What’s in Your Crock-Pot??? The 2014 Thread

[Lynn49]

Easiest 2-Ingredient Ham Ever!

1 8lb bone in cured picnic ham (not a spiral ham...unless you reduce the cooking time about half...use a meat thermometer)
2C brown sugar (again, we use Splenda brown sugar)
Optional: 1 C crushed pineapple onto the sugar in the bottom; dashes of cloves (I've never used either)

Place 1 1/2C brown sugar into the bottom of the pot, spread evenly
Place ham cut side down into the crockpot (trim if neccessary)
Rub the other 1/2C sugar onto the ham

Bake on low for 8 hours, or until meat thermometer registers 'done'.
Plenty for dinner, plenty for sandwiches and ham and egg mornings!!
And sauce to drizzle over everything for dinner!

[Lynn49]

This is my absolute favourite soup...I could eat it every day! I was hesitant the first time we tried it, but whoa...the flavour is amazing!!
Enjoy!


Lentil Soup (and Kielbasa!)

2 cups dry, rinsed lentils (I use red lentils; prettier color for the soup)
2 1/2 cups coarsely shredded carrots (about 3 large)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I use 2 boxes of veg broth)
4 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn (I actually use this once in a while, when I happen to have it on hand)
about 1-2C diced kielbasa

Cook on low for 5-6 hours...the longer it cooks, the thicker it gets, so it's a personal choice...
Enjoy!

[walkonby]

oh I am definitely trying that last one Lynn! ( lentils, check! and I have all the other ingredients here too ! ) Even though I am not supposed to be cooking it is the w/e so I can put this on and pretend an elf did it! The pyrohy one ( sp? ) no way!! all that butter? all those carbs ( and gluten? ) ya trying ta kill me?

[padyofurniture]

I had to look up what pyrohy were. I thought it was a made up word for your challenge lol

[padyofurniture]

SPLIT PEA SOUP


1 pkg (454g) split peas, rinsed
1 meaty ham bone or 2 cups diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp seasoning salt
½ tsp pepper
2L hot water


Layer into crockpot in order indicated. Do not stir.
Cove rand cook 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours low.
Remove bone and bay leaves.
Mash peas to thicken more, if desired.

[walkonby]

I did not use actual kielbasa, but substituted for gf Marc Angelo mild Italian sausages....padyo I wonder why your recipe says do not stir? o.k. it will soon start to smell wonderful in here, thanks Lynn!

[padyofurniture]

The last time I made it, I ended up moving it about and it was perfectly fine. Perhaps the originator had a different experience stirring it.

Question: do lentils have a similar quality to split peas in regards to texture and taste?

[Lynn49]

If you're having a party, or just want to stock your freezer, this is an amazing chili recipe, and yes, you MUST put in the cocoa!!


Cincinnati, or Cowboy Chili

2 tbsp. olive oil
1½ lbs. ground beef
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp. chili powder
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. celery seed
1 dried bay leaf (instead of these, I toss in a pkg of chili seasoning; just saves me time)

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups beef broth (2 cans)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider or plain vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 (15-oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed under hot water and drained

Brown the beef in a skillet, drain, and place into your crockpot. Dump everything else in, give it a good stir and cook for 5-6 hrs on low. It thickens as it cooks down.

Enjoy!!

[Lynn49]

The last time I made it, I ended up moving it about and it was perfectly fine. Perhaps the originator had a different experience stirring it.

Question: do lentils have a similar quality to split peas in regards to texture and taste?

Yes, very similar texture, not sure about the taste, but I suspect the split peas may be a bit sweeter...?
Thank you for your recipe!

[Lynn49]

I did not use actual kielbasa, but substituted for gf Marc Angelo mild Italian sausages....padyo I wonder why your recipe says do not stir? o.k. it will soon start to smell wonderful in here, thanks Lynn!

I can't take the credit for Padyo's recipe... Let us know how it turned out!
As for stirring....I see absolutely no reason not to...

[Lynn49]

I had to look up what pyrohy were. I thought it was a made up word for your challenge lol

Lol..it's an anglicized Ukrainian word...we pronounce it: pe-roh-heh...we roll the "r"...

[Lynn49]

oh I am definitely trying that last one Lynn! ( lentils, check! and I have all the other ingredients here too ! ) Even though I am not supposed to be cooking it is the w/e so I can put this on and pretend an elf did it! The pyrohy one ( sp? ) no way!! all that butter? all those carbs ( and gluten? ) ya trying ta kill me?

Oh, the house smells wonderful with that soup, Walks! It gets so rich and full-flavoured; a few nice slices of sourdough bread and butter and...oops sorry...it's fine alone, too..

Moi? Trying to kill you? Naaaaaahhhhhh....not me!!
But the kids do bring it to work on pot-luck days and everyone just waits for it and gobbles it up! Heaven help them if they bring in anything else...lol!

[walkonby]

Oh, the house smells wonderful with that soup, Walks! It gets so rich and full-flavoured; a few nice slices of sourdough bread and butter and...oops sorry...it's fine alone, too..

Moi? Trying to kill you? Naaaaaahhhhhh....not me!!
But the kids do bring it to work on pot-luck days and everyone just waits for it and gobbles it up! Heaven help them if they bring in anything else...lol!

My golly! I was amazed at how the texture changed the longer it cooked, it thickened up quite a bit, and the taste was amazing! ( very hearty! ) I used 2 cups of a dried mixture which had split yellow and green peas as well as red lentils, so plenty of colour. I wanted to dice up celery because I had so much , but there would have been no more room in the pot until it reduced some, so I never bothered. I love celery in most everything soupy.
The 3 of us all enjoyed a large bowl of it during one of the many hockey games, and there is still plenty left for tomorrow and possibly Monday as well.
thanks for posting the recipes!!

[padyofurniture]

Cincinnati, or Cowboy Chili

2 tbsp. olive oil
1½ lbs. ground beef
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp. chili powder
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. celery seed
1 dried bay leaf (instead of these, I toss in a pkg of chili seasoning; just saves me time)

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups beef broth (2 cans)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider or plain vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 (15-oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed under hot water and drained

Brown the beef in a skillet, drain, and place into your crockpot. Dump everything else in, give it a good stir and cook for 5-6 hrs on low. It thickens as it cooks down.

Making this today for lunch along with cornbread.

And we all know @walkonby is going to eat those leftovers for breakfast....

[walkonby]

lol!!^^ I was tempted shortly after 6:00 a.m to have some of that lentil soup.....but waiting for a bigger hunger to arrive first!