Monday, October 15, 2012

Crock Pot Creations

We recently purchased a new crock pot.  It is very nice!  Five Gallon and silver and black.  Looks so nice on my counter that I leave it out.  Also, we use it pretty much everyday!  I love the simplicity of one pot cooking.  I love how your house smells great (well hopefully it will!) when you come inside.  I love easy clean up!  (Be sure to always spray your crock pot with a nonstick cooking spray.  That makes clean up a breeze!  I know that they do make crock pot liners, we have had them before, but I would always forget to stick one in!)  I also love that it frees up my time after school with the kids.  I make a simple side dish to go with whatever is in the crock pot (salad or steamed vegetables) and dinner is done.  

When my husband first brought a crock pot home, it was before we had kids.  It was a gift or prize (I don't remember) he had won at work.  It was a small, (3 gallon) white crock pot and I remember thinking that is really ugly and I'm never going to use it. I'm sure I also made faces at it! Well, fast forward when we had our first son.  I dusted it off and found myself using it occasionally.  Fast forward again to when we had our twins and the crock pot was used at least once a week in our house.  We out grew out tiny little starter crock pot.  It was great and served us well, but when cooking for a family of six, I needed something bigger.  So, the new crock pot has arrived and has been used pretty much everyday.  My husband has been very adventurous.  Researching new recipes that the kids would like.  Last night he made some sort of Asian Chicken with orange sauce and while I wasn't crazy about it, the kids loved it.  I tend to stick to tried and true recipes.  Things I know that the kids will like.  My all time favorite thing to make in the crock pot is vegetable soup.  I also love making traditional "Yankee" Pot Roast complete with all the veggies.  Lately, I have been taking recipes that I would normally make in the oven, and converting to crock pot.  Last week I cooked a whole chicken the crock pot.  This was okay, I think I over cooked it.  (The meat was falling off the bones.) Today I am cooking a pork tenderloin.  

Do you have a crock pot?  What do you use it for?  What is your ultimate go to crock pot recipe?  Please share in the comments section.  Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!


Easy Vegetable Soup:

4 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Juice (like V8)
1/2 cup water
1 c Chopped Celery
1 c Chopped Carrots
1/2 c Chopped Onions (I leave mine big so the kids can pick them out)
2 small Zucchini's chopped
Any leftover vegetables in your fridge! (great way to use vegetables - throw them in!  I have used green beans, spinach, cabbage, corn)
1 Bag of Frozen Mixed Vegetables - if you have no left over Vegetables
Pepper to taste
Vegetable Seasoning to taste

Cook on high in crock pot for 1 hour, turn to low and cook all day!  My kids have been know to have "thirds" of this.  I do not cook with salt, but you can throw some in too. This recipe is loosely based on the Weight Watchers Vegetable Soup Recipe and it is so easy you cannot mess it up!  I will have a cup of this for lunch or even a small cup as a snack.  My kids will have it for lunch or dinner with grilled cheese.

3 comments:

  1. Great post! You have inspired me to makes some vegetable soup. Our kids have been sick and there is something soothing and nourishing about soup. We love our crockpot too. I imagine I will use it even more when they are school age.

    : 0 ) Theresa (Capri + 3)

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    1. Thanks Theresa! Please let me know how your soup comes out. I love using my leftovers in my soups. Another trick I have is to throw leftover rice in the soup - especially leftover white rice from the Chinese Restaurant. It is always hard the next day, but perfect for soup! I love cooking once - eating twice. My crock pot roasted chicken was turned into cheese & chicken enchilladas! I will post that recipe with a picture soon! Have a great night! Kathleen

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  2. Please post the Asian Chicken! My girls prefer their meat sweet and finally tried tri-tip steaks last night for the first time with a Sesame Ginger marinade! (the first 5 times they refused with a Montreal seasoning) I haven't found anything they love yet, but it's definitely time to get it out again!

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