I love the taste of Kalamata olives and sun dried tomatoes so this dish was always going to be a favorite.  Cooking the Osso Bucco in the crock pot ensures that the veal is tender and tasty.

If you don't like olives you can leave them out but maybe give them a try and you might be surprised at the wonderful taste it gives this dish.  This is another crock pot meal ideal for Pot Luck parties.

Osso Bucco with olives

6 pieces of veal osso bucco

flour mixed with salt and pepper

2 tabs oil

1 clove garlic

2 tabs butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stick celery, chopped

1 can tomatoes

1 tab tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup beef stock

1/4 cup semi dried tomatoes & olives

1 tab lemon juice

sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley

Coat meat in the flour and heat the oil in a large heavy pan and brown the meat for a few minutes each side.  Transfer to the crock pot.  Add onion and garlic to the pan cook for 1 minute then add the carrot and celery and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, puree, red wine and stock.  Stir thoroughly until blended well and pour over the meat in the crock pot.

Cook on low for approximately 6 hours.  Add the sun dried tomatoes and olives in the last hour.  Stir in the lemon juice and thicken the gravy if needed before serving.  Serve with mashed potato or polenta.

Tags: Crock Pot, crock pot recipe, Kalamata, osso bucco

Crock pot dinners have slowly gained popularity with a lot of families in the United States and across the world. Not only is it a great way to help a lot of families save money for meals, it also makes anyone's cooking experience fun and easy. The crock pot was first introduced as an electrical Dutch oven and it has come a long way since then.  Crock pot dinners cook in 4 - 8 hours and can stay heated for hours, depending on the model and cooking settings, without needing a lot of attention.

One of the advantages of the crock pot is that it is very efficient when it comes to the use of energy. You can guarantee that cooking for a crowd can be done cheaply and you wont heat your kitchen up either in summer.  All you need to do is to load it with all the raw ingredients of your crock pot dinner, set and forget. This allows you to save a lot of money and to eat healthier food than buying out.

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Tags: cooking for large families, Crock Pot, Crock pot dinners

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

A friend of mine, Jane, loves her Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker so I have asked her to do a review to post here.  This is a family sized  6 qt crock pot and so I would not buy one this size so I am glad that she is happy to review it for us.

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.

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Tags: Crock Pot, Hamilton Beach Stay or Go, Slow cooker

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

If you are looking for a soup that is super easy to make and won't take as long as some recipes in the crock pot then this Chinese Crab and Corn Soup is perfect for you.  This recipe was given to me from a friend many years ago and I have adapted it to the crock pot.  This recipe does use canned products so I think of the soup as a kind of fast food substitute.  I like to use fresh ingredients when I can but eating this soup is still better for me than burgers or fried chicken. It is also easy to make for a late night supper.

Chinese Crab and Corn Soup

4 cups of chicken stock

15 oz (420g) can creamed corn

6 oz (170g) can crab meat, drained and flaked

6 shallots,  chopped

1 egg white, whisked

dash or two of soy sauce to taste

Add the first 3  ingredients to the crock pot and half of the shallots.  Stir well and turn on the crock pot slow cooker to low and cook for 1 - 2 hours.  Before serving add the egg and the soy sauce.  Sprinkle the remainder of the shallots over the top and serve with some crackers or toast.   If you like a slightly thicker soup then you can thicken with some cornflour. Serves 4.

I like this Chinese Crab and Corn Soup when I want a nice warming soup but have limited time and I hope you try it and enjoy  it too.  To top it off it's probably one of the easiest soups I make as well.

Tags: Chinese crab and corn soup, Crock Pot, recipe

I like this quote:  I'm a meat girl and I just love having a beer....Jill Goodacre

Looking for an easy crock pot meal?  Then this Beef  'n Beer Casserole recipe is for you.  This is  a recipe where you just put all the ingredients into the crock pot slow cooker and stir it occasionally during cooking.  Nothing really can go wrong with it, so if you are a novice cook this is the beef recipe for you.   Put it up and put it on in the morning and your dinner is cooked when you come home from work.

Beef  'n Beer Casserole

2.5lbs (1kg)of topside other steak, cut into chunks

1 cup beef stock

3/4 cup beer

3 tabs tomato puree

1 tab minced garlic

1 carrot and onion chopped

1 stick celery chopped

bouquet garni *

sprinkle of oregano

Place all ingredients into crock pot and cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Stir once or twice only and thicken with a little flour or gravy mix 15 minutes before serving. Remove bouquet garni and serve with vegetables and rice or mashed potato.  This beef n' beer casserole serves 4 servings.

As there are only 2 of us I freeze half the quantity and have it for another meal later in the week.  If I am in a hurry I can then just defrost it, heat and serve with crusty bread for a quick meal.

* bouquet garni - I make my own by tying together a bay leaf, some parsley stalks and a sprig of thyme.

Tags: beef casserole, beer and beef, Crock Pot, crock pot recipe

In winter my crock pot has a partner.  They are always out together.  They go together like bread and jam and by saying that it's almost correct because it is my BREADMAKER.  They are both such time savers and really if I didn't have the breadmaker then I wouldn't try and make it myself.  You can make bread in the crock pot too but as I have the breadmaker I can do the whole meal at once.

I love to make soups in winter and fresh hot bread is just the ultimate accompaniment.  I can set and forget both of them, but I must admit the bread doesn't take as long to cook unless I set the Programmable Crock Pot for the time the bread will be ready.  I then have both cooked at the same time and ready to serve.  The smells coming out of that kitchen are just hard to explain, especially when its a week day and I return home to a house smelling like heaven.

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Tags: Bread machine, breadmaker, Crock Pot, Soup

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

Most people know that crock pots are an excellent choice for cooking easy and healthy recipes. But did you know that your slow cooker can also be used for a variety of projects besides making edibles?

Your crock pot can be used as an air freshener. It takes only three ingredients: baking soda, essential oil and water, in a slow cooker on the low setting without the lid, and your house will smell noticeably fresher in just a few hours.

Candles are easy to make in the crock pot , and this project makes good use of leftover candles that don’t light anymore. With your slow cooker and old candle wax, heat-proof glass containers and wicks, you can have brand new candles in just a few hours.

Slow cookers make easy and fun Christmas ornaments. First, make a flour and salt-based dough and cut shapes with cookie cutters. After baking for a few hours in the crock pot, the ornaments are ready to paint and hang on the tree. This technique can also be used to make beads for stringing.

You can dye yarn or fabric in your crock pot using just hot water, vinegar and dye. Be sure to rinse the dyed fabric or yarn in clear water thoroughly to ensure colorfastness.  Amazon has this great book on Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Dyeing check it out for more detailed but easy instructions on dyeing.

Everyone loves play dough, and it is simple to make in a slow cooker. With a few ingredients such as flour, corn starch, salt and water, you can have a fresh new batch of  Play Dough in under two hours.

If haven't got a crock pot in your kitchen then NOW is the time to do something about it.

Tags: Air freshener, candle making, Crock Pot, dye fabric, Slow cooker