Let’s make Wednesday 'recipe' day!

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Considering the upsurge in recipes that could get lost if not all in one thread, our love of ketchup, and the fact that Peter Alway's (of scale model rocket fame) web page is now defunct and his recipe is in danger of being lost forever…

It is a pleasure and an honor to present:

Peter Alway's Lazy Oaf's Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
Something like ¾ lb to 1 lb of ground cow. I usually get ground round because it rhymes. I guess ground chuck is OK, but it reminds me of those old Chuck Wagon dog food commercials where this dog chased this animated miniature Conestoga wagon around the kitchen and as crude as my taste is, and as fond as I am of animation, I don't want to eat dog food. "Hamburger" scares me (I think that has all the weird anatomical bits) and I avoid it.
3 really big squirts of Ketchup. Catsup will do in a pinch, though it sounds too much like cat food. I guess you might as well use catsup if you are using ground chuck.
Hamburger Buns. Actually hot dog buns work, too.

Throw the dead cow into a frying pan, and turn on the stove. Keep mixing it up and breaking it down with a fork as you go, because you want the smallest possible particle size. The goal is to have meat that's processed beyond recognition so you can hardly tell what it is. Particles should be no more than ¼" (6 mm). I guess that means I should give the quantity of cow in metric units – about 400 grams. Eventually it turns an appetizing shade of grey – I never got the bit about eating food with blood in it – and is swimming in a pool of grease. Drain off the grease in to some container so it doesn't clog the drain. I bet you could use it for candles or bird suet to attract woodpeckers if you weren't so lazy that you used this recipe for Sloppy Joes.

Heat up the pan again, and you get lots of sizzling. Once you are sure that all the meat is thoroughly grey, squirt in a blast of ketchup. How much? Maybe enough for a pool of ketchup 3-4 inches (75 – 100 mm) in diameter in the middle of the pan. Mix it up. Once it starts sizzling again, add another squirt. Repeat until you get the sense that it's a sauce of ketchup with meat in it, rather than meat with some ketchup in it. Keep mixing and cooking until it smells like cooking ketchup. MMM…ketchup…

Pile the Sloppy Joe onto a bun. Serve with Pringles potato chips; the crunch will cover up any cow texture that survived the grinding and stirring. Single-serving applesauce will give the illusion of fruit for a balanced meal. You should get about half a dozen meals out of it (I'm assuming nobody else will touch it), which by some amazing coincidence is just how many single serving applesauces come in a package.

When you're sick of all food, why not try Lazy Oaf's Sloppy Joes for a week instead?

 

[poadeleted20]

MC's still discussing the idea of a recipe forum, but if you folks want to start a recipe thread here in HT like the Friday joke thread, that's no concern to the MC (as long as the recipes don't involve sex, politics, or religion ).

 

[tonycondon]

One of my favorite things to make is goulash

brown a pound of hamburger, cook some veggies in while its browning. I usually cut up a full green pepper, half an onion, and a smallish package of mushrooms. Boil some water and cook a package of macaroni. I like the elbows. Drain the grease off the beef when its done and drain the water off the macaroni, mix together with a 30ish ounce can of tomato sauce. heat and stir and eat. I made this a lot in college. if you are careful not to overeat you can feed yourself for about 2 days on ~5 dollars of store brand food. yum!

 

[steingar]

I haven't actually used a recipe for anything save ice cream in years.

 

[Tristar]

You mean pilots can cook too??

Actually this may come in handy around thanksgiving! I'm notorious for just making something up that usually tastes pretty good and then never remembering how I did it. I guess I do need a recipe box.

 

[SkyHog]

I made this the other day:

LAZY MANS CHICKEN PARMESEAN
Ingredients
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Shake and Bake Parmesean Flavor
2 cups Prego Spaghetti Sauce
Fresh, shredded Colby Jack Cheese
Spaghetti Noodles

Follow the directions for the Shake and Bake chicken.
When there is approximately 10 minutes left on the chicken, start the spaghetti noodles
When there is approximately 5 minutes left, heat the spaghetti sauce
When the time to cook has expired, pour the spaghetti sauce over the chicken breasts evenly
Spread cheese over the top of the spaghetti sauce
Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve chicken over spaghetti noodles.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

 

[Areeda]

Jerk Chicken or Pork Chops

I found this recipe for Jerk Sauce works well:

• 1 tablespoon Ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon Dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground sage
• 3/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons Garlic powder or fresh
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 1/4 cup Soy sauce
• 1/4 cup White Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Lime juice
• 3 Green onions -- finely chopped
• 1 cup Onion -- finely chopped

The trick is to get it the right amount of hot. For the people who like it very hot 1 habanero (Scotch Bonnett) should do it, I'm a fan of about 2 chipotle (smoked jalapeno). I tend to make it mild enough the kids will eat it with a bottle of good hot sauce on the side.

In a large bowl, combine the allspice, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, garlic powder and sugar.

Then with a wire whisk slowly add the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and lime juice. Let this sit for a few minutes to allow the dried spices to hydrate. Then add the onions and peppers.

I like boneless skinless chicken thighs, others like the breasts, well trimmed pork chops, or a lean piece of beef like a skirt steak also work well.

Put the meat and sauce in a zip lock bag and mix well. Put in in the refrigerator for about 8 hrs. Minimum of 1 hr will work, overnight is even better. When you think about it, just pick it up an mix it some.

I will cook it on a barbecue with some hickory and chopped garlic for smoke, or bake it in the oven with the sauce. If you barbecue, put the remaining sauce in a pan and bring to a full boil then simmer until it reduces about half, then spread on the meat during and after cooking.

Goes well with baked sweet potatoes or fried plantains (bananas are close enough).

Joe

 

[Ghery]

You mean pilots can cook too??

Actually this may come in handy around thanksgiving! I'm notorious for just making something up that usually tastes pretty good and then never remembering how I did it. I guess I do need a recipe box.

You sure you're not my daughter? Not that she cooks like that, but my wife sure does and you could have learned from her.

 

[tonycondon]

You sure you're not my daughter? Not that she cooks like that, but my wife sure does and you could have learned from her.

oh you better hope she doesnt lurk here, or you are gonna be in a world of hurt when you get home...

 

[Ghery]

oh you better hope she doesnt lurk here, or you are gonna be in a world of hurt when you get home...

Neither of them do. But if we find a cookbook out in the house we look at my wife with this, "what the heck was THAT all about???" look. She has a shelf or two in the kitchen full of them, and almost NEVER opens one. Doesn't need to.

 

[tonycondon]

ah, i read your reply wrong. disregard...

 

[OtisAir]

Brussels Sprouts with Apricot and Pistachio
----------------------------------------

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tspkosher salt
1/3 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried apricots, finely diced

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Remove any damaged outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts and slice sprouts in half through the stem. Add to boiling water and cook until just tender, 3 min; drain. (If making ahead, cool sprouts in ice and water, drain and store wrapped, in the fridge until ready for use).
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sprouts and salt; cook, turning occasionally, until sprouts are golden around the edges and heated through, 5 to 6 minutes (7 mins if you blanched sprouts earlier). Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with apricots and pistachios.

Server 6 to 8

per serving: 102 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g sat fat, 140 sodium, 11 g carbs, 0 chol, 4 g protein, 4 g fiber

YAY

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

1/4 cup of Southern Comfort in a tumbler with 2 crystal clear cubes of ice
Fill with mix of your choice (coke, ginger, tea, doesn't really matter)

Ah - forget the mix, its great straight!

 

[TangoWhiskey]

I'll have to try Dr. Dave's recipe... sounds simple enough for me.

 

[Ghery]

1/4 cup of Southern Comfort in a tumbler with 2 crystal clear cubes of ice
Fill with mix of your choice (coke, ginger, tea, doesn't really matter)

Ah - forget the mix, its great straight!

Same recipe works with Rebel Yell, too.

 

[RJM62]

Low-Carb Sausage, Pepper, & Onion Rolls

Yeah, I know it's not Wednesday. But I was busy Wednesday. Today's slow, however; so I decided to try to make a low-carb version of one of my favorites.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 of them)

1 pound sausage (I used the kind that comes rolled up in a coil, but it doesn't matter. Any sausage will do.)
1 large bell pepper, sliced
1 large-ish onion, sliced
4 whole-grain wraps (I used flax wraps this time. Pretty tasty, and a good source of Omega-3.)
4 ounces mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, and hot sauce, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cook the sausage. I like using my indoor smokeless barbecue grill, but you can use whatever cooking vessel you like.

Put a little olive oil in a frying pan and add the peppers, onions, and spices. Cook covered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the peppers and onions are softened, but not all mushy and icky.

Cut the sausage (if needed) and lay them down the middle of the wraps. Cover them with the pepper and onion mix, and then put the cheese on top. Top it off with the hot sauce.

Fold the wraps and place them on the grill using a large spatula. Now be careful: They'll be a little soggy from the oil; but the toasting will take care of that.

I found it easiest to place the wraps seam-side down on the grill at first, then let them toast for a few minutes and flip them. The heat will make them stay closed, so when you flip them they don't fall apart.

When they're finished toasting... well, eat them.

~ 8 grams net carbs / roll

Mangia,

-Rich

 

[Areeda]

Deviled Chicken

I'm watching the food network (while working on my computer) and want to try this one. It wasn't on-line so I needed to write it down, why not here?

6 Chicken tighs boneless, skinless
1/4 cup white flour
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t paprika
3T vegetable oil
salt & pepper

1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2T hot sauce
2T crushed red chile pepper
2T dijon mustard
2T orange zest
Juice of 1 orange
6 pitted prunes

Mix flour, cayenne, paprika. Coat the thighs and shake of excess. Heat the oil (hot) in a deep skillet and fry the chicken about 3 min per side until brown. Take out and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with white wine, add chicken stock, hot sauce, chili peppers, mustard, prunes, orange zest and orange juice bring to a boil. Add chicken, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 40 min.

I haven't tried it yet but it looks good.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Another Peter Alway guy cooking recipe

Single-serving Peanut Butter Microwave Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:
6-8 full size marshmallows
½ cube cut off the end of a stick of butter (margarine, not that real crap)
About a bowlful of generic Rice Krispies (They make the generic ones as good as the Kellogg ones these days)
A small spoonful of peanut butter

Smear the butter all over the inside of a cereal bowl - ceramic, not plastic - with a fork. Toss in the marshmallows. Seven will make a cook hexagonal pattern in the bottom of the bowl, but eight is an integral power of two, and makes you feel like you aren't being guided by some wacko mysticism in your cooking. Microwave until they puff up big. Mix them around with fork until they are goo. Usually I have to give a short second nuking to get the right consistency without white blobs of marshmallow.

Now, throw in a spoonful of peanut butter. Mix it with the fork. If you are married, lick the excess peanut butter off the spoon before your wife finds it.

Finally add the generic Rice Krispies to taste. I have pretty massive bowls, so I make a conical heap of cerial whose pinnacle is level with the top of the bowl. Mix and eat with a fork.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

This one gets passed around at Weight Watcher meetings...

Taco Soup

48 oz jar of great northern beans (original recipe) or Randall deluxe mixed beans (my preference)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
16 oz. can corn (drained)
one package taco seasoning
one package ranch dressing mix
a little water to make it soupy enough.

mix
heat
eat.

My youngest likes to add noodles.

Easy to make, good to eat. Can't go wrong with that.

YMMV

 

[flyingcheesehead]

OK folks, here's a request: What are your favorite crock pot recipes?

Since I'm gonna be doing this in the truck, bonus points for ease of preparation. I don't even have a cutting board in there at the moment - That could be easily added, but lack of necessary tools other than a sharp knife, and ease of clean-up, are paramount. Also, while I'm sure specialty ingredients make things great sometimes, I need stuff that I can find at the nearest Wal-Mart supercenter.

I do have a refrigerator, microwave, crock pot, a good sharp knife, and a few of those GladWare storage containers... And not much else. So far, all I've done in the crock pot is a beef roast from a kit - Hunk of meat, bag of veggies, packet of seasoning, cup of water, cook. I'd really like a good crock-pot chili recipe, but those that say to brown the meat beforehand are pretty much disqualified.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TangoWhiskey]

OK folks, here's a request: What are your favorite crock pot recipes?

Since I'm gonna be doing this in the truck, bonus points for ease of preparation. I don't even have a cutting board in there at the moment - That could be easily added, but lack of necessary tools other than a sharp knife, and ease of clean-up, are paramount. Also, while I'm sure specialty ingredients make things great sometimes, I need stuff that I can find at the nearest Wal-Mart supercenter.

I do have a refrigerator, microwave, crock pot, a good sharp knife, and a few of those GladWare storage containers... And not much else. So far, all I've done in the crock pot is a beef roast from a kit - Hunk of meat, bag of veggies, packet of seasoning, cup of water, cook. I'd really like a good crock-pot chili recipe, but those that say to brown the meat beforehand are pretty much disqualified.

Thanks in advance!

Make the chili with kielbasa, Kent.

 

[silver-eagle]

OK folks, here's a request: What are your favorite crock pot recipes?
...SNIP... I'd really like a good crock-pot chili recipe, but those that say to brown the meat beforehand are pretty much disqualified.

Thanks in advance!

The reason I presume they say to brown the meat is to get the excess grease out of it. If you're cooking it all day, it probably wouldn't matter much.

Mine is:
pound of hamburg
pound of bulk pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean's Breakfast)
2 cans red kidney beans (drained)
2 large cans whole tomato
12 oz paste
Garlic
Onion
Celery
salt
PEPPER
Chili powder (2-5 tablespoons)
Crushed red pepper
Cook for 8-12 hours
Makes 6 quarts. Top with Whispride Cheese spread. Serve with saltines or bread.

PS: It was my traditional Christmas recipe.)

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Slow cooker recipes for Kent that don't require pre-browning the meat. First of all, Kent, I think it's cool that you cook in a slow cooker in your truck!

Steak Rolls Florentine

2 lbs top round, cut 1/2 inch thick; 1 tbsp. fat free Italian dressing; 1 10 oz package frozen spinach, chopped, drained, squeezed dry (or better yet, fresh baby spinach leaves); 1/3 cup onion chopped; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 tbs. fresh basil leaves; 2 tbsp Romano cheese, grated; 1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes

Cut steak into 2 pieces, each about 10 x 4 inches (have butcher shop do this). Place steak on cutting board and brush with dressing. Combine spinach, onion, garlic, basil and cheese in a small bowl. Stir in 1 cup of tomatoes. Spoon one cup of spinach mixture over each steak, spreading to cover steak evenly. Roll up in jelly-roll fashion. Tie rolls with butcher string. Place the meat rolls in the crock pot and pour the remaining tomatoes and spinach over the meat. Cover; cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

All American Meat Loaf

1.5# lean ground beef; 2 cups bread crumbs; 1 cup ketchup; 1/2 cup onion, chopped; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 8 slices cheddar or american cheese, but into strips (or equivalent, grated); 2 tbsp tomato paste

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients, except for the cheese and tomato paste. Shape half of the meat mixture into a loaf. Arrange half the cheese on the meat, and top with the remaining meat, pressing edges to seal together. Place in slow cooker, top with tomato paste and remaining cheese. Cover, cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.

Carolina BBQ Pork, aka Fly-BBQ Withdrawal Antidote

2 onions, quartered; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp paprika; 2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 1 4-6# boneless pork butt or shoulder roast; 3/4 cup cider vinegar; 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce; 1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; 1 1/2 tsp sugar; 1/2 tsp dry mustard; 1/2 tsp garlic salt; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; hamburger buns

Place the onions in the slow cooker. Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper and rub the mixture over the roast. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Drizzle 1/2 of the vinegar mixture over the roast. Cover and refrigerate the remaining vinegar mixture. Cover; cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Remove the meat and onions and drain. Chop or shred the meat and chop the onions. Serve the meat and onion mixture on buns; use the refrigerated vinegar mixture to drizzle over the sandwiches.

More to come...

 

[TangoWhiskey]

More slow-cooker recipes:

Smoked Sausage Gumbo

1 cup chicken broth; 1 14.5 oz can diced tomato; 1/4 cup flour; 2 tbs olive oil; 3/4 cup Polish sausage, cut into 1/2 pieces; 1 onion, dices; 1 green pepper, diced; 2 ribs celery, chopped; 2 tsp oregano; 2 tsp thyme; 1/8 tsp ground red pepper; 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Combine the chicken broth and tomatoes in the slow cooker. Add the flour (whisk it in slowly to prevent lumps!), sausage, onion, pepper, celery, oregano, thyme and ground red pepper to the cooker and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Smoked Sausage with Cabbage and Apples

1.5# smoked sausage, cut into 2 inch lengths; 3 cooking apples, thickly sliced; 1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded (look for pre-shredded slaw mix in the salad aisle); 1 onion, sliced; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2 cup apple juice or cider

Layer the sausage, apples, cabbage and onion in the crock pot in the order listed. Sprinkle the brown sugar, salt and black pepper over the top. Pour the apple juice over all the other ingredients, do not stir. Cover; cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Chicken Casablanca

1 onion, sliced; 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 3 large carrots, diced; 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced; 1 medium zucchini, sliced 1" thick; 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained; 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp turmeric; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 1/4 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes; 2 tbsp parsley; 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Combine the first eight ingredients in the crock pot. In a small bowl, combine the spices (except for the parsley and cilantro) and sprinkle over the food in the stoneware. Add the chopped tomatoes. Cover, cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Stir in the parsley and cilantro before serving.

Desserts to come...

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Slow-cooker desserts:

Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

1/2 cup flour; 1/2 cup sugar; 3/4 tsp baking powder; 1/3 cup milk; 1 tbs vegetable oil; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 cup peanut butter; 1/2 cup sugar; 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 cup boiling water (microwave, Kent!)

In a bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar and baking powder. Add the milk, veggie oil and vanilla extract; stir until smooth. Mix in the peanut butter. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. In the same bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually stir in the boiling water. Pour the mixture over the batter in the slow cooker, do not stir. Cook, on high for 2-3 hours.

Apple Crumble

6 cups apples, thinly sliced; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 tbsp flour; 1 tsp cinnamon; juice and zest of 1 lemon; 2 cups soft bread crumbs; 1 cup brown sugar

In a large bowl combine the apples, sugar and lemon zest. In a bowl, combine the butter, bread crumbs and brown sugar. In the slow-cooker, layer a third of the bread crumb mixture and then half of the apple mixture. Repeat layers and finish with the last third of the bread crumbs. Cook on high for 4 hours. This one keeps well in the fridge, reheat in the microwave and serve alone or ala mode with drive-thru soft serve. MMMMmmmmmm. Also see Peach Cobbler, below.

Peach Cobbler

2 lbs fresh or canned peaches, sliced; 2/3 cups oats; 2/3 cup flour; 2/3 cup light brown sugar; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 3/4 cup softened butter

Place the peaches in the slow cooker. Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and pour over the peaches. Add the butter and stir. Cover, cook on low for 3 hours.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Cake

1 cup flour; 3/4 cup sugar; 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 2/3 cup milk; 2 tbsp melted butter; 1 tsp vanilla; 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped; 3/4 cups chopped hazelnuts; 1 cup sugar; 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 cups boiling water

In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, butter and vanilla, and pour the mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. Stir in the semi-sweet chocolate. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Pour the chopped nuts over the mixture. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour slowly over the ingredients already in the slow cooker. Cover; cook on high for 2.5 to 3 hours.

 

[Matthew]

Another trick to do, if you can't brown the meat to get rid of excess grease/fat is to cook it anyway. Let it cool overnight in th crock if you can. The next day, spoon off or chip off the hardened fat on the top, then reheat it. 2nd day chili tastes better many times, anyway.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Slow-cooker desserts:

Dangit Troy, now I need ANOTHER crock pot!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Another trick to do, if you can't brown the meat to get rid of excess grease/fat is to cook it anyway. Let it cool overnight in th crock if you can. The next day, spoon off or chip off the hardened fat on the top, then reheat it. 2nd day chili tastes better many times, anyway.

Good call. I'd probably just eat the extra-fatty version the first day anyway, but oh well.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Tonight's dinner, stolen from southernfood.about.com:

6 boneless chicken breast halves, uncooked, without skin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light)
1/4 cup lemon juice (I use more than this gives it great flavor)
1 tbsp curry powder (I use a lot more than this)
enough cooked white rice for the people you're feeding

Preparation:

If you're going to cook this in the oven, put the chicken in a 9" X 13" pan. In another bowl, mix soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 375°. Serve over rice. Some people put cheddar cheese over top (I don't). You can also add broccoli to this.

The "I" here is not me. I put in the extra lemon juice, curry powder, and I'll add the cheddar to the top late in the baking (I am a cheesehead, after all. )

 

[Areeda]

Kent,

I don't have a crock pot, but may I suggest that you prepare these things ahead of time and put the solids in a big ziploc and the liquids in a mason (or old mayonnaise) jar. They will keep in the refrigerator for days.

Now personally I don't think I could live for 6-8 hours with Troy's dishes cooking in a closed cabin with me. The smell would probably have me chewing the upholstery of the seats before they were ready to eat.

Joe

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I don't have a crock pot, but may I suggest that you prepare these things ahead of time and put the solids in a big ziploc and the liquids in a mason (or old mayonnaise) jar. They will keep in the refrigerator for days.

I will certainly do some of that for the more complicated recipes, but I'd rather avoid it as much as possible simply because that means I'll be "wasting" my already extremely limited time off (every other weekend at the most) cooking/chopping/mixing.

Now personally I don't think I could live for 6-8 hours with Troy's dishes cooking in a closed cabin with me. The smell would probably have me chewing the upholstery of the seats before they were ready to eat.

The worst part is right when it starts to get warm - After that, you get used to it and don't really smell it any more. I used to often do beef stew in a crock pot in the truck, and I couldn't smell it any more after the first hour. Then, I'd stop at a truck stop and go in for a bit, and when I got back outside there were always a few other truck drivers kind of sniffing around my truck like "Where's that yummy smell coming from?" and after I'd been out of the truck for a bit, I could smell it again too.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Tonight's dinner, stolen from southernfood.about.com:



The "I" here is not me. I put in the extra lemon juice, curry powder, and I'll add the cheddar to the top late in the baking (I am a cheesehead, after all. )

That sounds a lot like the Chicken Punee (poo-nay) we make; we add fresh steamed broccoli to the chicken / soup mixture. Yum.

 

[tonycondon]

Kent I like to make pork chops and rice in the crock pot.

put one can of cream of mushroom soup for each pork chop in the crock pot. i usually cook on low for about 4-8 hours while im at work or whatever im doing during the day. then when i get home the pork chops are falling off the bone. take out the chops, pour in some minute rice to soak up the cream of mushroom leftovers and the pork grease. cook that on high for 15 or 20 minutes and it will be yummy and ready to eat. very simple!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Kent I like to make pork chops and rice in the crock pot.

put one can of cream of mushroom soup for each pork chop in the crock pot. i usually cook on low for about 4-8 hours while im at work or whatever im doing during the day. then when i get home the pork chops are falling off the bone. take out the chops, pour in some minute rice to soak up the cream of mushroom leftovers and the pork grease. cook that on high for 15 or 20 minutes and it will be yummy and ready to eat. very simple!

Simple's good! And I bet you can use Cream Of Whatever-the-heck's-lying-around in a pinch too.

Sooo... Minute rice takes 15-20 minutes in the crock pot? That's a handy thing to know. Now what I really need to do is figure out if I can make my favorite starchy food in the crock: Triple Garlic Mashed Potatoes. That reminds me, there's a recipe I recently obtained that's got a bunch of chicken and a bunch of garlic in it that would probably work really well in a crock pot. Hmmm...

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Kent I like to make pork chops and rice in the crock pot.

put one can of cream of mushroom soup for each pork chop in the crock pot. i usually cook on low for about 4-8 hours while im at work or whatever im doing during the day. then when i get home the pork chops are falling off the bone. take out the chops, pour in some minute rice to soak up the cream of mushroom leftovers and the pork grease. cook that on high for 15 or 20 minutes and it will be yummy and ready to eat. very simple!

Minute rice? That's just the starch left over after real rice is cooked. Use basmati or jasmine rice. Put it in a bit earlier so it cooks. You nose and taste buds will thank you. Minute rice is the rice equivelent of Bud Lite.

 

[tonycondon]

that reminds me, im out of bud light.

 

[tonycondon]

Simple's good! And I bet you can use Cream Of Whatever-the-heck's-lying-around in a pinch too.

Sooo... Minute rice takes 15-20 minutes in the crock pot? That's a handy thing to know. Now what I really need to do is figure out if I can make my favorite starchy food in the crock: Triple Garlic Mashed Potatoes. That reminds me, there's a recipe I recently obtained that's got a bunch of chicken and a bunch of garlic in it that would probably work really well in a crock pot. Hmmm...

yea i think we used a can of cream of celery last time since we were short a can of mushroom. it tasted fine.

 

[SkyHog]

BBQ Meatballs (ala Nick)

I enjoyed creating this, and I tell you, they're pretty good.

Ingredients:
2 Pounds Hamburger
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup of Milk
3 cups Fresh Breadcrumbs (make 'em yourself, 3 slices of bread)
1 Tablespoon Seasoned Salt
1 Teaspoon Lemon-Pepper
A pinch of Oregano (I think its a pinch, I grabbed a small amount and threw it in)
Even mix of A1 Sauce and BBQ Sauce (sweet is better)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the Hamburger, eggs, milk, breakcrumbs seasoned salt, oregano and lemon pepper together. Roll the hamburger into small meatballs and place on a 9x13 tray. Cook for approximately 30 minutes.

With 5 minutes remaining above, mix the A1 and BBQ Sauce together to make a tangy and sweet bbq concoction.

Remove the pan from the oven and completely coat the meatballs in the Tangy/Sweet BBQ sauce and place back into the oven for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.

Serve however you want to fancy it up. Delicious. I'm kind of enjoying this whole cooking thing.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

The reason I presume they say to brown the meat is to get the excess grease out of it. If you're cooking it all day, it probably wouldn't matter much.

Mine is:
pound of hamburg
pound of bulk pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean's Breakfast)
2 cans red kidney beans (drained)
2 large cans whole tomato
12 oz paste
Garlic
Onion
Celery
salt
PEPPER
Chili powder (2-5 tablespoons)
Crushed red pepper
Cook for 8-12 hours

Okay, I've done it! I modified the above as follows, and I now have about 5 meals' worth of chili from the crock pot with basically zero prep and zero dishes to wash.

Here's what I did:

* 1.3 pound package of Super Trim Beef Stew Cubes (pre-cut beef that Wal-Mart sells)
* 0.8 pound package of pork stew cubes (same type of thing)

For the beans, I used one can each of "Great Value" brand (Wallyworld house brand)
* Black Beans
* Dark Red Kidney Beans
* Chili Beans ("naturally flavored small red beans in chili sauce").

For the tomatoes, I also got 3 cans:
* Del Monte diced with basil, garlic, and oregano
* Great Value "Chili Ready Tomatoes" (with salt, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, dehydrated celery and green pepper, and paprika)
* Hunt's fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic.

And the rest:
* 12oz can of tomato paste.
* 1/2 of a small jar of minced garlic
* 8oz container of pre-chopped onions
* Garlic powder
* Chili powder
* Garlic seasoned salt
* Crushed red pepper
* Cholula hot sauce

So basically, there is no prep except opening the meat packages and cans and dumping 'em in the crock, and dumping in the appropriate amount of seasonings and hot sauce. I let it go for 8 hours on high. Flavor-wise, it turned out great! It was *just* a hair on the "soupy" side, I kinda like my chili thick, but it wasn't too watery. Maybe another can of tomato paste the next time?

And, of course, I used a plastic spoon to stir it up and used a liner in the crock pot, so I have no dishes to wash! Woohoo!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

BTW, speaking of crock pot liners - I have a crock pot that's got a rubber gasket around the lid and the lid actually latches down to the pot, so it's perfect for cooking while driving - However, it seems like any trapped gas under the liner has no way to escape while the hot gases above the food are vented through two small holes in the lid. As a result, the liner tends to get pushed up and I have some liquid getting vented as well.

I tried yesterday to start the cooking process with the lid off to allow some of the gases from under the liner to escape, and opened up the lid every time I stopped to assist with that, but it still ended up venting liquid. Even immediately after I vented the gases below the liner, I could see the bubbles expanding immediately as soon as I sealed the lid again.

Any bright ideas to prevent this?