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

I got my crock pot cake pan for Christmas and already have made a few cakes in it.  The crock pot cake came out great in this pan.  It fits perfectly in my old crock pot which is a round one but not the smaller one I also have.  I  love crock pot baking with this pan. They are much harder to find in Australia compared to in the US but I was fortunate to obtain one through an eBay auction.  Rival in the US and Monier in Australia made these cake pans for use in their round crocks many years ago.

You don't have to have a crock pot cake pan to cook cakes in the crock pot.  You can use an ordinary cake pan or other dish that fits your crock base.  I just like having the vented lid which means I don't need to add paper towel over my cake when cooking to absorb the moisture.  With it having a lid you can use it also to carry your cake in.

When buying a crock pot cake pan check the circumference of the pan and make sure it fits your crock pot.  There is a deep size that you can get also which may not fit into even some of the larger pots because of the height so you see it is important to check for sizes before buying any cake pan.  You need to be able to put the lid on your crock pot as well as the crock pot cake pan.

I love crock pot baking and they make crock pot cooking even easier.  I store the cake pan in my crock pot so no extra space is required in my cupboard.  A crock pot cake bakes well in the slow cooker and even rises well too.  Why not get a crock pot cake pan yourself for your own slow cooker.

Tags: crock pot baking, crock pot cake, crock pot cake pan, 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

This is a nice recipe that has a delicate flavor and is easy to make.  The three step preparation is all you need to do to have a lovely meal to serve tonight made in your slow cooker while you do something else you need to get done or just take some time out for yourself relaxing.

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

1/4 cup plain flour

2 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper

2.5 lbs (1kg) chicken legs (about 8-10)

2 tabs oil

1 lemon cut into 4

8 garlic cloves

4 sprigs fresh oregano

1 large onion cut into 8

1.5 cups chicken stock

A little cornflour mixed with water

fresh oregano leaves for garnish

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.

Tags: chicken, Garlic, Slow cooker

I felt like having an old and favorite dish this week called Beef  Stroganoff but this time I made it in the slow cooker.  I haven't made it in the slow cooker before but it turned out great and the meat was tender.  I cut down on the fat by not frying the onion and beef before adding them to the pot but you can if you want to if you like that better.

Beef Stroganoff is a great recipe for the family and is a real warming meal on a cold night and easy to make in the slow cooker as well.  You can serve it with rice but I like noodles with this dish.

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Tags: beef stroganoff, Slow cooker, Soups and Stews

I love fruit cake and this recipe is one of the simplest ones around.  Boiled fruit cake is easy to make and tastes good too and with the addition of some glace pineapple it adds to the sweet taste of the cake.

This cake may not look it but I cooked it in a cake tin in the slow cooker.  You get a nice cake and keep the kitchen cool as well.  I hope you enjoy it.

NOTE:  For a Christmas cake version make the amendments in orange below.

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Tags: boiled fruit cake, Cake, Slow cooker

OK, you know by now I love my slow cooker and it saves me time cooking dinner at night because it has been already cooking during the day. But what if you really don't have the extra time to even prepare it properly or even if you just don't want to think about options and recipes?

This is when I get out the recipe base, one like McCormick has developed  for slow cookers.  I tried one called Country Chicken Casserole and I was very happy with the result.  A lovely meal but with very little preparation and fuss.

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Tags: Casserole, Slow cooker, slow cooker recipe bases

When I say portable crock pots I don't mean ones that you can pick up and carry to another location.  You can do that with any crock pot.  What I mean is one you can take on a camping  holiday, or in your RV, or even take on a picnic day or sporting event, anywhere you don't have a regular electrical outlet.

Roadpro have a TRAVEL CROCK POT that plugs into a 12v socket.  This has a 1.5 quart removable stoneware crock, stretch cord and a glass lid.  It sells for under $30.  This is a good option because you probably would have a 12 v socket spare in your truck or RV or  you can plug it into your cigarette lighter/accessory outlet in the car.

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Tags: Camping, crock pots, portable crock pot, Slow cooker

This recipe is good for couples or a single person so that you can have at least 2 meals from it, one to eat and one to freeze.  I like vegetarian meals and I love curry so this combines the two.  Cooking it all in the crock pot slow cooker while I am working or doing other things is a lifesaver on busy days.

I have shared this recipe with my girlfriends over the years as I have found women especially love this recipe and it is one anyone, even a novice cook, can make.

Paulineh's Vegetarian Curry

2 onions, chopped roughly

2 tabs oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tabs cornflour

2 - 3 tabs curry paste

2.5 cups vegetable stock

cubes or small chunks of your favorite vegetables*

Heat the oil and add the onion, cook until soft then add the flour and then the curry paste.  Cook for a further minute, stirring all the time, then add most of the stock.  Continue to stir until sauce thickens.  If too thick use the rest of the stock. Add the vegetables and stir through, then add it all to the crock pot slow cooker.

Cook for 6 hours on low (check to see vegetables are cooked but are not falling apart).  Serve with rice or poppadoms.  Serves 4.

Notes: * I haven't specified how much vegetables you should use as this will vary with what the vegetables are and what size you cut them into .  As a guide I used about 5 cups.

Variations: You can add a small can tomatoes, chick peas or some frozen peas in the last 15 minutes before serving.  You can also add about 1/2 cup coconut milk for a different taste and add this just before serving.

Tags: Crock pot slow cooker, Slow cooker, vegetarian curry

Cooking on a budget is more often easier than you think.  Here are a few tips for cheap easy meals using your slow cooker. Don't forget to ask your mother and grandmother for their tips too as they had to be experts in the depression years.

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.

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Tags: cheap easy meals, cooking on a budget, Slow cooker