Crockpot Pork, Sweet Potatoes & Apples

Over the past few blogging years, I've posted crockpot and pork recipes. This versatile meal ingredient ranks as one of our favorites besides chicken and fish. This recipe was easy to prepare using ingredients we already had available.The addition of apples and dried cranberries add a great flavor and sweetness.

Crockpot Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 lbs boneless pork tenderloin
• 2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 C dried cranberries (Craisins® are a great pantry staple)
• 1/2 C apple cider - I used apple juice

1. Season pork loin with pepper and salt and brown on all sides.
2. In a bowl, stir together the brown sugar and spices; set aside.
3. Arrange sweet potato slices in the bottom of the crockpot; add chopped onion and sprinkle everything with half of the brown sugar mixture.
4. After its browned and cooled, coat the pork in the rest of the spice mixture. Place in the crockpot on top of the vegetables; top with the apples and cranberries; add the cider/apple juice and cover.
5. Set the crockpot to HIGH for 1 hour, then switch to LOW and cook for 5 to 6 hours. After 5 hours, quickly lift the lid to see if the sweet potatoes are tender and you can use an instant read thermometer to check the pork - cooked should read between 145-160°F. If it needs a little longer, replace the lid and cook for another 30-60 minutes. To serve, remove pork to a cutting board, let it set 5 minutes, then cut into thick slices.

Serve the sweet potatoes, apples, and onions with the pork too soft, so I mashed them with the apples and onions. Grenville added some flour to the leftover juices and made a delicious gravy. 

I sautéed mushrooms to serve on top of the pork. Steamed fresh green beans completed the meal. We really enjoyed this dinner and, except for the green beans, there are leftovers for a second meal. (This is the best part of crockpot cooking for me.)

Crockpot Garlic Beef Stew

Winter has arrived here in NH as of last week when we had a couple inches of snow that has managed to stay around because of the cold temps that followed. And, colder nights are forecast for several days this week. It's  hard to beef a stew for comfort food in winter.

This new (to me) recipe was tried a couple of weeks ago after we bought this Cuisinart programmable crockpot. We an older one which this one replaced as that one only had a control settings of high/low. This one can be set for a specified number of hours and then turns to Warm.  

Whoops, I prepared and served this recipe without photos. Trust me, it was delicious and will be served again — there's a lot more winter a'coming!

The original recipe was adapted from an original on BudgetBytes. There's some prep time needed, but the result is well worth it. And, once it's in the slow cooker, the work is all done, so go and r-e-l-a-x. (Hint: cutting veggies the night before saves time.)

Crockpot Garlic Beef Stew

• ½ lb (4 medium) carrots
• 3-4 celery pieces, sliced
• 1 medium onion
• 2 lbs red potatoes or sweet potatoes
• 2 TBSP olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ lbs. beef stew meat
•  Salt and pepper
• ¼ C all-purpose flour
• 2 C beef broth
• 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• ½ TBSP brown sugar
• ½ TBSP dried rosemary
• ½ tsp thyme

1. Dice onion; slice carrots and celery. Wash potatoes well and cut them 1-inch cubes. Place onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes into a large slow cooker. Place stew meat in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add flour and toss meat until it is coated, then set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic in hot oil for about a minute, or until soft and fragrant. Add floured meat and all the flour from the bottom of the bowl to skillet. Let beef cook without stirring for a few minutes to allow it to brown on one side. Stir and repeat until most or all sides of beef pieces are browned. Add browned beef to slow cooker and stir to combine with vegetables.
3. Return skillet to burner and turn heat to low. Add beef broth, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rosemary, and thyme to the skillet. Stir to combine the ingredients and dissolve browned bits from bottom of skillet. Once everything is dissolved off the skillet bottom, pour sauce over ingredients in the crock pot. The sauce will not cover the contents of the slow cooker as moisture is released when it cooks.
4. Cook on high 4 hours, then remove lid and stir, breaking beef into smaller pieces as you stir. Adjust salt, if needed. Serve hot as is with bread or salad or over rice or pasta.

Spicy Eggplant Sauce

We enjoy eggplant in these summer months when it is more plentiful. We've tried it roasted and in other recipes, so we needed a change

Slow Cooker Spicy Eggplant Sauce

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 eggplant, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves (smashed)
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1-2 tsp chili flakes
• 28 ounce can, whole peeled plum tomatoes
• 2 sprigs oregano or 1 TBSP dried
• 1/2 C basil Leaves (loosely packed)
• 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
• Salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add
   
   eggplant in batches, to avoid overcrowding pan, and season with salt. Sauté until slightly softened and pale golden, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer cooked batch to the slow-cooker.
2. When eggplant is cooked, add few more tablespoons of olive oil to pan and sauté onion for 3-4 minutes, until caramelized, seasoning with salt. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Stir in tomato paste and chili flakes. Cook until rust colored, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to slow-cooker along with cooking oil in the pan. Cook on low 4-5 hours.

Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy with a side salad.

You can store any leftover sauce refrigerated in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

Soup for Snow Day(s)

Soup — it's comfort food.

Especially when the weather outside is cold and/or snowy. And, I like making it. This is an easy recipe. Best of all, aside from the butternut squash, I had the other ingredients in the fridge and pantry. 

Another plus, it's also a healthy recipe.

While this isn't the first time, I've made butternut squash soup, it was the first time I tried a crockpot version that included apples and onions. Also, it was the first time, I roasted the squash instead of peeling and cutting it into pieces.

Let me tell you (if you don't already know) peeling any really hard squash like butternut squash is always difficult challenging. So, I followed an online tip and roasted it first, which seemed to give the soup a richer flavor. 

Cut butternut squash and scoop out seeds and stringy pulp. Brush olive oil on the inside of the squash and roast in a 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes until you can peel the skin away from the flesh or the pulp is soft when you stick a fork in it. 


Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup
This full-flavored soup is rich and flavorful and contains no butter or cream despite its creamy texture. You'll need at least a 5 quart crockpot for the ingredients.

• 1 large butternut squash
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 4 C chicken or vegetable broth (low-sodium)
• 1 medium apple, peeled and cubed
• 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1. When the roasting is done, scoop out the flesh and put in the crock pot. Add chicken broth, onion and apple, then stir in the spices. 
2. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. 
   
3. Blend in small batches with a stand blender, better yet use an immersion blender and blend right in the crockpot. Add more chicken broth, as needed to thin out the soup while blending.
4. Serve with a dollop (or more) of sour cream or plain yogurt.

This soup was part a weekend evening meal that was served with a side salad and a glass of wine — an easy and relaxing dinner for any evening.

Rats — Crocked Summer Veggie Stew

The post title refers partly to the 2007 computer animated Pixar-Disney film, Ratatouille, which starred Remy, a Parisian rate interested in cooking. This is a fun movie for all ages. 

But it's really about Ratatouille, a vegetable stew that aside from Gazpacho (a soup made from raw veggies and served cold). And, it's one of the best ways to use an abundance of summer vegetables, your own or ones gifted by friends with overflow gardens.

Not only is this a great-tasting meal, but it's also good for you (imagine that). Over the years, I've tried various versions, most required some form of stove top cooking, but this recipe differed — veggies were cut up, seasoned and broiled before being added to the crock pot. The result was they held up better even after several hours in the crock pot. And, to give credit where due, this adapted version is from Cook's Country (Aug/Sep 2013).

Slow Cooker Ratatouille

• 2 lbs eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2-3 zucchini (about 8 oz. ea) quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 6 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp Herbs de Provence *
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 C all purpose flour
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese (or a blend of grated Italian cheeses)
• 1/4 C chopped fresh basil

* If you don't have Herbs de Provence, substitute 1 tsp each dried rosemary and dried thyme. I had to search for this seasoning, but it was worth the effort.

1. Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. If your oven has different broiler heat settings, set it to medium (which varies if you have an electric vs. gas oven). Line backing sheet(s) or a large broiler pan bottom with foil (easier cleanup). In a large bowl, combine all the veggies also olive oil, sugar, garlic, Herbs de Provence. Toss until mixed and combined.
2. Divide vegetables evenly between prepared sheets (or single large sheet) and spread into a single layer (mine overlapped a bit). Broil until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes or faster if your broiler has only 1 heat setting, which is very hot). While vegetables are broiling, turn a couple of times to evenly cook. When done, transfer to crock pot and add drained tomatoes.
3. Stir flour, 2-1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper into slow cooker. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender (about 4 hours on LOW). Stir in balsamic vinegar, cheese, and basil. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Yield: about 8 cups.

No need to serve with a side salad as this dish is loaded with veggies. However, some crusty bread makes a perfect accompaniment. Leftovers are delicious too, hot or cold.

Crocked Chicken Cacciatore

Cold weather and a crockpot dinner go together at The Frog & PenguINN especially with the snow this week. 

Yes, the VA eastern shore had snow for the 3X this month. It was quite a scenic winter wonderland for several hours.

Perfect timing for this comfort meal as all the ingredients were already in the fridge or pantry.  It's very easy to prep this meal. Once cooked, it's dinner twice.

Chicken Cacciatore in CrockPot

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2-3 chopped scallions (optional)
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 can (15 oz.) whole (or diced) tomatoes, mashed
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried bail
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/2 C fresh mushrooms, chopped or 1 can (4 oz.) drained mushrooms

1. Wash chicken pieces well and pat dry. Combine remaining ingredients in crockpot. I
2. Add chicken pieces, pushing down into liquid to thoroughly coat. If using fresh mushrooms add on top; if canned, add during last 30 minutes of cooking time.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours or HIGH for half that time if you're in a hurry.
   
   
   
   
   

Serve over pasta or rice. We choose linguine with some of Grenville's fresh-baked rustic Italian bread. Dinner was delicious the first night; even better the second time.

Spring is a little late(r) this year.

Crockpot Lemon Chicken & Veggies

Now that we’re back home from a week-long road trip visiting family, home cooking is back on the menu. Since it has finally gotten a bit colder this week, the crockpot has taken up residence on The Frog & PenguINN kitchen counter.

Chicken is on the menu quite often here; lemon and varied herbs are great partners. I came across a few recipes for this recipe, then altered and combined a couple for this version. (Does anyone else do this too?)

Crockpot Lemon Chicken & Veggies

• 1/3 C flour (save leftover flour to thicken sauce later)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 4-5 skinless chicken thighs (bone in OR boneless)
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 carrots, cut up OR 1 bag baby carrots
• 2 stalks celery, cut up
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp each: dried oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme 
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 C  chicken broth (low-sodium is our choice)
• 1 TBSP cornstarch OR use reserved flour
• 1/2 C chicken broth (or water) to thicken sauce

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in shallow dish and coat chicken pieces, shaking off excess flour. Brown chicken in butter in nonstick skillet over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels, then place on top of onion, carrots and celery in a 3-4 quart crockpot.
2. Add oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme (sing if you must), lemon juice, brown sugar, garlic and chicken broth to the skillet. Cook and stir, scrape to remove browned bits, until mixture comes to a boil. Pour over chicken in crockpot.
3. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours (or HIGH for 3-4 hours if short on time). Remove chicken and shred with fork, then place back in crockpot.

When ready to serve, combine cornstarch and 1/2C chicken broth (or water), mix well and stir into sauce. Cook on HIGH for 20-30 minutes until thickened. Serve over hot rice or noodles to soak up the sauce.

Serves 4 for dinner and in our case that’s dinner twice with a side salad.

Ribbing Always Allowed

And that’s not referring to joking we have around The Frog & PenguINN. This ribbing refers to what was on our dinner menu this weekend. This was another crockpot-easy dinner of baby back ribs. Usually in summer months, Grenville prepares these ribs for cooking outdoors in a smoker. But, we were busy with assorted yard work and smoking ribs requires some tending and time, neither of which we wanted to do.

This first-time recipe was was SO easy to prepare with ingredients already in stock. I checked online for prep and cooking times and after finding several recipes, adjusted the seasonings to come up with this one. We used a smaller package of ribs that were in the freezer; if using a larger amount, just adjust the seasonings — experiment freely because you can’t really go too far astray. You could also omit the rub and just add more barbecue sauce.

Forgot to show the cut up apple in the ingredients photo above. It was a latecomer to the photo session. Also, I used a Splenda brown sugar blend, regular is OK too.

Baby Back Ribs in Crock Pot

• 3 lbs. baby back pork ribs
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 apple sliced
• 1/2 C barbecue sauce
• 1/4 C apple cider vinegar

Rub ingredients

• 2 TBSP Splenda brown sugar or equivalent
• 1 TBSP smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp white pepper
• 3/4 tsp ground oregano
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut rack of ribs in half to allow layering in crockpot. Place sliced onion and apple on bottom of crock pot, then pour apple cinder vinegar on top.
2. Combine rub ingredients; mix well. Rub on all sides of ribs. This is a somewhat messy process and placing them on paper towels requires less cleanup after the rub is applied.
3. Criss-cross rib layers in crockpot. Pour barbecue sauce on top and around.
4. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hrs. (if you’re in a hurry, but low and slow is best).

That’s all there is to do for prep work, so go and do whatever else you need to get done and then come in and enjoy.

Serve with a side order of beans, coleslaw or veggies of your choice. Ours was sautéed zucchini, carrots, onions and celery — leftovers from last week’s grocery shopping.

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken Thighs

Our crockpot has been in use a bit more lately after its relocation from the pantry to the countertop. It was NOT packed away as part of the great de-cluttering to get the house ready for showing. Since those hoped for events have not been happening lately, the crockpot is back in view and NOW seeing more use. 

Chicken was “what’s for dinner” last week and I looked online for a “waist-friendly” meal using spices and herbs a without calorie-laden sauce. There were several recipes similar to this one which was altered to include fresh herbs and onion and a substitution of chicken thighs vs. breasts. The ingredients list is fairly simple and you could have all these items available in your pantry or freezer.

Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken Thighs

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp dried minced onion
• 1/2 half small onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 C balsamic vinegar
• Fresh basil (if available)
• Fresh parsley (if available)

1. Combine the first six dry spices (garlic powder, dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper) in a small bowl.
   
2. Rub over chicken on both sides, then set aside. 
3. Pour olive oil and put garlic and onion on the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken on top. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken.
4. Cover and cook on LOW 7 hours or HIGH 4 hours. Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top to serve. 

Summer squash is abundant now as so is fresh basil (in our garden). Combine these with onion, garlic powder, sea salt and freshly ground pepper then sautée and serve with the chicken. 

This first-time meal is now a “keeper” worth repeating at The Frog & PenguINN dinner table. (Sorry but there were NO leftovers.)

Ribs Rubbed Right

Crockpot cooking is easy, but ours has been on hiatus, since warm weather meals are often salads or grilled foods.

Until last week, when we bought a package of boneless country-style pork ribs. I had read that these were great cooked in a crockpot with a few added ingredients — barbecue sauce, sliced onions and rubbed with spices of your choice, which makes the ribs extra flavorful. While there are lots of choices on what rub to use, mine included brown sugar, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder.

Crock Pot Country Style Ribs

• 4-6  lbs. country-style ribs  (ours were bone-in)
• 8 oz. barbecue sauce
• 1 onion, cut in slices
• 3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

The Rub

• 1/2 TBSP paprika
• 1 TBSP brown sugar
• 1TBSP  ground kosher salt
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1 TBSP ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1TBSP garlic powder

Put onions in bottom of crockpot, dry off ribs. Mix dry rub ingredient together. Rub the ribs with Worcestershire sauce, then with the rub. Criss-cross the ribs in layers in crockpot. Pour barbecue sauce in and cover. Set crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours; HIGH 3-4 hours if you’re in a hurry, but for this meal, low and slow is best.

The ribs were served with these easy side dishes (the recipes were posted before, but repeating means no links to another post.)

Classic Slaw

Buy a bag or prepared Cole Slaw mix which is SO much easier then shredding everything by hand. Then, just make the dressing:

• 1/2 C mayonnaise
• 2 TBSP rice vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 TBSP milk 
• 1 tsp ground celery seed
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt

Whisk ingredients in small bowl. Let sit 15-20 minutes so flavors blend. Stir just before adding to salad.

Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad

• 1 large cucumber, thinly sliced (seedless if available)
• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 C rice vinegar
• 1 TBSP minced fresh dill or ½ tsp dried dill weed
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 TBSP toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Gently toss together ingredients until evenly coated. Place in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Gently toss again before serving.

Dinner was great — leftovers were even better !

Sunday Black Bean Chili

Today was an gray overcast day, perfect for staying indoors and setting up a crock pot of chili.

The recipe came from a coupon insert from our local Food Lion supermarket. I modified it by adding 2 cans of canned tomatoes plus a 1/2 can of tomato paste to thicken, also added a couple more spices: coriander and cilantro, which were not in the original recipe. WHOOPS, the extra can of tomatoes was an accident  since I misread the ingredients list, the tomato paste was added to thicken the sauce — and it worked great!

Not only was this recipe easy to set up, but after tasting it, Grenville declared it “a keeper”  and so did I. And, it made a full crockpot for LOTS of leftovers this week.

Black Bean Chili

Prep time: 15 minutes   Cook time: 7-8 hours on low heat

• 1-1/2 lbs. boneless pork, cut into ½ inch cubes
• (2) 15-1/2 oz. cans black beans, drained
• (12 15-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, do not drain
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 1 C salsa, chunky
• 1 C yellow/green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 C onion, chopped
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder (more if you prefer)
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (more if you prefer)
• 1 TBSP cilantro
• ¼ tsp coriander
• 1/2 can tomato
• Sour cream garnish
• Cheddar cheese, shredded, garnish

1. Combine all ingredients, except garnishes, in 3-1/2 quart crock pot in no special order.
2. Mix together, cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours.
3. Top individual bowls with sour cream and Cheddar cheese.

Crockpot Turkey Chili

It’s the time of year when lots of things are happening — holiday decorating, baking and (maybe) some shopping too — perfect for crock pot meals. This is our first of the season . . .
Crock Pot Turkey Chili
This (really) easy recipe uses ground turkey since we had a package in the freezer. But, you can make this chili with ground turkey, ground chicken or ground beef. When using ground turkey or chicken, you may have to notch up the seasonings a bit.

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (16 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 C chunky salsa
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like it spicier)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 C shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• ½ C chopped scallions (optional)
• 1 to 2 tbsp sliced black olives (optional)

NOTE: I added some frozen corn from Grenville’s veggie garden. Canned corn will also work, if you prefer. 

1. Brown turkey In a large skillet over medium heat; remove and drain.
2. Add olive oil to the pan and cook the onion, peppers, garlic  until softened.
3. Transfer all to the crockpot; add tomatoes, beans, salsa, and seasonings. Stir gently to blend everything.
4. Cook on LOW setting 5 to 6 hours (if you’re in a hurry cook on HIGH 3-4 hours). Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese. Garnish with optional black olives and chopped scallions (or not).

Leftovers are even better the second night — if you have any — you also can put leftover chili on nachos, add more cheese, and bake.

Chipotle Chicken Casserole

Why this recipe is called so named is unknown as it was done in the crockpot and didn't look like a casserole. It did have a lot of excess liquid and was “soupier” than expected. The ingredients were exactly as the recipe directed; next time I’ll use less liquid.
Grenville declared that it tasted good (and he should know). We served this over Spanish rice to help absorb some of the liquid.
Here’s the recipe source. As you’ve seen from previous posts, this is one of several crock pot recipe book in my collection. They come in handy when I I have some ingredients, but can’t find a suitable recipe to use them. That’s when I go and check another book. The internet is another great source too.
FYI this recipe called for navy beans, but we had none on hand as we’re trying to use up surplus canned goods. I substituted red kidney beans; luckily, we had a can of black beans (last one). Here’s the recipe straight from the source . . .
This was a colorful mix – before and after cooking.

Thai Chicken Crockpot Dinner

Tonight's dinner was another chicken crockpot recipe that was not only SO easy to set up, but included a couple of our favorite ingredients – salsa and  peanut butter.

This was a first-time recipe from a Rival Crockpot recipe book. There are many other variations available online. Chicken thighs were used, but other pieces of bone-in chicken can be substituted.

Thai Crockpot Chicken

• 8 chicken thighs (skinless)
• 1 C salsa
• 1/2 C peanut butter
• 2 TBSP lime juice
• 1 TBSP soy sauce (low-sodium)
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 TBSP cilantro
• 1/2 C chopped scallions
• Optional:  1/2 C chopped peanuts when serving

1. Put chicken in crockpot.
2. Mix other ingredients together – salsa, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce and seasonings – and pour over chicken.
3. Add scallions on top and cover.
4. Cook on LOW 8-9 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours. (If you want chicken that’s so tender it falls off the bone after a longer cooking time, then go for the LOW setting.) 
5. Serve over rice; sprinkle with peanuts (if desired) .

Serve with a side of salad or green vegetable and ENJOY !

Pea Soup Kind of Weekend

YUP that’s what it was here at The Frog & PenguINN and pretty much a rain event all along the U.S. east coast. An April nor'easter dumped about 3 inches of soaking rains in these parts. Some states even got a bit of snow, but we only had the rain and wind gusts.

The good news – besides the fact that we really needed the rain is that it’s expected to lower the pollen count. That makes me and lots of other allergy-affected folks very glad.

Besides, it made staying indoors on the weekend a very comfortable place to be.

The heaviest rains came all day Sunday making it the perfect day to make a crock pot of split pea soup since we already had a ham bone in the freezer. I’ve made this soup many times on the stovetop, but this was the first time doing it in the slow cooker.  We enjoyed a bowlful with a loaf of bread that Grenville made. He wasn’t pleased with the way it came out, but it was wonderful with the pea soup.

This soup is so easy to prepare and you might already have everything that’s needed. No ham? No problem, just skip it and make this a vegetarian meal,  And, no bread is no problem either as crackers or croutons work great too.

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

• 16-oz. pkge dried green split peas, rinsed.soaked overnite
• Meaty ham bone OR 2 ham hocks OR 2 cups diced ham
• 1 C  sliced baby carrots
• 1 C  chopped yellow onion
• 2 ribs celery plus leaves, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 C low-sodium chicken broth

1. Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given, adding the broth last. Do not stir ingredients.
2. Cover and cook high 4 to 5 hours or low 8 to 10 hours until peas are soft and ham falls off the bone. If you have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup until smooth. (You could use a blender, but this would be a very messy process.)

Snow Day Pot Roast

As Grenville posted earlier today, we had a “snow event” here on the VA Eastern Shore last night. So what better meal on a cold Sunday than something from the crockpot / the slow cooker.

This recipe is from The Farmer’s Wife Slow Cooker Cookbook, a gift that Grenville lovingly gave me a couple of holidays ago after telling me that I was “the farmer’s wife.” The book has “101 blue-ribbon recipes adapted from farm favorites.”  It was bought at a Tractor Supply store, which has been known to be one of Grenville’s favorite shopping places.

Recipes include soups, sauces, main and side dishes, and desserts adapted from The Farmer’s Wife, a monthly magazine published in Minnesota between 1839 and 1939. There were no slow cookers then, so these recipes have been adapted for slow cooker use. The cookbook contains many appliance and cooking advertisements, which are fun to read. Interestingly, most of these period advertisements were from the 1940-50s. They will be featured in a separate post.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

• 3-4 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 C flour
• dash of garlic powder
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut
• 4 celery ribs, peeled and cut
• 4-6 potatoes, peeled and cut
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 can beef broth
• 1/4 C cider vinegar or red wine
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, low-sodium
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp oregano

1. Remove packaging from meat and dry off with a paper towel. Combine flour, salt, pepper and garlic power and roll beef in mixture. Save any leftover flour.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet and brown the meat, turning to brown all sides.
3. When browned, transfer the beef to the slow cooker. Add some red wine (cooking wine OK) to the pan to deglaze it. Add in the beef broth as well.
4. Pour the broth into a heat-resistant cup then take all the cut up veggies and mix them together in the pot, seasoning with the parsley and oregano. Add the veggies around the beef roast. Pour the broth all around. Cook on LOW 7-9 hours or until meat is tender.

To thicken the juices, take some of the reserved flour and some of the juices and whisk in a bowl or Pyrex cup. Add back to the crock pot and turn on HIGH for 10 minutes. Alternately, you can remove the juices, whisk in the flour, transfer to a saucepan and cook until thickened, making sure to stir.

This dish is a meal in itself, but can also be served over buttered noodles. There’s sure to be leftovers, which are even better the second night.

Pork Loin & Sweet Potatoes in Crockpot

Today we wanted a quick and easy dinner as Grenville and I decided to spend most of a beautiful day outdoors on a couple of Sunday strolls. Grenville will be posting photos later.
Dinner had to be something we could prepare before leaving and be ready by 6 p.m. We’ve having friends, Marty & Bob, join us for dinner around that time.
Solution: crock pot Sunday dinner.
Crock Pot Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes

• 1 boneless pork loin roast, about 3 to 4 pounds
• 2 to 3 large sweet potatoes, chunked
• 2-3 carrots, chunked
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 C apple cider (not apple juice)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste or pork seasoning

Rub pork seasonings (or salt, pepper and garlic powder) on meat. Cut sweet potatoes and green peppers in large pieces and place in crock pot. Place pork loin on top. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over all; cook all day on low 8-9 hours or about 4 hours on high. Serve with a salad or green vegetable.

Note: For a thicker sauce, mix some flour with a bit of the juices and make a slurry, then add back into crock pot on high for 10-15 minutes.
Dessert will be freshly baked pumpkin pie. Last night, Grenville made one with pumpkins from our veggie garden. (We discovered a couple of frozen packages in the freezer this week.)

A perfect fall Sunday evening dinner with good friends.
Sorry you can’t all join us. Maybe another time.