Slow Cooking Thursday

It's Thursday and it's time for Slow Cooking Thursday, which is hosted by Sandra of Diary of Stay at Home Mom.

Potato and Leek Soup

4 cups chicken broth
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups chopped cabbage
1 leek, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

Combine broth, potatoes, cabbage, leek, onion, carrots, parsley, salt, caraway seeds, pepper and bay leaf in slow-cooker; mix well.

Cover; cook on low 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 to 5 hours.

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Combine 1/2 cup hot liquid from slow cooker with sour cream in small bowl. Add sour cream mixture and bacon to soup; mix well.

Enjoy!

Don't forget about checking out more slow cooking recipes, by visiting here!

Slow Cooking Thursday

It's Thursday and it's time for Slow Cooking Thursday, hosted by Sandra of Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Jamaican Beef Pepper Pot

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lb steing beef cubes
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 onions, choped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 each sweet red and green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp hot pepper sauce

Place sweet potatoes in slow-cooker.

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat; brown beef, in batches. Add to slow-cooker.

Add bacon to saucepan; fry over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain off fat. Add onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add stock, 1 1/2 cups water, tomato paste, thyme, salt and pepper; bring to boil. Pour into slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until beef and potatoes are tender.

Add red and green peppers. Whisk flour with 1/2 cup water; whisk into slow-cooker. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar and hot pepper sauce.

Slow Cooking Thrusday

It's the first Thursday of the year! And it's time for Slow Cooking Thursday, hosted by Sandra of Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Wine-Braised Veal(osso bucco) Shanks

3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
8 pieces veal hind shank (1 1/2 inches/4cm thick) about 4 1/2 lbs (2 kg)
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp crumbled dried rosemary
3/4 cup white wine or low-sodium chicken stock
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 cup halved pitted green olives
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers, rinsed
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In shallow dish, stir together flour and half each of the salt and pepper. Tie kitchen string around each veal shank; press into flour mixture to coat. Reserve remaining flour. In skillet, heat 1 tbwp of the oil over medium-high heat; brown veal, in batches. Transfer to slow-cooker.

Drain fat from skillet; add remaining oil. Fry onion, garlic, rosemary and remaining salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape into slow-cooker.

Add wine, stock and lemon rind to slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until shanks are tender.

Add olives, lemon juice and capers. Whisk together remaining flour with 3 tbsp water; stir into slow-cooker. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with parsley.

Slow Cooking Thursday

Once again it's Thursday, and it's time for Slow Cooking Thursday over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom.

Chocolate Croissant Pudding

1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetned cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 plain croissants, cut into 1 inch pieces, divided
1/2 cup chocolate chips, divided
Whipped cream

1. Coat 1 quart casserole, suffle dish or other high sided baking pan that will fit in your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Beat milk, eggs, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Layer half of the croissant pieces, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and half of the egg mixture into prepared dish. Repeat layers with the remaining croissant pieces, chocolate chips and egg mixture.

3. Place rack or trivet into your slow cooker; pour in 1 cup of water. Place dish on rack. Cover; cook low for 3 to 4 hours.

4. Remove dish from slow cooker. Spoon croissant pudding into bowls. Top with whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings.

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Slow Cooking Thursday

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I'm planning on doing so, very soon.

Beef and Vegetables In Rich Burgundy Sauce

1 package (8 ounces) baby carrots
1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 boneless beef chuck roast (2 1/2 pounds)
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup dry red wine or beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 package ( 1 ounce) dry onion soup mix
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
4 cups hot cooked noodles
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1. Place carrots, mushrooms and bell pepper in slow cooker. Place roast on top of vegetables. Combine mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce, soup mix, and black pepper in medium bowl; mix well. Pour soup mixture over the roast. Cover; cook on low 8 to 10 hours.

2. Transfer roast to cutting board; cover with foil. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

3. Blend cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into slow cooker. Turn heat to high. Cook uncovered, for 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve beef and vegetables with sauce over cooked noodles. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

You can find more recipes and/or you can also join the fun here.

Slow Cooking Thursday - Cajun Red Beans & Rice

This is my first time participating on Slow Cooking Thursday. So I decided to share one of my family's favorite: Cajun Read Beans & Rice. I got this recipe out of a cookbook, Secrets of Slow Cooking.

Cajun Red Beans & Rice
Serves 4 to 6
6 to 7 quart slow cooker

1 lb dried red kidney beans
1 lb spicy smoked pork sausage
2 green bell peppers
2 ribs celery
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 tsp flour (opt.)
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the beans in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and place over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let it soak for 1 hour.

Slice the sausage on a sharp diagonal into 1/2 inch lengths. Core the peppers and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Dice the celery and roughly chop the onion and garlic.

Add the sausage, vegetables, and the bay leaf to the slow cooker. Drain the beans and add them to the cooker. Pour enough water to just cover the ingredients, about 1 1/2 quarts. Cook, covered, on the low setting for six hours, until the beans are soft and starting to break apart. With a large spoon, ladle off and discard some of the liquid if the mixture is too runny; stir the beans, smashing some of them against the side of the cooker to thicken the liquid. Or, you can use an immersion or stick blender to break up some of the beans, or combine the flour with a bit of the liquid and stir it into the beans.

Season to taste with the cayenne, plenty of salt, and black pepper. Continue to cook, uncovered, in the high setting for 1 more hour.

Meanwhile cook your rice.

Serve the beans and sausage over the rice.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to visit Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom to join the fun or to find more yummy recipes.