as i type, there are chili beans cooking in my crock pot.  i let the beans soak overnight, then in the morning i start adding to it.  I've never had a recipe, i just go through all my cabinets, fridge and freezer and throw stuff in.  it simmers all day, and i taste along the way adding to the concoction as it suits me. 

the other thing i like to put in the crock pot is chicken.  pappy's seasoning is a must, and add zesty italian dressing.  sometimes i add lemon pepper. let it sit on low all day and in the evening it will be so tender it will be falling off the bone.  you can take chicken straight from the freezer too. don't worry about thawing. 

great topic!

Thanks Emily, I wondered about chicken.  That is the thing we eat most around here and in the winter the foreman grill is used a lot but I'd like to try this crock pot I have.  I hear you on the Pappys seasoning, we use that a lot too, lol!!  When you use chicken in the crock, do you add water or just put it in with spices and set on low?

I will be experimenting different things during the fall/winter seasons.  Thanks for your advice.

Beef stew is great in a crockpot -- buy stew meat from the butcher (if chunks of meat are large, you may want to cut them smaller), sear it in a skillet (I spray the skillet with Pam), then put in crock pot with pkg. of stew seasoning (from the groc. store), a chopped onion, can of seasoned tomatoes, sliced carrots, chunks of potatoes (wash, but don't peel), whole mushrooms, chopped celery -- let it cook on low all day (6-8 hours).  Then when you walk in the house after being gone all day, the aroma that greets you is pure heaven!  Then freeze any leftovers for another time.  With just the two of us, I usually have enough left over for 2-3 more meals! 

Check the cookbook section at the bookstore and find one with crockpot recipes -- LOTS of great food you can make in one.  Have fun with it!

A use it to simmer Lenga or Beef Tongue.  It simple mainly water with a little cider viniger + salt and pepper corns.  Let simmer till fork tender.  Remove and peel the skin off and slice.  I also braise beef roast with red wine.  After the beef is fork tender the juices in the crock pot can be skimmed and reduced with brown mustard to make a nice sauce. 

instead of water i pour zesty italian salad dressing all over the chicken and make sure there's a bit in the bottom of the pot, enough so that it doesn't all evaporate

my ex-mother-in-law used to put chicken in hers then dump a couple cans of cream of mushroom over it

Hot Stuffed Rolls  (Super simple)

Michele

Buy a good or a crummy beef roast (and trim the fat)

Put it in the crockpot with 2 packages of Lowry's dry sloppy joe mix

Add 1/2 cup sugar

Cook all day until very tender.  Add a little water, if necessary,  to make it moist.Shred the roast up and mix it all with the juice.

I use Pyrannes sourdough buns but you can use sweet french rolls too if you prefer

Make a cut across the top of the rolls and pull out the center bread to create a hollowed out roll

Brush the outsides with butter and heat unocovered  in a HOT oven.

When they're hot and almost to the point of turning brown  take them out and fill each hollowed out roll with the beef mix.

Serve immediately Or wrap each bun in aluminum foil and it becomes a portable sandwich.

put a whole tri-tip and a whole bottle of bbq sauce and put on low all day.  Yummy!

Audrey-that sounds Super yummy!!! Thank you all for the tips/recipes and keep em' coming!!

queen-thanks, I was wondering if a tri-tip could be cooked in it.

Thanks Michele

I've been trying to recreate the BBQ buns we used to buy at the take out window at Shafter high 45 years ago.  This is the closest I've come to it.

I think I may try it with the Hawaiian rolls from Albertsons...They all sound like foods my family would eat as well.

Michele

I'm not sure if the Hawaiin rolls are solid enough to withstand pulling the "stuffin out".  But you can try it.

BTW I love the Sara Lee Hawaiian rolls at Smart and Final.

If you ever want a good recipe for fold over chicken pot pie with white sauce (gravy) poured over it, let me know   They also served that at Shafter High and it took me a long time to recreate it.

You're probably right about the Hawaiin rolls, sourdough it is.  OHHHHH, my husband loves chicken pot pies!!

I don't trust my cats to leave a crock pot out cooking all day while I'm at work. My mother uses her crock for beans and chicken like MsEmilyH. I know she has some sort of variation on chicken casserole using cream of chicken soup and chicken breasts in the crock pot, but I don't have the exact recipe. Maybe it is just the chicken breasts and soup.

The closest recipe I have to a crock pot recipe is my chicken caccitore. I'm sure it can be adapted, you'll just need to use smaller amounts since I cook this in a big 8 quart stock pot. The recipe calls for a couple pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with one 29oz can of crushed tomatos, two 29oz cans of tomato puree, black pepper, parsley, onion, garlic and a smidge of oregano. I simmer that for a couple hours on low on the stove, so I'm sure it would work great in a crock pot too. I like to cut the chicken into cubes to make it stretch to more meals. Serve the sauce over pasta or rice. It freezes well for leftovers too (my freezer is full of the batch I made last night).

Schwaine

I'm going to use your recipe on the chicken I have in the freezer.   Thanks it sound wonderful!

My wife is a great cook... you can tell by looking at me, or giving me a hug. Anyhoo, she dosen't use hers alot but there is one thing she does use it for... chicken and dumplings.... she cleans the chicken (whole) under running water real well... fat and all you know... leaves the skin on.... puts it in the pot with some H2O and white wine... seasoning, bay leaves, rosemary, oregano you know.... carrots, celery, onions, whatever you wish... put on the lid, put it on low... she then allows the whole thing to sit there and stew until the chicken is done (whit all of the way through or comes off the bone easily)... she then makes the dumplings (bisquick) and adds them to the pot...put the lid back until the dumplings cook to firm... and there you have it... keep in mind *I am no cook*... but I'm sure you can figure this out... it really is scrumpy... man I'm getting hungry !!

Any beef-fat side up always! NEVER ever add water :-)

Delicious chile verde:

2 pounds carnitas meat chunks (or any chunky fairly lean pork), 1 cup water, salt & pepper, 10-12 tomatillos (peeled, washed, and cut into chunks), 6-10 serrano peppers (cut into small rings), 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 cup diced onion.  Put it all in on low and cook all day, stirring a couple of times.  Meat will be tender and falling apart like brisket when done.  Load it all into tortillas and serve with cheese, guacamole, or sour cream on top.   It's a nice medium-spicy when you do it this way.  Don't substitute jalepenos! 

I make chicken and pour a mixture of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom over it. Put it on low for 8 hours and dinner's done when I get home from work. Hubby loves the gravy over mashed potatoes. I also make shredded bbq pork for sandwhiches. Pork butt with a can of beef broth on low all day then shred and mix in a bottle of bbq sauce. Easy.

Couple of cheap 7-bone roasts. Braise both sides, put in slow cooker (may have to cut to fit), two jars of medium spicy pace salsa, 1 or 2 cans of dices chilies (small ones). I do add a tad of water in the salsa jars and swish around to get whats left on the sides! slow cook for 6-8 hours, will fall apart with a fork. Serve with warm buttered flour tortillas, rice & beans.  OR make big pot of white rice and spoon meat and sauce over rice.

1/2 Cup Ketchup
1/3 Cup Worcestershire
1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Ground Mustard
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke
Dash Red Chili Pepper Flakes
Pinch Salt and Pepper
1 Medium Sweet Onion, Chopped
3 Pounds Pork Shoulder, Trimmed of Fat.

Method
1. Combine all ingredients except for onion and pork into crock pot. Whisk all ingredients until well blended.
2. Place pork and onions into mixture, coating both sides of meat.
3. Cook for 8 to 10 hours under "low" slow cooker setting.
4. After meat is cooked, remove from slow cooker onto plate and break apart with fork. If meat has any bones, please discard at this time.
5. Place meat back into warm sauce to reheat.
6. Serve on hamburger buns or Kaiser Rolls.
7. Enjoy.
 

My kids love this and it is so easy to make. Good luck

lol sorry its pulled pork

Hey since we are on the topic of meals.....just wondering if anyone would be interested in making one of these meals in bulk???  Hockey season has started and the Bakersfield Condors Booster Club is responsible for feeding 28 players after each home game.  I think a crock pot meal would be perfect!!  It costs a ton to feed these boys but I thought this would be a good way to help.  If anyone's interested please PM me. 

I was out of town all day yesterday and I'm glad I saw this blog this morning.

I use my crock pot only a few times a year, but I just may break it out today.  I have two all-time favorite meals prepared in it. The first is your basic beef stew with EVERYTHING! New potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and with only about an hour to go I toss in fresh muhrooms and green peas. Walking into the house while this is going on is heavenly!!

I also have a great recipe for jambalaya that brings everyone running with a bowl and spoon. I'm going to try the chicken and dumpling and chile verde. Darn it, now I'm hungry!!!

most of these are main dishes and sound yummy..so instead here's a side my wife makes I cant do without at holiday feeds..she gets two or three crocks of different sides going sometimes for gatherings..anyway

Jalapeno Cream Corn

Open enough cans to fill the crock to over feed the amount of people you are serving (I like some the next day for breakfast)Make sure your drain the majority of the liquid,,Add a pack of Philadelphia cream cheese..more if needed to make it creamy enough givin the amount you are making.. ..open a can of jalapenos add to taste..some like it hotter than others..I like mine so I know there's fire in that bowl..under heat stir it until its creamy and let it simmer on a low heat until your ready to serve..

Slow Cooked pork Tacos with fire roasted tomatoes and pickled onions. 

For the Pork:

1 roughly chopped yellow onion

2 garlic cloves crushed

15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

2 chipolte peppers,chopped

2 Tbsps. Worchester sauce,2 tsp.salt, 1 tsp. pepper,1/4c. cilantro

4 to 5 lb. pork shoulder~~~ toss it all into cooker,cover cook on high for 4 to 6 hrs.

For picled onions:

In small saucepan,med.heat add

1/2 c white vinegar,2 Tbsps. ,pinch red pepper flakes,1 tsp salt,heat until sugar disolves. Remove from heat,add sliced onions,1 tsp. dried oragano~when pput it into a quart container(you may need to add some water to cover all the onions) and leave out for 6 hours~then refrigerate.

To assemble: cook  corn tortillas over burners till soft,fill with ,some of the pork pulled,sliced cabbage,some avacado, some cilantro,the pickled onions,a dash of sour cream

OK Sage, where to I buy the fire roasted tomatoes.    How hot does this turn out o be.  I'm a sissy.  But, this sounds like something I want to try.

Audrey~You buy the fire roasted tomatoes in the Spanish/Mexican food section~ it's the chipolte peppers that pack quite the punch,so maybe start with one.If you pull the pork out of the pot to break it apart,you can have the flavor of the peppers but with little heat.By my second taco I was in love...LOL

You know, we probably got 3 crock pots as wedding gifts...15 years ago...and have never used them once. After reading through these posts I am going to dig one of them out of the dark recesses of the kitchen cabinet and give it a try. My worry has always been leaving the thing on while no one is home. Is it safe to have a crock pot on without supervision for 12 hours in an empty house?

Just make sure you have enough moisture in whatever you're cooking, and definately cook on the low setting.

Most meats will create enough juice in the crock pot that it won't burn up.   When you leave the house turn the setting to Med.

 Has anyone cooked fish in a crockpot? Specifically Salmon. Would it be similar to poaching it? I know I could just google it, but I would rather get personal experiences from you good folks. Google is not particularly stimulating unless you're searching for...well, you know.

Does Tuna Casserole count?  Then, no.

I have two in different sizes and I use them for a variety of things. However, one of my favorites is a crock pot lasagna recipe that my mom sent me. Everyone in my family loves it, even my two youngest, and that's rare! So here ya go...enjoy!

Ooooooh Ghost

An easy one.  And tasty too.  I'm going to copy this one down too.

michele1075 ,   Great idea! I tried the pulled pork from violet_sky82. It turned out great! Thanks to both of you!

Thanks ghostriter. I gained 3 pounds just reading that. I'd have to use two crockpots. One for me, and one for everyone else.

No fish in crock pot experiences myself~ I'd stick to poaching that salmon myself. That lasagna sounds delicious Ghost!

OMG, thank you guys for all this.  I'm actually doing a beef stew right now, at hubbys request.  I don't have a printer here at home but when I get to work tomorrow, I'm printing this blog.   This was actually a good idea!!!

Queen beat me to it but I call is Deep Pit In a pot.  I had a couple of small tri tips that needed to be cooked so I chunked them cut excess fat off,  tossed them in the pot and all I added was some shakes of seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic powder (not salt), a little onion salt.  Then I put foil over the top and sealed it around before putting the lid on.  Cooked on low for about 8-10 hours and it tastes like heaven.  The great thing about it is that you can add your favorite seasonings, peppers or whatever.  Crock pots are versatile and great time savers.  If you put on a roast , or tri tip, when you get home all you need is a tossed salad, a can of beans, and some french rolls and dinner is done.

After I cooked mine I put it in the fridge and a couple of days later was my turn to cook breakfast for the family.  Menu was...Shredded deep pit beef, bacon, scrambled eggs and tortillas.  Where can you get breakfast burritos like that?  Oh, and for the non burrito folks like me, I also made biscuits and gravy.

I was going to quit blogging here but I can't resist this topic.  I always do tri tip in the crock pot.  I leave the fat on cuz I think that is where most of the flavor is.  I just throw a tri tip in with a little dash of liquid smoke, salt pepper, and garlic powder and let it simmer all day.  When I take it out is when I pull the fat out and shred it up.  Then I toast french rolls, put some mayo on the buns and add the meat and shredded cheddar cheese.  Taste just like Jake's Tex Mex sandwiches.

Someone asked if it was safe to leave the crock pot on all day and I have done it for years with no problems.  I figure the fridge is on all day and nothing happens with it.

Does anyone know a recipe for french onion soup in the crock pot?

Glad to see you're still here nine18kk.   I am going to do tri- tip tomorrow.  Did stew tonight and there is just enough left to take for tomorrows lunch. 

Nancy-do you put the foil on before the lid to savor the seasonings?

The reason I cut off excess fat (not al) off tri tip is that I leave the meat in the juice and if there's too much fat it makes the juice greasy.   When char broiling over coals I leave it all on because as nine said, it holds flavor and keeps the meat moist.

When I cook a regular roast I save the greasy drippings to make absolutely killer roast gravy.

Michele, when butchers make those seasoned 12 hour roasts they triple  srap them in butcher paper and then you wrap in foil before putting it in the oven.  Crock pot lids don't usually fit VERY tight the way you need for sealing in the flavor and the cooking temp.  That prevents it from drying up so I cover the top of the pot and crimp the edges...then put the lid on to hold it.

Once the crock pt is fully heated turn it down to low for melt in your mouth meat.

Thanks Michele.  When I do tri tip sandwiches, I make potatoes with Lipton onion soup mix.  I wash the taters real good, cut them into same size chunks, put them in a bag with a little oil and the soup mix, shake them up and then bake them.  I think that method might be on the soup mix box.  Good ol' meat and taters with iced tea! 

WOO HOOO, thanks!! Can't wait for dinner tomorrow. I've learned a lot about this useful little cooking device and am really excited to use the above recipes!!

I'm sitting here copying all these recipes to give to my boy in the ARMY..he just got assigned to fort Irwin so hes back in Cally..crock pot-tin is perfect for a bachelor hes gonna love this..I'm eating hamburger helper as I write..our youngest girl wanted to cook dinner tonight.....something wrong with this picture..gonna fix that right now...I'm giving her a copy too hahahaha

Chicken Stew:

Package of 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
5-6 small white potatoes
Small package baby carrots
15-20 fresh green beans
2 cans seasoned chopped tomatoes (any variety, I like the ones with garlic)
1/2 cup white wine or water

Place the chicken breasts on the bottom, wash and chop the veggies into bite-size pieces (if you get the baby carrots you don't have to chop them). Put the veggies on top of the chicken, pour the tomatoes and wine/water over the top, set Crock-Pot on low for the day, and you're done! Yummy and good for you, too.