CROCK-POT MASHED POTATOES

This is a great method of making mashed potatoes for a crowd. It seems like I'm always short on time (or a burner) when it comes to last minute side dishes during the holidays, so this method is a big help.

TO FEED A BIG CROWD
5 pounds peeled potatoes cut into 1" cubes
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups HOT half and half (divided)

The ABOVE ingredients will take a large

(7 quart) crock-pot:

If you are just feeding a family of 6, cut the above ingredients in HALF and

it in a

4 quart crock-pot:

In either case, spray the crock-pot with cooking spray and put your raw cubed potatoes and butter pieces in the crock-pot.

Mix the water with the salt and pepper and pour it over the potatoes and butter pieces:

Cover with a lid and cook on high for 4 hours (or till tender). TIP: If you put a couple of potholders on the top of the crock-pot lid (as shown in the above photos), then the potatoes will be cooked in 3 hours instead of 4.

After the potatoes are tender, DO NOT DRAIN. Give the potatoes a rough mash with a hand held potato masher first, then add one cup of HOT half and half and finish whipping them with a hand held electric mixer (right in the crock-pot). Add the final half cup of half and half if you think the potatoes need it.

These mashed potatoes can be kept on the warm setting of the slow cooker for up to two hours.

Even if your crock-pot doesn't have a warm setting, you can still keep these mashed potatoes hot by covering the whole crock-pot with a heavy towel. They will stay hot for quite a while. 

ENJOY !!



CROCKPOT PORK LOIN

This recipe is ultra easy, ultra fast and ultra delicious!! What more can you ask for? And, oh, did I mention...it cooks by itself in the Crockpot!!

The end result is moist, fall apart tender, sweet-ish, completely full flavored and very versatile. It is going directly into my "make often" recipe box!!

2 pounds (approx.) pork loin (tenderloin will work too)
1/4 cup LOW SODIUM soy sauce (regular will be too salty)
1 tablespoon regular old yellow mustard
1/4 cup real maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
2 tablespoons canola oil (or vegetable oil)
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Put the oil in your crockpot and rub it around to cover the cooking surface. Put the pork loin in.

Mix everything else and pour over the meat.  Put the lid on and cook on LOW for 6 hours. Turn it over half way through if you can, but its  not necessary.

After 6 hours, remove meat and thicken the sauce (if you want to) and put the meat back in. Whether you thicken the sauce or not, is just a matter of preference, it tastes the same.

NOTE: I use this recipe using a 2 pound pork loin roast, but a tenderloin will work too. I haven't tried the recipe with any other cut of pork.

NOTE: Make sure you use low sodium soy sauce or the final dish might be a tad salty for you.

DULCE de LECHE (Made in the crockpot!!)

Yes, you heard me right, dulce de leche made in the crockpot!! The first time I tried it, I was very skeptical, but it works like a charm and couldn't be easier.

Fill crockpot with COLD water. Put an UNOPENED can (with paper label removed) of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) into the cold water, making sure that the water is 2" taller than the can. If you are doing more than one can, make sure there is at least 2" of space BETWEEN each can as well. 

Put the lid on the crockpot and let it "cook" on LOW for EIGHT HOURS. Take the cans out of the crockpot and dry them off and label them. If you are going to use them right away, let them cool down a couple hours before you try to open the can. Cooled and unopened cans can be kept in the pantry like you would any other canned item.

DISCLAIMER: people that make Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk never anticipated people heating their product in an unopened can. As a matter of fact, I'm sure they would disapprove, so please, if you try this method, use (common sense) caution....but it has worked VERY WELL for me and for many other people I know. 

 Crockpot Dulce de Leche

Right after opening the can; it is unbelievably delicious!!

 

NOTE: One friend that had a white crockpot, said that the can left a permanent "ring" on the bottom of her crockpot; I didn't have that problem (my crockpot is black). If you are concerned, put a layer of paper towels under the can/cans before you add the cold water.

CROCKPOT MAPLE PORK TENDERLOIN

This recipe gets five stars for two reasons...it is totally delicious AND super simple. As a matter of fact, it is one of the best crockpot recipes that I've tried in a long time. You can not get much simpler than this: brown the pork loin, cover it with sauce and 8 hours later (my crockpot only took 6 hours) and you have fork-tender, delicious pork loin and a gravy that is amazing.

 2½ pound boneless pork loin
1 cup real maple syrup (DON'T USE PANCAKE SYRUP)
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2½ tablespoons cider vinegar
2½ tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper

I bought my pork loin, vacuum packed from Walmart (2½ pounds seems to be a standard size). When you open the package, there will be two long loin pieces. I cut each one into three pieces, then salted and peppered them and browned them in a little olive oil. Place the browned pieces in a wide crockpot for even cooking (as opposed to the tall ones).

In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup (do not use pancake syrup, it is way too sweet and will ruin your pork, trust me), Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and soy sauce together. Pour over browned pork loin pieces. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (my crockpot took only six hours). If you use a different cut of pork, you may have to use the full 8 hours. It isn't absolutely necessary, but try and turn the meat over a couple of times during the cooking process. When it is time to eat, thicken the gravy. I served this with rice and coleslaw. It also made delicious sandwiches the next day.

NOTE: If you are concerned about the maple flavor being overpowering...don't be. As a matter of fact, it is almost a background flavor, but it IS there and the meat was extremely tender and slightly sweet. This is a fantastic recipe for any special occasion.

CHICKEN BAKED POTATOES and CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

This weekend was cold, rainy, gloomy and leaf-less; without falls bright yellow leaves everything looks so dreary. We've had several hard freezes and the snow line on the mountain behind our house is creeping very near; it won't be long. To celebrate the completion of our annual "winterizing", we decided to enjoy a lazy weekend. Saturday, I put chicken breasts and veggies in the crockpot and at dinner time, I just thickened the broth and served it on split baked potatoes.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups chopped veggies
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
4 cups good quality chicken broth (not bullion)
pinch of dried thyme
pinch of poultry seasoning
pinch of dried basil
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Saute onions in a little butter until they mellow, then put everything in the crockpot and cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours (check for chicken tenderness at 6 hours). You want the chicken to be nice and "fall apart" tender. Thicken broth and serve over large baked Yukon gold potatoes that are cut in half.

DAY TWO

On Sunday, I used the crockpot leftovers for another lazy day meal:

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

 



My mother made wonderful chicken and dumplings, so our Sundays dinner was a trip down memory lane for me...Hubby, not so much. He courageously gave the dumplings a taste then gave me one of those squinty "I don't think so" glances and politely moved the dumplings over to the side of the bowl and ate everything else. Oh well, I enjoyed them thoroughly.

In a saucepan, cook 3 diced potatoes in seasoned (salt & pepper) chicken broth. Add them to the crockpot leftovers. For chicken and dumplings you want a liquid that is the consistency of gravy. If your leftovers seems to thick, add just a little bit of the chicken broth you boiled the potatoes in. If it seems too thin, thicken it with a little bit of corn starch slurry. When your gravy is the right consistency, bring it to a strong simmer.

Dumplings
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon chicken bullion granules
2 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup milk
pinch of poultry seasoning

Mix everything JUST UNTIL MOISTENED and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Drop heaping teaspoons of dumpling mixture onto the SURFACE of the simmering gravy. Put a TIGHT FITTING lid on the pan and cook for 15 minutes (do not peek). At the end of 15 minutes, test the dumplings for doneness with a toothpick. If they are not cooked thoroughly, put lid back on and cook another 5 minutes. Spoon gravy over dumplings before serving.

CROCKPOT TURKEY BREAST

WEEK DAY TURKEY DINNER!!

 

Have you ever cooked a whole turkey breast in the crockpot? I did, for the first time, this weekend, and I can tell you I will be doing it again and again. It was super tender without being dried out (in fact it was quite moist and flavorful) and it makes enough broth to make a wonderful gravy too!
5 pound bone-in turkey breast
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 stalks celery chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
black pepper

The size of your crockpot will determine how many pounds of turkey you can cook. I've found turkey breasts weighing as little as 4 1/2 pounds and as much as 7 pounds.
 Wash and pat dry your turkey breast. Trim the meat so that it will fit into the crockpot ( I had to remove a little of the rib bones to get it to fit into my crockpot). Coat the surface of the turkey with minimal butter and rub the dry onion soup mix and pepper all over the surface of the turkey. Put the chopped celery into the bottom of the crockpot and add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Lay the turkey breast (breastbone or skin side down) on top of the chopped celery. Cook on low for 5-7 hours (see notes below).
NOTE: You are going to be tempted to add more than 1/2 cup of broth to the crockpot, but do not. The turkey will produce plenty of liquid (for gravy) and don't worry about an over-powering onion soup taste, you won't even know its in there, but it really makes a great addition to the gravy.
NOTE: Everyone’s crockpot cooks at a different temperature, so you will have to decide how long you cook this turkey. We like our turkey to come easily off the bone, and that took 6 hours on low for a 5 pound (bone-in) turkey breast. Just start testing it after 5 hours.

This is a great (fool proof) cooking method for turkey breast. I can see so many uses for it like extra turkey if you are having a big holiday dinner, great for turkey sandwiches, casseroles, soups, salads, etc. Tons of possibilities, not to mention a great way to have a nice hot turkey dinner without heating up the kitchen.