It's a recipe I have had for awhile and always enjoyed it so I thought I would adapt it to the slow cooker so make it tonight and see if it becomes one your favorites too.

Oregano Chicken with Lemon

Mix the first 3 ingredients together and then coat the chicken in it.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the chicken legs.  Place the chicken in the slow cooker and add the lemon, onion, garlic cloves, oregano sprigs and the stock.  Cover and cook on high for 3.5 - 4 hours.

Remove the chicken to the serving plate and thicken the remainder of the contents in the slow cooker with cornflour mix.   I like to do this so I have a nice thick sauce to pour over the chicken.  I also remove the lemon, the garlic and the oregano sprigs. Finally garnish with chopped oregano leaves.

Serve with rice, polenta or pasta and vegetables.  Serves 4.

Here is a recipe for pumpkin soup with a twist.  The addition of garlic and some other vegetables gives it a new taste to the traditional soup.  Make it in your crock pot and serve it in pumpkin shaped bowls or make your own by hollowing out a large pumpkin or individual ones.  Brush with a little lemon juice to stop discoloring and serve immediately you fill the shells.

Pumpkin and Garlic Soup

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic and toss until clear.  Transfer to the crock pot and add the peas, stock and the pumpkin.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.   Add the corn and seasonings and cook for another 2 hours.  Take out at least a cup of  soup especially some of the peas and blend, then add back to thicken the soup.  Serve with crusty bread and top with some chopped parsley.

How easy is that!

Buy in bulk or when on special

You don't have to be a big family to benefit but you will need a big enough freezer or pantry cupboard to cope with this method of cooking on a budget.  This includes meat and vegetables and make sure to prepare them properly for the freezer or for bottling and canning.   When you find groceries you use often  ''on special' then buy them up too.  Items like canned tomatoes and beans are two that I stock up on.

Buy vegetables and fruit that is in season

The cheapest and most flavorsome fruits and vegetables are the ones in season.  Adjust your crock pot recipes to include those vegetables that are in season only.  This keeps the costs down so you achieve cheap easy meals for your family whatever season it is.

Cook more than you need for one meal

If you are cooking for 4 then cook for 8 and freeze one meal for another time.  This saves energy and the preparation time is almost the same.  The crock pot slow cooker is great for cooking on a budget for this very method as it is big enough to cook for batches or large families.

Buy cheaper cuts of meat

Cheap easy meals don't have to have expensive cuts of meat when you use your slow cooker as the slow cooking method tenderizes and improves the quality overall of these cuts.

Carbohydrates are fillers

When cooking on a budget in the slow cooker use potato, pumpkin and pasta to thicken your soups and casseroles and adds bulk to fill those hungry stomachs but still providing cheap easy meals.

Make one meal into two

A good example of this is when I cook my slow cooker meatloaf.   Any I have left over is made into a spaghetti sauce for another meal.  Just add cooked spaghetti and you are set.  Use broths from cooking chicken to make a great a base for a  soup or just add noodles for an instant one for the kids.

Cooking on a budget isn't as difficult as you thought now is it so get out your crock pot and save lots of money in the long run. Also check out a great book from Amazon called Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook: High-flavor, low-cost meals your family will love (Everything Series) for some great recipe ideas.

Crock Pot Slow Cooker Beef with Red Wine Stew

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.

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.

The digital slow cooker does that for you. You no longer have to plan your day to be home at a certain time or worry that the roast will dry out and the vegetables will become mush. Using a digital slow cooker also gives you the peace of mind knowing that it will turn itself off if left unattended for too long. It is easy to forget you have something cooking in a crock pot. With the programmable crock pot, forgetfulness will never be cause to worry about again.

Investing in a digital slow cooker or programmable crock pot will save you time and stress, while providing your family with a delicious meal that they will think you spent hours slaving over.  If you haven't got one then update to one today.

Here is her review:

I bought my Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker last year and I have cooked many meals in it.  I love the look of the attractive stainless steel outside and that it goes with my other kitchen appliances. You can get it in white too if you like.  It has a removable stoneware crock like most other crock pots but this one is very easy to clean and will go in the dishwasher.

This crock pot is much better than others I have had but it is a bit heavier. I can still carry around it though when its full but I would not like to have to carry it a long distance.  It is a large crock pot, six quart in size, and is great for our large family as it cooks for us easily. It would also be good for parties and family gatherings because of the size. The oval shape is perfect for the type of cooking we like, especially roasts like whole chicken.

It has three settings that are pretty much what they say.  The  seal is a big improvement to the usual lid on other crock pots and helps prevent dripping especially when I take it to family gatherings and the handle comes in handy too then.  It cleans very easily and doesn't take up much space on my counter and that is where it stays.

On a negative I did find though was that I did have to adjust the cooking times a little bit as it cooks a little faster than the last one I had so just take that into account and check your cooking a bit earlier than the recipe says.  Overall I am very pleased with the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker and it's a big improvement on my old one.

If you have a Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker whether it is the 6qt or the a smaller one please leave a comment on how you like or dislike about it and what you have been cooking in it as well.