French Toast - in a slow cooker!

I don't know about you, but I love French Toast. The only thing I dislike about it is having to stand over a hot pan while flipping bread and juggling whatever else you have going on in the kitchen at the time. That's where this recipe comes in - you just put the bread in a crockpot and forget about it for a couple hours. Perfect! Next time I won't cook this quite as long, the bread got a little bit hard (I read reviews saying it was mushy so I cooked it longer, which I shouldn't have done).

This is a must-make recipe!

Crockpot French Toast
adapted from Suddenly Frugal

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 loaf of bread
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Butter

Directions:

Let the bread sit out overnight to harden slightly (I made homemade bread for this recipe and froze the second loaf for future use).

Liberally coat the inside of your slow cooker with butter.

In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, brown sugar and cinnamon. Dip each piece of bread in this mixture, then pour the remaining liquid mixture over the bread.

Turn the slow cooker on low for four to six hours, checking every few hours to make sure the bread is not drying out too much.Serve with maple syrup, and fruit. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Santa Fe

This meal is as easy as it is delicious. You all know how much I love crockpot recipes, definitely give this one a try!

Chicken Santa Fe
from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 pound chicken breast
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 cup frozen corn
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and saute until tender and a bit caramelized, about 4-6 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute and transfer to the crockpot
4. Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side and set aside.
5. Add the chicken broth to the pan, deglaze it and transfer to the crockpot
6. Add the diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, cayenne, salt and pepper to the crockpot, stir, add the chicken and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
7. Remove the chicken, shred it and return to pot.
   
8. Serve over steamed rice, garnished with green onions and cilantro.

Enchilada Soup

I really love Mexican food (there is another related post coming later this week!), and I thought this soup recipe was pretty good. I honestly don't think the enchilada sauce adds much flavor, and I would leave it out in the future (especially to reduce the amount of sodium in this meal). If the weather is a bit cool this is a perfect weeknight meal, and I love that it's done in the crockpot.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
from DaintyChef

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 ounce) Rotel diced tomatoes and jalapenos
1 package (10 ounce) frozen corn
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup bell pepper, diced
1 can (10 ounce) Enchilada sauce
2 whole chicken breasts
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and ½ cup milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. In a large bowl, whisk together the enchilada sauce and chicken broth mixture . Gradually whisk in remaining milk until smooth. Set aside.
In a crockpot, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place the chicken breasts on top of the mixture. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker. Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, remove chicken and cut or shred into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken back into the soup, mix together. Top with cheese and serve.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

I hate to admit that I only took ONE picture of this meal. I completely forgot to take one after serving it, so you'll have to make due with the single pic of this recipe in the crockpot. It was a really filling soup, I enjoyed it. Of course it's a soup so the husband only tolerated it. :) I left out the creamed corn and the chiles in adobo as I didn't have them on hand, and honestly they weren't missed. I just added a little more regular frozen corn and some diced jalapenos instead.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 large onion, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 2 tsp minced fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 (15-oz) can creamed corn
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 2 tsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo
• 3 Tbs minced fresh basil

Directions:
Cook bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp and browned, 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon (You can either add to the crockpot or keep out and crumble on top after the soup is done). Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in 2 cups of the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add remaining 3 cups of broth, potatoes, carrots, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into the mixture. Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours.Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and allow to cool slightly before shredding it into bite-sized pieces. Add it back to the slow cooker, along with the creamed corn, frozen corn, cream, and chipotle chiles. Continue to cook until everything is heated through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the basil, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Curdled

I love trying new crockpot recipes, and I really thought this one was going to be fantastic. I was looking forward to eating it for dinner all day, until I came home and dished it up and found that the yogurt had curdled. My husband pointed out the weird lumps and it was seriously unappetizing! I don't know if my crockpot just gets too hot or what, but if I were to make this again I would stir the yogurt in at the end of the cooking time and just warm it, don't let it cook in the crockpot all day!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

• 9 whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 4 chicken breasts)
  
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Kosher salt (I only used a pinch)
  
• 1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 whole jalapeno pepper, stem removed, pepper pierced several times with a sharp knife

For the Sauce:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 whole large onion, peeled and diced
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt (this is way too much, use maybe half this amount)
  
• 3 tbsp garam masala
• 1 piece fresh ginger, about 2-3 inches, peeled and grated or very finely minced
• 4 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2-3 tbsp heavy cream

For Serving:

• 4 cups cooked rice, hot
• cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken thighs into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces (I just put the chicken in whole). Sprinkle the coriander, cumin and salt over the chicken, then stir in the yogurt until all the pieces are evenly coated. Place the chicken in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker and put the jalapeno on top of the chicken.
2. To prepare the sauce, melt butter in a medium saute pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and salt, then stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to lightly brown around the edges.
3. Stir in the garam masala and ginger and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute) before adding the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Stir well, scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.
   
4. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender.
5. Pour heavy cream into the slow cooker and stir gently until the color is even. Replace the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.
6. Serve over hot rice topped with a generous amount of chopped cilantro.

Seriously decadent soup

Winter is the perfect time for soups. I can't think of anything more heartwarming and cozy than a big bowl of soup (unfortunately my husband disagrees - he hates soup, and he didn't particularly like this one, even with lots of cream and cheese).

I ate a huge bowl of this soup for dinner, and had an equally huge bowl of it for lunch the next day. I did try to freeze the leftovers, but they didn't thaw very well and tasted weird. I recommend trying to eat this within a few days of making it.

Smashed Potato Soup

Ingredients:
***I added chopped bacon to this soup and it was fantastic - you can't go wrong with bacon!***

3 ½ lbs potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into cubes

½ cup chopped yellow or red pepper

1 ½ tsps. chopped garlic

½ tsp ground black pepper

4 ½ cups broth

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup sliced green onions (next time I'll omit these, I didn't care for their taste in this soup)

Directions:

Combine potatoes, peppers, garlic and broth in a crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Slightly mash the potatoes with a fork, then add the cream, cheese, and onions. Top with bacon if desired. Enjoy!

Marinara sauce

I'm always on the lookout for the perfect marinara sauce. This one looked good and easy as it's a crockpot meal - it was quite tasty and I'd make it again. I served it over gnocchi, and I'm sure it would be just as good on regular spaghetti noodles.

Miller's Marinara

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil (I used olive oil)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato puree

2 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried basil

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons white sugar (omitted)

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Directions:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion until tender.
In a slow cooker, mix the onion, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato puree, garlic powder, oregano, basil, salt, sugar, and pepper.
Cover slow cooker, and cook sauce 8 hours on Low.

You need how much garlic??

I hate having to peel just a couple cloves of garlic...let alone the 40 that this recipe called for. I took one for the team (well, for all of you lovely readers) and spent 20 minutes peeling garlic for this recipe. After all that hard work I really wanted to love this recipe, but honestly it was just OK. Surprisingly the flavor of this dish was just underwhelming.

Crockpot Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

40 garlic cloves, peeled, about 4 heads

3 1/2 lbs chicken pieces, skin on breasts, skinless legs and thighs

2 onions, finely chopped

4 celery ribs, peeled, diced

1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

1/2 cup dry white vermouth or 1/2 cup white wine

Directions:

In a skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat.

Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until it softens and begins to turn golden.

Remove garlic to stoneware with slotted spoon.

Increase heat to medium and add chicken in batches and brown. Transfer to stoneware.

Add onions and celery to pan and cook, stirring until softened.

Add tarragon, salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook, stirring for 1 minute and then add wine or vermouth and bring to a boil.

Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Back to our usual programming

I have a backlog of at least a months worth of recipes from before we went on vacation. I'm going to do my best to remember what I made...here goes nothing!

Pot Roast with Beer

I'm a firm believer that beer can improve the flavor of a meal, whether served with it or literally cooked into it. This pot roast is made in the crockpot and submerged in beer for at least 8 hours. It's delicious,and so incredibly tender. The original recipe calls for it to be made in the oven but it's just as easily made in a crockpot.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil (omitted)

1 (3 pound) beef pot roast

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound carrots, cut into chunks

1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms (omitted)

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (omitted)

2 cups beef stock

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon brown sugar (omitted)

2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon tomato paste

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
*The original recipe says to brown the meat, but I didn't bother.*

Mix all of the ingredients together in a crockpot and cook on low for at least 8 hours.
Enjoy!
This is now my favorite pot roast recipe.

Calico Beans

I think most people have a person in their family who always brings a crockpot bean dish to a potluck. In my family that person is my mom. She (and everyone else) loves her calico bean recipe. While this recipe is different from hers, I still enjoyed it. And really, who doesn't love bacon and brown sugar with beans? :)

I took this recipe from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining, by Beth Hensperger.
You can find the full recipe here. I don't like to print recipes from books on my blog, but if someone else has posted it online I don't mind linking to it.

Here's some pictures from this recipe:
I encourage you to give it a try! It makes a wonderful side dish, or can even be served as a main meal if you pair it with a salad.

The 3 C Recipe

Crockpot. Corn. Chowder. It's my 3 C recipe. Unfortunately, it's not a super-great recipe. It's not terrible, but it's just average - probably won't be making this one again.

Tangy Vegan Crockpot Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

24 ounces frozen corn

3 cups vegetable broth

3 potatoes, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 red chile peppers, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

black pepper to taste

1 3/4 cups soy milk

1/4 cup margarine

1 lime, juiced

Directions:

• Place the corn, vegetable broth, potatoes, onion, garlic, red chile peppers, chili powder, salt, parsley, and black pepper in a slow cooker; cover. Cook on Low for 7 hours.

• Stir the soy milk and margarine to the mixture; cook on Low for 1 hour more. Add the lime juice to serve.

Spaghetti Sauce from the Crockpot

I love a good homemade spaghetti sauce, and what's easier than throwing all the ingredients in the slow cooker for the day? I liked this recipe, but I was surprised the house didn't smell better when I first came home. It has a slightly strange aroma (probably from the herb combination), but it still tasted good so I'd probably make it again. Serve over pasta, with garlic bread and a green salad.

Meat Lover's Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 small onions, chopped

1/4 pound bulk Italian sausage

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon white sugar (I omitted)

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onions and Italian sausage until the sausage is browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage and onions to a slow cooker. In the same skillet, cook and stir the ground beef, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and marjoram, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the ground beef into the slow cooker.

• Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, thyme, basil, oregano, and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. Set the cooker on Low, and cook the sauce for 8 hours. About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the sugar. Serve hot.

Carrots & Chicken Crockpot Stew

Here's another great slow-cooker chicken recipe. The flavors meld really well, and if you add just a little bit of cooking liquid it keeps the chicken from drying out.

Slow-Cooker Spiced Chicken & Carrots Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
• 8 skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)
  
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired
• Couscous, for serving (optional)

Directions:

• Place carrots in slow cooker. In a bowl, toss together chicken, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; add to slow cooker. **Add several cups of chicken broth if desired, to keep chicken moist.** Cover, and cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours), adding raisins 15 minutes before cooking is done.

Another delish crockpot recipe: Chili!

I love chili, and I was super psyched to find a vegetarian version for the crockpot. I've made this recipe at least 5 times, and it's still a personal favorite. It's especially great to have in the winter months, and I'll sometimes serve it with cornbread. I truly believe this is just as good as any meat chili - give it a try!

Meatiest Vegetarian Slow Cooker Chili

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

4 onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed

4 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

6 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon liquid hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the green peppers, red peppers, garlic and tofu; cook and stir until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, the whole process should take about 10 minutes.

• Pour the black beans into the slow cooker and set to Low. Stir in the vegetables and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Stir gently and cover. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Notes: Do NOT skip the sauteing veggies step; I skipped it once and the chili wasn't as good as normal. I leave out the tofu as I'm not a huge fan of the texture and there's plenty of protein in this meal from the beans. I also omit the salt.

Rosemary and Pepper Chicken

I'm constantly on the lookout for new crockpot recipes, and this one looked really good to me. It tasted amazing, was fast to put together, and is an all-around winner! This made a substantial amount, and we both easily had enough for generous lunch leftovers the next day. Serve over pasta and vegetables.

Slow Cooker Rosemary and Red Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

8 ounces turkey Italian sausages, casings removed

8 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1/4 cup dry vermouth

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

salt to taste (omitted)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

• In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Crumble sausages over onion mixture. Rinse chicken and pat dry; arrange in a single layer over sausage. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour in vermouth. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 5 to 7 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked through when pierced.

• Transfer chicken to a warm, deep platter, and cover to keep warm.

• In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water. Stir into cooking liquid in slow cooker. Increase heat to High, and cover. Cook, stirring 2 to3 times, until sauce is thickened (about 10 more minutes). Season to taste with salt. Spoon sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with parsley.

Notes: I completely forgot to take the chicken out and thicken the broth. I don't think this step is really all that necessary - the broth was great as-is.

Easy Pot Roast

We don't eat a lot of red meat in this house, but sometimes it's nice to change it up and serve a good ol' beef roast. Since I don't particularly enjoy being hands-on with red meat, I let this one cook in a crockpot all day and come home to find it completely cooked through and ready to serve. I also rarely use cream-of-anything soups, but I don't mind it in this recipe.

Pot Roast with Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 10oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
2lb pot roast
Red potatoes

Directions:
Cut the potatoes into wedges and put in the bottom of the crockpot. Place the roast on top of the potatoes, and cover with the mushroom soup mix. Pour the water and dry onion soup mix over the top. Cook on low for 8 hours, and enjoy!