You can make comfort food, such as macaroni and cheese on a hot summer day. Just use your crockpot instead of your oven. This macaroni and cheese dish can be paired with a salad to make a full meal, or used as a side dish. It will freeze well, too. Just make sure to reheat it and eat it within three to six months for optimal flavor. If you have a food sealer, you can keep it even longer. This variation on the original crockpot macaroni and cheese sneaks in some extra lycopene for good eye health through the addition … Continue reading →

If you are an early riser, then this easy, hot breakfast is a synch. I usually get up hours before the rest of my family, either to exercise or work. I pop all of the ingredients into the crockpot, mix them up, and then set it on low. By the time everyone else is up and ready for breakfast, the Baked Oatmeal in the Crockpot with Flax is done! I like these simple meals in the morning, because they really go a long way to making for a great day. While this breakfast is wonderful in the winter, I prepare … Continue reading →

In cooler weather there’s nothing better than a crock pot meal. But why should the crock pot only being relegated to cooler weather. It’s great in warm weather too, as it doesn’t make the kitchen hot with cooking. Yes, you can tell where I’m heading with this can’t you? I have another crock pot meal to share with you. My new crock pot has been getting a huge amount of use since it arrived. Sweet and Spicy Beef Ingredients Tablespoon oil 16 ounces round or rump steak 2 cloves garlic 2 small Spanish onions Quarter cup red wine 1 teaspoon … Continue reading →

I have so been enjoying my new slow cooker. What an improvement on the last one. Since we were getting it with reward points we went for an up market model and one in which you could brown meat in the same pot before turning it onto slow cook. It is a Morphy Richards stainless steel and looks very sleek, rather like I a flying saucer. It’s been getting a lot of use. Even so things don’t always work out as planned. We were going to a birthday party on Sunday afternoon and I was to take the crock pot … Continue reading →

I’ve been enjoying using Slow Cooker- easy and delicious recipes for all seasons by Sally Wise. I’ve often started with a basic recipe from her book and added and adapted as I always do. This one Mick loved so much he would have happily sat down to it the next night too. The original recipe was for Moroccan Lamb using lamb mince. Here is my variation using beef and a few other interesting changes. Moroccan Beef Ingredients2 tablespoons sunflower oil 16 ounces rump or round steak (You can use cheaper cuts or buy what is on special) 2 tablesppons rice … Continue reading →

The unthinkable happened. In the middle of cooking a meal the other night, our crock pot died. It was working when I’d turned it on and when I checked an hour or so later. The next time I went to add another ingredient, it was cold. I had no idea how long it had been off. I hastily transferred the meal to a casserole dish and put it in the oven. As I thought about it, I got more than my money’s worth out of my slow cooker.It must have been a good twenty years old and has plenty of … Continue reading →

Since it’s still cold weather over the other side of the world, I’ve been trawling through my crock pot recipes for favorites to share with you. Here is one for Beef Curry. HINT. You could use round steak in this recipe and reduce the cooking time but I prefer to use the cheaper cuts. Thought the cheaper cuts of meat like chuck steak and gravy beef will take longer to cook, they are also full of flour so worth it and you’ll be helping your budget as well. Beef Curry Ingredients 16 ounces of chuck steak, or gravy beef, cubed … Continue reading →

Inspired by Dale’s review of a slow cooker cook book, I thought I would chime in with my own recommendation. I am definitely going to check out her choice, but meanwhile, let me tell you about my favorite slow cooker cook book. This is a book that I recommend to anyone who is new at slow cooking. The recipes are simple and adaptable. My copy has plenty of post it notes inserted on the pages that give detail about the changes that I have made in order to improve a recipe to my family’s taste. And any cookbook that lends … Continue reading →