Pumpkin Pudding in the Crock Pot

This recipe is FANTASTIC and it is from my friend Carrie Lynn Baird.  She self published a cookbook called 30 Days In a Crockpot:  Recipes for the Crockpot when it's all you got!  She quickly tells you the story of how the book came about and then shares 30 of the best crock pot recipes I have ever seen.  I will share one with you here and if you are interested in ordering her book you can e-mail her here to request one and she will give you details on how to obtain it.  It is inexpensive and a valuable resource. 

Here is the recipe we made today...

Pumpkin Pudding

1 large can pumpkin pie filling

2 tsp vanilla

1 large can evaporated milk

1 cup brown sugar packed

1 cup biscuit mix (I make my own but store bought is perfect for this)

4 Tbsp butter

3 eggs

chopped pecans if desired

Spray crockpot with cooking spray coating sides and bottom well

Combine all ingredients except pecans in a mixing bowl

Beat well with a mixer until smooth

Pour in the crockpot

Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (mine only took 4 hours and it was perfect!)

Do not peek.... leave the lid on or it will fall before it's done.

Scoop and serve with ice cream or whipped cream!  

Italic words are mine in the recipe, btw.

Here is ours...

Crock Pot Enchiladas... from Kj

 

My friend Kj at Max Capacity (she is currently on hiatus but she is on Facebook).  She is one of the families we go camping with the summers.  :)  She shared this recipe with us at the beginning of the year and I thought some of you might enjoy it.  This is her Crock Pot Enchilada Casserole... it is YUMALICIOUS!!!

Mix together 

1 can chicken,

1 can rotel (original),

1 can black beans,

1/2 small can sliced black olives,

1 can cream of chicken soup. 

Put 3 corn tortillas on base of crock pot, spoon mixture on, put a bit of cheese on.

Repeat this step as needed.

On top layer, do tortillas, cheese & then pour green or red enchilada sauce over the whole thing.

Add 1-2 tbsp water.

Cover & cook on low for 4-6 hours. 

This is a NO PEEK recipe.

If you open it, it may not work quite right.

ENJOY!

Crockpot Cookery... in my e-mail today

Dear Leann, Crock pot recipes offer an alternative to grilling on a warm summer evening. Whatever your tastes, crock pot recipes make the perfect meal with minimal effort...all you need is a crock pot!

Crock Pot Sante Fe Chicken Crock Pot Cheesy Penne Crock Pot Chicken Chowder Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Crock Pot Chili

You can go to the website - www.mealsmatter.org to sign up for their newsletter. They always have very good stuff!

Crockpot Cookery... Some video resources...

I could not pass up sharing these links with you. These are videos to give some basic instruction on using crockpots, cleaning crockpots and safety tips for all you who might be pretty new to using them.

Crockpot Safety

How to Clean a Crockpot

How to Cook in a Crockpot (this had some NEW information for me and I have been using a crockpot for almost 20 years!)

One more really great link from About.com - Southern Cuisine Crockpot Online Recipe Resource

Crockpot Cookery... Three meals a day

It is quite possible to eat three meals a day from a crockpot. You don't have to do it all in one day but if you have three crockpots (which until recently I did... LOL) you can do it. I just mean that there are recipes out there for breakfast cereals, lunch ideas and dinner planning for crockpot cooking. Today I am sharing one of my favorite lunch ideas. This is something you can put in when you finish breakfast and it will be ready to eat by lunch. I must admit the idea was originally shared with me by Blestwithsons.

Lentils and Rice Taco Style

1 cup dried lentils
1 cup uncooked brown rice
4 cups water
1 packet of taco seasoning or homemade mix

Put it all in a crockpot, cover and let it cook on LOW for about 4 hours or it will cook in about 2 1/2 to 3 hours on HIGH. Add a bit of grated cheese and some chopped tomato and avocado on a tortilla and this is scrumptious and nutritious all in one!!!

Here are some more ideas for breakfast and lunch in the crockpot...

A whole slew of crockpot links including breakfast

That's My Home offers lots of breakfast ideas.

Crockpot Grain Cereal

Hungry Monster has a HUGE list of recipes and if they cook in four hours or less they can be ready by lunchtime!

The options are ENDLESS! You can type in any food you like and find recipes for cooking it in a crockpot. You can make lots of things for vegetarian diets and special diets, too. Go ahead... try it. I hope I have encouraged you to use your crockpot this week a little more. It is a HUGE timesaver and can save you money, too, when you consider all the possibilities for cooking ahead and freezing and storing and saving foods for later in your week. It is the BEST way to keep your family from having to eat out every night.

Share your recipes and stories of how you use your crockpot if you feel so inclined. You can share them here or on your site and let us know you posted. Thanks for reading!!!

Next week... Once a week, Once every two weeks, Once a month and Once every six weeks cooking. The options, the books, some great links and so much more...

Make a suggestion... for a topic or theme and I will do my best to answer your questions and lots of recipes along the way for you.

Crockpot Cookery... a Ragu Sauce

Ground Beef and Tomato Ragu

1 pound of ground beef (you can add sausage if you like)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot shredded
1 cup fresh parsley
28 ounce can Italian Style Tomatoes (or I use crushed tomatoes)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 cup water or broth
1 tsp dry basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Brown ground beef and then dump everything into a crockpot and cook on LOW all afternoon. Great over pasta or as a pizza sauce!!!

Chicken in the Crock Pot - Mission Chicken

Mission Chicken
from Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery

Tip: When cooking leaner meats in the crockpot start them later and do not let them cook all day. I start my chicken breasts around 2:00pm for 6:00pm dinner time and they cook through easily on LOW.

1 broiler-fryer chicken, cut up (I use chicken breasts for this, too - about 4 to 6)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 to 8 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons water
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup slivered toasted almonds

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, cloves, salt, pepper, and orange juice concentrate. Cover and cook on LOW about 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Turn control to HIGH. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir into cooking juicies in cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened. Stir in grapes. Sprinkle with almonds.

Brown Rice
Mission Chicken
with grape/almond/orange juice sauce
Broccoli

Crockpot Cookery... some resources

There are lots of books on the market for crockpot cooking. I have a few on my shelf but there are a plethora out there to choose from. You can choose from just about any type of cuisine from home cooking to dieting, desserts, breads and even breakfast in the crockpot. My personal NEW favorite is...


I also have


There is a WHOLE SERIES of these with everything from Crockpot for Two, Low Fat and Diabetic, etc... It is a great set!

and


There is a whole series of these, too.

If you don't want to purchase a new book then you can find recipes online of just about anything you like.

Crockpot Recipes from JustPeace

Homecooking at About.com offers lots of resources

Cooking Cache's Crockpot Collection

A Website called Crockpot Cooking
CDKitchen offers a large collection with photos

Recipe Source

Crockpot Collection

Better Homes and Garden offers a collection with catagories that are easy to look through.

Family Homestead shares their favorites with us.

Tasty Crockpot Recipes has a great collection.

Cooks.com has a nice collection, too.

and Recipe Goldmine is just that - a treasure trove of recipes for your crockpot

You can also take a regular recipe that you normally do and turn it into a crockpot recipe. Here are some helps for that...

Crockpot Conversion Information

The Cooking Inn offers some tips and helps for us

That's My Home has a nice chart that will help in knowing how long to cook things.

So, you have time if you start right now to get something going in your crockpot for tonight. I challenge you to try a new recipe in your CP this week and see how much time you save. Share with us what you are cooking complete with recipes if you have them and share your tips if you are a seasoned veteran at this!

Thanks for reading!!!

Crockpot Cookery... need convincing?

Are you stressed out over evening meal planning? Did you get a crockpot for a wedding gift and you have rarely used it? (or maybe never - :-O) Do you want to eat healthy nutritious meals that take little time to prepare and even less time to serve to your families? Then you may be interested in the following information to spur you on to a new way of cooking that can save you time and effort and quite possibly a little money in the process. Let's start off with several articles to whet your appetite for the week ahead.



The Benefits of Crockpot Cooking

Crockpot 101

Crockpot 102

Call on Your Crockpot for Comfort and Convenience

That Forgotten Appliance - The Crockpot

Crockpot Recipes Hold the Key to Stress-Free Cooking

Crockpot Meals: Worth the Wait?

Still not convinced? Stay tuned for more articles, book resources, online resources and my favorite weeknight recipes ahead this week...

Lentils and Rice

This was originally a recipe that I picked up from Blestwithsons but found out that a few other friends were making these. We have been tweaking it and making our own versions over at Women at Home. Here is the basic recipe.

2/3 cup dried lentils
2/3 cup uncooked rice
1 pkg. taco seasoning
3 cups water

Place all in a crockpot and cook for about 3 to 4 hours on high or until done. You can do all kinds of variations on this so play with it and share with us what you did.

Slow Cooker Apple Oatmeal

Slow Cooker Apple Oatmeal

2 cups milk 2 Tbsp. honey 1 Tbsp. butter (no substitute!) 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 cup dry old-fashioned oats 1 cup chopped apples 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 1. Mix together all ingredients in greased slow cooker. 2. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours (overnight) 3. Serve with milk. This recipe comes from the Fix It and Forget It Cookbook: Feasting with your Slow Cooker by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good