Cooking Crock pot crazy

[harleyquinn]

could you post the recipe that you DO have? I LOVE butternut squash soup (especially on the Disney cruise....YUMMY!!!!) and would love to try making it at home!

Will do! (When I get home!)

 

[piratesmate]

anyone got a good butternut squash soup recipe? I've got one that includes applesauce that I'm going to try, but I was looking for more straight squash.

I didn't go back and look to see if this was posted here or not, but I have 2 versions served at AKL if you're interested. They're not really crock recipes, though.

Butternut Squash Soup
Boma, Animal Kingdom Lodge

2 Tbl Butter
1 Garlic Cloves
1 Onion, chopped
1 tsp Cumin, ground
1 tsp Coriander, ground
1 lb Butternut Squash, cut in chunks
2 tsp Curry Paste, red
2 c Vegetable Stock
2 c Milk
4 Tbl Sour Cream
2 Fresh Lemons, juiced
To taste Black Pepper and Salt
To taste Cilantro Sprigs
1. In a large pot, heat the butter. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.
2. Add all the spices, lemon juice, and curry paste.
3. Add squash and cover with the stock.
4. Simmer until squash is cooked.
5. Puree the soup until smooth and add the salt and pepper to tastes.
6. Return to the heat and add the milk and sour cream. Do not boil.
7. Garnish with the cilantro sprigs.
Yield: 10 servings

= = = = = = = = =
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP-Fall version
Boma – Flavors of Africa, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Yield: 8 servings

3 oz Unsalted Butter
11 oz Butternut Squash, cut in chunks
To taste Salt and Pepper
8 oz Water
8 oz Heavy Cream
8 oz Milk
1 oz Sugar, adjust if needed
1 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Coriander
1 Tbl Cornstarch
Water
3 oz American Cheese

1. In a small pot, melt the butter and pour over the squash. Season squash with salt and pepper and roast in 325 oven for 45 minutes.
2. In a kettle, mix squash with water. Add heavy cream and milk and puree. Add sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and coriander.
3. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and add to the soup.
4. Add the American cheese and continue mixing until smooth.
5. Adjust seasoning.

 

[harleyquinn]

Thanks!

 

[harleyquinn]

KAR--I'm making the stove top pork chops tonight. I'll let you know how it turns out!

 

[harleyquinn]

Okay, I overcooked the pork chops/stouffing. It was still pretty good.

My crock must cook faster than a lot of these recipes call for, which stinks since the whole point is to make it cook for 8 hours while I'm at work. Everything I've made has been over cooked and dry....maybe I just need to add more liquid?

I even added way more water than you said to Kar. OH, well. We ate it and it was still pretty good.

 

[Iott Family]

Okay, I overcooked the pork chops/stouffing. It was still pretty good.

My crock must cook faster than a lot of these recipes call for, which stinks since the whole point is to make it cook for 8 hours while I'm at work. Everything I've made has been over cooked and dry....maybe I just need to add more liquid?

I even added way more water than you said to Kar. OH, well. We ate it and it was still pretty good.

Some of the newer CP's do cook hotter than some of the older models that many of the recipes were designed for. My best solution to this is to get one the new programable types and set it to start cooking around noon so that when you get home at 6pm your supper is cooked but not cooked for 8-10 hours. If you use frozen meat, which I do often, then cooking on low for 8+ hours usually leaves you with a cooked moist meal. I am a SAHM and I love my CP's which I have a collection of and use all the time in all situations, even when we go camping, on vacation, etc. I always say have CP will travel! LOL!!! And just because Im a SAHM doesnt mean I want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen preparing dinner. Life is just too hectic for Mom's of all career choices to be chained to the stove!!!
Also, I think its betty crocker that has a cookbook called cook once, eat twice. I love these recipes! I will make a roast in the CP one day for traditional roast dinner then for the next day or so we will have french dip sandwiches, quesadillas, and soup using the roast I made Sunday or Monday. We are a family of 6 so I would buy a 6-8 lbs roast and use my 6qt CP.
We are also eating low fat/low carb as my DH is diabetic AND I do not want our kids to end up diabetic due to unhealthy eating habits and I find the CP lets me serve up yummy and nutrishes meals.

Happy CP cookin' !

 

[piratesmate]

Okay, I overcooked the pork chops/stouffing. It was still pretty good.

My crock must cook faster than a lot of these recipes call for, which stinks since the whole point is to make it cook for 8 hours while I'm at work. Everything I've made has been over cooked and dry....maybe I just need to add more liquid?

I even added way more water than you said to Kar. OH, well. We ate it and it was still pretty good.

You know, I've been wondering about this. A number of years ago, the manufacturers all changed the cooking temps on the slow cookers. Someone (FDA, AMA, who knows) decided that the food wasn't cooking quickly enough to be safe. Since that time, they all get hotter - faster.

It's a good thing I'm home now, or I'd never use mine. I used to be gone for nearly 10 hours & could count on the food being done - but not overdone - when I got back if I'd used LOW. I cooked a roast last week in 6 hours on LOW...it used to be 6 hours on HIGH.

Sadly, the majority of the recipes out there seem to be of the older type (longer cook times) but how can you tell? Unless someone goes through & specifically tries them all & makes notes about how long it takes.

As for the water...I've noticed that my newest crock (Rival, oval, 4.5qt I think) doesn't seem to hold the liquid like my old one. DH broke the crock on my last oval & just bought a whole new one one sale. This new one also has a glass lid, but I wonder if it just doesn't fit right or if it's now the design. I can add 2 cups of water to a roast, expecting to have LOTS of broth (for hot beef sandwiches) and we still seem to end up with only about a cup. I never had that problem in the past.

 

[TPCShauna]

Do you have the programmable type? I find that they cook MUCH hotter than the old-fashioned kind with just a few settings.

I work in the grocery industry and food safety is our number one concern. It is absolutely NOT SAFE to put food in a programmable crock for several hours before the heat is turned on. This creates a breeding ground for food-borne illness and should be avoided at all costs.

I find that using frozen meats and cooking them on low works very well. I typically cook dishes for 10+ hours and they are moist and tender. I've rarely had a problem with dryness.

Yes, PM, I know exactly what you mean about the reduction in liquid. I've noticed that my old crock evaporated much more quickly than my new one that has a locking lid. I found myself doubling and sometimes tripling the amount of liquid I included initially so that I would have the amount I wanted at the end.

 

[MaryJ]

All this talk about the new crockpots has me thinking. I was about to buy a new one last Christmas when everyone had them on sale. Now I'm kind of glad I didn't. As long as my old one heats up, (which it's doing in the kitchen now!) I think I'll hang on to it!

 

[DebMcDonald]

Has anyone had problems cooking with frozen chicken or pork shops or stew beef.

 

[piratesmate]

Has anyone had problems cooking with frozen chicken or pork shops or stew beef.

When I was working, the only kind of meat I cooked was frozen...because I never remembered to get it out to defrost first! (That's the sole reason I got a microwave 25 yrs ago too. LOL)

Anyway, I've always had one with a stone crock in it so I've always added a cup of cold water with the frozen meat. That's according to manufacturer's reccomendation - I'm assuming to equalize the temp so the crock doesn't break. My older sister always had the other type (metal pan on heating element) so she never used water.

I just realized this! I've done frozen Italian sweet sausage with just the sauce - no added water. Just a jar of sauce - with maybe 3/4 of the jar under the sausage. I figured it was pretty much the same thing...just thick water.

 

[harleyquinn]

Mine isn't programmable.

I just don't think I'm adding enough liquid.

Maybe if I set it at 10 hours and turn it off after 8 it will be cooked by not dryed out?

I made the chocolate pudding cake listed in this thread (it's also in the cookbook I have Fix it and forget it maybe?) Anyway, I cooked the cake to the directions on the box instead of using egg whites and applesauce (who needs low fat). I don't know if it was supposed to come out like it did or if it was because of this change, but yuck! The pudding kinda turned into a jello consitancy and none of it was sweet enough.

It did taste pretty good with ice cream. Maybe I let it cool too long?

I can't seem to do anything right with this thing.

 

[DebMcDonald]

Here's a recipe that was rated one of the best of the year in our paper's food section. It's a little rich and certainly not healthy, but delicious. DH likes me to double all ingredients except the chicken so there's more sauce.

Creamy Italian Chicken

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 oz. of and 8 oz. tub of cream cheese and chives
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can golden cream of mushroom soup
1 (0.7 oz.) pkg. Italian dressing mix (this is the dry mix)
1/2 cup water or white wine
Angel hair pasta

Cut chicken breasts into strips and put chicken strips into slow cooker.
In a separate bowl, mix melted butter or margarine, cream cheese soup and Italian dressing mix together.
Pour mixture over chicken strips and add in white wine or water.
Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Serve over cooked angel hair pasta.

Some notes: I season my chicken a little with garlic powder, salt and pepper. I've also put the chicken in frozen and it comes out fine. This recipe will taste good with water in place of the wine, but it's so much better with the wine.
I also cut my chicken into small chunks instead of strips. Sometimes I just do this with a spoon once the chicken has cooked.
We always serve this with garlic bread.

This was really really good. My husband even went back for seconds.

 

[harleyquinn]

This was really really good. My husband even went back for seconds.

That's what I'm making tonight! Hopefully it comes out okay. I had to substitute Onion Soup mix for the Italian dressing, which will make it taste completely different than intended, but hopefully it'll work out okay.

The cream cheese/soup/dry mix mixture looks nasty, but smells good. Hopefully it won't be overcooked again. I'm close to giving up.

 

[harleyquinn]

Success!! My Italian chicken was more like a Chicken Stroganoff because of the onion soup and DH added more liquid (at least a cup) after about 6 hours. But if came out great. I used Egg Noodles due to the flavor and we both really liked it. So now I have to try it the REAL way!

 

[disneyfan2]

could someone post the famous dis meatballs. I cant seem to find it.

ohhh, this sounds interesting, i would love to hear more!

 

[momrek06]

Has anyone had problems cooking with frozen chicken or pork shops or stew beef.

Here is a great site, Deb, that has crock-pot FAQ's!! :

http://www.crock-pot.com/faqs.aspx

Hope that helps!! Kar

 

[binny]

I made something new (to me at least) the other day that was really good!

I had a gallon size freezer bag about 3/4 full of turkey leftover from Thanksgiving in the freezer.
I put 1 can of cream of chicken, 1 can of cream of mushroom and 1 can of chicken broth and some dried onion in the crock pot, stirred it all together. Then I put the frozen ( pre-cooked) turkey in with it and let it go all day on low.
poured over Penne pasta and done!

It was delicious and could NOT have been easier!

 

[binny]

Is this the one you were thinking of I know a lot of people just use the frozen meatballs instead of making their own (including me!)


from disney funseeker





Sauce:
1 12oz jar of chili sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 10oz jar of grape jelly

meatballs:
2 lbs ground beef
1c. bread crumbs
1/3 c dried parsley
2 eggs
2 TBsp soya sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp minced onion

My sister puts Diana's BBQ sauce and frozen meatballs in the crockpot and they are also yummy.
I do the Swedish Meatball recipe in the oven but should work in the crockpot.

 

[DebMcDonald]

Here is a great site, Deb, that has crock-pot FAQ's!! :

http://www.crock-pot.com/faqs.aspx

Hope that helps!! Kar

One of the comments was that you can not prepare the food in the stoneware the night before and store it in the fridge until morning, and I have done this multiple times without any problems.