Tag Archives: slow cooker

Dec31

Smoky, Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

Posted on by
Standard

IMG_3011Happy New Year!  This year’s black-eyed pea recipe is my favorite so far…and the easiest, as it spent all day in the slow cooker. The smoked turkey leg added a ton of flavor and made this dish more of a meal. Here’s to a fantastic 2015. Cheers!

Smoky & Spicy Black-Eyed Peas (Adapted from myrecipes.com)

3 cups fresh shelled black-eyed peas

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 jalepenos, minced

2 cups turkey (or chicken) broth

1 smoked turkey leg (about 12 oz)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

Hot sauce

IMG_3017Place everything except hot sauce in the slow cooker and stir well to combine. Set the slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours. Stir to break apart turkey meat, then remove the bone and bay leaf. Serve with hot sauce and enjoy lots of good luck in the New Year!

Dec27

Auntie Tammy’s Gluten-Free Spaetzle

Posted on by
Standard

IMG_2991

After binge-watching a whole season of Master Chef Junior in two days, Samantha was fired up to create something in the kitchen.  My sister Tammy gifted me a very cool contraption for making Spaetzle, and with a pot of our Mom’s homemade turkey soup bubbling in the slow cooker the day after Christmas, these little German pasta dumplings sounded like the perfect addition.IMG_2985

Spaetzle starts with a dough that you pass through something that looks like a cheese grater (you could use a sieve with large holes) directly into boiling water.  You can add it to another dish like we did, or season with olive oil and fresh herbs for a super-easy side dish.

IMG_2988

Gluten-Free Spaetzle (serves 4):

1/2 cup of milk (at room temperature)

2 eggs (at room temperature)

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Gluten Free Flour

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

Salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Combine milk and eggs in a small bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl, then stir in wet ingredients.  Pass dough through the Spaetzle maker into the boiling water; Spaetzle will float when cooked, which takes about 1 minute.  Remove with a slotted spoon and toss with a little oil to keep from sticking.

Jan16

Slow Cooker Attempt #1

Posted on by
Standard

Slow Cooker Potato Rosemary Soup

There have been several crock pot cooking pages popping up on Facebook lately, and the Rosemary Potato Soup recipe finally motivated me enough to dust off my old slow cooker and give it a whirl.  I followed the recipe exactly, except at the end, where instead of adding extra rosemary, I drizzled on a little rosemary olive oil (more on this in a later post) and parmesan cheese.  The flavors were great, but I found the texture to be a bit gluey (like a cross between soup and mashed potatoes?) — perhaps because my slow cooker does not have a “low” setting.  I will be heating up the leftover soup with extra stock to thin it out.  But given I haven’t used the appliance in many years, and because my daughter Samantha was quite happy with the meal (potatoes and rosemary are two of her favorite things), I will chalk this up as a crock pot learning experience.  Now, I’m off to put up some wallpaper with that extra soup.