I am totally psyched because the Ravelympics Cast On is only 3 days away. I have my yarn (sure hope it’s enough), I have my needles located, cleaned and empty (didn’t think I would ever find those US4s) and I have my swatches complete. I am ready to cast on.
Except…(earlier confidence wavering) I keep changing my mind on the gauge for the sweater, redesigning the towel set and waffling on the ribbing for the sweater. I have changed my mind on that cable panel so many times my head hurts. I might be hopeless.
So to keep my mind occupied so I won’t obsess about my Ravelympics projects, (too late for that), I have been reading Crock Pot recipes. Here is what I am thinking. I have so much knitting to do that I can’t possibly have time for much cooking. So I am thinking that if I can find enough crock pot recipes that my kids will eat (therein lies the problem), I will have tons more knitting time. It will also mean I won’t have to spend as much time in my kitchen which is only a million degrees in the afternoon (west side of the house – can you tell a non-cook drafted that house plan). It might even make it possible for me to carve out a bit of sleeping time.
So how about a contest. Does anyone have a tried and true crock pot recipe? Kid friendly is a must. We don’t eat beef so no pot roast recipes. If the recipe is good with an alternative meat or vegetable, that will be fine. I figure I need about 35 recipes since I cook three meals every day. Breakfast is not really a problem since I can start the slow cooker while I am preparing breakfast. If you have a great slow cooker recipe that I can use during the Ravelympics, leave it in the comments or a link to the recipe if you got it online. Remember, only recipes that you have actually tried AND liked. I will enter your name into a drawing and the winner will get a copy of the two patterns I am designing for Ravelympics – a sweater and a towel set – and will be credited in the pattern for their contribution to making it all possible. I might even throw in the yarn for the towel pattern (in your choice of colors). In the event that both my patterns are garbage, I will select something from my stash as an alternate prize. So let’s get cooking. Cast on at 7:00AM on Friday morning but I will leave the contest open until August 15th and draw the winner sometime after the closing ceremonies on August 24th. Whenever the feeling returns to my fingers after the mad knitting.
Crockpot Pulled Pork
4 lbs pork roast (shoulder or butt are good)
2 large onions
1 cup ginger ale
1 (18 ounce) bottle favorite barbecue sauce (like Sweet Baby Ray’s)
Slice one onion and place in crockpot. Put in the roast and cover with the other onion, sliced. Pour over the ginger ale. Cover and cook on LOW for about 12 hours.
Remove the meat, strain and save the onions, discard all liquid. With two forks, shred the meat, discarding any remaining fat, bones or skin. Most of the fat will have melted away. Return the shredded meat and the onions to the crockpot, stir in the barbecue sauce. Continue to cook for another 6 hours on LOW.
Serve with hamburger buns or rolls and additional barbecue sauce.
Any leftovers freeze very well
10 Servings.
This is good with chicken also.
My crock pot is going right now with this favorite of ours!
Soft Chicken Tacos
3-4 chicken breasts (I use boneless)
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 cup chicken broth
I packet of taco seasoning
Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred meat and serve on flour tortillas with anything you want on top.
We don’t eat beef either, so I have had some trouble finding many good crock pot recipes – hopefully I’ll gather some here too!
The crockpot is a friend of knitters everywhere! Here is a favorite kid-friendly recipe from our house:
Crockpot Chicken & Biscuits
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breasts
2 4-oz cans chopped mushrooms, drained
6 stalks of celery, chopped
1 T. tarragon leaves
1 t. black pepper
1 c. dry white wine
2 sweet red peppers, diced
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 package refrigerated flaky biscuits (like Grands)
*Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray. Mix chicken, mushrooms, celery, tarragon, sweet pepper and wine. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours. Add sweet red pepper and evaporated milk, cover and cook on high 20-25 minutes. Thicken with flour (add 1/4 c. flour , stir and cook on high 10-15 minutes). Bake biscuits according to package. Serve creamy chicken and sauce over split-opened biscuits.
I also like this chicken mixture over large hot baked potatoes – but the kids aren't too keen on that version. Enjoy!
I like your thinking about crock pot cooking. Its exactly what I like about it too. My family likes roast chicken….All you do is wash a whole chicken, I sprinkle it inside and out with a spice Nature’s Seasonings but you could use whatever your family likes. I put in in the crock pot and surround it with potatoes cut in chunks and baby carrots. I put about 1/4 cup water in with it and if your family likes onions I stuff these inside the bird just in big chunks and then remove them when its done. I cook it on low about 8-10 hours and the chicken just falls off the bone and is juicy and tender. I’m not sure how large your family is but the leftover chicken is great for sandwiches.
Do you eat pork? Throw some pork in the crock pot with a little bbq sauce. Cook the heck out of it. Then using a fork pull the pork apart and add a 50/50 mixture of water and more bbq sauce. Stir well and serve. I make it for picnics and everyone gushes over all the hard work I must have done making pulled pork.
Here is a recipe for you…It is one of my own…
Chicken oodle (is what my daughter calls it)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into bitesize chunks)
1c carrots cut into chunks
1/2Bag frozen O'brien potatoes
Dried diced onion to taste
1c frozen green beans
1c frozen corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 (soup) cans water
salt & pepper and garlic powder to taste
Cook on for 6 hours or until veges are done…
I usually serve this with bisquits and it is a meal we eat year round…
I have a 4 1/2 yr old daughter and a very picky 2 1/2 yr old son and they devour this…
Good luck with the knitting and I hope you enjoy the recipe..
I have others but they do not consist of all ingredients being cooked in the slow cooker…BUT if you are interested in any let me know….
snort.
OMG. I just bought a crockpot recipe book at BN Friday night (you know, during the Breaking Dawn Mania) cos I am the mom of a softball player and a swimmer. There is no such thing as enough food. Maybe we could get together and cook for the army together. I take odd days, you get even?
Anyway~we tried this last night…name of recipe and my modifications used so I don’t break some I don’t understand the interpretation copyright law. (900+ recipes for 8 bucks, yeah, I’m really screwing somebody over)
Mexican Chicken stuff
mix a bag of frozen corn (eh, 4 cups or so), 2 cans of drained black beans, a cup of salsa, some cumin and garlic to taste. Put chicken breast on top (I used 2.5 lb bag of boneless/skinless) pour another cup of salsa on top.
Cook on low for 4-6 hrs.
take out chicken, shred, chunk, cube whatever to your hearts content…….put back in
Add a pkg of cream cheese (I used light, it was fine, still tasted creamy and the I hate cream cheese faction of the house thought it was sour cream….really thickened it up) and wait until cream cheese melts.
Serve. With or without shredded cheddar. Recipe called for it, I would have loved it, but I forgot it.
We ate it over rice. That was good. Dd1 ate it for lunch with warmed white corn tortillas, she said that was good too.
Hope your crew likes it. It’s one of the few that all of us ate and didn’t pitch a royal fit.
KNIT ON Woman!