How to Make Key Lime Pie in the Slow Cooker

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

I had a twitter conversation (I know. I think it's a weird way to communicate, too...) with my friend Shirley a few weeks ago about Key Lime Pie. She wondered if I had a crockpot version, and that was pretty much all I needed to go about figuring out a way to make it.

This is the recipe that works! It uses sweetened condensed milk, which as we all know, is pretty much the nectar of the gods. Gosh, I love that stuff.

The Ingredients
serves about 8 if you're disciplined. Otherwise 4.

for the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I use gluten free)
3 tablespoons melted salted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon lime zest

for the filling:
2 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)

to put into the crockpot (NOT the batter!!):
1 cup warm water

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker with an inserted 1.5-quart casserole dish (like a Pyrex or Corningware).
You are going to use the crcokpot as a bain-marie, or water bath. In a plastic bag, smash up the graham crackers to make crumbs. Mix the crumbs with the butter, brown sugar, and lime zest.
Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish that you sprayed with cooking spray (I took a picture of the spray, but then forgot to use it. oops.)

In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer to whip the egg yolks, condensed milk, lime juice, and lemon juice together until it's frothy. Pour this evenly over the top of the graham cracker crumbs.

Pour 1 cup of warm water into the bottom of your slow cooker insert, then carefully lower in the baking dish, taking care to not slosh water into your pie.

Cover, and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, or until the pie is no longer shiny on the edges and the center has set (poke it with your finger. You shouldn't get a bunch of goop on it).

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) before serving. If you'd like, you can add a layer of whipped cream on top.

The Verdict.

Yeah. This is good. I was ecstatic at how limey this turned out, and how nicely the sweetened condensed milk worked and set up beautifully in the slow cooker. I slightly overcooked one of the tester batches, but it still was fantastic -- the color on top just got a bit darker than I wanted it to, but after covering it with whipped cream nobody could tell.

Make this! You'll LOVE it!!

other totally amazing crockpot desserts:
creme brulee
oreo cheesecake
chocolate mousse
tapioca pudding

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St. Patrick's Day Slow Cooker Round-Up

Monday, March 4, 2019

It's almost St. Patrick's Day!

Bring on the Shamrocks!

Adam and I have been married for ~~100 million years~~ 20 years this upcoming July. Before marrying into an Irish family, I ate corned beef a handful of times, and honestly wasn't all that impressed.

That's because I was wrong. Corned beef is DELICIOUS. And (unless you like it that way), it doesn't need to be soggy and greasy.

There are a few things that I've learned you really must do --- the "secrets" of corned beef ---

otherwise you'll end up with a super salty and somewhat soggy dinner.

And nobody wants that! ;-)

Secret #1 to perfect corned beef: Rinse it like crazy. Get off as much of the brine as you can before slow cooking.

Plop it into a colander and let cold water run (but not too long because of the drought and you don't want the water police to come knocking).

Secret #2 to perfect corned beef: Trim away the thick white layer of fat with a sharp knife.

A lot of times you'll pick out a gorgeous piece of meat in the store, but once you unwrap it you'll find a thick band of fat hiding underneath.

Use a sharp knife or poultry shears to cut it away.

BONUS Secret #3: Don't Drown Your Meat! Click through to read the best ways to make corned beef -- the old-school way of drowning it in lots of water, broth, or beer just doesn't cut it! :-)

These are the two best recipes:

Dijon Corned Beef

Glazed with honey, brown sugar, and dijon mustard, this is absolutely fantastic corned beef that will wow your family and guests.

Mary Jayne posted on my Facebook page that she cooked 8 corned beef roasts with this recipe for her annual St. Patrick's Day open house and everybody liked it so much she didn't even get any!

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Glazed Corned Beef

Brown sugar and bourbon belong together, and they mix to create a sweet crust to this salty roast -- the meat simmers in the juices and truly becomes fork tender after slow cooking all day.

If you don't have bourbon in the house or prefer to not cook with it, you can use apple juice instead.

Roasted Cabbage and Potatoes

Traditionally, corned beef is boiled on the stovetop all day with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
I like to keep my meat and vegetables separate so the natural flavors stand out on their own.

Irish Potatoes

Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes are cooked in butter, lemon,and dill to create a velvety sauce that coats each and every bite of potato.
My kids love these potatoes, and I really should make them more often. This is a fantastic side dish.

Shepherd's Pie

If you aren't in the mood for Corned Beef and Potatoes, you can certainly layer in some leftovers and make a delicious Shepherd's Pie.

The linked recipe calls for ground turkey or beef, but I've made many a Shepherd's Pie in the slow cooker completely vegetarian by using beans and chopped vegetables.

This is a pretty customizable dish, and a great one for cleaning out the crisper drawer.

Have a VERY HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Happy Slow Cooking!!

I always use my crockpot for corned beef but never knew that I should be doing this in order to have it turn out perfectly each time! St. Patrick's Day slow cooker roundup from AYearofSlowCooking.com includes: Bourbon and Brown Sugar corned beef, Irish Potatoes, Shepherd's Pie, and Roasted Cabbage

Slow Cooker Loose Meat Sandwiches Recipe

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Loose meat sandwiches are sort of a "grown up" version of Sloppy Joes. These are delicious, savory, ground meat (can be beef, lamb, turkey, or chicken) sandwiches that aren't loaded down in sauce and glop. They are fantastic to serve at a football or any other sort of sports day get together!

I am such a dork that I didn't realize that yesterday was the Super Bowl until Saturday afternoon.

I knew it was coming, but in my head I thought there were still a few weeks to go. Because of this, I didn't plan any Super Bowl food---

in fact, on Friday when I woke up feeling kind of sluggish and I'm-coming-down-with-a-cold like, I decided that I was going to eat raw for the next three days.

And when I watched my DVR'd Oprah, and it was on "going vegan" for a week, it seemed like A SIGN that I should really do it.

So I plopped the baby in the stroller and we walked to the local produce market and bought pretty much everything in sight

(at least we must have, according to my receipt. DUDE. eating that way costs bank.)

Anyway. I came home and made a delightful smoothie of pear, mango, clementine oranges, apple, banana, and kale (and then a bit of water to get it to smoothie-cize).

It was actually pretty good.

and I was all geared up to eat/drink nothing but this concoction for the next three days.

You see where I'm going with all this.... right?

yeah.

I lasted until about 1/4 through the game and then succumbed to Adam's "Super Nachos" (essentially a few chips loaded with 8 million pounds of cheese, guacamole, and sour cream).

oh well.

I don't really have a segue from that story to this recipe.

The first time I heard of Loose Meat Sandwiches was on the Roseanne television show back in the 90s.

I forgot all about them until our family friend, Harvey, asked if I had ever made them in the crockpot.

When I said I hadn't he told me that they'd work great.

Harvey was right!

The Ingredients.

serves 8

1 pound extra lean ground beef or turkey (the lean is more imp. than the type)

1 onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 cups beef broth

8 hamburger buns (I used gluten free bread, toasted)

traditional hamburger fixen's (pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, etc)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker.

Crumble in the ground meat (it needs to be thawed, or it'll cook in a big clump).

Add onion, sugar, spices, mustard, and vinegar.

Pour in the beef broth.

Mix well until everything is fully incorporated---you may want to use your hands. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Stir well before serving by scooping with a slotted spoons onto hamburger buns.

Top with your desired fixings.

The Verdict.

The meat is juicy and tender with a slight tang from the pickle and mustard.

It doesn't taste salty as much as savory---which I was worried about. I've had hamburger-with-gravy sandwiches before and didn't really care for them, but this is not that.

The kids loved their dinner, and Adam ate 1 1/2 sandwiches.

I served the leftover meat over mashed potatoes with frozen peas the next night.

Thank you for picking out a winner, Harvey!

2008 flashback:

February 1: Banana Bread

February 2: Foil-packet tilapia

February 3: Jambalaya

February 4: BBQ Beef Ribs

February 5: Roasted Vegetables