This is a very popular recipe but I think it is because it turns out so well every time so no one varies it.

Steak Teriyaki

Slice the steak thinly and place into the crock pot.  Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the steak and mix through.  Cover with the crock pot lid and cook on low for around 5 hours.  I serve it with rice but vegetables and mashed potato or pasta are nice for a change too.  The meat is lovely and tender and its one of our favorite dishes.

Note:  I add 2 cloves garlic but it depends what your tastes are whether you like the strong garlic taste.

I love lamb stew and this recipe is just delicious made in the crock pot.  Its a three step process but very easy and while it is cooking you have a lovely aroma through the kitchen and house.  I used the cheapest cuts of lamb I could get but just make them nice thick pieces.

Crock Pot Lamb Stew

Melt the butter in a frying pan and brown the chops then add half to the crock pot and half of the vegetables. Place the rest of the chops on top with the remaining vegetables.  Add the flour and the curry to the frying pan and brown for a few minutes.  Combine the wine, plum jam, ketchup and stock together and add to the frying pan stirring constantly until it comes to the boil and thickens to a nice gravy.  Season with salt and pepper and pour over the chops and vegetables in the crock pot.  Cover and cook for 4 hours.

This crock pot lamb stew serves 4.  I accompany the meal with rice.  This is a another great crock pot meal to try.

This crock pot beef stew is very easy to put together and you should have all the ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry.  The flavors of the red wine and mushrooms really gives this recipe its great taste so I encourage you to use the wine.  You can also use half and half of wine and beef stock if you prefer.

Turn on the crock pot to high and spray with some non stick spray .  Put the steak into the crock pot, add everything else except the mushrooms and then stir gently.  Put the lid on and turn the heat down to low and cook for 8 hours.   Add the mushrooms in the last 1/2 hour of cooking. You can thicken with cornflour or potato flour about the same time.  Remove the bay leaves from the crock pot before serving.  Oh, and I have forgotten that step once or twice and was the lucky one who got the crunchy bay leaf.

Serve this crock pot beef stew with rice or mashed potato and some peas, corn or other vegetables.   I must admit my favorite accompaniment with this crock pot meal  is sweet potato mash.  Serves 4

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

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.

I am always experimenting with my recipes and especially with my crock pot soup recipes to come up with a new taste as I like to have soup for my lunch each day in winter and I get bored with the same old ones.  I like vegetarian recipes the most and they are usually low fat and high fiber which is a bonus.  I love soups based on pumpkin so the recipe below is one like that but with my other favorite ingredient sweet potato.

Vegetarian Pumpkin Soup with Sweet Potato

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  I like to thicken my soups by taking half and putting through a sieve or food processor.  This also makes a smoother soup but its really up to your own tastes.  You can also thicken this soup with a little cornflour mixed in water and stirred through the soups when cooked.

Serve sprinkled with parsley and with toast, foccacia bread or sourdough bread (my favorite).

This vegetable pumpkin soup  with sweet potato has to be one of the easiest soups I have made and is a good choice to make on a Sunday for your lunches during the week.  Soup makes a good meal for work and is filling especially in the colder months of the year.  Vegetable soups are also low in calories so if you limit your carbohydrates like toast with the soup then you have a low calorie entree or lunch meal.

If you are looking for a simple recipe then Marinated Crock Pot Chicken is the one you will want to try.  You use a whole chicken and marinate it for a few hours then place in the crock pot and it does the rest.  How simple can it get!   The flavors of the marinade really penetrate the chicken and you can then thicken the liquid in the base of the crock pot for a lovely sauce.   I hope you like this recipe as I do.

Marinated Crock Pot Chicken

Combine all ingredients in a bowl except the garlic and the rest of the lemon (not used for the juice)  and stir well.   Place the garlic and the lemon in the chicken cavity and then pour the marinade over the chicken.   Place in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, basting with the marinade occasionally.  Place into the base of the crock pot and cook on high for about 4 hours.  You can baste it with the juices about twice during cooking, trying not to leave the lid off too long.  Remove the chicken and cut into serving pieces.  Thicken the juices with a little flour mixed with water to make a sauce to pour over the chicken.  Serve with rice or potatoes and vegetables.  Serves 4.

If you are looking for crock pot parts and accessories then see the eBay auction on this site- click here

I love crock pot dinners as you now and it has surprised me to realize that it has only been in the last few years that slow cooking has become so popular again.

I started cooking in my crock pot in the 1970s, yes I am that old I hear you thinking.  I put it away again but got it out when I found it again when I moved house.  I was working back then as I am now and I am still singing the praise of slow cooking.

In the last 2 years I have noticed in grocery stores the emergence of crock pot/slow cooker mixes.  You add your meat or chicken and one or two other ingredients with the packet mix and you have your crock pot dinner ready to cook.

I have used them once or twice when I was really busy but prefer to work from one of my own recipes as then I know exactly what  is in it that I am serving my family.  Their popularity though tells me that there is a market now that wasn't there or big enough before.

People have discovered the great taste that slow cooking brings to the dish and how simple it is to make.  Another benefit is the small amount of clean up required.  If you are working then you know you want to relax as much as you can when you come home and not be in the kitchen.

How nice it is to know that dinner is cooking itself while you are at work or away from home all day.  I am glad that others are now finding how convenient crock pot dinners are and how great they taste too.

If you haven't joined the crock pot revolution then now is the time!  Crock pot dinners will change the way you cook and how you spend your time when you are home from a hard day's work.

f you like a mess free life then you might like to start using a crock pot liner for your crock pot meals.

Not only are crock pot liners good for no mess cooking but you can use them to transfer food to another contained which is really helpful when taking that cooked dish to another location such as a Pot Luck party.  You can also seal up that liner in the crock pot itself which will help prevent spillage.

I don't find that most of my crock pot recipes stick to the sides or bottom but if you know a recipe which does then that is when the crock pot liner will really be helpful.

Read the rest of this entry

It has been in our kitchens and in the kitchens of our moms and grandmothers crock pots are great appliances to have but somehow they have been relegated to the back of the pantry over the past years.  They are now making a come back and are bringing some slow cooking action to more and more kitchens.  Crock pot cooking is easy, time-saving, and economical.  You can get your deliciously healthy crock pot meals to the table without much hassle on your part.

Crock pot cooking is definitely healthier than Chinese take-out or pizza delivery.  You do all your cooking in one pot, cooking all your ingredients slowly and sealing in all the juices and nutrients in your food.  Healthy crock pot meals could include hearty beef stews, healthy vegetarian soup, and pot roast among others.  Your family will surely look forward to mealtimes with your crock pot meals.  It would seem like you spent the whole day cooking, but you didn't, only your crock pot did.

Read the rest of this entry

I love crock pot meatballs and this recipe is just so yummy.  Its not a one step recipe as you do need to mix and roll the meatballs and brown them first but its still an easy recipe.  You can double this recipe if you want to cook for a large family or for a party.  I make this recipe on the weekend and have another meal during the week ready to heat up.

Crock Pot Meatballs in Tomato and Beer Sauce

Combine the above ingredients and if you need more breadcrumbs then add a little more until you get a mixture you can roll into balls.

Tomato and Beer Sauce

Brown the meatballs then add to the crock pot.  In a large microwave jug combine the sauce mix and cook on medium for 5 minutes stirring half way through.  Note:  Add more Tabasco if you like it hotter so I suggest you taste the sauce to get it to your liking.  Pour over the meatballs making sure you have enough sauce to cover them and cook on Low for 6 - 8 hours depending on how hot your crock pot cooks.  Serve the Crock Pot Meatballs with your favorite pasta or spaghetti and chopped fresh basil .  Serves 4.

PS You can add a little chutney to the meat balls to give it a bit of a different texture and taste.