A Love/Hate Relationship with my Crockpot
Fave slow cooker recipes, a very chocolaty birthday cake and a new Juneteenth cookbook
When I started my food blog a few years ago, I envisioned lots of delicious Crockpot recipes. Aren’t slow cookers supposed to be a busy parent’s best friend?
I kept lugging my old Crockpot out of the storage room to test new recipes. The results were mostly underwhelming. We ate a lot of bland, overcooked dinners. One of my kids actually started saying “oh no!” when she’d see the Crockpot sitting on the kitchen counter.
These days, I rarely pull the Crockpot out. We’re trying to eat mostly vegetarian, so I don’t need to slow cook giant cuts of meat. I prefer to cook most soups and stews in my Instant Pot. And although slow cookers really can be convenient, you still have to prep all of the ingredients in the morning. Most weekday mornings, I don’t have time for that.
And so, my food blog has only a handful of slow cooker recipes. I only want to publish meals that I genuinely enjoy. Here are three that you can try.
Lentil Sloppy Joes
You can scoop these healthier Sloppy Joes on a bun, or eat the flavorful lentils in a bowl with coleslaw. I also like frozen french fries on the side. And a pickle.
Crockpot Lentil Soup
I like to serve this lentil soup with Trader Joe’s frozen samosas or frozen naan.
Crockpot Beef and Barley Stew
This beef and barley stew is so comforting. The barley gives the broth a thick, silky texture that’s kind of like gravy.
You can find more slow cooker recipes in the Kitchen Skip archives, including vegetarian Crockpot lasagna.
Dinner Last Week
I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? Here’s what my crew ate last week.
Monday: We had friends over for Memorial Day brunch, so we weren’t too hungry at dinner. The kids had leftover bagels and cream cheese and my husband and I had a salad.
Tuesday: Honestly, I can’t remember!
Wednesday: Instant Pot Orzo & Shrimp Scampi Pasta. (photo below) The next day, I added mayo and lemon and turned leftovers into a cold orzo salad.
Thursday: Basic tacos
Friday: Leftover tacos, which ended up being more like quesadillas
Reading
Please note that book titles in this section are Bookshop.org affiliate links. Your cost for purchasing the book is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to me and help support my work. When ordering from Bookshop.org you’ll also be supporting independent bookstores.
Cookbooks
I haven’t read Watermelon and Red Birds by Nicole A. Taylor yet but I’m planning to check it out at the library, which is my favorite way to try out new cookbooks.
It’s a cookbook to celebrate Juneteenth. It has recipes like Watermelon Ginger Beer, Peach & Molasses Chicken and Southern-ish Potato Salad.
I’m predicting that ginger beer cocktails and mocktails are going to be the drink of the summer. I’m seeing them everywhere!
What are you reading right now? Leave a comment and let me know.
Chocolate-Chocolate Birthday Cake
Next week is my birthday! I almost always make my own birthday cake and this year I’m in the mood for something very simple and very chocolaty. But not too sweet.
I’ve decided to make the deliciously simple “Happy Wife, Happy Life” chocolate cake from Julia Turshen’s Small Victories cookbook. I suggest you do the same, even if it isn’t your birthday!
That’s all for this week,
Jenny
P.S. All of my past newsletters with links to recipes can always be found in the archives
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