Easy meal ideas? Freezer meals? Crockpot meals?

[rocketgirl]

Or red beans, which are shaped slightly different from kidney beans, but for cooking purposes they're pretty much interchangeable.

Gonna try some of these ideas real soon now.

Huh.  I have bought spicy pinto beans.  I use pintos in my chili.

[GreenMan]

I still haven't opened the slow cooker box.  Is it really all, just dump things into it and turn it on?  Because I am down with that.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. You can do a lot with it; if you want to cook your own beans instead of using canned, you dump them in with some water (no pre-soaking), turn it on, do something else for ~10 hours, and voila.

One of the best things about it is that it needs zero monitoring. You can go to work, go to sleep, whatever, unlike cooking in a pot on the stove, which requires your constant presence. You do have to plan ahead but that's not much of a burden, especially once you get into a rhythm. It actually takes very little of your time.

I got my motivation from the moderator's comments in this thread on Usenet many years ago. The description of the grain breakfast is something I still do from time to time.

[GreenMan]

Huh.  I have bought spicy pinto beans.  I use pintos in my chili.

Yeah, I was just referring to how red beans are sometimes called "chili beans", e.g. at my local HFS. IMHO the more kinds of beans, the better.

[GreenMan]

BTW that Usenet link I posted above also mentions rice cookers; I have one of those too, and it's also a great boon. My usual approach is to throw in some rice and veggies and flavorings such as garlic or ginger with the right amount of water and hit Cook. It shuts itself off automatically once the rice is cooked. Roger Ebert wrote a book about cooking with a rice cooker including many recipes, but the main thing is that, as with the crock-pot, you can basically put in anything you want and end up with dinner.

[Ice Cream]

I still haven't opened the slow cooker box.  Is it really all, just dump things into it and turn it on?  Because I am down with that.

I think she meant non non non...  Don't do it.  I tried the same thing, and it was not good.  There are fr better crock pot recipes.

[redkitty]

I disagree about the crock pot being all "just dump stuff in."  1. If you are using meat, typically something needs to be done to it first.  Particularly beef. If it is ground beef, it needs to be cooked, if it is other beef, it normally needs to be browned. You also have to prepare the stuff you are using unless it is all pre-packaged stuff.  So if you are using fresh veggies, still have to cut them up, etc.  I know this sounds obvious (well it is) but for me, the preparation of cooking is the part I want to avoid doing, not the cooking itself. So if i am still taking 30 min. to prepare everything to put into the crock pot, I might as well just not use the crock pot at all.  I have been told over and over it is an easy way to cook...makes it seem simple, like it only take a few minutes of prep. I just have not found this to be true.  It saves me no time and in fact I think probably takes extra time.  Also, unless you like a lot of leftovers or have a big family, crockpots make way too much food (unless you are using a small one, but even then...)

[GreenMan]

Seems like prep time would be the same no matter which cooking method you use. 

[Ice Cream]

I disagree about the crock pot being all "just dump stuff in."  1. If you are using meat, typically something needs to be done to it first.  Particularly beef. If it is ground beef, it needs to be cooked, if it is other beef, it normally needs to be browned. You also have to prepare the stuff you are using unless it is all pre-packaged stuff.  So if you are using fresh veggies, still have to cut them up, etc.  I know this sounds obvious (well it is) but for me, the preparation of cooking is the part I want to avoid doing, not the cooking itself. So if i am still taking 30 min. to prepare everything to put into the crock pot, I might as well just not use the crock pot at all.  I have been told over and over it is an easy way to cook...makes it seem simple, like it only take a few minutes of prep. I just have not found this to be true.  It saves me no time and in fact I think probably takes extra time.  Also, unless you like a lot of leftovers or have a big family, crockpots make way too much food (unless you are using a small one, but even then...)

Have you considered frozen veggies?  All ready to be cooked.  For me, those are not in the category of pre packaged stuff.

[cgraz]

Yeah, my best quick no-prep Crock Pot stuff includes using frozen peas, baby carrots, or other things that have no prep required. And I do just plop a pot roast or pork roast in there without searing it, and I do put chicken breasts in with no pre-prep (frozen, even).

I did make a Crock Pot lasagna and felt that was kind of silly - it was just as much time to cook the meat & sauce mixture and do all the layering. I could have just put it in a pan and baked it.

The trick is knowing that you will not get browning or crisping, so it is good for certain things...pot roast, pulled pork or chicken, etc. I do feel comfortable leaving the house with something like chili cooking slowly in the Crock Pot, and I wouldn't do that on the stove, so that is a good thing if you want to leave things like that unattended.

[GreenMan]

Have you considered frozen veggies?  All ready to be cooked.  For me, those are not in the category of pre packaged stuff.

This. And e.g. frozen peas are much more appetizing than canned ones -- brighter green and less mushy.

I use fresh veggies as much as I can, but I'm organizationally challenged so frozen ones come to the rescue a lot.

I do feel comfortable leaving the house with something like chili cooking slowly in the Crock Pot, and I wouldn't do that on the stove, so that is a good thing if you want to leave things like that unattended.

This too. I cooked some beans yesterday for that recipe on the first page, and I went out for the evening and they were about done when I got back. From dried beans to cooked and stored took about 5 minutes of my time.

[Honey Badger]

I have been eating the heck out of this recipe:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1 can chili beans
2 cans Rotel
1 can corn
1 can tomato sauce
chicken broth to cover
1 packet of taco seasoning

shove it all in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 5 hours.  Shred the chicken.  Garnish w/ cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. 

I just dumped all this into the Crock Pot.  I am just starting to get the smells of the taco seasoning.
I only had 2 chicken breasts so I used a single can of Rotel and 1/2 of a large can of tomato sauce and didn;t use the entire packet of taco seasoning.  I wasn't sure if "1 can" meant the small ones or the large.  Either way, none of those kind of changes will screw up the recipe.  Looking forward to chowing down on it for dinner!

So, is this supposed to turn out like a soup or more like a casserole?

[GreenMan]

I just dumped all this into the Crock Pot.  I am just starting to get the smells of the taco seasoning.
I only had 2 chicken breasts so I used a single can of Rotel and 1/2 of a large can of tomato sauce and didn;t use the entire packet of taco seasoning.  I wasn't sure if "1 can" meant the small ones or the large.  Either way, none of those kind of changes will screw up the recipe.  Looking forward to chowing down on it for dinner!

I just got it going too. I don't like canned stuff so I used my own cooked beans and fresh tomatoes, and instead of tomato sauce and taco seasoning I dumped in half a jar of salsa plus a few other spices.

[Eco Ellen]

I wonder if this would work with those fake chicken breast type thingies.

[LilyLily]

I just dumped all this into the Crock Pot.  I am just starting to get the smells of the taco seasoning.
I only had 2 chicken breasts so I used a single can of Rotel and 1/2 of a large can of tomato sauce and didn;t use the entire packet of taco seasoning.  I wasn't sure if "1 can" meant the small ones or the large.  Either way, none of those kind of changes will screw up the recipe.  Looking forward to chowing down on it for dinner!

So, is this supposed to turn out like a soup or more like a casserole?

Soup.  Don't forget the toppings!!!  This was meant for normal size cans not the big ones.  I would have just added in all the stuff and had 1 less chicken breast.  Let me know how you like it!

[Honey Badger]

Soup.  Don't forget the toppings!!!  This was meant for normal size cans not the big ones.  I would have just added in all the stuff and had 1 less chicken breast.  Let me know how you like it!

I've tasted it.  I used hot chili beans which gave it a bit of heat, but it tastes really good! I'm going to dive into it soon. 

[rocketgirl]

I disagree about the crock pot being all "just dump stuff in."  1. If you are using meat, typically something needs to be done to it first.  Particularly beef. If it is ground beef, it needs to be cooked, if it is other beef, it normally needs to be browned. You also have to prepare the stuff you are using unless it is all pre-packaged stuff.  So if you are using fresh veggies, still have to cut them up, etc.  I know this sounds obvious (well it is) but for me, the preparation of cooking is the part I want to avoid doing, not the cooking itself. So if i am still taking 30 min. to prepare everything to put into the crock pot, I might as well just not use the crock pot at all.  I have been told over and over it is an easy way to cook...makes it seem simple, like it only take a few minutes of prep. I just have not found this to be true.  It saves me no time and in fact I think probably takes extra time.  Also, unless you like a lot of leftovers or have a big family, crockpots make way too much food (unless you are using a small one, but even then...)

True, although a pot roast in a crock pot cooks down a lot and really only feeds about 3 or 4 people - so you'll get generally get dinner for two, plus a lunch or two out of it.  When I've done this, I've browned the roast and cut all the veggies the night before, refrigerated, and dumped in the crock pot the next day to cook.

There is a chicken and rice recipe (with canned "cream of" soups) that only requires cutting up the uncooked chicken in terms of prep work.  And maybe some onion.  I think it's a bit bland and could use some chopped celery or something and I don't like the texture of the chicken, but still, prep work is minimal.  And some people like it.

[Honey Badger]

OK, we ate the chicken bean soup for a few days early in the week and really liked it a lot.  I will definitely make it again.

I'm getting ready to shop and want to do my usual Sunday "bucket" food cooking; something that will produce leftovers for a couple-few days.
I'm going to head over to the Dutch oven thread.

[diablita]

I'm going to head over to the Dutch oven thread.

DON'T LIFT THE COVERS!

[LilyLily]

OK, we ate the chicken bean soup for a few days early in the week and really liked it a lot.  I will definitely make it again.

I'm getting ready to shop and want to do my usual Sunday "bucket" food cooking; something that will produce leftovers for a couple-few days.
I'm going to head over to the Dutch oven thread.

I'm going this afternoon (shopping that is).  Bummer to miss you at Kroger this week!

[Honey Badger]

DON'T LIFT THE COVERS!

I'm going this afternoon (shopping that is).  Bummer to miss you at Kroger this week!

  Went to Costco and then to the Martins right across the street.  I think I like Kroger better.  Or even the Martins near Stein Mart seems better than the one near Costco.

We are having pot roast tomorrow.  With lots of veggies.  Don't know if I'll do it in the slow-cooker or the Dutch oven.
And I bought stuff to make French onion soup.  But I am going to make DH slice the onions because it absolutely KILLS my eyes when I do it.
I really need to get a pair of those onion goggles.