Crockpot Queen!

That's what Greg called me this morning when I put together my dinner for tonight. Lately, I do feel like the "Crockpot Queen." There's just something about a warm dinner on a crisp, cold night being all prepared and ready to serve at the end of the day.

The basis of the recipes I've been using come from a slow cooker book I bought used on Amazon.com, but as everyone knows, I change things up and tweak recipes to fit my taste. Here are a few I've tried lately that were successful:

SPICY PORK CHILI

2 lbs. boneless pork, 1/2-inch cubes
1 T. vegetable oil
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
2 c. frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. beef broth
1 can (4 oz.) chopped mild green chilies
1 T. chili powder
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish: 1/4 c. fresh cilantro, Shredded Mexican Blend cheese, sour cream, limes

In skillet cook pork in oil over medium heat 5-6 minutes. Transfer pork and drippings to crockpot and stir in all ingredients except garnish. At the end of the 6 hour (on low) cooking time I stirred in a container of our cream so the dish was creamier and squeeze in juice from a lime.

MANDARIN CHICKEN

2-3 pounds chicken breasts or
fryer chicken, skin removed
2 c. water
1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. orange juice
2 t. ground mustard
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. garlic salt

Place chicken in a large bag. Mix together sauce ingredients and pour half into bag. Cover chicken and remaining marinade; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Drain chicken and place in cooker with remaining marinade.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Combine 3 T. cornstarch and 1/2 c. water until smooth. Stir into chicken mixture. Add 1 can drained pineapple chunks and 1/2 c. chopped green pepper. Cook on high for 30-45 minutes or until thickened. Serve over white rice and garnish with mandarin oranges, olives, chopped almonds and green onions.

Delicious Deutsche Dinner! Jawohl!

When the air is crisp and the leaves are falling, I start craving German food. This is what I made for dinner and it was delicious:

Cut 6 brats into 3 inch pieces and brown in fry pan. Place in bottom of crock pot. Add sliced onion and teaspoon minced garlic to fry pan. When onions become just translucent add 1/2 cup white cooking wine and bring to boil. Pour onto brats.

To crockpot add 4 cups cubed red potatoes, 4 cups carrots, 1 can chicken broth. For seasoning add teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon caraway seed. On top, layer 2 cups of drained sauerkraut. Cook on low 6-7 hours or until vegetables are tender and brats no longer pink. I had stoneground mustard on the side for extra flavor to the brats.

I made homemade applesauce as a side and it was so good. If you've never made your own, try it! This is how I did it: 5 Jonagold and 4 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and diced. Put in pot with 1 cup water and 1/3 to 2/3 cups sugar plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Bring to a boil for 8-10 minutes. You can use a potato masher for chunkier sauce or, as I did, put it in a food processor until smooth. My family loved it!