Slow Cooker Cranberry Roast

After the holidays, I'm always left with a can or two of cranberries. I can pretty much be sure I will not touch these cans until next Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My sister-in-law recommend a great recipe from allrecipes.com, and it uses just a few ingredients along with those leftover cranberries and a slow cooker. What could be better?

 Slow Cooker Cranberry Roast

 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (3 lb) beef chuck roast (my sister-in-law used a pork roast instead, and I did too)
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour

 Put the dry soup mix in the bottom of your crock pot. Place the roast on top, and add the can of cranberry sauce. I sliced my cranberries up a bit so that I could get the lid on, but it melts as it cooks and you don't need to cut it up.

 

 Cover, cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Remove meat from crock pot and set aside.  Turn slow cooker to high and whisk in butter and flour until thickened. Serve sauce with roast.

This was so good--it has become an instant favorite at our house. It has a delicious tang to it, but you'd never guess the secret ingredient is cranberries!

Crock Pot Cooking

As we get into the busy holidays, crock pots are the perfect way to find time to cook a family meal.  Several months ago, BYU Today magazine published an article about a graduate named Karen  Bellessa Petersen who cooked something different in the crock pot everyday for a year.  You can read the complete article here.  She rated each recipe she tried (1-5 stars), and included many unusual recipes and ideas (did you know the crock pot is a good place to raise bread dough?).  She has both a blog and a book.  Click here to take a look at her blog.

 I tried two of her "5 star" recipes:

Cashew Chicken 

 Serves 4-6

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh tenders (don't use chicken breasts)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can of water chestnuts (optional)
1/2 cup cashews

Combine flour and pepper in resealable food storage bag. Add chicken. Shake to coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, water chestnuts and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice.

and Brownie Fudge Cake

 Serves 8


1 2/3 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup water (I probably used 1/2 cup)
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I left these out)
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1 (1 ounce) square unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped (I used 3 tbsp cocoa and 1 tbsp oil in place of this)
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. In large bowl combine flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; mix well. In small bowl, combine egg with 1/4 cup water, peanut butter, 2 tbsp melted butter, and vanilla; mix well.

2. Stir peanut butter mixture into flour mixture until combined. Add chocolate chips and pecans. Spray a 3 quart slow cooker with nonstick baking spray containing flour. Add batter to slow cooker.

3. In small saucepan, combine ice cream topping, brown sugar, 3/4 cup water, and baking chocolate; cook and stir over medium heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and pour over batter.

4. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Turn off slow cooker, place lid ajar, and let stand for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
 

More Crock Pot Recipes
We've had requests for more crock pot recipes. Here's one that your family will love! Like many good crock pot recipes, it takes just a few ingredients, it's cheap, and it's very easy to make.

Kalua Pig in a Slow Cooker

1 (6 lb) pork butt roast (the cheap kind, with plenty of fat)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Hawaiian black sea salt

1 Tablespoon or more liquid smoke

Pierce pork all over with a carving fork.

Rub salt, then liquid smoke over meat.

Place roast in a slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low for 10-12 hours, turning once during cooking time.

Remove meat from slow cooker and shred, adding drippings as needed to moisten.

If you don't have Hawaiian black sea salt you can substitute other sea salts, rock salt, or other coarse salt. I got my salt through the Internet.

Cost: about 2.49 a lb, or $.62-$1.25 a serving, depending on your appetite!

What is your favorite Crock Pot recipe? Send it to BillingsEastStakeRS@yahoo.com and we will post it on the blog!

Instead of eating out......

Cook a crock pot meal!

According to an article in Meridian, 3/4 of people surveyed eat out at least once a week and 1 in 10 eat out almost every day (see complete article on http://www.ldsmag.com/debtfree/090304cost.html). The article says "For far too many families, eating out has become a way of life. Their refrigerators and their pantries are nearly empty and so are their pocketbooks. Home-cooking saves time (driving to and/or waiting in line at restaurants) and health as well as money." If you struggle to find the energy and time to prepare dinner at the end of a long day, pull out your crock pot! With a few ingredients and very little effort, supper can be waiting for you at the end of a long day. Here is a favorite crock pot recipe from recipezaar:

Crock Pot Chicken W/Black Beans and Cream Cheese

Serves 4

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (no need to thaw!)

1 (15 1.2 ounce) can black beans

1 (15 ounce) can corn (you can also use 2 cups frozen or fresh)

1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind

1 (8 ounce) cream cheese

Put frozen chicken breasts in crock pot.

Drain black beans and corn, add to crock pot.

Add jar of salsa

Cook in crock pot on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours or until chicken is cooked through.

Add cream cheese and let sit for about 30 minutes.

Stir in cream cheese and serve over rice or eat as is.

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 4-8 hours

Cost:

chicken $3.24(half of a $6.48 bag of frozen breasts)
beans $.62

corn $.68

salsa $1.98

cream cheese $1.22

total cost: $7.74

$1.93 per serving

Crock Pot Whole Wheat Cereal

Thanks to Sidney Pitt of the Colstrip Ward for these pictures and recipe!

We try hard at our home to eat natural foods. That is one of the reasons we have wheat in our food storage. I finally developed a breakfast cereal that my husband likes and it doesn't take much work. A PERFECT combination!

Crock Pot Whole Wheat Cereal

1 serving

¼ C. rinsed whole wheat (white or red)

1 C. water

Honey

Fresh or dried fruits (optional)

Milk

Into a small crock pot (mine holds 2 cups), place the whole wheat, water and dried fruit. Plug it in with the lid on and let it cook all night (on low temperature). In the morning you will have whole wheat cereal all ready to go. Now all you have to do is add honey to taste, fresh fruits if desired, and milk. You are ready to go with a nutritious breakfast for the family. This can be increased as needed for your family size (1 part wheat to 4 parts water). This way we are getting the nutrients and the fiber from our breakfast cereal.