Nothing but a Crock

This was an ultra-delicious pureed soup using three types of potatoes: russet, Yukon gold (my favorite), and sweet potatoes. I found this recipe, which is actually called, “Creamy Three Potato Crock Pot Soup with Rosemary” on the BetterRecipes.com Website, and I must say that it’s one of the best potato soup recipes I’ve ever tasted.

Creamy Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Here’s what you need:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium russet baking potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• ¼ cup margarine
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (or use ½ teaspoon dried rosemary)
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary for garnish

Here’s what to do:

• Set the crock pot (I used my round 4-quart model) to the high heat setting. Stir in the olive oil and onion and cook for about 10 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, peel and chop the potatoes.
• Add the potatoes, vegetable stock, water, margarine, salt, and 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary (reserve the rest for a garnish). Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover the crock pot and let the soup cook for 6 to 8 hours.
• Puree the soup in the crock pot with an immersion blender or a hand mixer.
• Ladle the soup into 6 bowls and garnish each serving with a sprig of fresh rosemary (or ladle the soup into one bowl and refuse to share it with anyone else).

I made this soup last night, which was the day I chose this week to go vegetarian. I’ve been fairly successful in adhering to my plan to have at least one vegetarian day every week (except for a two-week stretch after Thanksgiving); in fact, sometimes I find myself enjoying a vegetarian diet for more than one day a week as part of my lifestyle change of eating healthier and avoiding fast food restaurants. Besides being a great vegetarian dish, this soup is perfect for warming you up on a cold winter night (and it’s economical, too). Enjoy!

Wintertime seems to be a good time for a hearty beef dish, especially one cooked in the crock pot. I found a good recipe on the RecipeTips.com site, called “Slow Cooked Beef in Onion Sauce” that I highly recommend. 

Here’s what you need:

• 1 beef chuck roast, 2 to 3 lbs.
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
• 2 pounds onions, chopped or thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup of dry red wine
• 1 cup of water

Here’s what to do:

• Trim any excess fat from the meat.
• Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano in a small bowl; then rub this mixture on all surfaces of the meat.
• Place the onions, garlic, tomato paste, and about ½ cup of the water into crock pot and mix well. Add the remaining liquid and stir.
• Nestle the meat into the liquid, cover the crock pot, and cook on the low heat setting for 8 to 9 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. Taste for seasoning.

Like many other slow cooker recipes that I find while searching the Internet, this recipe didn’t specify the size of the slow cooker to use, but I used my oval 5-quart model, and it worked just fine. I served this recipe with mashed potatoes and green beans—fantastic! Try it and see what I mean.

Oh, and one thing I have to mention about the RecipeTips.com site: I discovered that they have a really thorough section about slow cooking describing everything you need to know to make great food using a slow cooker. This information has been very helpful to me and I use it quite often. Check it out and see if you agree.

“Slow Cooker Big Party Cheese Dip” is a thick, spicy party dip that is guaranteed to please. I found it on the GroupRecipes.com Website when I was searching for a hot hors d’ oeuvre that I could bring to a potluck party. This recipe, submitted by “Candymonkies,” makes a large quantity, so you may want to halve the ingredients if you’re not serving it for a large gathering; in fact, I added the words, Big Party, to the title, because this recipe makes so much that you need to serve it at a big party unless you want a ton of leftovers.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef (Note: Although 95% lean ground beef is more expensive than fattier varieties, I think it really is a necessity in this recipe so that you don’t end up with a crock full of excess fat and grease floating about.)
• 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
• 16 oz. pasteurized processed cheese (Velveeta), cubed
• 11 oz. can sliced jalapeno peppers, drained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 8 oz. cheddar cheese, cubed
• 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
• 8 oz. cottage cheese
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 8 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Here’s what to do:

• Brown the ground beef and the Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up the meat; then drain and discard the fat.
• Transfer the meat to the slow cooker and add all of the other ingredients.
• Cover and cook on high for 1½ to 2 hours or until the cheeses are melted. Don’t lift the cover until finished.
• Stir before serving. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips (the thicker the better).

The recipe didn’t specify the size of slow cooker to use, but I used my oval 5-quart model, which was more than adequate. When I was ready to serve the dip, I transferred a large portion to a chafing dish, which kept the dip warm and bubbly throughout the party. It’s also worth noting that this is a dense, heavy mixture, so make sure to use thick chips. Thin, flimsy chips will break when you dip them, causing a big mess in your crock pot or serving bowl. Thanks for the great recipe, “Candymonkies.”

I found a good wild rice soup recipe on BettyCrocker.com that was just the ticket for warming me up on a bleak winter day: one of those cold gray lifeless days that fill me with the sense that spring will never come. Well, it’s difficult to feel too depressed while enjoying this tasty, satisfying soup, called “Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.”

Here’s what you need:

• A 3 ½- to 4-quart slow cooker (I used my 4-quart round model.)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 5 thighs), cut into one-inch pieces
• ½ cup uncooked wild rice
• ¼ cup fresh or frozen chopped onions (I used fresh)
• 2 cans (10 ¾ ounces each) condensed cream of potato soup
• 1 can (14 ounces) roasted garlic-seasoned chicken broth
• 2 cups fresh or frozen sliced carrots (I used fresh)
• 1 cup half-and-half

Here’s what to do:

• Place the cut-up chicken in the slow cooker.
• In a large bowl, mix the wild rice, onions, carrots, condensed soup, and broth; then pour the mixture over the chicken.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook on the low heat setting for 7 to 8 hours.
• Stir in the half-n-half; then increase the heat setting to high, cover, and cook for an additional 15 to 30 minutes or until piping hot.

I did make one change to the ingredients: I didn’t have any garlic-seasoned chicken broth on hand, so I used regular canned chicken broth plus one-half teaspoon of garlic powder. The recipe did suggest doing this as a substitution, except that you should use only one-quarter teaspoon of garlic powder, but I like a bolder garlic flavor. The recipe also suggests serving the soup with cheese-garlic biscuits, which sounded fantastic (the recipe was provided), but I didn’t have the time (or frankly, the desire) to make them. I simply served the soup with what I had on hand: crusty sourdough bread. Mmmm!