That recipe was 2 cans of 98% fat free Campbell's condensed chicken soup, a cup and a half of water, 3 cups baby carrots, 6 oz wild & long grain rice mix with seasoning, and 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 breasts, halved). You just put it all in the crock pot and cook for 7 to 8 hours. Amazingly simple.

· 3 to 4 lbs chicken drumsticks
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 1/2 cup white wine or Marsala
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 tablespoon paprika
· 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
· 1/2 cup chopped onion
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· salt and pepper to taste

Place drumsticks in a large plastic bag. Mix all remaining ingredients together and add to the drumsticks, turning bag to cover all. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours or overnight. Place chicken and mixture in the crock pot and cook for 5 to 6 hours on low.

This recipe is a delicacy. The chicken is tender and falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. Yummy.

*****

Party Food!
Crock Pot Cocktail Weiners

One package (12-16 oz) cocktail weiners
One package of bacon
One box brown sugar

Directions: wrap a half strip of bacon around each weiner.
Pack loosely in crock pot.
Pour entire box of brown sugar on top.
Cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve right out of crock pot.
This way you can keep them warm.
Expect your guests to hang out" at the crock pot.

Yield: 4 servings

2 c diagonally sliced carrot
8 chicken thighs, skinned
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 c dry white wine
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine carrot, chicken and garlic in a crockpot, and add wine. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cover with lid; cook on low heat setting for 8 hours. Remove carrot, chicken, and garlic with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid. Dived carrots, chicken, and garlic evenly among 4 shallow bowls. Spoon reserved cooking liquid over each serving.

Barbecued Beef Sandwiches
Yield: 6 servings
2 lb boned chuck roast
2 c vertically sliced onion
1 c barbecue sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
6 Kaiser rolls or buns

Trim fat from beef, and cut into 1" cubes. Place beef in a crockpot; stir in onion and barbecue sauce. Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting for 8 hours. Remove beef and onions from crockpot with a slotted spoon. Shred beef mixture with 2 forks; set aside. Combine cornstarch and water, add cornstarch mixture to barbecue sauce mixture in crockpot, stirring well. Cover with lid, and cook on high setting for 1 minute. Return shredded beef mixture to crockpot; cover and cook 10 minutes. Serve on rolls with extra sauce and pickles (optional).

(Note: barbecued beef can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.)

All of these sauce recipes are from The El Paso Chile Company's cookbook "Burning Desire."

West Texas Red
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 c finely chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, peeled & finely crushed
1/4 c chili powder blend
2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp lemon pepper
4 bay leaves
2 c ketchup
1 c mellow dark bee such as Heineken
6 tbsp fresh lime juice
5 tbsp unsulfured molasses
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy suce
2 tsp hot pepper sauce

In a medium nonreactive saucepan over low heat, melt buter. Add the onions and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaves), cover, and cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes. Stir in ketchup, beer, lime juice, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and hot pepper sauce and bring to a boil. Lower the heat slightly, partially cover, and cook, stirring once or twice, until reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature; discard the bay leaves. Transfer to a storage container, cover, and refrigerate. The sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Peach of the Old South Barbecue Sauce
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/2 c chunky peach preserves
1/2 c Dijon mustard
1/2 c Southern Comfort
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp salt

In a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, stir together all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, partially cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 4 cups, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a storage container, cover, refrigerate. Keeps for up to 1 month.

How do you feel about chili?

Mom's Famous Crock Pot Chili

2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained

about half a bottle mild, hot, etc. salsa

2 lg cans of red kidney beans

1 1/2 to 2 cans tomato juice

season everything to taste. Feel free to add, subtract any ingredients. My Moms chili is very versatile.

Throw everything together in the crock pot. Stir to mix it all together.

All you have to do is just heat it till it's hot. You can leave it in the crock pot all day if you want/need to. Then all you've got to do is serve. (My mom is a virtual crock pot genius. We always have something in the crock pot cooking.)

i did asked my mom what she knew about crock pots but she never had one either...she said she was happy using her pressure cooker.

My crockpot is a 2 qt, and it's perfect for 2 hungry adults and a teen. You can use the crockpot half or even a quarter full. I cook beans that way. Soak overnight in the crock, drain and cook on low in new water on low all day. 3/4 inch of chickpeas and half a crock of water makes about 3 cups of cooked beans. Which, with a spoonful of madras curry paste, a dab of fried onions, and a bed of basmati rice, makes a dish my wolf will pass up london broil for. Yes, really! She'll sit and piteously whine for it.

I'd actually rather have 70s crock-pot with all it's orange glory. Mine is from the 80s and it's all "country craft" pastels. Bleach! I think the extreme unstylishness is part of the charm of crock-pots though. I mean, it's not something you keep out on the counter all the time like your blender or coffee maker. And there's definatly a suburban mediocrity stigma that goes with it. Am I being too snobbish? I just always get a giggle when I pull out the crock-pot. It's like, here I go succumbing to middle-of-the-road Americana again!

quote:

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Originally posted by jessicazee:
Do they make any new, slick versions like maybe a stainless steel one, or in cool primary colors like those Kitchen-Aid mixers?

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Wouldn't you know I saw an ad in the paper yesterday for a new Rival crock pot that was stainless steel with black handles. It was about $50 though. But apparantly they do exist.

It's pretty simple, and I would add some honey for part of the sugar, and a knob of butter. Compared to jarred Mott's or something, it's chunkier and a little juicier - but I grew up on my grandma's homemade (stove-cooked) sauce, so I never understood that pureed baby-food shite that makes me feel like I need no teeth.

I found these crockpot recipes, too, while researching the sauce:

Crockpot Apple Butter: http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/crockpot/00/rec0069.html

Crockpot Irish Stew: http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/crockpot/01/rec0100.html

Crockpot BBQ Pork for Sandwiches: http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/crockpot/04/rec0405.html

edited because i just notice i'm a Housemate!! what an exciting day

quote:

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Okay, maybe this is a really stupid question but... I have all of this frozen chicken in the freezer and am wondering if I can just put it in the crockpot or if I have to thaw it out first.

I think I have heard of people putting frozen meat in crockpots. Thanks!

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posted by bali in response:

quote:

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I wouldn't use frozen meat when cooking, I don't know why, but all the melted ice just seems unappealing to have in a dish. I might have a gross freezer, but the ice on my meats is always a little icy and smelly.

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Frijoles Charros

1 lb. pinto beans
about 3 c homemade vegetable stock (or canned)
2 large carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 sprig fresh oregano (or 1 tbsp dried)
2 slices raw bacon
water (about 3-4 c)
chopped fresh cilantro to taste
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste