Crock pot recipes anyone? (and cheap!)

[Californiablonde]

Lately I have been doing a lot more cooking in my crock pot due to the colder weather, and the fact that I just love putting something in the pot in the morning, and coming home to a great smelling meal in the afternoon. It makes cooking so much easier. My kids are quickly getting tired of my slow cooked recipes, and I wanted to see if perhaps anybody here had something new and interesting that I haven't tried yet. Here's what I have made so far:

Pot roast with golden mushroom soup, Lipton onion soup mix, and carrots. I cook the meat and carrots all day on low, then come home and make some mashed potatoes on the side. I use the combo of canned and dry soup on the meat and potatoes as gravy. I also make a chicken version, which is very similar except I use chicken breast instead of beef and cream of mushroom soup, also used as gravy for the meat and potatoes. Sometimes I make pulled pork sandwiches as well. I put a pork roast in the pot for eight hours, come home and add barbeque sauce and let it warm for about twenty minutes, shred apart the meat and put it on buns. Last week I made chicken fettucini alfredo in the slow cooker, and it turned out well, but I know my kids are going to get sick of it sooner or later, like they have with everything else I make.

Yesterday one of my Facebook friends posted that she was making home made chicken noodle soup in the crock pot, I asked if she wouldn't mind sharing her recipe. She sorta blew me off and just said, "Oh I just threw a bunch of stuff together. You know how it is." Well I don't know how "it" is. I am not a creative cook, and I don't just throw stuff together and have it turn out well. When I told my friend nevermind, I will look up a recipe online for chicken soup, she then wrote she just put some chicken, water, veggies, and seasonings in a crock pot and let it cook. I didn't press her for more details, but seriously I'm the type of person who needs everything spelled out for me. I need to know how many pounds of chicken, what specific seasonings, how much water, how long do I cook it for, etc. She didn't give me any more details so I didn't ask.

Another friend of mine gave me a recipe for taco soup, which sounds great and I think my kids would love, but there were too many ingredients. I need something simple that I can just throw in the pot in the morning before work and go. The list of ingredients for the taco soup was huge, and sounded like it would be rather expensive to feed my family (We are a family of 4.) It would probably turn out to be about a $25 dinner, which is too expensive for me. I am looking to make meals around $15 or less. Does anybody have any good recipes they would like to share? Namely cheap and simple?

 

[DammitJanet]

We have had several of these threads so if you search on here for "crock pot" I am sure you will get many threads.

I am also one who isnt very clever with thinking up decent meals as of late. I can tell you how to make chicken soup though!

You have 4 people eating right? Do you ever get those roasted chickens at the grocery store? Hint...if you go to walmart in their grocery dept after the dinner hour, they normally mark them down.

Well I take the leftover chicken off of those roasted chickens, use a box of the liquid chicken stock (too lazy to go through putting the chicken and bones in the crock pot and then picking it all out again), a bag or two of frozen soup veggies, and let it go. Now I normally dont do this in the crock pot but it would be the same. When you get home, add a bag of egg noodles and you have chicken soup. If you transfer the entire thing to a pot, you can bring everything to a boil and make Bisquick dumplings. For me, if I am making dumplings, I dont put the veggies in it. I just use the chicken, a can or two of cream of chicken soup, chicken stock and let that all boil up...then make the dumplings and let them steam for the called upon time.

*If you dont want to use roasted chicken, I like to use chicken thighs because they have more flavor to me.

 

[Californiablonde]

Thanks for the recipe, Janet. I just have one question. Do I add water to the chicken stock or just by itself?

 

[recoveringenabler]

CB, try these sites:
http://www.crock-pot.com/stories?cgid=recipes

[URL="http://www.familycircle.com/recipes/slow-cooker/?ordersrc=google2crockpot&s_kwcid=TC|20467|crock%20pot%20recipes||S|e|16911615778"]http://www.familycircle.com/recipes/slow-cooker/?ordersrc=google2crockpot&s_kwcid=TC|20467|crock%20pot%20recipes||S|e|16911615778

[URL]http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/slow-cooker/[/URL][/URL]

 

[recoveringenabler]

I just made this one yesterday, it's good.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 7 Hours
Ready In: 7 Hours 15 Minutes
Servings: 8

"A hearty combination of beans, corn, tomatoes, and taco seasonings, slow cooked with shredded chicken. Top each bowl with Cheddar cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips. Made mostly of canned ingredients, this tasty soup lets the slow cooker do the work so you don't have to!"
INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn,
drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with

green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken
breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

2.Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

 

[Tiapet]

CA this isn't a crock pot meal but I take a pre-made chicken from store and I'll pick all the meat off of it (do this on a day off) and then put in a pot with a family size can of cream of chicken soup and another can of milk to fill the empty can, then add frozen peas. I'll pop in some frozen pre-made biscuits to the oven (you could get the can ones too that are refrigerated). Then all you do is scoop the chicken mixture on top. Sometimes I'll add poultry seasoning to the chicken mixture or 1 of those chicken stock packets (either the little cup things or the packets) to enhance the flavor too. Really easy meal.

As for crock pot recipes, here is a few more sites for you to look through for ideas:

Spoonful.com -crockpot recipes

Betty Crocker Crock pot recipes

Better Homes and Gardens Crock Pot recipes

Taste of Home Crock Pot recipes

Southern food/About.comCrock Pot Recipes

Food.com CrockPot recipes

Crocking Girls Recipes

A year of Crock Pot recipes

Better Recipes - Crock Pot recipes

Crock Pot Ladies Recipes

Crock PotGirls Recipes

Crockpot.com -recipes on site

Think now you'll find plenty of ideas!

 

[helpangel]

I like to put a piece of pork loin (1-2 Lb.) sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp. salt and onion powder, dump baby carrots around it and about a half cup of water; let it cook 4-8 hours (how long depends on hi or low setting)

after cooking meat & carrots remove the strip of fat that usually runs up one side of meat then add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar and a jar of saurkraut stir it (mine usually falls apart at this point) then throw a pack of hot dogs or mini franks on top and put lid on; allow it to continue cooking while you make mashed potatoes to put this over, my kids love this stuff.

Nancy

 

[DammitJanet]

I just use the stock, no water if using a crockpot.

Thinking about the pork loin....I got the recipe (or my simpler version) from Muttmeister here. She does a pork loin with whole berry cranberry sauce and bbq sauce. I cant remember if she does hers in the oven but when I do it, I throw it in the crock pot and add 2 cans of whole berry cranberry sauce and about 3/4 cup of honey bbq sauce. I love it.

 

[Mattsmom277]

Love my crockpot. Tons of easy dishes.
Try tossing a large box or bag of frozen meatballs in. Add a can of cranberries and a full jar of chile sauce. Put on low while at work. Delicious to eat like that or over white rice.

Another easy one. For family of four place 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in. Mix two
cans cream of chicken soup with two cans milk. Pour on top. Sprinkle a box of stovetop stuffing on top. Bake on low while at work. Since that's a long time you can do it with frozen chicken. We love it with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.

Any meatloaf also comes out great on the crock.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Tia included a link to my fav crock pot site - a year of slow cooking. A woman committed to using her crock pot every day for one year! You can browse her recipes alphabetically or by content. What I love about her site is that she includes a picture of all the ingredients and the finished product and what she, her kids and her husband thought of the recipe! It's my go-to for crock recipes.

 

[AnnieO]

Chicken & dumplings are good too. 4 chicken breasts, 2 cans broth OR 3 cubes chicken bouillon & 3 cups water. 1 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder. Handful baby carrots or carrot slices. If you have celery and handful of that too, if not 1/8 tsp celery salt. Cook all day on low. When you get home, turn up pot to high, and open a can of cheap biscuits and tear them into pieces. Toss the pieces in, cover. 1 hour - enjoy! YUM!

 

[DammitJanet]

That pretty much sounds like my chicken and dumplings except that I like them fresh from the Bisquick mix. I save those cheap canned biscuits for donuts...lol

 

[scent of cedar]

I am making the taco soup, today. Would not all fit in my small crock, so am making on stove, tightly covered.

Fantastic thread!

Cedar

 

[DammitJanet]

Another really good thing is baby lima beans from the frozen food section along with ham. This is another one that can be done in either the crock pot or on the stove.

*I serve them up with rice and cornbread.

 

[DDD]

Just for variety perhaps you could pull up some crockpot sites and let each of your family members choose a meal as their contribution. The ingredients can be stored in the refrigerator and just dumped into the crockpot in the morning.
*No measuring, cutting, stress in the am and based on parenting experience I'd guess that everyone would LOVE "their" recipe in the evening. Good luck. DDD

 

[DammitJanet]

Good idea DDD.

Another thing you can make is a New England Boiled dinner. What that really is is a piece of corned beef, cut up cabbage and potatoes. Just add a little water because it will shrink down. One thing I have found so wonderful is that they now have these bags of little potatoes that all you have to do is wash off. No peeling or cutting up.

 

[SuZir]

I like these recipes. Now, the problem is that I have never seen a crock pot in my life. I do however figure it is a device that cooks in low temperature and mimics keeping pot a long time in lowish temperature stove. But which kind of temperatures these "high, low" etc. actually mean?

We use our fireplaces daily during the winter to help with heating and our kitchen fireplace also has a baking oven. I also have an old fully working wood burning stove, but that I don't use that often. However temperature in baking oven varies between 480 to 550 F right after heating and goes down around 150 F before it is time to heat it again. Peak is rather short and if I heat it at evening, at morning it is usually around 300 F. What kind of temperatures would I need for these recipes to mimic 'high' and 'low'?

 

[DammitJanet]

I also have what is known as a Dutch Oven which I assume you may have. They are very heavy cast iron pots with lids. Some are simply cast iron and others are coated in enamel. Mine is coated in enamel but we used to have a plain cast iron one to use when camping.

When I cook things in the stove using the Dutch Oven I put the stuff in it and cook it on a fairly low heat for several hours...say 250 to 300 for a period of maybe 2 to 3 hours depending on how the food looks when I check. When I make beef stew I like my beef to be very tender so it takes about 3 hours.

 

[InsaneCdn]

A crock pot is an electric cooking device: a ceramic-type "pot" with usually a glass lid, sits inside of an outer shell that fits closely, and includes the heating element. Usually, crock pots only have a 'low' and a 'high' setting for heat. Low would be something like 250 or 275. High, not sure, but likely 400 or so.

 

[Californiablonde]

Thank you all for your ideas and the links. Recovering, I am going to try your chicken taco recipe on Thursday. Unfortunately I can't get to the store after work today due to difficult child's doctor's appointment, but I will pick up the ingredients tomorrow and put it in the pot Thursday morning. I can't wait to see how it turns out!