What do you make in your crock pot?

[Miss Rosie]

I got a small crock pot on a recent thrift store run, and am starting to use it on days when we're out in the late afternoon. I know I can make soups and stews in it, and so far I've also done baked beans and dal.

Any other ideas? I don't want this to get too repetitive.

[purplefdu]

Pulled pork *drools* pulled pork is the best crock pot recipe ever. If you can't find a recipe (although mine actually came with one in the recipe book/instruction manual) they sell seasoning packets at the grocery store. We live a block from an amazing smokehouse and my husband still prefers the stuff we make at home.

Also baked chicken is pretty easy to make. I have a couple basted/seasoned recipes I use for honey mustard chicken and such.

[gt0163c]

A few years ago, my friend shared her crock pot recipe with me. She called it "Pig in Pot". Take 1 pork roast (pig). Put pig in crock pot. Turn crock pot on low. Come back about six hours later. Remove from pot. Shred meat. Add BBQ sauce of choice. Enjoy. I've tried it a few times and it really is that simple and very tasty. Beef roasts can also be made on crock pots, although you have to be a bit more careful about the time, as beef tends to dry out more easily than pork.

[shayob]

There are some really good crock pot recipe books out there, I'd check your local library. Or check online I get a lot of recipes there too. I've made Chicken Cassoulet, Greek Chicken, chili, stews. Next week I'm trying a recipe I got online called Athena Chicken, it uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lemon, balsamic vinegar, garlic, olives, onions all in the crock pot on low for 7 hours and then sprinkle with feta and basil and serve over rice.

[jdp]

When I got my crock pot I went gaga with the recipe books from the library and looking up recipes online. We do everything in it - beef, pork, chicken, veggies, potatoes. I probably have 50 chicken recipes alone to try. Each one I make I have everyone try. People are usually calling me for the recipes so I make sure I save them under a special slowcooker section of my binder.

[mcnerd]

Originally Posted by Miss Rosie

I got a small crock pot on a recent thrift store run,

How Small? There are ones called "crockettes" that hold about 3-4 cups. I am assuming yours is larger than that.

I use my crockette for making Steel Cut (Irish) Oatmeal for the mornings, plus great for soups, stews, baking potatoes, nachos, and a few thousand other things for small serving requirements.

I use my regular slow cooker/crockpot for beans, stews, casseroles, etc., etc. The list is huge. I have a couple recipes you might like to try:

Home-Style Tomato Juice

10 large tomatoes -- seeded & sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar

Place tomatoes in crockpot. Cover; cook on low for 4-6 hours. Press tomato mixture through a sieve. Add seasonings and chill.

Yield: "1 pint"
---------------------------------

Red Cabbage and Onions (Crockpot)

1/2 head red cabbage -- chopped
1 red onion -- chopped
3 cloves garlic -- sliced
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 Tbsp. water

Combine all ingredients in a 3-4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low, stirring twice during cooking time, for 6-8 hours until cabbage is tender.

Source:
"http://busycooks.about.com/od/sidedishrecipes/r/cpredcabbage.htm"
---------------------------------
STEAMED RICE

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 2

Follow directions on rice package for proportion of rice to water. For best results, use long grain converted rice. (Up to 1 cup raw rice may be prepared in CROCK•ETTE - makes 3 to 4 cups cooked.) Rub crock wall with 1 teaspoon butter. Pour in rice, water and salt. Cover and cook 8 to 10 hours.

[redsoxmaniac]

I make meatballs and sauce in there all the time.

Meatballs
1-1.5 lbs lean ground beef (make meatballs about 1.5" in diameter you know not huge!)
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned your pick)
1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese use grated
salt
pepper

Sauce
1 can tomato Puree
1 can crushed tomato (I preferred finely crushed)
2 tsp. of italian seasoning or to taste
1 small can of tomato paste
1-2 cloves of minced garlic (I used the minced in the jar)

combine oats, bread crumbs and milk. let sit until oats have time to soften. Add ground beef (make sure its lean...or if it isn't you will need to skim the fat off the top before serving.) and salt and pepper.
Note: Sometimes when ground beef is on sale I make a bunch of these and freeze them on a cookie sheet then bag them either in a ziplock or vacuum seal so I just can pull them out and throw them in the crock pot.

Set the meatballs aside.

Spray the inside of your slow cooker w/ nonstick spray

Take a 28 oz. can of tomato puree and pour enough in the slow cooker to cover the bottom. Put a layer of meatballs in cover and repeat. Add the can of crushed tomato and season. I usually use a couple of teaspoons of italian seasoning but you can add more or less or put fresh basil in or whatever. 1/2 hour before I am going to serve I add the equivalent of a small can of tomato paste. I bet I make this every other week. Occasionally I will make a mushroom and meat sauce instead of meatballs.
If I have any available red wine open, or need an excuse to open some I'll throw in about 1/3 of a cup.

cook on low for 6-8 hours (better for just 6, I make the meatballs a little larger if I am going to cook for 8)

This freezes really well. I have a large crockpot that I sometimes 1.5X the recipe.

This is the number one requested meal at my house from my teenager and college aged kid (and its been since they were little). The best part: you can't screw this up!

[Milehimama]

I can make ANYTHING in a crockpot. At one point, we lived in a motel for 6 weeks and that was all I had. You can adapt almost anything. Rule of thumb - if something takes one hour in the oven, it will take about 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

I make soups, beans, lasagna, chicken, chicken and dumplings, pork roast, pork chops, and more. I've even baked brownies and peach cobbler in it before.

A good cheap recipe, put pork chops in, dump salsa on top, cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours until done (add water to cover the bottom of the crockpot). Serve over canned blackbeans or rice.

Chicken and dumplings: Put in your chicken pieces, celery, carrots, etc. (however you like it.) cover with water and cook low 6-8 hours until chicken is done. About an hour before serving, make dumplings (or just use canned biscuits cut up) and put in pot.

Have fun!

[Miss Rosie]

Wow! Thanks, everybody! This is going to be great fun!

The crock pot isn't a crockette, but it's smaller than normal and oval-shaped. No cookbook because it was a thrift shop buy. I didn't want a full-sized one because I'm usually feeding two and this apartment's biggest drawback is its tiny kitchen. I don't have the cupboard or counter space for a regular crock pot. I don't know if I could roast a chicken in it, but I can definitely try the cabbage, meatballs and pork.

[Milehimama]

You can make chicken PARTS in it - throw in a quarter or two, or a couple of breasts.

Makes good, homemade stock too.