Crock Pot Classics: Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

Its been awhile since I shared one of my favorite Crock Pot recipes with you, no? Of course that doesn't mean I am not cooking them, I am just not posting them. So, I decided to share this quick, easy breakfast  with you to beat off the cold that hopefully some of you are seeing. It also makes a great addition to every one's favorite meal: Breakfast for dinner.

This started out in our family as a regular french toast kind of deal but then my boys became addicted to cinnamon raisin bread so we switched to making it with that instead. You can use regular bread but honestly, the raisin bread is best.

This recipe also serves kind of a dual purpose here. You will find that this recipe will make a lot of French toast. So unless your family is large or ridiculously hungry, you will find your need to freeze some of it to have another day. I usually cut slices out (think cake slices) and tray freeze them. Then I can just defrost a few slices and have an easy breakfast. Of course you can half the recipe but you'll need a smaller Crock Pot than I own or you won't need to cook it near as long. Mine is 6 quarts.

Ok, time to gather your ingredients:

1 loaf cinnamon raisin bread (cut into chunks or half slices)
12 eggs
2c Milk
2tsp Cinnamon
2tbsp Light brown sugar
2tsp vanilla

Whisk all of the ingredients except the bread in a bowl. When it is well blended, gently fold the bread into the mix. Or you can put the bread into a big bowl and pour the mix over it. You don't want the bread to fall apart really but you do want it all coated and soaked in the mixture.

When its all coated and most of the liquid has soaked in (you can stick it in the fridge and let it sit if you want) dump it all into a well greased Crock Pot. Well greased people. Seriously. Cook it on low for 6-8 hours. Sometimes it takes mine a little longer for some reason.

Use a spoon to serve or even just dump it on a plate and slice it up. Enjoy!

Drinkable Fall Potpourri and Other Fall Scents

Tomorrow brings the Autumn Equinox! The official start of Fall for those of us who don't see a change in the weather like some lucky people. I got excited about the fall season about a month ago and it has just built and built and now I am ready to explode Fall all over everything. That sounded less weird in my head.

Anyway, since Fall is here, its time to start bringing my favorite fall scents and treats come to life. I wrote about the Pumpkin Butter yesterday but these are more the sumptuous scents. I just adore the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin. Its sweet and crisp and screams my favorite season. The first one is of course my favorite. Drinkable Potpourri, Call is Spiced Cider if you must but it serve a wonderful double duty as both yummy treat and making your house smell like a Fall wonderland.

Drinkable Potpourri
Enough apple cider to fill a big pot (a crock pot works too!)
One organic apple, cut into about 1/2-inch thick slices (organic apples actually do give the best flavor).
One orange, rind and all, cut into slices about 1/2-inch thick
3-4 whole cinnamon sticks
6-8 whole cloves
6-7 whole allspice berries (you should be able to get these anywhere but I had trouble this year).

Place all ingredients in your pot and heat. For best taste, bring to a simmer uncovered and let it reduce a little to your taste preference.  As it reduces, you can also add more apple cider to keep the smell alive and to keep the supply coming. I like to drinking with a cinnamon stick in the mug for that extra cinnamon kick but its totally optional.

Now of course I already mentioned that I love the taste and smell of cinnamon so this next one is a total no brainer. If you are like me and like the spicy sweet smell and taste of those little round cinnamon candies, this one is for you. Of course it also makes your house smell like one of those cinnamon brooms you see outside the grocery store about this time every year. Win, win.

Cinnamon Apple Cider
Enough apple cider to fill a big pot
About a 1/4 cup crushed Cinnamon Candies

Put everything into your pot and simmer while stirring until all of the candies are melted. Turn off the heat and serve it warm! You can also totally do this by the mug in the microwave but you don't get the whole house smell.

The last one smells like heaven but it is not edible. I mean I guess you could but its not going to taste good. Fair warning. It does smell more like a typical Fall candle or store bought potpurri to me. Its a good, quick one though and its stuff you most likely already have in your pantry.

Orange Cinnamon Simmer (Don't eat this one!)
Orange Peels

Cinnamon Sticks (or ground)
Whole Cloves (or ground)
Dash of Vanilla Extract
Water

Put all those things in a pot and simmer, adding watter as needed to keep it going. Don't let it boil dry.

Crock Pot Classics: Pumpkin Butter

This time of the year everything is pumpkin something. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin patches. I am one of those people that is particular about my pumkpkin flavored beverages. I prefer homemade* or Starbucks Pumpkin Spice coffee by far over the sweeter, milkier Dunkin' Donuts. I used to love Olive Garden's pumpkin cheesecake but I have burned out on it. Its still good though, if you haven't tried it.

Another pumpkin season tradition around our house is Pumpkin Butter. Think apple butter made with pumpkins. Its amazing on toast or scones or off the spoon or on pancakes or any way you can think of. The list could go on and on. Its the perfect texture and the perfect mix of spices and actual pumpkin that makes it a real treat. It also makes a great gift type thing for teachers or neighbors. I made a huge batch of it this year so that I could share its wonders with the world. Of course what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't also share it with you. Well, share the recipe with you. At least until teleportation is invented and then I will send it that way to anyone that wants some. Deal?

This recipe is particularly hard to really screw up. Sometimes I cook it on high and just stir more often, sometimes I do it on low and get the same result. This isn't a set it and forget it type recipe though so be sure you are going to be around the house for a few hours before starting it. You can cook and use your own pumpkins if you want. Just be sure to mash it really well before you start cooking or you'll have chunky butter. Which is still tasty, just chunky. Because I'm lazy, I use canned pumpkin.


What you'll need:

2 15oz cans of canned pumpkin (or about 3 cups of homemade pumpkin smash)
The juice of one lemon
3 cups of brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Pour it all into your crock pot and set it on low (or high) and cover with the lid. Let it cook on low for at least an hour while covered and then remove the lid for the rest of the cooking. It will need to be stirred about every 15- 30 minutes for a few hours depending on your crock pot. You will notice the butter getting darker and thicker. My best suggestion is to let it get darker and then just keep tasting it to see when it tastes best to you. It will thicken a little as it cools too.

Not the best picture but you can see the color difference here.

I usually just put all of it in a huge Rubbermaid container and stick it the fridge to cool before doling it out into smaller containers to hand out or freeze. You can also can it and it will keep pretty much forever. In the freezer it stays good about 6-8 months and it stays good for a pretty good while in the fridge too as long as you are sure to use a clean spoon and not double dip (contamination cha-cha-cha).


*Homemade pumpkin spice coffee: add pumpkin spice to your coffee grounds before you brew it. Rocket science, I know. Thank me later.

Crock Pot Classics: Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

Its been awhile since I shared one of my favorite Crock Pot meals with you but let me tell you, this is one you are going to want to try out! The Southwestern spice with the sweet, fall apart chicken is amazing.

There is a lot of room to either spice this dish up or down for your families taste buds too. We tend to prefer a pretty mild heat because of the boys being young. If your family tends to prefer a little more heat, you can add a few more jalapenos or even just use a hotter salsa. You can also add a little bit of Tabasco sauce to add that punch you may be looking for.

This recipe is a particular favorite of mine because I can put it together in a ziploc bag and either freeze it or just dump in the Crock Pot and go the next morning. I will say though that six hours on low really is kind of necessary for this dish. If you try to cook it on high, the chicken doesn't stay tender enough to shred for the tacos later so low and slow is really the best. You also want the chicken to be done but if you leave it too long, it dries out and the sauce burns which doesn't make for just the best tasting anything.

In your Crock Pot, mix together:

One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
One package taco seasoning
2-3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
4-5 Chicken breasts


After you mix all of those ingredients together well, place 4 or 5 chicken breasts in the pot and coat with the mixture. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low.

When the chicken is done, shred it with a pair of large forks and mix with the sauce until its coated well. Then all you have to do is load up your taco shells (I prefer hard shells but soft works too!). You can top the tacos with whatever floats your boat. They are really good with just the chicken but I like to add a little fresh lettuce and sour cream to mine. My mother prefers to add black beans and a  little taco sauce. Its all about your preference.

Crock Pot Classics: Curried Chicken

Ok, so far I have shared my favorite Mexican dish (Mexican Chili Chicken) and my favorite Italian dish (Italian Sausage and Rice). Now its time to try something a little more Far Eastern. I was never a huge fan of curry until a few years ago when my sister got me hooked on her Japanese Katsu Curry and it was all downhill from there. Curry makes everything better.

The combo of curry and ginger in this recipe is also good for your digestive tract. Either one on their own is good for you but together they pack a more potent punch. Ginger also has an amazing natural anti-inflammatory properties so this is the perfect cold/ flu season comfort food.

This is a pretty mildly curried dish so its good for people that are just getting into it or don't think they like curry. My kids both love it too but occasionally they won't eat it if I got it too spicy so be careful of that if your kids are sensitive to heat.

The only other real tip I would give on this is to make sure and use fresh grated ginger. Like, fresh off the grater. Otherwise the ginger flavor gets lost in the tomato flavor and its just not the same.

Oh, and be sure to read the instructions all the way through before you jump in and start your prep. Ready?

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Here is what you'll need for this:

• 1 lb Boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces (You can use thighs too but they need to be boneless)
• 1 1/2c chopped onions
• 1c chopped bell peppers (I use my frozen mix of red, green and yellow but you can just use whatever you have)
• 1c Salsa (medium hot is suggested but I always use mild because of the kids)
• 2 tsp Fresh grated ginger 
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
• 1/4c Fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp curry powder
• Salt to taste (I use about 3/4 tsp)

Ok, go ahead a layer your onions, peppers, and chicken in the bottom of your pot in that order (your vegetables should always go in the bottom of your Crock Pot for the best flavor). Set it aside while you mix together the salsa, ginger, garlic powder and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Make sure you mix it up really good and cover the top of the chicken with the mix, doing your best to cover all the pieces. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours. The higher you cook it, the more the chicken will stay together. I like mine to fall apart a little so I go the low route.

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Mix together the cilantro, salt, curry powder and sugar in a small bowl. I usually do this in a sandwich baggie and then stick it in the fridge but you can wait until you need it to mix it up.

After the right amount of time and the chicken is cooked through, add the cilantro mix to the pot and turn it up to high heat. If you want your sauce to be a little thicker, you can add a little flour with the cilantro mix. Maybe a tablespoon or two. Let it simmer for about 15- 20 minutes and serve with rice or flat bread.

Enjoy it. Awesome.

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Crock Pot Classics: Italian Sausage & Rice

Last Week I shared with you my loving relationship with my Crock- Pot. Even though it is sadly past its prime (hint- hint, Tommy), I use it regularly and will continue to do so until it meets its ultimate demise. Which will probably be soon. Seriously, its like 15 years old.

Oh, and I also shared the awesome-sauce that is my Mexican Chili Chicken recipe.

Anyway, here is another one of our favorite recipes. Last week we went Mexican, this week we go Italian. This one is an especially huge hit with my husband so I make a little extra so he can have some left overs for lunch the next day. I like this one too because it doesn't take as long to cook on those days that I forget until noon to start dinner. So, its a double dinner win. Can't beat that. 

The only downside to this dish is having to brown the sausage before you put it in the pot. It uses an extra pan. Still, its so good you won't mind.

Mmmmm...

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 pound Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces (You can use mild or hot depending on your tastes)
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce (I freeze homemade spaghetti sauce in a muffin tin so all I have to do is thaw it. I'll share that recipe soon.)
• 1 bell pepper, cut into strips. Use green or an assortment. (Or a handful of frozen bell pepper strips. No need to thaw.)
• 1 small onion, halved and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Hot cooked rice

Okay, now that you have everything together, you are going to have to put the sausage pieces into a pan with a little oil of your choice and brown them. Don't over do them, just brown all over is good. Then drain off the drippings. (You might want to put this in with your sauce, and thats just fine.)

After that, put the peppers and onions in your pot followed by the sausage, pinto beans, and sauce. In that order. Season with the salt and pepper and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Most of the time, the temperature doesn't really matter when you are cooking with a Crock- Pot but here it really kind of does. Just trust me when I say that this tastes a lot better when it is cooked low and slow. If you are in a particular rush, you can cook it on high for 2-3 hours and get mostly the same thing. Its just not as flavorful. Trust me.

Now, when its done, make yourself some rice (I used white because it was what I had but it tastes better with brown). You can choose to just mix the rice in the pot with everything else, or top the rice with the sausage-y goodness. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. I know we do!

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Crock Pot Classics: Mexican Chili Chicken

I have a confession to make: I love my Crock Pot. A lot. My Crock Pot is, however nearing the end of its poor little life. Its old. Really old. Plus, I have made more of our dinners in that thing in the last year than I have not. Who can blame me though? I can dump a bunch of things in there, turn it on and forget it. I don't have to check on it or worry about leaving it home alone. I usually don't even have to make anything to go with whatever it is in there because its like having a one pot, complete meal.

Anyway, I thought I would start sharing some of my favorite Crock Pot meals when I think of it. Now, I have to admit, I am no food blogger. I'm also not that great of a food photographer even though that is something I intend to work on over the year. So, You will have to bear with me as I figure all this out and forgive the lack of pictures in this post. Just use your imagination. I promise you will recognize the ingredients.

Speaking of which, here is what you will need to make my Mexican Chili Chicken:

• A Crock Pot (obviously)
• 2 medium-ish green bell peppers, cut into strips (I freeze bell pepper strips in bulk in the summer so I can just throw a handful or two in)
• 1 large onion, quartered and sliced into strips (I also freeze diced onions and add a handful. Depends on how big you like your onions in things.)
• 8 Chicken breasts or thighs (bone-in tastes best)
• 1Tbsp chili powder

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• 1 jar chipoltle salsa (16oz)
• 1/2c ketchup
• 1 tsp liquid smoke flavor (or to taste)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp water
• Noodles or rice (Whichever you have/ like. Either is good)

Once you have gathered the items above the line, assemble them all in the pot. Veggies on the bottom, then the chicken, chili powder and salsa on top. You can sprinkle a little bit of ground cumin in on top of the chili powder too if you want. It makes it a little more chicken-y. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours. It really does make a difference in the chicken though so if you have the time, cook it on low for more moist, flavorful chicken.

After the allotted time, check to make sure the meat is cooked with a meat thermometer or how ever your mama taught you to. After that, I go ahead and make the noodles or rice to go with it. That way its ready in the serving dish for the next step. Go ahead an mix the ingredients below the line together as well and set them to the side. You can skip the cornstarch and water if you like, they just make the sauce a little thicker. I would suggest making it without and adding it at the end if you decide its too thin.

Take the chicken out of the pot and place on top of the noodles or rice and cover with foil to keep it warm. I usually put the whole dish in a warmed but turned off oven for to keep it warm but I like my food to be quite hot. Turn the Crock Pot up to high.

Now, mix the ketchup mixture into the liquid in the Crock Pot and let it cook for a bit. I usually let it cook about 15 minutes or so. Much less and it doesn't get warm enough, longer and it might burn. Uncover your chicken and whatnot and pour the sauce over the whole shebang.

Eat. Yum.

Thats it. Easy peasy, no? This is what I would call medium spicy. If you like things to be a bit more spicy, I would suggest adding a little cayenne pepper or hot sauce to the ketchup mixture at the end. If you add it before you cook the chicken, it tastes... odd. Later is better.

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