March 7: Pumpkin Custard

I'm a day behind again. I wonder if I will ever get back on track. Hopefully tomorrow. Anyway, I made the pumpkin custard today, but not in the crockpot. I wanted to make it in ramekins like the picture. So I started at about noon, and I preheated the oven to 350. I gathered up the ingredients:



In a bowl, I combined 1 cup of pumpkin, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, and 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon, ginger, and lemon peel:

 

I mixed all that up, then added one can of evaporated milk. Then I poured the mixture into ramekins, placed it in a pan and filled it an inch full with water.

 

I baked it for about 50 minutes I think. I was just guessing, so I kept checking it every 10 minutes or so. I didn't keep track. After it came out, I sprinkled some cinnamon on top:

If you want to make this in the crockpot, you have to use a 1 1/2 quart casserole that fits inside. And you have to pour water into the crockpot and cook it on low for 4 hours. This was good custard. The lemon peel was an interesting touch, not bad, but not necessary either. DH hates lemon peel, so I didn't leave him any to try. I put some cool whip on top, and I liked it better that way.

March 6: Northwest Beef and Vegetable Soup

Well, I'm a day behind again. I made this yesterday, but I started it too late, and it wasn't done in time for dinner. We ate fast food instead, since we had to go to church. We had this one for dinner tonight. Today's recipe was a pumpkin custard, but I might make that in the morning.

 

This meal is from the "soup for supper" section. These are the ingredients:

 

I heated 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet and seared a pound of beef stew meat:

 

I added a chopped onion and clove of garlic to the pan with the meat and then transferred it to the crockpot. Then I added 3 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes, a can of rinsed and drained white beans, a part of a butternut squash (I couldn't find a buttercup squash this time of year), a diced turnip, a diced potato, 2 sliced stalks of celery, some basil, salt and pepper. Then I poured 8 cups of water over top, and set it to cook on high for 2 hours:

 

After two hours it was supposed to cook on low for 4 to 6 hours more:

This soup was not bad, but it wasn't that great either. It's not one I would make again, just because it's a little bland and the beef didn't turn out that great. The kids didn't like it at all.

March 5: Black Bean and Mushroom Chilaquiles

Ooops, I forgot to type up this post last night. Oh well. I promise I made it for dinner yesterday. I started at about noon when I got home from MOPS. Here are the ingredients:

 

I chopped up an onion, a green bell pepper, and a jalapeno and sauteed them in 2 tbsp olive oil for about 5 minutes:

 

I transferred it to the crockpot, then added a pint of quartered mushrooms, two cans of drained and rinsed black beans, a can of undrained diced tomatoes, and 1 1/2 tsp each of cumin and oregano. That cooked on low for about 6 hours:

 

I sprinkled 1 cup of sharp Cheddar (I couldn't find white Cheddar) over top, let it melt, and then stirred it in:

 

Here is the baby:

 

I crushed up some tortilla chips in a bowl, ladled the mixture on top, sprinkled it with extra cheese, and served it:

I thought this meal was delicious. All the flavors meld together well, the tortillas are a bit crunchy, and the cheese is a delicious addition. DH liked it okay, but said he'd rather have meat than mushrooms. I guess I'll try that next time.

March 4: Dad's Dill Beef Roast

This recipe is great. It's so easy. It only has two ingredients, and you don't need to prep them first. It's from the "fall favorites" section of the cookbook. I started it at about 9:30 this morning. These are the ingredients:

 

In the crockpot I put a 3- to 4-pound roast and a jar of whole dill pickles. I covered it and cooked it on low for 8 hours (the recipe says 8-10):

 

When it was done, I removed the beef to a cutting board:

 

I shredded it with 2 forks and served it with the pickles (the recipe doesn't say to, but the pickles were good on the sandwiches):

 

The tip at the bottom says: "Serving Suggestion: Pile this beef onto toasted rolls or buns or, for an easy dinner variation serve it with mashed potatoes." I toasted some hamburger buns and served the beef on top of them. I served beets on the side:

 

This beef was really good. This would definitely be a go-to recipe in the future. All the kids and DH liked it too. Like I said, we had the pickles on the sandwiches, and it was great that way. I might try a cheaper cut of beef next time though. This one was about $11 for a 3-pound roast. And it was a little fatty (not that I mind - it tastes SO good!).

March 3: Burgundy and Wild Cremini Mushroom Pilaf

Today I started this recipe after lunch to eat it for dinner when we got home from evening church. Here are the ingredients:

I sliced up 1 cup cremini mushrooms, one onion, and one small zucchini. I heated 2 tbsp oil in a skillet and added 2 cups of rice, the mushrooms, onions, and zucchini. I cooked it for about 5 minutes:

I transferred the rice to the crockpot, added 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth, 1/2 cup red wine, some salt and pepper, and then I drizzled 1/4 cup of melted butter all over and gave it one stir.

I covered it and cooked it on low for about 6 hours:

I served it as a side dish to some leftover ham:

This rice had an excellent flavor. The zucchini and mushrooms were delicious. Next time I would definitely put in more zucchini because there wasn't enough. Sadly DH and one of my DDs didn't like it. If they had I would be putting this on my "make again" list for sure. Just a caution to myself if I do make it again: I cooked it on low for a little over 5 1/2 hours and it was very soft. Maybe a little less next time.

March 2: Shrimp Fondue Dip

Tonight I made this dip. It only has to cook for 2 hours. Here are the ingredients:

 

I mixed up 2 tbsp butter with 4 tsp dijon mustard:

 

I spread that onto 6 slices of texas toast, then cut the bread into cubes:

 

In the crockpot I layered 1/3 of the bread cubes, 1/3 lb shrimp, 1/3 of the 2 cups of Swiss cheese, and I repeated that 2 times:

 

Then I mixed up 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, and poured it over the layers, using a spatula to press the layers into the egg mixture:

 

I was supposed to cook it on low for 2 hours, but I cooked it on high on accident. The edges got crusty, but it didn't burn:

 

Then I served the dip on slices of French bread:

This dip was delicious. You can't go wrong with cheese and shrimp. We didn't eat much, because we had already had dinner, so we'll have some leftovers tomorrow.

March 1: Chocolate-Stuffed Slow Cooker French Toast

I have not made this recipe yet. I wanted to make my sick husband feel better after having to work for 3 days straight while sick, so I made him pizza for dinner. It really cheered him up. He was even laughing. Plus, I thought this French toast would be delicious for a Saturday morning brunch, so I'll make it in the morning and update the post tomorrow.

ETA 3/2/13

This morning I started this when I got up. It was about 8am. Here are the ingredients:

 

I buttered a casserole dish and layered in 3 layers, 6 slices challah (I used rolls) with 1 cup chocolate chips (the recipe says 1/2 cup, but I read it wrong and put in a whole cup):

 

I mixed up 6 eggs, 3 cups half-and-half, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 tsp salt. Then I poured that over the bread and pressed the bread down into the egg mixture:

 

My casserole dish was too big to fit in the crockpot; it was a 2 1/2-quart dish. It was supposed to cook on high 3 hours, but I baked the French toast in the oven on 375 for about an hour.

 

It was to be served with powdered sugar or syrup, but with the extra chocolate it was sweet enough:

This was a really delicious breakfast. Very rich. Everybody liked it. I even had some for lunch and it's delicious cold, too. You must have to have a giant crockpot in order for a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish to fit in it. It's okay though, because I don't mind turning on the oven when it's 20 degrees outside.