I love to go to Pot Luck Parties and family gatherings where I take along a dish I have made to contribute to the meal.  The crock pots that have a lock down lid and handles make it easy to move the crock pot meal to your destination.   Slow Cooker Liners are good too as you can tie the contents up and then replace the lid so you wont spill any of the contents.

You can also buy a Crock Pot Travel Bag and this helps with transporting the hot crock pot as well.  There are two sizes so check that your crock pot will fit before buying.  Have you ever dropped a dish while trying to carry it?    I did, and it was one of my favorites that couldn't be replaced so don't let his happen to you.

I love being with family and friends and the crock pot is a great boon for when I am asked to 'take a plate'.  No fuss cooking, a great crock pot meal and no fuss carrying as well.   Making and taking your crock pot meal also helps the hostess/host with one less dish to heat in the oven.  I know my oven would not take more than about 4 casserole size dishes.

Crock pot meals make good choices for when you need to supply a meal so take your crock pot with you.

Tags: crock pot meals, Pot Luck Parties, Slow cooker

The crock pot makes winter cooking easy.  You can prepare cheap easy meals from your slow cooker including soups, stews, desserts and cakes.  Fill the crock pot, turn it on, walk away and come back to delicious crock pot meals.  I cook a lot of soups in winter and all of them are prepared in the slow cooker.  You will be able to make cheap and easy crock pot meals with little preparation.  Soups are great to freeze for later as well, so if you are cooking on a budget soups are great value.

When most people think of crock pot cooking they think of cooking stews only, and they do cook well by slow cooking, but in winter I also cook most of my puddings, cakes and other desserts in the crock pot.  Last winter I also started cooking breakfasts also.  If you are a busy person, then why not get out that crock pot this winter and if you haven't already got one you can buy one at a great price on eBay or Amazon.  Check out the eBay auction on this site for current listings.

We are all cooking on a budget these days and the slow cooker helps you save money as you can use less expensive cuts of meat, use less electricity, cook in bulk and have more home made meals instead of dining out. Cooking in winter is always more pleasant than the hot steamy days of summer so this winter why not try some nutritious and easy crock pot meals.  Cooking on a budget has never been easier.

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Tags: cooking on a budget, Crock Pot, crock pot meals, Slow cooker

If 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.

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Tags: Cooking, crock pot liners, crock pot meals

I like this crock pot recipe as it goes a long way and is good to take to pot luck parties or just when you want easy meals your family and friends they can help themselves to.  I cook this crock pot meal usually for Sunday night dinner and have it again Monday night.  It saves me cooking at least one night.

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Tags: beef recipe, Crock Pot, crock pot meals

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.

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

I like pea and ham soup but this week I couldn't find any bacon or ham bones so I compromised and used bacon rashes instead with this recipe.   It worked out fine but I think I still would prefer the bacon bones.  I suppose in the end it is a matter of taste and what is available.

This pea, bacon and celery soup is super easy and so simple to make even the kids could make this crock pot meal.  Why not let them try it and give you a break from cooking.

Pea, bacon and celery soup

1 lb (500g) bacon (or ham) bones

1/2 lb (250g) split peas, soaked overnight

1 medium onion, chopped

6 cups vegetable stock

1 tab minced garlic

3 sticks celery finely chopped

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

chopped parsley to garnish

Put everything in the crock pot and turn on to low and cook for 6 hours.  Remove bones and cut meat off and put aside. Remove a cup of the soup, making sure to include mainly the peas and celery but with only a little liquid, puree the rest and then add the reserved soup and meat back in, and stir well.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with toast, croutons or fresh bread rolls.  Serves 4.

note:  If you like a thicker soup you can add some cornflour at the end or even a small can of cream corn.

Experiment with your soup recipes to get the taste you and your family like.  You can't really spoil anything in the crock pot and soups make great warming meals on the weekend.  I also froze half the soup as we are only a family of two so that is another meal I have for the week sometime when I am busy.  Enjoy your crock pot meal!

Tags: Crock Pot, crock pot meals, pea bacon and celery soup, Soup

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.

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Tags: crock pot meals, Crockpot, healthy crock pot cooking

I like this Mulligatawny soup because it has a lot of flavor and is really warming on a cold night.  Making it in the crock pot makes the process just so easy. Crock Pot meals are so much easier than conventional meals especially for someone like me who is working full time as I can set it and forget it.  I like soup made the day before though,  so I usually  make it on the weekend and store it in the refrigerator and take it to work for lunch or have an instant quick dinner ready.  Here's my recipe for Mulligatawny soup which can be made with chicken or you can leave it out for a vegetarian alternative.

Mulligatawny Soup

2 tabs butter

1 onion and 1 carrot and 3/4 cup celery  -finely chopped

1 potato and 1 green apple - cubed

2 tabs flour

1 teasp each of curry powder and cumin

pinch turmeric

1 bay leaf

1 quart (1 litre) chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup cooked chicken - chopped

1/2 cup cooked basmati rice

coriander leaves - chopped

Brown the onion, carrot, celery, and potato for 2 minutes then stir in the flour,  turmeric,  curry and cumin and continue another 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, raisins, apple and bay leaf and mix well.  Transfer to crock pot and set to low for  for approximately  5  hours.  Add the chicken and rice about half way through cooking time.  Garnish with a generous helping of chopped coriander leaves and serve with some crusty bread or extra rice.

You can adjust this recipe as well by adding a little thyme, grated lemon peel  or some coconut milk for a slightly different taste. You could also try using lentil instead of the rice. Crock pot meals are easy and I hope you try this one out for yourself.

Tags: Crock Pot, crock pot meals, muligatawny soup, Soup