Crock Pot Corned Beef | Slow Cooker Beef | Corned Beef Recipe

I use my slow cooker almost everyday, so I was surprised to learn that many people only use their slow cookers to cook corned beef.  Having said that, the slow does take the stress out watching a pot on the stove - something that is just not possible for cooks these days, and it does a wonderful job of making the most tender and delicious meat!

If you have a slow cooker with multiple inserts, you don't have to worry about the size of the piece of meat you choose.  I find my round 3 quart slow cooker can take up to a 4 pound (2kg) piece of corned beef, so long as it is a cube, rather than a rectangle.

My mum has limited pantry space in her RV, so when she's on the road, to cook corned beef in her slow cooker, she just buys a bottle of gingerale at the same time as the meat and cooks it in that.  Yes, just two ingredients, the piece of corned beef and sufficient gingerale to cover or almost cover the meat.  No other spices required!

Crock Pot Corned Beef | Slow Cooker Beef

This is my favorite crock pot corned beef recipe.

3-1/2 lb (1.5kg) piece of corned beef
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
6 whole cloves
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
water to cover or almost cover the meat

Add the ingredients in the order listed and turn the slow cooker on to low for 6-7 hours or until the meat thermometer reads 77F of 170C.

Previous Post: Moroccan-Style Chickpea and Chicken Soup | Crock Pot Chicken Soup Recipe

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Moroccan-Style Chickpea and Chicken Soup | Crock Pot Chicken Soup Recipe

This soup makes a substantial and delicious meal for four to six adults. Hearty and warming enough to serve in the depths of winter, it is also light and fresh enough to enjoy as an easy summer meal.

To make a soup meal more fun, it is nice to have some special soup bowls to serve substantial soups like this one in.  This color is perfect for winter - click the picture to see the other colors this bowl is available in.

Moroccan-Style Chickpea and Chicken Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Cooks in 3½ to 4½ hours on low

1 Tbsp olive or canola oil

2 large boneless, skinless, fat trimmed chicken breasts (about 1lb or 500g)

1 medium to large onion, peeled, quartered and sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp tumeric

½ tsp chilli powder

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2 x 400g canned diced tomatoes in juice

3 Cups chicken stock

2 x 300g cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp paprika

zest and juice of a lemon

½ – 1 tsp salt

garnish with 3-4 Tsp chopped fresh coriander and sour cream when serving

• Heat the oil in a large frypan. Add the chicken breasts, whole, and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes on each side, brown lightly. While they are cooking, prepare the vegetables.
• Coat the inside of the crock pot insert with non-stick spray. Transfer the lightly browned chicken to the slow cooker.
• Add the vegetables to the frypan and scramble fry for 3-5 minutes to soften the onion. Stir in the cumin, coriander, tumeric, chilli powder and cinnamon, continue to cook for another minute.
• Add the vegetables and the remaining ingredients (except garnish). Stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 3½ to 4½ hours.
• Remove chicken from slow cooker and set aside until cool enough to handle. Using two forks, shred the meat and return it to the slow cooker. Stir in most of the fresh chopped coriander and cook for another 15-30 minutes.

Serve the soup in pre-warmed soup bowls, add a little dollop of sour cream, sprinkle with chopped coriander and with team up with a crusty loaf or warmed flat breads.

Previous Post: Sausage and Potato Slow Cooker Curry | Easy Slow Cooker Recipe

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Sausage and Potato Slow Cooker Curry | Easy Slow Cooker Recipe

Curried sausage with potatoes - simple and inexpensive but great hearty fare for when the temperature has dipped and hungry tummies are gathering in the kitchen.  It's days like those that you will be so glad you bought a large slow cooker - and filled it up that morning with this easy slow cooker recipe.

It amazes me how such humble, inexpensive ingredients can turn into such a wonderful, aroma rich dish, in a slow cooker. Recipes like this are easily stretched too, just by adding a can of drained chickpeas and other cooked vegetables when you add the peas and sultanas can gain you a couple of extra servings.  Put an extra couple of potatoes in the pot so there is lots of mashed potatoes to go around and you will have them coming back for more!

Sausage and Potato Slow Cooker Curry | Easy Slow Cooker Recipe

Serves 6

Cook on low 8 hours

4 potatoes (2lb / 800g) cut into thick but even sized wedges

12 (4lb or 1.8kg) beef sausages

2 medium brown onions

2 Tbsp mild curry powder

400g crushed tomatoes in puree/juice

1 C beef stock

1 cup frozen peas thawed

½ C saltanas

• Place the potatoes around the edges of the slow cooker, add the sausages. If you want to brown the sausages, first and then fry the onion and curry, add the rest of the ingredients (except peas and saltanas) to frypan to deglaze before adding to slow cooker, it will make the sausages look better when you serve them.
• Cover and cook on low 8 hours.
• Twenty minutes before serving, check seasonings and adjust if necessary.  If you want to thicken the gravy with a little of the cooking liquid (3 tablespoons) and 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed to a smooth paste, then do that now.
• Stir in peas and saltanas and cook on high for a further 20 minutes.
• Serve on rice, mashed potatoes or with crusty bread and stretch the servings further by adding lots of different vegetables to each plate.

Enjoy!

Previous Post:  Pork Roast In A Crock Pot | Spiced Apple Roast of Slow Cooker Pork

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Pork Roast In A Crock Pot | Spiced Apple Roast of Slow Cooker Pork

I just love pork roast in a slow cooker - it comes out so tasty and tender.  And when you add spices and apple, a whole new dimension of complementing tastes happens - you have to try this next time you are cooking slow cooker pork roast - it's so good!

If you are in the market for a new slow cooker, and you cook slow cooker roast recipes frequently, you will be pleased to know about the best and most unique feature on this - the best selling 6 quart programmable slow cooker!  It has a built in meat thermometer. To cook this pork roast in the slow cooker, you would insert the probe into the thickest part and or into the middle of the roast, press the probe option button, choose high or low, choose 160 degrees and press cook and it's done - easy peasy!

How does the meat thermometer probe work?  Step back a step, the optimum internal temperature for a roast of pork around this weight to cook to, to be succulent, tasty and tenderly, perfectly cooked is 160 degrees.  So when your Hamilton Beach with meat thermometer probe reaches this ideal temperature, it will automatically switch to keep warm mode and weight for you to serve it up.  What a great invention!


Spiced Apple Roast of Slow Cooker Pork

Serves 6-8

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

3.5-4.5lb (1.5-2kg) pork roast

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

2 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ C apple juice

• Mix mustard and spices together and brush over the pork.
• Put pork in slow cooker and add apple juice around it.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Previous Post: Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew | Crock Pot Beef Stew

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew | Crock Pot Beef Stew | Large Slow Cooker

Super easy slow cooker beef stew - an essential recipe to arm your family against cooler days. If you only need 4 servings for dinner, be sure to cook extra vegetables so you can then add them to the left over stew and freeze it.  This makes a great stew to have on toast for a quick weekend lunch or dinner.

If you have a family to feed or you like to make more servings than you need for just one meal, you need a clever large slow cooker, like this 6-1/2 Quart Programmable Touch Screen Crock Pot.  It's got the lot!  Good looks, easy to use, keep warm function - it makes making recipes such as this slow cooker beef stew a breeze!  Check out this top selling model if you are in the market for a new, large slow cooker.

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Serves 6

Cook on low for 8 hours

1lb Italian sausages

1lb beef stew, cubed to bite size

1 Cup beef stock

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic crushed and chopped

10oz quartered mushrooms

2 celery sticks, thinly sliced

1 tsp oregano

1 cauliflower (about 4 cups) cut to bite size

¼ tsp Tabasco sauce

freshly ground pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to slow cooker, stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 8 hours, stir well before serving.  If you can resist the temptation to eat it the day you make it, this stew tastes even better reheated the next day.  

Serve over buttered pasta or with creamy mashed potatoes, seasonal greens and your favorite vegetables for a hearty, warming meal. Enjoy!

Previous Post: Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken | Slow Cooker Chicken

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken | Slow Cooker Chicken | 4 Quart Slow Cooker

I love to cook slow cooker chicken recipes, they always make the meat so tender and tasty.  And I especially like a well flavored slow cooker chicken casserole, like this Cranberry Chicken recipe.  A 4 quart slow cooker, such as this magnificent Cuisinart is ideal for this slow cooker chicken recipe.

It's a very more-ish, tasty recipe and should be enjoyed by all the family.

The recipe calls for chicken thighs, but if you want to use another cut of chicken, that will work just as well, use the weight measurement given, as your guide.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken

Serves 5-6

Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-½ to 4 hours

7-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 2.2lbs /1kg

3 Tbsp flour

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp onion salt

¼ tsp ground cloves

zest of one orange

3 Tbsp tomato paste

3 Tbsp marmalade

¼ C lemon juice

½ C chicken stock

½ C dried cranberries

• Toss chicken with flour in a plastic bag, shake off any excess.
• Put the remainder of the ingredients in the slow cooker then add chicken, turn through sauce so chicken is coated.
• Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-½ to 4 hours.

Serve with couscous or rice, julienne carrots, green vege and or salad.

Previous Post: Crock Pot Beef Stew and Chickpeas with Spinach 

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Getting Ready For Thanksgiving? Slow Cooker Turkey Recipes | How To Cook Turkey In A Slow Cooker

Crock Pot Beef Stew and Chickpeas with Spinach | Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe

Do you have a potato ricer? It's a fancy potato masher that makes the most creamy mashed potatoes you've ever had – it's what those fancy chefs on TV use to make those deliciously creamy mashes with. But it also has another use – pressing out the water in the spinach - as specified is necessary in this recipe! A very handy little tool. 

I justified the purchase of a potato ricer because my family prefers mashed sweet potato to any other kind of carb with dinner (almost every night) and I cook with spinach and serve it as a vegetable regularly. 

I only use my old potato masher now when I need to change the texture of vegetables in a slow cooker soup recipe!

Beef Stew and Chickpeas with Spinach

Serves 6

Cook on low for 8 hours

1 tsp raw or brown sugar

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cube beef bouillon

1 cup water

¼ cup tomato paste

2lbs beef cubed and trimmed of fat

1 onion chopped finely

14oz can of chickpeas, drained

10oz package frozen spinach, thawed, water pressed out

• Add the sugar, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon to the slow cooker and dissolve with some of the water.
• Add the tomato paste and then the rest of the water, stir to combine.
• Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

When I first made this, I cooked it with the intention of eating it the next day, reheated.  The gravy had thickened and the flavors had developed.  I had enough for two meals, so I added a teaspoon of curry powder to the second quantity before storing it.  When we ate that we really enjoyed it with a bit of extra 'kick'.  The tomato-spinach-beef gravy lends itself well to the spice, so you could either put 2 teaspoons of curry powder in at the beginning of cooking or just before serving.  Delightfully different and certainly tasty!

Easy Crock Pot Chicken | Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken | Smart Pot Slow Cooker

This classic, tasty, easy crock pot chicken will be enjoyed by the whole family – and even though it's super-quick to get it together, it is one of those recipes that can be assembled the night before and left in the fridge overnight in a zip-lock bag.  Then in the morning all you have to do is pour the contents of the bag into the slow cooker, set it and let it do it's thing!

Wow!  Have you seen the new Smart Pot Slow Cooker from the Crock Pot Designer Series?  Just gorgeous, and super easy to use too, check it out here... Crockpot Designer Series 6 Quart Programmable Smart-pot Slow Cooker

Honey Mustard Glazed Easy Crock Pot Chicken

Serves 4-6

Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 3-½ hours.

6 chicken thighs, skinless, boneless, trimmed of all fat

3 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp prepared chilli

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp tomato paste

¾ Cup

chicken stock

Toss chicken with flour in a plastic bag, shake off any excess.

Put the remainder of the first list of ingredients in the slow cooker, then add chicken, stir through sauce so chicken is coated.

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 3-½ hours.

Serve with cooking juice spooned over the chicken.

Previous Post: Lamb Navarin | Lamb Slow Cooker Recipe 

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Getting Ready For Thanksgiving? Slow Cooker Turkey Recipes | How To Cook Turkey In A Slow Cooker

Lamb Navarin | Lamb Slow Cooker Recipe | Free Slow Cooker Recipes

Navarin is the French word that describes a casserole whose main ingredients are lamb, onions and root vegetables such as carrot, swede (rutabaga), turnip, parsnip.
However, you can use what is currently in season or available at hand. The idea is to make a layer of vegetables to rest the lamb chops on.

This slow cooker lamb stew is a perfect blend of ingredients for a warming winter meal in the cooler months...  And it smells fantastic as it is cooking too!


I like to use neck chops in the slow cooker, their regular shape fits into a layer more easily.

The best shape slow cooker for this job is going to be an oval 6 quart slow cooker, like the ever popular Hamilton Beach model - plenty of room for all the single layer of vegetables and lamb chops.

Lamb Navarin | Lamb Slow Cooker Recipe

serves 6-8
Cook on low for 7 to 10 hours


2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 C beef stock
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
3 carrots sliced
2 onions chopped
1 lb / 450g potatoes cubed
2-½ lb / 1kg lamb neck chops
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

If you prefer to and have the time, brown the chops and vegetables in a fry pan before adding to the slow cooker, but I find with longer slow cooking times, such as for this recipe, this step can be left out.

• Add the flour and a little of the beef stock to the slow cooker, stir to mix, then add the rest of the stock.
• Add the tomato paste, and herbs, stir to combine.
• Add the vegetables, stir to mix up and distribute evenly across the base.
• Rest lamb chops on top, season to taste.
• Cover and cook on low for 7 to 10 hours.

Serve with creamy mash and or roasted vegetables and seasonal steamed vegetables.  Enjoy!

Previous Post: Getting Ready For Thanksgiving? Slow Cooker Turkey Recipes | How To Cook Turkey In A Slow Cooker


More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Slow Cooker Turkey Recipes | How To Cook Turkey In A Slow Cooker

 I was skimming through one of my favorite slow cooker cooker cookbooks the other day, and realized now would be a good time to put together some Slow Cooker Turkey Recipes and explain How To Cook a Turkey in a Slow Cooker!

So I have put this article together - be sure to bookmark it so you have it ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas or your next family holiday dinner.  Slow Cooker Turkey Recipes | How To Cook Turkey In A Slow Cooker

I noticed that the slow cooker cookbook has a heap recipes in it for using up leftover turkey... just the thing for after Thanksgiving!  Actually that's one of the best things about Thanksgiving, enjoying the leftovers!  But for some, leftover turkey can be a worry, as they are not sure what to do with it...

Slow Cookers for Dummies has solved the leftover turkey dilemma with eleven delicious leftover turkey recipes - my favorite is Turkey Potpie - the author describes it as follows. "We always eat turkey potpie the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  It's almost as important a tradition as having the whole turkey on Thanksgiving Day!  This recipe is so simple to make and is a great way to clean up the refrigerator by using bits and pieces of what ever you may have on hand.  For convenience sake, we offer a recipe that makes one big family sized potpie covered with prepared pie crust from the supermarket diary case."  That last bit is good to know - if you don't regularly have pie crust pastry on hand, you will need to get that in before Thanksgiving if you want to make the Turkey Potpie.

Over the next little while I will be adding to my Slow Cooker Turkey Recipes, so be sure to bookmark the page so you can come back to it. At the moment there is a recipe there to cook a whole turkey in a slow cooker.  I will also be adding turkey breast recipes which are great all year around, and also at family holiday meals for smaller families.  Believe me, once you have had turkey breast cooked in a slow cooker you will be finding all kinds of excuses to cook it often - it is super done this way!

Previous Post: Slow Cooker Lamb and Bean Casserole

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Slow Cooker Lamb | Slow Cooker Lamb and Bean Casserole | Slow Cooker Mate

I find the combination of lamb, tomato and herbs in the slow cooker, irresistible! This is a really tasty slow cooker lamb stew and is perfect served with baby roast vegetables or mash and seasonal greens. It's simplicity yet great taste makes for either a lovely 'company's coming' or family meal.

If lamb meat is not available, this slow cooker stew would work equally well with cubed lean beef.

Do you ever wish your slow cooker could do more - like multitask and make more than just one dish at a time?

Introducing a slow cooker who's time has come - the Slow Cooker Mate can cook your entree in the base as well as two separate side dishes in a separate layer on top!  Isn't that ingenious. 

Check out my Slow Cooker Mate Review article - and I'm sure you'll be the same as me - left wondering why someone hasn't thought of this before.

If you are cooking for a family, you need to check this clever slow cooker out.

Slow Cooker Lamb and Bean Casserole

Serve 4
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours

500g/½lb lean lamb cubes or 4 large chops trimmed
1 large onion chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 carrots sliced
2 ribs of celery sliced
440g/14oz can crushed tomatoes in juice
2 cups of cooked or 440g/14oz can haricot beans, drained
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
½ C beef or vegetable stock
freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.


Previous Post: Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork | Slow Cooker Pork


Check out these great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork | Slow Cooker Pork

I love a tender pork roast, but my favorite way to serve pork has to be Sweet and Sour Pork.  Served over buttered noodles or plain white rice, this is a family favorite from way back - especially when pineapple and or bell peppers are a plentiful and well priced!  This recipe works well with pork slices too.  If you have not yet tried cooking pork in a crock pot, next time pork is on sale at your butchery, get some and be sure to keep this recipe in mind!


Do you ever wish you could make more than one dish in your slow cooker at a time?  Do you have a big family, or entertain often and wish your slow cooker could do more?  The trio is ideal for holiday entertaining, buffet-style dinner parties, or other social occasions, this triple slow-cooker server features three 2-1/2-quart pots for cooking up anything from vegetarian chili, lentil soup, and beef stew to tuna-noodle casserole, chicken curry, and more. Three separate control knobs make it easy to independently adjust the heat from low to high or warm temperature settings for each pot. The unit's round-shaped, stoneware cooking pots can be used to cook and serve a main dish in one and two side dishes in the others, can be removed from their heating base for use as serving dishes at the dining-room table, or can be used to store leftovers, once cooled down, in the refrigerator for later, all of which means less dirty pots and pans filling the sink at the end of the day. Three serving spoons and matching glass lids with stay-cool knobs come included. Other highlights include individual spoon notches, integrated side handles on the removable pots, stay-cool integrated side handles on the heating base, a stainless-steel/black hybrid finish, and six feet that lift the serving unit up, keeping tables or counter top surfaces safe from the heat. The trio slow cooker server measures approximately 9-8/9 by 35-1/2 by 13-4/5 inches.

Just the thing for your next dinner party, family gathering or holiday entertaining - it cooks and then keeps warm - what a great idea for freeing up your oven and stove top! Very clever!

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork | Slow Cooker Pork Recipes

Serves 4
Cook on low for 8 hours

225g/8oz can pineapple chunks in juice – open can and save juice in a 1 cup measuring jug
750g/1½lb cubed pork
1 onion sliced
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 red, yellow or green (bell) pepper sliced
1 small carrot, cut into match sticks
1 tsp ground ginger
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c wine vinegar
2/3 c pineapple juice/water (make the juice from can of pineapple up to 2/3 c with water)
3 Tbsp soy sauce

Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Once cooked, turn slow cooker to high. Thicken sauce by adding 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid to a heat proof jug, add 1 tablespoon of cornflour/cornstarch to lo liquid and mix vigorously until smooth, pour into slow cooker, stir to combine, replace lid and cook for 20-30 minutes.
Cook the rice etc while you wait.
Serve over rice with broccoli, steamed Asian or seasonal green vegetables.

Previous Post:  Slow Cooker Chicken Legs with Chili, Ginger and Pineapple | Easy Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Legs with Chili, Ginger and Pineapple | Easy Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

Whole chicken legs are often on special at the supermarket, so next time you buy some, grab a can of pineapple too and make this tasty treat for the family.   If you have a meals worth of rice in the fridge that you have prepared earlier, and some Asian inspired stir fry vegetables in the freezer that you can quickly stir fry, you will be able to serve dinner in minutes with this dish.  Adjust the level of 'spice' to suit your family's taste and this crock pot chicken recipe is sure to become a family favorite!

Chicken legs are ideally cooked in one layer, so if you are cooking 6 chicken legs and in a 6 quart slow cooker, life gets easier. But what do you do if most of the time you only need a 4 quart slow cooker to feed the family?

Introducing the most versatile and practical solution to this dilemma - a multiple insert slow cooker!

This 3 in 1 slow cooker with multiple inserts is the perfect crock pot as you have a 2, 4 and 6 quart slow cooker that takes up no more space than the base, as the slow cooker inserts nest inside each other for storage.  You will find desserts, sauces and oatmeal work out great in the 2 quart, the mid size is great for stews and puddings and the large slow cooker insert is wonderful for slow cooker legs - like in this recipe!

Slow Cooker Chicken Legs with Chili, Ginger and Pineapple | Easy Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

Serves 4-6
Cook on low for 5 to 7 hours

2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2/3 C chicken stock
14oz / 450g can pineapple pieces in juice
2 tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground ginger
few drops of hot pepper sauce
1 onion chopped
2 sticks celery chopped
4-6 chicken legs
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

• Add the flour and a little of the stock to the slow cooker, stir to mix, then add the rest of the stock.
• Add the pineapple and juice, and stir to combine.
• Add the chili powder, ginger, hot sauce, onions and celery, stir to combine.
• Place chicken legs in last, season to taste.
• Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.
• Serve with rice and quick steamed greens or a salad.

Enjoy!

Previous Post:  Slow Cooker Pepper Steak | Crock Pot Beef

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak | Crock Pot Beef

A deliciously tender slow cooker family favorite – especially when served over rice or buttered egg noodles.   I love it because it is quick to put together and depending on how recently you topped up your fresh fruit and vegetables, most ingredients will be on hand.

The one tiny down side to this recipe, browning the meat (creates dishes), is eliminated with the West Bend 84915 5-Quart Oblong-Shaped Slow Cooker with Tote - you can brown the meat and onion directly in the non-stick metal insert!  How cool is that, you don't lose any of that delicious flavor, it stays in the slow cooker.

And then when the dish is cooked, you can pack this slow cooker up (don't forget the cord) and pop it in its very own insulated tote carry bag, and take it to pot luck dinners, neighborhood barbecues, or tail gating.  Extra bonus - the slow cooker base is actually a mini griddle - great for preparing Sunday brunch on... what a great idea!


Crock Pot Beef | Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Serves 6
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours

2lbs beef sirloin cut into 2 inch strips
garlic powder to taste
3 Tbsp oil
1 cube beef bouillon
¼ C hot water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
½ C chopped onion
2 large green bell peppers cut into squares
14 oz can crushed tomatoes in juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

• Sprinkle beef with garlic power to taste.  Heat the oil in a skillet and brown the seasoned strips. Transfer to slow cooker - or not, if you have a West Bend 84915 5-Quart Oblong-Shaped Slow Cooker with Tote!
• Mix bouillon cube with hot water, stir to dissolve, then add cornstarch and stir, pour over the meat in the slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Previous Post: Curried Apple Soup | Slow Cooker Soup Recipe


More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Curried Apple Soup | Slow Cooker Soup Recipe

In celebration of apple picking season, here is a wonderful rich and warming soup that is perfect for this time of year.

This slow cooker soup recipe is a blend of some of my favorite ingredients, apple, lemon zest and curry, topped with a generous serve of plain or lemon yogurt - it's a great way to celebrate a day of apple picking.

When making soup, I do like to cook the onions in a bit of butter first, before adding to the slow cooker.  For me it makes a difference in the finished flavor of the soup, but I tend to opt not to do it most other times.

However, if you DO prefer to brown your onions in most recipes, then this slow cooker  may be of interest, from a 'one less dirty pan' to wash perspective.  The West Bend Oblong Slow Cooker has a non-stick coating in its stainless steel liner, so it goes directly from browning the onions on the stove top, to the slow cooker base to cook, and if necessary it can go into the fridge and from there to the oven to reheat!  Versatile and practical - and it comes with a carry bag - perfect for when you want to take a hot meal out.  Click the link above or the picture to learn more!

Curried Apple Soup | Slow Cooker Soup Recipe

Serves 6
cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

2 Tbsp butter
1 onion finely chopped
2-3 tsp curry powder
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
5 cups (preferably homemade) chicken stock
zest of one lemon
1-½ lb / 700g cooking apples, peeled, cored, chopped
freshly ground salt and pepper
2/3 c plain yogurt, or sour cream

• Heat the butter and cook the onion until transparent.
• Stir in the curry powder and flour, gradually the stock, stirring vigorously to make smooth, lump-free consistency. Once that's under control, add the remaining ingredients, taste and adjust seasonings.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
• Puree the soup and reheat.
• Serve by swirling the yogurt or sour cream through the soup, with a grainy bread roll on the side. Enjoy!

Previous Post: French Beef Casserole | Crock Pot Beef Stew

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

French Beef Casserole | Crock Pot Beef Stew

This French inspired Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe is the perfect “prepare the night before, set it to cook before you dash out the door” recipe. Load all the ingredients into a Slow Cooker Liner Bag, pop that in the fridge overnight and in the morning the bag gets put straight into the slow cooker, set the slow cooker cooking and you are out the door.  I love recipes like these.  Marinating the meat overnight is essential to the success of this recipe and it has the added benefit of making getting dinner on in the morning before you leave the house so easy.  If you find you have a few more to feed, you can increase the meat up to 1lb before you need to adjust the other ingredients.

This is a great company is coming recipe, if you have an automatic oven that you can program to cook foil wrapped roast potatoes, then you will just need to quickly prepare the other side dishes and dinner will be ready in minutes.

Serves 4
Cook on low for 8 hours

1 cup red wine
2 Tbsp brandy
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
sprigs of rosemary and thyme
1 whole orange (unpeeled) quartered
4 small onions peeled and quartered
8 sun dried tomatoes
500g/½lb beef, cubed
1 tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 tsp paprika
2 carrots, diced
1 leek finely diced
440ml/14oz can crushed tomatoes in juice
150g/5oz whole button mushrooms

• In a Slow Cooker Liner Bag, add all the ingredients. (I find it easier to put the liner bag into a container that helps it stay open and upright, I fold the top edge of the bag over the sides of the container while I fill the liner bag up. When finished adding ingredients, unfold the top edge and secure neck of bag to avoid leakage and minimize aroma transfer to other items in the fridge!)  Massage to mix ingredients.  Store in fridge overnight.  Resting or marinading the meat allows flavor to develop and be absorbed which brings a rich, full flavor to this casserole.
• In the morning, remove the bag from fridge and get the slow cooker out.  If I am putting a bag from the fridge into the slow cooker, I don't preheat the slow cooker.
• Place the slow cooker liner bag into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
• Thirty minutes out from serving, remove the bay leaves and oranges now, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary and also check to see if you want to thicken the gravy.  (If you are going to thicken the gravy, turn slow cooker to high.)
• To thicken the gravy, put 3 tablespoons for the cooking liquid  into a heat proof jug, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and mix vigorously until smooth, pour mixture back into the slow cooker, stir to combine and replace lid. Cook for a further 20-30 minutes.

Serve with buttered pasta, roast or mashed vegetables and seasonal greens.

Previous Post: Crock Pot Pork Roast | Slow Cooker Pork  

Crock Pot Pork Roast | Slow Cooker Pork

Would you like a 6 quart slow cooker, but have been put off by their weight? Or are you more concerned they might be expensive? 

I found a light weight, yet durable stainless slow cooker, at a great price, that has some additional features that you might also think are useful.

• The stainless steel slow cooker pot, or vessel, comes off the heating/serving base and can be used directly on your stove top to brown the meat and vegetables.
• Once the meal is cooked and served, allow the vessel and lid to cool then place in the fridge or freezer. You can reheat the vessel on the base again or place in a moderate oven. (Please refer to the instructions before using in oven.)
• The reason this item is called Versatility, is due to the variety of ways it can be used. With the highly polished stainless steel cooking vessel on the base - it's a slow cooker. The heating bases doubles as a mini griddle. It's perfect for grilling a burger, eggs, toasted cheese sandwiches and more. One of the Slow Cooker Reviews I read, said she cooks soup all day in the stainless slow cooker vessel and then when she gets home, uses the already heated base to make corn fritters (or you could heat rolls, or make toasted sandwiches) to have with the soup. What a brilliant idea!
• This low maintenance, dishwasher, fridge, oven and freeze safe pot is made of stainless steel with premium non stick interior, with a 275-Watt cooker base comes with adjustable temperature control with griddle setting. To learn more about this versatile West Bend Slow Cooker follow the link.

Crock Pot Pork Roast | Slow Cooker Pork | Herb Pork Roast

This recipe is one of the West Bend Slow Cooker Recipes from the instruction manual. I use this method of inserting garlic into a roast when I roast lamb and beef too - it imparts are wonderful flavor!
Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or high for 4-5 hours

Serves  8
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Thyme
½ tsp Sage
½ tsp Ground cloves
1 tsp Grated lemon peel
4-5 Lbs Pork roast, boneless or bone-in
4 Large cloves garlic, quartered
2 Tbsp Water, optional
2 Tbsp Cornstarch, optional
In small bowl combine salt, thyme, sage, cloves and lemon peel. Rub into pork roast. Cut 16 small pockets into roast and insert garlic pieces.
Place roast in cooking pot. Cover and cook at LO (#3) for 7 to 9 hours or at HI (#5) for 4 to 5 hours. Insert meat thermometer into roast to ensure internal temperature is 170°F/77°C or higher before serving. Allow roast to stand 10-15 minutes before carving. Remove garlic pieces. Juices may be thickened for gravy, if desired. Dissolve 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water. Stir slowly into juices until thickened at HI (#5). Makes 8 servings.

Previous Post: Rump Roast with Spicy Rub | Crock Pot Rump Roast 

Rump Roast with Spicy Rub | Crock Pot Rump Roast

Thought a mid week roast was out of the question?  Not with your slow cooker!  This recipe is easy to prepare the night before.  Only the rub needs preparation.  Assemble the rub ingredient list into a small bowl and then all you have to do in the morning is sprinkle it over the meat surfaces, add the water and you on your way!

What size slow cooker will I need?

If you are fortunate to have a Hamilton Beach 33135 3-in-1 Slow Cooker with 2-, 4-, and 6-Quart Crocks, Stainless Steel you have a choice of three crock pot inserts to choose from.

For a 4lb roast, you need a 3½ or a 4 quart slow cooker.  A 6 quart slow cooker (or larger) will generally take a roast of approximately 7lbs.

Rump Roast with Spicy Rub

Serves 8
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours

1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp celery salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp mustard powder

4-5 lb rump roast
½ C water

Mix the rub mixture in a small bowl and apply to meat surfaces, place in slow cooker, pour the water around the meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Serve skimmed juices with slices of the roast meat, and mashed potatoes to soak up the juices.  Or shred with forks and serve on subs with cheese slices, onion slices, sliced pickles and a salad for a more casual dinner.

Previous Post: Slow Cooker Chili | Slow Cooker Ground Beef Recipe