Tag Archives: crockpot

Food

Easy Crockpot Cleaning

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Gross right? I had made a nice pork roast low and slow and then we had to run off to church! The next day this monster faced me and I know I am not the only one who has found myself in this predicament! So what is the easiest way to dispatch this mess?? Ah, that is a super easy secret!

First, dump all the goop and liquid out!
Fill with soapy water of any temperature! Then turn on the crockpot on high.
15 minutes or so later scrub it out with a kitchen brush and dump the water out. Seriously, that is all that has happened here.
Then rinse and dry! That is it. And while the crockpot is on you can clean the rest of the kitchen.

Every so often in order to deal with staining, that seems common with pinto beans, I take a green scrubbie sponge and either some Comet or baking soda to it. Just scrub it out and it should look a lot better! That is it! You can clean your crock pot in just a couple of minutes just by multi tasking!

Food

How It Looks In the Beginning Isn’t What Counts

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I know, that is not sexy food at all! But what is it? It is a crock pot full of pinto beans! Pinto beans are super easy to make! A key thing is to rinse and pick through you beans! Occasionally there is a rock and that doesn’t make tasty eats! Then I put beans and water in the crockpot at a ratio of 1:4. I usually make 4 cups of beans at a time. To that I add about 3 tablespoons of beef bullion, 1 tablespoon of pepper, 1/4 cup of dehydrated onions, a sprinkling of cumin and 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt. Then turn the crock pot on low for 6+ hours.

Now I use dehydrated onions and only a sprinkling of cumin due to NerdDad’s  preference. If I was making them for someone else I would use 1 onion and 2 tablespoons of cumin;).

The first meal with my pinto beans is my Bean Bowls! I make up some seasoned Jasmine Rice in my rice maker and then put some of that in the bottom of the bowl. Then I add broccoli, beans, cheese and some taco sauce. Then stir!  And NerdDad is not a fan of the veggie meal so I usually add some cut up chicken or steak.

Looks a lot sexier now, doesn’t it;)?

(I added this to GreenbacksGal’s Meatless Monday)

Food

Burritos: The Delightful Leftover

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I know, I know, burritos aren’t glamorous but they are yummy and cheap! I made about a pound of pinto beans in my crockpot and a few cups of rice in my rice maker to go with enchiladas one night. The I take the leftover beans, throw them in a pan with a touch of oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Then I take an immersion blender to them and Voila! Refried Beans!

Then get tortillas from the bread store ($2 for 30), shredded cheese, and taco sauce in a squeeze bottle (50 cents for 1 from the Dollar Store). Make an assembly line with these, the beans, the rice and either a saute pan or griddle (to heat the tortillas to make them bendable).
Then assemble! To fold the burritos first fold the edge in, then the 2 sides like a present. Then continue to roll. All my kids eat these and they don’t leak! But don’t over stuff!
That is it! You can even make a ton and freeze them!

Food

Quick and Easy Corned Beef Without the Cabbage

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I am Irish! I love Corned Beef and Cabbage. But early in my marriage I realized that my husband doesn’t like cabbage or mustard. Both things that are essential to a good corned beef and cabbage meal. So I tweaked. I now have a great corned beef recipe that everyone will love, even those who hate corned beef. The first thing I did was toss the mustard seeds and the cabbage. You can make it in a crockpot or the oven. The key is seasoning it like a tri tip roast. Make sure that you put a little water in the pan, even if you are cooking it in the oven. Our favorite way is putting red potatoes and the corned beef into a baking dish. Then I just bake it at 350 degrees until it is done. This depend on size and temperature, ours is usually an hour to 1 1/2 hours. You could also put it in the crockpot for 3-4 hours on high and 6-8 hours on low. That is it! Corned Beef every one will love.

Food

Freezer Friday: Shredded Roast Beef

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Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!

Shredded Roast Beef

This is a great recipe. I like it over rice or on hamburger buns.

Ingredients:
3 lbs Beef Roast
1/3 cup Dehydrated Onion
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 oz)
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/2 cup Water

Assembly:
Mix up everything but the meat. Put the meat in the Crockpot and cover with the rest of the ingredients. Then turn it on low all day or over night. Then cool slightly and put all the stock in the refrigerator. Then shred meat with 2 forks (or by hand). Then remove cold stock from frig and remove the layer of fat. Then mix the stock and meat. The Place in muffin cups (use liners if using a muffin tin). Then freeze individually. To reheat thaw (remove paper liners) and microwave or heat on the stove.

That is it! Now add your recipe!

Food

Crockpot Thursday: Crockpot Ribs

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Here is an easy rib recipe that was modified from a Robin Miller recipe. I have made this with Beef ribs, boneless country style ribs, and spareribs (which is what the original calls for). I take the leftover meat and put it into my Alfredo Pasta Bake
Ingredients:
About 6lbs of ribs (any kind)
2 Cans of Tomato Sauce (15 oz)
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
2 tbl Red Wine Vinegar
1 tbl Soy Sauce
1 tbl Chili Powder
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder

Process:
I cut my ribs apart first in order to ease serving. Then put them in the bottom of the crockpot. In a separate bowl mix all the other ingredients. Then dump it into the crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Don’t forget to come back for Freezer Friday!

Food

Crockpot Thursday – Basic Roast

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Here is my first crockpot recipe on this blog. I am starting with a basic roast and potatoes. This may be redundant to some of you but when I got my crockpot I had no idea.

Ingredients:
Hunk of beast (beef, pork, chicken, etc)
Potatoes
Seasonings
1/4 cup Liquid

Process:
First, wash and cut potatoes into large chucks (I half red potatoes). When you cut them you encourage more flavor into them. Then place beast on top. Then add seasonings I go a little heave on it. You can do just salt and pepper or add anything. I tend to do a low sodium Pappy’s, a little fresh garlic and dried parsley. Then add a quarter cup of coordinating liquid (beef stock with beef, chicken stock with chicken, water with pork, etc). You can always use water. Then slap the lid on. Depending how much time you have and what texture you want here are the directions. You can go low for 8 to 10 hours. For a firmer texture or quicker cook go on high for 4 to 6 hours. That is it!