Crock Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage

Well, here we are! 70's expected this week for temps (yay!), so this will be the last Crock of the Week until the Fall. And since St.Patrick's Day is this Saturday, I am giving you a special crock pot recipe to celebrate the holiday of (some of) my ancestors, Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage! No need to go out for this, you can make it yourself, easily. Now, for some, this dish just isn't appealing no matter how it is prepared, but I made this for the first time last St.Patrick's Day, and I have to say, it turned out pretty well. It was pretty tender, not tough, which corned beef can be. I got the beef at my local meat shop, so check out your local shops, and get yourself a quality piece of beef, it makes all the difference, in my opinion.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

•4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces (I just buy a bag of shredded carrots)
•10 baby red potatoes, quartered
•1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
•4 cups water
•1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet
•6 ounces beer
•1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped
Place carrots, potatoes and onions on the bottom of the crock. Pour in the water, and add the brisket on top of the veggies. Sprinkle the spice packet on top of the meat (mine came pre-seasoned already) and pour the beer over the meat. Cook on high for about 7 hours.

Add cabbage, and cook on high for another hour. ENJOY! Happy St.Patrick's Day!

Now this pic isn't mine, I didn't make this over the weekend like I usually do with the Crock of the Week, because I am saving it to make on St.Patrick's Day!

Italian Chicken

Well folks, we are nearing the end of this weekly feature for the season. Spring is inching in, so I will shelve the Crock of the Week for now, and maybe bring it back in the Fall. Next week will be the last Crock of the Week. But don't cry, because here is another recipe to add to your collection, Italian Chicken. Super easy and tasty! My 2 year-old son gobbled this up like he was never going to get another meal in his life.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

4 to 6 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 envelope dry Zesty Italian Dressing mix

1 8oz brick cream cheese

1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (depending on how much 'sauce' you want

Place chicken breasts in the crockpot (I used frozen, and it worked just fine). Sprinkle the Italian dressing mix over the chicken. In a saucepan, melt the cream cheese on low heat with the cream of chicken soup. Pour mixture over chicken in the crock, and cook on low for at least 4 hours (at least 5 if using frozen chicken), but you can leave it on all day if you need/want to.

When done, you can serve how you want. I shredded the chicken in the crock which made for a good chunky sauce. Serve over pasta or rice. We used rotini pasta this time.

Slow Cooker Corn & Potato Chowder

OK, so no more naughty fudge cake for this week. Back to a good meal! Potato and corn chowder!! This hearty chowder will leave your belly full and your tastebuds happy too. Even my non-corn loving husband ate it. Although I don't think he is having leftovers, but that's his fault, not the chowder's :) And I am plugging an "As Seen on TV" gadget which helps me so much for recipes like this...the Vidalia Chopper. OMG, makes cubing potatoes and dicing veggies for recipes like this a BREEZE!

Slow Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder

-8 ounces (1/2 pound) bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled (I used the packages real bacon bits, I am all for ease in prep)
-2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (approximately 5 medium sized potatoes), NOT peeled, diced in 1/4 inch cubes
-8 cups (about 2 pounds) kernel corn (I used frozen)
-1 medium/large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
-1 cup chopped celery
-6 - 8 garlic cloves, crushed
-1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
-32 ounces (4 cups) chicken stock
-16 ounces (2 cups) half & half or heavy cream
-salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT half & half in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.

Blend about half the soup using an immersion blender or just scoop it into your upright blender then return to slow cooker. (Or if you are like me, and prefer easier ways, I just took a potato masher and mashed up the soup some in the crock pot, I like some potato chunks in my chowder anyway)

Add half & half or heavy cream and continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 15 minutes, until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe from the blog "Mama Loves Food."

Crockpot Hot Fudge Cake

I am giving you a MAGICAL recipe this week. I had intended to do a delcious soup, but our weekend became busier than planned, so I did not have the time I thought I would, which led me to try this recipe I had been saving to try, sorry for another dessert. Soup next week!

WARNING: this cake is EVIL. And it has super powers. Like magic, a whole layer of fudgey sauce appears at the bottom of your crock, with delicious, moist cake on top. The evilness of it is enhanced by the fact that it is made from basic staple pantry ingredients, and can appear to promptly be put into your belly in just 2 hours. My husband said, and I quote, "I have had fancy restaurant hot fudge cakes that aren't as good as this" while he was devouring it last night. Make it, you will love it. But don't blame me if you become addicted.

Crockpot Hot Fudge Cake

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed and divided

1/4 c. plus 3 Tbl. baking cocoa, divided

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

2 Tbl. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3/4 c. hot water

vanilla ice cream!!!




Combine flour, one cup brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk, butter and vanilla. Spread evenly in a 3 1/2-quart crockpot. Mix together remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa; sprinkle evenly over top of batter. Pour in hot water; DO NOT STIR. Cover and cook on high setting for 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted one-inch deep comes out clean. Spoon warm cake into bowls; top with vanilla ice cream. Serves 4-6.



Seriously, DO NOT STIR!!!!!! I know the ingredients and prep for this sound weird, but follow the directions exactly! I used my 4 quart crock, and cook time was about 1hr 50 min.

Recipe found on the blog "Eat Cake for Dinner."

Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes

This week's recipe is very helpful for those times when you want/need to use your oven for 2 different dishes for your dinner, but their cooking temps and times are much different. I hate that. So, instead of putting your scalloped potatoes in the oven, use your crockpot! Prep is minimal with this dish (although you do have to thinly slice some potatoes, but it isn't all that much), and it makes the potatoes so nice and tender. I have thought about adding some diced ham to this one time too, which would create a whole meal, not just a side dish.

Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes

- 1 cup sour cream (I used light)
- 1 can condensed cream of potato soup
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 lb small red potatoes
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese or cheese blend (can double cheese to make cheesier, many of you do live in Wisconsin, after all :) - 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives for topping

Thinly slice the potatoes into rounds, set aside. Mix sour cream, can of soup and worcestershire sauce together in a large bowl. Add the potatoes and stir until they are evenly coated.

Pour half of the potato mixture into your crockpot (I used my 4 quart crock for this recipe). Layer half of your cheese on that, then add the rest of the potatoes, and add the remaining cheese on top for the final layer. Cook on high for about 3 hours, or low for 6-7. If desired, top with the paprika and chives before serving, or just throw it on your plate and salt & pepper it like I do :) Makes 12 servings.

Crock Pot Blueberry Cobbler

I'm giving you a special treat this week...Crock Pot Blueberry Cobbler! I found this recipe on the back of a bag of Schwan's frozen blueberries, of all places. I kept the bag, but never got around to trying it until this weekend. Happy I did! This works best in an oblong crock, not the old tall crocks. Also, the original recipe calls for 16oz of blueberries (which is what the Schwan's bag is), but I could only find 12 oz bags in the store locally (My Schwan's guy isn't scheduled to come until this week for us, haha!). Honestly, that was enough, those 12 ounces were very juicy! I was impressed though, and the nice thing is that you can keep it warm in the crock until you want to eat it. YUM! Then that scoop of ice cream can melt on it nicely! I think I am going to try this recipe again soon with some Door Country cherries I have in my freezer.

Crock Pot Blueberry Cobbler

1 c flour
1 1/4 c sugar, divided
1 t baking powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c water
2 eggs
3 t lemon juice, divided
1 (12 oz) bag whole frozen blueberries
Mix together the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, sour cream, water, eggs, and 1 tsp of the lemon juice. Use a whisk to get it as lump-free as possible. Pour batter into the crock.

Then in a small bowl, pour in the blueberries, remaining 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Stir to coat all the berries with sugar, and pour evenly over the batter in the crock.

Cook on high for 2 to 2.5 hours. Don't overcook, or the batter will be chewy! You want cakey, not chewy! Throw on a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Crock Pot Chili

Hi all! I apologize for the late posting of the Crock of the Week this week, I enjoyed a few days off with my family for my birthday! This week, I am giving you a traditional recipe that you can easily throw together in your crock pot. For years, I used a dutch oven on the stovetop for making chili, but the crock pot is a great way to make it too, since you don't have to pay as much attention to it once you throw it together.

Crock Pot Chili

- 2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
- 1 green or yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 15-oz cans diced tomatoes (I use the chili-ready kind, but plain is fine too)
- 1 15-oz can of tomato sauce
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 2-3 15-oz cans pre-cooked pinto beans, light red kidney beans, or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

In a large skillet, saute onion until soft. Add in the ground beef and brown that up. Drain, and then transfer mixture to the crock pot. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, stir. Mix in diced peppers and spices. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6. Then add your beans (I use 3 cans because my 2 year old son LOVES beans! I use 1 can of each of the beans listed in the ingredients to make the chili pretty, haha!), and cook on high for another hour or low for another 2.

Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream when serrving, and I also enjoy some cornbread with chili. YUM! Freezes well and leftovers taste even better, in my opinion.

This week, I decided to do a photo of my son's chili plate :)