Kathi's Project Blog

Whew, there were sure a lot of delicious sounding recipes posted last week!  I can’t wait to try them all out.  Below are the winners who were randomly selected from each of the days.  If your name is on the list, please e-mail your name and address to Monica (asst at kathilipp dot com) to get your copy of The Frozen Gourmet.

Julie ::: Mu Shu Chicken Wraps

Janeen ::: BC’s Slow Cooker Family Favorite Chili

Helen ::: Low Carb Rum and Molasses Baby Back Ribs

Make sure to look through the comments from the previous days for recipes that you can add to your dinner rotation!

The crockpot contest has been extended a few more days since there was some technical difficulty with the blog in the past 24 hours.  I apologize if you came here and got an error message.  Thanks to Roger’s hard work, everything is back and working just great!  If you posted a recipe on Facebook, the recipe will counted.  The contest has been extended until Sunday afternoon at 4pm, so make sure you get your entries in!

Today is anything goes day.  What’s your favorite crockpot recipe?  Do you have an awesome appetizer that can be made in the crockpot (the Superbowl is Sunday and this would be a great time to share your favorite appetizer with all of us!) or a yummy dessert or delicious dinner?   Leave your recipe in the comments and you’ll have a chance to enter a copy of the Frozen Gourmet.

Winners will be announced on Monday!

Today is the second day where the comments are open for you to submit your favorite crockpot recipes.   I will be giving away a copy of The Frozen Gourmet to a lucky winner.  In order to enter, all you have to do is post your favorite beef recipe for the crockpot in the comments.

All entries must be submitted by Thursday, February 4th  at 6pm PST.  Winners will be posted on Friday morning!

Don’t forget, if you have not already done so, to take the 1000 Dates Across the States Challenge!

Last week I highlighted some delicious crockpot recipes from my friend Kelly and she also shared ideas on how you can freeze crockpot meals to make your life even easier!  In case you missed that post, you can find it here.

This week I have decided that a contest is in order.  I will be giving away copies of The Frozen Gourmet.  In order to enter, all you have to do is post your favorite chicken recipe for the crockpot in the comments.  All entries must be submitted by Thursday, February 4th  at 6pm PST.  Winners will be posted on Friday morning!

I’m excited to officially unveil February’s project, 1000 Dates Across the States. We all know that Valentine’s Day is coming up, every store is decked out in pink, red and hearts and every other commercial it seems like on TV is a Valentine’s Day advertisement.

I know that money is tight for a lot of people, but that does not mean that you can not have an absolutely fun date with your spouse without breaking the bank.

As a blogger, if you are one of the first 50 bloggers to e-mail Monica (asst at kathilipp dot com) your name, address and blog address, you can receive one of these super fun kits. While it might not look like a lot, it could just be the beginning to one of the best dates you’ve ever had.

Here’s the challenge:

• Think of a creative and unique way to use the kit.
• Document your usage of the kit with either a picture or a 30 second video.
• Post a blog about your date (with the picture or video) and link to this blog post or www.kathilipp.com.
• Send an e-mail to Monica (asst at kathilipp dot com) with a link to your blog post by March 10th. If you send a link to your blog, it will be posted here – more publicity for your blog and more romance with your husband!

Prizes:

The most creative date wins a Flip Video Camera. Two runners up will get a $20 Starbucks gift card. Five third runners up with get a Dating your Mate library (three of their best titles) from Harvest House Publishers.

If you are not a blogger, you can still be entered to win!  Create a Facebook album (with the picture or video) and link to this blog post or kathilipp.com.  All you have to do is create your own kit with the materials listed below:

• Two of your favorite drinks
• Two yummies (cookies, pieces of candy,etc.)
• These instructions.
• You pick the location!

Here is a button you can put in your post or on your sidebar to let your readers know so that they can join in on the fun!

<a href=”http://blog.kathilipp.com/?p=1464″ mce_href=”http://blog.kathilipp.com/?p=1464″ target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af88/monicarosetrevino/1000datesbutton.jpg” mce_src=”http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af88/monicarosetrevino/1000datesbutton.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”kathilipp”></a>

Here’s the final recipe of the week.  I hope you have enjoyed cooking with the Crockpot week.  Remember, next week we will be having a contest where you will be able to submit your favorite recipes…stay tuned!

This is a recipe that I usually double, but then divide into four portions,putting three in the freezer. I keep the stuffing in a separate bag, but otherwise dump everything else in a ziploc bag to freeze. Half of a recipe fits in my small crockpot.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Ready In: 4 hours 20 minutes

Yields: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

3/4 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

4 Granny Smith Apples

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup cranberries

1 pkg Stovetop Stuffing mix

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the first seven ingredients; rub over roast. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight (Preferred, not required). Place herb rubbed pork in crockpot, surrounded by cranberries and apples. Gently pour water around pork. Cook on High for 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. In the last 10 minutes prior to serving, dump the stuffing mix on top of roast, mixing it in the juices. Allow it to cook for a few more minutes, until the stuffing is softened.

Put the meat in your slow cooker in the morning and have a sandwich ready in 10 minutes when you get home! Great with a side of creamy horseradish.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 12 Hours

Ready In: 12 Hours 10 Minutes

Yields: 16 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon beef bouillon

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

8 red peppers

16 slices of Swiss Cheese

16 French Rolls

mayonnaise or creamy horseradish

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over roast, and add enough water to almost cover roast. Cover and cook on Low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or until meat is very tender. Add peppers in the last hour of cooking.

Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Slice meat very thin (I prefer an electric knife), and distribute on rolls for sandwiches. Cover meat with swiss cheese, and broil on high for approximately 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve with mayonnaise or creamy horseradish.

FOOTNOTES:

This is another recipe that I subdivide into smaller portions prior to cooking, freeze these dinner sized portions, then cook in my small crockpot. I package the meat premarinated, and also package a few slices of swiss cheese, along with the rolls. The meat simmers all day, and the sandwiches only take a few minutes to put together.

Next week we will be having a little contest around here.  I’m letting you know now so that you can dig through your cookbooks or favorite food blogs and share them with all of the wonderful readers!  Stay tuned next week as we will have a day for chicken recipes, a day for beef recipes and a day for whatever your heart desires!  I’m excited to get new recipes that can be added to the dinner rotation.

Here’s another delicious dinner that can be prepared in the morning and after cooking in the Crockpot all day, you will have a wonderful meal with minimal effort!

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 4 Hours 10 Minutes

Ready In: 4 Hours 30 Minutes

Yields: 6 servings

.

2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips

garlic powder to taste

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cube beef bouillon

1/4 cup hot water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

.

1. Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.

2. Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.

3. Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

This fab expalination – and all of this weeks recipes – come from Kelly Rankin over at www.bittybowsboutique.com (now I know how she has time to be so creative! She crockpots!!!)

Thanks Kelly for giving us a peek into your pot!

I began using my crockpot and freezer in tandem for two reasons. 1) I began to realize that the portions required for a full (normal sized) crockpot were wasteful for our family. Our family of 5 will never eat a full roast, and we also usually don’t eat leftovers. I loved the convenience of a crockpot, but it made me cringe every time I threw away spoiled leftovers. 2) When I figured out that I could use a smaller crockpot for less waste, I realized that I could actually make a normal sized recipe, but dump half of it in the crockpot, and the other half in a freezer bag for later use. This began my experimentation with freezer crockpot cooking!

My version of freezer/crockpotting varies in complexity. Sometimes it is as simple as dividing a Costco roast into chunked portions that will later be the perfect size for my family, so that I can easily just throw in a couple carrots, potatoes, etc. Other times, I do a full recipe and make baggies of crockpot meals, with everything ready to be dumped in the crockpot. Occasionally, it is the other way around, where I use my large crockpot, and freeze leftovers for later use.

One of my biggest “discoveries” was the mini crockpot I have began using. I remember a while back reading in crockpot cooking that you want the crockpot at least 2/3 full for it to have optimal cooking evenness. I found this out too when I tried to make smaller portions in my big crockpot–things got scorched on the edges. This didn’t happen with a full crockpot. This mini crockpot is the perfect size for my family with 3 young kids, and allows me to fill it up without using a ton of food. It will not work once my kids get older and start eating more, but for now it helps me stretch my food budget. Here it is, from Amazon.

4 Simple ingredients and a day of crockpot cooking lead to an amazingly simple, economical, and delicious pork BBQ. No smoker needed, and the leftovers freeze beautifully for a later meal. The liquid smoke and beef bouillon are the essential keys to this simple recipe, giving the pork a great flavor with minimal BBQ sauce. Perfect for a large gathering or you can freeze after you’ve cooked it in small portions for sandwiches!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7-9 hours
Ready In:
Yields: 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:
5 lb Pork Sirloin Tip Roast
2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke (Typically found with condiments)
2 Tablespoons Beef Bouillon (NOT Broth)
1/3 Cup Water
Serve with your favorite BBQ Sauce, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Place pork roast in a large crockpot.  Pour water, liquid smoke, and bouillon on top of pork roast.  Cook on High for 7-9 hours, flipping roasts once during cooking, if possible, to allow the juices to simmer all sides of the meat.  Meat is finished cooking when it easily pulls apart with a fork.  Remove roasts from crockpot and pull pork apart.  Return pork to crockpot and add BBQ sauce to taste, or serve BBQ sauce on the side.  Great on sandwiches or by itself.
To freeze: Place cooked BBQ in 1 quart freezer bags, removing air. Thaw, rewarm, and serve. Keeps in freezer up to 6 months