Notes about Recipes in this book

• Easy Brunswick stew

  • Aggie92 on September 04, 2016

    I will freely admit that I am no expert on Brunswick stew, but I do know that it should have a tangy edge to it. With that said, I found this somewhat bland. I made a few changes to make this more dehydrator friendly (making backpacking meals for our upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon). I used 1.25 lbs of ground chicken and omitted the smoked pork since I am unsure how well the pork would dehydrate. But those changes still did not account for the bland base. 1 cup of barbecue sauce is not enough to give this stew a good, tangy taste. So I added 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tablespoon Cholula hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke (to make some of the smoky flavor missed out on by leaving out the smoked pork). With those changes this is now a tasty, hearty dish which will warm our bellies and provide lots of veggies after a long day on the trail.

• Sesame-ginger chicken

  • Christine on March 18, 2016

    I really loved it dish, but it was a little too gingery for my husband. I don't often have fresh ginger on hand, so will usually substitute ground ginger. This time, I substituted fresh ginger paste which I thought tasted fantastic. Otherwise made as directed, minus the sesame seeds and green onions at the end.

  • mharriman on March 26, 2019

    Delicious. I made the dish as directed, but added more freshly minced garlic and ginger, and it was wonderful. My husband and I loved it. This was one of those rare recipes that looks exactly like the depicted photo of it! This is easy prep and cook, especially if you’re home in mid afternoon to start the crock pot. The aroma was very motivating as I completed a Spring cleaning project. We’re looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow.

• Barley, black bean, and corn burritos

  • Christine on March 18, 2016

    A healthy, tasty dish. I served in as-is in bowls instead of in tortillas.

  • mharriman on January 27, 2018

    As Christine noted, a healthy, tasty dish. It was very, very easy to prep. Mine was finished three hours before serving time and sat at SC warm for three hours- still very moist without being sloppy. I used whole wheat tortillas, and they were just as tasty to me as flour ones. I also served the red leaf lettuce greens as a full salad ( with avocado, tomatoes, and celery) rather than just alone next to the burrito. This would make a great company meal for vegetarian diners.

• Three bean vegetarian chili

  • mharriman on May 20, 2020

    With the Worcester sauce, this recipe isn’t totally vegetarian. That wasn’t an issue for us (not vegans) but it might be for a strict vegan. ThIs chili lives up to its description as a mild one. Because it’s mostly beans, it has a different taste and texture feel than traditional chilis with meat. It grew on me the longer I ate it. The noticeable but small amounts of chili, cumin, and jalapeño made it enjoyable for us since we don’t like a lot of hot Spices in our cooking. For me, the sour cream topping is a must to make this chili delicious. This is one of those recipes you can fiddle with to make it as hot or mild as you prefer. Very easy to prepare- it’s mostly opening cans, draining the juices out, and putting in the crockpot. Worth repeating.

• Butternut squash parsnip soup

  • mharriman on January 31, 2018

    Very satisfying. It took me 30 minutes to thaw the frozen packages of butternut squash, which felt like a lot of prep time. I cooked the soup two hours on high and two hours on low before puréeing it (instead of six hours on low). It turned out great. The cumin and paprika really help this dish. A good cold weather winter dinner soup. Update:1/26/22- thawed two packages of 16 ounce frozen butternut squash ahead of time and substituted russet and sweet potatoes for the parsnips. Used half and half instead of whipping cream. Very tasty and satisfying on a cold winter night. To do- Repeat soup this way ( remember T doesn’t like parsnips!)

• Beef brisket with beer

  • mharriman on November 06, 2017

    I followed the directions and the three pound brisket, beer “sauce,” onions and vegetables were perfectly cooked at 8 hours on low. I browned the meat and sautéed the veggies on the stove rather than in my slow cooker, so there was a bit of morning clean up. I probably could have cooked this for 7 hours and it would have been just as good. Other than the too-soft vegetables, the leftovers (microwaved) the second night were just as flavorful. Served with mashed potatoes, as suggested, both nights. A nice comfort meal.

• Plum pork tenderloin

  • mharriman on January 09, 2020

    The sauce for this slow cooker recipe is lovely. In addition to the plum sauce, I used quite a few coarsely chopped dried plums (prunes) instead of fresh plums since plums aren’t in season or available (imported) in January where I live. The dried plums with the liquid produced a nice fruity flavor but not overly sweet. Unfortunately, the four hour cooking time produced overdone pork tenderloins. We like ours with a hint of pink in the center. These were dry and falling away from each other, enough to shred them. On the second night, the sauce saved the heated-up, already dry pork. If there’s a next time, I’ll set the slow cooker for two and a half hours and check the internal temperature at that point. Or I may make the sauce in the slow cooker, roast the pork tenderloins in the oven, and add them to the sauce on the warm setting near serving time. Served these with steamed broccoli and white rice. Went well with a dry Riesling wine.

• Chicken and shrimp jambalaya

  • mharriman on November 21, 2022

    As with most other recipes I've tried from this cookbook, the cooking time in my slow cooker took less time than prescribed. My jambalaya was ready to eat in three hours cooked on low. I boiled my shrimp rather than put it in the SC at the final cooking stage. I would make this again but with some tweaks: the liquid would benefit from tomato paste; it's quite watery without much substance. I will also add some additional paprika and cajun seasoning. The flavor was mostly one note with the hot sauce overtaking the small amount of herbs. This is a healthy jambalaya and just okay tasting as mapped out. Update: I added an 8 ounce can of tomato paste and another 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning the second night. The flavor and texture were much improved and even better night three. This is a recipe that's better if made a day ahead.

• Lamb tagine

  • mharriman on August 26, 2022

    Delicious. The spices in the sauce make the dish. This was an easy dish to prepare. Because past recipes in this cookbook took way less time than stated, I reduced cook time to four hours (I cut into meat piece to test doneness- it was), and changed temperature to Warm until 30 minutes before serving time. Then I added the prunes and honey and turned temperature back to Low for 30 minutes. Served with Sprinkled Roasted slivered almonds on top and couscous on bottom as directed. Served with a Bordeaux rose ( perfect) but I think a more full bodied red would be good with it in Winter.

• Sweet and sour chicken

  • mharriman on October 17, 2019

    Very tasty. The ingredients were easy to prep for the slow cooker. I set my timer at 5 hours 30 minutes on low and everything was ready at that point. The cornstarch helps thicken the juices and condiments to the just right density for the sauce. Served over steamed white rice as suggested. A nice comfort meal that’s not too heavy. Changes: I used fresh pineapple chunks and added canned pineapple juice instead of using canned pineapple chunks and juice.

• Chinese pork tenderloin with garlic sauced noodles

  • mharriman on October 13, 2018

    Good! Recipe makes way more than needed for the two of us eating it but worked well (boiled noodles separately each night) second night, too. The peanut and cilantro topping, as well as fresh lime squeeze, make the dish come alive.

• Beef Stroganoff

  • mharriman on November 07, 2019

    Easy to prepare for the slow cooker and the results were good. My husband isn’t a big stroganoff fan so I rarely make it, but he liked this one. I used all of the ingredients and followed the cooking instructions; the beef was tender and flavor-filled at the end of 8 hours (including one hour on high). I purposely sliced the mushrooms in a thick cut; they added substantial flavor. If I were to make this again, I’d add even more thickly sliced mushrooms because those were especially tasty in the sour cream laced sauce. Served over egg noodles with a green lettuce salad side dish. Cotes du Rhône wine paired well with this.

• Braised pork loin with Port and dried plums

  • Barb_N on September 17, 2014

    I have made this more times than I can count- it does take time in the oven but it is a fail-safe delicious recipe. The pork loin is seasoned with a dry rub of sage and mustard then braised with aromatics, prunes and port. My recipe has these exact ingredients but is for the oven not slow-cooker. A long-time favorite.

• Pork and slaw sandwiches

  • jay.moe on June 18, 2022

    Used pork shoulder instead of pork loin. It was fork tender after 6 hours on low. The pork was moist and tasted great as a sandwich. It was an easy recipe to make and I will definitely make it again if I don't want to be bothered smoking the pork outside.