Slow Cooking in the Summer Months

The weather has warmed, and we're spending more and more time out in the yard. 

I love it.

But I STILL use my slow cookers more often than not for our family dinners, and I urge you to, too.

Slow cookers take up very little electricity to run when compared to your stove or oven, and they do not heat your kitchen up the way those other appliances do. You're not going to notice that your AC is struggling to keep the kitchen cool, and you're not going to be standing over a hot stove, trying not to drip into your pasta sauce.

(ew. that's really gross, steph.)

I've listed my favorite ways to use the cooker below --- if you've got a family favorite, add it to the list!

FISH
Love, love, love fish packets in the slow cooker. The fish steams perfectly in a foil or parchment-paper packet and you get a beautiful, flaky finished result without stinking (or heating!) up your kitchen.

FISH

Lemon and Rosemary Chicken
We make this chicken pretty often, and I like to use the leftovers on top of salads or in chicken sandwiches. If you don't want to mess around with a whole bird, dump in a bunch of your favorite frozen boneless, skinless pieces and then add the seasonings.

lemon rosemary chicken

 
Pesto Spinach Lasagna
This lasagna rocks. It's vegetarian, so it's automatically lighter than most lasagnas, and because you've got pesto layered in it each and every bite is absolutely bursting with loads of flavor. Put your basil crop to good use this summer!

pesto spinach lasagna

Lentil and Kale Super Food
Kale is good for you. Lentils are too. And together they work to create a great casserole that will keep you swimsuit-ready the entire season. (an added bonus? this tastes good. PROMISE.)

lentil and kale super food

Hot Dogs
And let us not forget that you can fit 60 HOT DOGS INTO ONE POT!
and that there is pretty darn impressive.

cook 60 hotdogs at once!

Basil Chicken with Feta
More basil! This Mediterranean-inspired dish that will keep all the picky people in your house happy.

basil chicken with feta

Cowboy Beef and Bean Sandwiches
although cowboys might not actually eat their sandwiches on rice cakes....?

beef and bean sandwiches

 
Applesauce
And while I certainly have quite a few desserts you can make in the crock, my favorite not-too-sweet dessert in the summer is Applesauce. We eat it both hot or cold --- and the kids love to add whipped cream and ice cream to their bowls for an even more decadent treat.

applesauce

Crayons

If you're like us and your playroom or household art area has more broken than whole crayons, no worries! You can melt them down in an aluminum muffin tin to make recycled crayons!

This is a great summer time playdate or girl/boy scout activity.

crayons

Enjoy your summer time months! Keep the slow cooker out --- you'll be thankful that you did!

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have a great week!

5-Ingredient Homemade Beef Stew

We have had the world's funkiest weather in the Bay Area lately. On Monday my back and shoulders got burned while gardening, and today I'm all snuggled up in a heavy sweater and fuzzy slippers.

I've been getting emails asking for "easier" recipes --- so I dug through the cabinets and freezer and made a delicious and hearty beef stew using ONLY 5 INGREDIENTS!!

I'd totally pat myself on the back, but I'm still burnt...

The Ingredients
serves 6
 
2 pounds beef stew meat
1 (16-ounce) jar southwest salsa (has corn, black beans, onions, tomatoes, chiles)
4 cups beef broth
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup baby carrots, or chopped carrot

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the meat into the bottom of your cooker and add the rest of the ingredients --- there is no need for any other seasoning; the southwest salsa provides plenty of flavor all on it's own. If you can't find this particular kind of salsa, you can certainly add frozen or canned corn or diced potatoes, or anything else you'd like. 
I was trying to keep the ingredient listing to 5, and to not pull out a cutting board, but if you'd like to doctor it up with veggies you have in the house, go for it!
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the meat is so tender it falls apart when poked.

Serve with crusty bread and a green salad. I made a loaf of homemade gluten free bread in another slow cooker. I used this recipe, but added sliced garlic cloves, diced onion, and a teaspoon of kosher salt to the batter.

The Verdict

This was a successful meal! I was pleased at how the salsa and beef broth created a fantastic soup base, and was thrilled at how easy this was. It took no time to plop everything into the pot, and because I didn't need to peel or chop vegetables I had plenty of time to whip together the bread dough before leaving the house for the day.
I used a medium salsa, and it really retained it's heat, even when mixed with the broth. If you or your family doesn't like things spicy, opt for mild salsa. You can always add a dash of Tobasco at the end if you'd like a punch of heat.

Not the stew for you? Here are a few more!
Harvest Stew
Azorean Spiced Beef Stew
Sausage and Lentil Stew
Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)
Turkey Stew
Bean Stew (vegetarian)
Chicken and Sweet Potato Southwestern Stew (flop! don't make this!!)