Fall / Winter - perfect crock pot season

[Kathy57]

Hello!

I just browned some pork chops today in a little olive oil in my frying pan, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.  I removed the chops and added 3/4 cup chicken broth, one cup cream of mushroom and one can cream of chicken soup and stirred it up nice.  I sliced half an onion very thinly and laid it on the bottom of the crock pot, covered them with my pork chops and poured the soup over it all.  Cooked it on low for 7 hours.

The place smelled yummy and I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans.  The gravy was tasty and this is why I am never going to lose any weight but I?m gonna die happy. 😃

Kathy

[Bucky]

meirish - I've never cooked any baked beans in a crockery pot.  I just open the can and pour it into a pan and put it on the stove.  I'm sure the slow-cooking way is much tastier.

Kathy57 - mmmm, that sounds sooooo good!  The aroma of slow cooking food is the best (next to baked bread).   

Nothing new here on the crock pot scene at my house.  I did get a new crock pot for Christmas, my old one the crock part has a hairline crack in it.  I don't know what to do with the old one - as far as heating and everything it works fine, the crock is the only thing that needs to be replaced.  I would imagine the cost to replace the crock is about the same as buying a whole new unit.  I'm not sure the thrift store would take just the unit without the crock part??  I guess I'll have to ask.

Bucky

[meirish]

I had my first crockpot for more years than I can remember. I always used it to make a big batch of soup. Especially the vegetable loaded with potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, onions, celery, carrots, peas and beef from a soup bone. Soup bones were a whole lot cheaper those years.

Anyway I would start the soup about 10 PM and let it cook all night. Started it on high for a couple of hours and then down to low. It would smell so good when I woke up during the night and I would go out and give it a stir and taste to check the seasonings. I about wore that crockpot out. Well, the plastic cover got a big crack in it and being an intelligent housewife I patched it up good with duct tape and it lasted many more years. It finally gave up the ghost and I got a new crockpot and it doesn't make good soup. Don't ask me why. I still do it the same but it is like that old crock pot absorbed the seasoning in the crockery just like a grill in a restaurant retains the flavors of years of frying.

I miss the cooking for the family out on the farm. The big batches of chili and spaghetti. I used to make a big roaster of cut up potatoes, carrots with browned pork steak. The pork steak has more fat and is really tasty..and fattening. I would layer all this (onions too) with sliced apples, sauerkraut and some brown sugar. That was so good and was even better the next day. That was back in the day when I could eat a whole lot more and not pack on so many pounds.

Making me hungry and I am supposed to be nothing by mouth in an hour. Time to head for bed. Take care. meirish

[Kathy57]

Irish,

My mouth started watering just reading your last post!  That pork steak recipe sounds amazing.  I was trying to imagine what it tastes like - could almost taste the cooked apples!😂. Anyway I think I put a pound on just reading these recipes! 😂

We are in Houston now and my husband is going through a phase two cancer trial at MD Anderson.  We rented a nice apartment walking distance from the Clinics.  I have been feeding him very well and his appetite is very good.  Since the weather is nice, we have been going for an hour walk when we can.  Jim gets fatigued and does not always go with me.  It has been cold, icy, and snowy in Illinois where we live, but 72 degrees here.  I am LOVING the weather here.

But I am not losing any weight!  Jim has been maintaining which is good.  I am going to have to try harder, but cooking and eating is so much fun.  Let?s plan on losing weight next year.  😉

Kathy

[meirish]

Just wondered if anyone has made any crockpot soups lately. I have noticed that the internet has a lot of soup recipes lately and I have starting to think about making potato soup. Because my hubby was celiac I had to do the gluten free soup so I would cook up a bunch of potatoes and then cut up half of them and take the little mixer and mash somewhat thinly the rest of the potatoes.

I used the mashed potatoes as the "cream" or base of the soup. I would usually add broth to this to continue thinning it out as it heated. Added the saut?ed onions, sometimes grated carrots, celery finely chopped, sometimes ham chunks or home made bacon bits. Also many different seasoning plus dried dill and parsley. I have to confess that I liked my soups simmered in a dutch oven on top of the stove versus the crock pot. Thought my soups had more flavor cooked on top of the stove.

Looking forward to some new crockpot recipes as this weather is conducive to usually that convenience. Take care folks and stay warm. meirish

P.S. Kathy, hope your husbands treatments are going well and  prayers are said for his recovery.

[Bucky]

Kathy - I echo Irish's post hoping your husbands treatments are going well.

Irish - I'm in a crockpot rut - just keep making the same two recipes all the time.    

I've never learned about spices - what each one tastes like, and what it adds to a dish.  I don't like things spicy.  My husband likes onions and will put it on a lot of his food - me, not so much.  It's weird, the only way I will eat an onion is if they are in onion rings that are deep fried or baked in the oven.  I know, strange.  I do put some onion in the crockpot when making roasts, but I don't eat them.

I guess I need to be more adventurous in my food.  (who am I kidding, it won't happen . . . . )

Bucky

[Linda196]

Meirish, I made a potato soup last weekend, loosely based on what you posted, but as you know, soup is its own journey, and takes on whatever we find in the fridge. I did the potato base, with garlic, onions and bacon, in homemade chicken broth, then when it was almost ready to serve, added sour cream, grated cheese, more bacon and some chives...loaded baked potato soup!

I use a lot of onion, garlic, scallion, chives, smoked paprika and thyme, I'd have to say those are my favourites, but I also keep Bay, sage, dill, oregano, turmeric, dried chilis, cumin and cayenne on hand, and they don't get stale! I use sweet spices, too, like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, sometimes even in meat dishes!

I'm sort of split about the slow cooker vs Dutch oven, I guess in the long run it comes down to volume, if I'm making a bigger batch of something, its on the stovetop, smaller is slow cooker. Right now theres a ham bone simmering on the stove, because it wouldn't fit in the slow cooker!

[meirish]

Loved hearing about your soup journey. That is a terrific way of describing it...sort of like Forrest Gump saying "it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. That is the fun and expectation of the journey with soup.

Love all the spices you use. You are more adventurous than I am with the chilis and cayenne. I have been on a low salt diet now and use a lot of "no sodium" spices. My favorite is salt free onion powder. I love it on everything. Many things I add raw onions and garlic cloves or powdered garlic. I also will use the larger dried minced onions. I used to dehydrate loads of home grown onions and they were the best for soups as they added a more mild sweet flavor to soups and meat dishes. I tend to always add a TBSP or so of sugar to soups and tomato sauces as that enhances the flavor also.

Like you I love the thyme, sage, dried dill, chives and parsley plus both regular and smoked paprika. I also will grate up chocolate into my chili and that adds more flavor also. A trick the chili contest cowboys do I have read. So much fun using the spices.

I used to make home made french dressing for my husband ( celiac GF diet)and am going to start making it again for myself with "no salt" added tomato sauce. This time I will have to do it with no sugar and Stevia so that will be another experience.

Food and spices are so much fun. Take care and enjoy that ham bone soup. Yum. meirish