My Load of Crock...Pot Recipes

It is no secret that my cooking skills are rudimentary, at best.  However, there is a comfort zone, a cushion of confidence, if you will, for me in the kitchen.  What is it, you ask?

It's the blessed CROCK POT.
: : Angels singing. : :

So imagine my shock and even disgust as @thenextmartha (Jen at The Martha Project) declared loud and proud on Twitter, and later on her blog, that she does not have the Crock Pot love.

Immediately, Twitter was abuzz (aTwitter?) with a huge ruckus of supporters and naysayers yelling their opinions as loudly as 140 characters will allow.

I think I might have shed a tear that night.

Being the sane (???) people we are, @notsuperjustmom, @ksluiter, and I (@middlemommyhood, if you're not yet following me on Twitter) decided to defend our dear appliance's honor in the one way we know how.
It's a blog hop, people.

You are more than welcome to link up on this blog hop and share your recipes, and we'll be doing the same.  You can have one post with several recipes, or you can write several posts and link them individually.  The hop will be ending on Wednesday, January 12, 2011, so you've got a week to dig out those recipes.

For those of you who are still taking @thenextmartha's side, please do us all a favor and try out these simple and yummy recipes before casting judgement on the Crock Pot.  Now, let's get down to business.

By far my favorite recipe, the one I want to make and eat leftovers of constantly, is my Chicken Taco Soup.  It's a thick and hearty soup that I actually like to scoop up with tortilla chips instead of using a spoon, and not just because I have no manners...it's actually delicious that way.  Also?  My husband loves it, and I once saw @notsuperjustmom go back for seconds at my house, so it must be pretty tasty.  Even I can't screw this up, so you know right off the bat that you're going to be a success.

Chicken Taco Soup
1 chopped onion


1 (16 oz) can kidney beans (drained)

1 (15 oz) can black beans (drained)

1 (15 oz) bag of whole kernel frozen corn

2 (29 oz) cans of tomato sauce

1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (undrained)

1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning

1-1.5 lbs whole skinless boneless chicken breasts (can be frozen)

1 package ranch dressing mix (optional, but yummy)

Mix all ingredients well in a crock pot, add chicken breasts, making sure they are completely covered. Set for low heat, and cook all day (if cooking on high, you'll probably need about 6 hours, but keep checking it).  You'll know it's ready when the chicken is starting to fall apart.
Remove chicken from soup and shred into pieces, and return the chicken to the soup.
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips, if desired.
And this is even better the next day as leftovers as the flavors have even more time to mingle.  Mmmmm.
 
Next up, possibly the easiest pot roast recipe EVER.  That's why I call it...
The Easiest Pot Roast Ever
1 Chuck Roast (4-5 lbs...and it's going to shrink by about half while cooking, so keep that in mind when shopping)
 
2 cans Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup
 
1 onion, cut into large chunks
 
2 cans whole white potatoes (or 3 or so potatoes cut into large pieces)
 
1 can carrots (we prefer baby carrots to sliced)
 
Some water
 
Put both cans of soup and the onion into the Crock Pot, and mix in a little bit of water.  Plop the meat in there.  That's the technical term.  (*If you're putting in fresh potatoes, you can put them in now.  Otherwise, you're done adding ingredients for now.*)  You'll need to make sure the roast is just about covered with the liquid, so add water if you need to. 
Put the lid on it, turn it on low, and walk away.  At suppertime (why, yes, I AM Southern, thanks!), drain the cans of potatoes and carrots, and put them into the yummy meat and gravy that's been bubbling away.  Cook about 30 minutes more, just enough time to pop some bread in the oven to sop up all that gravy.
This will be tender and juicy and flavorful.  Promise.  You can't NOT like this.
 
Since I've done two meat dishes, I'm going to give you a recipe for a veggie.  Or a gourd.
In my experience, everybody, including picky kids, will love this.  It's so sweet that it's almost a dessert, but it's packed with vitamins, as well.  Even babies love to nom this, and it's a great food for them once they're mushing up solid food well.
 
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Butternut Squash
1 butternut squash
 
1 cup of apple juice
 
1/4 cup of brown sugar (y'all know you're supposed to pack it down when measuring brown sugar, right?)
 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Or more.  I like more.
 
4-5 tablespoons melted butter
 
Chop off the stem of the squash, cut it into quarters, and take out all the seeds.  Yucky part done.
Pour the apple juice into the bottom of the Crock Pot.  Mix the brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon.  Put two of the butternut squash pieces (the inside facing up) into the Crock Pot, and pour half the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture on it.  Put the other two pieces in, inside part facing up, and pour the rest of the mixture over those pieces.  Put a lid on it, and cook it on low for 6-8 hours...just like most things in this appliance.
The hard part about this one?  Smelling it!  I don't bake, but it smells like I can when I cook this!
 
These are the only recipes I'm posting today, but I'm pretty sure I'll be back later this week with more.
 
Now it's your turn.  What recipes do you have for this glorious kitchen contraption?  Link up!  We have to prove that the doubters are wrong!  Plus, my family needs to eat, so I want your ideas of how best to not let them starve.

Busy Day

This morning started way too early. For some reason, Brynn decided that 5:30 was a great time to start playing. I finally let her nurse at 6:00, thinking it would calm her down, but it actually made her wilder! Julia was awakened by the squeals at 6. If you know me, you know I am not a morning person, so I thought today was going to be horrible. Thankfully, I was wrong. After Brandon went to work, the girls played quietly together for a while...at least, as quiet as is possible for the two of them! I got a nice surprise from Brandon's Aunt Denise; she sent me an e-mail out of the blue that praised me for making the decision to stay at home with my girls, and also to breastfeed and cloth diaper. She said some really supportive and kind things that I don't often hear. People seem to constantly critique parenting choices instead of commending them, and it really made my day to read some encouragement.

Brynn got sleepy and quickly and easily nursed and went down for a nap. As is our usual schedule, Julia does school work while Brynn is taking her morning nap. Today was a very special day in terms of her learning. We did a couple of handwriting activities, and then I opened the first set of Bob books that Cousin Amanda Lear gave us for Julia to use. On the title ("Mat"), I showed her how to sound out each letter and put them together to form a word. It seems that's all I had to do, because she read the whole book! I grabbed the camera off the shelf and told her to do it again! I'm so glad I have that moment documented. I am always proud of my kids, but this was such a special milestone. I love reading so much, and this is the beginning of a lifetime of imagination and adventure for her.

Brynn woke up and we headed to Kroger to get some chicken that was on sale ($1.99 lb, plus $1 off coupon) and some tomato sauce. They were great in the store, and both loved driving the little car on the buggy. I am so glad they're finally at an age where they can both sit and play while I shop! I quickly threw together a Chicken Tortilla Soup in the crock pot while they ate lunch.

Then something amazing happened...they both napped at the same time! That never happens! I have to admit that I took a thirty minute nap myself, and it felt spectacular. I needed it since we'd been up so long.

Brandon called and was going to be late, so we decided just to throw the soup in the fridge for tomorrow and meet for dinner at Ruby Tuesday's so the girls could go to the soft play area for a while and burn off some energy. I should have known better than to have Brandon around in a shopping area; we left with a new camera he insists is for Disney. It's a Canon EOS T1i, and I have no clue how to use it. It will be Christmas and birthday presents for both of us, maybe for a couple of years! So, happy holidays!
Now we're home, and though the day was busy, I'm not sure it yielded anything too interesting. To me, the calm and predictable family life is comforting and perfect.