I don't have crock pot but I want to buy one? The people which do have one do u recommended one and what kinds of dishes do u prepare I'm 6 months post op thanks

My husband is an excellent cook and keep TONS of stuff, but the best things I have for my foods:

Set of really sharp knives - much less dangerous than dull ones.

mortar and pestle - 2 actually - 1 for chicken, and 1 for everything else

small shot glass w/ measurements on side

regualr measiring cup

crock pot -super simple design.

george forman grill

blender bottles

simple blender that is strong enough to puree

ice machine with "crush" settng on my fridge

baby spoons and coctail forks, lol.

I have a cheapy crock pot from walmart, I think it is 4 quarts and it works just fine.

I will toss in some meat and veggies in some broth/water and a few hours later I have food! lol

There is this blog that I love that has soooo many ideas:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

I use mine all the time. I do a lot of stew-type foods in it. chicken Chili, Lean pork shoulder in the crock pot until it shreds and then add some sauce to it. Taco Soup. Regular chili.

The moist, falling-apart meat is really easy for me to eat at this stage (I'm about 6-7 weeks out).

Thanks everyone for your advise and comments I just bought my first crock pot yay :-D and it came with a mini cookbook yay

Crockpot words of wisdom: Buy the crockpot (disposable) liners. They make life and cleanup a thousand times easier!

Crockpot words of wisdom: Buy the crockpot (disposable) liners. They make life and cleanup a thousand times easier!

Yes, but it helps if you remember to put them in FIRST! (I haven't quite mastered that yet)

I use mine usually once every 2 weeks or so. I use it for a lot of different things. Dishes:

• Lechon asado (Cuban pork roast)
  
• Chili - regular or white
  
• I roast chicken in mine (with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary)
  
• I'll bake meatballs in mine
  
• Stroganoff
  
• Chicken adobo
  
• Beer & cheese soup (one of my family's fav)
  
• Lasagna
  
• Pulled pork sandwiches
  
• Tikka masala
  
• So many more
  

As you can tell, lots of oven dishes will translate to the crockpot. You'll just need to make a few adaptations. E.g. when I roast chicken in mine, I place the chicken on foil balls. That allows the juices to drain down so that the chicken doesn't "stew".

Oh, Chiggen, I am a convenience fiend, and I hate cleaning. Those liners are second nature, lol!

I have an awesome, EASY chicken and dumplings crockpot recipe if anyone wants it.

And, a family favorite is whatever cheap cut of beef I find covered with a full jar of pepperocini pepper, juice and all. I shred it and put it in tortillas. The meat is so flavorful and juicy, it would be perfect without the tortilla for us sleevers.

I use mine usually once every 2 weeks or so. I use it for a lot of different things. Dishes:

[*]Lechon asado (Cuban pork roast)

[*]Chili - regular or white

[*]I roast chicken in mine (with olive oil' date=' sea salt and rosemary)

[*']I'll bake meatballs in mine

[*]Stroganoff

[*]Chicken adobo

[*]Beer & cheese soup (one of my family's fav)

[*]Lasagna

[*]Pulled pork sandwiches

[*]Tikka masala

[*]So many more

As you can tell, lots of oven dishes will translate to the crockpot. You'll just need to make a few adaptations. E.g. when I roast chicken in mine, I place the chicken on foil balls. That allows the juices to drain down so that the chicken doesn't "stew".

Can u give me some recipes? ESP the ck adobo, pulled pork, n the as ado?

I don't have recipes, really - I just kind of throw stuff into the crockpot. Here are approximations.

Lechon asado - picnic shoulder, whatever size will fit in the crockpot (I use different sizes depending on how many people I'm feeding). I dust it with adobo (Goya) and then add it to the pot. Put in about 3 yellow onions, thinly wedged and I like to add some chopped green chilles although the purists would scoff. Add in some rough chopped garlic... I don't know... 4 - 6 cloves maybe. Then I make a mojo criollo sauce and cover the meat about 25%. THen just let it cook until it's falling apart. DH eats it on rice, I just have the meat. DD likes to make tacos with it.

Pulled pork - shoulder/butt to size. I sprinkle it with meat rub - the kind you use for smoking meats. No particular brand, just whatever DH has (he smokes lots of meats). ANd then I really work the rub into the meat, don't just sprinkle it on. I pour in a bottle of root beer (I use homemade but any store bought would likely have similar flavor & sugars), and "enough" liquid smoke. One of those no recipe things... a little tiny bit goes a very long way. Maybe the equivalent of a half tsp or tsp per pound. And some onion powder - maybe 2 tsp. When I get home from work I take out the meat and shred it, drain the juices from the crockpot and put the shredded meat back in with enough BBQ sauce to make it... squishy. I use "Rufus Teague" brand BBQ sauce exclusively (store bought) or a mustrard/Carolina style sauce that I make myself.

chicken adobo - I use skinless chicken legs & thighs, with or without wingette. Doesn't matter much, whatever the store has. I think they're uually in 3# packs. Put in the crockpot. Add in about 4 cloves of garlic, smashed. About 1 tsp: white pepper, white sugar, salt. 1 bay leaf. 2 large white onions, finely chopped. Equal parts white vinegar and soy sauce (for 3# I probably use just under 1/4C of each). Don't cook yet, cover and marinate in the fridge for about 2 hours. Cook in crock pot for - 3 - 4 hours. Then I transfer everything to a large saucier and reduce until the juice has thickened. It usually takes 20 - 30 mins. I like to put crushed red pepper on mine, though it's not part of the traditional way of making it (a Filipino neighbor showed me how when I was a teen). Serve on jasmine rice for the fam.

^ If you haven't had chicken adobo before, you might want to try it first. It's not for everyone.

BTW, always wash & pat dry all meats before you put them in the crockpot.

Mojo criollo - you can make it with bitter orange, or a bitter orange substitute (I will use a pineapple base if I can't find bitter oranges). You can usually find premade in Hispanic groceries, or in the Hispanic aisle of a generic grocer. The Goya brand of premade mojo criollo is not bad, and it's cheap.

We have 5 kids all in multiple sports and dance and hubby coaches. I live by the crock pot.

French dips: I put whatever huge hunk of beef I have in the crock pot. I buy what's on sale, but I prefer chuck for this dish. Pour in a jar of sliced pepperoncinis with juice, an onion sliced and 4-10 cloves of garlic. Cook until you can shred the meat. Depnding on how much broth there is, I'll add some beef broth because we like extra juice for dipping. Scoop mixture onto a bun and top with cheese. Serve with a side of the juice for dipping. I usually put my sandwiches in the over for a bit to melt the cheese and make the bread crusty, but you dont have to.

Brown some bone in pork chops. You need the bone for flavor. You don't have to brown them, but this step keeps all the coagulated meat juice from making the dish look not as pretty. Toss in some corn, black Beans and salsa (depends on how many you're serving) and salt and pepper generously. Cook until chops are falling off the bone (depends on thickness) The corn, bean, salsa make a delicious side dish to go with the chops.

I throw a whole roast in (beef or whole chicken) with whatever veggies I have on hand. Cook all day and serve.

Ham works great in the crok pot, but it's better with the cheaper hams and not the spiral cut. Just get a shoulder or butt ham and put it in the crock pot with green beans. The salty juice from the ham makes the green beans taste so good.

I've also made turkey tetrazini with leftover thanksgiving turkey. I found the recipe online and it was very good.

I make chili in the crock pot all the time.

I toss a whole piece of pork with a little bbq sauce and cook until I can pull it apart. Add more bbq sauce for pulled pork sandwiches.

I put boneless chicken thighs in with a bag of broccoli, a can of pineapple chunks, onions, peppers and teriyaki sauce. Cook until done (about 4 hours) and serve over rice.

I make baked potatoes in the crock pot in the summer. Sure, they're better in the oven, but I don't have a house that I can turn the oven on for an hour+ during the summer, so I do them in the crock pot.

^^^^^These are all regulars, tried and true, that I make often because we are just so busy in the evenings. These are recipes I make for the family. Clearly I modify what I eat, but usually it's just a matter of not having the starch and I make salads to go with meals 5 nights a week typically.

I Love My Crock Pot! My daughter calls it my Crack Pot..LOL Set it and Forget it is my motto and I can make enough food for my family for a couple of days Soups, Stews, pot roast, etc. I like foods where I can throw everything together and cook it all at once, like cassaroles and the like. Its the best way when your a single working mom!

Thank u Wheetsin and Heatherr for the wonderful recipes! I have 2 crockpots n have used them twice. Once for dips and the other...for beans.. The beans dried up and almost burned the pot.. Don't know how to use it... But thank u so much... Have to try out the recipes this weekend...yummmm.