Talk to Me Tuesday - Crock Pot Recipe Request

Wed, Feb 6, 2008

Sorry this week’s Talk to Me Tuesday post is a day late. My internet was a bit patchy last night and I fell asleep waiting for the connection to stabilize. Sorry guys, I’m pregnant…late-night energy bursts are a little hard to come by these days.

Generally, there are two crazy parts of my day. The first is the 45 minutes before my kids head off to school. The second is the 45 minutes before dinner hits the table. Over the years, I’ve come up with lots of ways to simplify our morning routine but when it comes to the dinner-time crunch, I’m still searching.

I’ve read lots of suggestions on other blogs (Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday series is loaded with great menu ideas) and I’m noticing that tons of you use a crock pot to help simplify your weekday meals. I must admit, I’ve had a crock pot for years now and I think I’ve only used it a dozen times. It’s not that I don’t like the idea of crock pot cooking. The concept of preparing dinner during the less-hectic hours of the day sounds fabulous. My problem is that I seem to have trouble finding a great recipe. In fact, I’d say about half of the crock pot meals I’ve made over the years turned out to be a mushy, meaty, mess.

Now that the new baby is only eight weeks away, I’ve decided it’s time for me to dust off the crock pot and add a few stress-saving recipes to my weekly repertoire. I suppose I could dig through my favorite cooking websites but I’m guessing I’ll get much better results if I turn to you guys instead. I have a feeling that most of you probably have dozens of easy, family-tested crock pot recipes tucked up your domestic sleeves. So for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post, I’m hoping you’ll share a few of your favorites with me in the comments area.

You’re welcome to either type out the recipe or simply link to the recipe on another site. My only request is that in additon to the recipe you give a brief description of the dish and tell us why you love it. As always, to those of you that comment, thanks - in advance - for passing it on.

Tags: crock pot, recipe

13 Comments For This Post

Org Junkie Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 12:23 am

Hello! My crockpot has been such a lifesaver for me but overcooked crockpot food is the worst. Most often recipes will say two times such as cook between 4-6 hours on low, always go with the minimum. All the recipes I post for Slow Cooking Thursday are ones I have personally tried and would recommend. You can find the link in my sidebar. Enjoy!!

Ginger Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 6:39 am

I have a 6 week rotation of crock-pot recipes, several of which are here: http://www.crockpothappiness.blogspot.com
HTH! I love my crock-pot!

Cynthia Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 8:40 am

One of my All time Favorite crockpot recipes is this Lasagna. I like it because 1) it has a shorter cooking time so if I forget to get it started at the crack of dawn it will still be done for dinner 2) the prep is way easy and 3) my family loves it!

Lasagna for the crockpot

1/2 lb ground beef (cooked-sometimes when I’m making tacos or something else I’ll just throw in extra and then remove it before seasoning it)

1 onion chopped
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 small can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesean cheese, grated
1 cup mozzerella cheese, grated

1 pkg. Lasagna Noodles OR 4 cups uncooked pasta

Cook the ground beef, onion and garlic until done, drain and add Italian Seasoning. When done add spaghetti sauce & tomato sauce

In medium sized bowl mix together cottage cheese, parmesean, and mozzerella.

Place enough of the red sauce in crockpot to cover bottom. Then either add two layers of Lasagna noodles (you will have to break them up) or about 1 cup of uncooked pasta (spread evenly), layer with more red sauce, then cheese mixture and more noodles.

Make sure your top layer is the red sauce and that EVERYTHING is covered in red sauce.

Place lid on and cook on LOW for 3-5 hours. About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve add grated cheese to top (if desired). Cover and let cheese melt.

Serve and enjoy!

Mindy Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

My favorite recipe is way to easy. It is Salsa Chicken. You put 3-5 frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot and pour a jar of salsa over the top. Cook for 3-5 hours. Serve over rice. We like it here because it is very easy, we have the ingredients and it is low calorie but lots of flavor. 8 weeks until the new baby Wahoo! Love ya.

April Driggers Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 9:56 pm

I’m a stew freak — so that’s always an easy one when the chill is in the air — there is no set recipe for it (in this house) but it tends to go something like this
1 pkg of stew meat (I buy the tenderized kind)
1 bag stew veggies (frozen package at walmart)
1 can beef broth
1 can cream mushroom soup
1 can red kidney beans
1 can rotel

BAM!

on to round two…

Creamy chicken
1 large onion chopped or sliced (whatever suits yoru fancy)
1 package chicken breasts (4-5) or chicken tenders (enough to equal 4-5 chicken breasts)
1 package liption golden onion soup mix
1 8oz bar of cream cheese (tried the “lite” and didn’t like how it turned out so we use full fat kind)
1 large container of sliced mushrooms (cleaned, of course)

in crockpot put onion on bottom… salt and pepper chicken and arrange in a layer atop the onion. Sprinkle with soup mix. Cube the cream cheese and then top with fresh mushroom. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4… serve over rice or noodles. YUM-O!

I also love to make chili… simple simple simple
brown some hamburger meat — 1.5 - 2#
1 can pork n beans (not drained)
1 can red kidney beans (drained, rinsed)
1 can black beans (drained, rinsed)
2 can pinto beans (drained, rinsed)
1 onion, chopped fine
2 tsp minced garlic
2 or 3 cans of the diced seasoned tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes

(see how it’s basically a brown the meat and dump the rest kind of recipe?) Love those!

then simply add in about 3Tbsp (or more to taste) of chili powder… about 1 tsp cumin (more or less to taste — Cooking isn’t an exact science is it) and a dash or two of cayenne… maybe a little salt and pepper — actually if it looks like i wnat it a little more tomato”y” then I’ll add a can of tomato sauce… large or small is purely up to you. I usually throw in a can of cream of mushroom soup too. It’s these hodgepodge recipes that, to me, are always the best.

April Driggers Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 9:58 pm

OOOOH and how can i forget the easiest and one of my most fav?

1 roast 2-3Lb
1 pkg dry au jus sause mix
1 pkg dry italian soup mix
1 bottle italian dressing
put all in crock pot… sprinkel dry sauces on roast and pur dressing in bottom. Cook on low 6 hours and high 2=3…. then 30 minutes prior to eating, shred it with forks…. place it on buns and cover with shredded italian cheese… yumo!

Autumn Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 8:40 am

We have six kids so I took a poll. Bowtie chicken is definately a favorite.
4 cans cream of chicken soup
1 8oz. pkg cream cheese
1c. sour cream
1pkg ranch dressing mix
3 T parmasean cheese
2c. chicken boullion water
1 1/2 T. italian seasoning
1T minced garlic (dry or fresh)
Chicken about 8 breasts (I usually use 1bag boneless/skinless)
Cut up chicken into bite size pieces or strips.
Put in crockpot with all other ingred. On low 3-4hrs, high 6-8. Serve over bowtie pasta. If you are really festive and in a gourmet mood you can serve in pasta bowls, top with shredded mozz. and parsley flakes then pop in the oven till browned on top. (I don’t know why but for some reason, we never reach that gourmet kind of mood. hmmm)
In prep for the new baby, you can always double each dinner you make over the next few weeks and put the second dinner in the freezer for an easy dinner when you don’t feel up to cooking.

Ellen Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 10:51 am

This stew recipe is my all time favorite.
Just dice left over meat from a roast.
Add
-one can cream of mushroom soup, one can cream of chicken, one can cream of celery (or whatever you have on hand)
-one large can diced tomatoes
-Carrots, onions, potatoes and if you prefer(celery, winter squash, parsnips-firm vegetables)
Cook on low overnight or all day. I mix the sauce together before adding to the veg and meat. If you want darker gravy just add a few drops “Kitchen Bouquet”.

Lisa Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

I have lots. I’ve seen others do that Chicken salsa with black beans and corn, too. Today I am making an Enchilada Casserole in the crock pot. I’ve never tried it. Here are two sites that I have looked at–plus Cooking Light has a few, too. I have tried a couple on this one-all good. http://workitmom.com/bloggers/orderingdisorder Then I found this site. http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com I havent’ tried these. And finally, do you have Beth’s stew recipe? It cooks in the oven, but it is so so good and my favorite Sunday meal. I will email it to you.

crockpot lady Says:
February 14th, 2008 at 7:02 pm

thanks, Lisa, for the link!

I’m on day 45 of using the crockpot everyday… so far so good–only like 321 to go.

any type of soup tastes great slowcooked, and can freeze easily. Make a bunch of taco soup, some baked potatoes, some lazy chicken and the like dishes in 2-meal portions to freeze. Any meat and bbq sauce, etc. You are NOT going to want to cook come 4 o’clock when the baby comes. trust me.

you may email me at anytime for more suggestions! good luck!
xox
steph

Elicia Says:
February 18th, 2008 at 1:54 pm

This is a great recipe for meatloaf with potatoes and carrots in the crock pot. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooked-Meat-Loaf/Detail.aspx
I do add 1/8 tsp sage, 1/8 tsp poultry seasoning, and 1/8 tsp dry mustard for flavor. You can also add some dry onion soup mix if you like.

julie sherman Says:
February 19th, 2008 at 3:26 pm

After being sick for a while, I was finally able to add my favorite crock pot recipes. Here is the link:

http://ajshermanfamily.blogspot.com/2008/02/crock-pot-recipes.html

I hope you get to try them out. Enjoy!

Holly Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

Someone mentioned a similar recipe for chicken, so this is what I do: Add 3-4 frozen chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, a can each of black beans and corn (both drained). Cook on high for about 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Shred chicken and return to crock-pot then add a block of cream cheese. Cook about 15 minutes, just until cheese melts and stir it all up. We serve eat this by scooping it up w/ corn chips. It’s soooo yummy! Great to bring to a potluck too. I’ve thought about putting mixture into tortilla shells and making some kind of enchiladas w/ it, but haven’t tried it yet. Thanks to everyone who shared recipes! I’m always wanting to find new ones for my crock-pot!

Org Junkie Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Hello! My crockpot has been such a lifesaver for me but overcooked crockpot food is the worst. Most often recipes will say two times such as cook between 4-6 hours on low, always go with the minimum. All the recipes I post for Slow Cooking Thursday are ones I have personally tried and would recommend. You can find the link in my sidebar. Enjoy!!
Ginger Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 6:39 am
I have a 6 week rotation of crock-pot recipes, several of which are here: http://www.crockpothappiness.blogspot.com
HTH! I love my crock-pot!
Cynthia Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 8:40 am
One of my All time Favorite crockpot recipes is this Lasagna. I like it because 1) it has a shorter cooking time so if I forget to get it started at the crack of dawn it will still be done for dinner 2) the prep is way easy and 3) my family loves it!

Lasagna for the crockpot

1/2 lb ground beef (cooked-sometimes when I’m making tacos or something else I’ll just throw in extra and then remove it before seasoning it)

1 onion chopped
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 small can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesean cheese, grated
1 cup mozzerella cheese, grated

1 pkg. Lasagna Noodles OR 4 cups uncooked pasta

Cook the ground beef, onion and garlic until done, drain and add Italian Seasoning. When done add spaghetti sauce & tomato sauce

In medium sized bowl mix together cottage cheese, parmesean, and mozzerella.

Place enough of the red sauce in crockpot to cover bottom. Then either add two layers of Lasagna noodles (you will have to break them up) or about 1 cup of uncooked pasta (spread evenly), layer with more red sauce, then cheese mixture and more noodles.

Make sure your top layer is the red sauce and that EVERYTHING is covered in red sauce.

Place lid on and cook on LOW for 3-5 hours. About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve add grated cheese to top (if desired). Cover and let cheese melt.

Serve and enjoy!
Mindy Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
My favorite recipe is way to easy. It is Salsa Chicken. You put 3-5 frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot and pour a jar of salsa over the top. Cook for 3-5 hours. Serve over rice. We like it here because it is very easy, we have the ingredients and it is low calorie but lots of flavor. 8 weeks until the new baby Wahoo! Love ya.
April Driggers Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
I’m a stew freak — so that’s always an easy one when the chill is in the air — there is no set recipe for it (in this house) but it tends to go something like this
1 pkg of stew meat (I buy the tenderized kind)
1 bag stew veggies (frozen package at walmart)
1 can beef broth
1 can cream mushroom soup
1 can red kidney beans
1 can rotel

BAM!

on to round two…

Creamy chicken
1 large onion chopped or sliced (whatever suits yoru fancy)
1 package chicken breasts (4-5) or chicken tenders (enough to equal 4-5 chicken breasts)
1 package liption golden onion soup mix
1 8oz bar of cream cheese (tried the “lite” and didn’t like how it turned out so we use full fat kind)
1 large container of sliced mushrooms (cleaned, of course)

in crockpot put onion on bottom… salt and pepper chicken and arrange in a layer atop the onion. Sprinkle with soup mix. Cube the cream cheese and then top with fresh mushroom. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4… serve over rice or noodles. YUM-O!

I also love to make chili… simple simple simple
brown some hamburger meat — 1.5 - 2#
1 can pork n beans (not drained)
1 can red kidney beans (drained, rinsed)
1 can black beans (drained, rinsed)
2 can pinto beans (drained, rinsed)
1 onion, chopped fine
2 tsp minced garlic
2 or 3 cans of the diced seasoned tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes

(see how it’s basically a brown the meat and dump the rest kind of recipe?) Love those!

then simply add in about 3Tbsp (or more to taste) of chili powder… about 1 tsp cumin (more or less to taste — Cooking isn’t an exact science is it) and a dash or two of cayenne… maybe a little salt and pepper — actually if it looks like i wnat it a little more tomato”y” then I’ll add a can of tomato sauce… large or small is purely up to you. I usually throw in a can of cream of mushroom soup too. It’s these hodgepodge recipes that, to me, are always the best.
April Driggers Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
OOOOH and how can i forget the easiest and one of my most fav?

1 roast 2-3Lb
1 pkg dry au jus sause mix
1 pkg dry italian soup mix
1 bottle italian dressing
put all in crock pot… sprinkel dry sauces on roast and pur dressing in bottom. Cook on low 6 hours and high 2=3…. then 30 minutes prior to eating, shred it with forks…. place it on buns and cover with shredded italian cheese… yumo!
Autumn Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 8:40 am
We have six kids so I took a poll. Bowtie chicken is definately a favorite.
4 cans cream of chicken soup
1 8oz. pkg cream cheese
1c. sour cream
1pkg ranch dressing mix
3 T parmasean cheese
2c. chicken boullion water
1 1/2 T. italian seasoning
1T minced garlic (dry or fresh)
Chicken about 8 breasts (I usually use 1bag boneless/skinless)
Cut up chicken into bite size pieces or strips.
Put in crockpot with all other ingred. On low 3-4hrs, high 6-8. Serve over bowtie pasta. If you are really festive and in a gourmet mood you can serve in pasta bowls, top with shredded mozz. and parsley flakes then pop in the oven till browned on top. (I don’t know why but for some reason, we never reach that gourmet kind of mood. hmmm)
In prep for the new baby, you can always double each dinner you make over the next few weeks and put the second dinner in the freezer for an easy dinner when you don’t feel up to cooking.
Ellen Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 10:51 am
This stew recipe is my all time favorite.
Just dice left over meat from a roast.
Add
-one can cream of mushroom soup, one can cream of chicken, one can cream of celery (or whatever you have on hand)
-one large can diced tomatoes
-Carrots, onions, potatoes and if you prefer(celery, winter squash, parsnips-firm vegetables)
Cook on low overnight or all day. I mix the sauce together before adding to the veg and meat. If you want darker gravy just add a few drops “Kitchen Bouquet”.
Lisa Says:
February 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I have lots. I’ve seen others do that Chicken salsa with black beans and corn, too. Today I am making an Enchilada Casserole in the crock pot. I’ve never tried it. Here are two sites that I have looked at–plus Cooking Light has a few, too. I have tried a couple on this one-all good. http://workitmom.com/bloggers/orderingdisorder Then I found this site. http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com I havent’ tried these. And finally, do you have Beth’s stew recipe? It cooks in the oven, but it is so so good and my favorite Sunday meal. I will email it to you.
crockpot lady Says:
February 14th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
thanks, Lisa, for the link!

I’m on day 45 of using the crockpot everyday… so far so good–only like 321 to go.

any type of soup tastes great slowcooked, and can freeze easily. Make a bunch of taco soup, some baked potatoes, some lazy chicken and the like dishes in 2-meal portions to freeze. Any meat and bbq sauce, etc. You are NOT going to want to cook come 4 o’clock when the baby comes. trust me.

you may email me at anytime for more suggestions! good luck!
xox
steph
Elicia Says:
February 18th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
This is a great recipe for meatloaf with potatoes and carrots in the crock pot. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooked-Meat-Loaf/Detail.aspx
I do add 1/8 tsp sage, 1/8 tsp poultry seasoning, and 1/8 tsp dry mustard for flavor. You can also add some dry onion soup mix if you like.
julie sherman Says:
February 19th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
After being sick for a while, I was finally able to add my favorite crock pot recipes. Here is the link:

http://ajshermanfamily.blogspot.com/2008/02/crock-pot-recipes.html

I hope you get to try them out. Enjoy!
Holly Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Someone mentioned a similar recipe for chicken, so this is what I do: Add 3-4 frozen chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, a can each of black beans and corn (both drained). Cook on high for about 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Shred chicken and return to crock-pot then add a block of cream cheese. Cook about 15 minutes, just until cheese melts and stir it all up. We serve eat this by scooping it up w/ corn chips. It’s soooo yummy! Great to bring to a potluck too. I’ve thought about putting mixture into tortilla shells and making some kind of enchiladas w/ it, but haven’t tried it yet. Thanks to everyone who shared recipes! I’m always wanting to find new ones for my crock-pot!

MeckMom.com

Talk to Me Tuesday - Crock Pot Recipe Request

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