Keep Calm and Cook On - October

It's that time, time for this month's edition of Keep Calm and Cook On!  I don't know what it is like at your house, but in my kitchen, it is time to dust off my slow cooker for the fall and winter...and time to share our favourite slow-cooker recipes!


In our house, hockey season has begun, and like last year, I anticipate a weekly feature of "Slow Cooker Thursday" - coming soon!  In the meantime, I need to collect some new recipes to try, which makes for the perfect party theme for this month's Keep Calm and Cook On challenge!

I invite you to share your favourite slow-cooker recipes!  

Taco Bake - Slow Cooker Thursday

BWelcome to this week’s installment of Slow Cooker Thursday!  I’m trying something quite a bit different for us this week.  I’ve been making lots of soups lately so I figured it was time to go outside the new slow cooker comfort zone J  This week I found a recipe for a Taco Bake that sounded interesting.  I figured, we all like tacos here, and this gives me a chance to try another new recipe in my new Crock-Pot.  Here is the recipe:

Taco Bake (Source: Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Cuisine cookbook)

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup water
1 1/4 oz taco seasoning
31 oz tomato sauce (can be achieved using multiple cans of tomato sauce, or measured using your handy kitchen scale)
8 oz macaroni, uncooked
4 oz mild chopped green chilies
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion.  Drain off any excess fat.  Add water, taco seasoning and the tomato sauce.  Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker.  Stir in the macaroni and the chilies.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

In the last 30 minutes of cooking, top with the shredded cheddar cheese.

VERDICT:
This wasn't too bad!  The macaroni noodles were a little squishy in my hubby's opinion, but I didn't mind.  It all blended together quite nicely.  While the original recipe called for 1 1/4 oz of taco seasoning (as in a package of taco seasoning) - I make my own taco seasoning and used that instead.  I also used less than what was called for, because I know my seasoning can be spicy, especially if simmering all day - and I know that our oldest wouldn't be too happy with overly spicy food.  There was a great spice to this - it wasn't crazy hot or anything, it was a nice warm flavour that had kick but didn't burn your throat and stomach.  I liked that!  And the leftovers were great for lunch :-)

Broccoli Cheddar Soup - Slow Cooker Thursday

Hello friends, welcome to this week's Slow Cooker Thursday.  You know that I've been making a lot of soups on my slow cooking adventures, and a Broccoli Cheddar soup has been one that I have been wanting to make for a while.   I just love Broccoli Cheddar soup, and have always loved when my readers have shared their recipes with me.  I took a lot of reads though previous editions of the Scrumptious Sunday Link Party and checked out the different recipes that were shared.  I settled on this recipe from the StoneGable blog for Crock Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  Here is my version:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

6 cups fresh broccoli, washed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cup carrots, peeled and shredded
4 cups chicken stock (I used organic)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (I used a combination of homogenized milk, 1% milk and cream)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
 4 cups old cheddar cheese,  shredded
5-6 slices of bacon

Place chopped broccoli into the slow cooker (sorry, did anyone else just have a little Chopping Broccoli pop in your head?! LOL)

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the onions.  Cook the onions on  medium-low, about 5 minutes (or until soft).  Add the carrots and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Empty the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker.

Pour the chicken stock into the slow cooker, add pepper (to taste).  Stir well, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

After 3-4 hours, remove 2-3 cups of the cooked vegetables.(try to scoop mostly broccoli) - allow to cool slightly and chop into small pieces.  Set aside.

Create a roux with the milk and flour.  Whisk or shake well.  Pour into the slow cooker.  Add the nutmeg.  Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes, until thickened.

Once thickened, add 3 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese.  Cover and cook until the cheese is melted (this won't take long).

Using a food processor or blender, blend the soup (in batches) until smooth.  Add the reserved chopped vegetables and stir.  Cover and allow the soup to get hot again after blending.

While the soup is heating, cook your bacon (original recipe called for pancetta).  Cook until crisp.  Cool and crumble.

Serve the soup topped with shredded cheese and crispy bacon.

VERDICT:
"One Trillion Thousand Thumbs Up" - our 5 year old's reaction to the soup.  It was pretty darn good.  I felt it was more work that I expected (especially trying to juggle a toddler while making it) - but it was pretty tasty.  My hubby and the toddler also gobbled it up (the toddler had two toddler-sized servings, two days in a row!). 

Slow Cooker Ribs - Guest Post by Tara at Noshing With the Nolands

Tara saying hello from Noshing With The Nolands. I am thrilled to be guest posting here at Addicted to Recipes again. Dawn has a great site as you all know already. The last time I did was way back in June of last year and I had made for Dawn  Moroccan Chicken. This time I am doing a slow cooker rib recipe. This recipe is oh so easy as most are in a slow cooker. Succulent fall off the ribs meat is waiting for you after a busy day of running around. I did like to stir these every once in a while to coat them nicely which is usually a no no with a slow cooker but I find they cook better and more even. So do this recipe on a weekend when you are popping in and out.

Can you believe ribs that look this good came from a slow cooker???

Slow Cooker Ribs

4 lbs. pork back ribs cut into individual ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425F. Place ribs on broiler pan, season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 min. Turn and roast again for 15 min. or until ribs are browning nicely. Place the ribs in a slow cooker. In a bowl combine pineapple juice, vinegar, wine, soy sauce, honey and broth and pour over the ribs. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Stirring every few hours. You can thicken the sauce at the end if you like by turning the slow cooker up to high and whisking 2 Tbsp. cornstarch with 3 Tbsp. water and adding it to the sauce. Cover and cook for 10-15 min. or until thickened.

Recipe adapted from Mable Hoffman’s Crockery Cookery

If you would like to follow me you can on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Thanks again Dawn for allowing me to guest post and I wish you all a fabulous day!!!

Beef in Beer Pot Roast - Slow Cooker Thursday

Happy New Year Everyone!  I'm back from Christmas break and getting into the swing of things.  School starts again on Monday so I am enjoying a few extra days home with the kids.  However, the Christmas break for hockey is over, and we are at the rink for the next 3 out of 4 days.  So...

Guess what??! It's time for the next installment of Slow Cooker Thursday!  Did you miss it?  Yes!  SLOW COOKER THURSDAY is back...and better than ever!  How so, you ask?  Well, because I now have a brand new Crock-Pot!  So So SO excited about it!  My "old" Crock-Pot still worked just fine, though sometimes I wondered if she was getting tired.  I'd had her for a very long time, and she was always a faithful friend!  I'll be passing her along to a friend who was needing a replacement - so my old friend will still be doing "her thing" but for another family :-)  My new Crock-Pot is beautiful - nice and shiny, and 1 quart bigger than my old one.  I love that it has a timer on it for 4, 6, 8 or 10 hours (corresponding with high and low settings).  I'm used to three choices...off, high and low. A little bit of adjusting for me, but in a very good way.  There's also a warming feature, which I love. 

My first meal with my new Crock-Pot for Slow Cooker Thursday was Beef in Beer Pot Roast.  With turkey season upon us, shaking it up with a roast is always a good thing!  I found the recipe in my Best of Bridge Slow Cooker Cookbook, and figured, beef, beer...my husband will love it!  I also liked the mix of sweet potatoes and potatoes, a nice change.  Here is the recipe:

Beef in Beer Pot Roast

4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
3-4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 boneless roast (the recipe calls for beef chuck, blade or cross rib roast) - 3-4 lbs
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1 bottle (12 oz/341 mL) beer (light-coloured)
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup peas, frozen
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Chopped fresh parsley (optional, to taste)

In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine carrots, sweet potato and potatoes.  Season the beef well with the salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, heat half of the oil over medium heat.  Add the roast to the skillet, brown on all sides.  Once browned, transfer to the slow cooker.  Reduce heat in the skillet, add the remaining oil.  Add in the onions, garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper and tomato paste.  Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.  Add in the flour, whisk in the beer, broth and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, remove from heat and pour over the roast (which is waiting in the slow cooker).  Cover and cook on low for about 7-8 hours or on high for 3 1/2-4 hours, or until the roast is cooked to your liking (good thing for trusty meat thermometers - we tend to cook our roasts for less time so they have plenty of time to rest and stay tender).  Transfer the beef to a cutting board, cover with foil and allow to rest.  Now this is where the original recipe and I differ.  The recipe suggests leaving the roast to sit for 10 minutes, whereas I left my roast to sit for the last 20 minutes while the rest of the recipe was prepared.  Once the roast has been removed from the cooker, add in the peas, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar into the slow cooker.  Add in salt and/or pepper as needed (taste, taste, taste!).  Cover and cook on high for approximately 20 minutes, or until the peas are hot.  Slice your roast across the grain or pull apart into chunks.  Serve topped with vegetables and gravy.  Garnish with parsley as desired.

VERDICT
As expected, my husband loved this dish.  Pretty sure he said it was his favourite slow cooker dinner yet.  The kids were so-so about it.  I enjoyed it, I liked the added "something" that came with the addition of the beer to the mix.  We will make this again :-)

Disclosure - I received product in exchange for my honest opinion.  The views expressed in this post are solely my own.

Scrumptious Sunday #42 - Features

Apparently I am on a cookie kick!  You'll see why below :-)  And I'm always on a slow cooker kick (especially with hockey season...perhaps you've seen some of the recipes from my Slow Cooker Thursday series, such as Beef Barley Soup and Tuesday Tortilla Soup!).  I am super stoked about the new Crock-Pot that I recently received...there's a review coming next week :-)

Back to those cookies....this weekend I am SURE that oldest and I will be baking special cookies for Santa.  I've also got plans to make special Christmassy Rice Krispie Squares with all the treats that recently arrived from Kellogg's.  But I do need to come up with a good cookie idea...and there were lots to choose from in this week's Scrumptious Sunday! Thank you!

Please go visit all these hard-working bloggers and check out their recipes!

If you are featured, please grab a BUTTON and display it proudly!

<a href="http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w519/AddictedtoRecipes/addictedbutton.jpg" width="200" height="177" border="0" alt="I was featured, I was Featured by Addicted to Recipes"></a>

 

Here are this week's features:

 

34 Slow Cooker Soups, Stews and Chilis from Mommy's Sweet Confessions

 

 

My 10 Favorite Christmas Cookies from Hezzi D's Books and Cooks

 

 

Salted Caramel Coffee Toffee Cookies from The Better Baker

 

 

Chocolate Cookies stuffed with Vanilla Salted Caramel from DJ's Sugar Shack

 

 

Cinnamon Shortbread from With A Blast

 

 

All of these recipes will be pinned to my Pinterest account, posted on Twitter, and shared on Facebook!

Just a reminder, this week's Scrumptious Sunday Link Party goes live Saturday - at 8 pm PST. Can't wait to see what you bring to the party!

Tuesday Tortilla Soup - Slow Cooker Thursday

Wow, I cannot believe that November is nearly over!  Are you getting a little anxious about Christmas?  I am...even though I am fairly organized and a lot of our shopping is already done (we don't go all out), there are the little details that I fuss about that I haven't started yet.  I'll get there!

In the meantime, I am sure you know (but I am going to tell you again!) that I just love my slow cooker.  I love Slow Cooker Thursdays.  It makes our lives so much easier after school/work/hockey each Thursday.  And, you've already read about my newest addition to my cookbook collection - my Best of Bridge Slow Cookers Cookbook - and today's recipe is from that cookbook (ps - this would make a great Christmas gift...just sayin'!).

Thanks to Robert Rose for providing the recipe and photos for today's post.

Quick to assemble — ideal for mad midweek mornings. It cooks all day; just add the finishing touches when you get home.

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes, with juice

2 cups chopped cooked chicken 

1 cup corn kernels (no need to thaw if frozen)

1 tbsp ground cumin  

1 tbsp dried oregano            

Salt and pepper

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups crushed corn tortilla chips, divided

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp chipotle chile powder (see tip)

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 

Shredded Tex-Mex cheese blend or Cheddar cheese

Sour cream

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine garlic, onion, tomatoes, chicken, corn, cumin, oregano, 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) salt, 1⁄4 tsp (1 mL) pepper and broth. Cover and cook on Low for about 8 hours or on High for about 4 hours, until onions are tender and soup is bubbling. Stir in half the tortilla chips and the cilantro. In a small bowl, combine chipotle chile powder and lime juice until smooth. Stir into soup. Cook on High for 20 minutes, until tortilla chips are softened and soup is thickened. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream. Serves 4.

Tip: Jars of chipotle chile powder are available in most supermarkets. The reddish-brown powder is made from dried smoked jalapeño peppers. It lends an authentic Mexican touch to soups, stews and chilis. Regular chili powder can be substituted if you prefer to not have a smoky flavor.

VERDICT:

Yet anouther slow cooker hit at our house!  We all really enjoyed this soup - to be honest, this was my first time adding sour cream to a soup, and I just loved it.  Oh my goodness - for sure this one is a keeper!

Excerpted from Best of Bridge Slow Cooker Cookbook by Sally Vaughan-Johnston & The Best of Bridge © 2012 www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission.

BBQ Pulled Pork - Slow Cooker Thursday

Hello everyone!

To all of my American friends, Happy Thanksgiving to you!  Here in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving in October, so for us ths week, it's that time again, Slow Cooker Thursday!  This week I have been feeling rather tired and wasn't sure what I wanted to do for my weekly slow cooker recipe.  Also, throw in a late night at work on Thursday, I needed to make sure that the meal was fully prepared for my hubby and kids since my hubby was looking after the picking up from school, taking to hockey, picking up from daycare, dinner, baths, bedtime and lunch prep for Friday. I also needed to make sure it was something everyone would ost certainly enjoy, so I decided it was time to use one of my Club House recipe mixes and made the BBQ Pulled Pork for the boys for Slow Cooker Thursday.

Here is the recipe:

2 1/2 lbs lean, boneless pork roast (leg or shoulder)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 package Club House BBQ Pulled Pork Slow Cooker Mix

Put the pork roast into the slow cooker.  Centre the roast in the cooker.

Whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and Club House package.
Pour the mixture over the pork roast.

Cover and cook the roast on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

After the 4 or 8 hours, remove the roast from the cooker.  Shred - it is easiest to do this with two forks.  Put the shredded pork back into the slow cooker and mix with the sauce that is still inside.

Cover and continue to heat for another 10-15 minutes, or until the shredded pork is hot.

VERDICT:
Pulled pork is always a favourite in our house.  Have you seen the recipe for Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork?!  My hubby and oldest son loved tonight's recipe, and there were plenty of leftovers...always a good thing!  The baby has hit a fussy stage and is a bit picky these days, especially when it comes to meat, so he didn't have a positive reaction to the pork...hopefully that passes soon!

Did you know that I still have my SLOW COOKER LINK PARTY running?  Just over a week to go - still time to share your slow cooker recipes, and to check out all the neat ones already shared!

Thanks for stopping by!

Best of Bridge - Slow Cooker Cookbook Review

Recently I was provided a copy of the new Best of Bridge Slow Cooker Cookbook to review.  Oh my goodness, how excited was I?!  Seriously...we all know how much I love cookbooks and recipes (addicted!)...and well, Best of Bridge is a CLASSIC!  To have the opportunity to review the latest book in the collection is just plain awesome!  Thanks Robert Rose for the opportunity.

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I have been on a slow cooker kick lately, and I have already tested a few of the recipes from the cookbook.  Check out my post on Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes and my post on Beef Barley Soup.

My first impression of the book itself...I love the red binder, very eye-catching.  I also love that it is coil bound - makes turning the pages so much easier, and the spine of the book won't get wrecked from being opened or having to put something heavy on it to keep it open.

There is a great variety of recipes inside the cookbook.  While my cooking focus lately has been dinner related, I am intrigued and curious to try some of the desserts like the Blueberry Upside Down Ginger Cake and the Peach Cinnamon Brown Betty.  The book arrived when my Mother-in-Law was visiting, and she too enjoyed reading through all the recipes.  She recognized some of the recipes from previous Best of Bridge publications, and commented on the ones she remembered (all good!). 

There are so many things to like about this book.  One of my favourites...still in this book, but not as often as in previous cookbooks - are the little jokes and funny tidbits that are after the recipes.  The practical side of me also likes the tips and tricks that are shared with us home cooks.  There are many recipes that can be prepped the night before (hello...easier morning, especially when trying to get the kids and yourself out the door for school, daycare and work!).  Even on the mornings that I do need to do a little prep for the meal before heading out the door, it's always really easy, which is so nice.  Makes our dinner "rush" not so "rushy" and way more relaxed.  Helps to set the tone for the evening!

Overall, I am REALLY happy with the book - the layout, the scope of recipes, and the ease that goes into preparing most of them.  A keeper for my collection!

You can find this cookbook and many other great books (under the topics of cooking, baking, health & wellness and parenting) over at Robert Rose.  Go check them out!

Disclosure: I received compensation as a thank you for participating and sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Coconut Beef Curry - Slow Cooker Thursday

Hello friends! Welcome to this week's edition of Slow Cooker Thursday!  If you have missed my other slow cooker posts, you can check them out:

• Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes
• Beef Barley Soup
• French Canadian Split Pea Soup
• Remarkable Ratatouille

And, don't forget about the SLOW COOKER LINK PARTY that is running all month!  If you haven't had a chance to link up or check out some of the great slow cooker recipes, you can do so below!

Today we are giving another interesting flavour a try.  I found this recipe for Coconut Beef Curry in my Canada's Best Slow Cooker Recipes book.  I liked the idea of having the meat and vegetables all in one pot - like a stew but with different flavours.  Here is the recipe:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 lbs stewing beef
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons red curry paste or 1 tablespoon red curry powder
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces (original recipe called for a 1 lb bag baby carrots)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can (398 mL) coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
Chopped fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high.  Add the stewing beef and cook until browned on all sides, approximately 2-3 minutes.

Add in the onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and curry paste or powder.  Saute for approximately 2 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the mixture from the skillet into the slow cooker.

Add the potatoes and carrots to the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, coconut milk, water and salt. Whisk to combine, mix well.  Add to your slow cooker.  Stir to combine the liquids with the saute mixture (Note - I needed to add a little milk to the mixture to ensure that the meat and veggies were more covered).

Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.  Dish is done when the vegetables are tender and the stew is bubbling.  Serve over rice with cilantro sprinkled on top.

VERDICT
This was a tasty meal.  Not overly colorful, but still tasty.  We did feel that there might be a bit too much cumin (it was quite fragrant) but the taste was still really good.  We ate this for dinner for a few nights, and for a few lunches too!

Now is your chance to link up your SLOW COOKER RECIPES!  Thanks so much for helping me out :-)

Remarkable Ratatouille - Slow Cooker Thursday

For this week's Slow Cooker Thursday, I decided trying someting TOTALLY new for us.  Ratatouille.  I had no idea what to expect...I haven't even seen the movie (we own it...but I tend to sneak away and do laundry or other chores when our son watches movies).  I've never even had eggplant before.  None of us have in our little family.  But, I saw the recipe in my Canada's Best Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook, tagged it (I should have shares at 3M/Post-It), and figured we should try it (since we did grow eggplant in our garden this year, and there was one beautiful one waiting for us to use).

PS - don't forget about the Slow Cooker Link Party running now! Link up at the end of this post :-)

Here is the recipe (Source: Canada's Best Slow Cooker Recipes)

3 small eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 onion, thinkly sliced and separated into rings
250 g of mushrooms, sliced
1 can (796 mL) Italian-style tomatoes with herbs and spices, chopped, with juice
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup Panko
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Wash and slice the eggplants.  In a large colander, toss the eggplant cubes with salt.  Allow the salted eggplant cubes to sit for approxinately one hour, or until the cubes release their juices.  Once the juices have been released, rinse well under cold water.  Drain, squeeze out excess moisture and pat dry with paper towels.

In a large nonstick skillet, over medium, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and all of the butter.  Add the onion and mushrooms, saute until softened (approximately 10 minutes).  Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet.  In batches, saute the eggplant cubes until lightly browned (approximately 10 minutes).

In the slow cooker, layer half of the eggplant cubes, top with the entire onion mixture, then with half of the tomatoes (and juice).  Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese, then add the remaining eggplant and tomatoes (and juice).

In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and the mozzarella cheese.  Mix and spoon over the eggplant in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 4-6 hours, until the meal is bubbling.

Some tips from Canada's Best Slow Cooker Recipes:
- This can be eaten as a main course or as a side dish with salmon or chicken
- Slow cooking eggplant can cause it to become bitter, which is why it must be salted first
- This dish can be completely assembled up to 12 hours in advance of cooking.  Just prepare everything according to direction, but store in the fridge until morning (or when you put the stoneware into the base)

VERDICT:
Well...I can tell you that 1 out of 4 of us like eggplant.  That would be the baby...he ate a lot.  Not kidding...like two adult helpings worth.  Our oldest was under the weather and not really eating any dinner, so he had no opinion to offer.  Hubs and I....well, we liked the overall flavour of everything else, but we did not enjoy the texture of the eggplant.  Unfortunately, this dish just isn't for us...BUT I am glad that we gave it a try...you never know until you try!

HAVE YOU JOINED THE LINK PARTY YET?  This one is up all month...collecting your tried and true slow cooker recipes!  Thanks so much!

French Canadian Split Pea Soup - Slow Cooker Thursday

Thursday already? Oh me, oh my these weeks are just flying by.  This week on Slow Cooker Thursday I am sharing a recipe that we see some potential in…but just needs some tweaks from our first go.  Before I get into this week’s recipe post, I wanted to let you know that I would love for YOU to share YOUR slow cooker recipes with me! (pretty please?!).  After the recipe is a LINK PARTY for you to post your slow cooker recipes!  I’ll keep the party up for the month of November, hopefully we can get quite the little collection of recipes (which will TOTALLY help me with my Slow Cooker Thursday routine!)

Now, onto this week’s recipe.  This week I selected French Canadian Split Pea Soup from my Canada’s Best Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook by Donna-Marie Pye.  There are tones of great recipes in this cookbook, and split pea soup caught my eye.  I’ve made a split pea soup before, which was really tasty, but I’m always up for trying new variations.  This recipe called for yellow split peas (not really sure the difference other than colour) – and since it was already formulated for my slow cooker…it was an obvious choice for this week.  Here is the recipe that I used:

1 lb yellow split peas

Ham bone, with some ham still on it

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large potato, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 stalk celery, diced

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon oregano

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

 

Peas must be prepared prior to assembling the soup.  There are two ways that you can do this:

a) Put the peas in a large bowl and fill the bowl with water.  Make sure all the peas are covered by water.  Allow the peas to soak for at least 12 hours.  Note - I left mine to soak for 24 and had to add more water. 

or b) Put the peas into a large pot, fill the pot with water.  Bring the water to a boil, remove from the heat and let the pot of peas stand for at least one hour. Note - I would probably try this method next time.

 

After soaking, rinse the peas well.  Put the peas into your slow cooker.  Add 7 cups of water, the ham bone, carrots, potato, celery, bay leaf, thyme, basil and oregano.

 

Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 6-8 hours. Soup is ready when it is thick and bubbling.

 

When the soup gets to this point, remove the ham bone (carefully so that you don't burn yourself), pick the meat off of the bone, cut into bite sized pieces and add back into the soup.

 

Remove the bay leaf.

 

Taste...season with salt and pepper as needed...and serve!

 

VERDICT:

While the soup itself had a really nice flavour, we felt that it needed a bit of tweaking.  It my notes above I mention that I would try the cooking method next time to prepare the peas for the soup.  We also thought it needed more ham, which is easy to plan for next time.  And less peas.  We decided that while we love peas, we don't love THAT many peas in our pea soup :-)  All about personal preference!

 

Now...it's YOUR TURN to share some of your FAVOURITE slow cooker recipes!

 

 

Beef Barley Soup - Slow Cooker Thursday

Welcome to the second installment of "Slow Cooker Thursday!"  If you missed last week's post and story why I've implemented "Slow Cooker Thursday", just click over here :-)

When I picked the "Busy Day Beef and Barley Soup" recipe from my new Best of Bridge Slow Cookers cookbook, I had no idea that day would be a "beef" day everywhere I looked!  I say that because a friend from work and I had lunch together, and because she didn't have time to make her lunch before leaving for the office, she needed to grab lunch from the cafeteria/culinary training facility.  I was laughing because at the sandwich station, the special was "Roast Beef Sandwiches".  At the main course/hot food station, one of the specials was "Beef Stroganoff," and at the soup station, one of the soups was "Beef Barley Soup".  Apparently the Chefs/Instructors were in a beefy mood like me!  I do have to say though, my soup looked way better than the students' soup...just sayin'!

Here is the recipe I used (Source: Best of Bridge Slow Cookers)

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 carrots, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 lbs stewing beef
1/4 cup barley, rinsed
4-5 cups beef broth
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

In a saucepan, saute oil, garlic, onions, oregano, salt, pepper, tomato paste.  Saute until the onions are softened.  Transfer to 4-6 quart slow cooker.  Add in the carrots, bay leaves, beef, barley and 4 cups of the beef broth.  Stir well.  Cover and cook, on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours, or until the beef and barley are tender.  After cooking, if the soup is thicker than you would like, add in the remaining 1 cup of broth.  Stir in the frozen peas, vinegar and parsley.  Cover and cook on high until the peas are hot, about 20 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tips directly from the Best of Bridge: 
- They use tomato paste in many of their slow cooker recipes because it boosts flavour and richness.  A dollop or two of tomato paste makes a significant flavour difference with onions, garlic and herbs as these aromatic ingredients dull when cooked for long periods.
- If you cannot find stewing beef, look for other cuts such as boneless cross-rib, blade or chuck in the form of steaks or pot roasts.  Trim off excess fat and cut into cubes.
*Great tips!
VERDICT:
Hubs LOVED this soup. Kept commenting how much he enjoyed it.  I really liked it too...as did our kids.  The oldest complained a bit (apparently he doesn't like soup for dinner) but he still ate it a few times LOL.  Even our sometimes fussy toddler was gobbling up his meal...I'd call this one a success!

You can purchase the Best of Bridge Slow Cookers cookbook through Robert Rose.  Go check them out!

Excerpted from Best of Bridge Slow Cooker Cookbook by Sally Vaughan-Johnston & The Best of Bridge Publishing Ltd. © 2012 www.robertrose.ca All rights reserved: May not be reprinted without publisher permission.

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #33

It's been a great week for us...my MIL was here, and as always, it was a wonderful visit!  We always enjoy our time with her, though we were sad that my FIL couldn't make the trip this time. 

Our week was busy with company, school, day jobs, our business (aka the evening and weekend job), hockey, swimming, a surprise 40th birthday party, etc etc...all good fun!  I did get a little behind with the blog...my apologies, but I think you understand
;-)

Speaking of hockey, our son has hockey practice on Thursdays, which will make for a busier Thursday in our home.  So, I'm starting a new feature on the blog,  "Slow Cooker Thursdays" - I think I might even host a "Slow Cooker Thursday Link Party"...what do you think?!

I've already got a few new slow cooker recipes to try, recently I received a copy of the new Best of Bridge Slow Cooker Cookbook and I have been happily tagging new recipes to try :-)  Watch for the cookbook review coming soon too!

By the way...did you happen to catch the post earlier this week about my nomination for "Best New Blog" in the "Canadian Blog Awards"?!!  Check it out here!

AND...I have my AD SPACE on sale for the month of October, 25% off!  Promo Code is FALLINTOSALE25...would love your support!

That's the update on my end! I sure hope the weekend has been treating you fabulously!! Now... It's time to share your fabulous recipes HERE for Scrumptious Sunday #33!

Don't forget, all featured recipes will be shared on my blog, and on my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages!