Cookbook Testing: Slow Cooker: 100 Tried and True Recipes

Following up on the post I did about slow cooker recipes.

A feature on one cookbook in particular.

Let me take you through a few of the recipes I've made so far...

Sausage and Bean Casserole pg 110

Substituted chick peas for white beans.

Hearty and savory.  A perfect weeknight meal.

************

Spicy Chicken and Cheese Dip pg 44

Omitted the chicken.

I had to take something to a potluck dinner for the local Scout troop.

Add a bag of tostitos chips and you've got a party.

(Note:  this did not reheat well.)

************

Beef Ragu with Tagliatelle pg 81

Omitted the red wine (it was Valentine's day. we drank it instead)

Substituted creamy tomato soup for the tomato paste.

A totally drool worthy meal for a couple or a crowd.

The leftovers reheat beautifully.

***********

Spicy Pulled Pork pg 73

Made the rolls myself.

Not so spicy...as the title claimed.

Add red pepper flakes when we reheated the meat and it was perfect!

I can see me making a ton of pulled pork this summer time.

The slow cooker plugged in on the deck.

***********

REVIEW:

A perfect addition to your shelf.

If you want slow cooker meals (both budget-friendly and easy to make),

this is the book for you.

If you want to expand your knowledge of what you think a slow cooker can do, 

this is the book for you.

If you just want some fun recipes for entertaining,

this is so the book for you.

Definitely a keeper!

PS.  Thanks to my awesome step mom Mary Elaine for gifting this cookbook!

Black Bean Recipe Roundup

I have talked before about Meat Free Mondays

and about substituting vegetarian meals into your weekly diet.

Not only are beans a healthy choice but they are packed with proteins and vitamins.

Did I also mention, canned or dried, beans are SUPER CHEAP!!!

(PS.  They even sell the Mr Goudas brand at  the Dollartree now...WIN!)

Just to help you out...

I have a black bean roundup for you!

I usually make a fried black bean dish that totally reminds Ches and I of being in Costa Rica.

Original black bean recipe,

Burritos and Southwest Soup:

Here

My newest recipe was adding the black bean recipe and serving it quesadilla-style.

Plain Greek yoghurt for the sour cream.

Chopped fresh tomatoes, grated local cheese, our home made salsa and some of last year's pickled jalapenos between two flour tortillas.  Place on side down in a frying pan with a bit of oil.

Fry one side and then flip to grill the other side.

Slice and serve while piping hot.

****************

Below is the roundup of more recipes I've already posted on the blog:

Burritos and Vegetarian Nachos

Here

A Creamy Black Bean Dip:

Here

Other Bean Recipes:

Here

A couple of Mean Bean Soup Recipes:

Here

Slow Cooker Recipe Roundup

Slow cooker means convenient, set-it-and-forget-it meals.

Hot comfort food for the dead of winter.

Stick to your ribs...and coat your stomach.
Easy on the wallet when it comes to the ingredients.

But the slow cooker can be so much more...
so let me share with you some of my most recent slow cooker meals.

MEAT

A bunch of fridge and pantry staples can come together with meat in a slow cooker.

What comes out is an amazing meal!

The best part of slow cooking with meat is that the cuts that really benefit low and slow style cooking are generally on sale or are very resonablly priced.

Chicken thighs or legs.

Pork shoulders or ribs.

I have really broaded my tastes this year with slow cooked meat.

Check it out!

Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice

Sweetened with local wildflower honey, this dish was a hit with everyone...even Owen!

Super simple...like 4 ingredients...everybody wins.

Plus, you'll be immune to colds...and vampires.

Cashew Chicken and Rice

This dish rocks...with or without the cashews (you add them in at the end anyway).

We made this dish once and were so hungry, we forgot to add them!

Totally tasty both ways.

Hawaiian Chicken

Not just for thick winter meals!

Try plugging your slow cooker outside (not in direct sun).

I cooked this delicious meal on our deck!

It was a bright, tropical flavoured chicken dish...perfect!

Not only that, but it didn't heat up our kitchen.

BONUS!

Sticky Ribs  (from The Joy Of Cooking Cookbook)

Wash and pat down the ribs. 

Cut them up into manageable pieces. 

Toss into the slow cooker along with the following ingredients: 

10 oz beef broth, 

1/2 cup water, 

2 tbsp maple syrup (we used out own), 

2 tbsp local honey, 

3 tbsp soy sauce, 

2 tbsp bbq sauce or ketchup, 

1/2 tsp dry mustard. 

Cook on high for 6-8 hrs. 

I'm not even joking...the meat will fall off the bones!!! 

Served with yellow potato wedges, baked and a green salad with cubed Wilton Mozzarella cheese.

Pulled Pork Sliders

Made from the Slow Cooker cookbook I got at Christmas!

Wait for my post all about the other recipes I've made from this book.

Truly a keeper for the cookbook shelf!

Spicy Pork Carnitas

Not a real flavourful meat dish...but adding sweet chili sauce and avocados helped.

We also didn't have any flatbread...so I just whipped some up in the breadmaker.

Just as tasty!

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SOUPS

The slow cooker is still my go-to for soups...
So here are this years soup concoctions!

Green Lentil Bacon Soup

As seen in Shape Magazine's slow cooker roundup.

I used regular bacon from a local butcher rather than Canadian (peameal) bacon.

Harvest Veggie Chili with Quinoa

I made the veggie chili before and froze it.

Quick Veggie Chili

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 onion from the garden, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 green pepper, diced

1 cup corn from the garden

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed

cayenne pepper and chili powder to taste.

add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low or 6-8 hrs.

When I reheated the chili, I added buttercup squash, cumin and turmeric.

Adding leftover pre-cooked quinoa added a hint of smokey or nutty flavour.

It also upped the protein of this vegetarian delight.

The spices are so warming...the veggies are totally fall.

Red Lentil and Veggie Soup

Another great vegetarian soup.

I made this soup so much that I memorized it.

It originated from a cookbook of recipes from developing countries.

From this cookbook, I got a hilarious story about "zom".

(if you ever get the chance, ask my mom or sister about it)

The other thing I got from the cookbook was this amazingly simple soup.

Red Lentil and Veggie Soup

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

4 cups vegetable broth

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 onion from the garden, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cumin

I adapted this recipe from pot to slow cooker.

Add ingredients to slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hrs.

Great on a cold winter night!

Chicken Tomato Soup

A slow cooker marvel! 

Adapted from this recipe here.

2 cans of diced tomatoes (or we used our frozen ones from the garden)

1 tsp Italian seasoning (homemade mixture)

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 cup home made chicken stock

2 chicken breasts

 Set on low for 6-8 hrs

Just before serving, take 2 forks and shred the chicken breasts. 

AMAZINGLY EASY! 

Served with mozzarella grilled cheese sammies

I just couldn't resist...

What are your favorite slow cooker recipes?

Wonderous White Corn...

We have grown corn for many years.

You might think that makes us experts on corn.

That our corn grows better somehow.

I smile when I hear stuff like that...

Largely because I know that we fail most years at the corn thing.

Doesn't matter where we plant or what we plant...

We suck at corn.

Each year I mainly grow it because I like looking at it.

I also like having free fall decorations...once I've given up and dried the stalks...

Plus, I'm generally an optimist.

I 'think' every year will be different.

Perhaps the 'right' season will come.

The truth is I don't really research how to grow what we grow all that much, 

but I'm sure there is missing something.

The point of all of this, is that this is what our ears normally look like...

Teeny, tiny, wee, little ears...

In my small hand...you can count a handful of kernels...

but you wouldn't ask me to serve you up an ear or two.

Now when faced with a load of wee little corn ears, you might ask...what is a girl to do?

Well, I'm not one for wasting anything!

So while I was happy to have all of these wee corn husks in my compost,

I was actually happier thinking about treasure hunting for actual kernels to save.

It wasn't a bad haul...just labour-intensive.

In the end, I had enough for large freezer bag of white corn kernels for the freezer...

as well as enough to make these jalapeno corn fritters!

While I normally don't subscribe to deep frying as a regular cooking method...

I couldn't resist these puppies!!!!

Here is the original recipe found in the Walmart Live Better magazine:

Whirl one 341 ml can of corn (I used fresh here...obviously), drained,

with /2 onion and 1 jalapeno (both from our garden), seeded, in a food processor.

Add 1 egg (from our girls), 1/4 cup cornmeal, 2 tbsp flour and 1/4 tsp salt.

Whirl until mixed.

Let stand for 20 mins.

Heat enough oil to reach 1 in in a medium frying pan over med-high heat.

Scoop 1/4 cup portions into oil.

Fry until golden, about 2 mins each side.

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Serve warm.

I served these delicious fritters along with another homemade burger patty.

This time the burger was garnished with homemade relish, bacon and a slice of lemon boy tomato.

The fritters are topped with a bit of mayo and parsley.

While cooking these fritters...I couldn't escape the smell.

The aroma was like a carnival...or a savory donut shop.

THEY WERE GREAT!

Again, not being a fan of deep frying...this will be a special occasion dish.

How do you keep your harvest?

Fishing - feed yer face and have fun too!

There are lots of things to love about fishing...

Sunshine, fresh air, free food...

Our family loves to fish...well...Owen is still trying to find his love of it.

Handsome Husband had a week off in September...so of course...

We went fishing!

Fishing is not just a past time or sport for us.

It is also a way we stock our freezer with protein for the winter.

We aren't hunters (yet).

We always had issues with protein...that is...until we got laying chickens.

But that doesn't mean we'll stop fishing...you have to have variety to your diet!

We still ice fish in the winter...but our luck is pretty poor at best.

Probably my favorite part of fishing...is the lunch break!

There is an awesome island in Desert Lake that is perfect for picnics.

We bring stuff from our pantry and fridge.

Veggies from the garden and home made hummus.

Lemony tuna pasta salad with fresh picked peas.

Tostitos chips and home made salsa.

Freshly cut pineapple we won at a birthday party!

From our camping days, Owen calls it Pirate Island!

(loads of great stories happened here)

Even after a lovely lunch break...some people just can't stop fishing...

Isn't it amazing to be able to feed yourself from a hobby???

How many other hobbies can make such a boast?

(ok except for cake decorating...)

There is another benefit to fishing...but I'll reveal that in a later post...

Seriously!  When I reveal this secret....I'll probably be done as a blogger...

No more secrets to share!

Stay tuned...for the super fantastic gardening secret....

More Tips on How to Eat on a Budget!

Budget is one of those words...

It goes with this face...

Painful, but very necessary.

As much as we all hate to admit it...these days,

you have to curb your spending somewhere.

There are so many other areas of life you just can't control...

like car repairs, property taxes and the list goes on.

So when looking to cut down on extra expenses,

I look to the grocery budget!

I have mentioned budgeting before 

in reference to eating healthy at work here.  

I continue to commit myself to finding budget-friendly

tips and tricks.

Use those Holiday Gifts:

Ever get food related gifts for Christmas?

I do!

Usually they are pantry items...non-perishables.

Spice rubs, marinades, preserves.

Make use of those gifts!!!

Not only will you expand your tasting repertoire...

but you can save money by dressing up budget cuts of meat.

This year I was given a WONDERFUL gift!

(well, ok, I received MANY wonderful gifts...but this one was a first for me)

White Sugar flavoured with Vanilla beans.

I have a serious soft spot for vanilla ice cream with the black specks of vanilla beans!!!

(my friend Sam over at Ravels And Tangles blog knows me so well...)

This sugar is probably one of the best things EVER.

I made a quick batch of apple crisp one night and...

WOW.

All I can say is 

WOW.

Look for Sales:

Let me just start off by saying

I'm not one for coupon clipping and

I don't live in an area that gets grocery store flyers.

There's no reason why those methods shouldn't be used.

I just prefer to spend my time on other pursuits

like reading about gardening, dreaming about gardening

and looking forward to gardening.

Wait, what was I talking about?

I do, however, spot sales.

I found brown mushrooms on sale and made a delicious miso broth based mushroom soup.

I already buy spinach as a part of my normal

grocery shopping.  

It's great hot or cold and is PACKED with vitamins.

The garlic we grow, the carrots we grow.

The green onions are usually pretty cheap.

The ginger I splurge on every now and again.

It lasts a long time in the fridge crisper shelf and it goes into so many dishes and drinks.

Hot or cold and is packed with tons of beneficial vitamins.

All of these ingredients came together 

to make a very inexpensive and healthful meal

in almost no time at all!

Make yer Own:

Don't waste your money buying special herb blends!!!

In most cases, you already have the ingredients...

Not only are you saving money but you also control the sodium, 

preservatives (nitrates) and other unnecessary added ingredients.

Its also tailored to your tastes...literally!

Here is a list of spice blends you can make on your own:

(just Google them!)

Apple Pie Spice

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Taco Seasoning

Garam Masala

Italian Seasoning

Pickling Spices

Pesto

Steak Rubs

Just Freeze It:

We spend a lot of time trying to fill a freezer

full of money saving food.

Pumpkins and squashes that were decorations in the fall 

become containers of puree ready for baking or soups or chili.

Frozen stock from local chickens becomes the base of

many soul warming concoctions.

The containers take up a lot of space in the freezer

but these staples are worth every penny.

(Taste WAY better than store bought anyway and NO SODIUM!)

A plastic container of frozen chicken stock
(approx 8 cups)

+

A plastic container of frozen vegetable puree 

(in this case pumpkin mash) (approx 4 cups)

+

1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic pressed

+

1 1/2 tsp each dried Thyme and salt

=

EXCELLENT, VIRTUALLY FREE, WINTER WARMING SOUPS!

(adapted from original recipe here)

Served with Butter Dip Biscuits

(my new FAVORITE biscuit recipe)

How do you skim dollars from your budget?

Hamburger...the Never ending Story

I love an odd cookbook.

I have so many of them...

It's like a fixation really.

I managed to pare the collection down when we moved into 

our current home.

I was not going to be the one with 100 boxes of cookbooks.

No way.

One of the books I knew I'd be keeping is shown below...

Behold!

Published in 1960...this cookbook holds no less than 38 pages of meatball recipes alone!

Meatloaves, burgers, casseroles, soups and sauces.

One of the things I love about this book is that there are specific recipes for up to 100 people.

Not all cookbooks do that, incidentally.

So the other night I figured I would thumb through it and

find a meatball recipe.

I had some ground beef leftover and couldn't really figure 

what to make with it.

I stumbled across Danish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes.

2 lbs hamburger

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients and form into 1 1/2 in balls.

Roll the meatballs in 2/3 cup flour seasoned with 1/4 salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper.

Brown on all sides in 1/4 cup cooking oil.

Add 1 cup beef stock and 1 bay leaf.

Cover and simmer for 30 mins.

Remove meatballs and set aside.

Blend in 3 tbsp flour and brown. 

Stir in 1 1/2 cup bouillon.

Cook, stirring constantly, until medium thick.

Serve meatballs and gravy with mashed potatoes harvested from our garden.

The end result was a warm yummy dish.

The nutmeg made a beautifully different gravy.

I served this dish with a side of green and yellow beans 

and peas frozen from our garden harvest.

This meal was perfect after a day of yard work on a cold afternoon.

It certainly balanced out the sight of our pond frozen!

We don't eat a ton of red meat...but when we do, we do enjoy the comfort and flavour.

When you buy local meat, you can be sure of the quality.

(Compared to those factory facilities who sell to grocery stores)

Plus, this is a great way to make your grocery dollars go farther!

Stay tuned for more ways to prepare hamburger...for those aficionados of hamburger everywhere.

This years pumpkins went far...

We went all out this year with pumpkins.

Fortunate as we seem to be...we came into a bunch of pumpkins.

FREE!

So this year's haul of pumpkin products feels like gold even more!

Let's start with the initial process...

ROASTING.

You wash the outside of the pumpkin and pat dry.

Using a large knife, slice the pumpkin in half.

Scoop out the stringy bits and separate the seeds into a colander.

Cut the remaining hunks of pumpkin into smaller pieces.

Set pumpkin pieces in a roasting pan, skin side out.

Add a bunch of water to the pan and roast at 400 degrees for about 60 mins.

Take pieces out and place in a big mixing bowl until they cool.

Scoop out the flesh into containers.

Blend in food processor if desired...mainly for texture.

Repeat until the entire veggie is reduced to pumpkin skin resting nicely in your compost bucket.

The seeds can be roasted...

Toss seeds in oil or cut a few pieces of butter and spread around a pan of seeds and some cracked salt.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 mins or until brown and crispy.

The flesh can be used in so many delicious ways!

Here is what we managed to make out of a few jack o lanterns still kicking around...

Pumpkin spice muffins freeze really well and can be reheated in under 30 sec in a microwave.

It is a seriously economical recipe, as long as you already have the spices in the pantry.

Creamy Spicy Pumpkin Soup was an afterthought.

I was spooning the flesh out into containers for freezing.

The inevitable happened...I had a half full container.

So soup it was!

This soup recipe is great...it has a spicy kick due to the curry and cayenne.

I had a tablespoon of cream cheese left over so I added it!

The spicy and creamy were perfect compliments.

I garnished the soup with roasted pumpkin seeds...crunchy!

For even more yummy recipes, head on over to my friend Sam of the lovely Ravels & Tangles blog!

She's seriously obsessed with pumpkin...you'll see...

Pumpkin smoothie, pumpkin earle grey latte and pumpkin mac n cheese!!!

Keeping the Kitchen Cool...

It's not much of a news flash to state...the weather is HOT...

Ok...yeah...we knew that already, thank you, Mrs State the Obvious!

Lately I've been posting food pics on Facebook dedicated to keeping cool and not heating up your kitchen.

I thought I would explore this concept a little deeper.

I find it difficult to consider preparing food in weather like this.

The thought of turning on a stove or even a toaster oven makes me cringe.

Especially when it feels like you're melting...

I have posted pics of a variety of salads with a plethora of taste sensations.

...but one can only eat so many salads...

(and I am most certainly a salad FREAK)

So to the grill I go!  We have been BBQ-ing a lot lately.

Even if you live in an apartment that does not allow BBQ-ing, you can most likely find a public park in your area that will allow you to bring grills or coleman stoves.

Check your local by-laws on that one...

When Hurricane Sandy was about to arrive, we made propane and water our first priority.

(we already have a food store in our basement and a fireplace,

so we didn't have to worry about food and heat)

At the time, the storm kind of missed us...so we were sitting one a propane surplus!

We have been experimenting with grilling stuff like peppers, watermelon, peaches and plums.

As well as the usual suspects like steak, burgers, sausages and even a roast!

We also tried our hand at grilling corn on the cob.

Emeril Lagasse swears by it...not that I follow the trendy eating crowd, mind you.

Ches soaked the cobs whole for approximately 1 hr, but the longer you can wait, the better.

He BBQ'd the cobs and we ate them on a 

separate, blazing hot night where the house was sitting at 31 degrees Celsius.

Whatever we grill, I like to grill a large quantity and reserve some for later use.

The pictures included in this post show a dinner we had outside by the firepit one evening.

(A fire?!?!  I know, we still have a fire on occassion to keep the evening bugs at bay,

but only when there is no fire ban)

We BBQ'd burgers and topped them with fresh picked garden lettuce, Old Cheddar cheese from Wilton and previously grilled red peppers.

Complete the meal with cold cervesas and s'mores for dessert.

The grilled peppers gave the burgers a wonderfully different taste, almost sweet.

Like a gourmet burger served in a high end restaurant.

Another way to consume leftover grilled peppers is to use them in a grown up grilled cheese sandwich!

I layer cheese, spinach, cheese, onions and tomatoes, more cheese, the grilled peppers (kept in large pieces) and finally a layer of cheese...muahaha!

Press between 2 pieces of bread buttered on the outside and fry in a frying pan.

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In case anyone was wondering how to make a traditional s'more:

-toast a marshmallow

-press toasted marshmallow between 2 graham crackers and a piece of chocolate.

There are variations and substitutions...but we like to keep it old school.

Also, in case anyone was wondering...the top picture shows our roasting tree...

Anyone how ever toasted a marshmallow or wienie on the campfire will be familiar with a roasting stick...

but our version is a TREE...complete with enough "branches" that you can literally roast a whole meal.

(or a million marshmallows...give or take)

Check out my Facebook page or group for more recipes to keep you

and your kitchen as cool as possible these days.

Take care everyone!