a "plink" when the lids seal correctly. If a jar doesn't seal, you can either refrigerate it for later use or re-bottle it using a new lid. When they are cool, wipe the bottles clean, remove the ring and put them back in the box for storage.

Ground meats have a better texture if you brown them first, pack loosely in the jars, cover with water and process.  When canning cooked meats like leftover turkey, add a soup broth before canning. Ham makes very little juice, so don't worry if the juice doesn't cover all the meat. Don't bottle spiral cut hams, use a shank cut and don't add salt. Don't bottle turkey hams or other processed meats like bologna or hot dogs.



Info collected from other sources-

CANNED MEATS
Pressure canning is recommended by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture as the ONLY SAFE WAY to can meats. Even when canning any mixture of foods (stews, soups, etc.) that contains vegetables, make sure the time you use, which is recommended in your pressure canner instructions, is the longest processing time.

EQUIPMENT: Before starting to prepare your meats, it's important to have all of your equipment ready that will be used during the process. One of the biggest purchases of equipment for this is a pressure canner. A pressure canner is used for low-acid foods such as meats, fish, poultry, and vegetables. This tvpeof canner has a jar rack, a locking lid with a gasket, a pressure gauge or weight, a safety release, and a steam vent.

If you buy used replace the o-ring and pressure gauge, just to be safe.

JARS: Use only standard mason jars. These canning jars are tempered and designed just for canning, and have a specially threaded mouth for proper sealing. Jars from commercially prepared foods may not seal properly and may break during processing. Discard canning jars with chips or cracks. The edges of jar rims must be smooth to ensure a good seal.

LIDS: Two-piece closures, consisting of screw bands metal lids with sealing compound, are the most widely used for home canning. Follow the manufacturer's directions carefully when preparing them. to use flat metal lids, place the prepared lid on the jar rim with the sealing compound nest to the glass. Screw the band firmly by hand to hold the lid in place. The flat lids are designed for one-time use, but screw bands can be reused if they're not bent or rusty.

OTHER EQUIPMENT: Besides a canner, lids, and jars, other needed items are a wide-mouth funnel, a jar lifter, a table knife, liquid measuring cups, tongs, and a timer.

PREPARE MEATS: Choose a good quality cut of meat and trim excess fat. Cut into 1-11/2 inch cubes and cook until at least halfway done. When using hamburger, cook thoroughly, drain excess fat and place under very hot running water to remove any other fat.

CANNING PROCESS:
1. Wash jars and rings thoroughly in hot suds. Rinse. Or run the bottles through a dishwasher cycle and use the sterilized jars hot from the dishwasher.
2. Use a medium sized pan full of hot water with both the lids and rings.
3. Use a large pot full of boiling water to fill up the jars after meats have been added.
4. Fill jar with meat up to neck of bottle leaving a 1" headspace. DO NOT FILL PAST THIS POINT. IT IS THERE FOR EXPANSION AND CAN CAUSE EXPLODING.
5. Add 1 tsp and 1/2 tsp pepper on top of meats, if desired.
6. Pour hot water over meats to bottom of neck of bottle.
7. Use table knife to place down inside of the jar around the meat to release any air bubbles.
8. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth.'
9. Place a lid and ring onto the jar and twist firmly.
10. Follow directions in your pressure canner manual and it will specify how long and how many pounds are to be used.

WHEN PROCESSING IS FINISHED, NEVER TRY TO REMOVE THE LID FROM A PRESSURECANNER IMMEDIATELY AFTER PROCESSING- IT WILL EXPLODE AND BE DANGEROUS. Turn the heat off and allow it to coolon its own time. At least 30-45 min.
after processing has been finished, remove the lid carefully and remove the jars from the canner with your jar lifter. Let cool, check to see if lids sealed by pushing down on the lid and it not popping back. Write a date on the jar and store for future use.

SAFETY REMINDER: Always boil home canned vegetables (except tomatoes), meat, poultry, and fish for 10 to 20 minutes (20 minutes for corn or spinach) before tasting or using. Add water, if necessary, to avoid sticking. Do not taste these products cold from the jar.
---(This can be avoided through proper canning)

Crock Pot Cooking-

Thanks so muck to Kathy Perry for sharing your experience and wisdom in the ways of crock pot cooking.  I  for one am dying to try some of these tips and recipes out.  This is my first ever blog post so feedback would be very helpful.
Here is the hand out Kathy presented for us:



Guidelines for cooking with a crock pot:

• Vegetables take longer to cook that most meats. Slice or chop the vegetables and put them near the bottom and sides of the crock pot.
• Trim fats from meats.
• Liquids don't evaporate much, so you may want to use less liquid than in conventional cooking.
• Frozen foods such as vegetables and shrimp may be used. However, do not thaw or cook large frozen foods unless you first add at least 1 cup of warm liquid. Cook recipes containing frozen meats an additional 4 to 6 hours on Low or 2 hours on High.
• Use whole leaf herbs and spices for best flavor. If ground herbs and spices are used, stir in during the last hour.
• Fill crock pot at least half full to conform to recommend cooking times. Small quantities may be prepared, but cooking time will be affected.
• Cook dried beans before adding to recipe.
• Dairy products tend to break down during extended cooking. When possible, add during the last hour of cooking.
  Condensed soups may be substituted for milk, etc., and can cook for extended times.
• When making soup, add only enough water to cover the other ingredients. If thinner soup is desired, add more liquid at serving time.
• Combine equal parts of water and corn starch and add to liquids in the pot the last 15·30 minutes of cooking time to make gravy.
• Experiment and keep notes on what you did.

There are good discussions on cooking with crock pots at:

http://busycooks.about.com/od/slowcookerrecipes/a/crockpotlO1.htm

Converting recipes to the slow cooker- http://busycooks.about.com/od/slowcookerrecipes/a/crockpot102.htm

Crock pots have gotten hotter- http://busycooks.about.com/od/crockpots/a/adjustcrockpotcooking.htm

RECIPES:

Crockpot Morning Casserole 

Beth Thomas's recipe with Kathy's notes

1 lb. bacon diced, cooked and drained or l lb. cooked ham, cubed (I used a lot less.)

1 medium diced onion

1 green bell pepper diced

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 dozen eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

Layer first four ingredients in the cooker three to four times, ending with a layer of cheese. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Pour over the crockpot mixture and cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours. (1/2 recipe cooked in 5 hours.)

Spaghetti Sauce

1 6-oz can tomato paste

2 15-oz. cans tomato sauce

1 large carrot grated

1 onion chopped

l lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Combine ingredients in Crock Pot. Simmer on high for 2-3 hours.

This sauce can also be used for lasagna and pizza.

Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled. Cut them into 3/4 inch slices and cut the slices in half (half moon shaped).

Dip the slices in about 1 cup of orange juice so that they are completely coated and put in crock pot. Pour the rest of the juice over the potatoes. Cook on High for 3 1/2 hours. Mash the potatoes when they are very soft. Add salt and a pinch of cinnamon if desired.

Slow cooker Fajitashttp://livermoretestkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/03/slow-cooker-fajitas.html

Magic Meat Loaf

2 Ibs. ground beef

2 eggs

2/3 cup quick cooking oats

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1/2 cup ketchup-divided

Reserve 2 tablespoons ketchup. Combine ground beef, eggs, oats, soup mix and remaining ketchup. Shape into a loaf. Put in Crock Pot. Top with remaining ketchup. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours.

Painless Italian Chicken

Painless Italian Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 dry packet Italian Seasons Dressing

8-oz. cream cheese

1 can Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken soup

Combine in crock pot and cook on High 3-4 hours. Serve over rice or noodles

Texas Black Bean Soup

-Sandy Clark

20 oz. ground turkey

2 l5-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

1 11 oz. can Mexicorn or regular corn drained

2 oz. cans chopped green chilies

4 green onions thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. dried minced garlic.

Cook the ground turkey in a skillet breaking up lumps as it cooks. Drain. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for four hours until heated through.

Pot Roast

2-3 pound beef roast

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 can condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

Place roast in slow cooker. Sprinkle with dry soup mix. Top with mushroom soup.

Cover. Cook on High 3 hours or Low 6 hours.

Variations:

Add chopped onions instead of soup mix.

Add 1/4 c. chopped green pepper.

Place the roast on top of cubed potatoes and sliced carrots. Proceed with above directions.

Stir 1/2 cup sour cream into the gravy before serving.

Hot Fudge Cake

Hot Fudge Cake

1 cup packed brown sugar, divided

1 cup flour

3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups boiling water

Spray sides of crock pot with Pam.

Mix first 5 ingredients together. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla. Spread over the bottom of slow cooker.

Mix together 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle over mixture in slow cooker. Pour in boiling water. Do NOT stir. Cover and cook on High 2-3 hours. Or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (It was cooked in just over an hour in my crock pot.)

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Classic Goulash from Allrecipes.com

Classic Goulash

2 pounds ground beef or turkey browned and drained

2 large yellow onions chopped and cooked with the ground beef or turkey

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups water

2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dried Italian herb seasoning

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon seasoned salt, or to taste (This was TOO salty.)

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni.

Combine all ingredients except for macaroni in crock pot and cook on High for 1 hour or until the sauce is boiling. Stir in macaroni and continue to cook for about 45 more minutes.

Here is what everyone else brought to share:

Hawaiian Meatballs, Mary Beth Cheney

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/04/slow-cooker-hawaiian-meatballs-recipe.html

Brown Rice Pudding, Kara Blair

Rice Pudding

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-caramel-rice-pudding/7dff925e-9ea1-495e-9417-1f3bcd1a18f8

Meatball Soup, Amy Rossi

Lentil Soup, Kaye Sivori

From the Green Smoothie Girl's cook book

Pulled Pork, Lezlie Zollinger

Pulled Pork

med. sized Pork Butt 
add about 4Tbl. of Liquid Smoke and about 3 Tbl. of coarse salt. 
Cook in Crock Pot for about 8-10 hours on high.
As it cooks if you don't smell the smoke add a bit more.  Can always add more of both the salt and smoke at the end.
You will have to drain some of the grease and pull the fat off and shred the meat!

Shred and enjoy.

Add BBQ sauce for yummy sandwiches or fill enchiladas or tacos.  Use in just about anything.

Artichoke Dip, Lezlie Zollinger

Artichoke Dip

8 oz. marinated artichoke hearts - drained

7 oz. chopped green chillies

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup mayo

Mix together and either bake in oven @ 350 for 30 min. or until bubbly or heat in croak pot on high until bubbly and then turn down to low.

Chile Verde

Submitted by Bethany Paradise


Ingredients:
1/2 lb. tomatillos (5 to 10)
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 lb. pork shoulder or tenderloin, cut into large chunks or cubes
olive oil and flour as needed
1/4 t. whole cumin, lightly toasted then ground (Okay, seriously Bethany? Tell me you did not do this.)
1-2 T. chile d'arbol (hot!)

Directions:
1. Put cleaned tomatillos in a large pot and cover fully with water. Bring to a boil and cook 5 to 10 minutes until tender (poached). Place tomatillos and an equal volume of water (from the poaching) in a blender and allow to cool. Once cooled, blend until smooth. (NOTE: DO NOT try to blend while hot, as it may erupt from the blender.)

2. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat  until water sprinkled on the pan beads up and remains. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and let warm very briefly. Add pork, onion, garlic, and cook until browned and pork is caramelized (in batches). Add some flour and stir to coat the pork. Pour tomatillo mixture on top, then add chile, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste.

3. Cover and cook on low heat (barely simmering) until pork is done--2+ hours depending on amount and size of pork chunks.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Submitted by Bethany Paradise


Ingredients:
3 lb. pork roast (shoulder or sirloin)
2 t. Southwest seasoning (we used Mrs. Dash Southwest)
1 small onion cut into 8 wedges or so
1 12- to 16-oz. jar salsa (we like Trader Joe's salsa verde)
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Rub pork with seasonings. Throw everything into crock pot, fat-side up. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. When meat falls off bone, shred it.

2. Serve in heated tortillas (corn or flour) with favorite toppings: cheese, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, etc.

***For crisp carnitas: broil meat and onions in a shallow dish with some of the juices from the crockpot, about 1/3 liquid to every cup of meat and onions. 10 minutes, stir, 10 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and desired crispiness is achieved.

Notes on Hobo Dinners

Submitted by Lezlie Zollinger and Mallory Watkins

Hobo dinners, or tinfoil dinners, or packet dinners--whatever you want to call them--are classics in the camping community. They're easy to make and customize for picky eaters and easy to transport. Here are some tips:

Preparation:

It helps a lot to cook the meat and potatoes, carrots, or other root vegetables before hand. Then you simply pack it in the tinfoil and warm it up on the campfire. This cuts the time on the fire down to fifteen or twenty minutes rather than 45 minutes to an hour. Cooking beforehand also lessens your need for a nonstick spray.

Using a heavy-duty tinfoil. Place the shiny side inward and spray with a nonstick spray. (If you are using a meat such as ground beef, the nonstick spray isn't necessary.)

Use foil three times the width of the food. Fold sides up creasing foil at edge of food. Keeping edges together, make a 1/2-inch to 1-inch fold and crease. Fold 2-3 times leaving enough room for expansion and steaming during cooking. Smooth ends flat, make four small triangle folds on each end from edge of food to the edge of foil. Fold ends of foil in using 1/2-inch folds.

If cooking chicken, pound as thin as possible to reduce cooking time and ensure thorough cooking.

Recipes:

1. Oriental Chicken: Place 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced in strips and 1 cup frozen vegetables in center of foil. Combine 2 T. soy sauce, some garlic, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and 1 T. brown sugar. Drizzle over chicken and vegetables. Wrap and cook well.

2. Ranch Chicken: Dip one boneless, skinless chicken breast in melted butter then in 1 packet Ranch dressing mixed with 3/4 c. corn flake crumbs and 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese. Place on foil. Add sliced strips summer squash and bell peppers. Wrap and cook well. Sprinkle with grated cheese just before serving. (Note: One packet of dressing mixed as above will coat 4-6 chicken breasts.)

3. Traditional Foil Dinner: Place thin hamburger patty in center of foil. Add thinly sliced carrots, potato cubes, and rings of onion, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap and cook well. Sprinkle with grated cheese just before serving.

4. Breakfast Nest: Prepare one thin sausage patty made from lean country sausage; place on foil. Add 3/4 to 1 cup frozen hash browns creating a nest in the center. Add one egg to the nest. Wrap and cook well. 

5. Orange Cupcakes or Muffins: Slice top off orange and scoop out the pulp, leaving the rind intact. (Eat pulp. Yum!) Prepare cake of muffin mix. Fill orange hollow 3/4 full with mix. Wrap in foil. Cook until muffin mix has risen and "baked" through.

6. Baked Apple: Slice apple in half and remove core. (You can also remove core with a corer and leave the apple round.) Place 1 T. brown sugar in hollow, sprinkle with cinnamon and dot with butter. Wrap and "bake" until apple is soft and filling has melted.

Campfire Tips:

Ideally, we would cook on coals, not exactly on campfires. With kids, sometimes we don't get to wait that long, but this is how to get perfect cooking coals: 

Build a medium to large campfire (depending on how many hobo dinners you plan on cooking at once). Try to only build it once and avoid feeding it for very long. Allow the fire to burn down naturally until the logs are no more than coals. Depending on the size of the fire, and how long you keep feeding it, this can more than an hour, so plan on starting your fire a while before you plan on cooking your meals. (This is why I cook mine at home and heat them up in the fire.) While the coals are still white hot, gently use a poker to move them around; you want them laying mostly flat and even. Lay the packets among the coals and use a set of tongs to place hot coals on the tops to cook evenly. 

Sausage Soup

Submitted by Barbara Neuenswander


Ingredients:
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
6 c. chicken broth
2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 c. shredded cabbage
2 onions, chopped
2 c. bow tie pasta
1 c. chopped celery

Directions:
1. In soup pot, cook sausage over medium heat until no pink remains.
2. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until onions are soft.
3. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, cabbage, and basil. Bring to boil. Stir in macaroni and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Season with garlic salt. Serve. 

Taco Beef Soup

Submitted by Janelle Black


Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 (16 oz. each) cans diced, stewed tomatoes
2 (16 oz. each) cans kidney beans
2 (8 oz. each) cans tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
Shredded cheese
Corn chips
Sour cream

Directions:
1. In large saucepan cook ground beef and onion until meat is browned; drain off excess fat.
2. Add un-drained tomatoes, un-drained kidney beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning mix.
3. Simmer covered 15 minutes. Serve with cheese, corn chips, and sour cream. (Serves 12)

Zuppa Toscana

Submitted by Bethany Paradise


Ingredients:
5 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy cream
2 unpeeled medium Russet potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thin, then quartered
4 c. chopped kale (or any preferred green)
1 lb. Italian sausage (as spicy as you dare)
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t. salt
Directions:
1. Combine stock and cream in saucepan on medium heat.
2. Add sliced potatoes and kale.
3. While soup is simmering, grill or saute sausage. When cooled, cut at angle to 1/2-inch thin slices. Add to broth. Add spices and simmer 2 hours.

Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

Submitted by Lezlie Zollinger


Ingredients:
1 (9-by-13) baked cornbread
4 T. butter
1 c. finely chopped celery
1 c. finely chopped onion
1 T. finely chopped fresh sage, or 1 t. dried sage
1 lb. cooked country sausage
1 c. fresh cranberries
1 c. roasted pine nuts
chicken broth to moisten
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Lightly crumble baked cornbread.
2. Saute butter, celery, and onion until soft. In separate pan, lightly brown the sage and sausage.
3. Add all ingredients together then slowly add chicken broth to desired moistness. Place in prepared baking dish. Bake at 350* for 35-45 minutes, or until cooked through.
4. Spray a 9-by-13 pan. Combine cooked celery and onion to browned sage and sausage.

Pork Loin with Root Vegetables

Submitted by Karen Neuenswander


Ingredients:
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 t. dried rubbed sage
1 3-pound pork loin center rib roast, backbone removed
1 lb. parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 lb. small red potatoes, quartered
1 medium Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion), cut into thin wedges
3 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped

Directions:
1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the mustard and the sage; spread over surface of meat. Combine vegetables and margarine or butter; toss to coat. Place the roast, rib-side down, in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into center of roast. Arrange vegetables around roast. Roast, uncovered, in oven at 325* for 1 1/2 hours or until the vegetables are nearly tender.
2. Combine remaining mustard and syrup in a saucepan. Bring just to boiling. Drizzle over vegetables; toss to coat. Continue roasting about 30 minutes more or until thermometer registers 160* and juices run clear. Remove roast from oven. Cover roast with foil; let stand 10 minutes before carving.

You may view the original on Kitchendaily.com.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Submitted by Lezlie Zollinger

Ingredients:

1 large pumpkin--about 10 to 12 inches in diameter

2 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground ham or bulk sausage

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3 T. green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. oregano

1 t. Italian seasonings

1/2 c. stuffed green olives, chopped, plus 1/2 the marinade

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 small can plain tomato sauce

3 c. cooked rice

Directions:

1. Cut off top of pumpkin, making sure to cut a couple of notches to fit it back on. Clean       
out seeds, etc. Place in roasting pan.

2. In a frying pan, combine the meats, salt and pepper, onion, green pepper, garlic, and seasonings. Simmer until meat is browned. (Taste and add more seasonings if desired.)

3. Add remaining ingredients, plus a little more water or olive marinade if the mixture appears dry. Let simmer another 10 minutes.

4. Scoop entire mixture into pumpkin shell, replace cover and cover loosely in foil. Bake at 350* for about 1 1/2 hours. During the last 20-30 minutes, watch carefully. You don't want your pumpkin to lose it's shape by shriveling too much, but you do want it to be tender.

5. Serve straight from the pumpkin along with a little of the pumpkin meat, which you can scoop off the insides with the serving spoon.