Friday, May 23, 2008

Crock Pot Recipe for Creamy Seafood Chowder

Author: Natalie Schloesser

I see myself as a fairly good cook. I can make something without a recipe, create my own recipes, and alter any recipes I have to fit my family's tastes. However, for some reason I never ventured to create a “clam chowder” type recipe. This is truly strange considering every time I go to a restaurant and they offer clam chowder, I order it. I love clam or creamy seafood chowder, and often when I love a recipe I am anxious to try it. But again, for some reason I would shy away from trying this. Perhaps part of the fear came from creating the cream base or cooking with clams. I’m not really sure, but I finally overcame the fear by cheating.

I know that we always teach our children not to cheat, but I have to admit that cheating in cooking is sometimes a wonderful thing. By cheating with this recipe, I’ve created the seafood chowder I love without a lot of preparation and hassle (and added a few extra twists). Enjoy!

2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp minced onion
1 cup half and half
1 cup milk
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup celery
2 10 ounce cans of clam, undrained
1 tsp creole seasoning
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 16 oz package frozen corn
1 pound pre-cooked tail off shrimp

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except shrimp, mix well. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Easy Crockpot Recipes are the Best Crockpot Recipes

Author: Tony Buel

You worked for hours over your stove to get the perfect meal prepared. It's getting close to the time when everyone is getting ready to sit down. The natives are getting restless so to speak but they're trying to stay out of the way and not say anything.

All eyes are on you. You can almost feel their hungry eyes burning a hole in the back of your head.

And then something inevitably goes wrong.

The meat is undercooked. The rice is overcooked. The mashed potatoes are too soft. The gravy is getting cold.

Oh No!

If only you had more time! If only you didn't feel so rushed all the time! If only you started preparing the meal earlier! If only...

It looks like it's time to step back and slow things down a bit. Take a snapshot of this moment and ask yourself, "What went wrong? What are the lessons to be learned here? How can I get off this crazy cycle?"

It looks like your solution has been in your closet this whole time. Go and 'dust off that old crockpot'!

Your grandmother used it frequently and you never saw her stressing out in the kitchen. In fact she seemed to enjoy it. "What did she know that I don't know?"

And of course you remember the aroma wafting through the whole house. That memory lingers in your mind to this day.

You may be asking yourself, "Can a slow cooker actually do all this for me? Can it actually save time making a meal? How is this possible?"

I know it seems to go against logic, but the answer is "Yes, it will save you tons of time preparing a meal". Many have found this out for themselves and are loving it!

Earlier in the day you will have loaded up the crockpot with the ingredients for your meal. You then turned it on and set it to the appropriate temperature. The crockpot will just quietly sit in the background doing its thing and will stay out of the way until the appropriate time.

And as you get experienced you will see that the easy crockpot recipes can sometimes be the very best crockpot recipes. You will have favorites that you will come back to time and again.