A Slow Cooker Twofer - Basic Tomato + Marinara Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Local tomatoes have started to come in with a vengeance. Not too long ago, that would have me pulling out the canning kettle  in anticipation of putting all those tomatoes by. I loved to see the shelves of my pantry bulging with jewel-toned jars. These days, space and other practical considerations keep the farm wife in me at bay, and those jars of vibrant red have been replaced by a few pints of frozen sauce. I use the slow cooker to make the two types of sauce I freeze. One is a basic tomato sauce that contains only salt and olive oil. I use no other seasoning, so I can work it into various types of ethnic recipes. The other is a ready to go marinara sauce that can be used with pasta, chicken or vegetables when I'm in the mood for an Italian-type meal. Both sauces are delicious and simple to make, but my scales tip slightly in favor of the one that is unseasoned because it uses unpeeled tomatoes. Both versions, however, require seedless tomatoes. Don't skimp here. Slow cooker tomato sauces turn bitter if there are seeds are mixed with the other ingredients. A few strays won't make a difference, but it is worth your time to remove as many as you can if you want sauce worthy of your time. I do hope you'll give both these recipes a try. Here is how these simple sauces are made.

Slow Cooker Curried Chicken Thighs

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm a big fan of the recipes that are featured in Family Circle magazine. I saw this recipe for Indian-Spiced Chicken Thighs in their June issue, and I knew I had to give it a try. The recipe looks lengthy because of the number of spices that are used in its preparation, but once they are assembled the recipe is a no-brainer and the slow cooker does the work. I hope you'll give this dish a try, if for no other reason than its aroma, which is close to perfume. If you love the fragrance of curries you won't be able to resist this dish. I followed the recipe exactly as it was written, but altered the cooking time, as I generally do with slow cooker recipes. I cooked my chicken on High for one hour and then reduced the heat and cooked it on Low for another two. I think most slow cooker recipes result in overcooked meat and I try to avoid that. I know that not all of you agree with me, so I've left the Family Circle directions intact. Do give this chicken a try at some point this summer. Here is how it's made.

Slow Cooker Country Ribs with Asian-Style Black Bean Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This slow cooker meal is one of those dishes whose tastes belies how simple it is to prepare. It's made with country-style pork ribs that are always available in the supermarket, and the ribs don't cost a king's ransom to prepare. I usually serve them as one of three courses I would make for an Asian-style dinner. This past weekend, I toted fully cooked ribs to the cottage and served them with dumplings and egg rolls that came from the grocers freezer case. No one was the wiser and everyone enjoyed the meal. This is a great family dinner and it's one of my favorite slow cooker recipes. While it may be another manifestation of my "princess and the pea" syndrome, I think pork holds up better in the slow cooker than other meats or poultry. Pork actually retains some flavor and texture while it bubbles in the pot. This is a wonderful meal for busy people or novice cooks to prepare. Once it's in the pot it can be forgotten, but it has the flavor of a dish that has received a great deal of care and attention. If you have not already done so, I hope you will give this effortless recipe a try. Here is how the ribs are made.

Slow Cooker Mock Chicken Mole with Soft Tacos

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is another incredibly simple recipe that's wonderful to have on hand when you'll be feeding hungry teens, or hosting a crowd on game day. It's basically a dump recipe that comes together in a slow cooker, so, as cook, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy your company. The recipe comes from Family Circle magazine and my version is nearly identical to the one they featured, save for the fact that I have slightly altered its name. I don't think this dish has the same depth of flavor as a true mole, so, I've taken the liberty of changing it, hoping that no one will have false expectations about how the finished dish will taste. Don't misunderstand me. This is a nice recipe that I know most folks will enjoy, but it is not a true mole and I don't want anyone going into this thinking that it is. I have also altered the cook time for the recipe. Their chicken cooks for almost 8 hours, but mine is in the slow cooker for half that time. At the 4 hour mark, the chicken can be pulled, but will still retain some substance and not be stringy. I suspect that many of you will want to add more heat to the "mole" sauce. A teaspoon is fine for me and mine, but I know there are fire breathers among you who will find that to be too tame. Go for whatever your palate can handle. The Silver Fox and I are heading to the coast this weekend and this chicken is traveling with us. It keeps in the refrigerator for several days, and it will make at least one meal I don't have to worry about. Here is how the mock chicken mole is made.

Slow-Cooker Ham

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The Silver Fox and I rarely have ham these days. A ham simply provides too much meat for two people, so unless the Texan pig loving contingent of the family is visiting, we take a pass. Last week I was gifted a boneless ham. A neighbor had purchased it for the holiday, but a last minute change of plans left me with her ham. I decided to cook it before the holiday because I was more interested in the leftovers than a holiday meal. Several years ago, I had seen a recipe for ham that cooked in a slow cooker. To this day, I haven't figured out how they fit a spiral ham into the slow cooker, but my small 5 pounder looked like it was designed to cook in there. I'm not much into sweet glazes, so I rarely vary the first recipe I used to glaze a ham. While I played with proportions, the glaze I used to make our ham is the same one I used 50 years ago. I know I should voluntarily surrender my "foodie" credentials for that heresy, but it's just ham and the glaze I have works, so I'm not going to fix what isn't broken. Our ham turned out well, and should I ever again have a small ham to prepare, I'll pull out my slow cooker and make it this way again. You might want to give the recipe a try. Here is how the ham is made.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I took out my can opener and put this soup together before heading to the coast early this afternoon. The Silver Fox was going to spend the afternoon watching the Super Bowl with friends, and while they did not watch the game here, I suspected they'd be at my table when the game ended. After an afternoon of snacks and junk food, I wanted something that was filling and substantial, but easy to make. This is one of the easiest recipes I have in my rotation. It is effortless to make and if you enjoy spicy Mexican food I think you'll love this soup. I served it with a "guy-type" salad and skillet cornbread and I can happily report that I have no leftovers to deal with. Here is how the soup is made.

Slow-Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is another of the dishes we had at the lake last weekend. While the recipe for this slow cooker stew is easy enough to be included in my cottage cooking collection, I made it at home and brought it with us for dinner on Friday night. The cabin we stayed in is very basic and did not have a slow cooker that I could have use to make it, so I froze and transported it rather than fuss. It takes about 20 minutes to assemble the stew and it is usually ready to eat about four hours later. In my book, that makes it perfect for an easy weeknight meal. While the stew has an Asian bent, it will appeal to a broad span of diners and it really is a snap to make. Do give this one a try. I think you'll like it. Here is how this simple, but delicious stew is made.

Back to School Suppers - Slow Cooker Pork and Cabbage Casserole

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If they aren't yet out the door they soon will be. The school bell is tolling and as the kids head back to classes, we have to ease them back into the school year. Schedules change and as the heat abates appetites increase. Trouble is, time is finite, and chances are you are as busy as they are. I always struggled with back to school suppers. My kids were athletic and once school sports started salad suppers no longer cut it. I wanted to re-introduce some rib-sticking meals, but time was a problem and I had to search for filling dishes that could be quickly prepared. This is the kind of recipe I would have jumped on had it been available back then. It's a 5 ingredient slow cooker meal that is truly effortless. The ingredients go into the pot without browning, so this is a load and go creation that is perfect for fall and winter meals. It can be served with potatoes or noodles and the pork is delicious. Older children will love the combination of pork and cabbage. If you are in the market for easy school night recipes, you might want to give this one a try. Here is how this simple pork and cabbage supper is made.

Effortless Slow- Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches with Pickled Peppers and Provolone Cheese

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...So much of the food we prepare depends on what our families will eat. Many of you might find these Italian-style beef sandwiches too heavy for a summer meal. I have a very active family and their food choices are dictated less by the weather than might be the case for a less lively crew. If you have spent the day on or in the water, a sandwich like this one really hits the spot. I happen to like this hoagie because the beef used to make it is truly effortless, unless you are a stickler and feel you have to factor in the energy expended by plugging in the slow-cooker. As is the case with most really simple recipes, I have nothing to add to the instructions that come with it, except to urge you to give these sandwiches a try. Here is how they are made.

Bob's in the Kitchen - Beef and Hominy Slow-Cooker Stew

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Mary suggested I make this. The stew is made with a standard list of stew ingredients, but the addition of spicy canned tomatoes and hominy gives it a slightly Southwestern bent. For those who don't know, hominy is made from dried corn kernels that have been soaked in a lye or lime solution. Soaking removes the tough outer shells of the kernels and produces a more flavorful and nutritious kernel that has a creamier texture than corn. Hominy is used extensively in Native American and Mexican cooking and it is a popular addition to dishes in the Southern and Southwestern United States. While this dish can be prepared stovetop, today's recipe, developed by Family Circle magazine, utilizes a slow-cooker to make the stew. It is the type of entrée that will appeal to very busy cooks, and it is easy enough for beginner or substitute cooks to tackle. Mary browns the meat when she makes the stew, but I put it directly into the ceramic crock along with the other ingredients. It turned out O.K. I followed her suggestion and cooked the stew for a total of  6 rather than the 8 hours you'll find in the recipe directions, so the meat retained some texture and was not mushy. This is not a fancy dish, but it makes a nice winter meal for folks who are really busy. If you think your family would like this stew, you can find the recipe, here.

Cloudy with a Chance of Slow-Cooked Porcini Meatballs

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Those of you who can't imagine life without a slow cooker will love this recipe. Those of you who love meatballs, no matter how they're cooked, will join the slow cooker crowd up there on cloud nine. Despite the length of the ingredient list, which, by the way, is mostly spices, the meatballs are simple to make, and the addition of sweet vermouth and fennel give them a distinctive flavor that I think you'll really enjoy. While the recipe was designed for the slow cooker, the sauce and meatballs can be simmered in a conventional manner if you prefer to control cooking on your stove top. However you chose to cook them, I want to share a couple of suggestions with those of you who plan to give the meatballs a try. If you want to serve them with pasta, double the sauce ingredients listed in the recipe below. What follows next is, I know anathema, but that's never stopped me before, so, based on personal experience and preference, I'd like you to give some serious thought to cooking the meatballs for less time than the recipe suggests. When I make these meatballs in a convention manner, I simmer them, stove top, for an hour. When I use the slow cooker I cook them on LOW for six hours. I like softer meatballs, and, my experience has been, the longer these cook the firmer they become. That may, however, be fine with you. Strangely enough, I've also found their taste does not improve with age. The flavor of the sweet vermouth seems to dissipate when the meatballs are re-heated and, on day two I think they they are remarkably ordinary. All that being said, if you share my love for meatballs and are looking for new ways to prepare them, do give this recipe a try. You will not be disappointed. Here is how they are made.

A Chicken in Every (Crock) Pot

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Despite my best efforts to avoid what I thought would be wall to wall crowds, I had to go to the mall this past weekend. As it happened, the place looked like someone had forgotten to send invitations to a birthday party. Back in the day, this was a big weekend for merchants. New shoes and outfits were de rigueur, as were lunch boxes and pencil boxes that begged to be stocked with school supplies whose number and price grew every year. Most of us delayed shopping until sales began and the weekend before school started rivaled Christmas in the crowds it drew to the malls. Our near empty stores are a sure sign that shopping habits have changed. While the pencil box has gone the way of the dinosaur, I hope that kids still get to pick the rulers and notebooks and pens that  fill their backpacks. I loved to stock my own pencil box and seemed to pass that proclivity on to my own children, who had an eye for anything bright and shiny and more expensive than it ought to be. While we found no crowds at the malls, we found them elsewhere. Our weather has been warm, and while the rivers are low, they haven't prevented locals from tubing in areas where they can catch the current. The cars in the inset photo are those of swimmers who spent the day floating on the river on rather inelegant black inner tubes. Despite pools, the old swimming hole and river currents still hold some sway, as the crowd at this and other bridges indicates. Ready for segue? If you've spent a day on the river or have to get dinner on the table for your hungry scholars, I think you will enjoy this effortless chicken casserole that's made in a slow cooker. This is not, nor will it ever be, company fare, but it makes a great family meal on those days you're absent from the kitchen and still need to have dinner ready and waiting for your crew. Here is how it's made.

Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I don't mean to dump on weather men. I know they're good to their mothers and love their wives and children, but they are the only group of people I know, who can be consistently wrong and still receive regular raises and promotions. Last week they spread the word that temperatures would be the the low 80's for the foreseeable future. It was just a rumor. Thermometers here hit 100 degrees today and while we don't have humidity, 100 degrees is still too darn hot for an outdoor adventure. Relegated to the house for the duration I had two choices: housework or cooking. Guess which I decided to do? I bought a flat of blueberries yesterday and they kept me the kitchen for most of the day. I wanted to test some new recipes for cakes and pies, but my real goal was to walk through a recipe for blueberry butter that I had first seen in the book Food in Jars, by Marisa McClellan. I was attracted to the recipe because it appeared to be effortless, was cooked in a slow cooker and made a small batch of preservable fruit that was perfect for two people. It was also my token canning adventure for the summer. It turned out well, and I thought those of you who enjoy blueberries, might want to give it a try. It is not as sweet as a jam or jelly and while it is spreadable, it has an entirely different texture. You can control how thick or thin you want the spread to be by regulating the amount of time it cooks and if you process it in a boiling water bath it will keep for 6 months in your pantry. I hope some of you will give the recipe a try. Here is how it's made.

Slow Cooker - Tres Leches Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Sugar Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Those of you who love the bearly sweet desserts of Europe may be excused from tonight's post, but I do hope you'll return tomorrow evening when I'll be featuring something less treacly to balance things for you. If, however, you have a sweet tooth that rivals that of the critters that hover around a pie chest, keep reading. Kelsey Nixon has created this unusual bread pudding for The Cooking Channel, and it is a great way to end a spicy Southwestern-style barbecue. While her creation is not cheap to make, it's really easy to prepare and I think those of you those of you who are looking for new ways to use your slow cooker will be tempted to give it a try. I followed her recipe to a tee, save for the fact that I used a liner of paper towels under the lid to capture excess moisture and prevent it from making the pudding goopy. The sweet lovers at the table had nothing but good words to say about the finished pudding, so I'm confident that it's good enough to share with you tonight. I will, however, repeat, it is very sweet and meant only for those of you who aren't afraid of sugar shock. Here is how this pudding and sauce are made. 

Slow Cooker Peach and Blueberry Crumble

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The bins at our local farmer's markets are nearly groaning from the weight of  fruits that have already been harvested. Early apples, apricots and plums have made their appearance and peaches, though just starting to come to market, are also plentiful this year. The peaches, however delicious, present a problem, because they all seem to ripen at the same time. I've been looking for simple ways to prepare them before they become candidates for the compost pile. I found this recipe, which I have only slightly modified, in Beth Hensperger's Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker, and I use it a couple of times every summer to make a dent in my own overzealous fruit purchases. I think you'll like this dessert, but I want to point out that crumb toppings that are baked in a slow cooker will lack the crispy crunch of their oven-baked cousins. I've found the crumbs can be made less soggy if the lid of the slow cooker is lined with several layers of paper toweling that will catch the moisture that accumulates as the fruit cooks. As you skim through the recipe, you'll find that I do not peel the peaches I use to make the crumble. I find they better hold their shape when the skins are left intact. The skins seem to disappear as the peaches cook and leaving them in place certainly makes preparation of the crumble much easier for the cook. I am all for easy. This is a nice family dessert and it is a perfect way to end a summer barbecue. I do hope you'll give the recipe a try. Here is how the crumble is made.

Slow Cooker - Asian-Inspired Orange Pork Stew

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's still quite warm here, but hot weather never stops the Silver Fox from his intended pursuits. He had planned a full day on the water and the thermostat was not about to slow him down. In order to make sure he didn't kill himself, I agreed to be his helmsman. While weather affects my appetite, it doesn't his, so I knew he'd be hungry when we came ashore. I also knew that I'd be in no mood to cook. I decided to pull out the slow cooker and see what I could come up with. This orange flavored stew was doable with the ingredients I had on hand, so I literally threw everything into the pot, said a hopeful prayer over the ingredients and followed him out the door. We came home to a lovely, ready to serve family meal that was devoured by the sailors sitting at my table. I think you'll love the ease with which this dish comes together. It is not an award winner, but it makes a wonderful busy day meal that you might want to try. Here is how it's made.