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09 Jan 08 - 04:00 AM (#2231817) Subject: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne I have just been given a large crock pot, or slow-cooker. I've never used one before. Does anyone have any good recipes I can try out in it please? I know a lot of you are into cooking. Love Lynne |
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09 Jan 08 - 04:03 AM (#2231819) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Catherine Jayne Do you like venison? we do a lovely vension casserole type thing. Also do alot of soups and chilli. |
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09 Jan 08 - 04:16 AM (#2231825) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne I love venison and we do have it occasionally so I'd love the recipe please! In fact, any recipes are welcome at this point since, not having used one, I'm not quite sure how to adapt ordinary recipes to it. Once I've used a few apecific slow-cooker recipes I'll be able to see how it all works and try my usual recipes in it. It has three settings...don't know if they all do Love Lynne |
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09 Jan 08 - 05:00 AM (#2231842) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Joe Offer This page (click) has a number of slow-cooker soups. Most of the time, I use mine just for pea or lentil soup: 1 bag lentils or split peas ham bone or 1 cup chopped ham 5 carrots 1 medium onion 5 stalks celery 1 large potato 15 peppercorns Chop all vegetables and throw everything in the pot. Fill almost to the top with water. Cook on low, 10-24 hours. If desired, puree soup with an electric mixer when it's finished cooking. My wife the semi-vegetarian cringes at seeing vegetables cooked for so long. She says it destroys the enzymes, or something. Maybe so, but it tastes good. She takes hers out just after the vegetables begin to soften. -Joe- |
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09 Jan 08 - 07:20 AM (#2231898) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Thanks Joe! Love Lynne |
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09 Jan 08 - 07:26 AM (#2231902) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Catherine Jayne Don't know about weights...but this is what I do.. Stewing venison or venison steak cubed A couple of carrots A large onion Mushrooms Red wine quarter of a pint of water Stock cube or liquid stock Mixed herbs or bouquet garni salt and pepper to taste but add the salt towards the end (add any veg you like) My slow cooker has 2 settings, I start off on high and a couple of hours later I turn it down to low and let it beeble away to itself for 4-6 hours. You can thicken with a bit of corn flour. If you want a creamy dish add some single cream at the end of the cooking period. |
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09 Jan 08 - 08:30 AM (#2231945) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Cats at Work Lynne Are you going to be at the Anchor Reunion? If so I'll photocopy a selection and bring them with me. If not I'll post you some. LOL |
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09 Jan 08 - 09:04 AM (#2231977) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,leeneia I use my crock pot a lot. Didn't yours come with a little cookbook? Here's something I made last night. I am a great believer in slow-cooker liners, which are sold next to the Reynolds oven bags for cooking turkey. ======== Slow-cooked pork with seeds Time the fat from a pork butt roast. Line the slow cooker with a slow-cooker liner or small oven bag. Place the meat in the cooker, pressing it against the crock for better heat transfer. Sprinkle about 1/2 T caraway and 1/2 T dill seeds on top of the meat. Cook on low, all day. Once or twice, carefully remove accumulated liquid with a basting bulb. Twenty minutes before dinner, remove to a rack and let rest. (You can try other seeds, such as fennel, celery or poppy.) |
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09 Jan 08 - 09:15 AM (#2231987) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: wysiwyg Try the crockpot-specific recipes in the booklet that should have come with it (or the online recipes). That will teach you the basics for most cuts of meats, etc., and techniques. Follow them to the letter, say about two or three times, and then you wil be ready to throw out the recipes and just cook from your own creativity without measuring, etc.. ~Susan |
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09 Jan 08 - 09:43 AM (#2232010) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,pattyClink Just throw in something you would normally roast and add a bit of a sauce of some kind. Not a lot, it doesn't take much liquid. For example: Wash a chicken. Put it in the pot. Blend a can of cream of chicken soup (with herbs if possible) with a few splashes of sherry. Pour over top. Cook on low 8 hours more or less. Doesn't look pretty but it tastes good. Do the same with a pork loin and golden mushroom soup. Put in a chuck roast. Mix up a cup of chopped tomatoes (canned/stewed is fine) and a chopped onion, a bay leaf, salt, pepper, dashes of marjoram or oregano. Cook on low 8 hours more or less. Put in a beef brisket (not corned beef, although that can be done easily in the crock too). Mix up a small bottle of bbq sauce and a beer, doctor with whatever you like (jalapenos, etc). Cook on low 8 hours more or less. Skin a bunch of chicken legs, toss in the pot. Cover with a jar of marinara/pasta sauce, splash of red wine, garlic if desired. Cook on low 8 hours more or less. Serve over fettucine alfredo. Make you wanna slap your momma. |
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09 Jan 08 - 09:55 AM (#2232022) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Maryrrf Just about any kind of meat can simply be put into the crock pot with some seasonings before you go off to work in the morning and it will be done when you get home. Mine has an "Auto" setting where it cooks on high for 3 or 4 hours then switches to low, which is usually just about perfect. Makes sense to use cheaper, tougher cuts since the long cooking will tenderize the meat. Barbecue sauce, tomato sauce are good, or you can use a can or two of soup such as cream of mushroom. Here's one of my favorites - take a lean pork roast and put it in the crock pot. Sprinkle with spices such as salt, pepper, garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper - you can get creative. Add a cup of vinegar and cook all day. When you get home, shred it up and serve on warm buns with coleslaw. You can then freeze and use this shredded pork in all sorts of dishes. |
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09 Jan 08 - 10:23 AM (#2232042) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Brilliant! Thanks everyone. It doesn't have a cookbook with it because it's second hand. The couple who gave it to me say they have a handbook "Somewhere" What I need to get to know is the lengths of time needed and the uses of the high, medium and low settings I think. Cats, I won't be at the Reunion unfortunately. Love Lynne |
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09 Jan 08 - 10:32 AM (#2232054) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Stilly River Sage Depending on the device, times can vary. I have three crock pots, and find that the newer big one cooks at a much lower temperature than the older big one. I do pot roast, roast chicken, and you can even bake potatoes and such in a crock pot. I also have a very small one, my oatmeal pot. I set it up the night before to cook oatmeal--start with very hot water--it basically keeps it hot all night after cooking with the hot water when you first mix it, but it is very creamy, and this is a great way to soften up raisins. SRS |
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09 Jan 08 - 10:36 AM (#2232058) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Maryrrf Keep in mind that rice and pasta won't do very well in the crockpot, so I wouldn't bother with those items. What the crock pot really is best for is soups, stews, and cuts of meat that benefit from long cooking. You will have fun experimenting! |
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10 Jan 08 - 07:02 AM (#2232846) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Cats at Work Lynne ~ there is a very good book called 'Slow Cooking Properly Explained' that you might pick up somewhere for a few pounds. It is very basic and doesn't have pictures but does explain what sorts of rice to use or what cuts of meat are best etc. There is also a very good little book called something like 'Slow Cooking for Vegaterians' which might be useful. Try amazon or e bay |
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10 Jan 08 - 09:57 AM (#2232946) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Raptor Put a full pork shoulder roast in on low for 10 hours. After 10 hours shred the meat with a fork. Add full bottle of bulls eye BBQ sauce. Stir then spread on big Hamburger buns. Its called a pulled pork sandwich. Youll love em! Raptor |
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10 Jan 08 - 10:07 AM (#2232951) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Dave'sWife And to wreck anybody's bnew year's diet... try this one: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=106023 Other than that, I often just toss stuff in until it looks right such as: 3 chicken breast & 3 chicken thighs - 2 cups of chicken stock mixed with 1 cup milk, some dry mustard or couple spoonfuls of the wet stuff, a Teaspoon of grill seasoning or trader joe's 21 spice salute, frozen sliced carrots, chopped celery, frozen bell pepper, frozen pearl onions and then let it all simmer during the day. I come back to it and add in 4 ounces of cubed cream cheese, 1/2 cup of finely grated asiago cheese and stir all up. At the last 15 minutes, toss in some frozen peas and any leftover potatoes you have (a can of sliced works too). Stir all up and serve in bowls - cheesy chicken stew. yum |
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10 Jan 08 - 10:44 AM (#2232985) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Dave'sWife Sorry, I blew the link above. here it is corrected: Cake in a Crockpot working link Also, if you just google the words "Crockpot recipes" or "slowcooker recipes" plus or minus the main ingredient you want to work with, you'll see all kinds of clever things to try including cake! here's a good page for Crockpot desserts: Crockpot Desserts I hang out in this food forum alot under the same Screenname: BBQ 4 U Good recipe for Creamy Italian Chicken Slow Cooker Beef Burgandy |
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10 Jan 08 - 10:53 AM (#2232990) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Donuel If you are advocating cooking crack pots, where does one find them? |
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10 Jan 08 - 11:13 AM (#2233013) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Maryrrf That cake in a crock pot recipe sounds soooo tempting but I don't dare make it for fear I'd eat the entire cake! |
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10 Jan 08 - 01:10 PM (#2233094) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Thanks again guys...all very useful. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how long I should cook something in the crock pot if it would normally take, say, 2 hours in the oven? I've been looking at a load of recipes which I think would probably work well in the crock pot but I'm not sure how long to cook them...or on which setting either. Can you do things like rising bread dough in it on the low setting? Love Lynne |
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10 Jan 08 - 02:07 PM (#2233151) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Dave'sWife I wouldn't use the Low setting to rise dough - most crockpot's set on low would start baking the dough. You can however, try doing that on the warm setting. Some crockpot places also will sell you inserts for baking, for steaming puddings, for rising dough and so on. You can accomplish the same thing by setting the crockpot on warm, filling the stoneware liner with an inch or so of water and then placing the dough in a stoneware bowl inside the water bath so the dough isn't coming into direct contact with the warmest part of the sides of the stoneware liner (which rest against the metal heating element). Cooking with a slow cooker is by its very nature imprecise. You set it on low and walk away for 8 hours. Or, you set it on high for a couple hours and then switch to low and walk away for 6 hours. That kinda thing. There are some helpful websotes that explain the basics. I'll look for them but you can find them just as fast by googling on the temrms Slow cooker basics or Crockpot cooking introduction |
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10 Jan 08 - 02:26 PM (#2233179) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Bill D Most crock pots do have 2 settings. The low one is for doing things like overnight simmering, while the high one will do a 2-3 hour job. I don't use mine often, but my favorite recipe is dead simple...take a whole chicken (a smaller fryer..not a big baking chicken...cover it with water, add some salt & pepper, let it simmer (at whatever setting is relevant) until it falls apart when you try to pull on a leg...then take a couple of slotted spoons and remove the chicken to a large dish. Put some egg noodles in the pot (you know..a 'bag'). With fork & fingers, remove all 'chicken' pieces from carcass....discard fat & bones, and toss chicken back in with noodles until noodles are done..(20 minutes?) Adjust amount of liquid at each step to avoid boiling over. Yes, you can experiment with carrots or peas...etc. I just do chicken & noodles. |
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10 Jan 08 - 02:46 PM (#2233207) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: open mike http://familycrockpotrecipes.com/ http://www.a-crock-cook.com/ |
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10 Jan 08 - 03:28 PM (#2233238) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Stilly River Sage I put a chicken in dry, just coat the pot with olive oil, and fill the cavity with onion and maybe carrot and celery and a liberal sprinkling of garlic and pepper on the skin. Let it cook until it's very well done (starting to fall off the bones--there will be a lot of liquid in the pot now). It's good roasted that way, and easy to use the meat for other dishes like enchiladas, etc. And keep that liquid to add to soup broth. It's difficult to answer the question about how long, i.e., if an oven takes 2 hours, a crockpot takes six, etc. Each pot can vary a great deal. You'll have to do a little experimenting (and I would recommend the first couple of times you use it, do it when you're at home. If it is going to catch fire, better you're there to detect it and put it out, than leave the house with an untested used appliance running). SRS |
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10 Jan 08 - 03:38 PM (#2233249) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Bert I used to have a great aunt who did really great stuffed lambs hearts. She just stuffed them with sage and onion, and cooked them for hours. |
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11 Jan 08 - 03:26 AM (#2233671) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Hmm..I'm getting the idea. I bet you can do steamed or boiled puddings in it too? Does anyone have any idea if it really saves electricity? Love Lynne |
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11 Jan 08 - 08:47 AM (#2233815) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Dave'sWife SRS - the next time you roast a chicken in your corckpot try this - coat the chicken with a little olibve oil and rub all over. Then Spinkle one packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix (the dry kind in the pouch) all over said chicken. Stuff the cavity with an onion. Toss in some peeled carrots cut in half, some peeled taters cut in half, A parsnip or turnip peeled and cut in large sections, one small can of drained black olives, set the thing however you set it and walk away. When done, you will have a zesty roasted chicken and sweet roasted root veggiesthat soak up lots of that yummy seasoning. Save the liquid to use as gravy. yum yum yum yum. I used to do this in the oven and call it Chicken Inez after Inez Sepe who taught me the recipe. Over the years Chicken Inez devolved into "Chicken Italiano". Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken: You can do the same basic thing but use 1/2 cup of lemon juice mixed with 1/3 cup of your best oilve oil or roasted garlic olive oil and 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped thyme. Stuff the inside of the chicken with a couple of bunches of parlsey and pour half the oil mixture inside the chicken and rub the rest on the outside of the chicken. Toss in some of the peeled root veggies as before and roast in crockpot or oven. If you want more lemon flavor, zest a lemon or two and put the zest inside the chicken. You get the most wonderfully arpmatic roasted chicken ever! |
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11 Jan 08 - 09:23 AM (#2233836) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,pattyClink And the simplest of all: Put a beef roast in the pot, sprinkle with a packet of onion soup mix, add 6 oz water, cook on low all day. |
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11 Jan 08 - 10:08 AM (#2233863) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,leeneia oops. In the recipe I posted above for pork roast with seeds on it, I believe I forget to mention that you put a small amount of soy sauce on the meat. When cooking a small roast, I use a teaspoon. |
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11 Jan 08 - 10:38 AM (#2233886) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Maryrrf One thing about crock pot cooking is that it does't really brown the meat. So I usually like to add something with some color - soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, paprika, etc. |
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11 Jan 08 - 11:49 AM (#2233957) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Dave'sWife If you want the meat brown - you can always sear it on the stove first in a sautee pan. A lot of folks do that. For dark colour - you can always add a tablespoon or so of Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master - those are 2 brands of bottled Caramel colouring & Seasoning you can usually find near the canned and bottled gravies in the grocery store. I prefer Gravy Master but that's a Yankee brand and so I have to have my Mum ship me a few bottles every so many years. I can only ever find Kitchen Bouquet here in Los Angels and then only once in a while. (Never near thanksgiving when you need it to help darken the Turkey gravy!) |
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11 Jan 08 - 05:30 PM (#2234251) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: DougR I get most of my recipies online these days. My favorite site is All Recipes.com Just GOOGLE "Crockpot Recipes" and you will call up a ton of sites containing them. Maybe even one that would call for using one of Bobert's old shoes! DougR |
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12 Jan 08 - 05:05 AM (#2234583) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne I did try Googling for crockpot recipes and there were just loads of sites. I looked at a few, but a lot of them were these sort of directory sites which send you to other places. When I did look at recipes, a lot of them were using rahter expensive meat...loads of recipes for chicken breasts and so on. I gave up trying to trawl through it all to find the good ones. I'm getting the idea though and I think I'll try cooking a rabbit in it next week. One thing though....can you cook the stuff for too long? It would be useful to be able to cook a meal overnight when the electricity is cheaper, but it might have to be on for a bit more than eight hours. Would that matter? Love |Lynne |
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12 Jan 08 - 07:33 AM (#2234632) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne So now (see "May I weep and wail a bit" thread) I need REALLY cheap slow cooker recipes! How to feed a family on £50 a week less than what was already not enough. *Sigh. Love Lynne |
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12 Jan 08 - 09:16 AM (#2234657) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Maryrrf Lynne, I am sorry about your job - what a shame. And you loved the job too. As regards the crockpot, if you cook on low you probably won't overcook so don't worry about that too much |
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12 Jan 08 - 09:22 AM (#2234662) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: The Fooles Troupe "can you cook the stuff for too long" If you 'overcook' meat, it dissolves into soup... potatoes disappear, etc - it all just 'vanishes into the goop' - whether it destroys 'goodness' i dont; know - but it CAN IMPROVE taste! |
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12 Jan 08 - 09:31 AM (#2234669) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: The Fooles Troupe "Does anyone have any idea if it really saves electricity?" Actually 'haybox cooking' involved bringing a pot to the boil for long enough to ensure everything inside was up to temp, then placing it in a highly insulated box - originally hay - nowadays there are modern versiona. |
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12 Jan 08 - 01:57 PM (#2234822) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Stilly River Sage I don't know if it saves energy, but it can save time. Once you figure out which recipes are suitable for cooking for 8-10 hours, you can set up a pot of stuff in the morning and when you come home from work the house smells wonderful and you can serve it as soon as you're ready to eat. Our dinner is usually quite late here at the house because we don't get in until around 7pm and then I have to cook something. The crock pot is good for that reason. I think I'll take a chicken out of the freezer and do one on Monday! I do add a lot of the stuff mentioned, I just don't pay attention any more, it's automatic. And I do highly season the skin, though I don't always put olive oil on it. I do oil the inside of the pot because it makes it easier to clean later. I don't brown the bird, but I do brown beef or pork chops that are going in the crock pot. SRS |
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12 Jan 08 - 01:57 PM (#2234823) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Yes, I'd read about hay box cooking and was actually thinking about giving it a go. Love Lynne |
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12 Jan 08 - 02:06 PM (#2234828) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: open mike electricity costs different amounts at different times? |
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12 Jan 08 - 02:16 PM (#2234833) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Bill D In some places it does. Utilities may charge less for power in off-peak times in order to put less demand on generation during high usage...so cooking at night may be a teeny bit cheaper. |
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12 Jan 08 - 02:31 PM (#2234839) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,pattyClink For cheaper stuff, do you mean meatless? If so my only help would be to tell you you can do baked beans wonderfully in them. You do your soaking overnight, then while you have breakfast in the a.m. boil the beans in water with with bacon grease or whatever (no salt or seasonings yet) on the stove til they just start to get soft (maybe 1/2 hour to 40 minutes), then drain and put in the crock with your molasses, seasonings and however much fresh water your recipe calls for. Ditto for pinto beans or try your own favorite dried bean recipe. Another thing if you're not going completely meatless; CHILI! Night before sautee onions and ground beef or venison. Drain & refrigerate in a Ziploc bag or whatever. In the a.m. dump that in the crock with whatever goes in your favorite chili recipe (you may need to reduce the water somewhat though), let cook on low all day. Stir in drained canned beans when you get home, turn to high while you get the rest of dinner together, just long enough to heat up the beans. |
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12 Jan 08 - 02:59 PM (#2234854) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Amos Historically the best crack-pot recipe is along these lines: Take one small brain and marinate in a rich sauce of money and undeserved privelege. Carefully trim all merit. Add two spoonfuls of egocentric unfounded beliefs, carefully ground up. Blend with a tablespoon of arrogance. Be sure to provide frequent bail-outs during roasting. Place in a large white house and serve. Has been known to make folks sick. But is definitely world-class crackpot. A |
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12 Jan 08 - 03:57 PM (#2234892) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Dave'sWife MBSLynne - Anything that calls for a chicken breast can usually be converted to less expensive by simply substituting bonesless chicken thighs and legs. Most stores will sell these boneless thighs frozen and in 3 to 5 pound bags for less than half the cost of frozen breasts. You can also buy large family packs of Chicken legs with the bone in and break them up into manageable size packets and freeze. Chicken legs and thighs work great in a crockpot. Just toss some in with a cup of broth or 2, some fresh raw and cleaned up root veggies, a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash seasoning or any similar multi-spice seasoning and go about your day. An hour before serving, add some single cream or.. dissolve some cream cheese into the liquid and viola : creamy chicken stew. You can also do this at night and when you wake up, turn the pot off, take the liner out and stick in the fridge. Then an hour or two before you want to eat, put the liner back in the port and turn on low. If you google Corckpot breakfast recipes, you'll find a number of yummy breakfast casserole dishes that you can clet bubble away at night. Most involve eggs. I make crockpot french toast casserole often but it's a bit of a production because I like fancy breakfasts. |
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13 Jan 08 - 04:21 AM (#2235215) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne I never buy supermarket chicken...and after Jamie Oliver's latest series, from what I've heard, not many other people will be either! Whole chicken is the cheapest way to use chicken and the carcass can be used for stock, etc. Though I'm lucky enough to be given woodpigeons regularly so I guess I could substitute pigeon breast for chicken in those recipes. Patty, I'm not planning to go totally meatless, though we do have at least a couple of veggie meals a week, for health's sake as well as cost. The bean recipe sounds great. What I'm trying to find out now is which meat cuts are the cheapest. I believe there are quite a few that not many people use these days. We are lucky to have a really good butcher...they do their own slaughtering and have a board outside the shop giving the name and farm that each type of meat comes from. They sell nothing but local meat. I already use brisket a lot, which is much cheaper and I think has more flavour than the more expensive roasts. I know oxtail is cheap and makes a lovely soup or stew. I want to have a go at scrag end recipes too. I have been given a piece of beef chine, but i can't find it in any of my cookbooks or on google. Does anyone know what I should do with it? Love Lynne |
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13 Jan 08 - 04:29 AM (#2235222) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne We have something called "Economy 7" electricity here which gives cheaper electricity between midnight (Ithink) and 8am. My washing machine is on a timer and I do all the washing overnight. The saving is only very small, but the more you use it the more saving there is and I do a wash load every night. If I cook on it too it should mount up Love Lynne |
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13 Jan 08 - 09:25 PM (#2235817) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,pattyClink Using a crockpot is much cheaper than using a standard stove, I've seen figures to that effect. (Particularly good here in the summer, where air conditioning is a bigger cost than heat, and an oven or open burner works against us) Cheap cuts: well, meaty ham hocks are wonderful for making pea soup or red beans and rice Lousiana style. I've got a fab recipe for RB&R if you want it let me know. Apparently barbeque was invented by blacks trying to tenderize the miserable cuts of meats they could get their hands on. And the Asian 'red cooking' method is supposedly long cooking in liquid that tenderizes, haven't tried it myself. Clueless about that beef chine, but great that you have a real butcher. We have one 20 miles away, can't get there too often. I take it you've already mentioned to him that you're looking for cheap cuts. |
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14 Jan 08 - 03:32 AM (#2235900) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Not yet...I have several questions to ask him when I go on Thursday. I will also ask him about chine. Up to now I've been using things like mince, belly pork etc to be cheap, but now I need even cheaper, and I know there are some cuts that don't get displayed these days cos no one uses them. Fortunately, a lot of local people go shooting and we have let everyone know that we are happy to have the things they usually throw away like pigeon and even rabbit. (Can you believe it??). It doesn't get much cheaper than free and I imagine that those sort of things will do particularly well in the slow cooker. I intend to try rabbit stew in it in the very near future as we have two in the freezer. Love Lynne |
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14 Jan 08 - 05:30 PM (#2236437) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Dave'sWife MBSLYnne - Game meat does very well in a slowecooker, especially rabbit so you're lucky to have a source of free rabbit meat! Here in the US, in the southeast, people still make Brunswick Stew with Squirrell meat but Rabbit meat will do just fine. I cooked up a big batch of Brunswick Stew with chciken thighs a couple weeks ago in the crockpot. Brunswick Stew is a regional specialty in the Southeastern USA but I bet you'd like it just fine. I'll see if I can sacre up a recipe for it. I know it's been posted in other threads.... |
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14 Jan 08 - 05:47 PM (#2236450) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Dave'sWife Here's a basic Brunswick Stew Recipe that can be adapted: Hearty Corckpot Brunswick Stew Serves/Makes: 6 Ingredients: 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes (You can use Rabbit) 1/2 pound ham steak, cut into 1-inch cubes (You can sub 2 ham hocks_ 1 can (14.5 oz. size) diced tomatoes, undrained 1 cup frozen lima beans 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn 1 cup peeled and diced all-purpose potatoes 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 envelope dry onion soup mix (I would just chop a good sized onion, toss in some beef cubes if ya have 'em and a little bit of water o dissolve) Directions: In slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours. You can double the corn if you like corn but be careful with the Lima beans - some people ahte them. |
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15 Jan 08 - 03:56 AM (#2236744) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Thanks for that Dave's wife. It sounds great. I'll certainly give it a try. I have quite a few bones in the freezer (also free) so today I've put a load in the crockpot and am cooking them up to make bone stock. Should work well I think. Love Lynne |
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15 Jan 08 - 06:49 AM (#2236793) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: The Fooles Troupe Incidentally, if you are on a strict budget - it helps to eat 'companion foods' - those which when consumed together have a balance of amino acids that allow the body to efficiently make proteins - from memory, I think beans and corn is one such combination. |
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16 Jan 08 - 02:53 AM (#2237505) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Having now looked at a number of sites with crockpot recipes, I noticed a couple of things about the American recipes which surprised me. Firstly, on sites where the recipes are split into sections, they seem to have beef, pork, chicken but no lamb. Isn't lamb eaten in the US? The other thing is that a large proportion of the recipes call for cans, packets and jars of stuff as ingredients. Is this general? I always use basic ingredients, partly because I cook to get away from processed foods and partly because it works out rather expensive to buy jars and cans to put in one's recipes. Love Lynne |
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16 Jan 08 - 05:09 AM (#2237542) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: The Fooles Troupe Another useful tip. Here in Oz, chicken necks and chicken frames are often available in 'bulk' or in packs of a couple of Kg each fairly cheaply. Now they are great for long slow cooking, as you can dissolve part of the cartilage into the brew, but the problem with long slow cooking is that they tend to break up (especially if stirred!) and spread tiny little bone fragments right thru the whole pot. These are a thorough pain to try and remove, almost impossible, and can become a health hazard if swallowed. You can use the old fashioned 'muslin bag' technique, or I found that you can put the meat in one of those 'chip baskets', and then just lift the whole lot out at once. If you are using a crock pot, you could probably cut off the normal lifting handle, and maybe even cut it down to fit, and this would let you put the lid on. You would need tongs or something to assist in removing the 'bone bag'. Once you have removed the 'bone bag', letting the draining liquid not go to waste, you let it cool sufficiently so that you can then separate it with your fingers - you can easily feel any small bones that way. You will 'lose' a bit, but no more than you would if you hand picked a cold chicken anyway. Return the scavenged meat to the brew. Yum! |
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16 Jan 08 - 05:12 AM (#2237544) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: The Fooles Troupe Oh - I forgot, you can use a stock, or water and some 'standard 'vege stock vegetables' - usually a carrot, celery stick, etc. |
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16 Jan 08 - 05:10 PM (#2237964) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,pattyClink Lamb was an every-once-in-awhile thing when I lived in the North, but in the south it is usually absent from the stores; perhaps a few legs of lamb at Easter. I've often wondered what the history of this is; inthe South there's kind of a revulsion to the meat that must go back generations. Meanwhile, we have more and more too-busy, rushed mommas who rely very heavily on convenience foods. And lots of professionals working in test kitchens whose job it is to make up good recipes using their company's products. Scratch cooking has becoming a gourmet hobby for the upper class and a lost art among the rest of us. Of course, lots of exceptions, growing numbers of from-scratch cooks among those interested in health. |
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16 Jan 08 - 06:34 PM (#2238029) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: open mike i just received a message from the recipe czar or is it bizarre? any wayk, there were several chicken recipes, but most interesting was the lasagna recipe for crock pots or slow cookers... (in the camping thread was another interesting note..a small micro wave oven that runs on 12 volt d.c. or 110 a.c.) Read this newsletter online with all the photos: http://recipezaar.com/sitenews/ ___________________________________________________________ SLOW, GOOD CROCK POT COOKING Life is busy. Between taking care of your family, your career and your home, having to come up with nutritious and satisfying meals every night makes us tired just thinking about it! Dust off that crock pot and browse through our top-rated, slow-cooked, one-dish meals and you'll feel your heart rate slow down as tonight's dinner plan comes together in a snap. Before your busy day, assemble your ingredients in the crock pot, turn it on and forget about it. Half an hour spent earlier in the day will pay off beautifully hours later when a bubbly stew, chili, chicken or pasta dish is waiting for you and your hungry family. No matter what life throws at you today, because of your foresight and preparedness, your dinner is hot, ready and simmering on the counter -- not a bad way to end a hectic and harried day! http://www.recipezaar.com/sitenews/post.php?pid=877 >>> Slow-Cooked Chicken Recipes <<< "Crock Pot Chicken W/ Black Beans and Cream Cheese" by Jen Santiago I love this recipe for two reasons: One my family loves it and two because it is so easy to make! I got this recipe from my sister ... http://www.recipezaar.com/89204 "Chicken Delicious" by Musical Joy This is a fantastic crock pot recipe! The chicken is so tender, it falls apart, and it makes incredible gravy. It's my most requested recipe ... http://www.recipezaar.com/18872 "Crock Pot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken" by Mirj The house smells wonderful while this is cooking! http://www.recipezaar.com/16531 "Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken" by ChipotleChick This is a great recipe that I have been making for years. It is very rich though, so don't make this recipe if you are looking for something light! http://www.recipezaar.com/43174 >>> Lasagna in the Crock Pot? Yes! <<< "Crock Pot Lasagna" by Evan's Mommy Use this basic recipe and then customize to your liking by adding your favorite Italian ingredients! Experiment with pepperoni and tomatoes ... http://www.recipezaar.com/48671 "Slow Cooked Lasagna" by carolinafan This has become a favorite of mine; just put it in the crock pot and forget about it for a few hours. http://www.recipezaar.com/163010 "Easy Crock-Pot Lasagna" by Lanae Peterson Who would have thought you could make LASAGNA in the CROCK-POT!! DH likes this version more than the oven-baked one. http://www.recipezaar.com/144144 I OFTEN BAKE LASAGNA IN ONE STEP.. BY LAYERING THE FLAT NOODLES AND ALTERNATING WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICOTTA AND MUSHROOMS/PEPPERS/OLIVES IN A CASSEROLE PAN AND BAKING THEM ALL AT ONCE . THIS ELIMINATES THE STEP OF BOILING THE NOODLES FIRST. THIS IS ESPECIALLY GOOD WITH HOME MADE TOMATO SAUCE THAT IS ON THE RUNNY/LIQUID-Y SIDE. THE EXCESS JUICES ARE ABSORBED BY THE NOODLES. DO'T FORGET THE PESTO!! OIL THE PAN WITH OLIVE OIL AND PUT A LAYER OF TOMATO SAUCE IN THE PAN FIRST, THEN ALL OTHER INGREDIENTS IN LAYERS ON TOP OF THAT. TOP WITH CHEESE. MOZZERELLA IS BEST, AND SPRINKLE PARMESAN ON THE OTHER LAYERS! |
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17 Jan 08 - 04:20 PM (#2238723) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,pattyClink refreshing so people can see the lasagna links |
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17 Jan 08 - 08:57 PM (#2238909) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Stilly River Sage I've done lasagna in the crock pot. It came out very good. SRS |
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17 Jan 08 - 10:13 PM (#2238953) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: maeve MBS Lynne- Growing up in New Hampshire, we often had lamb and mutton. I learned to make mint jelly as a nine year old 4-H member for use with lamb. |
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17 Jan 08 - 10:57 PM (#2238974) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,Dani Lamb, not so much in stores around here (South US). However, your friendly neighborhood farmer will have some, or know where to find it! Find a farmer's market, get to talk with the folks who do meat, and you can find just about anything; not just different animals, but different cuts, etc. We are blessed with several good markets, but a little surfing will get you in touch if you're not sure. Dani |
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17 Jan 08 - 11:26 PM (#2238982) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Janie I don't know about the northern USA, but here in the south, lamb is expensive. Rarely see mutton. One of the economic reasons for the American Revolution was that England severely restricted sheep imports and the exportation of wool from the colonies to protect the English wool trade. After the Revolution, sheep were economically important in the north, but never spread to the south. I was in my 30's before I ever tasted lamb. Janie |
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18 Jan 08 - 03:15 AM (#2239020) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne You can't get mutton here very easily either, these days, though it was an absolute staple 50 years ago and more. Lamb is as much eaten here as beef and pork. Asking my nice butcher yesterday about the cheapest cuts of meat, some of which you just can't get any more because people don't want the hassle of cooking them and many people wouldn't know what to do with them. Breast of lamb is .90 per lb, though is on the bone so not quite as cheap as it appears. The butcher was selling off English lamb shoulder before Christmas at £1.40 lb, which is really cheap. I bought quite a bit and put it in the freezer. Love Lynne |
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18 Jan 08 - 10:05 AM (#2239218) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,pattyClink Janie, how would our local farmer get his hands on lamb? Are you up in a mountainous area? Surely most of the southern climate is too hot for woolly beasts, isn't it? I know our hand-weavers tend to use cotton because it can be grown locally whereas sheep live in cooler climes. We see goats around, but never sheep. |
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18 Jan 08 - 10:08 AM (#2239225) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Stilly River Sage I always manage to find lamb, though it isn't a huge section of the meat department. Last time I looked for leg of lamb over at Sam's Club they didn't seem to have any, but that is unusual. This is in North Texas. SRS |
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18 Jan 08 - 10:12 AM (#2239230) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,Janie pattyClink, Not sure just where you are. Dani & I both live near Chapel Hill on the northeast Piedmont of NC. There are a few local farmers who sell at the Farmer's Market and to local upscale grocers who raise sheep, along with a few goats, but not large herds of them. Janie |
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18 Jan 08 - 10:21 AM (#2239234) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne Patty clink, Australia has more sheep than people and the climate isn't exactly cool, so I don't imagine it's because of the temperature. Lots of hot places have sheep. Love Lynne |
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18 Jan 08 - 02:12 PM (#2239399) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Bonecruncher Strangely enough, most of the world also has freezers and refrigerated transport for carcases! Don't you? Most of the lamb/mutton sold in the UK comes from abroad. Colyn. |
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18 Jan 08 - 05:11 PM (#2239534) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: GUEST,pattyClink No, we are still barefoot and without electricity here. Sorry, I was just asking a question. |
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18 Jan 08 - 05:16 PM (#2239539) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Maryrrf I think lamb for some reason just isn't very popular in the southern part of the United States. I live in Virginia and we never had lamb or mutton when I was growing up. It's available now, but you have to look for it and there isn't a lot of choice. And you never see mutton around here. |
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18 Jan 08 - 06:41 PM (#2239630) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Stilly River Sage Most of the lamb we get here comes from New Zealand. My kids have always loved it, and with the ever increasing number of places that sell gyros around here, more and more people must be developing a taste for it. |
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18 Jan 08 - 09:00 PM (#2239730) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Keef I bought some crook pot. Mostly seeds and stalks Put on some Bob Marley Whoooo! |
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19 Jan 08 - 12:43 AM (#2239812) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: Janie I don't know sheep from shinola (sorry, couldn't help myself), but I'm guessing that the combination of heat and very high relative humidity that is typical of southeast USA summers would pretty tough on sheep. Back to crockpots. I don't use mine often, and haven't tried this lamb recipe, but it sounds good. It is from Healthy Crockery Cooking, by Mable Hoffman. Lamb Shanks with Sweet Potatoes and Dried Fruit 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into thick slices 1 8oz package (US ounce) mixed dried fruit 3-4 lamb shanks (1-1 1/2 lbs.) 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper Place the sweet potatoes in bottom of cooker. Top with dried fruit and lamb shanks. Combine all other ingredients and pour over lamb. Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours or until tender. |
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19 Jan 08 - 03:20 AM (#2239849) Subject: RE: BS: Crock pot recipes please From: MBSLynne I NEVER buy lamb, or in fact any meat, which isn't British. We do get a lot from New Zealand though. Love Lynne |