{A Load of Crock: Chelsea of Seablanket}

Vegetarian Pineapple + Barbecue Tofu

Hi everyone! It’s Chelsea from Seablanket.com. I’m excited to be wrapping up Allison’s crock pot series, it’s been so fun! This is one of my favorite Crock Pot recipes and is perfect for lettuce wraps or poured over stir-fry veggies and rice with sesame seeds! Not only is it easy and take less than 10 minutes to prepare, but it’s also my favorite way to marinate my tofu.

Ingredients:
-2 containers of Firm Tofu, pressed
-1 1/2 cups Ketchup
-3 Tbsp brown sugar
-2 Tbsp soy sauce
-1 Tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
-1 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
-1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
-Salt and Pepper to Taste
-1 can Diced Pineapple, Drained

 Cut up your tofu into 1” cubes. Combine tofu and all ingredients into your crock pot. Stir, cover and cook on low for 5-6 Hours. Stir and serve. Makes 8 Servings

{A Load of Crock: Savannah's spicy chicken curry}

{Hello Ballpoint + pen readers! I'm Savannah from over at Savannah Smiles! This is not your momma's crock pot creation, let me tell you what.  8 hours of simmering, slow cookin' spicy curry chicken. This is my own recipe I adapted from a generic curry chicken recipe to fit our taste more. I am a spicy girl, but the red pepper flakes and chili powder can be omitted if need be!}

{Ingredients}

1 lb. cubed chicken breast

3 gold yukon potatoes

2 1/2 cups water

1 can chicken broth concentrate

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs curry powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 Tbs flour

Cube chicken and cook on the stove until all sides are white, though not cooked all the way through.

Cube potatoes and throw them in the slow cooker with the chicken. 

Add all spices + the garlic, toss to spread spices. Add both the chicken broth and water.

Cook on low for 7 1/2 hours.

At 7 1/2 hours add peas. Take some of the broth and mix it with the flour before adding it back into the pot.

Cook an additional 1/2 hour. 

Enjoy!

.::love savannah + ali::.

{A Load of Crock: Justine's pulled pork}

 

{Meet Justine :)}

 Hello Ballpoint and Pen readers! Thank you Ali for having me here!
I was really excited to try out some crockpot recipes especially since I am out of my house for 12+ hours at a time, so time is not on my side. I love the fact that you can throw this stuff in and you have 5 or so hours before its done!  Here is the recipe I used :)

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, well trimmed

1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1. Place pork in slow cooker. Mix Seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.

2. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.

3. Shred pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker. Mix and heat with sauce before serving. Serve on sandwich rolls, if desired.

Thanks again guys! 

.::justine + ali::.

{Crock-a-doodle-doo: Breakfast in the pot!}

 {This is kind of an odd ball recipe that I fiddled with, so it turned out a little weird but with some tweaking it could be a winner!}

1/2  a package of shredded frozen hash browns
2 precooked sausages or leftover ham chopped up
1/2 of a onion diced
2 zucchini diced {I added this in}
1 cup shredded cheese
5-6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper

Spray your pot with non stick spray. Dump your hash browns into the crock pot. Spread evenly over the bottom of the pot. In a bowl, mix your eggs, milk, salt, pepper, cheese, sausage and veggies. Pour over your hash browns. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. I did it on low for about 7 hours. If you want to cook it over night and wake up to yummy breakfast, then the low setting is what you want to do. just make sure the eggs are fully cook (how could they not be after 7 hours :) Honestly mine was a bit over cooked, so I would keep an eye on it and shoot for maybe 5-6 hrs on low. Good Luck!

.::ali::.

{A Load of Crock: Steel cut oats with Corynne}

Hey every body! Meet Corynne :) This isn't Corynne's first visit to the blog! See her blog feature here!

I don't bust out the crock pot very often, but I do have a few favorites I like to make in it come winter time.  Cold, dark mornings are not really my thing, so the following recipe comes in handy during those dreary months when I don't want to get out of bed in the morning.  This is a recipe for steel cut oats.  As you may know, steel cut oats take a long time to cook, so the crock pot is the perfect match for them. Throw a few ingredients in your slow cooker before bed and in the morning, voila, breakfast is ready!  Its a different kind of take on your traditional stove top oatmeal.  This is a little more smooth and creamy.

I took a cue from The Kitchen's "Overnight Oatmeal" over at Apartment Therapy a few years ago and made a few tweaks of my own.  

Head over there to see a picture of the oatmeal and their take on overnight oatmeal...

Here's what you need:

1 cup steel cut oats (Make sure you buy steel cut oats! They will look like little hard round pieces.  They don't look like oats at all...)
1 to 2 Tbl brown sugar (You can always sweeten more when serving if needed)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped dried cherries (or other dried fruit)
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla
Any extra fiber you want to add (wheat germ, wheat bran, etc)

Here's what to do:

This tends to stick a little at the bottom so either spray your crock pot with cooking spray, rub with butter, or use a disposable liner.  Add ingredients and stir.  Cover with lid and set your cooker on low.  Cook for 7-8 hours. Serve with milk or cream and sweeten if you like.  Enjoy!

{A Load of Crock: newspaper clipping}

{Load of Crock: lovely link+an exciting purchase!}

{I just bought this lovely little number from Miss. Chelsea over at Seablanket! She just updated her etsy, so you better hurry over before all the pretties are gone!}

{In other news my dear friend Savannah has started a "What the Crock?!" feature, so I thought I'd shared the link for her Apple Crisp recipe! It sounds delish for a raining cold night, which I am currently experiencing! While your over there check out my recent guest post for d.i.y. laundry detergent :)}

good night my friends :) 

.::ali::.

{A Load of Crock: Danielle of Sometimes Sweet}

Hi all! Danielle here, from Sometimes Sweet. When Allison asked me to contribute a crockpot recipe I was super excited- I LOVE my crockpot...and I love this recipe. I think crockpot cooking is awesome- what's better than throwing all of your ingredients into one place and be able to go about your day, all the while your dinner is cooking! Love it. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do and maybe find a new staple in the winter months. Have fun cooking!

Here's what you need:

1 bell pepper
1 onion
olive oil
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can corn
1 can tomato paste
2 cans kidney beans
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup water
a liberal amount of your favorite spices- I used: about 1 tbsp of cumin, 1 tbsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp of red pepper flakes, sea salt/black pepper to taste.

Easiest directions ever:

1) In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add in chopped onions and peppers. Saute.

2) While the onion/pepper mixture is cooking, add everything else into the crock pot.

3) Add in onion/pepper. Stir.

4) Cover and cook in the crock pot on low for about 5-6 hours.

And wa-la! You have a totally healthy, hearty, filling pot of chili that will last for a few days. This chili is high in fiber, protein and good for your vitamins and minerals. Great stuff. And remember, you can omit or add any sort of ingredients you'd like. Some other things that would be super delicious: jalapenos, veggie "meat" crumbles, carrots, etc!

{Thanks Danielle! This sounds delish! Hope everyone had a love-ly Valentine's!}

.::love ali::.

{A Load of Crock: Clam Chowder}

{Clam chowder}

 {This one turned out pretty great guys! I think you'll want to try this one!}

 6 slices of bacon (I used apple cured bacon cuz its what I had)
2 onions, chopped
5 cans (6.5 oz each) clams, drained (keep the liquid)
6 red potatoes, cubed (I used russet potatoes since I already had some. I think red would be better)
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. black pepper
2 cans (12 oz each) evaporated milk
salt to taste

Chop up bacon and cook in a medium skillet, then saute onions with the bacon until tender. Throw those yummies in the crock pot. Take the reserved clam juice and add water to make 3 cups of liquid. Pour into crock pot. Add potatoes, garlic, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 5-8 hrs or 1-3 hrs on high. After the initial cook time turn the pot to low if you were on high previously and add reserved clams and milk. Cover again and cook an additional 30-45 mins. You want to be careful when you cook seafood. Make sure not to overcook otherwise the clams can become tough and rubbery. Season to taste.

{It is pretty stinking good, not to mention the yummy smell. It didn't turn out like classic clam chowder, all white and creamy. Instead it turned out more carmel-ly looking. I added some half and half I had but it didn't really help. It didn't really matter though. Let me know if you try this one out!}

.::love ali::.

{A Load of Crock: candies spiced nuts}

 {I tried something a little unconventional in the pot! Candied nuts! It kinda worked..I'll be honest. I may have forgotten about them and they got a little burned. You definitely need to keep the cooker on low for this one! I need to play around with this one a little more to get it right, but it showed promise!}

 2 cups nuts {I used a mixture of pecans and almonds}
a couple tbsp butter..maybe 2-3
1/4 vanilla sugar
1/4 powdered sugar

Toss in your crock pot on high for as long as it takes to melt the butter and sugar. Stir occasionally. Give it a minute to warm up.  It kinda took awhile. I used what i had on hand, so I wouldn't have to spend a lot. You can kinda make this up as you go. Once melted cook on high for 10 min then low for 2 hrs. Keep a close eye on it, because it may not take this long. It depends on your pot. Add your spices of choice. I used a touch of salt and heap of cinnamon. They taste great served warm.

{Test it out! See what you think!}

.::love ali::.

{A Load of Crock: Kelly Ann}

 Today is our first Load of Crock guest post! Hooray! Many of you may already know Kelly Ann from her blog The Flowerchild Dwelling! If you have never visited you should swing by and check her out! You will find loads of visual inspiration, music and playlists, and lots more lovely stuff!

I love pasta. And I love soup. One day, my mom took leftovers from an amazing pasta dish, dumped it into the crockpot, and made a soup out of it! It made the already yummy pasta dish about 1000 times tastier. It's one of my favorite meals, and a crockpot makes it so easy. It's really hearty and delicious, try it! The great thing is, you can take a lot of your favorite pasta dishes, throw the leftovers in your slow cooker, add some broth, let it simmer, and voila - a rich and yummy soup!

Spinach Chicken Pasta Soup

Prepare ahead:
1 lb. uncooked rigatoni
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 10oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4-5 cooked chicken breasts/tenders
2 Italian mild sausages - chicken or turkey (I prefer any kind from Trader Joe’s, they’re the best! And organic :))
1 14oz. Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
1 8oz.  low-fat chive & onion cream cheese, room temperature
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
1-2 cartons of organic chicken broth
Italian seasoning (to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Chicken: place in pyrex, season w/ ground ginger, salt & pepper, 1/2 cup water. Cover & bake until done all the way through (no pink) at 350 degrees. When chicken is cool, cut into cubes.
Sausage: cook without casings, crumbled into a bowl with the chicken when done.
Add a bit of olive oil to pan and cook the onion and garlic until translucent. Add to bowl w/ chicken and sausage.
Drain spinach (thawed) in a colander, pressing out excess water. Drain canned tomatoes. Add both thing to the bowl with everything else!
Mix in the cream cheese.
Prepare rigatoni as directed. Mix the cooked rigatoni in the mixing bowl with everything else. Spread 1/2 the mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese. Add the remaining mixture to the dish and add the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top, as well as Italian seasoning. Bake (covered w/ foil) for 30 mins. at 375 degrees.  Uncover and bake for additional 10-15 mins. longer, until bubbly.

Next Day:

Add pasta dish to crockpot, as well as 1 carton of chicken broth (or more, if needed). Stir gently. Turn crockpot on high and cover. Allow the soup to come to a boil, stirring occasionally. The mozzarella cheese will melt to create a creamier broth (so yummy, you can add extra cheese if you want ;)). Let simmer and serve! The longer you let it simmer, the heartier and more flavorful it is. Crockpot magic. ;) Enjoy!

Sounds delish Kelly Ann! Thanks for sharing! Don't forget everyone that I want you to share to! I would love to hear your tips tricks and recipes! Drop me a line and I can share it with everyone!

.::love ali::.

{A Load of Crock: using the icky bits}

{homemade chicken broth}

{A really great way to save money and be resourceful is to save the carcass after you roast a chicken and to make your own chicken broth out of it! It takes really good and makes your house smell delicious! It is super simple. Just toss what is left of the chicken, after you strip away all the meat, into your slow cooker. Add enough water to cover the chicken and season with salt pepper, and a bay leaf or two! Really you can add whatever spices you would like, I just opted to keep it simple. Really most of the flavor comes from the chicken it's self, particularly the bone marrow! I know gross...but it is really good and if you buy a organic chicken you know you aren't eating load of salt and other junk that they put into canned broth! 

Now, I cooked my chicken for so long that when i harvested the meat, the entire chicken fell all to bits and was kinda nasty looking but honestly it doesn't matter! After you slow cook on low for 6-8 hours it will fall apart anyway. Once you are done cooking use a fine strainer or cheese cloth to strain the bits out of your broth. I didnt have anything like that so I used paper towels and you know what...it totally worked great! I layers about 3 and then cupped them to pour the liquid into it. I had to change it out a few times so it's not ideal but it worked for what i needed. Let me know if you try this and how it goes!}

.::love ali::.

{A Load of Crock .::the ten::....cookbooks}

{I found some pretty nifty new and vintage slow cook cookbooks! I might have bought two of these! I got the 101 ways book and the unwatched pot cookbook. The Unwatched pot had very good reviews on amazon and some people even referred to it as their slow cooking bible! I figured it must be god! I'll let you know when I get it! I can't lie, some of these I may have picked because of their cute vintage covers! :)Hope everyone has had a great weekend! Blogging has been sparse the last few days because we have been MOVING! We have moved from our cute country cottage to a downtown apartment. There are definitely things I miss about about out cute little country homw...mostly looking at the stars..but it is SO much fun being close to everything including work, friends, shopping and church. Literally everything. Hubs and I share a car so this makes things so much easier! He can even come home on his lunch break! The apartment is still a little messy but i will post a little tour as soon as we get settled! Hopefully soon! Have a great Sunday night and I'll see you all tomorrow!}

.::love ali::.