Crock-Pot Craze: I’m in!

In case you are like me, and have been hiding under a rock and only recently joined the Crock-Pot craze late in the game, this post is for you! I registered for this wondrous kitchen appliance as a wedding gift because “that’s what you do.” I didn’t fully know what I was going to do with it and I certainly wasn’t drooling over it like my Kitchen-Aid, but I bought into the hype that it was a necessity.  Nevermind I have been cooking legitimate adult meals for many, many years now and have never once missed having one.

Alas, little did I know that “legitimate adult meals” were a thing of the past.  Little did I know that I would be seeking out a solution to the dinner problem of having basketball practice scheduled from 6:00 – 7:00, when bedtime is 8:30.  Hmmm….get home from work at 5:00 (hopefully), leave for practice at 5:45, get home at 7:15, eat dinner (insert quandary here), take showers, pick out tomorrow’s clothes, brush teeth, and allow at least 10 minutes for bedtime procrastination.

This is where the Crock-Pot started to creep in.  Maybe I should give it a try?  Maybe Pinterest is on to something?  Maybe it can do other amazing, life-altering things like fold my laundry?

 

Behold the Crock-Pot!

My first attempt was successful and the “recipe” is one I often use now on busy nights:

Chicken Tacos

  • one package of chicken breasts (frozen is just fine, which is even easier!)
  • one jar of mild Pace picante sauce
  • about half a package of McCormick’s taco seasoning (you can adjust with your later attempts to your liking and I don’t add extra salt or pepper to chicken), and….
  • Voila!

 

Perfectly moist and delicious filling for chicken tacos.  Crispy tacos, soft tacos, quesadillas, or even enchiladas if you want.  Just shred the breasts with a fork and stuff those tacos!  Seriously that is it.

I find cooking to be therapeutic and really enjoy it, but there was no denying the ease of this Crock-Pot thing on crazy busy nights.  And this was my answer to avoid giving in to Bill Miller’s or Taco Cabana too often on school nights.  I was (am) hooked.

My next recipe success was just as simple and the result of me skimming over some online recipes and throwing in what I thought sounded good.  This doesn’t even have a real name in my house other than:

“the good beef Bridget makes”

  • One package of lean beef stew meat
  • About 2 tablespoons of flour to coat the meat (in a perfect world I would brown the meat first, but that’s not happening on a Wednesday morning when I am dumping everything in)
  • Salt & pepper as desired
  • One can of Campbell’s Golden Mushroom soup (I’ve used Cream of Mushroom before too, but I avoid as much cream/dairy as possible due to my own allergy)
  • Enough beef stock/broth to almost cover the meat (yes, you can use chicken stock instead)
  • Mix together and set on desired heat setting according to when you are putting it in and when you plan to eat (for me it’s usually on low for at least 6 hours)
  • Last, add fresh sliced mushrooms about an hour before you plan to eat (I add them when I get home from work)

I serve this with egg noodles or rice and it’s a hit with my picky crowd.

So here’s to my beloved Aunt Nancy, who wisely purchased my Crock-Pot for me and informed me at my bridal shower that I most definitely needed this!

 

I would love to hear about your simple Crock-pot recipes, especially those that you adapted to your own liking.  Please share!!

Bridget
Bridget was born and raised in San Antonio and moved back here after college and law school. She is a wife, full-time attorney, wrangler of four kids ages 15, 13, 3 and almost 2. As both a stepmom and mom, her life and house is always full and she loves to share about blended family life. Bridget is also passionate about infertility advocacy after having suffered multiple miscarriages and multiple rounds of IVF. Now with her stepkids, rainbow baby, and surprise baby, her family is complete and she is soaking up every minute of motherhood!

4 COMMENTS

  1. @Amy- thanks for the recipe!! I will definitely give yours a try too.

    @Taylor- yes, “my beef” is very similar to the beef stroganoff, but due to my own diary allergy I avoid the cream cheese (although I do love it!) and adapted this simpler version that the kids love.

    I just arrived home from a very cold work trip to Chicago and am bummed that tonight is the weeknight that I described in my post (work- I’m stopped at office on my way home from airport, basketball practice, etc) and I won’t have one of my Crock-Pot meals to save me tonight!

  2. I am definitely going to try both of your recipes soon! They sound delicious. 🙂 I have also made pulled pork in the crock-pot on several occasions (boneless pork shoulder, 1 can of root beer [I’ve also used Coke Zero], and half a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce [it’s better if you use a sweeter, tangier sauce vs. a more vinegary one]). Set on low for 6 hours & it’s done. It’s excellent too if you use the Hawaiian bread slider or sandwich buns!

    I have also made pot roast on several occasions too, but it’s a bit more labor-intensive than just throwing the ingredients into the crock-pot.

    – 4 pounds chuck roast
    – salt and pepper to taste
    – 1 packet dry onion soup mix
    – 1 cup water
    – 3 carrots, chopped
    – 1 onion, chopped
    – 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
    – 1 stalk celery, chopped

    I like to try and brown the roast before I put it in the crockpot, but that doesn’t always happen and still tastes the same. Set on low for 6-8 hours and it’s done.

    You have now inspired me to look for more yummy crockpot recipes … Thanks Bridget!

  3. Your “good beef” recipe is A LOT like my Crock Pot beef stroganoff! Exact same ingredients except take out the beef broth and add 1 c. onions. Then you stir in 8 oz. of cream cheese about 10 minutes before serving. Sooo good! 🙂 Never even occurred to me to cook taco filler in a crock pot. I’ll have to give that a try! Thanks!

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