The slow cooker is the perfect kitchen appliance to make homemade split pea soup. The canned stuff just can’t compare to the yummy smell of this thick, comforting soup!

When I make split pea soup, before I take the ham off the bone I like to use an immersion blender on the peas at the end of the cooking time to get a nice, creamy texture, and then add the ham back in. You can also carefully pour it into a blender as well — just make sure you put a cloth over the top just in case, it’ll be very …read more

I love beef stew, especially this time of year, and I love making it in the crock pot. The two naturally go together very well, especially if you use beef stew meat that does best with the “low and slow” method of cooking (which most stew meats do!).

I found the basis for this recipe in a magazine, but it used only pre-packaged and frozen ingredients. While I still wanted to try it out, I knew my family and I would like it better with at least fresh vegetables (carrots and potatoes) instead of the two bags of frozen vegetables called …read more

This time of year I like to do as many dinners as I can in the slow cooker. The days get busier with the kids back in school, so being able to do my cooking earlier in the day saves a lot of stress and chaos later in the evening!

One of my most favorite things to make in the slow cooker is chili. Being able to add a little more of an ingredient or two that I know my family likes, and maybe cutting back on the ones they’re not so crazy about, makes everyone happy while providing a relatively …read more

While searching around for some new dishes to try for dinner last week I came across the recipe below for a slow cooker chicken tagine.
Tagine is a slow-cooked Moroccan dish typically consisting of stewed meat and vegetables. It’s actually named after the pot that it’s usually cooked in, which is made of a heavy clay.
It sounded easy enough and the majority of the ingredients were things we all liked. We’d never had it before and we were up for something new anyway, and I especially liked that it cooks in the slow cooker; the house smelled amazing all …read more

Here’s an easy recipe that works especially well for busy days. The best part? The entire dish can be made with one pot. There’s no need to brown the pork chops, either. Simply put them in and let the crock pot do all the work.

Ingredients:
3-4 Pork Chops
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can Cream of Celery Soup
3 Stalks of Celery, chopped
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 (4 oz Can) Mushroom Slices
Nonstick Cooking Spray
1 1/4 Cups Rice
Salt and Pepper
Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Salt and pepper pork chops to taste, and place in bottom …read more

I love quick and easy slow cooker recipes, especially when I can make a whole meal in one pot. This dish is one of those that I came by on accident one day, and it’s been a nice addition to my cooking repertoire when I’m really busy and just can’t think about dinner. The vegetable, starch, and protein are all in this one dish so it will save you time.
Ingredients:
3-4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/4 cups rice, uncooked
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
2 (10.5 oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. bag of frozen peas
Nonstick cooking spray
Spray …read more

I have to admit, I’ve not been one to jump on the slow cooker bandwagon with much enthusiasm. They appear rather old, traditional and clunky when you think about it – not exactly the type of meal that inspires the youth and fun  that’s become so expected of my carefree, sushi loving generation.
But when it comes to my time, I get rather protective. Instead of falling back on old habits of take out menus and last minute treks to the nearest pub, I see slow cookers becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life. Here are some tips to …read more