Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry

I occasionally take barre classes, and there is one particular instructor that ends each class by saying, "make healthy food choices, don't ruin all of this hard work!"  Every time she says it my face turns red because I'm afraid it's obvious how much I've been thinking about food the entire time I was tucking and burning.  And not exactly "healthy" food.  I can't help it!  I was born this way!  I've said it before but it's like an obese German man from olden times sits in my brain and directs my thoughts towards brownies and burritos and bacon.  Thankfully, I'm able to control this man (most of the time), but it doesn't quiet exactly him.  We should probably name him, don't you think?  Gus?

So the other day, I wanted to make something in the crock pot with brisket or short ribs and wine and super rich flavors but then I heard my instructor's voice in my head.  It's like she's on one shoulder and Gus in on the other.  (I really hope she doesn't read this.)  Instead I made this Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry that was delicious and still tasted like comfort food!  And don't worry, Gus, I WILL be making something with short ribs later in the week...     

Recipe here!

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Have you ever made something, and after your husband takes one bite of it he sends a photo to the neighbor, and five minutes after that the neighbor shows up?  That's what happened when I made this chili.  This is easy, hearty comfort food at it's best with so much flavor and just enough kick.  I would probably double the recipe if I were you and make it for Game 7 of the World Series.  Go Cubs!!  

Recipe here.

Slow Cooker Enchilada Orzo

Is anyone else excitedly pulling out their slow cooker in anticipation of fall?!  I am, however I pull it out all year long (best tool for when it's hot and humid outside).  The other day I was obsessing over crockpot recipes when I found this one and decided to make it right away.  The best part?  I had all the ingredients!  Because more than half of them are canned... easiest thing ever.  Also, most delicious thing ever.  We served it as a side at a BBQ but it would also be perfect for the main dish with a salad or green veggie.  And my two-year-old ate it!  Success!

Ok, back to giving myself M&M's for going pee pee in the potty in an attempt to get that two-year-old interested...  

Slow Cooker Enchilada Orzo

Recipe adapted from here

Serves 6-8

Printable Recipe

1 15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes

2 15 oz. can mild enchilada sauce

1 4.5 oz. can green chiles, drained

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz. can corn kernels, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup vegetable broth, or more as needed

4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes

1 heaping cup shredded Mexican cheese

2 cups uncooked orzo

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional toppings: cilantro, avocado, jalapeños, green onions

Place tomatoes, enchilada sauce, chiles, black beans, corn, vegetable broth, cream cheese and shredded cheese in the slow cooker and stir to combine.  Cover, and cook on high for 3 hours.  Add orzo and cook for another 30 minutes.  Add more vegetable broth if necessary.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with optional toppings.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Biscuit Pot Pie

Holy Moly, people, you will need to try the dish I made on the Today Show this morning.  There may be a few more steps than your average "throw it all in the crockpot" meal, but I'm telling you, it's worth it.  Slow Cooker Chicken and Biscuit Pot Pie will be a hit this weekend, between the blizzards and the football and the "oh come on, January is almost over and I deserve some comfort food" attitudes.  Click on the link above for the recipe, and please enjoy these photos of when Savannah and I realized we were out of time, and when Carson randomly posed with a vase of flowers...

Photos by the lovely Samantha Okazaki

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili

It's hard to write about how delicious this chili was when I've been dealing with my son's stomach virus all night/day.  So just trust me, this was delicious.  One of those easy crock pot recipes that are comforting, healthy and can feed an army.  I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and when it came time to shred them, they just fell apart.  This isn't your ordinary, same old chili... it's uniquely different with loads of broccoli rabe, sliced red peppers, cannellini beans and parmesan cheese.  

You can find the recipe here.  Now if you'll excuse me, back to Lysol'ing my entire house.

Crock Pot Chex Mix

If your crock pot isn't full of chili or dip on Sunday, why not throw this easy Chex Mix in there!?  I know... a savory, crunchy snack made in a slow cooker seems insane, but I made it yesterday and it's not insane, it's magical.  Actually, I'm not sure why I made it yesterday because it will most likely be gone before the weekend, but snow days are for making irresponsible food choices, so there.

I followed this recipe and it worked perfectly.  See her note on ventilation to ensure your mix stays crunchy, as mine did.  What snacks are you going to make for the game?      

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Let's take a quick break from holiday sweets (whhhyyyyyyy!?) and talk about your crock pot.  This article went around my Facebook feed the other day, and I'm a sucker for anything with the words "you'll never want to live without" in the title.  It's 52 slow cooker recipes - FIFTY TWO!  I plan on trying them all.  And I began the other night with this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken.  (It was just me eating, by the way, me and my four humongous chicken breasts.)  It's delicious pull-apart sweet and sticky chicken with a hint of spice (I should have added more red pepper flakes but I thought JUST MAYBE my kids would eat something other than mac & cheese that night).  I loved it.  So read that article and tell me what I should make next??  

Company Pot Roast

Now that it's officially fall, with October looming around the corner (already put up Halloween decorations, yup, can't be stopped), I have been cooking more hearty meals.  After all, it's time we start thickening up our bear fur for the long winter!  Am I right, my fellow lumberjacks?  My fellow woodsmen?  Sarah Palin?  I'll stop.  Anyway, a Pot Roast is one of my favorite cooler weather meals.  And who is the queen of PERFECT comfort food?  Ina Garten, of course.

  

I love the title of this recipe.  It sounds so proper.  So Ina.  I imagine her saying to her husband, Jeffrey, "Jeffrey darling, I'm going to whip up some Pot Roast for our company, go get some good wine" and then effortlessly throwing this together in her black button-up shirt.  Well, I recently had company (my sister Hannah) so naturally I had to make this.  It was delicious, for real, I can't count the number of times Carson said, "this is good, this is really good."

  

A few notes: instead of removing half of the sauce and blending it, I used my handheld immersion blender and lightly blended everything right in the pot, making sure to leave some of the carrots in tact.  The sauce is the best part about this meal... extremely flavorful and the perfect consistency.  I made buttery egg noodles and also roasted some vegetables on the side (butternut squash, brussel sprouts and mushrooms) and served them alongside the pot roast and on top of the noodles.          

And while this meal was prepared in a Dutch oven verses a crock pot, here are some of my favorite slow cover recipes for your weekend enjoyment...

starting top left, going clockwise...

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Stew

Slow Cooker Squash Stew

Crock Pot Ribs

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

The Super Bowl usually falls right around (if not on) my birthday each year.  Which means, I'm pretty blessed with excuses to eat everything I want on that day/week.  This year, I want to try frying pickles, this pizza, and these cupcakes are pretty incredible, too.  Also, the sandwich above!  If you're feeding a crowd for the big game, you must try this fantastically easy recipe from Weelicious.  I think  your family pet could throw this together, that's how simple it is.  Four bone-in, skinless chicken breasts (the butcher at the grocery store can remove the skin for you), 1 cup of good BBQ sauce and a slow cooker.  Done.  Cook on low for 2 and a half hours, shred, serve.  I had leftovers for days which we turned into pizza, quesadillas and simply picked at with our fingers.  Here's the recipe if you need further information, but your pet is making this and your pet can't read, so...

p.s. Super Bowl snack ideas from last year.

p.p.s. Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu

I can't believe how early school starts these days.  Mid-August and summer is over for kids.  What happened to Labor Day buttoning off the season??  I suppose when my kids are grown and bored, I'll be anxious to send them off to school early.  But for now, I'm trying to cling on to every last minute of warm weather and lazy days outside.  Durrrr, except for this meal I made the other night that SCREAMS fall and was absolutely delicious...

I'm a short ribs girl.  If they're on a menu, I will order them.  So when a reader sent me this recipe for a Short Rib Ragu that you throw in the crockpot and forget about, I instantly bookmarked it.  I was trying to wait until fall to make it, but I am not a very patient person when it comes to food.  Listen, whatever month of the year it is, make this recipe.  Very few ingredients, simple as can be, and a total crowd pleaser!  Now go to school.  (Recipe here.)

p.s. If you can't find boneless short ribs like the recipe calls for, use bone-in ones like I did.  The meat will just slide off the bone once it's done cooking and it only adds to the flavor : )

Crock Pot Ribs

Want to impress everyone you know?  I mean it, absolutely everyone you know in the world, minus maybe your vegetarian friends, but even they will be impressed because they secretly want to eat ribs too.  I know I often push that something is very easy to do, but these ribs, they are SO EXTREMELY SIMPLE.  A child could make these, no really, go get your child and I'll explain...

Child?  H e l l o  c h i l d!!!  Ok, have your mommy go get the crock pot, because it might be heavy for your iddy biddy arms.  Now Child, you can do this part, spray the pot with cooking spray, all over the bottom and sides (I like to use the olive oil kind).  Now, take a rack of pork ribs from the grocery store - what?  Pork comes from pigs.  Yes, pigs.  Yes, like Wilber.  Are you crying??  Ok, make your mommy come back and p.s. bacon comes from pigs too.

Cut the ribs into 3 or 4 slabs and generously season with salt and pepper.  Ok, here comes the most important part... you can not layer the ribs.  The skin must be touching the bottom and sides of the crock pot.  If you're making this for a large group, I recommend borrowing extra crock pots.  If you don't want to listen to me, and you do end up layering them, the result will still be tasty but you won't get that crispy exterior which is to die for.     

That's all you do.  Cooking spray, ribs, salt and pepper.  I like to cook mine on high for half the time and low for half the time - between 6 and 8 hours.  Just keep and eye on them, and when they start to fall off the bone yet have that crispy exterior, they're done.  

You can serve with your favorite BBQ sauce, but they don't need it.  We eat these plain.  They are succulent and moist and juicy and crispy all at the same time.  Now off you go, impress your friends, and I'm sorry I scarred your child for life.  

Slow Cooker Squash Stew

Happy Weekend.  It's cooling down here, slightly.  The tree in our front yard is changing colors and the coffee shops are selling their pumpkin drinks (see, there are seasons here).  I've whipped out the slow cooker and I bought some squash.  We even had a family dance party to the song "Ghostbusters"!  

If all of the above applies to you, or at least the slow cooker part, you should make this stew.  Vegetarian friendly (or you could be like me and add some turkey sausage at the very end), hearty, comforting, the perfect autumn weekend meal.  To be served with an Oktoberfest beer.  

Recipe HERE.    

Rich Chicken Stew

I know this sounds like a winter meal, but it was surprisingly light and refreshing.  Most likely because I found it on EatingWell.com - those bastards know how far just 1/4 cup of cream will go in a pot of stew.  Not sure why I called them bastards.  Anyway, here's the recipe.  I used boneless skinless chicken breast instead of thighs, and I opted for the quicker dutch oven stewing method over the crock pot.

*Come back tomorrow (if I get my act together) for a GIVEAWAY.  YAY.  

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Stew

I'm not on my game today.  I'm exhausted, Jack is trying to show me that the 'terrible two's' really do exist, these pictures are blurry, Advil isn't working, blah, blah, blah.  You should see my face.  I look as happy as Ben Stein does when he's sad.  So I'll wrap this up - I don't want you to catch my horrible mood. 

Pulled out the slow cooker last night for it's inaugural autumn usage.  Found this recipe (HERE) and really enjoyed it.  I used a 4-pound pork shoulder (recipe calls for 2), added 2 extra cups of water but otherwise did everything the same.  8 hours on low = 8 hours of your house smelling scrumptious.

Ok, I'm going to go force myself into a happy place by stuffing my face.  FRIDAY.  

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan

There are times when I like to go all ghetto retro on you guyzes. "Ghetto Retro" - pretty sure I just coined that phrase, and you're welcome. Last night, I found a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan. Slow cooker = retro. Cooking chicken parmesan in a slow cooker = ghetto. Do you see?

Also. It was wonderful. Super easy. I used string cheese because I didn't have mozzarella. GHETTOOOOOOOOO.

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken

2 Things... I love my Slow Cooker, and I HATE my Coffee Maker.

1. The past 2 mornings, I have brewed two pots of coffee that have resulted in two coffee-all-over-the-counter disasters. Then, for the past 2 mornings, my boyfriend has come home from work and successfully brewed two pots of coffee. What the?! What's the damn thing have against me? I show it more love than Carson does! He drinks tea during the week! I drink an average of 15 cups of coffee! (Is that bad?)

2. Did you know that you can roast a chicken in your slow cooker? I did not know that until this past weekend, when Carson's mom made a glorious chicken dinner in hers. So the following is her recipe, tweaked ever so slightly by my Sirious self. If you're looking for crispy skin, this is not the way to go. But if you're looking for an EASY, make-it-in-the-morning-and-forget-about-it-all-day, tender, juicy, flavorful chicken... this is the way to go.

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken
(Serves 2-6, depending on size of chicken)
Printable Recipe

1 whole chicken (choose a size that will fit comfortably in your slow cooker)
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 leek, sliced
3 sprigs rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
1 T Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup water

Clean and dry your chicken. Place sliced onions on bottom of slow cooker, and chicken on top (breast side up). Stuff cavity with sliced leeks, rosemary and thyme sprigs. Season chicken with Italian Seasoning, minced garlic and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of water to slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until cooked, basting occasionally. (You can also add carrots, celery and potatoes to slow cooker).

*Sorry for the lack of pictures. I was too obsessed with watching the Brothers and Sisters finale on my DVR. Why did it have to end so tragically, why, WHY?!

Slow Cooker Hoisin Beef

I love my slow cooker, even if it does remind me a little too much of her. There's something fun about getting dinner ready at 10am while drinking your 3rd cup of coffee. Something delightful about your house smelling like onions and garlic all day long (there was no sarcasm there, I really do love that).

Yesterday I woke up and thought, beef, hoisin and slow cooker (my thoughts are often organized in google search terms). And what do you know, the Internet had a recipe for that! Thanks World Wide Web, and more specifically, thank you Whole Foods.

Flavor, flavor, flavor. I highly recommend this. Tasted like healthy Chinese take-out. Served over my leftover Ginger Almond Basmati Rice. Yummy, to use a word my boyfriend hates.

Slow Cooker Hoisin Beef
Recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market
(Serves 6)

1/2 cup beef broth
1 10 oz bottle hoisin sauce
1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
1 T soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 pounds chuck steak
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 cup baby carrots
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper

Turn slow cooker to LOW. Place beef in pot, and season with salt and pepper.


Add vegetables, again seasoning with salt and pepper.


In a bowl, whisk together beef broth, hoisin, soy sauce, hot sauce, garlic and ginger.


Pour sauce in pot over vegetables and meat. Place pot in slow cooker. Cook for 6 hours on low. Serve over noodles or rice.


Sorry for the lack of photos. Yesterday was long, and instead of photographing my dinner I shoveled it in my mouth and then fell asleep on the couch.

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos

That is not a picture of Smoky Pork Tinga, that is a picture of my dear friend, Haley (photo taken by my other dear friend and photographer, Katy). Haley passed on this recipe to me and I wanted to give her props. Besides, isn't she pretty to look at? Haley and I share a love of food. As college roommates, we made guacamole, McDonald's and boxed wine together. As roommates in LA, we frequently shopped at farmer's markets and made Mahi Mahi and sweet potatoes with olive oil and oregano. What a difference a decade makes! Now, she lives far away in Cheese Land (Wisconsin) and we must share our love of food over emailed recipes. I'll take what I can get, cause these were goooooood. Thanks Haley!

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos
(Makes 24 tacos)

4 medium red skin yukon gold potatoes, cubed
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cubed
28 oz. can diced tomatoes (fire roasted)
3 or 4 canned chipotle chiles en adobe, seeded and sliced
1 T chipotle canning sauce
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves chopped/pressed
1 white onion, sliced-slice
Salt
4 oz. Mexican chorizo sausage
Corn tortillas
Queso fresco, grated
2 avocados, sliced

*I did a few things differently based on what I had at home and what I could/couldn't find at the store... I used whatever potatoes I had at home, I used a bone-in pork shoulder and didn't cube it, I did not seed the chipotle peppers for extra heat, I could NOT find chipotle canning sauce (boo), I minced the garlic, I decided to skip the sausage for time reasons, I used flour tortillas. Okeeee...

Ingredients...


Place pork in crock pot, add sliced onions, cubed potatoes and about a tablespoon of salt.


In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, peppers, sauces, spices and garlic. Stir.


Pour over meat. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or until meat is easily shredded with a fork. I cooked on high for 5 hours, then on low for another hour.


Remove meat from crock pot. I barely had to shred this with a fork, it just FELL off the bone.


Serve with tortillas, grated queso fresco, sliced avocados and chips and salsa verde, if you're me.


This is good, people. The smoky chipotles give it a world of flavor. Harry Potter (I mean Haley Porter), you're my hero.