My Personal Chef Meal Plan - 11-08-09

Posted on 11.08.09 in Menu Plans and there are

photo by Thomas Hawk

I have a personal chef. What? You didn’t know this?

Well, I do. He slaves away all day to make sure my dinner is ready at 5:30pm. Unfortunately, I usually leave him locked in the cupboard.

Every time I use my crock pot I wonder why I don’t use it all the time. There’s nothing like coming home to a waiting and yummy smelling meal.

I think the main reason is that I just don’t have many recipes for it. So today I searched far and wide (5 minutes! 2 websites!) for the easiest, tastiest, most kid friendly crock pot recipes I could find. Or something like that. I warn, you I’ve never made these, so I can’t attest for their awesomeness or un-awesomeness.

My Meals

These first two recipes I found online. I recommend reading through the comments for some helpful suggestions on making the dish healthier and/or just better than the original.
Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Lousiana Red Beans and Rice

I got this recipe out of a book. So old fashioned, I know. Kinda scares me to try a recipe that doesn’t have reviews or a star rating next to it.

Chicken Breasts with Rosemary

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 cup fresh tomato, diced

1. Place chicken in crock pot.
2. Mix vinegar, garlic, lemon rind, salt, pepper and wine. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on low 6 hours or on high 3 hours.
4. One half hour before the end, stir in rosemary and fresh tomato.

Do You Have a Personal Chef (aka crock pot)

Do you ever take him out of the cupboard? Do you have any good recipes to share?

(This post is part of MPM.)

The Comments:

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I have one and LOVE it.  Sometimes it doesn’t earn it’s keep around here, but usually I pull it out at least once a week.  I think I have a few slow cooker recipes on my blog (http://cookingwithlou.blogspot.com/) but I haven’t been on there in a while so I’m not positive. 

I recently learned you can do baked potatoes in the crockpot!  It’s my favorite.  So easy and no turning on the oven.  LOVE IT!

Thanks Lisa! I actually use a couple recipes from your cooking blog. The tostada one is a hit around here. i’ll go look for your slow cooker ones…

you MUST go to crockpot365.blogspot.com if you are looking for crockpot recipes! That is the best site for them! I got several recipes from her and everything I’ve tried has gone over really well at my house. I think you’ll see her site all over MPM as far as others using her recipes.  Good luck!

I am in LOVE with my Crockpot! My favorite thing to make in it is Shredded Beef or Chicken or Pork Tacos. Just plop in the meat, seasoning and cook on low for about 8 hours. I found lots of yummy recipes from this blog: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ and she also has a cookbook out as well.

I love using my crockpot.  It makes dinner so easy!  Red Beans and Rice is always delicious, and I definitely want to try the Chicken Breasts with Rosemary.  Yum!

I just used him yesterday!

Yesterday I pulled a beef roast from the freezer.  This morning I tossed some carrots and onions in the crock, threw the roast in, seasoned it all and turned it on.  Normally I boil some potatoes with this, but we’re having sesame noodles tonight.  I used to throw the taters in too, but then there weren’t enough for our growing family.  And in the days when I used to work, I’d prep the whole thing the night before and put it in the fridge until the morning.

The wifey does crock quite well.  She has two fan favorites:

chili

chicken soup

Could not provide a recipe, but the family gets happy over the sight of the crock pot on the counter, emitting that amazing aroma that drifts all over the house.

I love me some crock…

my mom makes amazing chili, and I’m pretty sure she uses a crockpot.

my cooking generally consists of sticking the tiny thing of mac and cheese in the microwave.

Two favorites:

Crockpot Salsa Chicken
Place frozen chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot, pour a packet of taco seasoning to cover the top.  Mix 1 can of cream of chicken soup with 1 cup of salsa and pour over the chicken/taco seasoning.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, adding sour cream right before it’s finished.  I then shred the chicken and serve it over rice or noodles.  It is DELICIOUS!

SantaFe Soup
Ground 1 lb. of beef, then add 1 can each of: corn, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans (sometimes I just use 2 kinds of beans), rotel.  1 packet of taco seasoning, 1 packet of Ranch.  Cook for 2-3 hours on high.  I serve it with Fritos, cheese, and sour cream.  It’s a great winter meal!

I really love “Erin’s” SantaFe soup.  We make it a little bit different, but it is the same thing.  I love to make a chili cheese recipe.  It works really well on a cold night.

Wow. Thanks for sharing everyone! I can’t wait to check out the crockpot365 blog!

Why YES I have a personal chef also.
I love using him to cook all day for me while I’m at the office.  Sometimes I even allow him to cook on weekends!  GASP!  Just this Sunday he whipped up a roast with potatoes that we so enjoyed.  I love handing him over new recipes too!

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