[Ciel]

The 'hints and tips' page gives you a bit more info - basically, with some slow cookers you won't need to add any liquid - the moisture from the meat/veg provides it all, but it is released quite slowly, so won't look 'right' until towards the end - but with some slow cookers that are either larger, cook hotter, or lose moisture, they suggest adding a little water... HTH

[mummamumma12]

I just made a Sweet Potato & Chicken Stew in my slow cooker for dinner. For photos and other recipes see my blog mummamummablog

Here's what you need:
2 medium orange sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
2 brushed potatoes, peeled & cut into quarters
2 medium carrots, peeled & cut in chunks
6 chicken drumsticks, skin removed (or as many as you need)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup chicken stock (I used store bought because I was lazy)
1 can of whole tomatoes
2 tbspn flour
2 tbspn fresh thyme
salt to your liking (I didn't salt mine but should have)

Here's what you do:
Put everything in the slow cooker and give it a quick stir. Put the lid on and set the time for 7 1/2 hours and cook on low. If you want it faster set cook temperature to high for 5 hours. How easy is that!

We made some rice in the rice cooker to serve it with when time was up. I shredded the chicken from the bone (it just fell off), scooped up the vegetables and poured some of the stew over it all. My son ate it up as well and it was pretty tasty.

[bec230578]

mummamumma12 I have your Sweet Potato & Chicken in the slow cooker now... well a variation of it, I just a kg of chicken thighs & it's smelling good

[smudged]

I've found an excellent slow cooker blog-

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

It has a very wide variety of dishes! It's gluten free, but she does mention which ingredients she uses that are gluten free and that other brands do work.

The only issue I have is some want US specific ingredients (Velvetta cheese comes to mind) but I've been able to find other recipes for ingredients (like the Lemonade concentrate for the lemon chicken, which is really just home made lemon cordial!).

[ChilliDog]

I have an awesome lambshank recipe...i make it often and everyone loves it!!

Plum and Rosemary Lamb Shanks
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp plain flour (approx - depends how many shanks you cook)
- 4-8 lamb shanks
- 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil (again approx)
- 1 large brown onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary (i just get few sprigs, wash and add them whole)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme (i never have thyme handy so often leave this out)
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup plum jam


serve with mash potato and whatever veggies you like, i prefer greens.


Method:
- Preheat oven to 150deg or turn on your slow cooker to start warming.
- Place flour into a bag with shanks and toss to coat.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy based frying pan (or oven proof dish if using the oven) over high heat.
- Brown shanks in batches and transfer to slow cooker, or oven proof dish.
- Reduce heat to medium, add remaining oil, onion, rosemary, and thyme. Cook until onion is tender...maybe 5 min.
- Add red wine and simmer for 1 min.
- Stir in stock, sauce and jam.
- Bring to the boil, pour over the shanks in the slow cooker (or place in oven).
- Cook for a minimum 3-4 hours (until tender), baste and/or turn shanks a couple of times.
- Remove lid for the last hour or 2 (i am trying this with the slow cooker for the first time tonight). This seems to make the outside a bit sticky from the jam.


- Just a couple of things, the amount of jam used makes this very sweet. Tend to use about 1/3 - 1/2 of a jar of jam. This give sufficient sweetness in my opinion.
- I've gotten to a point with this that i don't tend to measure stuff so not sure my efforts are 100% consistent with this recipe.
- I find it a bit difficult to brown the shanks properly sometime as the shape makes it a bit tricky (i never bothered with frenched ones...too expensive) but i do my best and don't stress too much if parts aren't browned. Also with the high heat the oil/flour in the bottom of the pan goes a bit brown but so long as it's not really burnt i don't think it matters.
- Its a good idea to keep a ladle and bowl nearby and scoop out any oil on the surface as you see it pool on the top as you go.
- Last but not least i usually take a few ladles full a bit before serving time and boil in a small pot until it reduces and becomes nice and syrupy. Spoon over when you serve...to me this is the most important part :-)

Happy cooking!

[bagelbagel81]

Awesome topic!

I have been using mine consistently for the last three weeks- so much so there are to many leftover left to freeze.

Here are some of my favourites so far:

Vegetable soup

All kinds of vegetables chopped (except the mushrooms)
three chicken stock cubes
litre of water

I used celery, carrots, zucchini, muchrooms (whole), cabbage and broccoli (my fave)
Turn it on at 7.15am on low and leave it on until 6pm - Voila


Lamb Tikka Masala
TikkaMasala pre-bottled Sauce
Lamb Leg (I put mine in pretty much frozen)
Chopped Onion
Chillies to taste

Same as above, but served with Quinoa - so tasty


I am going to try some other folks' recipes - especially the one that includes a bottle of red- sounds fab!
Cheers