Slow Cooker Baked Bean Round-Up

Monday, May 14, 2018

You can NEVER have enough baked bean recipes! These are the most requested baked beans, in order, from A Year of Slow Cooking

I blinked, and now it's the end of the school year.

It's full-on summer mode in our house, which means that any sort of schedule or sense of parental control has gone completely out the window.

I was good for about a week --- I kept the TV off between 10 and 4 and we were outside more than in, and the kids were cooperating with me and each other.

it was blissful.

and then it ended.

I now have a sore throat from all the yelling...

We're trying to camp as many weekends as we can this summer.

We're not doing anything spectacular -- just staying close to home and testing out different campgrounds within an hour or two from the house.

We are the proud new owners of a tiny pop-up tent trailer, and we love it. I must admit that I'm not the best camper in the world, but I'm really trying to get better.

I love the idea of unplugging for a bit here and there, and I think it's important for the kids to get dirty and not freak out when they come across bugs.

I'm acutely aware that I'm raising three girls, and am trying my hardest to expose them to as much as I can and foster self-sufficiency.

the best part of the pop-up? It has outlets. For the crockpot(s).

A bit of comfort from home is not a bad thing, right?

Top 10 Baked Bean Recipes:

1. Bourbon Baked Beans

2. Potluck Beans

3. Boston Baked Beans

4. Lima Bean Casserole Cassoulet

5. Mexican Black Beans

6. Honey Lentils

7. Cowboy Beans

8. Barbecue Beans and Weenies

9. Baked Beans with Jalapeño and Apple

10. Baked Bean Soup

Have a wonderful and safe summer. Enjoy your family!!

Slow Cooker Carnitas Recipe

Friday, May 4, 2018

Carnitas are a fun, Mexican dish that has a great tangy flavor. Traditionally it is slow roasted pork seasoned with citrus flavors and then topped with your favorite toppings.

Using the crockpot slow cooker to slow roast the meat provides a slow steady heat which causes the pork to nicely fall apart all on it's own without needing lots of liquid.

[originally posted in 2010.]

The best Carnitas recipe, ever. Made in the slow cooker, it uses fresh orange and lime juice and lots of cumin and garlic. YUM.

Hello there! I have exciting news!

This news is probably more exciting to me than to you, but trust me---it's exciting nevertheless.

And I'm pretty sure you will never guess what my news is.

nope. that's not it.

nope. it's not that either!

My super duper exciting news is that somehow I don't seem to be allergic to pork anymore.

I have no idea how it happened, but I started sneaking *real* bacon here and there at restaurants when I was pregnant, and then I got kind of gutsy and had *real* baby back ribs, and then all of a sudden I was eating pulled pork and ham.

My mind is totally and completely blown.

So I made carnitas. In the slow cooker.

And now so should you!

The Ingredients.
serves 6.

2 pounds pork shoulder
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 large lime)
7 cloves garlic (whole intact)
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 cup beef broth
corn tortillas
sour cream, salsa, sliced avocado (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the salt and cumin.

Rub mixture all over the pork, then plop into the slow cooker.

Add whole garlic cloves. Squeeze on the citrus, and pour the beef broth evenly over the top.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the pork shreds quite easily with a fork.

If your meat is still fully intact after 8 hours, remove and cut into chunks, then return to the crock and flip to high for about an hour or two.

Shred meat fully and serve on warmed corn tortillas with desired toppings.

The Verdict.

This is so totally good.

I adored the citrusy flavor of the meat, and the slight smokiness from the cumin. If you don't eat pork, try using an inexpensive beef chuck roast instead of the pork shoulder.

Adam and the girls all liked their dinner, and I'm so beyond thrilled that due to some bizarre fluke of nature I can eat pork again.

~~knock on wood~~

Shredded Pork, citrus, and lots of cumin make these delicious and easy crockpot slow cooker carnitas. Shred the meat and serve in corn tortillas or over rice -- superb and family friendly!

Modern CrockPot Slow Cooking

Monday, April 23, 2018

I get a lot of questions about using crockpots in "modern times."

I think sometimes people have the misguided notion that slow cookers are passe or are only good for making pot roast or minestrone soup.

Sure -- you can make an AWESOME pot roast -- but I promise that you can do so much more.

How Much Liquid Do I Need?

I'd also like to take away the notion that you need to drown your meat in liquid in order to get a moist, juicy roast or chicken.

it's just not true.
The "old school" way of crockpotting advised that you add 1/2 cup of liquid to every pound of meat.

This just isn't necessary. If you do this you will simply end up with soggy, water-logged meat -- and noone wants that! :-)

The new pots on the market seal well (these are my personal recommendations) and it really just isn't necessary to add tons of liquid. In fact, I love making a dry-rub roast and often use the slow cooker to braise my meat --

there is simply no need to add tons of cooking liquid to your pot. When your slow cooker is in use, be sure that there is beaded up condensation on the lid -- if this is the case then it will essentially "rain" back down into the pot which will keep everything moist and juicy.

I go into this in great detail in the free online class I did, that you can access, here.

My Food All Tastes the Same!!

I hear this sometimes from readers or from people on the radio. Mostly they are remembering meals they were served as children in the seventies.

:-)

I think this idea came from using Cream of Something Soup recipes along with a packet of Onion Soup Mix.

When slow cookers first hit the market Cambells and Lipton came out with lots of recipes that were centered around --- You Guessed It!!

Lipton Onion Soup mix and Cambell's Cream of Mushroom (or chicken, etc!) Soup.

This is why the food from the "past" all tasted the same. I PROMISE you that you can get different flavors from the crockpot.

In fact, you can have MANY different flavors -- one of my favorite ways is to make "Take Out Fake Out" recipes; so no matter what type of dish you are craving you can get that favorite flavor!!

I Need Help With Meal Planning!

Crockpotting and Slow Cooking forces you to meal plan. It's a wonderful feeling to know what you are going to have for dinner early in the morning when you are still highly caffeinated and coherent --

if you are NOT a morning person, I suggest assembling your food the night before for an easy morning plug-in.

It's not advised to put a freezing-cold stone pot into the heating element, so my suggestion would be to assemble the food in Ziplock Bags or in a large Tupperware bowl and then dump the food in the morning into a room temperature crockpot insert.

If you really have trouble creating grocery lists and planning ahead in this way, I do sell slow cooker meal plans that will walk you through absolutely everything.

(PS: if you use the discount code : slowcook20 (all one word, no spaces) at check out you will get an immediate 20% savings on the bundle pack through the above link)

I've heard Bad Things About Dried Beans.

Okay. So red beans need to be brought to a rolling boil for 10 minutes on the stovetop before being added to the slow cooker to kill off any potential toxin that naturally occurs. This is a very rare potential toxin but it is a real thing.

On the internet it is referred to as "freaky red bean toxin" or "freaky kidney bean toxin" -- and while it is not a common occurrence I always recommend bringing any red beans to a full rolling boil for the 10 minutes and then draining and rinsing.

What about Lead?

I have written about Lead, here. Long story short, don't worry about it.

What about the Instant Pot (InstaPot??)

Sure thing. I've written about my thoughts, extensively, here ---

but in a nutshell:

A Slow Cooker that is DESIGNED to be a Slow Cooker works better as a Slow Cooker.

I know, I know, I know. There is a "slow cooker" feature on the Instant Pot --- but it will not work as well as a slow cooker as it does as a Pressure Cooker.

That is because it's in the shape of a cylinder (like a coffee can) and not oval like a traditional slow cooker. Slow cookers heat evenly, from the sides and the bottom, and are made to be left alone for hours upon hours.

Pressure cookers work GREAT as pressure cookers. But in my not so humble opinion, when you get too many things in one appliance they don't all work as well as you think they should.

I have also written many other articles that you might find helpful:

what to do with a Hot or Fast Cooking Slow Cooker

What Size Slow Cooker Should I Buy?

Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

Instant Pot vs CrockPot

Slow Cooker Secrets You've Never Been Told