crock pot Archives - The Midnight Baker

Slow Cooker Alfredo Ravioli Lasagna

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 23:00:57 +0000

Slow cooker Alfredo ravioli lasagna is a real treat!

Easy Peasy Slow Cooker Alfredo Ravioli Lasagna

This has got to be one of the easiest meals you can make. It’s versatile too because it’s fine to go off the reservation and use other flavors and meats.

I got this idea from a comment on a recipe posting by my friend Mary who runs Sweet Little Bluebird. Her recipe was with standard tomato sauce and cheese ravioli. I’ve made it that way and it’s totally delicious. We both opted for the fresh refrigerated ravioli instead of the frozen kind. I would imagine that you could substitute the frozen kind if you either par- cooked it or let it thaw. If not then this would have to cook longer, perhaps an hour or two, if you left it frozen.

Alfredo Sauce

What makes this slow cooker Alfredo ravioli lasagna so very easy is that it depends on convenience ingredients such as jarred Alfredo sauce. There are many good brands on the market so it’s up to you what you buy. And if you like stuff a bit more saucy, then double the amount called for in the recipe.

However, you may prefer to make your own. There’s many reasons why you should consider doing so. Your own is fresher, tastes better and is more economical. All you’d have to do is follow my simple recipe for quick Alfredo sauce.

Your Own Ravioli?

If you want to get really into totally homemade, you can make your own ravioli. There’s many contraptions made to do this, but making them without those contraptions is, believe it or not, a lot easier. If you have a pasta roller, it’s super simple. You can follow my guide on ravioli making in the linked post. If you want the classic cheese filling, a simple Google search will lead you to many recipes.

The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Alfredo Ravioli Lasagna

Easy prep

Prep Time5

Cook Time4

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: slow cooker ravioli lasagna, slow cooker white lasagna

Servings: 6

Calories: 877kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

24 oz fresh mushroom ravioli
1 lb sweet Italian sausage meat
28 oz Alfredo sauce or your own homemade

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Brown the sausage meat and drain the fat.
Spray the bottom of a 5 quart (or larger) slow cooker with non-stick spray.
Layer sauce, ravioli and sausage in the slow cooker beginning and ending with the sauce. There should be at least 2 layers.
Cook on low for 4 hours.

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Herb Bread

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 28 May 2022 23:00:51 +0000

Slow cooker herb bread gives you fresh bread without turning on your oven.

Don’t Heat The Kitchen–Slow Cooker Herb Bread

You don’t have to give up having freshly baked bread in the summer months! Stay cool and use your slow cooker to bake a nice loaf of bread.

Yes, you can bake in your crock pot. My sister has baked in hers for years. When she told me she did, I have to admit I was in disbelief. That is until I tried it myself using her go-to banana bread recipe. After I tried it, I was a total believer.

Herbs

This slow cooker bread lends itself to many herb flavors.

I used chives because I like them and they were growing in my garden profusely. The bread didn’t have a strong chive flavor because I always go easy with herb flavorings. However, I will add more the next time since the flavor was too subtle.

If you want to use herbs such as basil, rosemary or thyme, I’d advise going lightly with those the first time you make this. They are rather strongly flavored herbs and too much can really spoil the flavor–turning something nice to something that tastes medicinal.

If you find you want a more prominent flavor, then by all means add a bit more herb the next time you make it.

Browning

Where the bottom of the bread will brown, the top will not. If the pale shade doesn’t bother you, then you’re set to go.

For my taste, I like a little browning for eye appeal. What I did was brush the top with a bit of olive oil and pop it. under the broiler for a couple of minutes. That did the trick–at least for my taste.

This bread has a nice moist texture that would be great made as dinner rolls. You could divide the dough into individual rolls and “bake” them like that. Personally, I’d stick to using a smaller slow cooker if you’re going to make this into rolls. A 5 quart round cooker would be the perfect size.

The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Herb Bread

Great recipe for summer bread--no oven required

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baking bread in a slow cooker, baking in a slow cooker, easy herb bread recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 252kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp rapid yeast
2 1/2 cups bread strong flour or all-purpose (plain) flour
2 tbs honey
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbs chopped fresh chives thyme or rosemary

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Let it stand 5 minutes and if bubbles form, the yeast is active.
Using a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the yeast mixture and the remaining ingredients until a soft dough forms. Let the machine knead for about 5 more minutes until the dough is soft and elastic. This may be kneaded by hand if you don't have a stand mixer.
Line a slow cooker (I used a round 4 qt) with parchment paper. Form the dough into a ball and place in the lined slow cooker.
Set the cooker to high and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours. The bread is done if it makes a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.
As the top won't be brown, you can pop it under a hot broiler for a few minutes to brown the top.

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Crack Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 00:00:02 +0000

Slow cooker crack chicken may not be the most elegant meal you serve, but it’s really delicious and great comfort food.

Slow Cooker Crack Chicken–Comfort Food

While a slow cooker is an all-season method of cooking, almost everyone immediately thinks of fall and winter as the time to cook in one. I imagine that’s because stews, pot roasts and soups are warm comforts when the weather turns in.

Since the weather by me is definitely turning in, I dusted off my slow cooker to make this crack chicken. In fact I could think of nothing else to eat since I saw Sarah from The Magical Slow Cooker post her recipe. And if you’re looking to use your crock pot more than you do, bookmark her site!

I’ve based my recipe off of hers but I substituted some ingredients that tailored it more to my taste and on ingredients I had on hand.

Thighs Or Breasts?

Since thighs and breasts–especially the boneless skinless variety are pretty much interchangeable in most recipes.

I have both on hand in my freezer but when it comes to slow cookers, I prefer the thighs. I find chicken breast gets a bit to dry for my tastes so I opt for the thighs. Again, it’s a matter of what you have on hand and personal taste. Although in this recipe, with the creamy sauce that makes itself as the dish cooks, breast will probably work just as well and not be too dry.

If You’re Watching Your Sodium…

This may not be the dish for you if you have dietary restrictions for sodium. However if you want to reduce the amount of salt just for personal taste and/or your sodium-restricted diet is not too severe, there are measures you can take.

I have no dietary restrictions but the older I get, the less I like salty-tasting food. The cheese is pretty salty and since I didn’t want to eliminate that, I tried to do it elsewhere. I make my own ranch seasoning and I make that salt-free (recipe link is in the ingredient list) and I used a sodium-reduced soup and I have a recipe for making your own condensed cream soups too if you want to make it yourself. In fact since condensed cream soups are used a lot in slow cooker recipes, you may want to bookmark my recipe–and remember you can make them with no salt too.

The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Crack Chicken

Easy peasy family meal for a chilly night

Prep Time5

Cook Time7

Course: Main, Main Course, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crockpot crack chicken, slow cooker dinners using chicken thighs

Servings: 6

Calories: 498kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup ranch seasoning mix or 1 packet of store bought
8 oz cream cheese cubed
1 can 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup crisp bacon diced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Instructions

Place chicken thighs in a single layer at the bottom of a slow cooker (mine is 7 qt).
Sprinkle the top of the chicken with the ranch seasoning, then spread the soup on top then finally distribute the cubed cream cheese on top of it all.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high 4-5 hours (times can vary--mine was done in 4 hours on high). Do not lift the lid until the minimum time is up.
Shred the chicken--this can be done right in the slow cooker using 2 forks. Stir in the bacon then top with the cheese. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with green onion and serve.

Video

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 23:00:25 +0000

Your slow cooker is your best friend in every season. Use it to make these delicious Korean short ribs.

Korean Style Short Ribs

Since I’m just beginning to appreciate Korean-style food, I go for simple recipes that don’t involve too much work.

Asian cooking, particularly Chinese, is a love of mine. Even though the cooking times for most Asian dishes is quick, the preparation generally isn’t. This is why when I dip my toes (and fingers) into another cuisine, I look for the simplest recipes. One of the first I tried was these simple Korean beef tips. Because they were so good, I wanted to try more recipes.

Short Ribs

There are a few ways to cut short ribs. Any style will do in this recipe.

I usually watch for a sale because they’re quite pricy. Although it’s no longer cut that way anymore, they are actually from the bottom of a standing prime rib roast. I remember when a prime rib came with the short ribs attached. This is why they are probably pretty expensive. However, they have a wonderful flavor and the splurge is worth it.

FYI I used the ones with the short bones for this because I had them on hand.

Gochujang

While you can substitute red pepper flakes for gochujang, the latter has a taste that the flakes do not.

I judge how readily available certain products are if I can find them in my local stores. I no longer live in a large metropolitan area so the selection many times is limited. If I can get this stuff, you probably will be able to as well.

The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

Melt-in-your-mouth delicious

Prep Time15

Cook Time8

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: korean ribs, lorean beef in slow cooker, slow cooker korean short ribs

Servings: 6

Calories: 517kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 pounds beef short ribs

Sauce:

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup beef broth
2 tbs rice vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbs sesame oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbs fresh ginger minced
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1 tsp red pepper flakes optional or 2 tablespoons Gochujang

Thickening:

3 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place ribs in the crock; top with sliced onion.
In a small bowl, mix all sauce ingredients and pour over the ribs. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or on high 3-4 hours. (Cookers vary so check after minimum time given)
Remove ribs from the cooker. Skim fat from the liquid.
Mix the cornstarch and water and whisk into liquid; blend well. Place meat back in the pot and cook for 20 minutes.

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Cajun Steak

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 15 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Let your slow cooker do all the work with this great tasting Cajun steak.

Slow Cooker Does The Work

Your slow cooker is a great way to prepare a tasty meal with little effort on your part.

This slow cooker Cajun steak is just one of those recipes. This recipe is a two-step process. The first step I consider to be important to build good flavor. It’s not entirely necessary but worth it provided you have the time.

The low slow cooking brings all the flavors together perfectly. The gravy is delicious too. Serve it simply on top of a mound of mashed potatoes.

Lends Itself To Substitutions

This Cajun steak lends itself to substituting what you have on hand. Since stores are mostly picked clean with what we’re going through, many of us are turning to what we have on hand to make meals.

Don’t have cube steak? If you have a beef roast in the freezer, cut that up into thin steak slices and that’ll work out fine. So will a London broil.

If you don’t have dry onion soup mix, then a tablespoon of beef bouillon granules and a tablespoon of dehydrated onion will work.

You can make your own Creole/Cajun seasoning with herbs and spices you have on your shelf. Of course you can leave it out, but the dish will be less spicy. However, it’ll still be delicious.

That One Extra Step

That extra step I spoke about in the first section is browning the meat.

Granted, it’s not entirely necessary. You can just dump and go with this recipe. But over the years I’ve discovered browning whatever meat you’re using improves the flavor greatly.

Another thing I do is deglaze the pan to get up all those delish burny bits at the bottom and incorporate that into any stock that’s used. So if you use a half cup of water to deglaze, just top that up with whatever stock you’re using.

The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Cajun Steak

Wonderful comforting meal for the slow cooker

Prep Time15

Cook Time8

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cajun steak recipe, crockpot comfort meals, slow cooker beef

Servings: 12

Calories: 266kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs round steaks or cube steaks
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp salt optional
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 tbs oil
1 tbs Cajun seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups beef broth
2 tbs soy sauce
3 onions sliced thin
1 bell pepper sliced thin
1 envelope onion soup/dip mix
2 cans cream of mushroom soup 10.5 oz each

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dip both sides in the flour and shake off excess.
Heat a skillet with the vegetable oil.
Brown both sides of each piece of steak. You do not have to cook the meat until it is done. Just brown the outsides.
Spray the slow cooker with a cooking spray.
Layer the sliced onions and bell pepper.
Layer the steak on top of the onions and bell pepper.
In a bowl, mix the mushroom soup, onion soup mix, beef broth, soy sauce, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, and paprika. Poor over steak in slow cooker
Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

Notes

Use a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker to make this smothered steak.

It is better to brown the meat before placing in slow cooker rather than simply season and flour the steak and toss it in the slow cooker. It works, but browning tastes much better.

I use lower-sodium products in this

If you can’t get onion soup mix, 1 tbs beef bouillon granules and 1 tbs dehydrated onion can substitute.

Be sure to mix the mushroom soup, onion soup mix, beef broth, soy sauce, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, and paprika together before adding it to the slow cooker.
The slow cooker is so full not everything will be seasoned well if you do not stir it together first.

Nutrition

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Crockpot Apple Coffee Cake

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 00:00:45 +0000

Yes you can bake in your crockpot! This apple coffee cake is a great place to start.

Crockpot Cake Baking

Bet you didn’t think you could bake in your crockpot, did you?

I always used to think that too. For me, slow cooker cooking meant stews and soups and the like. However, my sister uses her crockpot for a lot of things you would never think of doing in there. And yes, she bakes in it. Makes a super banana bread in there. I have to admit that if you want a nice, moist cake, a crockpot coffee cake is perfect. I’ve done my sister’s banana bread and even made lemon bars in mine.

This crockpot coffee cake is another perfect cake to make in your slow cooker. Let it cool a bit and slice it like a cake. It can also be served in a bowl warm as a dessert!

Doctoring The Cake Mix

I discovered years ago that the secret to getting a mix to taste almost homemade was using evaporated milk as the liquid. There’s also some sour cream and spice, but those are minor additions.

You may like to substitute another flavor cake mix for the yellow. I used a “butter recipe” mix and it worked out fine. Spice cake mix would probably work too.

This could probably be done with chocolate cake mix and cherry pie filling for a Black Forest type of cake. If you try that, let me know how it came out since I have not done that–yet.

Crockpot Size

This recipe calls for a rather small-size crockpot–4Q/4L. I’m pretty sure this size isn’t that popular anymore. Most of my friends have 6-7 quart models. I’m sure it can be made in a large one, but it will bake in far less time. I would check on it in half the given time in the recipe. You’d probably be pretty safe with a standard 5Q/5L model without any real reduction in time.

The “toothpick” test works with slow cooker baking, so make sure to check it that way to be sure.

The Recipe

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Crockpot Apple Coffee Cake

Yes, you can bake in your slow cooker!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 30

Course: Dessert, Slow Cooker, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cake recipe, coffee cake recipe, crockpot cake, crockpot coffee cake, slow cooker baking

Servings: 12

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
3 tbs soft butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 can apple pie filling 20 oz size
3 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Coat the insert of a 4-qt slow cooker with non-stick pray. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the cooker and put it in place at the bottom
In a medium bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, butter and sour cream until smooth. Add the milk gradually then beat for 2 minutes on high speed. Stir in the 1/2 tsp cinnamon and the nutmeg. Set aside.
Using a food processor, sharp knife or potato masher, crush the pie filling to make smaller pieces. Stir in the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Spoon half the pie filling mixture in an even layer at the bottom of the slow cooker then top with half the cake batter. Spoon the remaining pie filling on top then the remaining batter, smoothing the top.
Cover and cook on hight for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the insert and lid and cool for 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter.

Notes

Cake mix box sizes vary—you will need the 2-layer size.

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Beef With Noodles

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 13 Oct 2018 23:00:05 +0000

Slow cooked beef chuck steak and hearty noodles is a family-pleasing meal.

A Slow Cooker Favorite

Even though a slow cooker is an all-season appliance, most of us still associate it’s use with the colder weather. I think that’s because it produces some of the best comfort-food meals you’ll ever taste.

And your slow cooker comes through again with this unbelievably tasty meal! Although I have to add at this point that this is not one of those dump-and-go crockpot meals. The slow cooker does most of the work, but there are a couple of “stages” to this dish.

However, because this meal reheats so easily, it’s a make-ahead on the weekend recipe that can be served later in the week. The bonus is it will taste even better!

Frozen Noodles–Oh Yeah!

I remember hearing about frozen noodles a couple of years ago. Frankly, I thought the idea was a bit ridiculous.

The original recipe called for them, but I discovered up in my neck of the woods, they weren’t readily available at local grocery stores. I took a chance and checked the Walmart website and lo and behold, they had them and in my local store. I imagine that’s because they’re a national retailer as opposed to my local supermarkets that are regional.

After using them in this recipe, I can say I now feel ashamed of my original thoughts. These frozen noodles are absolutely delicious and have a texture more like dumplings than dried egg noodles. I feel they are the key that pulls this whole recipe together.

Don’t Like Mushrooms?

If you don’t care for mushrooms, they can easily be omitted in this recipe. This beef and noodles has such a good taste, that you’ll love it without them–even if you like mushrooms.

But if you’re a lover of mushrooms, then you’ll really like the way they are prepared. That’s one of the “stages” in the recipe. Thirty minutes before the end of the cooking time, you sear the mushrooms in butter–big YUM!

The original recipe called for slicing the mushrooms, but I used baby button mushrooms and seared them whole. I though it added more oomph and texture to this.

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The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Beef With Noodles

Slow cooked beef chuck steak and hearty noodles is a family-pleasing meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time8

Total Time8 15

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: slow cooker beef, slow cooker recipes

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 522kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lb boneless chuck roast
1 tbs steak seasoning Montreal is good
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper optional if you use a steak seasoning with salt
2 tbs oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme OR 1/4 tsp dried thyme
4 cups beef stock I use low sodium
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
12 oz frozen egg noodles like Reames brand
2 tbs unsalted butter
6 oz button mushrooms
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Mix salt and pepper (if using) with the steak seasoning and rub onto both sides of the meat. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet then brown on both sides. Transfer the meat to a 4-6 qt slow cooker.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom. Add this to the slow cooker along with the bay leaf, thyme, onion and garlic. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours (times approximate).
When roast is tender, remove from the slow cooker and break into large chunks; cover and set aside. Now add the stock, Worcestershire sauce and frozen noodles to the slow cooker and cook on high 1-1 1/2 hours.
Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes or until seared well and most of the liquid is evaporated.
Add the mushrooms, meat and heavy cream to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 15 minutes.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Cuisine At Home

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Italian Chicken Thighs

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 22 Sep 2018 23:00:52 +0000

Great tasting Italian herb flavored chicken thighs in a cheesy asiago sauce. Make this one stove top or in the slow cooker!

Stove Top Or Slow Cooker

You heard that right! There’s two ways to make this!

The original recipe was a slow cooker recipe. However, you browned the chicken and made the sauce on the stovetop. The only thing the slow cooker did was cook the whole kit and kaboodle.

To me, it was a bit ridiculous to have most of the prep done on the stove then just let the slow cooker cook the chicken. Plus chicken is pretty quick cooking done by conventional methods so I just adapted the recipe.

The slow cooker method isn’t “all-day” cooking either. The cooking time was 3 1/2-4 hours on low, so it’s not really a meal that you can toss in the crock pot before you leave for work. But I will say that this probably gets more flavor in the slow cooker because the flavor of the sauce will infuse better into the chicken.

The choice of cooking method, therefore, is entirely up to you.

Yummy Asiago Cheese

I just love asiago cheese and I use it a lot in my cooking. Everyone who has made my Mushroom Asiago Chicken raves about it and it’s also good reheated. I’ll state up front that I usually think reheated chicken is gross, but that recipe along with this one, is pretty good, if not better reheated. The secret is the highly flavorful sauce.

This recipe uses grated Asiago. I’m not sure if you can find it already grated in your supermarket. Mine doesn’t have it but sells it shredded or in a wedge. In a real pinch a combination of Parmesan and Romano may be used–50 percent of each variety. However, do use the Asiago, even if it means having to grate it from the wedge. It’s got tons of flavor and you definitely won’t be sorry for the extra step.

Yes, That Much Italian Seasoning

OK I was dubious at first when I saw the amounts! I’m a person who likes a light and airy flavor with herbs so I tend not to go heavy handed with them. However, here it just works. I took the chance and used the full amount and wasn’t sorry at all. The flavoring is not overpowering at all and just like Baby Bear’s porridge, it’s just right!

The Recipe

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Italian Chicken Thighs

Great tasting Italian herb flavored chicken thighs in a cheesy asiago sauce. Make this one stove top or in the slow cooker!

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Total Time55

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken, chicken recipe, chicken thighs, slow cooker chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 670kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs Italian seasoning divided
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs minced fresh garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock see NOTES
1/2 cup half-and-half OR light cream
1 1/4 cups grated Asiago cheese divided
2 oz cream cheese cubed

Instructions

Combine 1 tbs Italian seasoning, salt and pepper then rub on all sides of the chicken.
Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken very well on both sides; about 8-10 minutes. Remove to a plate. Pour off all but 1 tbs of fat from the pan.
Add the garlic and the remaining 1 tbs of Italian seasoning to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced by half; about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the stock and half-and-half and heat to a simmer.
Add 1 cup of the Asiago and the cream cheese, whisking until the cheeses melt and sauce is slightly thickened.
Return chicken to the pan, bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30-35 minutes. Top chicken with remaining 1/4 cup of Asiago.
For slow cooker: after browning, place chicken in a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Continue making sauce as in main recipe. Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and cook on low for 3 1/2-4 hours.

Notes

I always use low-sodium stocks. I find Better Than Bouillon to be the best tasting.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Cuisine At Home

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Slow Cooker Beer Can Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 00:00:40 +0000

Everyone will love this slow cooker beer can chicken and so will you because it’s so easy!

Beer Can Chicken: Adapted For Slow Cooker

Beer can chicken is usually made on an outdoor’s grill due to its potential messiness. Therefore, it’s been a good-weather treat.

The same effect can be achieved in your slow cooker too! Since the beer acts more or less as a basting medium that infuses a flavor, the slow cooker is the perfect appliance to get almost the same results.

By using your crock pot, you can enjoy this treat year round.

Some Like It Hot

This rub can be anywhere from mild to super hot depending on the amounts of two ingredients.

The main heat-generating ingredient is cayenne pepper. Unless you know that everyone you’re serving is into 5-alarm heat, go with the lesser amount of this ingredient when you prepare the rub.

Next up is paprika. Sure you can use the generic variety found on most supermarket shelves, but this chicken will taste better if you use a smoked variety paprika. Smoked paprika comes either mild or hot. If you use the hot, you are going to add more heat on top of the cayenne, so choose wisely. I used the mild smoked variety here and as I mentioned before, I’d advise you to do so as well, unless, of course, you’re into big-time heat.

If you can’t find the more gourmet paprikas in your store, then the generic variety will do, but make sure it’s fresh otherwise it will have no flavor at all.

Now For The Beer

The choice of beer of course, is up to you.

The original recipe called for dark beer. Sometimes this is only available in the fall, but in larger cities, it should be available year round. Dark beer is not Guiness, although Guiness would probably produce an interesting flavor. If you’re willing to spend extra on a craft beer, then dark beer wouldn’t be difficult to find. I’ve heard it said about beer (and wine) that if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it. I’m not that much of a connoisseur to be honest and I used an el cheapo lager for this and the chicken tasted fine.

The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Beer Can Chicken

Everyone will love this slow cooker beer can chicken and so will you because it’s so easy to make!

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time8 10

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beer can chicken, slow cooker chicken, slow cooker recipes

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 693kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

5-6 lb whole chicken
2 tbs smoked paprika I used mild
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp tarragon
2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or up to 1 tsp, depending on your preference
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tbs butter softened
12 oz dark beer or lager

Instructions

Make 4 balls of aluminum foil (about 2-inches in diameter each)
Place bunched rolls of foil in bottom of 6-quart slow cooker and pour in beer.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Pull skin gently away from bird. Mix all dry seasonings together.
Mix 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning blend into butter.
Spread butter mixture under skin of chicken.
With clean dry hands, rub remaining spice blend onto chicken skin.
Place chicken on top of foil balls in slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or low on 7-8 hours. Check the temperature - chicken is done when the temperature is 165-170 in the thickest part of the thigh. Continue to cook if needed.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Cook Top Cove

The post Slow Cooker Beer Can Chicken appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Slow Roasted Beef Short Ribs

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 00:00:04 +0000

Slow roasting is the key to the great flavor in these beef short ribs. So simple but so delicious.

Slow Roasted Beef Short Ribs: Choose Your Method

No matter how you make these beef short ribs, they will taste delicious. However, the texture is best when they are done low and slow on the gas BBQ grill.

But you just don’t want these ribs to be a summer thing–especially if you’re in the northeast like me. So fortunately they can also be made quite well in the oven! If you have a convection oven, that’s even better and they may take less time. I recently got a dual-fuel range in my business location and have been having fun cooking with convection! So if you do have this feature, use either “convection bake” or “convection roast” and set the temperature to 250℉ and enjoy! They will be lovely and crusty on the outside and perfectly moist inside.

However, if you have a conventional oven, roast them at 300 ℉ and they’ll come out great.

As For Slow Cooking

You can use your slow cooker to roast the ribs. It’s not my preferred method because unlike usual slow cooker recipes, this one you have to tend because you must remove any accumulated liquid for the ribs to roast nicely. That’s a real departure from conventional “set it and forget it” crock pot cooking.

If you’re careful to remove the liquid, the slow cooker does act like a regular oven and will roast and not steam. Of course you don’t have to do this and if you don’t mind the ribs not being crispy on the outside, then by all means don’t bother. If you have a Ninja cooker, you can place the ribs on the included rack and set to slow cook. This, of course, does not eliminate the steam that’s produced by the liquid, but it does keep the ribs from sitting in the liquid. A small rack in a conventional slow cooker will achieve the same result.

Nice Sides

I love these ribs with coleslaw! It’s equally as good served with my Kicked Up Coleslaw as it is with my more fancy-schmantzy Dijon Coleslaw.

The Recipe

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Slow Roasted Beef Short Ribs

No matter how you make these beef short ribs, they will taste delicious. However, the texture is best when they are done low and slow on the gas BBQ grill.

Prep Time5

Cook Time3

Total Time3 5

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef recipe, beef short ribs, roasted short ribs

Servings: 4

Calories: 791kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

5 lbs (8-10) beef short ribs weight includes the bones

Dry Rub:

1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp savory
1/4 tsp thyme
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

Wipe excess moisture off short ribs with a paper towel.
Combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl; then rub each rib generously with the mixture. At this point you may place the ribs in a sealed plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. This will produce the best flavor but it is not necessary.
To make on a gas grill: Light one side of the grill and when the temperature inside the grill reaches 300 ℉ place the ribs on the UNLIT side of the grill, close the lid and slow roast for about 3 hours, being careful to maintain the temperature.
In the oven: Preheat oven to 300 ℉. Place ribs on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for about 3 hours.
You may cook them longer if you like your ribs with “fall off the bone” meat. This will probably take an additional hour.

Notes

May be made in the slow cooker too. Allow 8-10 hours on low and remove any accumulated liquid throughout the cooking time.

Nutrition

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