Tag: Slow Cooker Sunday

Slow Cooker Sunday: Creamy Corn Casserole

As the days start to get warmer I am trying to find things to make in my slow cooker that aren’t too heavy. This Corn Casserole fits the bill and it’s perfect for warmer days when fresh corn starts flooding your supermarket and you don’t want to turn on your oven.

I started off by mixing all the ingredients together in a large bowl. I started off by creaming sugar and cream cheese together. Then adding in two eggs. Next, I stirred in the dry ingredients – flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. And then some more wet ingredients – melted butter, milk and heavy cream. And finally, I stirred in a chopped jalapeno, cheddar cheese and corn. I used frozen corn, to thaw it out, I left it in a bowl on my counter for a few hours stirring it occasionally.

 

I then poured the mixture into the insert of my slow cooker that I generously sprayed with cooking spray. I covered it and set it to cook on low for 4 hours. I knew it was was ready once it was set in the middle and the delicious aroma started filling my house.

 

 

Now, I made the big mistake of trying to remove the casserole from my slow cooker while it was still warm, so, it broke apart. I “saved” it by just scooping it into a glass dish. Trust me, it didn’t alter the flavor one it. To avoid my mishap, I suggest you remove the insert from the slow cooker once the casserole is done and let it cool a bit.

 

 

Slow Cooker Creamy Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 cups corn, fresh or frozen thawed

Directions:

Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray.

In a large bowl cream together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the dry ingredients – flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenned pepper, mixing the ingredients together well. Add in the melted butter, milk and heavy cream. Once everything is well combined, stir in the jalapeno, cheddar cheese and the corn.

Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Until the center is set and the top is puffy.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

Slow Cooker Sunday: Indian Butter Chicken

Happy Sunday! I came across this recipe on Food Network’s Instagram feed and knew I had to try it.

I began by crumbling a 1/2 piece of naan into the bottom of my slow cooker. On top of that I added in thinly sliced red onion, quartered red potatoes, a sliced jalapeno and chopped cilantro stems.

On top of that I arranged chicken thighs in a single layer and then sprinkled them garam masala, kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. I also placed a cinnamon stick and dotted the chicken the butter.

And finally I poured tomato sauce over everything.

I set it to cook on low for 7 hours and then switched the slow cooker to the warm setting and gently stirred in heavy cream and let it stand for 10 minutes.

And finally I stirred in chopped cilantro leaves…

And then served myself some over basmati rice and a piece of naan… YUM!

 

Slow-Cooker Indian Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

3 pieces naan bread

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 pound baby red-skinned potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size

1 Fresno or jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and stems separated and chopped

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 6)

1 tablespoon garam masala

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cinnamon stick

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Crumble 1/2 piece naan into the bottom of a slow cooker insert. On top of that add the onion, potatoes, pepper and cilantro stems.

Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with the garam masala, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Dot the chicken with the butter and add the cinnamon stick and then pour the tomato sauce over the top. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Uncover and switch to the warm setting and pour in the heavy cream. Gently stir in the heavy cream and break the chicken into large chunks. Let it stand for 10 minutes and then stir in the cilantro leaves and season with salt if necessary.

Serve with the remaining naan and basmati rice.

Recipe from Food Network

Slow Cooker Frittata with Zucchini, Tomato and Feta

Yes, I made a Frittata in my slow cooker. It may seem a bit odd to make something that can easily take 10-15 minutes in the oven for almost 3 hours in a slow cooker, but, I will say this, this frittata came out super fluffy and was evenly cooked. And reheated a lot better than your traditional frittata. I share this recipe with you this week as it may be a welcomed addition to your meal if you are planning an Easter breakfast or brunch next Sunday.

I began by grating 2 zucchinis into a colander and sprinkling it with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. What I did was grate one zucchini and then sprinkled it with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and then repeated that. After letting it sit for a bit, about 20 minutes, I squeezed the excess juices out of the zucchini. After all the squeezing was done I was left with about a cup of grated zucchini.

After brushing the insert of my slow cooker with olive oil I continued on with making the frittata. I beat 6 eggs with paprika, thyme, salt, pepper and parsley. I then added in the grated zucchini, halved cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese.

I then poured batter into the slow cooker, covered it and set it to cook on low for 3 hours.

I checked on it after about 2.5 hours and it was ready; when I inserted a knife in the center it came out clean.

I tried using a spatula to get the frittata out, but, had much better luck inverting it onto a plate and then flipping it once again.

Slow Cooker Frittata with Zucchini, Tomato and Feta

Ingredients

2 zucchinis, medium sized, coarsely grated with a 1/2 teaspoon salt

6 eggs

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (about 10-12 cherry tomatoes)

Olive oil for slow cooker

Directions:

Place the grated zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let the juices drain for a while and then squeeze out the excess juice with your hands until you are left with one tightly packed cup of grated zucchini.

Grease the insert of the slow cooker with the olive oil.

In a large bowl beat the eggs with the paprika, thyme, salt, pepper and parsley. Add the grated zucchini, the tomatoes and feta cheese. Mix well and then pour into the prepared slow cooker.

Cook on low for 3 hours. Check the frittata after 2 1/2 hours. Frittata is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe from The Foodie Corner Blog

Slow Cooker Sunday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

For today’s Slow Cooker Sunday post instead of bringing you a meal I am bringing you dessert. I’ve made bread pudding and rice pudding in my slow cooker and I’ve finally made a cake, a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake.

To begin, I made the cake batter by whisking together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. I then stirred in 2 beaten eggs, whole milk, canola oil and vanilla extract. Once that was well combined I then stirred in peanut butter chips.

Next, I poured the batter into the insert of my slow cooker which I sprayed generously with cooking spray.

Per the recipe I set the slow cooker to low, but, my cake was ready way before the directed time of 4 hours. It was more like 3 hours, but, truthfully I probably should have turned off the slow cooker around 2.5 hours. While make cake came out of the insert without sticking to the sides or bottom…

It was a bit hard/burnt along the edges so I decided to cut it in a way that I ended up with pieces that were more like a snack cake as opposed to a cake cake. But overall it was delicious and incredibly moist and paired very well with vanilla ice cream, especially if you warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave.

Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips

Directions:

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with cooking spray.

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir in the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract; mixing until all of the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the peanut butter chips.

Pour the batter into the slow cooker, spreading the batter evenly. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the top is set. Since all slow cookers are different begin checking the cake after about 2 hours to ensure it doesn’t burn, check it with a toothpick or cake tester for doneness. The cake may look a little undercooked in the center. Turn off the heat and let the cake cool uncovered for about 20 minutes. The cake will firm up as it cools.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

Slow Cooked Cider Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Mash

So, this isn’t a Slow Cooker Meal per-se, but, it was slow cooked in the oven. A bit of a stretch, but, it’s definitely a meal for a Sunday when you are home relaxing and don’t want to be fussing over the stove.

To begin, I seasoned my short ribs with salt and pepper. I then heated olive oil in my Dutch oven over high heat. Once the oil was ready I seared the ribs on each side for about a minute and then transferred them to a plate.

I then deglazed the pot with a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and added minced garlic and cooked it for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Next, I added in mushrooms and cooked them until they were beginning to soften.

I returned the ribs to the pot along with additional cider, beef stock and fresh thyme sprigs and then transferred the pot, covered, to my oven which I preheated to 225 F and let it cook for 4 hours.

I knew the ribs were ready when the meat easily fell off the bones. I discarded the bones and using two forks I shredded the meat.

I served the meat over sweet potato mash and I must say the two are a perfect combination. The tang from the cider vinegar is muted by the sweetness of the mash allowing all the flavors to complement one another. You can’t ask for a better thing in a plate of food.

Cider Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients:

For The Short Ribs:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds beef short ribs

salt and fresh black pepper

1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar

4 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 cups mushrooms (can use white, baby portabella, cremini)

1/2 cup beef stock

4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

 

For The Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and fresh black pepper

 

Directions:

For the short-ribs:

Preheat the oven to 225 F.

Season the short-ribs with salt and pepper.

In an oven-proof pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the ribs and sear on each side for about a minute then transfer to a plate.

Deglaze the pan with a 1/4 cup of the cider. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.

Return the ribs to the pan and add the remaining cider, the beef stock and thyme sprigs.

Cover and bake in the oven for about 4 hours, or until the meat is tender enough to be shredded.

Discard the bones and shred the meat and serve over the sweet potato mash.

 

For the sweet potato mash:

Peel and halve the sweet potatoes and place them in a pot of boiling water for about 30-40 minutes, until they can be pierced easily.

Drain the water and add the butter, cream and parmesan. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until most of the lumps are gone and the ingredients are well combined.

Recipe from Foodness Gracious

 

Slow Cooker Sunday: Smoky Beef Chili

So, I have made chili before but, this was the first time I’ve made chili using beef chuck as opposed to ground beef and I must say it was a much heartier chili and definitely one I’ll make again.

This is my favorite type of slow cooker meal… Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, give it a good stir and set it to cook…

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And a few hours later my meal was ready! You can’t beat that.

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When I packed some for lunch I topped it with shredded cheddar cheese so when I heated it up it was all melted and gooey… YUM!

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Slow Cooker Smoky Beef Chili

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

3 15.5oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 28oz. can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup tomato puree

3 teaspoons chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 1 teaspoon sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

For topping: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cilantro

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and give everything a good stir to combine all of them.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until the beef and vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning and serve topped with your favorite topping.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

Slow Cooker Sunday: Spicy Mexican Chicken Stew

So, I personally think that one of the best things to make in a slow cooker is soup / stew. I consider them to be more or less one in the same. And this week I am bringing you a Spicy Mexican Chicken Stew that is the ideal Slow Cooker Meal. The only prep is some dicing, chopping and cutting. No sautéing veggies or heating the aromatics to develop the flavors. You control the level of spice with a jar of salsa. I got this recipe in the cookbook I mentioned last week… Slow Cooker Family Favorites. I’m 2 for 2 with the recipes in this book… Yay!

I began by stirring together salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in the bowl in my slow cooker.

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I then added in diced potatoes, frozen corn, cut celery & carrots, a diced onion and minced garlic.

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I gave everything a few good stirs to make sure the vegetables were coated by the salsa mixture.

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And finally, I placed 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs on top of the vegetables and poured in a can of chicken broth.

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So, according to the directions the stew was to be cooked on high for 4 hours, or until the chicken was cooked through and the vegetable were tender. After 4 hours the chicken was cooked through, so I removed it from the slow cooker and shredded it using two forks. But, my vegetables were still a bit undercooked, so I returned the chicken to the slow cooker and cooked everything for about another 2 hours.

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Which I think was the best thing. The end result were vegetables that were perfectly tender, but, better yet, the chicken was really able to absorb the flavors of the stew. YUM!

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I packed a bowl for lunch the following day and I must say it was even better then and each subsequent day!

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Spicy Chicken Mexican Stew

Ingredients:

1 16-oz jar spicy salsa*

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes**

1 16 ounce package frozen corn***

2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs****

1 14.5-oz chicken broth (approximately 2 cups)

 

*I used Chi-Chi’s Medium Thick & Chunky Salsa

**I used 2 medium sized potatoes and 1 small one

**The package I used was 12 oz.

****About 1 3/4 pounds of chicken

 

Directions:

In the bowl of a slow cooker stir together the salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt and black pepper.

Add the potatoes, corn, celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Toss everything to coat the vegetables.

Place the chicken on top and then pour in the chicken broth.

Set to cook on high for 4-6 hours, until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Once chicken is cooked, remove from the slow cooker and shred with two forks and return to the slow cooker. Season for taste.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

Slow Cooker Sunday: A Cookbook Review and Marinara Sauce

So about two months ago while perusing in the cookbook section of my local Barnes & Noble I began scanning through some of their slow cooker cookbooks and settled on purchasing America’s Test Kitchen: Slow Cooker Revolution. I was excited to try out some of the recipes as they sounded really good. I started with the Loaded Baked Potato Soup and it was a disaster! It had no flavor and was more like heavy mashed potatoes instead of soup. I decided that I would try it again another day with less potatoes. But then I tried another recipe and it didn’t come out that great, okay, truthfully, it was horrible again. It was a Broccoli and Chicken sauce that was to be used for pasta. The sauce, made with chicken broth and wine as the base, was bitter and the chicken was dry. Yuck! So, instead of trying a third recipe – quite honestly at this point none of the recipes sounded all that great – I headed back to Barnes & Noble to see if I could return it. And luckily I was able to. And since I wasn’t in a rush, I headed back to the cookbook area and picked up another book to try out… Slow Cooker Family Favorites by Maggie Shi. And (oh boy, starting 3 sentences in a row with “and,” such bad grammar… LOL) the first recipe I tried was delish… a slow cooker marinara sauce.

To make the sauce I combined crushed tomatoes, olive oil, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, fresh basil, fresh garlic and salt in the bowl of my slow cooker.

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And then gave everything a few good stirs and set it to cook on low for seven hours. For a little extra seasoning I added a few grinds of fresh pepper and that was it.

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I ended up with about 6 cups of sauce. I decided to freeze 4 cups and used 2 cups as a dipping sauce for this Cheesy Garlic Monkey Bread that I will be posting about tomorrow!

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Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 large fresh sprigs basil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons salt, plus more if needed

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a slow cooker and stir together.

Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with breadsticks, garlic bread, baguette slices, etc. for dipping. Or use for your favorite pasta. Makes about 6 cups.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

 

 

Slow Cooker Sunday: Rice Pudding

For today’s Slow Cooker Sunday recipe I am bringing you dessert. Rice Pudding… One of my favorite desserts. And this is probably the simplest Slow Cooker item I have ever made hence this super short blog post.

In the bowl of my slow cooker I added all of my ingredients: Arborio rice, whole milk, water, sugar, salt and a cinnamon stick. Now, the true title of this rice pudding recipe was for a Moroccan Rice Pudding, but, since I opted not to use the orange water that was listed in the ingredient list I am assuming it’s just a plain rice pudding. I gave everything a good stir and then set it to cook on low…

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And after a short 4 hours my rice pudding was ready. Now, you might be tempted to leave it on longer since the rice will be tender, but, there will still be a considerable amount of milk left, but don’t. As the rice pudding cool it continues to absorb the liquid and it will be creamier.

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You can opt to top it with ground cinnamon or nutmeg or toasted walnuts or almonds. I opted to eat mine as is and I must say it’s one of the best rice puddings I have ever had. I feel that using a cinnamon stick as opposed to ground cinnamon allowed for a cinnamon flavor that wasn’t as pungent and more of an essence. If that makes any sense… I hope it does! I hope you try it and that you like it as much as I did.

 

Slow Cooker Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup short grain rice, such as Arborio

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter*

3 1/2 cups milk**

2/3 cups sugar

1 cinnamon stick

*I used unsalted butter

** I used whole milk

Directions:

In the bowl of a 4-Quart slow cooker add all of the ingredients. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

Top with your favorite topping: cinnamon, nutmeg, toasted almonds or walnuts.

Recipe from Crock-Pot

Slow Cooker Sunday: Caribbean Beef Stew

With the cold temperatures outside you may be looking for meals that are hearty, comforting and most important of all… easy to make. This beef stew covers all those bases.

I began by adding my vegetables – potatoes and carrots – along with fresh thyme, ginger and garlic in the bottom of my slow cooker.

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Next I topped the vegetables with beef stew meat that dredged in a mixture of flour, allspice, salt and pepper.

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I reserved the excess seasoned flour from the beef and whisked it with water and Worcestershire sauce and then poured it over the meat and potatoes along with a can of Mexican-style tomatoes.

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I covered my slow cooker and cooked the beef stew on low for 7 hours and this is the deliciousness that resulted.

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It was incredibly flavorful, the beef was wonderfully tender and it had just enough kick to it.

 

Slow-Cooker Caribbean Beef Stew

Ingredients:

3 sprigs thyme

1/2 all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into thirds

1 1-inch ginger piece, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 10-ounce can Mexican-style diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)

Directions:

Put the potatoes, carrots, 2 thyme sprigs, the ginger and garlic in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker

Strip the leaves from the remaining thyme sprig and chop; combine with the flour, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the beef and toss to coat. Add to the slow cooker on top of the vegetables and reserve the excess flour.

Add 1/2 cup water and the Worcestershire sauce to the reserved flour and whisk everything together, then add to the slow cooker. Pour the tomatoes on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.

Recipe from Food Network