Crockpot Bulgogi

My tastebuds had not fully lived until the day I tried bulgogi. If you haven't yet sampled this amazing Korean beef, or if you're looking for an incredibly easy way to prepare it, head to Denise's Famous Bulgogi (crockpot). I've made bulgogi several times before, but no recipe can compete with the ease of this one...not to mention the incredible taste.

My entire family gives it a 10!

Crockpot Chicken and Chicken Corn Soup

Want slow cooked fast food? Nothing like two crockpot recipes in one week! Here are two family favorites from Fix-It and Forget-It. I make the chicken in the crockpot one day and follow up with the soup a couple days later. Both are wonderful comfort foods. The soup is different from any other soup I make...really a unique recipe.

Frances' Roast Chicken
-modified from Fix-It and Forget-It

3-4 lb. whole chicken
half an onion
1 rib celery
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. poultry seasoning
1/4 t. dried basil

Put half onion and celery rib in chicken cavity with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning. Put chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with basil. Okay to add a little water (to stretch broth), but not necessary.

Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hrs or High 4-6 hours. I basically cook it until the chicken starts to fall apart. After cooking, strain and save broth...it's amazing!



Chicken Corn Soup
-modified from Fix-It and Forget-It

2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
--or--
a couple cups of chopped, cooked chicken from above recipe.

1 onion, chopped (I used less)
1 garlic clove, minced (opt)
2 carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 med potatoes, cubed
1 t. mixed dried herbs (I skip if using above broth...it's flavorful enough)
1/3 c. tomato sauce
12 oz can cream-style corn
14 oz can whole kernel corn (I sub the two cans of corn with several cups of frozen corn)
3 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley (opt)
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Combine all ingredients except parsley, salt, pepper in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 8-9 hours or until chicken is cooked/tender and veggies are cooked. (I sometimes do it on High for about 4 hours, but the chicken is already cooked.) Add parsley and seasonings 30 minutes before serving.

Day 43, Crockpot Beef Stew (93...Free!)

I usually make beef stew following the recipe that came with my crockpot. It's good, but with some modifications I tried yesterday, it was the best beef stew I've ever made. I was particularly happy with it because pretty much everything came from the garden...always a plus! ;) Here's what I did...

Beef Stew

1 lb stew meat cut into small pieces
1/4 c. flour (gluten free for us)
1 t. salt, or to taste
1/2 t. pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. paprika
4 carrots, sliced
4 potatoes, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced (with leaves, chopped)
2 t. Kitchen Bouquet (opt.)
1 - 2 c. corn

Place meat in crockpot. Mix in flour, salt, pepper, stirring with meat to coat. Add 1 1/2 c. boiling water and stir. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. (I did this part first thing in the morning.)

After 4-5 hours (around lunch time), add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT corn. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or til veggies are cooked. Add additional (boiling) water toward end of cooking time if you want it more "soupy." Add corn in the last 30 minutes of cooking, enough to heat it up. Green beans are another great addition.

Note: If you can't add ingredients in the middle of the day, it works to do it all day on low heat. I just think it turned out better when I cooked the meat for awhile before adding everything else.

Black Bean Chicken Chili - Crockpot

Here's a longtime family-favorite recipe from a longtime favorite friend...

I've made it in the crockpot and on the stovetop...both work great.




Black Bean Chicken Chili

2 lbs chicken breasts (I just use a handful of leftover, chopped chicken that I freeze after we eat chicken dinner)

2-3 cans black beans

1 can diced mild chilies (optional, esp. since $$$, but YUMMERS!)

2-3 cans chopped tomatoes (I use a quart of frozen tomatoes)

some chopped jalapeno, optional (I freeze this in the summer and use
a spoonful at a time)

chili seasoning to taste

If you use raw chicken, you may want to saute it briefly before adding to crockpot. I always use leftover, cooked chicken. I dump it all together in the crockpot at the "low" setting if it's all day and "high" setting if it's half a day. Or I dump it all in a large pan and heat it up on the stovetop.

This freezes well. I'm making a double batch tonight so we have extra to take on a camping trip.

Crockpot Tamale Pie

This is a favorite at our house! (And another way to use my frozen corn!)

3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
1 beef bouillon cube (I sometimes leave this out...)
1 c. water
1 lb ground beef
1 t. chili powder
1, 14-16 oz jar thick/chunky salsa (I use home canned)
1, 16 oz can corn, drained (I use 2 c. frozen, thawed, from garden)
1/4 c. whole ripe olives

In large bowl, mix water and bouillon cube, add cornmeal. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in beef, chili powder, salsa, corn, olives. Pour into 3 1/2 qt. slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW, 5-7 hours or until set. Optional: sprinkle cheese on top

Makes 6 servings.

Slow Cooker Chili

Late winter is not especially exciting when you’re trying to eat in season. Root vegetables and squash are getting old…both literally and to the palate. But things are starting to bloom, a signal that it’s time to really make an effort to use up whatever is in the freezer in preparation for next year’s supply. At this point we have a lot of frozen corn and tomatoes left. It’s time to use those ingredients in abundance. Here is a favorite recipe modified from Simply in Season…


Slow Cooker Chili

1 lb ground beef

Brown in large frypan.

1/2 to 1 onion (chopped)
1-2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup green pepper (I use frozen, chopped)
1/2 to 1 cup celery (chopped, optional)

Add to beef and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Place in slow cooker.

4 cups beans (I use 1 can black and 1 can kidney)
1 qt. tomatoes (chopped, I use frozen**)
1-2 T. chili powder
1 T. honey
1 t. salt
1-2 or more cups corn (I use frozen)
1 can pieces & stems mushrooms (optional)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 hot chili pepper (minced, optional, I use frozen)

Add and cook on high for 15 minutes then on low for 8-10 hours. Serve as soup (add water at the end to make soupier) or over rice or pasta.

My family really likes this as an alternative to taco soup which is another soup/stew favorite.

**This past year I read several articles about the potential problems with plastic packaging in food storage. I was particularly concerned with storing acidic ingredients in plastic. In the past, I froze tomatoes in yogurt or cottage cheese containers (recycling!) or in standard freezer containers. This year, in an effort to get away from plastic, I froze tomatoes in quart jars with used canning lids from the previous year. (So the lids had already had the seal used, but the seal was still adequate for freezing.) I left plenty of head space for expansion. The system has worked great as long as I remember to pull out ingredients with time to allow for thawing.

Anakin's Favorite Green Beans & Sausage

Anakin (11) calls it “the best food I’ve ever had.” Tonight he ate a large dinner plate full.

Green Beans and Sausage
Modified from Fix-It and Forget It Cookbook (crockpot recipes)

Here’s my version. It’s been doubled to feed my big family. I use a 6 qt. Crockpot.

2 quarts green beans, cut into 2” pieces (I use frozen, thawed. In the summer I use raw.)
2-3 carrots, chopped
1/2-1 small green or red pepper, chopped (I freeze them in the summer, cut up.)
16 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 t. dried thyme
3/4 t. salt
1 lb turkey kielbasa (a rope sausage, cut into small bites)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on high about 4 hours (without lifting lid!) In the summer I also add zucchini or summer squash.

Serve over noodles. I like to use penne. I make a regular batch and a gluten free batch for 'LilDude.

Tonight, Grandma and Grandpa came for dinner. We had this dish, berries from the freezer and the squash/pineapple recipe I posted earlier. This was my frugal attempt of the day. My husband had made plans for everyone to go out to dinner. I volunteered to cook instead. Here’s the breakdown of the price difference:

Mexican Restaurant (sit down)

5 adults x $9 = $45 (my oldest eats an adult portion)
3 kids x $4 = $12 (two of these kiddos would eat an adult portion normally...but we do well with portion sizes at this restaurant)

Tip = $10

Total = $67 (this is without ordering any drinks…just water)

Ingredients in Tonight’s Meal
2 quarts green beans
2-3 carrots, chopped
1/2-1 small green or red pepper, chopped (I freeze them in the summer, cut up.)
16 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 t. dried thyme
3/4 t. salt
1 lb turkey kielbasa
3 c. (or more) cooked, mashed butternut squash
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 (20-oz or less) can pineapple**
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/3 c. chopped peanuts
berries
noodles

Garden: green beans, peppers, squash (cost of seeds divided between umpteen meals = pennies…I’ll estimate high and say $1.50 to include some energy cost for freezing the beans)
Berries = free from a friend in exchange for green beans from our garden
Grocery: spices, peanuts (from bulk bins), sugar, tomato sauce, carrots = high estimate, $2.50
Kielbasa = $2
Pineapple = 50 cents (used partial can, saving remainder for smoothies)
Noodles = $3.50 (including more $ gluten-free)

Total = $10
(and we have leftovers that will cover husband's lunch tomorrow...as well as squash for at least one more side veggie/meal)

Savings = $57 for tonight’s meal--which doesn’t include the gas saved by not having to drive to town or the leftover food

In this case, the $57 can be considered “income” for not working. Had I worked outside of the home today, I would not have had the time or energy to cook even this simple meal. When I work—which I do, very occasionally—I’m wiped out. I admire anyone who can work a full day outside the home and then come home and cook a meal. Not me!