Crock Pot Meals

This Beef and Red Wine Stew recipe is fairly easy to make and if you like big serves then it will feed 2 people.  It's not as easy finding recipes for two for the slow cooker so finding this one was like gold. You can vary it by adding mushrooms or bell peppers.  You can also swap the onions with leeks for a slightly different texture and taste.

Crock Pot Slow Cooker Beef with Red Wine Stew

1 lb (1/2 kg) steak cut into bite size pieces

flour to coat steak

2 tabs olive oil

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1 medium onion chopped

1 large clove garlic crushed

1 tab each chopped chives and parsley

1 small bay leaf

1 cup red wine of your choice

1 cup beef stock cube

1 tab instant gravy mix to thicken if required but recommended

Coat meat in flour and brown meat in oil.  Remove and put aside.  Add to the pan the onions, carrots and herbs and toss until softened a little.  Remove the vegetables and put into the base of the slow cooker. Place the meat on top of the vegetables.

Add the wine and stock to the pan and mix well together as this then combines the juices from the pan as well.  Pour into the crock pot slow cooker over the meat and vegetables. Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 hours.  Thicken with the instant gravy mix combined with a little water if you think the stew is too thin.

Serves 2 large servings or 3 medium ones.  I serve it with sweet potato mash but you can serve with rice or just some of your favorite crusty bread.  Get out your crock pot slow cooker and start cooking.

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Tags: beef and red wine stew, crock pot recipe, Crock pot slow cooker, Slow cooker

This apple and lemon sponge dessert recipe is perfect for pot luck parties and entertaining at home.  It is also an easy crock pot recipe even for the beginner cook so if you are looking for an easy dessert this is it.  You can cook and serve this dessert straight from your crock pot slow cooker or you can insert another dish into the pot and remove when cooked.  I cheat a little by using a cake mix for the sponge but if you prefer you can make your own.

Easy Crock Pot Apple and Lemon Sponge Dessert

1 packet butter cake mix

15 oz (440g) canned apple slices

3 tabs sultanas

1 tab grated lemon rind

2 tabs honey warmed

1 tab lemon juice

icing sugar (optional)

You need to make up the cake mix as per the directions on the packet.  They are all different so please follow this step correctly.  Place all the rest of the ingredients except the icing sugar into a large jug or bowl and mix together and combine well.  Spread the mixture over the greased base of the crock bot bowl or you can use Slow Cooker Liners for no mess afterward.

Spoon over the cake mixture and place several sheets of paper towel over the top, making sure that the towel doesn't touch the mixture.  Place the lid on the crock pot and turn to high and cook for 3 hours approximately.  Check to see if cooked as sponge will spring back at a touch.   Serve with a dusting of icing sugar and a dab of cream or ice cream.

Try this easy crock pot recipe and let me know what you think about the taste as I'm sure you will agree its pleasantly different, a bit of a twist on the standard apple sponge.  This is my favorite dessert recipe at the moment for the family or when I'm entertaining.

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Tags: crock pot recipe, Crock pot slow cooker, easy crock pot

A digital slow cooker is the answer for super busy people who still like to eat in rather than out.  A slow cooker or crock pot is designed to make life a little easier for the chef on the run, as well as to give meals that savory taste of having been sauteing in their own sauces for hours.  So you are going to be busy at work or running errands all day but want to have dinner on the table at six o'clock?  When you have a crock pot this is not  a problem except for the times when you can't be home in time to turn it off.

Thankfully they have now invented the programmable crock pot or digital slow cooker, which not only can turn itself off when you aren't there but it can turn itself off once the allotted time has expired. The benefits of the programmable crock pot are convenience and perfectly cooked meals. It is common for roasts and other foods to be overcooked because the cook cannot be there to turn it off, set it to low or even to warm setting.

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Tags: digital slow cooker, programmable crock pot, Slow cooker

Cooking breakfast in the crock pot slow cooker is easy and convenient if you are short of time in the morning.  Apple and date oatmeal is nice served on the weekend also when you have more time to enjoy your breakfast.  My crock pot cooks at a nice slow temperature but if yours cooks a bit fast (and you will know that from previous recipes) then you may have to reduce the time a little bit and you may need a little more liquid.

The advantage of making crock pot meals like this one is that your breakfast cooks while you sleep.

Apple and date oatmeal breakfast

1 cup regular oats

2 cups water

1 cup milk

1/2 small apple, chopped

1/4 cup chopped dates

1/2 teasp cinnamon

2 tabs brown sugar

1/4 cup walnuts

Add all ingredients to your crock pot except for the walnuts.  Turn your crock pot on to low and cook for 8 hours approximately.  Add the walnuts 5 minutes before and stir well through the oatmeal mixture.  Serve with extra brown sugar and milk.  Makes 4 servings.

Variations:  you can substitute the dates with sultanas, you can use honey instead of brown sugar, and you can leave out the walnuts if you want.  I like this apple and date oatmeal breakfast though just as it is.

For more recipes check out the great variety of crock pot recipe books at AMAZON.

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Tags: apple and date oatmeal breakfast, crock pot meals, Oatmeal

This chicken sweet and sour is one of my favorite recipes and it's easy to make too.  I used to make it in a casserole in the oven but now its easier to use the crock pot slow cooker I don't have to worry that it may boil over or whether the oven is too hot and it will burn on the bottom.  You should have all the ingredients you need in your pantry to make this recipe.  I used lovely legs but chicken legs can be used too. This crock pot slow cooker recipe also tastes good if you make it the day before and just heat and serve.

Chicken Sweet and Sour

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup vinegar

3 slices of fresh ginger, chopped (or 1/4 teasp ground ginger)

2 tabs soy sauce

1/2 teasp minced garlic

1 kg lovely legs chicken pieces

1 onion, cut into wedges

1/4 cup sliced shallots

1/2 cup canned pineapple chunks

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot

1/2 cup red or green bell pepper (cut into squares or strips)

Heat the first 6 ingredients in a jug in the microwave until the sugar dissolves (about a minute).  Stir well and taste it and adjust by adding more  soy or sugar to your taste if you need to.  It should be tangy and take into account that the pineapple will sweeten it up as well.  Put the chicken in the crock pot slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients then pour the liquid from the jug over the chicken and vegetables.

Turn the crock pot on to high for 3.5 -4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours.   Thicken with cornflour about 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with rice or noodles.  This recipe will make 4 medium servings.

For more recipes like this check out the RECIPES section of this site.  Also check out Amazon as they have a great and large range of  Crock Pot Slow Cooker Cook Books.

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Tags: chicken sweet and sour, Cook, crock pot slow cooker recipe

Many people say that it's best to cook in a crock pot during the winter months and they are probably right because most people use their slow cookers only for soups and stews.  A roast is also considered to be a winter dish but these meals are a convenience to those of us who work and like to come home to a cooked meal.

Well the crock pot slow cooker is your friend in summer as well.  You can cook breakfasts and still have your roasts and the advantages are that your kitchen wont get hot from the oven and you can still walk away from the cooking and come back to a lovely cooked crock pot meal.

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Tags: cooking with a crock pot, Crock Pot, Slow cooker