Slow Cookin'

Confession: I'm not someone who's totally in love with my slow cooker. I love the idea of a slow cooker. In theory, it's sounds wonderful. Having dinner put together before breakfast, the yummy smells filling up the house all day and knowing dinner is going to be ready right on time. Sounds great.

But, here's the thing. Beyond the practical purposes of keeping things warm, making soups, dips, oatmeal and pulled pork/chicken, I haven't found many recipes I love. I tend to try one and then we decide the recipe is not worth making again. I'm not a big fan of creamy condensed soup recipes and I tend to think beef in the crock pot tastes like dog food. Truthfully, I'm really okay with that because at the end of (most) days, I look forward to getting in the kitchen, chopping my onions and prepping for a fresh meal. My family likes the results better anyway!

I might not have many, but here are some of my favorite slow cookin' recipes to share:

1. Tyler Florence's Pulled Pork BBQ - Seriously yummy. We love pulled pork in our house. It is perfect for entertaining in every season. It feeds a whole lot of people AND there are so many fun ways to repurpose pulled pork leftovers. Speaking of...I'm adding it to this week's menu.


2. Bourbon Chicken - Do you ever find yourself in the mood for some deliciously questionable food court chicken? You know...the kind they try to hand feed your on tooth picks every time you walk through the mall. It probably isn't very good for you, but it is pretty yummy. That's why when someone shared this recipe with me, I had to give it a try. It didn't disappoint. It tasted a whole lot like the chicken at Cajun Café, but way better because I know how clean the kitchen was it came from, as well as what ingredients I put in it. My girls ate it up and asked for seconds. The recipe was passed a long a few times and I'm not sure of it's origin, but here it is:

2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 onion, diced 
1 cup of honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp. veg oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced (or grated in)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or less depending on your heat capacity)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Place chicken in the slow cooker. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. At the end, combine a tbsp. of corn starch with a tbsp. of water in a small bowl. Pour in the chicken sauce to thicken. If not thick enough, repeat.  

3. Slow Cooker Banana and Coconut Milk Oatmeal - recommended recently by my friend Chrissy. Everyone loved it. I'm looking forward to making it again soon and even trying some different mix-ins. This one is for you Heather. Yum coconut! 


Next on my list of slow cooker recipes to test out:
Rachael Ray's Slow Cooker Paella

What are your favorites? Share your best slow cooker recipes in the comments!