For many years, I was a purist: no, I would tell myself, I will not ever get a crockpot. I would never have a use for one. But, I gave in. My crockpots are the most useful items I own. I have 2: one large and one smaller one. The larger one has cook-times. The smaller one has a high and low setting. Both have their advantages.
Since that time, I’ve discovered many advantages of crockpot cooking:
- It takes very little time to put the meal together. An extra 10 minutes in the morning, or even mid-morning, or noon, can give you a fabulous meal at the end of the day.
- It’s great to come home after work to a hot meal, and especially if you have a meeting or other evening activity to run off to.
- The house smells really good.
- Clean up is easy in the crock.
- You don’t really need a crockpot cookbook, but they can be handy reference guides.
I apologize, in advance, to any vegetarians out there. You're welcome to add recipes in your comments. And, I'm not sure you can make a pie in your crockpot.
Living in NH, and being involved in the First in the Nation Primary process, we get a lot of volunteers and staff for many months. And, our elections happen every 2 years. The recipes I use to feed the volunteers include chili and white chili. They involve fresh meats or poultry, canned beans and tomatoes, jars of sliced chilies, and a good supply of the seasoning envelopes. I’ve make coq au vin, a kick-ass pot roast, and many soups: things you need to really bake for hours on the stove or in the oven, without needing to keep an eye on it, adjusting the burners, basting, and cleaning up.
I also love leftovers. I live alone, but my income is small and gets smaller with each trip to the grocery store. So, I do what I can with what I have. This helps.
Some of the rules for crockpot cooking is that you need less liquid. And any recipe can be adapted by following the conversion for cooking times:
15-30 minutes: Low 4-6 hours/High 1 ½-2 hours
35-45 minutes: Low 6-8 hours/High 3-4 hours
50 minutes or more: Low 8-10 hours/High: 4-6 hours
I have also taught myself to make really good baked beans. My mom used to make baked beans, in a crock, in the oven. I still have her crock. But, her beans, although tasty, were dry. I decided this was a task for the crockpot. It involved trying out several recipes before I found one better than Boston’s Durgin Park. Here’s the best one:
1 lb dried pea beans
¼ lb salt port
1 qt water
1 tsp salt
1-4 T brown sugar
½ C molasses
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp baking soda
1 onion, coarsely chopped
5 C water
- Simmer salt pork in 1 qt water in saucepan for 10 minutes and drain. (Do not reserve liquid)
- Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Cook on High until contents come to boil (about 2-3 hours). Turn to low and cook 12-14 hours or until beans are tender.
Pot Roast:
1 Cheap pot roast
2 onions
Baby Carrots (I use a whole small bag)
¼ C Worcestershire Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Put it all in the crockpot and set to 8 hours. When it’s done, you can make gravy by ladling out some of the juices into a saucepan (2-3 ladles), add some flour and water, stirring until thick.
Chicken Corn Chowder:
2-3 chicken breasts (I like to season them with a bit of salt & pepper and broil for a few minutes for extra flavor...), cut into small pieces.
3 cans creamed corn
2-3 diced potatoes, steamed in the microwave for about 5 minutes, and leaving skins on.
4 cups milk
4 slices of bacon (the pre-cooked are better...)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Set your crockpot for 4 hours and leave it. This feeds a crowd, about 10 people. Be sure to include some French Bread.
White Chili:
2-3 chicken breast, cut up to bit-size pieces
1 packet of white chili seasoning
2 cans black beans (they say to use white beans, but I love my black beans...)
2 heaping tablespoons sliced chilies
2 cans of water (from the black beans)
Extra chili powder and cumin (about 1 heaping teaspoon of each)
Add about 1/3 C Brown Rice.
Bake for about 4-6 hours.
Hot Mulled Cider:
1 Gallon Cider
Cloves
Cinnamon
Set it on high and reduce after 45 minutes or until hot. Then, set on low. This works well for a party in the wintertime, especially when you have a lot of friends that don’t drink. I have cinnamon sticks, and it’s very elegant.
And, for all you cocktail party fans out there, there’s this:
Barbequed Meatballs/or Kielbasa/or (yecch) Hot Dogs...
1 Package of the pre-cooked meatballs, or kielbasa or hot dogs
1 jar grape jelly
1 bottle ketchup
Put it all together and bake for 4 hours.
I could give you my chili recipe, but this is a political blog. And, I found President Obama’s favorite chili recipe. Again, I prefer to do chili in a crockpot: less mess, less tending, and something you can drop off at your favorite campaign headquarters early in the morning to be ready for the lunch crowd. Be sure to bring the sour cream, chopped chilies, taco chips, and grated cheese. I prefer black beans to red, though...And, if you use a chili seasoning package, add an extra heaping spoonful of chili powder and cumin for that extra kick. I also keep a jar of sliced chilies to add to my chili.
Obama Family Chili Recipe
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
Several cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground basil
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Several tomatoes, depending on size, chopped
1 can red kidney beans
Sauté onions, green pepper and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add ground meat and brown. Combine spices together into a mixture, and then add to ground meat. Add red wine vinegar. Add tomatoes and let simmer, until tomatoes cook down. Add kidney beans and cook for a few more minutes. Serve over white or brown rice. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, onions and sour cream. Note: in crockpot cooking, you would put it all into the pot, and not even have to cook the meat first. Cook-time would be about 4 hours.
So, I gave you my recipes, my advice and wisdom. What's yours?