I Love My Crockpot

I've been utilizing the heck out of my crockpot lately. It's an absolute gem! Here's why I love it so much:

1. I am able to make dinner at a more convenient time. I HATE making dinner in the late afternoon to have it ready by 5:30. Afternoons are just hard for me. I'm usually exhausted. The kids have just gotten home from school. It's just chaos - and chaos overwhelms me. Sometimes I just throw my hands up in the air and declare, "Let's go out to eat!" And such a declaration is usually costly.

So, instead, I prepare dinner in the morning! Carena and Colt are off at school. Jonathan is happy eating breakfast or just waking up and I feel serene. Perfect time to make dinner!

2. Cooking in the crockpot means I'm not heating my entire house as I would with using the oven or stovetop. So, we're more comfortable - temperature wise.

3. I don't think I've ever made a crockpot meal that has failed. They always turn out delicious!

This week I've made four crockpot meals. I thought I'd share the recipes with you!

~ Pork and Sauerkraut - (if you're not a fan of sauerkraut, that's ok - but it makes for a really yummy juicy flavorful pork roast - even if you don't eat the sauerkraut)

1 small pork roast
1 jar sauerkraut (I love Klaussen brand)

Place roast in crock pot. Cover with sauerkraut. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. To make this dish even more phenomenal, you can add cut up apples and/or potatoes. Total comfort food and a great way to kick off autumn!

~ Meatball Stew

1 large onion cut into chunks
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
20 meatballs (make your own or use the frozen ones)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon basil leaves

Place vegetables in crockpot. Top with meatballs. In a small bowl, mix ketchup, water, vinegar and basil leaves. Pour over meatballs. Cover. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or until veggies are tender.

~ Hawaiian Barbeque

Any type of meat (I usually use a pork roast, chicken or beef roast)
1 bottle of BBQ sauce (my favorite is KC Masterpiece)
1 can either crushed pineapple (undrained) or chunk pineapple (undrained).

Place meat in crockpot. In separate bowl, combine pineapple and BBQ sauce. Pour over meat. Cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

~ Crockpot Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken
2 TBS butter
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp basil leaves
1 tsp sage
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
any other herbs you can think of
1 large onion cut into chunks

Really, use any herbs you want at any ratio that you want. I just make it up depending on what we have and what looks/sounds good!

(Remove any giblets from chicken)

Rub chicken with butter. In separate bowl, combine your herbs. Sprinkle herbs over buttered chicken. Place onion chunks in bottom of crockpot. Place butter and herbed chicken in crockpot. Cover. Cook on low for 10 hours. It should come out so tender and just falling off the bone. (I like this recipe because you can reserve the juices for gravy or for chicken stock for soup later!).