When I moved into my apartment last January, one of the first things I bought was a crockpot. Probably the best investment in small kitchen appliances I have made (next to the coffeepot of course) since it allows me to cook good meals without babysitting the stove or oven and save money by making it possible to make big batches of soups and stews that can be frozen for future meals.

Anyway, I thought a thread for slow cooker recipes would be nice, specially now that winter is moving in on us and who doesn't like a hot, steaming bowl of soup on a cold winter's day?

This first recipe came from a magazine article I read several years ago about a group of firemen that had taken on the challenge to come up with healthy meals to eat during their downtime in the fire station.

Fireman Soup

• 2 15 oz cans butterbeans with the liquid
• 1 15 oz can baby lima beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• couple cloves garlic, chopped (or as much as you like)
• 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1lb kielbasa, sliced or diced
• 3 carrots, sliced thinly (optional)
• 3 stalks celery, sliced thinly (optional)

Just dump everything into the crockpot (6 quart size) and give it a stir. If there doesn't seem to be enough liquid, add additional water. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. The soup is hearty and filling alone and should give you about 10 servings. Cornbread and a salad make good sides for this.

Note: Instead of kielbasa, you can use hot dogs, bratwurst or just about any kind of sausage. Or you can brown ground beef or turkey and add in place of the sausage. You can also leave out the meat entirely for a vegetarian soup - just add whatever vegetables you like.

This beef stew recipe comes from a cookbook entitled "3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Comfort Foods" and as you might expect from that title, it only has 3 ingredients (not counting salt and pepper).

Belgian Beef Stew

• 3 lbs stew beef
• 2 12 oz jars onion gravy
• 1 12oz bottle beer
• salt and pepper to taste

Place the beef into the slow cooker and pour gravy and beer over top. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Note: When I made this, I followed the author's suggestion to slice up 4 or 5 onions and layer them on the bottom of the cooker before adding the beef. Very yummy! The beer gives it a really nice flavor. I would suggest serving it over noodles or rice.

Forgot to add: use a 4 quart slow cooker for this recipe. 4 to 6 servings.

I use my slow cooker/crockpot often ~ people [my mother, especially ~ ] laugh that I have, and use, both a 4-quart and a 6-quart ~ but when I follow the "rule of thumb" that the most efficient and best way to use a crockpot is to fill it 3/4s full, everything seems to cook more evenly ~

pic, your Belgian Beef Stew recipe particularly appeals to me ~ next time I go grocery shopping I will get all the fixins' ~

Sooz

I made this for Easter dinner.

Pork Roast with Sauerkraut

[*]2.5lb pork roast [*]4 lbs sauerkraut (I use the bagged kind cause I don't like the taste of canned) [*]2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped [*]1-2 T brown sugar [*]1 tablespoon or so of caraway seeds (optional)
[/list]In a large skillet, put a few tablespoons oil and/or butter. Brown the roast on all sides. In the meantime, drain the liquid from the sauerkraut (you don't have to get it all out) and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped apples, the brown sugar and caraway seeds and mix to blend. You may have to use your hands to mix this all together. Put a small layer of the sauerkraut in the bottom of your crockpot (I used the 6 quart insert but after doing this, I think I could have used a 4 quart size instead) and put the pork roast on top. Cover with the rest of the sauerkraut and put the crockpot cover on. Set it to cook on high for about five hours.

To accompany the pork and kraut, I made roasted vegetables.

Roasted Vegetables

[*]6-8 thin carrots, cleaned and cut into 1-2 inch pieces [*]3 large onions, peeled and quartered [*]6-8 red potatoes (or more, depending on size), cleaned and quartered [*]1/4 c oil [*]Salt to taste [*]Any seasonings you like. I used 2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash, 1 tablespoon garlic pepper and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. [/list]An hour before the pork roast is done, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place the prepared vegetables in a large mixing bowl, add the oil and toss until the vegetables are coated. Put the vegetables in a 13x9 inch pan and sprinkle the salt and seasonings over them. Bake uncovered for about an hour or until the potatoes are tender. I got about five servings out of both recipes.

OK, I found my other beef stew recipe. This one is tomato based.

Drunken Beef Stew

• 2 1/2lbs stew beef cubes
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup
• 1 soup can water
• 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 carrots, sliced or diced
• 4 stalks celery, sliced thin
• 12 oz bottle of beer
• salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes to taste

Dump everything into your crockpot and give it a good stir. Cook on low for eight hours, adjusting seasonings in the last half hour. If the stew is too thin, you may want to add some flour to thicken it to your liking.

glitterypickels...... My husband makes that Fireman Soup and it's delicious. He's been making it for years. And guess where he learned how to make it??

When he was a Fireman in Atlanta, Georgia for 10 years from 1968-1978.

Pulled pork-ribs--makes delicious sandwiches....
 pork ribs or "baby ribs" seasoned with seasoned salt
a little water (less than 1/4 cp) if desired...my daughter doesn;t use any water--i like just enough to cover bottom of pot thinly
Cook ribs on high for 4 hrs. or low for 8 hrs.  meat falls off of bones...after pulling bones you can serve the meat plain or add barbeque sauce, serve on hamburger buns with side of cole slaw, corn on cob, potato salad, whatever.  Easy dinner....

Really don't know--i just layer them about three layers--or until it's about 3/4 full...season them as I put them in and then turn it on--smells really yummy while it cooks!