Maple Bacon Pot Roast -- my Mother's Day Gift. Before Wheels and I were married we talked about the things we wanted for our children. One item on that short list was to teach them how to be self sufficient. Wheels share of that goal was to teach our children things like how to change a tire and how not to get lost. (Neither of which belonged on my side of the list. I still can’t change a tire – don’t tell the kids! I can argue with the GPS, though.) My share was to teach our children things like how to cook a meal and do their own laundry. (Let it be noted that Wheels does a great job at those self sufficiency things.) And that is why, when Mother’s Day rolls around I only want one gift. A homecooked meal that I don’t prepare. This year Bytes selected this dressed ... [Read More]
Crockpot
Slowcooker Cheesy Brats and Potato Soup
Thick cheesy soup, chunky potatoes, flavorful brats topped with a handful of cheese – very good! Bytes made this cheesy good potato and brats soup for supper on a cold, rainy evening recently. (It’s almost May, folks! And we’re still eating hot soup to warm the soul!) If there are leftover brats in the refrigerator, or if you purchase precooked brats, you can skip the browning and just put the sliced brats into the slow cooker. The red pepper provides a bit of color, as well as flavor. You can substitute green peppers. Or Bytes used a yellow pepper for this bowl since that was what in the refrigerator. One carrot, shredded or sliced diagonally, could also be substituted for color, if peppers aren’t available. No extra salt is added since the brats and soup have enough to flavor ... [Read More]
19 Unique Things to Make in Your Crockpot
Sharing with you unique things to make in a crockpot I found while I was looking for ideas to use during my two weeks without a kitchen stove. I didn't have time to experiment with these ideas -- way too busy running to home improvement stores, wielding a broom and trying to keep projects sorted out and equipped. Let me know if which is your favorite idea and how it turned out when you experimented with it! Bargains and Values -- Basic Crockpot Bread Family Fresh Meals -- Crockpot Corn on the Cob Crockpot Recipe Exchange -- Iced Cinnamon Biscuits Cheerios and Lattes -- Crockpot Apple Crisp Stuffed Apples The Frugal Girls -- Crockpot Baked Potatoes Skip to My Lou -- Crockpot Chex Mix A Pinch of Joy -- Crockpot Cheesecake Get Crocked -- Crockpot Rice ... [Read More]
Crock Pot Lasagna
I mooshed several different Crockpot Lasagna recipes together to come up with another crockpot special to feed the work crew during the kitchen remodel! I would make this crock pot lasagna again – but flavor it up a little bit. Normally we don’t do spicy, but this was a little bland for us. Since I did not have a stove, I used ground beef that I browned before freezing and added dried onion flakes and minced garlic from a jar. I think this would be better with a small/medium onion chopped and sauted with about twice the garlic I used. It probably would also benefit from using a more flavorful jarred sauce so use your favorite instead of the plain I had. Or add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Remember to keep the meat and sauce layer thin enough to sort of see the noodles beneath ... [Read More]
Creamy Italian Ranch Crockpot Chicken
Creamy and flavorful chicken from the slow cooker served over brown rice, this is a very satisfying meal requiring minimal preparation and easy peasy cooking in the crockpot. Great for those times when your attention is focused on other projects. Cooking during a kitchen remodel has definitely been a challenge!! The stove is out in the garage and the kitchen is full of three guys wielding power tools. My cooking space is one crockpot on a tv tray in the front hallway adjoining the dining room and a second crockpot on the little chest in the dining room. The dining room is stuffed with boxes full of cabinet contents. They were orderly when the project started four days ago. Operative word – “were”. The motto is: “Keep calm and cook on.” Because that keeps the crew fueled ... [Read More]
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Simple, delicious, filling, nutritious, warm goodness on a cold night. This chicken noodle soup is wonderful. I’m not a big fan of chicken noodle soup but . . . this is not your ordinary soup with its perfect combination of vegetables, tender chicken, light seasoning and rich noodles! Cooked all day in a slow cooker, chicken noodle soup is an almost effortless dinner! Like many soups, this is what I call a “flexible” recipe. Chicken doesn’t always come portioned perfectly in one pound chunks. It doesn’t matter if you have ¾ pound or 1 ¼ pounds. If you have what you think is enough chicken, but there is one lone little piece lingering in the bag – add it to the pot! We like the thick homemade style noodles sold in our area as “Amish” noodles. You might like the thin, almost ... [Read More]
