Adam Cooks: Ham and Cheddar Brunch Strata

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
8 oz French bread, torn in small pieces
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups diced ham
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, divided
4 large eggs
1 cup half & half or whole milk
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Cut parchment paper to fit bottom of stoneware and press into place. Spray paper lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Layer in following order: bread, 1 1/2 cups cheese, ham, and all but 2 tbsp green onions.

3. Whisk eggs, half & half, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper in small bowl. Pour evenly over layered ingredients in slow cooker. Cover; cook on low 3 1/2 hours or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Turn off heat. Sprinkle evenly with reserved cheese and green onions. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

4. To serve, run a knife or spatula around the outer edges, lifting bottom slightly. Invert onto plate and peel off paper. Invert again onto serving plate.

Comments:
Adam made this so I can't speak of ease of preparation, but it tasted good. We skipped the inverting it part and just served it out of the slow cooker. Worked fine.

Adam Cooks: Asian Beef with Broccoli

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless chuck steak, about 1 1/2 inches thick, sliced into thin strips
1 10.5 oz can condensed beef consomme, undiluted
1/2 cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 16 oz bag fresh broccoli florets
Hot cooked rice
Sesame seeds (opt)

Directions:
1. Place beef in slow cooker. Pour consomme and oyster sauce over beef. Cover; cook on high 3 hours.

2. Combine cornstarch and 2 tbsp cooking liquid in small bowl. Stir well to combine. Stir into slow cooker. Cover; cook on high 15 minutes longer or until thickened.

3. Pole holes into broccoli bag with fork. Microwave on high 3 minutes. Empty bag into slow cooker. Gently toss beef and broccoli together. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Comments:
Maybe it was because we couldn't find beef consomme so we used beef broth. Or maybe it was because we skipped the oyster sauce. Whatever the reason, this was really boring. Very bland, not interesting texturally or flavorally (is that even a word?) at all. Probably wouldn't make this again - I have a different slow cooker version I much prefer.

Nice 'N' Easy Italian Chicken

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 26oz jar pasta sauce
hot cooked spaghetti

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except pasta in slow cooker. Cover; cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve over spaghetti.

Comments:
Not much out there that's easier to make than this. This is the classic "throw some stuff in the crockpot and forget about it" meal. It turned out really well. I did use a red pepper rather than the green since I think green peppers tend to overpower everything else in the dish. It does make a lot for just two people so I ended up freezing a bunch. We'll see how it tastes when it's thawed.

Mixed Berry Cobbler

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
1 16oz package frozen mixed berries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Stir together berries, sugar, tapioca, and lemon peel in a medium bowl. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add milk and butter; stir until just blended. Drop spoonfuls of dough on top of berry mixture. Cover; cook on low 4 hours. Uncover; let stand about 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Comments:
Pretty simple, pretty tasty. The berries end up being very sweet so you really need the ice cream to cut it a bit. And the crust is really good too. Stays nice a moist but with a little chewy top layer. And you can make this is a ton of iterations with all different kinds of berries. Thumbs up.

Oven-Fried Pork Chops and Parmesan Potato Wedges

From Cooking Light (pork) and Crockpot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes (potatoes)



For the pork

Ingredients:
2 cups panko or other coarse bread crumbs
1 1-oz. packet onion soup mix
1 teaspoon paprika
Pepper
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons flour
6 6-oz. boneless pork chops, trimmed of excess fat
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
Arrange a rack in bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix bread crumbs with soup mix, paprika and pepper in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, combine mustard and 2 Tbsp. water. Spread flour on a plate. Dredge pork chops in flour. Coat both sides of each pork chop with mustard mixture, and then dredge in bread crumbs to coat well. Place chops on prepared baking sheet.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp. melted butter over each chop. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning chops over halfway through cooking time for even browning. Let chops rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For the potatoes

Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter, cut into 1/8-inch pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Layer potatoes, onion, oregano, salt, pepper, and butter in slow cooker. Cover; cook on HIGH 4 hours. Transfer potatoes to serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

Comments:
The pork was good. Even with sub-par meat the breading was pretty good. I even ate all of mine, which is impressive since I don't really like pork all that much. On the other hand, the potatoes were iffy. Potatoes in the crockpot generally end up all mushy and despite the high cooking temp and the deceivingly delicious picture in the cookbook, they ended up, well, kind of mushy. Still ok tasting, but not something I'd make again.

Indian-Style Apricot Chicken

From CrockPot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 8oz package dried apricots
1 pinch saffron threads (optional)
Hot basmati rice

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Brown chicken on all sides. Transfer to prepared slow cooker.

2. Add onion to skillet. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook and stir 15 to 30 seconds longer or until mixture is fragrant. Add tomatoes with juice and broth. Cook 2 or 3 minutes or until mixture is heated through. Pour into clow cooker.

3. Add apricots and saffron, if desired. Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours (HIGH 3 to 4 hours) or until chicken is tender. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with basmati rice.

Comments:
We weren't sold on this one. Adam wasn't a fan of all the tomato action. I didn't like the cinnamon part. We ate it, but probably wouldn't make it again.

Slow-Cooker Barbecue-Beef Sandwiches

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (1-pound) flank steaks
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 (2 1/2-ounce) submarine rolls, halved
Red onion slices (optional)
Dill pickle slices (optional)

Directions:
Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and pepper; rub over both sides of steaks. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, onion, and next 9 ingredients (onion through salt) in an electric slow cooker. Add steaks; turn to coat. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting for 1 hour. Reduce heat setting to low; cook for 7 hours. Remove steaks; reserve sauce. Shred steaks with 2 forks. Return shredded steak to cooker; stir into sauce. Spoon 1/2 cup steak mixture onto bottom half of each roll; top with onion and pickles, if desired. Cover with tops of rolls.

Comments:
Yay for slow cookers and stuff you can just throw in them. This week was rough with multiple colds and the like and even though my bell practice, which dictates "slow cooker Mondays", was cancelled, it was still nice to have this all ready to go when I got home from work. This was a very easy recipe and it was pretty good. I did it as an "unsandwich" while Adam went the "with a bun" route.

Slow Cooker Chicken Continental

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) jars dried beef
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup sour cream
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Lightly grease slow cooker, and line with dried beef. Place 2 to 3 chicken breasts in the slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, soup, and flour; pour 1/2 of mixture over chicken. Layer with the dried beef and chicken breasts, and pour in the remaining sour cream mixture. Top with the remaining dried beef.

Cook in slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 hours.

Comments:
I took the advice of some of the comments on the allrecipes site and used roast beef instead of dried beef. I also used cream of chicken since I don't like mushrooms. I think it turned out ok, but I don't know if I'd make it again. Didn't really wow me.

Barbecued Meatballs

From Slow Cooker Magic in Minutes



Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 1/3 cups ketchup, divided
3 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tbsp dried onion flakes
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine ground beef, 1/3 cup ketchup, bread crumbs, egg, onion flakes, garlic salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Mix lightly but thoroughly; shape into 1-inch meatballs. Place meatballs in two 15 x 10 jelly-roll pans or shallow roasting pans. Bake 18 minutes or until browned. Transfer meatballs to slow cooker.

Mix remaining 1 cup ketchup, sugar, tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce in a medium bowl. Pour over meatballs. Cover and cooke on low for 4 hours.

Comments:
These were really good. For someone who doesn't particularly like barbecue, I loved these and plan to include them in the menu at our Christmas party. Just the right balance of sweet and tangy, and the seasonings inside the meatballs themselves is definitely a plus as well.

Parmesan Chicken

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 cup converted long-grain white rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups milk
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix together onion soup mix, milk, cream of mushroom soup, and rice in a medium bowl.

2. Lay chicken breasts in the bottom of a lightly greased slow cooker. Place one tablespoon margarine on each chicken breast and pour soup mixture over all. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

3. Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours, or on High for 4 to 6 hours.

Comments:
Not sure why this is called "Parmesan chicken" when there's hardly any cheese in it and you can't even taste it. This was not good. Onion overpowered everything. The rice was mushy (went to 8 hours in a 4qt coooker.) Won't make this again.

Steak Burritos

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 beef flank steaks (about 1 pound each)
2 envelopes taco seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon white vinegar
10 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1-1/2 cups chopped seeded plum tomatoes
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions:
Cut steaks in half; rub with taco seasoning. Place in a 3-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Top with onion, chilies and vinegar.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove steaks and cool slightly; shred meat with two forks. Return to slow cooker; heat through.

Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with cheese, tomato and sour cream. Fold ends and sides over filling.

Comments:
These were easy and pretty good. Not sure I'd make them again - the taco seasoning was kind of overpowering and I halved the recipe and didn't even use one whole envelope. I might just stick with an onion soup kind of base instead.

Cranberry-Chipotle Chicken

From Better Homes & Gardens Simple Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
8 oz bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped roma tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 (16oz) can whole cranberry sauce
1 canned chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. In a large skillet cook bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Drain off fat.

2. Transfer bacon mixture to a 3 1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker. Stir in black beans, cannellini beans, tomatoes, rice, chicken broth, 1/2 tsp salt, cumin, cinnamon, and garlic. Add chicken.

3. In a small bowl combine the cranberry sauce, pepper, lime juice, and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour over mixture in cooker.

4. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours (high 3 to 3 1/2.)

Comments:
I don't know about this one. I didn't really like it much. I did sub a habenero for the chipotle and some frozen cranberries for the canned stuff, but that shouldn't have changed the overall taste too much. Not sure what exactly it was, but it wasn't good. Won't make this again.

Onion & Roast Beef Sandwiches

From Better Homes & Gardens Simple Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
1 2.5-3 pound boneless beef round tip roast
1 tbsp cooking oil
4 medium onions, sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup dark beer or beef broth
3 tbsp brown mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 hoagie rolls, split and toasted

Directions:
1. Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut meat to fit into a 4-6 qt slow cooker. In a large skillet, brown meat on all sides in hot oil. Drain off fat. Set aside.

2. In cooker place onions. Add meat; sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. In a medium bowl stir together beef broth, beer, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, and garlic. Pour over mixture in cooker.

3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours (high 4-5.)

4. Remove meat and onions from cooker, reserving juices. Using two forks, pull meat apart into shreds. Skim fat from juices.

5. To serve, place meat and onions on bottoms of rolls. Drizzle with enough of the juices to moisten; replace tops of rolls. Pass remaining juices.

Comments:
I didn't brown the meat and it came out fine. I understand this step adds flavor and removes fat, but who wants to dirty another pan when it's not really necessary? Yay for lazy. I also didn't really follow the directions for serving. I took the meat out and shredded it, but then I put it back in the slow cooker for a few minutes and let it suck up some of the juice. I then served it on the rolls using tongs. It was wonderfully moist. I froze the majority of the leftovers (this makes a lot) so we'll see how they do defrosted.

Carolina Country Style Ribs

From The National Pork Board



Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water, cold
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses, OR 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Directions:
Place ribs in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, set aside. In 4-cup glass measure, stir together vinegar, water, oil, molasses, salt, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper until salt is dissolved. Remove 1/2 cup marinade; set aside. Add remaining marinade to ribs; seal bag and marinate for 4 - 6 hours in the refrigerator. Remove ribs from marinade; discard marinade.

Prepare medium-hot fire; grill ribs over indirect heat for 50 to 60 minutes or until pork is tender and the internal temperature reaches 160º F. Baste ribs twice with reserved sauce mixture during last 15 minutes of grilling.
Serves 6.

Comments:
I made these ribs in the slow cooker rather than marinating and grilling them. They are SPICY!!! And I only used a teensy bit of crushed red pepper. So be careful with these ones. Adam liked them a lot. Figures. :-)

Maple Country Style Ribs

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds country style pork ribs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine ribs, maple syrup, soy sauce, minced onion, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, garlic powder and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours.

Comments:
These were kind of disappointing. There was not a lot of flavor at all. I'm not sure where it all went since I'm positive I added all the ingredients. Not the best ribs we've had, but not terrible. Probably a one-timer though.

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Comments:
Hey, that picture looks different! Did we get new dishes (and a new countertop?) Well, no. This was Monday's dinner and since I was working late and going straight from work to bell choir practice Adam took the crockpot over to his parents' house and had dinner with them. He brought the camera along and snapped a photo for me. I didn't eat this at all, but I'm told it was wonderful.

Beer-Braised Beef

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 cup refrigerated prechopped onion
Cooking spray
1 pound boneless top round steak, trimmed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
1/2 cup light beer
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Place onion in a 3- to 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Place steak over onion in cooker; pour tomatoes and beer over steak. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until steak is very tender.

3. Shred steak with 2 forks in slow cooker; stir in molasses and salt. Let steak stand 10 minutes before serving.

Comments:
First of all, there's no way this makes 4 servings. I even had a one-cup measuring cup out and we got maybe 2 and a half. A small half. Lots and lots of juice though...

But anyway. The flavor on this is wonderful. The molasses must add that certain something to the depth. We had this with some rolls instead of mashed potatoes (as suggested in the recipe) since I've given up potatoes for lent. Gah.

Oriental Beef & Broccoli

From Better Homes & Gardens Simple Slow Cooker Recipes (also seen here.)



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak
6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 3/4-oz envelope beef gravy mix
4 cups broccoli florets
3 cups hot cooked rice

Directions:
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch strips. Set aside. In a 3 1/2-to 4-quart slow cooker place carrots and onions. Add meat, ginger, and garlic. In a small bowl stir together water, soy sauce, and beef gravy mix. Pour over mixture in cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours (or on high 4-5 hours.)

3. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in broccoli. Cover and cook about 15 minutes more or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Serve meat mixture over hot cooked rice.

Comments:
I really like the flavor of this recipe. It reheats well and doesn't get soggy like you might think. Adam still isn't its biggest fan, but he ate it without comment this time.

Ham & Swiss Chicken

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups milk, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
8 slices bread, cubed
12 thin slices deli ham, rolled up
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and 1-1/2 cups milk. Stir in the butter, celery and onion. Stir in bread crumbs.

Place half of the mixture in a greased 3-qt. slow cooker; top with half of the rolled-up ham, cheese and chicken. Combine soup and remaining milk; pour half over the chicken. Repeat layers once.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until a thermometer inserted into bread mixture reads 160°.

Comments:
Yay! Another picture that looks like cat barf! This was relatively easy to assemble, but it ended up so soggy and runny. I'm thinking maybe a half-hour without the lid might have helped, but I didn't have the time to try that out. I also thought perhaps the leftovers would be less puke-like, but, alas, they were just as runny. It's a good concept, I just think the execution is off. Maybe it was my fault. Who knows. In any case, won't make this one again.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

From Slow Cooker Magic in Minutes (also seen here.)



Ingredients:
4 pounds boneless pork loin roast, fat trim
1 14.5oz can beef broth
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup cayenne pepper sauce

Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire suace
2 tbsp cayenne pepper sauce

Directions:
Place roast on bottom of slow cooker. Combine broth, Worcestershire and cayenne pepper sauces. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (low for 10 hours.) Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in large bowl; set aside.

Transfer roast to large cutting board. Discard liquid. Coarsely chop pork. Stir into reserved sauce. Spoon pork mixture onto large rolls.

Comments:
I love these kind of recipes. Throw a chunk of meat in the slow cooker, mix up some sauce, and there's dinner! This was pretty good. The cayenne pepper certainly gives it a kick. I didn't skimp on it either so it was the real deal. I could still handle it so I was impressed. I used brown sugar rather than molasses, but I think they're kind of similar so I don't think I messed too much with the flavor combo. I'd make this again.