Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Sweet & Spicy Meatballs & Rice

2011-09-13T13:54:00.017-04:00

This is something that I make when I go to parties (minus the rice) or just when I want something quick and simple to make for dinner.

These Sweet and Spicy Meatballs are always a hit...

Ingredients:

Jar of Grape Jelly (18 oz)
Jar of Chili Sauce (12 oz)
Frozen Meatballs (about 50-60)...

If you are going to a party, these are the only ingredients you need...but if you are eating this at home, you will need to put something with them...we like to eat rice with our meatballs, but we've also put the meatballs over baked potatoes, french fries, pasta or you can turn them into a meatball sub...There are lots of things you can eat meatballs with...

Tonight, we are eating them with rice...now being someone who likes to keep it simple, I like to use the Steamfresh Whole Grain Brown Rice...Pop this in the microwave per bag instructions and you have ready-to-eat rice in 4 - 4 1/2 minutes. Put on your plate and spoon meatballs on top.

Instructions:

Pour frozen meatballs into the crock pot...

Mix Jelly & Chili Sauce together...

Pour over meatballs...

Mix well...

Put lid on and Cook on LOW for 3 hours...

Enjoy!

Easy Salmon in the Crockpot

2011-07-23T19:25:00.001-04:00

We love fish around here...Salmon and Orange Roughy are big favorites of ours...but eating out isn't always an option because of the expense...so when I can find a simple recipe that can go in the crockpot...I'm all there and I wanted to share it with you...

Here's what you need:

Frozen or Fresh Salmon or Orange Roughy
Old Bay Seasoning
1 1/2 sticks of Butter or Margarine

Slice the butter...

Put it in the bottom of your
Crock Pot just like this...

Place the fish on top of butter...

Place a few more slices of butter
on the fish...

Sprinkle with Old Bay Spice...

Cook on LOW for about 4 hours...Enjoy!

I serve this with baked potatoes and a small salad. I also season it a little more in the last 15 minutes or so of cooking, but that's just me...

Happy Slow Cooking!

Banana Oatmeal

2011-06-15T20:27:00.002-04:00

I love oatmeal...it's filling, you can add cinnamon or berries or just eat it plain...

So today I've decided to post an oatmeal recipe...

Banana Oatmeal

4 cups water
1/2 cup fat-free, sweetened condensed skim milk
2 cups old-fashioned oats, dry
2 medium bananas, thinly sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Place water, milk, oats in crock pot and stir to mix. Cook on LOW for 6 hours. Add the bananas 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Now I know what you're saying...6 hours? It will be lunch time before it's done...grin...Here's the thing...you can get an inexpensive timer and plug your crock pot into it (or you can buy a crock pot with a timer, but I don't like those)...set your timer to go off 6 hours before you are ready to get up and have breakfast waiting for you...

Hugs and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Crock Pot Bread

2010-12-08T18:54:00.000-05:00

Okay, I found this recipe and I just had to post it...I can't wait to try it and if you do, please let me know what you think...I love peanut butter and I love bread...so what could be better then a PJ sandwich in the crock pot...yummmy....

Peanut Butter Crock pot Bread

2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup milk

Preparation:

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in bowl. Cut in peanut butter. Stir in nuts. Add egg and milk and mix with fork only until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn into well greased and floured 2-pound coffee can, loaf pan or insert. Cover with paper towels & lid. With cover slightly ajar, cook on high for 2 hours or until done. Let stand in insert or on a cake rack for 10 minutes. Turn out on rack to completely cool. Store overnight before slicing.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

2010-12-01T18:31:00.000-05:00

Here's a recipe that you can make in the oven or in the crock pot...

Pumpkin Bread

1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 1/2 c. sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg or 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. soda
1 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. dates, cut up

Blend oil and sugars, stir in eggs and pumpkin. Sift dry ingredients and add to above. Stir in nuts and dates. Pour butter into greased and floured 2 pound coffee can. Place can in an upright crock pot (if you do not have an upright...you can put the batter in a well greased loaf pan). Put your 8 paper towels on opening and then place lid on crock pot. cook on HIGH for 3 hours. No peeking until last hour. If you make this in the loaf pan, you may not have to cook as long....

CONVENTIONAL OVEN: In loaf pan, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy!

Honey Wheat Bread

2010-11-29T18:14:00.004-05:00

Bread is something you can make in the crock pot...so I will be posting bread recipes for the next couple of posts...Hope you enjoy!

Honey Wheat Bread

2 c. warm skim milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. molasses
3/4 tsp. salt
1 pkg. active dry yeast
3 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. bran
1/4 c. wheat germ

Preheat crock pot on high setting for 30 minutes. Combine warm (not hot) milk, oil, honey, molasses, salt, yeast and half the flour in a bowl. With electric mixer, beat well for about 2 minutes. Add remaining flour; mix well. Place dough in well-greased baking pan (loaf pan); cover, bake on HIGH for 3 hours.

**don't forget...when making bread in the crock pot, you want to take about 8 paper towels and place them over the crock pot opening and then place the lid on the crock pot...this will keep the condensation from making your bread wet...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy...

Baking Bread in the Crock Pot tips

2010-11-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

I've had a few people ask about making bread in the crock pot, so I thought I would share these tips to help you out...If you remember these tips, you'll have wonderful bread...from the crock pot...

Tips:

Save your coffee cans, canned vegetable cans, use the loaf pan you all ready have, etc. Any 1, 2 or 3 pound coffee or nut can or any metal mold that holds 4, 8 or 12 cups. (copper gelatin molds, baking pans, etc.) can be used...
Grease insert or can with solid vegetable shortening.
Only half fill the insert or can. This allows for rising.
Heat needs to be able to circulate around the insert. If a baking rack isn't available, crumple up enough aluminum foil to raise the can about an inch from the bottom of the crockpot.
If there is not lid, cover the can with a double thickness of paper towels.(about 8 paper towels)
Place lid on crockpot for baking...the lid will hold the paper towels in place.
Generally, baking is done on high heat, but you should follow the recipe instructions.
Only lift lid to check for doneness. (usually in the last hour) Lifting the lid too often will let necessary heat escape.
Use pot holders or folded paper towels to remove can or insert from crock pot.

I hope these tips will help you make wonderful breads and cakes in your crock pot...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy!

Leftover Turkey Soup

2010-11-22T10:35:00.000-05:00

What do you do with the leftover turkey...turn it into turkey soup...this is another recipe I haven't tried, but I came across the recipe and thought I might try it this year...

Leftover Turkey Soup

1 pound ground turkey or chopped cooked turkey
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
3 teaspoons beef bouillon
3 cups boiling water
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 large diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup fresh mushrooms

Add all ingredients except mushrooms to crockpot. Cover; cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Add mushrooms and turn heat to high for 10 to 15 minutes.

Happy Slow Cooking and Enjoy...Hugs...

Hot Holiday Punch

2010-11-20T10:05:00.005-05:00

The holidays are a coming...and coming fast they are...so just like last year, I thought I would post some holiday recipes...

This is one I've not tried, but it the ingredients sounded wonderful together, so I thought I would post the recipe...

Hot Holiday Punch

3 cups apple juice
3 cups orange juice
6 cups cranberry juice cocktail
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
cinnamon sticks

Combine all the ingredients in crock pot, except the cinnamon sticks. Cook on HIGH for about 3 hours...you want the mixture to be boiling...then turn your crock pot down to WARM. Serve this recipe hot in mugs and place a cinnamon stick in each mug.

If your crock pot only has High and Low...then you will want to turn your crock pot and serve your punch warm...you can always plug it back in and put it on LOW to heat it up if it starts getting cold. Crock pots will keep items hot for quite awhile if you keep the lid on...Enjoy...

Happy Slow Cooking...Enjoy! Hugs...

Taco Soup

2010-11-07T10:05:00.002-05:00

Cold weather is a coming, so it's time to get the crock pot out...grin...okay, so keeping the crock pot out all year round is the best thing to do... I love making soups in the winter. The house smells so wonderful, the hot soup warms you up...and making soup in the crock pot is soo easy...So here's a favorite around here...

Taco Soup

1 to 1 1/2 lbs burger
1 med onion chopped
2 tbsp. oil
1 can corn-undrained
1 can black beans-undrained
1 can kidney beans-udrained
2 cans chopped tomatoes with chiles
1 can tomato sauce (regular size)
1 envelope taco seasoning
nachos
shredded cheddar cheese

Add chopped onion to hot oil in fry pan. Cook until tender; add ground meat and cook until no longer pink. Drain well and transfer to crockpot. Add corn, black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning; stir well. Cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours. When serving, top soup with broken taco chips and shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!!!
Serves 6 to 8.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy....Hugs...

Cheesy Hash Brown Potato Soup

2010-10-10T11:13:00.002-04:00

I love Potato Soups...There are actually several different recipes that I love and this is one of them. Easy, Delicious and you make it in a crock pot...grin...Enjoy...

Cheesy Hash Brown Potato Soup

1 (32 oz) bag thawed southern-style diced hash brown potatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1 (32 oz) carton chicken broth

1 cup water

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese blend

1/4 cup real bacon pieces

Mix first 5 ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Just before serving, mix flour into milk and stir into crock pot mixture. Increase heat to HIGH, cover and cook 20 to 30 minutes. You want mixture to thicken. Stir in cheese until melted. Spoon into bowls, salt & pepper (to taste) and garnish with bacon and green onions.

Enjoy! Happy Slow Cooking!

Chicken Portobello

2010-09-22T19:20:00.005-04:00

Chicken is one of the best things to make in a crock pot...okay, who am I kidding...EVERYTHING is the best thing to make in a crock pot...grin...but I have a chicken recipe to share, so right now chicken is the best thing...grin...

Chicken Portobello

Ingredients:

4 frozen bone-in chicken breast halves
8 portobello mushroom caps
1 (8 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta

Directions:

Spray crock pot with cooking spray and place chicken breast in crock pot. Place mushroom caps, face up, on chicken. Pour dressing over chicken and mushroom caps. Cover and Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours.

Cook pasta per package direction. Put cooked pasta on plates and top with chicken breast and mushrooms. Spoon sauce from crock pot over chicken/mushroom/pasta and serve...

Enjoy...and Happy Slow Cooking!

Barbecue Sweet Ribs

2010-09-18T15:11:00.004-04:00

Today I was talking with some friends and we got onto the subject of crockpots...I know...those of you who know me are shocked by this, but...it happened...grin...

Anyway, with everything that has been going on this year, I've let Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen fall by the side of the road...so I thought I would post a recipe and see if I can get back into posting some recipes again...

So today I have Barbecue Sweet Ribs...yummy....

Ingredients:

2 pounds baby back ribs, pork
1 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce (avoid mesquite flavored)
1 (8 oz) jar cherry jam/preserves
1 TBL Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Trim fat from ribs. Sprinkle pepper over ribs, then cut into 2-rib sections. Put in crock pot sprayed with cooking spray. Mix rest of ingredients in bowl, then pour over ribs.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. You can drizzle any sauce that is left in the crock pot over the ribs once they are plated.

Enjoy...and Happy Slow cooking...

Chocolate Coconut Clusters

2010-05-18T20:03:00.004-04:00

If you have read any of my blogs, posts, etc. etc. you know that I LOVE chocolate!!! Nothing makes a bad day better...grin..

So you know I have to throw in a chocolate recipe whenever I can...and here it is...

Chocolate Coconut Clusters

1 lb candy coating
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 square baking chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut
2 cups roasted peanuts

Combine 1st 3 ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook LOW until melted about 3-4 hours. Make sure you stir about every hour. Turn off the crock pot and mix in last 3 ingredients. Stir until throughly mixed. Drop by teaspoons on cookie sheet that is covered with wax paper. Place in refrigerator until set up.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy...Hugs..

Peach Crisp

2010-05-15T19:40:00.002-04:00

Well...I've had enough time off...I started feeling better with the vitamins, etc. that my new doc put me on and then I got sick with a sinus infection or something and I've been trying to get over that...then it was time to do a little gardening and get outside...

But now it's time for some crock pot meals to keep the kitchen from getting too hot this summer...and what better way to start than with a Peach Crisp...yummy!!!

Peach Crisp

6 peaches, peeled and sliced (must use fresh)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon (split)
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup granola
1/2 cup crushed toffee

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix peaches, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in crock pot. Drizzle with caramel topping.

In a mixing bowl, mix oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, salt and the other 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the melted butter and stir until crumbly. Stir in granola and toffee. Sprinkle this mixture over the peaches. Cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hour.

When done, spoon into bowls and serve with ice cream or cool whip. Serves 6

Enjoy and Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs...

St Patty's Day Dip

2010-03-04T06:20:00.001-05:00

You never can have too many dip recipes...dips are great for so many things...they are simple and tasty...

St Patty's Day Dip

First set of ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) box cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup Swiss cheese
1/2 lb deli corned beef, sliced thin
1 (8 ounce) refrigerated sauerkraut

Put these ingredients into the Crock pot and cook on HIGH for one hour. Don't worry about mixing the ingredients together at this time. You won't be able to do that until some of the ingredients melt.

Next set of ingredients:

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

After the first hour, add the next set of ingredients and mix. Cook for another 30 minutes on HIGH. After mixture has gotten hot, remove from heat and serve with crackers.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

St Patricks Day Recipes

2010-03-02T19:51:00.003-05:00

OMG! I can't believe I have gone one month without posting a recipe on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen! Where has time gone...I guess what they say is true...the older you get the faster time flies...sigh..

I have decided to post some St Patrick's Day Recipes this week and try to get back in the swing of things...I hope you have been enjoying your slow cooker and all the wonderful things you can create in them...

You can't have St Patrick's day without Corned Beef and Cabbage, so I thought I would start with that recipe...

Corned Beef and Cabbage

4 to 5 lbs corned beef, seasoned
1- 1/2 cups water
2 parsnips, chopped up
8 ounces, baby carrots
8 small potatoes
10 small white onions
1 head of cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
dried thyme leaves
mustard or horseradish sauce (optional)

Place all ingredients in crock pot (not cabbage) and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cook on LOW for 8 hours adding the cabbage in the last 2 hours of cooking.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

Crock Pot Caramel & Nut filled Apples

2010-02-03T06:27:00.000-05:00

This is a great recipe...simple and tasty! And healthier choice to eating chips and dips during the big game.

Caramel & Nut Filled Apples

4 Tablespoon chopped nuts, your choice
4 large tart apples (thanks Rosemary for the tips on apples)
1/2 cup apple juice
8 Tablespoons brown sugar
12 hot cinnamon candies (Red Hots)
4 Tablespoons butter (cut the stick of butter into 4 - 1 Tablespoon slices)
8 Caramel Candies
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

You will want to core the apples and remove about a 1/2-inch strip of apple peel of the top of each apple. Fill each apple with 2 Tablespoon brown sugar that is mixed with 1 Tablespoon of nuts, 2 cinnamon candies, 1 Tablespoon butter, and 2 caramel candies. (I mix the ingredients for each apple in a small bowl, so that everything is mix together before putting them inside the apples.) Pour Apple juice into the crock pot. Place the apples inside the crock pot. Sprinkle each apple with cinnamon. Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours. You want the apples to be tender. Serve hot...

I happen to like caramel, so I will melt some caramel and pour it over each apple after they have cooked. And you can serve this with whipped cream or ice cream also.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Tailgating and slow cooking

2010-02-01T05:21:00.000-05:00

Even as big a fan of slow cooking as I am, I have to say that I was amazed to know that they have made a crock pot that you can plug into your lighter plug in your car! How amazing is that? Now you can crock pot while you tailgate...I love it...I might just crock pot while I Christmas shop this year or on my next road trip..

The RaodPro is only 1.5 quarts, so no full meat and potatoes kind of meals, but you can make soups, chili, barbecued beans or meatballs for meatball subs....how great is this?

So just for the RoadPro, (and the Super Bowl), I thought I would post some recipes that would work for a tailgating partying...

First, frozen meatballs and your favorite barbecue sauce in the crock pot on LOW for 4 hours, then you can dip the meatballs out and put them on sub buns and put some mozzarella cheese on them...quick and easy...

Second, Baked Beans

2 1/2 cups Dried Great Northern Beans
4 cups Water
1 (15 oz) can Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Small onion, chopped small
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt to taste

The night before - Rinse and drain the dry beans. Put rinsed beans in crock pot and pour the 4 cups of water over beans. Cook on LOW over night (at least 8 hours).

The next morning - stir in all other ingredients, cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

If you are doing the tailgating...cook beans the night before and then you can mix everything in the morning and start cooking 6 hours before the game by plugging that RoadPro into your truck...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

Cheesy Salsa Dip

2010-01-28T08:49:00.000-05:00

Dips are one of the easiest things to make in a crock pot and one of the easiest things to have at any party. This is one of our favorite dips.

Cheesy Salsa Dip

1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 cup Velveeta cheese cut into chunks
1/2 cup salsa

Mix all ingredients in crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Mix completely. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 4 hours or HIGH for 1 to 2 hours. Stir half way through cooking time to help cheese melt evenly. Dip is done when cheese is melted completely. Serve with tortillas, nachos, or corn chips.

Are Ya Ready for Some Football?

2010-01-26T20:10:00.002-05:00

No, I haven't forgot about Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen, I have just really been concentrating on my MS and have gotten lost in my MC's world...but she must be tired of me, cuz' she's off doing her own thing tonight and not talking to me, so that gives me a little time to work on some crock pot recipes...

The Pro-bowl and the Super Bowl are just around the corner, so I thought I would post some simple crockpot recipes for these great games!

Doggy Wraps

1 lb hot dogs
1 lb bacon (I use maple flavored for added taste)
2 cups brown sugar

You can do this one of two ways:

1. Cut the hot dogs into 4 equal pieces and the bacon in half. Wrap the hot dogs 'chunks' with a piece of the half bacon and stick with a toothpick to keep the bacon around the hot dog. Place your hot dog 'chunks' in the crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours. Make sure bacon is cooked through - it should be brown in color.

or

2. Cut the hot dogs in half and wrap one piece of bacon around each half. Secure with toothpicks, place in crock pot sprayed with cooking spray, sprinkle brown sugar over them and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Either way works, it just depends on how you want to serve them. I usually have big eaters, so those little 'chunks' won't work...grin...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

A Happy, Happy Day!

2010-01-23T12:40:00.003-05:00

I have been rewarded the Happy Reward:

I was nominated by Bish at Random Thoughts, who has a wonderful blog where she shares her childhood memories, wonderful pictures and her talent for writing. When you read her blog you feel like you are right there with her and her memories. She's wonderful and you should really check out her blog if you have not done so all ready...

I'm suppose to list 10 things that make me happy and then spread the happiness by nominating more blogs for this award...

So first thing...my ten Happy Things: (Of course my family and friends all make me happy, but I'm going to list 10 other things that make me happy)

Of course I have to mention My Crock Pots...If it weren't for them, I would be lost in the kitchen
Doing crafts...I love turning a pile of things into something wonderful
Writing...I love leaving my "real" world behind and creating a world that I have control of...that is when my MC allows me to control it...grin...
Chocolate...I couldn't do a list like this that didn't include chocolate...chocolate is the reason I have survived this long and I will continue to try and get those who are in charge to make chocolate the number one food on the food pyramid. Join me in this cause, won't you? grin..
The four seasons make me happy...Spring and all of it's newness...Summer and the fragrance of flowers, Fall and the colors on the trees and mountains, and Winter with the beauty of snow...Each season brings out a different smile and happiness in me...
Taking a hot shower, in peace and quiet. It makes me happy when I can wash my stresses down the drain
Monk...I love this show and have never watched it without smiling and feeling happy...
My Computer...because it connects me to some of the most wonderful people I have ever met
When I can go grocery shopping, and everything I want/need is on sale and I have coupons for everything!
Playing my new Wii...I'm having a lot of fun doing things that I wouldn't normally do...like jump out of a plane...I would never do that in real life, but I do it all the time on Wii...

Okay, the hard part is picking from all the wonderful blogs I read! I'm picking some new bloggers to spread the Happy....

Weldon over at The Better Boss - I have learned so much from Weldon, and whenever I learn something, I'm happy...
Hettie at Creative Food Recipes - I've used many of Hettie's recipes. They are easy and so tasty! Even if they don't use a crock pot...grin...
Zoey at Fun Activities For Children - The residents at my complex love doing these crafts. They are so easy and so fun!
Kaety over at Your Home Remedies - These are great ideas on using kitchen cures and natural remedies to help you in your daily life...I've used many of these tips myself and they work great.
Christine over at Landlord Tips - She has given me many tips that have worked out great on my complex.
Jazlyn at Easy and Fun Crafts - another great blog that has helped me with great crafts for craft day at my complex.
Elea Joy at Spiritual Devotions - She gives you inspirational thoughts for living each and every day of you life.
Laci at Pinch Your Pennies - has a lot of money savings tips for all areas of your life.
Kayleen over at Youth Group Resources - I got to know Kayleen's blog through my Sis. She has a lot of great ideas to entertain and treat the youth of today.

I hope everyone has a HAPPY, HAPPY Day...

Beef n' Salsa Sandwiches

2010-01-11T10:52:00.000-05:00

Sandwiches are quick and easy, so what better meal for a Super Bowl Party. Here's a favorite around our house...

Beef n' Salsa Sandwiches

1 chuck roast, boneless
1 1/2 cup salsa (chunky salsa is fine to use)
1 envelope taco seasoning

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Place roast in crockpot. Mix salsa and taco seasoning. Pour over roast.

Cover; cook on LOW all day. Once cooked, shred meat with forks while still in crock pot. Use in burritos, tacos or on buns.

If used on buns, you can spoon the salsa mix over the sandwich and serve as an open face sandwich.

Crock pot cooking all the same?

2010-01-09T15:25:00.002-05:00

As many of you know, I take every chance I can to talk about crock pot cooking. I love it and I truly believe that you can make some wonderful things in it...BUT...

Recently, I've had some conversations with people who believe that ALL crock pot cooking tastes the same...WHAT??? I about fainted! But not being the kind that runs from a challenge, I took on the challenge of changing their mind. I have to say by the time it was over, I felt a little sorry for them. I mean I can talk about crock pot cooking for a long time...grin...

Slow cooking is an easier way of making meals for your family and that fact that you can take any recipe and turn it into a crock pot recipe makes it a wonderful little appliance in your kitchen.

Okay, stepping down off my soapbox now...

I just wanted to let you know that I will be posting more recipes, I'm just concentrating on revisions at the moment and getting back into a writing schedule...I'm hoping to have some recipes posted soon for some Valentine Day romantic dinners and desserts...

Happy Slow Cooking!

The History of the Crock Pot

2010-01-04T00:00:00.001-05:00

I thought I would start the new year off with a little history...The History of the Crock Pot...so here's what I found:

The "crock pot" name is actually the trademark of Rival, but crock pot has become the standard name that everyone uses.

The crock pot started out as a "Beanery", which was a small appliance that cooked beans. In 1970 Rival purchased the company that made the beanery and soon after Chefs found that the beanery actually cooked meats better than beans...And Rival reintroduced the 'beanery" as a crock pot.

Now the art of slow cooking goes back to man and fire. Cooking meat and vegetables in a fire pit for 24 hours or more is why I imagine this system never hit big for the average person. Thank goodness Rival came along. I can barely plan my dinner the morning of, I can't imagine having to plan my dinner 24 hours in advance...grin...

So there ya go...The History of the Crock Pot...Recipes will follow soon...

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs...

Don't forget to check out Brenda's Page...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T08:30:00.001-05:00

Well, 2010 is here...hope you were ready. I haven't decided yet if I am or not, but I guess it's too late to worry about it now...grin...

Over the holidays, I was reminded of an old friend, in the form of a MG Novel that I had started writing a couple years ago. I have decided to pull this story out and finish her...I have also decided to start writing on my old blog, Brenda's Page again. I will still be posting recipes on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen, but I need a place to keep me on track with my writing and Brenda's Page did that for me before.

So here is to a New Year that I hope is filled with all your dreams coming true. I hope the new year found you safe, happy, healthy and smiling (or in my case, snoring...I can never stay up that late...grin)...

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs....

Don't forget to check out Brenda's Page...

Merry Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!

From my family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful holiday that is filled with family, friends, laughter, and love!

Stay safe and I hope Santa brings you everything on your wish list!

Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen will re-open after the first of the year.

Happy Slow Cooking and Have a very Merry Merry Christmas! Hugs and more hugs until next year!

Cajun Pecans

2009-12-14T02:39:00.000-05:00

Found another great gift idea...

Cajun Pecans

1 pound pecan halves
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes. Remove lid and turn to LOW and continue to cook for 2 hours, stir occasionally. Spoon nuts into jars and give as gifts...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Party Recipes on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Hot Cran-Apple Punch

2009-12-11T06:35:00.000-05:00

After a day of building snowmen, skiing or caroling, this makes a great little warm-up drink...

Hot Cran-Apple Punch

4 1/2 cups cranberry juice
6 cups apple juice
5 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves

Pour juices into crock pot; stir in brown sugar and salt. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved. Put cinnamon sticks and cloves in cheesecloth and tie cloth shut. Drop into crock pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours; remove cheesecloth and then turn crock pot back to LOW to keep punch warm.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Party Recipes can be found on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Hot Mint Chocolate

2009-12-10T04:27:00.000-05:00

Hot Chocolate is a favorite around here and this is our most favorite recipe...

Hot Mint Chocolate

4 large chocolate covered cream filled mint patties (peppermint patties)
5 cups milk
1/2 cup malted milk powder (Ovaltine)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped cream, optional
Peppermint sticks/candy cane, optional

Combine all but optional items in crock pot. Cover and heat on low for 2 hours. Beat with mixer until frothy...pour into mugs, garnish with whipped cream/peppermint sticks/candy canes

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

More beverage drinks on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Apple Butter using apples

2009-12-09T01:36:00.000-05:00

Just for you, Bish...I don't know why I didn't think about posting a recipe using actual apples...grin...

Apple Butter (using apples)

4 quarts apples, peeled, thin-sliced or chopped (McIntosh/Jonathan)

4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Spray the crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in the crock pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Stir to mix again and then turn crock pot down to LOW and 7 to 8 hours (you might need to cook longer depending on your how hot your crock pot cooks...you want your apple butter to be thick and brown in color. You will want to stir the apple butter throughout the day...just remember, every time you lift the lid, you need to add 15 to 20 minutes to your cook time.

Once you have apple butter, you will want to spoon it (while hot) into pint size jars or jelly jars and let the apple butter sit so they can seal. If they seal, you should be able to keep the apple butter for up to a year...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Gift Ideas from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Caramel and Peanut Butter Sauce

2009-12-08T05:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know what you are saying...How is this a gift? Well, first, it can be a wonderful dipping sauce for apples or use as a sauce over pound cake slices if you need a holiday party recipe. And second, it can be a gift by just putting some in small jelly jars and giving it with a little card that tells the giftee to microwave to warm and then they can use it to dip apples or to pour over pound cake...or pancakes...

Caramel and Peanut Butter Sauce

1 (14 oz) package caramels, unwrapped
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
1/c cup Pecans, chopped into small pieces, optional

Mix all ingredients into a crock pot sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Stir after about the first 30 to 45 minutes to make sure the caramels don't burn and get mixed up. You might want to keep a check on the caramels to make sure they are melting evenly. When the caramels are melted and the sauce is smooth, it is ready.

When melted, spoon into small jars and place a note with the sauce that says to microwave on low for 30 seconds (10 seconds longer if not melted)...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

For more Gift Ideas from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Apple Butter

2009-12-07T03:16:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I said the next few weeks would be holiday party ideas, BUT...it is the holidays, so what better to post than holiday gift ideas...You heard me...let your "Hazel" create some wonderful holiday gifts...

The first is a favorite around my house...Apple Butter...

Crock Pot Apple Butter

7 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot sprayed with cooking spray. Mix well. Cook on LOW for 12 to 14 hours...

I know this seems like a very long cooking time, but it is so easy to mix up, that you can do it before you leave for work and not worry about it until after dinner...Have some jelly jars and fill them to give as gifts...Simple and yummy...what better gift is there?

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs and Enjoy!

Get more Party Recipes or Gift Ideas from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Party Nuts

2009-12-04T05:53:00.002-05:00

Dips are important, but why not surprise your guest with some tasty nuts?

Curried Almonds

2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound blanched almonds

Mix first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Spray crock pot with cooking spray and put almonds in crock pot. Pour mixture over almonds. Stir to coat almonds well. Cover and cook on LOW 2-3 hours. Turn to HIGH and cook uncovered for 1 hour. Serve hot or cold...

Chili Nuts

1/4 cup melted butter
2 (12 oz) cans cocktail peanuts
1 envelope chili seasoning mix

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Put peanuts in the crock pot. Mix butter and seasoning together and then pour over peanuts. Stir to mix well. Cover and cook on LOW 2 hours. Turn to HIGH and remove lid. Cook for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

These can make great gift ideas for the Holidays! Just spoon a cup or two into gift bags and add to a basket...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Check out more Party Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Artichoke Cheese Dip

2009-12-03T04:10:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed that most dips have cheese...Just one more reason to love dips!!!

Artichoke Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

1 lb. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 c. (8 1/2 oz. can) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped onion

Directions:

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours.

Serve with crackers or snack bread slices.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Check out these other Party Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Cheesy Hamburger Dip

2009-12-02T02:45:00.001-05:00

Dips are great to bring to holiday parties. They are simple and taste great. Here's a simple little recipe that will be a hit...

Cheesy Hamburger Dip

1 lb ground beef (you can use 1/2 lb beef and 1/2 sausage if you want a different twist)
1 small to medium onion, chopped well
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (8 ounce) jar salsa (mild, medium or hot...your choice)
1 (14 ounce) can nacho cheese soup (campbells)
2 ounces of Velveeta cheese, chunked (can use more if you want it a little cheesier)
Nacho chips or crackers

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Brown burger and onions in skillet. Drain. Combine burger and all other ingredients in crock pot...Stir to mix well and cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Stir occasionally. Serve with nachos...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Check out these other Party Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Crab Rangoon Dip

2009-12-01T02:10:00.002-05:00

So now it starts...the Holiday Parties! Not only do you have to keep working, get the kids to all their holiday school activities, buy gifts for family and friends, but you also have the parties to go to...Why not make at least one thing easy to do this holiday season...

For the next week or two, I will be posting easy party recipes that you can take to all these parties...and the best part is...Your crock pot will do the work and you will get the credit..

This first recipe is one of my favorite...I love crab rangoon. We get it every time we eat Chinese so when I came across this recipe a couple years back, I couldn't believe my luck.

Crab Rangoon Dip

2 (8 oz each) blocks of cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 (6 oz each) cans lump crabmeat, drained & shredded (I have used imitation crab meat and it worked just fine)
1 (10 oz) can condensed Shrimp Bisque soup (I have only found this in the Campbell's brand)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 scallion, chopped fine

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients except the cream cheese in the crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours. Stirring once each hour. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the cream cheese.

Serve dip with crackers or you can lightly fry won ton wrappers...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Check out Hazel's other crock pot Party Recipes...

My Crock Pot Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-27T18:12:00.009-05:00

To prove that I practice what I preach, I thought I would share a couple pictures of my crock pot Thanksgiving...

It turned out that it was only going to be Hubs and I, so I only had to use 4 of my crock pots...we had gone to my MIL's for dinner on Wednesday and because of my work schedule, I picked up a cheesecake for that dinner, and we had some left over, so I didn't have to use a 5th crock pot to make any dessert...

Green beans, potatoes, roast and a chicken for Koda (We don't buy dog food, we cook for Koda - yes I know he's spoiled- and have found that cooking a whole chicken in the crock pot is the easiest way to make his dinner...grin)...Hubs doesn't care for white meat, so it was no use getting a turkey breast, so we had a roast...it isn't really what you eat, but who you eat it with...grin...

To prove they aren't empty:

Potatoes and Green Beans

Whole Chicken and Roast

And I can't forget the hot rolls....

I love small kitchen appliances...I think the most time consuming thing was peeling the potatoes...and plugging the appliances in...grin...

Happy Black Friday to everyone!

Starting December 1, 2009 I will be posting Party Recipes...dips, spreads, beverages, etc. for all those holiday parties this time of the year brings...

Happy Holidays!

2009-11-21T18:34:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen will be closed until after Thanksgiving. I hope everyone found at least one recipe that they thought was interesting enough to try for their Thanksgiving holiday meal during Hazel's Holiday Recipes month...

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving full of much love, happiness, family and friends.

I just want to say that I'm Thankful for all of you and to let each of you know that you have touched my life one way or another. Your blogs make me smile, laugh out loud, and ponder things that I hadn't thought of before...When I started my first blog, I never thought I would have any readers, much less meet so many wonderful people.

I can't wait to return with more recipes after Thanksgiving...again, Happy Thanksgiving and don't eat too much!!!

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs...

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

2009-11-19T04:05:00.000-05:00

I can't forget breakfast during this time. I mean, you have a house full of people or you need to go to a household that will be full of people, so why not make something simple for breakfast...

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

32 ounces bag frozen hashbrowns
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter

Pour hashbrowns into your crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix the soups together. Slice butter stick into tablespoons and mix in soup. Pour over hashbrowns. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. Stir about every hour to mix up butter as it melts. In the last half hour of cooking at the sour cream and stir to mix. Cook for final half hour. Then serve.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Orange Marmalade Carrots

2009-11-18T20:35:00.003-05:00

I know carrots are a staple in some homes for the holidays, so here's a recipe with carrots...

Orange Marmalade Carrots

3 cups carrots, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

3 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons pecans, chopped
3 tablespoons butter

Put first 3 items in crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. Drain liquid from crock pot. Mix next 3 ingredients with carrots in crock pot. Stir to mix well. Cover and cook on HIGH for another 20-30 minutes.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Crock Pot Buttered Rum Drink

2009-11-17T18:22:00.000-05:00

Another "come in out of the cold" drink...

Crock Pot Buttered Rum Drink

4 cups water
1 cup brown sugar, dark
1/4 cup butter
1 pinch salt
cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
rum
eggnog

Mix water, brown sugar butter, salt, cloves and nutmeg in crock pot. Add cinnamon sticks. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours. Make sure butter is melted and everything is hot.

Pour into mugs, add a couple shots of rum and some eggnog.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Gingerbread Latte

2009-11-16T17:54:00.003-05:00

I love Gingerbread...so when I came across it I just knew I had post it...This would make a great after dinner drink for your guests...

Gingerbread Latte

Ingredients:

1/2 cup black coffee, make it strong
4 cups - 2% milk (must be 2% to prevent curdling)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
cinnamon stick
whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Pour milk into crock pot and use a wire whisk to mix in the dried spices. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours (you want the milk to be really hot, but not boiling).

Make coffee as you normally would and then pour milk over coffee, add some whipped cream to the top and then sprinkle with a some extra nutmeg (optional). Add one cinnamon stick to each mug.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Green Bean Casserole

2009-11-13T08:43:00.001-05:00

I almost forgot about the green beans...We usually have what my Hub calls Brenda Beans, but this recipe sounds pretty good, so I might have try something new this year...Maybe?

Brenda Beans are a quart of green beans, a stick of butter and 1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar. Mix all in the crock pot and cook on LOW for 4 hours (HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Salt and Pepper to taste...I always check about the last half hour of cooking to see if it has enough brown sugar and this is how I test that...I lift the lid on the crock pot and if I smell the brown sugar, then I know I have enough...if not, I add more...I start with the 1/4 cup and go from there...

Now for the Green Bean Casserole

28 oz. pkg. green beans
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
16 oz. container Alfredo cheese sauce
2.5 oz. can french fried onions (divided in half)

Preparation:

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except one half of the french fried onions in crock pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, stirring after 1 hour. Just before serving, heat remaining french fried onions in a small skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir casserole and sprinkle with crisp hot onions.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

For more Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Scalloped Corn

2009-11-12T06:06:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if scalloped corn is on your menu or not at Thanksgiving, and we always have homemade cream corn here, but I found this recipe and thought I would post it. I will be posting Turkey recipes soon, but I wanted to make sure I didn't miss any other food that might be eaten on Thanksgiving....If you usually eat something that I haven't posted a recipe for, let me know and I will find a crock pot recipe for it...or at least try to...Hugs...

Scalloped Corn

2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 eggs (you can use egg substitute if you want)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
14 oz. can cream-style corn
2 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves

Direction:

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Put both types of corn in crockpot, pour mixture over corn and stir to mix. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours until set.

Happy Slow Cooking!! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Turkey Breast with a Maple Cornbread Stuffing

2009-11-11T08:02:00.001-05:00

I found this recipe and just had to post it...I love the sweet taste of maple and this is the recipe I will be making for Thanksgiving...Now Hubs doesn't really like the taste of maple so I will need to make turkey a different way for him, but that's okay...as long as I get my Maple Turkey...yummy!

Turkey Breast with a Maple Cornbread Stuffing

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pan cornbread, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2-3 pound boneless, thawed turkey breast
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Directions:

Melt butter in saucepan, add onion and cook til tender. In large mixing bowl place crumbled cornbread and pour onions/butter over cornbread. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Mix maple syrup, apricot preserves and thyme leaves in bowl. Mix half this mixture with the cornbread mixture, reserving rest of maple mixture. Spray crock pot with cooking spray and place cornbread mixture in crock pot. Sprinkle turkey breast with salt & pepper. Place turkey breast on cornbread mixture. Pour reserved maple mixture over turkey. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. Making sure meat thermometer reads 165' when put in thickest part of breast.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Cranberry Stuffing with Turkey Breast

2009-11-10T06:28:00.000-05:00

I've not found any recipes yet that lets you cook the stuffing inside the turkey, so if that is the way you like your stuffing, sorry...if I come across a recipe with stuffing inside the turkey, I will post it, but for now all these recipes are for the stuffing to NOT be cooked inside the turkey...

Cranberry Stuffing with Turkey Breast

4 cups oatmeal bread, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half
2 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
4-5 lb. boneless, thawed turkey
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preparation:

Place cubes on a jelly roll pan and bake in oven for 1 hour at 250'. Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Once bread cubes have cooled, pour into crock and mix with next 5 ingredients.

Combine next three ingredients and mix well. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture, and mix to coat.

Salt and Pepper turkey breast. Put half the stuffing in crock pot. Set turkey breast on stuffing and then place rest of stuffing around the turkey. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours. Make sure the meat thermometer reads 180' when placed in the thickest part of the breast.

Remove turkey and put on platter. Cover with foil and let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Sausage and Apple Crock Pot Stuffing

2009-11-09T04:40:00.001-05:00

I don't usually like crock pot recipes where I have to do something other than just toss everything in and turn it on...and then of course EAT! But sometimes recipes call for browning meats before putting them into the crock pot, so as long as that is all I have to do, then I'm okay...this recipe is one of those browning meat recipes...

Sausage and Apple Crock Pot Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup diced celery
1 1/2 cup chopped granny smith apples
12 cups dried bread cubes
1 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound ground pork sausage -- browned and drained
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup butter -- melted

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cover; cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, stirring once at 3 hours. If you notice about 1/2 hour to 435 minutes before serving that it still seems too moist, take the lid off to finish cooking and allow the liquid to cook down.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2009-11-06T03:22:00.001-05:00

Yummm...we love mashed potatoes and to be able to make them in a crock pot...I'm in Heaven! I have made this recipe a few times and they are quite good...

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

2 lbs baking potatoes, cubed (You can use red potatoes if you want. You can also leave the peeling on if you want)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, crushed (can use 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 cup milk

Directions

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Put everything but the milk (do NOT put milk in crock pot to cook) into the crock pot and stir to mix flavors. Cover and Cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Add milk and mash potatoes with electric mixer or by hand. Salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

TIP: The best part about this recipe is, if you want to make regular mashed potatoes, just peel and chop your potatoes and add the 1/4 cup water, just like you would if you were making them on the stove only with less water, let the crock pot cook them for you and then make as you normally would when you get home. I do this when I come home for lunch, so that when I get home from work, they are ready for me to mash and add whatever ingredients I want...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Sweet Potato and Pecan Casserole

2009-11-05T03:56:00.001-05:00

Sweet Potato and Pecan Casserole

1 can (40 ounces) sweet potatoes, drained and chop potatoes into bite size pieces
1/2 cup apple juice
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix potatoes, apple juice, 1/3 cup butter, salt, cinnamon and pepper in large bowl. Beat eggs in separate bowl and stir to mix with above ingredients. Pour mixture into crock pot.

Combine Pecans, brown sugar, flour and remaining butter in small bowl. Spread mixture over sweet potatoes.

Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Serves 6 to 8 servings.

Tip: If you want to use fresh sweet potatoes, I would cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs....

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Sweet Pototoes with Marshmallows

2009-11-04T04:12:00.001-05:00

I know some people like to have marshmallows on their sweet potatoes, so here's a recipe just for you...grin...

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 pounds Sweet potatoes -- peel, chopped to bite size pieces
1/3 cup Brown sugar -- packed
1/4 cup Butter -- melted
1/4 cup Broken pecans -- toasted
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup Coconut -- flaked (optional)
1/4 teaspoon Coconut extract (optional)
1 bag small marshmallows

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine first five ingredients (and coconut flakes if desired). Cover; cook on LOW for 6 to 8 or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in vanilla extract (and coconut extract if desired). Heat oven to 350'. Remove crock from cooker and sprinkle marshmallows on top of sweet potatoes. Bake for about 15 minutes or til marshmallows are browned to your liking.

If you wish to pour your sweet potatoes into a casserole dish and then put marshmallows on them and bake them that is fine.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Glazed Sweet Potatoes

2009-11-03T03:38:00.001-05:00

Okay, I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of sweet potatoes either...must be something about the color orange...don't like pumpkin, sweet potatoes and will only eat carrots if they are raw...grin...So I have not tested this recipe either...sorry...

Today is Sweet Potatoes day...

Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

5 medium (2 - 2 1/2 pounds) sweet potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Slice sweet potatoes into thick slices (1/4 to 1/2 thick) and put in crock pot. Mix next five ingredients together in a bowl. Mix well and pour over sweet potatoes. Stir to coat sweet potatoes.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours. You will want to stir these a few times during cooking. Start about every hour after hour 4. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce

2009-11-02T03:09:00.002-05:00

This week I will be concentrating on other areas of your Holiday meals...today is Cranberries...

Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce

1 1/2 cup apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
16 ounces whole berry cranberry sauce

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours. Serves 8

Orange Cranberry Relish

2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 cup orange juice
1 (16 oz.) pkg. fresh or frozen cranberries

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine first 3 ingredients; stir well. Mix in cranberries. Cover; cook on LOW for 6 hrs. Using a potato masher, mash cranberries. Chill till served. Makes 4 cups...

This could also make a nice little gift...spoon into cleaned and sterilized jelly jars and seal. Keep in refrigerator.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

For more Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Crock Pot Cheesecakes

2009-10-31T06:33:00.002-04:00

I love cheesecake and I can't believe I forgot about it when I was posting the holiday crock pot recipes...so "Thank you, Bish" for reminding me that cheesecake is a Thanksgiving must...grin...I have a Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe and a Regular Cheesecake Recipe...

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar

Cheesecake Ingredients:

12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup pumpkin puree

Crust Directions:

Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Press the crust over the bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 6-inch springform pan that is at least 3 inches deep. (You can use a 6-cup souffle pan or casserole dish that will fit inside the crock pot)

Cheesecake Directions:

Combine the cream cheese with the flour, the 2/3 cup of sugar, salt, and spices in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Scrape the side of the bowl and add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium speed until blended. Add sour cream and pumpkin puree. Beat until smooth. Pour batter into the springform pan/souffle pan/casserole dish.

Place pan inside crock pot and put enough water around the springform pan/souffle pan/casserole dish (about 1 inch up the sides). Cover pan with three layers of paper towels. Put lid on crock pot and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours. Do NOT open the lid.

Turn off the heat and let stand until the slow cooker has cooled, about 1 hour. Then remove lid and paper towels. The edges should be set and center be slightly jiggly.

Transfer the cheesecake to a rack to finish cooling to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours.

Cheesecake in the Crock Pot

Ingredients:

***Crust***
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup fine chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter

***Filling***
2 packages (8 oz size) cream cheese room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flour

Directions:

Combine crust ingredients and press into a 7 inch springform pan. Beat cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add cream, vanilla and flour with eggs and beat medium speed 3 to 4 minutes. Pour into prepared pan.

Place trivet in the bottom of a 5 to 6 quart crock pot or one large enough to hold trivet. Place springform pan on trivet. Place paper towels over pan. Cover crock pot with lid and cook HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in crock-pot for another hour or until cool enough to remove. Transfer to rack to cool completely. Cover and chill very well - overnight works best. Garnish as desired with pecans or a fruit topping of choice.

**If you don't have a trivet, you can put the springfoam pan inside the crock pot and put water around it as you did in the first recipe.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

More Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Pumpkin Cakes

2009-10-30T02:52:00.002-04:00

Two for one today...if you like the thought of apples and pumpkins together, then I have an Apple Pumpkin Cake recipe and if you don't, then I have a plan Pumpkin Cake recipe...

Apple Pumpkin Cake

1 can (21 oz. size) apple pie filling
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
3/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
1/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Spray crockpot with cooking spray and spoon pie filling into crockpot. Spread evenly over bottom. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl and beat with electric mixer to combine.

Pour this batter over pie filling in crockpot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1-1/2 to 2 hours (LOW 3 1/2 to 4 hours) until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Spoon cake out of crock pot warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 10 to 12 people

Pumpkin Cake Recipe

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cooked pumpkin
1 1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Cream together first 3 ingredients. Add eggs and pumpkin; mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Add nuts and raisins. Stir to mix.

Pour batter into well-greased and floured 2 pound coffee can. Place can in crockpot and put 6-8 paper towels over can. Cover; cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serves 8.

If you want to use this as a gift idea, you can use the smaller cans as in previous recipes. I like to cook my cakes slow and on LOW, but this recipe calls for High...If you want to cook it on LOW, cook for 4 to 6 hours...until toothpick comes out clean.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Enjoy more Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Crock Pot Apple Butter with a Pumpkin Twist

2009-10-29T02:38:00.002-04:00

Here's another great little idea for gifts this year...

Apple Butter with a Pumpkin Twist...

What you need:

8 C applesauce
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
2 C apple cider or apple juice
1 1/2 C honey
2 T ground cinnamon
1/2 T ground cloves

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours (some recipes call for 12 to 14 hours, so depending on your crock pot, you might want to watch this closely after the 10 hours.) Spoon into cleaned and sterilized pint jars or jelly jars, seal. Makes about 5 pints. You can also freeze this.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Enjoy more Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Crock Pot Pumpkin Nut Bread

2009-10-28T02:16:00.003-04:00

This is another little recipe that would make a wonderful gift idea. Use regular soup cans or canned vegetable cans and give each as a gift...Enjoy....

Crock Pot Pumpkin Nut Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

In mixing bowl, combine oil with granulated and brown sugars; blend well. Stir in beaten eggs and pumpkin puree. Sift dry ingredients together; stir into pumpkin mixture then fold in chopped nuts. Pour batter into greased and floured 14/15 ounce cans (figure out a head of time how many will fit side by side in your crock pot and have that many ready) or use metal loaf pan which holds batter and fits in your crockpot. Place cans in crockpot. Cover top of cans with 8 paper towels, to keep the condensation away from bread; place lid on crockpot. Bake on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Do not lift lid until the cake has cooked at least 1 1/2 hours. Remove paper towels and insert knife in middle of cans to see if they are done. Cook longer if necessary. For loaf pan, you will want to check it after 2 hours. You can use bigger cans if you want, you will just want to check on them around 2 hours to see if they need to cook longer.

You can wrap colored Saran wrap around each can and tie with a ribbon to give as a gift (don't forget the recipe card) or you can slide a butter knife around the inside of each can and release the bread from the can and slice before putting in airtight container. Bread will be good for about 1 week.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Enjoy the Holidays with Hazel's Crock Pot Holiday Recipes

Pumpkin Butter

2009-10-27T01:50:00.002-04:00

This recipe was given to me by a friend and again, although I have not tasted it, I have heard many people talk about how wonderful this recipe is, so I thought I would share it...plus it makes a great gift...

Pumpkin Butter

8 cups Pumpkin Puree (can use canned puree)
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (can use 2 teaspoons if you like more cinnamon flavor)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
juice of 4 lemons (can use ReaLemon lemon juice - 6 Tablespoons)

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in your crockpot and cook on HIGH until it becomes thick and smooth (about 2 hours)...depending on how hot your crock pot gets, you might want to check this after an hour.

Pour pumpkin butter into clean and sterilized pint jars or jelly jars and seal. These make great little gifts. They will keep in the refrigerator for about a week and it freezes well.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Enjoy more Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Pumpkin Soup in the Crock Pot

2009-10-26T00:44:00.003-04:00

Starting this week, I am going to be posting Holiday Recipes for your crockpot. I thought I would post them a little early, so if you think they sound good, you can try them before the holidays to make sure they are to your liking. This week, I am planning on concentrating on the Pumpkin. Per Rena's request, I did some searching and found some pumpkin soup/bisque recipes and that is what I will start with today...Hope they are to your liking...Now just as a reminder, I do NOT care for pumpkin anything, so I have not tested these recipes for flavor, etc...if they sound interesting to you, try them first, before trying them for the first time when you have company...you never know, you might want to add more spices, etc...So, Happy Holidays from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Crock Pot Ginger and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable broth if vegetarian)
2 pounds fresh pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
salt and pepper

Directions:

Mix all but the salt and pepper in the crock pot. Cover and Cook on HIGH 4-5 hours. Pour into a blender/food processor and blend until smooth. Salt and Pepper to taste. Spoon into individual bowls and swirl some sour cream in each (optional)

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Enjoy more Holiday Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Crock Pot Holiday Recipes!!!

2009-10-24T18:19:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone!

I know it isn't even November yet and I'm talking holiday recipes, that is because I am planning a crock pot Thanksgiving at my house this year and I want to share ~~some~~ LOTS of recipes with you that just might tempt you into having a Crock Pot Thanksgiving this year at your house!

I will be posting recipes for everything that I can think of for Thanksgiving...if there is something you are curious about knowing if you can make it in the crockpot let me know and I will see what I can find.

Starting Monday, I have recipes for the Pumpkin lovers out there...everything from pumpkin butter to pumpkin bread to pumpkin soup and pumpkin cakes...And some of these recipes will even make nice gifts for the holidays...

The week after that I have planned some recipes for cranberry sauce to sweet potato and pecan casserole to Garlic mashed potatoes...and for you marshmallow loving souls, I even found a recipe for sweet potato casserole with marshmallows...

I will even have a recipe or two for cooking your turkey in the slow cooker...and we can't forget the stuffing...and desserts...You better start stocking up on those crock pots, because this year, you're gonna need them!!!

Enjoy the holidays! Enjoy your family and friends! Enjoy having your very own staff of Hazel's and George Hamiltons making your Thanksgiving Dinner for you!

Starting Monday and running all the way to after Thanksgiving (You might have leftovers that you don't know what to do with...grin)...I will be posting Holiday Recipes...

Don't be late for dinner! See Ya Monday! Hugs...

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

2009-10-23T04:17:00.001-04:00

With the holidays coming up, I thought this might be a good recipe. Now, I have to admit...I don't like pumpkin pie, so I have not had this recipe nor have I ever made this recipe. I came across it and I thought some of you might enjoy it, so here goes:

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin (solid/packed)
12 ounce can evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk baking mix
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoon melted butter
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream or ice cream

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together except whipped cream/ice cream. Mix well and pour into crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW 6-7 hours. Spoon into individual bowls with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

For more dessert recipes from Hazel's Crock pot kitchen, try these:

Chocolate Delight

Pears in Maple Sauce

BBQ Chicken Wings n' Legs

2009-10-22T02:50:00.001-04:00

We love BBQ chicken and this recipe is so easy, that I love making it!

BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 1/2-pound chicken legs and/or wings

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix everything but the chicken together in a large bowl or gallon size Ziploc bag. Place chicken pieces in bowl/bag and mix well to coat all the chicken pieces. Pour everything into the crock pot. Cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours.

**Because I like to have the BBQ marks on my chicken like it would have if done on the grill, I like to do this:

I keep out about 1/3 of the mixture and keep it in the refrigerator until I'm ready for it. I also take Reynold's wrap and pull off a couple long sheets. Going from the short end, I fold in half and then in half again and I continue folding until I have long 'ropes' of foil. I then put the foil in the bottom of the crockpot. You want the foil to look like a trivet, or like the burner from on top of your stove. Spray with cooking spray and place chicken on your 'burner'. This helps any condensation stay away from the chicken so that the sauce stays thicker. About 15 minutes before serving, get the 1/3 of mixture out of the refrigerator and pull chicken out of crock pot. Heat your grill (inside grills work great) or you can finish this off in the broiler. Once you have your chicken on plate brush some mixture on your chicken pieces and put on hot grill. Grill for about 5 minutes. If using the broiler, put chicken on broiler, brush with mixture and then broil and broil for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on how crispy you like your chicken.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

For more chicken recipes, check these out:

Santa Fe Chicken

Chinese Orange Chicken

Pork Roast with Apricot Sauce

2009-10-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

Pork Roast with Apricot Sauce

1 whole pork loin, boneless (2 to 3 lbs)
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
1 cup vegetable broth
2 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Put pork loin in crock pot. Mix next two ingredients in a bowl and pour over pork. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours.

To test your pork to make sure it is cooked all the way through, use a meat thermometer. The temperature should read 160' at the center of the roast.

Once pork is done, remove from crock pot and set aside. Drain fat from the juices in the crockpot and then put those juices in a small saucepan. Mix cornstarch and water together in small bowl; mix til smooth. Bring juices to a boil and slowly add the cornstarch mix. Whisking/stirring constantly until thickened.

Slice pork and drizzle the apricot gravy over the slices.

Happy Slow cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Enjoy these other pork recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen:

Pork Roast Wrap

Pork Oriental

Meatballs for the Gang

2009-10-20T12:55:00.003-04:00

First, I've just wanted say, that I've been sick, and that is why I've missed posting on Hazel. It turns out that I have a mild case of the H1N1 Flu...a mild enough case that has kept me home from work for going on my second week. I'm feeling better, but still weak and I get tired easy which has resulted in a lot of naps...But I wanted to try to get a couple recipes posted...so here goes:

I know that holiday parties, football parties, etc are all part of this time of the year, so I hope this will help you have fun at your parties instead of spending all your time in the kitchen...

Meatballs for the Gang

1 package frozen meatballs, cooked and thawed (about 38 ounces) (you can find plain meatballs that are all ready cooked in your freezer section)
1 3/4 cups Ketchup
1/4 cup A-1 Steak Sauce
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Put thawed meatballs in crock. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Stir about halfway through to make sure all meatballs are covered with sauce.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Check out these other meatball recipes from Hazel's Crock pot kitchen:

Cheesy Meatballs

Jelly Meatballs

Crock Pot Potato Soup

2009-10-09T09:22:00.000-04:00

My mom use to make the best Potato Soup...It was something we loved to eat and almost couldn't wait for the weather to get cooler so she would make it...

Now that I have a home and family of my own, I enjoy making this for them...and of course, the fact that I can do this in my crock pot makes it all the better...

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, sliced thin
2 ribs celery, small chunks
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups half n' half

Bacon bits or cubed ham, optional

Directions:

Combine first set of ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours (HIGH 3 hours).

If using chunks of ham, put that in with the first set of ingredients. If using bacon bits, put that in during the last 30 minutes of cooking or you can sprinkle over individual bowls.

During last 30 minutes of cooking, you will want to mix the flour and half n' half together. Pour into the crockpot and mix well. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Pork n' Pineapple Stew

2009-10-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

Since the weather has gotten cold and I found all these great recipes for stews, etc. I thought I would share...

Pork n' Pineapple Stew

4 boneless pork chops/loins, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 carrots, cubed
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 can (8 ounce size) pineapple chunks drained and juice reserved
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces, optional

Mix first four ingredients in crockpot, cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours. Mix cornstarch and reserved pineapple juice together. Pour into stew and stir. Put pineapple and bell pepper into the crock pot and turn crock pot up to HIGH. Cook for 15 to 30 minutes or until thickened.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Pork Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Taco Soup in the Crockpot

2009-10-05T01:17:00.000-04:00

I had this recipe years ago and forgot about it until I was gathering up some chili, soup and stew recipes to get us through these cooler days and came across it again.

Taco Soup in the Crockpot

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

Directions:

Brown the ground beef, drain then put in crock pot. Pour all other ingredients into the crockpot and stir to mix. Cook on LOW for 6 - 8 hours or HIGH for 3 - 4 hours. Serve with corn chips.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Scalloped Chicken Potatoes

2009-10-01T02:00:00.001-04:00

In case you haven't figured it out by now...I like simple cooking. I don't have the time, nor the talent for anything complicated...so mixing a box of scalloped potatoes and some chicken in the crockpot...uncomplicated and within my range of cooking talent...grin...

Scalloped Chicken Potatoes

1 box of scalloped potatoes
1 pound of chicken fingers, cubed
1 can peas, optional
2 cups water

Mix all ingredients in a sprayed crock pot. Cover and Cook on LOW4 to 6 hours...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Chicken Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Crockpot Pork Stew

2009-09-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

We love vegetable soup, chili and beef stew, but sometimes we just need a little change. Sweet potatoes, pork and vegetables makes this an easy and tasty recipe...

Pork Stew

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn (can use canned corn)
1 package (9 ounces) frozen green beans (can use canned green beans)
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/4 pounds pork stew meat
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup water
1 to 2 Tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Put potatoes & pork in crock pot first. Pour vegetables over meat and potatoes. In mixing bowl, mix all other ingredients and pour over meat and vegetables in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 9 hours.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

Here are more Crockpot Pork Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Crockpot Goulash

2009-09-29T20:20:00.002-04:00

This is a recipe that my mom use to make all the time...not in the crock pot, but the old fashion way...since it is a favorite, and I'm not the 'old fashion' kinda cook, I adjusted the recipe so that it can be made in the crockpot...and still taste like mom's...

Goulash

2 lbs stew meat
1 chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup cold water
2 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water

Put meat and onions in crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Mix next set of ingredients and pour over meat and onions. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

In a small bowl, mix flour and 1/2 cup of water. Pour into crock pot and stir to mix with meat mixture. Cook on HIGH about 10 minutes longer or until thickened. Serve over pasta.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Pears in Maple Sauce

2009-09-24T12:41:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't love the taste of maple syrup? Okay, Hubs doesn't, but this is an easy and tasty recipe for the rest of us out there who loves the taste...

Pears in Maple Sauce

6 pears, peeled, cored from the bottom, leaving stem in place
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup maple syrup (can use maple flavored syrup)
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Sauce:

1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons orange juice (I use fresh squeezed from the orange I got the zest from)

Place pears in crock pot...making sure the stems are all facing upwards. Mix remaining ingredients (not sauce) and pour over pears. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours (may need to cook longer...you want your pears to be tender). Using a large spoon, remove pears from crockpot and place on a platter...make sure stems are still in upright position.

Pour sauce ingredients into crock pot and stir to mix. Cover and cook on HIGH for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Spoon sauce over pears and serve.

*I like to put my pears into individual serving bowls instead of on a platter. This way they are ready to serve...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs....

Here are more Crockpot Dessert Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Chinese Orange Chicken

2009-09-23T11:07:00.011-04:00

This recipe is dedicated to my MIL...BZ...she reads Hazel's Crockpot, and always wants to know why I don't have any pictures of what I'm making. This is because a lot of the recipes I post here are ones that I find in my recipe box that I've had and made over the years. Some, I've never made, but came across and they sounded tasty, so I posted them. So today, I will not only have a delicious recipe for you, but I will have pictures to show you just how easy this recipe is...

And just for you BZ, I will try to this more often...Hugs...

So, Hubs and I love Chinese food, but, like everyone else, we are trying to cut back on expenses. Not wanting to give up our Friday tradition of Chinese food, I started doing a little searching and found this wonderful recipe...

Chinese Orange Chicken

8 boneless skinless, small, chicken thighs
3 Tablespoon flour
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup original bottled barbecue sauce, any brand is fine, just make sure it is the original flavor
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated

rice and vegetables of your choice

Place chicken thighs inside a large ziploc baggie. Pour flour into the bag, seal and shake to coat.

Then pour chicken and flour into the crockpot:

In small bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, pouring over chicken when done...

Stir to coat chicken with mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (HIGH 3 to 4 hours). Serve with rice and steamed vegetables of your choice.

**I know the recipe calls for 8 small chicken thighs, but I couldn't find small ones, so I cooked these 5 medium to large ones and will cut up once on the plate

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

Here are more Crockpot Chicken Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Sauerkraut and Sausage

2009-09-22T12:13:00.000-04:00

Okay, I am NOT a big fan of sauerkraut, but I know some people are, so I found this recipe and thought I would share...I have NOT made this recipe, so if any of you try it, I would love to know how it turned out...

Sauerkraut and Sausage

Ingredients:

1 (20 ounce) can sauerkraut, (If you want to cut down on the salt, you can drain and rinse this)
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 pounds ground pork sausage (you can use kielbasa sausage, beer brats or whatever type of sausage you like)
1 onion, sliced (or chopped if you like) (can replace onion with thinly sliced/chopped apples)

Directions:

Mix sauerkraut and brown sugar to crockpot in bowl.
Place sausage half the sausage in crock pot.
Pour half the sauerkraut mixture over sausage
Place half the onion (apple) over sauerkraut
Repeat
Cover and Cook on HIGH for 2 hours. Then reduce heat to LOW and cook for another 2 hours.

*If you drain the sauerkraut, you will want to add a little water to the crock pot for cooking. Not much, maybe 1/4 cup. After the two hours on HIGH if you see it needs more water add another 1/4 cup.

**This recipe can be doubled

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Pork Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Beef Stew in Bar-b-que

2009-09-21T10:38:00.001-04:00

On a cold winters day, nothing taste better than Beef Stew...it's comfort food...it will warm you up inside and out...BUT...it can get to be same ol', same ol'...so why not change it up a bit...

Beef Stew in Bar-b-que

5 carrots cut into 1" pieces and peeled
6 red potatoes, quartered
1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 lb boneless stew meat
3/4 cup plain old original barbecue sauce, brand of your choice

1 regular can of peas (can use frozen peas if you want)
1 Tablespoon instant coffee, plain not flavored

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Place the onions, carrots and potatoes into crockpot. Put meat on top of the vegeatables. Mix barbecue sauce and instant coffee together in small bowl and pour over meat. Cover and Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours (HIGH 3-4 hours).

About a half hour before serving, pour the peas into the crock pot...stir to mix.

When you add your peas, if you feel your beef stew is a little 'thick' add a little hot water. Your crock pot will make condensation as it cooks your stew, so you it will be adding water as it cooks, but some people like their stews with a little more broth, so you can add the hot water close to the end of cooking.

TIP: You can add whatever vegetables you like to this beef stew...if you like green beans, corn, etc...add them...if they come from a can, add them in the last 30 minutes. If you are adding several canned vegetables, you might want to add them in the last hour to make sure they get heated all the way through.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

Here are more crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's crock pot kitchen...

Hot Apple Tea

2009-09-17T06:57:00.000-04:00

I love when it starts to get a little cooler in the evenings. The leaves will be changing soon, which is my favorite time of the year. So I thought I would throw in this little Hot Apple Tea recipe, just in case your evenings are getting a little bit chilly...

Hot Apple Tea

1/2 gallon apple cider
1/2 gallon strong tea (I usually make my own, only I make it a little stronger than I would normally - but you can buy the tea in the gallon jugs if you want to make this even easier)
1 sliced lemon
1 sliced orange
3 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
1 Tablespoon allspice
Brown sugar (I start with 1/4 cup, stir, taste and add more if I want a sweeter taste)

Put all ingredients in crockpot and stir to mix. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours. I usually taste the tea after about 1 1/2 hours so I know if I need to add more brown sugar...

I dip the tea out and into mugs, but I make sure I pour it through a strainer to keep any 'extras' from ending up in my tea. If I'm having company over, I will pour all the tea through a strainer and into a tea pot...Any left over tea can be stored in the frig and heated in the microwave before serving.

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

Chicken n' Cream

2009-09-16T07:39:00.000-04:00

I have made this recipe several different ways...using breast, chicken strips and even shredding the chicken before serving...I love that, depending on how you make it, you can make this seem like a different meal each time...The recipe I'm sharing is using the chicken strips, but I have 'options' on how to make it a little different at the end...

Chicken n' Cream

2 to 3 pounds of chicken strips
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (10-3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
16 ounces sour cream

Place chicken strips in crock pot. Mix soup mix and mushroom soup together in small bowl and pour over chicken. Stir to coat chicken with soups. Cover. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, pour the sour cream over the mixture and stir to mix. Cover and cook 30 minutes.

Serve over rice or noodles or mashed potatoes

Option #1:

replace chicken strips with 4 to 6 chicken breasts...follow all directions as above...serve with vegetables, etc.

Option #2:

using the chicken breast - before putting the sour cream into the crock pot, take two forks and shred the chicken - pour in the sour cream and cook for 30 minutes. Serve over baked potatoes or use like a gravy and serve over bread.

Option #3:

Cube the chicken strips before cooking. Follow other directions in main recipe, but add a can of corn. Serve over homemade (pop) biscuits..

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Chicken Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Peachy Pork Ribs

2009-09-15T09:10:00.000-04:00

The flavor combination with this recipe might seem a little out there, but it really is quite good mixed together...

Peachy Pork Ribs

4 pounds pork spareribs, boneless
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 (15-ounce) can spiced cling peaches, cubed and with juice

Cut ribs into serving sizes and brown in a broiler. Place in a crock pot. Mix rest of ingredients together and pour over the ribs. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours.

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs and enjoy!

Here are more Crockpot Pork Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Cheesy Meatballs

2009-09-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

I love a recipe that I can use a couple ways...main dish or appetizer...a versatile recipe that can be changed to match my mood and/or the ingredients in my pantry is a recipe that I will keep around for a long time, and this is one of those recipes...

Cheesy Meatballs

3-4 pound bag of frozen meatballs
3 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup (can use celery soup if you wish)
4 ounce can button mushrooms
1 (16 ounce) jar Cheese Whiz (can use velveeta cheese if you prefer)
1 medium onion, chopped small

Put meatballs in crockpot. Pour rest of ingredients into slow cooker and stir to mix. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve as an appetizer or you can spoon over rice or noodles or over a baked potato...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs!

Here are more Crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Scalloped Pineapples

2009-09-12T09:48:00.000-04:00

Let me begin by saying, I tried this recipe because of the name...I was curious enough to say, I wanted to know what that tasted like. And I'm glad I did...This is a nice complimentary side dish to ham or you can serve it as a dessert with vanilla ice cream.

Scalloped Pineapples

2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
1 large can crush pineapple, drained
8 slices of bread, cubed (make sure the crust has been removed)

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, then reduce heat to LOW for 1 more hour. (I have cooked this on LOW for 4 hours and skipped the HIGH to LOW part)...

If eaten as a side dish - spoon some on plate and serve with Ham slices

If eaten as a dessert - Spoon into a bowl and serve with vanilla ice cream over it...

Enjoy, Hugs and Happy Slow Cooking!

Here are more Crockpot Dessert Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Crock Pot Chicken Tetrazzini

2009-09-11T09:15:00.001-04:00

For those of you who watch The Soup, you will know this clip...for others, this woman is on the Maury show and she thought her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend and she thought it was because the friend made him chicken tetrazzini...this is only a very short clip of the show, but I thought I would post it in honor of this recipe...grin...

So here is another easy recipe from the crock pot...

Crock Pot Chicken Tetrazzini

2 - 3 cups diced, cooked chicken (I like to use Tyson's frozen diced, cooked, grilled chicken)
2 cups chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 (4 oz) cans sliced mushrooms, drained
1 can (10 2/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 pound spaghetti
parmesan cheese, grated

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Put all ingredients in crockpot (leaving out the spaghetti and the parmesan cheese)...Mix well.

Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours.

Cook Spaghetti per package directions. Put spaghetti on serving platter, pour mixture from crockpot over spaghetti and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Enjoy and Happy Slow Cooking!

Here are more Crockpot Chicken Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Pork Roast Wrap

2009-09-09T08:31:00.000-04:00

This little recipe is so simple that I couldn't believe it when I first tried it...

Pork Roast Wrap

1/4 cup salsa
3/4 cups salsa
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (2 pound) boneless pork roast
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
3 cups broccoli cole slaw (Mann's broccoli cole slaw is what I use, but it can be hard to find in my area, so hopefully, you will be able to find this brand or another brand in your area)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix the 1/4 cup salsa and cornstarch in a small bowl. Wisk until smooth. Pour into crock pot. Put roast in crock. Pour the 3/4 cup salsa over the roast.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. About a half hour before eating, pull roast out of crock pot and place on a cutting board or serving platter. Cover with foil and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Next you will want trim away any fat on the pork and then take two forks and shred the roast. (Run the forks away from each other until the roast starts to fall apart or shreds).

Put a tortilla on a plate, spoon some shredded pork over the tortilla. Spoon some of the salsa that is still in the crock pot over the pork. Put some broccoli slaw over your pork and sprinkle with some cheese. Roll up tortilla. Serve with salsa.

Enjoy and Happy Slow Cooking...

Here are more Crock Pot Pork Recipes form Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Mexican Beef Roast

2009-09-07T07:42:00.002-04:00

Roasts are one of the easiest things to make in the crock pot and the best part is, you can add almost anything and all kinds of flavors to change it up. A roast ain't a plain ol' roast anymore...

Mexican Beef Roast

4 bell peppers - seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch thick strips (don't just use green bell peppers, use all the colors)
1 red onion - large, peeled and sliced
3 - 4 pound beef roast
1 packet McCormick Grill Mates, southwest marinade mix
1 jar(16-ounce) black bean and corn salsa (I use Ortega)
1 can condensed creamy ranchero tomato soup

Place the sliced bell peppers and onion slices on the bottom of a slow cooker that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Sprinkle the dry marinade mix on all sides of the roast. I have a salt shaker that I pour the packet into and that makes it easier for me to evenly sprinkle the mix. Use all the mix. Put the seasoned roast in crockpot sitting it on top of the peppers/onions.

Mix the salsa and soup in a small bowl and pour over roast.

Cover and cook on LOW all day (at least 8 to 10 hours)

Enjoy and Happy Slow Cooking!

Here are more crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Simple Garden Delights

2009-08-28T03:00:00.000-04:00

If your garden is like mine, it is busting at the seams. So what do you do with all those vegetables? You clean 'em up and put 'em in the crockpot silly...grin...

Here are a couple very simple recipes to help you use your fresh garden vegetables...

Caramelized Onions

6 - 8 large sweet onions (Vidalias, etc)
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
10 oz can chicken or vegetable broth

Peel onions. Remove stems and root ends. Place in crockpot. Mix broth and butter and pour over onions. Cook on LOW 8 to 12 hours.

Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash, rinsed
salt
cinnamon
butter

Place whole squash in slow cooker and Cover. Cook on LOW 8 - 10 hours. Split and remove seeds. Sprinkle each half with salt and cinnamon. Dot with butter and serve.

Corn on the Cob

6-8 ears of corn (still in husk)
1/2 cup water

Remove silk from corn (as much as possible), but leave the husks on. Cut off the ends so that the ears can stand upright in your upright crockpot. Add water. Cover and cook on LOW for 2-3 hours.

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs and Enjoy!

Here are more Crockpot Vegetable Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen...

Orange Honey Chicken

2009-08-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

Are you tired of the same old, same old when it comes to making chicken? Well, let me tell you about a recipe that will give that tired old chicken some new life.

Orange Honey Chicken

1 whole roasting chicken, rinsed and cleaned out
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey

1 lemon

Make sure you remove the liver, neck, etc. from the inside of the chicken and rinsed the inside and the outside. Sit your chicken in your upright crock pot bum end down. Take a fork and pierce the lemon a couple of times on each end. Place the lemon in the neck hole of the chicken. Mix the orange juice and honey and pour it over the chicken. Cover. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. Before serving, remove the lemon from the chicken. Slice and squeeze all over the chicken. Be careful, it will be hot. I use two forks and poke them in each side that is sticking out and then to squeeze, I use a couple of paper towels to hold the lemon.

Option: I like these flavors, so I will mix 3/4 cups of honey and 3/4 cups of orange juice and pour a little inside my chicken before putting it in the crockpot. Turning my chicken over so as to coat the inside. I will also squeeze a little honey between the skin. Then stick the chicken in crockpot and follow the above instructions.

This has always been a family favorite. I hope your family will enjoy it as much as we do...

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs and Enjoy!

Here are more Crockpot Chicken Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Italian Pork Chops

2009-08-26T19:08:00.002-04:00

This has got to be one of the easiest recipes and the best part is you can substitute the pork chops for chicken...both ways are yummy!

Italian Pork Chops

16 ounce bottle Italian salad dressing
4 - 6 pork chops (you can use pork loin if you don't want to worry with bones)

Pour a little salad dressing on the bottom of the crockpot. Place half the chops in slow cooker and pour some dressing over them. Place the rest of the chops in crock and pour the rest of the dressing over them.

Cover. Cook on HIGH 6 - 8 hours.

Options: You can add sliced carrots or baby carrots and let them cook all day with the meat. I pour a little dressing in the bottom of the crock pot, then mix the carrots and the dressing a bowl and then follow the above instructions. I like having my carrots coated with the dressing.

I do find if I am making 6 chops with the carrots, I need about a half a bottle more of the salad dressing, but this will depend on how much flavor you want.

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs and Enjoy!

Here are more Crockpot Pork Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Beef and Mushroom Delight

2009-08-26T18:49:00.004-04:00

Thank goodness! Budgets are finally over...So I can get back to the things I enjoy...crockpotting! grin...

Today's recipe should actually be yesterdays recipe (since Tuesdays are Beef recipe days), so I'm posting this one and I'm posting a pork recipe today also...so I'm caught up and can get back on track...

This is a simple 5 ingredient recipe...hardly no ingredients and fixed in the crock pot...what more can you ask for! ;)

So today's yesterday recipe is:

Beef and Mushroom Delight

2 pounds stew meat (make sure to cut down any big pieces to nice bite sizes)
2 packages (8 ounces each) fresh mushrooms (sliced)
2 cups frozen carrots (sliced or little baby carrots work great)
2 cans (14 ounces each) beef broth (low-sodium will work great)

* optional: 1 box (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice blend OR 1 bag of steam n' fresh white rice

Place all ingredients in crock pot, salt and pepper to taste. Stir ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 t 8 hours...Enjoy!

*this recipe called for the box of long grain rice, but I'm not a big fan of cooking my rice all day in the crock pot...for me it gets a little mushy(my mushy might not be your mushy)...if you like a softer rice, then you might like cooking your rice in the crockpot...if that is the case, add the wild rice blend (seasonings and all) to the crock and stir and cook all day. If you do NOT like mushy rice, then I like using the steam n' fresh white rice. I make it in the microwave per the directions and when I open the bag, I pour it into my slow cooker and stir just before serving....The steam n' fresh rice takes like 4 minutes to make in the microwave, so I still have a very easy meal.

Option: You can add a bag of frozen peas (or a can of peas) to this recipe. Put them in at the start and let them cook all day with your meat.

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs and Enjoy!

Here are more Crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Budget Time

2009-07-28T18:19:00.002-04:00

I dislike this time of the year at work...argh...this is budget time at my property, so I get nothing done but a lot of long hours, a lot of math, phone calls and pencils thrown across the room...grin...this year they have changed the entire format of the budgets, so I feel lost and stumbling around like I've never used a calculator before...grin...so Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen is going to be closed for the rest of the week...I'm hoping I will be finished by that time and will be able to get back into the kitchen...Hugs to you all and send pencils...I'm running out... ;)

To Die For Roast

2009-07-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

I like the different mix of flavors in this recipe, but I do have to plan for this one a little more. We always have coca cola around, so the Coca Cola Roast is something I can throw in the slow cooker any ol' time because I have those items on hand almost always. But I don't tend to keep some of these items on hand (although I should), so I have to plan to make this...

To Die For Roast

1 beef roast

1 envelope brown gravy powdered mix (store brand is fine)

1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch powdered mix

1 envelope Italian dressing powdered mix

1/2 cup water

Pour water in crock. Place roast in crock. Mix the powdered mixes together and sprinkle all of the powder over the roast. Cook on low for 6 - 7 hours. The steam will make the powder wet and it will soak into the roast. I did turn my roast over in the crock for the last hour, but that is just something I've always done.

These different flavors mingle together quite well to make a very tasty roast...

Enjoy and Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Garlic Buttered Red Potatoes

2009-07-17T03:00:00.000-04:00

I love red potatoes. To me they cook better than any of the other types of potatoes and with their skin left on, they add a little color to the table.

Garlic Buttered Red Potatoes

10 - 12 small red poatotes, close in size
2 -3 Tablespoon olive oil
half a stick of butter, melted
2 Tablespoons Garlic salt
Pepper to taste

Wash (do not dry) and cut potatoes in half. Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Pour potatoes into crock pot, pour oil over potatoes and mix to coat. Mix melted butter and garlic salt together and pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with pepper.

Cook on LOW 8 hours (HIGH 4 hours).

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Honey Ginger Chicken

2009-07-16T04:00:00.000-04:00

This recipe is a hit or miss with people. Some people will love it and others won't be fond of it at all...but I wanted to share it just in case you are one of those love it types...

Honey Ginger Chicken

6-8 chicken thighs (can use breast)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Place chicken inside crockpot. Mix all other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW 5-6 hours (HIGH 2 1/2 - 3 hours). If using breast, you will want to add an hour of cooking time...depending on thickness)

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Chicken Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Pork Chops made easy

2009-07-15T04:00:00.000-04:00

This recipe has a mixture of flavors that make these pork chops taste wonderful...

Pork Chops Made Easy

6 boneless pork chops
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Place chops in crock pot. Mix all other ingredients and pour over chops. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours (HIGH 3-4 hours)

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Pork Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Crockpot Beef and Gravy

2009-07-14T02:00:00.000-04:00

The original recipe called for a roast to be used, but I found that I like using stew meat better, but it is your choice...

Crockpot Beef and Gravy

2-3 pound Roast (or stew beef) - thawed or frozen
1 packet Lipton's onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces sour cream

Place meat in crock pot. In a small mixing bowl, mix soup mix with canned soup and pour over meat. Do NOT add water. Let cook on LOW 8 - 10 hours (HIGH 4-5 hours). Stir about half way through...If you are not home while this is cooking, make sure you stir as soon as you can. The last 15 minutes of cooking, you will want to add the sour cream and stir. Cook for last half hour.

Serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Cooking Times?

2009-07-13T02:00:00.002-04:00

How do I know how long to cook my food in the slow cooker?

If you are converting a favorite recipe to a crock pot recipe, you will want to follow these basic guides:

If your recipe says cook:

15 to 30 minutes, you will want to cook in a crockpot LOW 4-6 hours / HIGH 1 1/2-2 hours
35 to 45 minutes - crockpot LOW 6-10 hours / HIGH 3-4 hours
50 minutes to 3 hours - crock pot LOW 8-18 hours / HIGH 4-6 hours

Remember to reduce all liquids by almost 1/2...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy!

Here are more Q and A Days on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

HIGH or LOW

2009-07-11T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today's HIGH or LOW is another cookbook...

Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes 2

I just got this cookbook the other day. There is, of course, a slow cooker 1, but I didn't see that one, but once I find it, I will give my review on that one also.

First, if you have never heard of Sandra Lee, let me say..."She is my hero!"

Sandra Lee always says: "You buy 70% ready-made products, add 30% of your own ingenuity—then take 100% of the credit,"

She has a show on the Food Network and she has recently started her own magazine...not to mention her many, many cookbooks...

Now for the review:

This cookbook has wonderful pictures to go with each recipe. The recipes seem simple (I've only tried two and will be posting those recipes soon)...

There are 8 chapters: One Pot meals, Beans and Chili, 5 ingredient dishes, Poultry, Hearty soups and Stews, Meat, Desserts, and Party food. She even has some bonus recipes...

Flipping through the recipes, I only saw one or two ingredients that I had never heard of, but that doesn't mean anything...I'm not the greatest cook and tend to stick to simple ingredients, but I will be trying these other ingredients and seeing if I should stick with simple or if I should expand my taste buds...

So my rating for this book is HIGH! I can't wait to try more of her recipes and I'm looking forward to finding book one...

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs...

Check out more HIGH or LOWs on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Orange Roughy

2009-07-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

That's right you can even make fish in your crockpot. Now I will say this is one that I keep an eye on. I want to make sure it is done before eating. It doesn't take very long to cook in the crock pot, so I make this on a day when I'm not that busy and can keep an eye on it...also, you will want to use your largest oval shaped crockpot for this recipe

Orange Roughy

4 (4 ounce each) Orange Roughy fillets
3 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

Spray the crock pot with cooking spray. Place fillets inside crock pot in a single layer. Combine lemon juice, garlic & dill weed. Brush over each fish fillet. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW 1 hour or til cooked all the way through. You do NOT want to cook this on HIGH.

Happy Slow Cooking

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

2009-07-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

I like to use chicken strips (fingers) in this recipe, because I like to serve it over rice, but any piece of the chicken that you like will work.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

1 - 1 1/2 pounds chicken pieces (whatever you like)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cups vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Place chicken in crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl and pour over chicken. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours (HIGH 3-4 hours).

Serve over rice or pasta...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Chicken Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Pork Chops

2009-07-08T03:00:00.000-04:00

That title is a mouthful and so is this meal...Simple and delicious...

6-8 pork chops
6-7 medium potatoes, cut into slices about 1/4" thick
2 cans condensed broccoli cheese soup (or if you like a little more cheese taste, 1 can broccoli cheese soup and 1 can condensed cheese soup)
1 small box frozen chopped broccoli

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Spread potatoes on bottom of crockpot. Arrange pork chops over potatoes. Mix soups and pour over top of chops and potatoes. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours (HIGH 3-4 hours).

During the last half hour to 45 minutes of cooking add the chopped broccoli (when you put the broccoli in will be determined on how you like your broccoli cooked).

I like to make cornbread stuffing to go with this meal...Stove Top stuffing...nothing difficult...grin...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Pork Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

No Sloppy Joes

2009-07-07T01:00:00.000-04:00

We love sloppy joes in our house. You can be messy and no one says a thing. To me sloppy joes are like pizza...pick 'em up, take a big bite and let what falls down your chin fall...grin...

This recipe doesn't make a mess while cooking, but it is still good...

No Sloppy Joes

1 pound hamburger
1 (8 oz) block of velveeta cheese
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1 small onion (about 1/4 cup chopped)
Hamburger buns

Fry burger until brown in skillet and drain. Put burger in crockpot and add mustard and ketchup, mixing well. Cut velveeta into cubes and stir into the crock pot mix. Cook on LOW 3-4 hours (HIGH 1 1/2-2 hours). Stirring the last half hour to make sure the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon onto buns...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy and Hugs...

Here are more Crockpot Beef Recipes from Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

How do I use dairy products in the crock pot?

2009-07-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

Dairy products are products you don't want to mess with. As we all know, leaving dairy products out too long can make them spoil, so what about cooking them slow...as in a slow cooker?

My rule of thumb on this is that I never add dairy products to a crockpot recipe until the last 30 minutes of cooking. Why? Because they can spoil.

Most dairy products are going to be used to make the recipe creamy...but it really won't add much to the taste (there are some, such as: cheese, cream cheese, etc. that do add a flavor, but mostly dairy is added to make your recipe look creamy)...

Since, you are really just going for a creamy look, you don't need to 'cook' the dairy product, you just need to 'melt' it. Products like cheese and cream cheese will melt in 30 minutes time, so why take the chance of them spoiling and cooking them any longer than that?

Dairy, such as: milk, sour cream and other creams shouldn't be added until the last 15 minutes of cooking. Again, they are being added for the 'cream' look not really any big taste factor.

Now, products such as creamed soups can be cooked all day in a crock pot and it won't hurt anything.

Even if I come across a recipe that doesn't tell me to leave the dairy products out, I do any way.

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs...

Crock pot Baked Potatoes

2009-07-03T04:00:00.000-04:00

Now I know this might seem like a long way to make a baked potato, but if you don't want to heat up your kitchen with the oven, then this is a way to have baked potatoes. Also, you can only cooked a couple baked potatoes in the microwave at a time...in the crockpot, you can cook up to 8-10 at a time...

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

2 to 10 baked potatoes
aluminum foil

Wash the potatoes, poke the potatoes a couple of times with a fork and then wrap each potato with aluminum foil. Place the potatoes in the slow cooker and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours.

This is very important: DO NOT PUT ANY LIQUID OR ANYTHING ELSE IN THE CROCKPOT WITH THE FOIL COVERED POTATOES.

Happy Slow Cooking....Enjoy and Hugs....