<p>gapyearmom–crockpots have been forbidden in our house (husband thinks they are a way of disguising cheap cuts of meat!) but these crockpot recipes are so easy (& I’m going back to work) that I’m going to try them! Love the minimal ingredients…!!</p>
<p>I have some questions about crockpots. Years ago, I had what I think was a slow cooker or crockpot. Is there a difference? I used it once and I was petrified. It got so hot on the outside! I thought that it might damage my countertop. I managed to transfer it onto some trivets, but I never used it again. Is a crockpot/slow cooker supposed get really hot on the outside?</p>
<p>Great question, northeastmom. The slowcooker/crockpot I have is from my mom & is 15/20 years old. Maybe the newer ones have better technology?</p>
<p>Slow cooker/crockpot - same thing. My much loved crockpot is about 5 years old. It’s stainless steel on the outside with an interior crock that lifts out for cleaning. The interior crock gets extremely hot, the exterior stainless just gets very warm. My old one piece crockpot got extremely hot all over.</p>
<p>Nothing is better than a crockpot for busy days or multi-serving meals. It’s so nice to come home to a meal that’s homemade and ready to serve!</p>
<p>maysixxmom, thanks. The one that I had got so hot on the outside that it was frightening. I wonder if you can get ones now that are not very warm on the outside. Anyone know?</p>
<p>I have a Rival 6 qt slow cooker with the carry handles. The inner pot comes out and the outside is cool to touch. Have not had any problems. I have left them on for the 8 hrs and left my house for work, no problems.</p>
<p>Can’t say enough about TastyBite Indian dishes that you just microwave. The chickpea curry and Bombay potatoes and Bengal Lentils are fantastic. Just have a pot of rice and a salad and you’re good. Some times I have leftover chicken or flank steak with this but it stands alone. Your kids have to like spices, though. Mine love this. And it’s completely instant.</p>
<p>I have bought the TastyBite but haven’t tried it. Gave one to the son to take to his place, the other is on the shelf. Thanks for the reminder</p>
<p>I made the tortilla lasagna last night. It was quite tasty and the family enjoyed it. However, it made a huge amount. I used a rectangular pan and the 5 of us didn’t finish half of it. So you might want to halve the recipe unless you are cooking for a crowd.</p>
<p>soozievt, I finally made your linguine and clam sauce recipe tonight. I hate to admit that the recipe has been sitting on my kitchen island since you first posted it in August :o Absolutely delish! I’m now printing out your gingery shrimp recipe. I’ll report back next October.</p>
<p>Another vote for the crock-pot here. I highly recommend the “Fix it and Forget It” cookbook,it has so many recipes that I can almost always find something to make with what I have on hand.</p>
<p>I thought I’d top my thread from a year ago, to share the gerat recipes that people posted last year and see if anyone has any great new ones.</p>
<p>TastyBite is AWESOME! I bring it to work all the time. My favorite is the spinach dal, which is also one of the less spicy options.</p>
<p>Any kind of lasagna, including tortilla, can be frozen, so I almost always plan for leftovers. If my guests and I eat more than half of what I prepared, then I planned it out wrong.</p>
<p>am marinating chicken now (breasts and boneless thighs). the marinated chicken can be baked or broiled and then served for several meals. dh likes to top salads with meat. to marinate, just use salad dressing (vinegar and oil combinations works well, i.e, greek, italian, balsamic) and toss with chicken into a gallon size zip lock baggy.</p>
<p>1 jar of al la vodka sauce
left over chicken or Trader Joes frozen chicken pieces
handful of frozen peas
penne pasta
crumbled bacon</p>
<p>Make pasta as directed.
In a saute pan heat chicken and frozen peas, add vodka sauce
toss in or serve over pasta, sprinkle bacon on top.</p>
<p>Another really easy recipe and company worthy,
Can be done on grill or in oven</p>
<p>Salmon fillet
ranch dressing
feta cheese
crumbled bacon
chopped fresh tomato</p>
<p>In a tin foil pouch place salmon fillet, top with a large dollop of ranch dressing, then top that with feta cheese then crumbled bacon. Fold over top of tinfoil, leaving it slightly open on top. Place in 350 oven for approx 15-20 min</p>
<p>Serve it with fresh chopped tomatoes.</p>
<p>m-and-s, I’ll bet that one wows company. I’d never guess that something with that much flavor could be so simple to make.</p>
<p>milkandsugar…that salmon recipe sounds fantastic ! we will have to try it soon.</p>
<p>dh has been grilling talapia fillets lately and the kids seem to like it. a little salt and pepper sprinkled on them and that’s it.</p>
<p>I’ve been buying pizza dough at the market and letting everyone make their own. It seems to work, and no one yells that they don’t like this or that.</p>
<p>Can’t deal with fish. Husband does the grocery shopping and only does it once a week…the thought of cooking or eating less than very fresh fish creeps me out, so I never put it on the shopping list.</p>