I got my crock pot cake pan!

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.

crock pot cake panYou 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.

No items matching your keywords were found.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Making Crock Pot Meals in Winter

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.

TO CHECK OUT:    Frugal Mom's Guide to Once a Month Cooking is here!  Not only does it have over 70 mom-tested once a month cooking recipes, but complete step-by-step instructions for doing once a month cooking, and lots of great forms to help you!
Click here for more information.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Using recipe bases with the slow cooker

recipebasesOK, 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.

Read the rest of this entry

smartpotA digital slow cooker is the answer for super busy people who still like to eat in rather than out.  A slow cooker or crock pot is designed to make life a little easier for the chef on the run, as well as to give meals that savory taste of having been sauteing in their own sauces for hours.  So you are going to be busy at work or running errands all day but want to have dinner on the table at six o'clock?  When you have a crock pot this is not  a problem except for the times when you can't be home in time to turn it off.

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.

Read the rest of this entry

potroastMany 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.

Read the rest of this entry

Little known other uses for the crock pot

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.candle-4

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.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Crock Pot Apricot Chicken

This crock pot recipe for apricot chicken is one that I used to make in the 70s, when I first started using my crock pot .  Tastes have changed since then, and I know mine has a lot, but I recently made this dish again and was surprised that it still tastes just as it did back then and I enjoyed it just as much.  You can use chicken breast or chicken legs for this recipe.  I used chicken breast but I think next time I will try the legs instead.

Apricot Chicken

2 lbs (1 kg ) chicken breast (cut into cubes) or chicken legs
15 oz (410-425g) can apricot nectar
1 pkt (1.5 oz)) french onion soup mix (Maggi or Lipton)
2 teasps curry powder (optional but recommended)
1 teasp ginger powder
15 oz (425g) can apricot halves - drained
2 tabs sour cream (optional)
chopped parsley to garnish

Put all ingredients except the last three into the crock pot slow cooker and stir well.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Half way through the cooking time add the apricot halves and stir through.  When cooked, thicken if necessary and stir through the sour cream.  Serve with rice and vegetables and garnish with the parsley.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Oregano Chicken with Lemon

oreganochickenThis 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.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Finding quality crock pot recipes

Finding crock pot recipes should not be difficult if you are searching online as the internet is so big.  That's what I thought when I was previously looking for quality recipes.  What I found though was a lot of information I had to sort through to find a good recipe or one that was at a standard  that I was looking for.    I like to use items you find in your pantry and avoid if possible using canned goods.  This was a bit of a hit and miss process I found though.

I started to adapt my own standard recipes to crock pot recipes and only looked at quality sites if I had to.  This worked for awhile but then I needed more, and got inspiration from my mother's recipes as well.  Slow cooker recipe eBooks also were not at a very good standard generally as I am sure most of the recipes were not tested and tried.  Printed cookbooks were superior by a long way.

I decided to set up this blog to give you quality, tested crock pot recipes and ideas and I am now in the process of writing my own eBook on cake and dessert crock pot recipes.  I found these recipes the hardest to find online so I decided to write this eBook.  I should be finished the book in the next month.

I have decided to give it away to my readers who are on my email list so if you haven't grabbed the soup recipe eBook featured to the right then do that soon.  You then will be on the list and you will be one of the first people to get the eBook when I release it.  It will only be available for my readers on that list.

I will keep you informed on the release date as it gets closer. Here's to more crock pot meals.

If you are looking for recipes today then go to my CROCK POT RECIPES here on the blog.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Take your crock pot with you

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.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
 Page 2 of 3 « 1  2  3 »