Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti is my absolute go-to meal.  It's easy, inexpensive, and you can make a huge batch and freeze it in single-meal servings in ziploc bags, saving even more via bulk purchasing, and allowing for super simple meal preparation later.

Because of this, the measurements I will be giving are relative, easily adjusted to the size batch you are making.  Just be aware so that you scale them appropriately.  I usually use a 3-lb container of ground beef, 6 jars of sauce, and about 4 large onions, for example.

For parents with vegetable-averse kids, it's easy to sneak in some extra veggies in this, too.  Just finely mince whatever veggies you like – carrots and bell peppers are great choices, for example, thanks to their nutrient contents – and add them midway through the browning of the onions.  By the time it's done cooking, they should be unidentifiable.

Cabbage and Potato Soup

This has been one of my favorite soup recipes for most of my life, slightly modified to be gluten free since we recently found out my spouse has Celiac's. (I used to thicken it with a roux, instead of cooking down some of the potatoes first.) It is always one of the first things my mind goes to when the weather starts to cool in the fall.

If you aren't as fond of garlic as we are, you can reduce it as desired – I think the original recipe called for about ¼ as much.

Hybridized Slovenian Style Goulash

Back when I was first learning to cook on my own, I conflated two recipes my grandmother made when trying to replicate her goulash.  It wasn't "right", but as often happens, I decided I actually liked this new hybrid recipe even better, and so it is how I have made it ever since.  It has the basis of goulash - a sauce primarily made of cooked down onion and paprika with beef - but then has the addition of some tomato, mushrooms, and peas, making it a bit more interesting to eat.

This recipe is for a large batch; we usually get several 'fresh' meals, as well as several portions to freeze, which it holds up to quite well.  

Slow Cooker Salsa Pepper Beef

This is another of those fabulous super-simple crockpot recipes that will have you going back for seconds.  Rich and flavorful, this Mexican fajita inspired dish pairs beautifully with saffron rice and a little sour cream.  I served it with garlic-buttered Italian green beans, whose calm flavor went quite well with the more lively dish.

(I used a bit too much salsa, and have already adjusted the recipe accordingly; you may prefer more or less than I do.)

Slow Cooker Balsamic Garlic Beef

This was quite tasty with a very different flavor than most of the crockpot recipes we've tried.  It was right on the edge of the level of sweetness I like meat to have, which was surprising since there was nothing particularly sweet involved except a little honey.  It combined marvelously with mashed potatoes with sour cream, and brussels sprouts with butter, salt and garlic powder.

Slow Cooker Thieves' Pork Roast

This is a recipe I actually made up on the fly this morning!  Yesterday I made a large batch of Thieves' Oil Concentrate, and it smelled so very delicious, that today I used the basic ingredients as the foundation of this recipe...  and it was every bit as delicious as it smelled!

Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu

This was amazingly tasty, and had me drooling in anticipation all afternoon — it smells divine while cooking!  It's also quite filling; we were each happy with a 1/2 chicken breast portion, served with lemon-butter dressed steamed broccoli.

Slow Cooker Bacon Ranch Chicken

This was incredibly delicious!  It was a bit on the salty side, though.  I found a recipe for making your own ranch dressing mix, and I am planning to make my own, with much less salt.  In the meantime, I just added more sour cream and that improved the overly saltiness.

Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops with Potatoes

Second only to the Slow Cooker Honey-Butter Chicken Bake, I think this is my favorite of the freezer-to-crockpot recipes I've tried so far.  There was a lot of liquid, though; next time I may try reducing the soup and ranch mix to one each, at least for 4 pork chops.

Slow Cooker Tangy Barbecue Ribs

The first few bites I took of these ribs did not really impress me, as they have a very tangy, slightly bitter taste, but as I ate them, the taste really grew on me, and I decided I really enjoyed them by the end.

I served them with spaghetti squash with tomato sauce.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Sauce

This is a simple, tasty, and extremely healthy side dish that goes well with almost anything.

Slow Cooker Honey-Butter Chicken Bake

This is probably my favorite of the slow cooker meals we've done so far.  The seasoning is amazing – I was afraid I wouldn't like it because of the honey, but it isn't overpowering at all.

For a freezer-to-crockpot version, I would probably use small new potatoes whole (potatoes can go icky in the freezer if cut and not covered with sauce), and would package the chicken and veggies separately, since they are seasoned differently.

Slow Cooker Onion Gravy Pork Chops

This is the recipe I had meant to make when I did the Slow Cooker Creamy Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Potatoes.  It is quite tasty, though quite heavy on the saltiness.  If you don't like things pretty salty, you might want to do this with 6 or even 8 pork chops and increase the chicken broth appropriately.

I served it with Bacon-Braised Turnip Greens and Cauliflower with White Sauce and Cheese.

Slow Cooker Creamy Beef Stroganoff

In seeking out crockpot recipes, I found several that claimed to be "beef stroganoff".  This is based on the only one that actually sounded like beef stroganoff to me.

As usual, of course, I adjusted the recipe to fit our tastes, and that is what I am sharing with you!

Slow Cooker Creamy Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Potatoes

This was yet another success for the crockpot.  Delightfully tangy, yet creamy, and the pork chops were falling apart – literally.  It actually wasn't in the plan for this week, but when I went to put it together, I opened up to the wrong recipe, and didn't realize it till I went to put it here!  Luckily it was a huge hit, and will definitely be staying in the repertoire.

I served it with brussel sprouts covered in butter and garlic powder.  It was an amazingly good combination.

Slow Cooker Caribbean Jerk Pork Curry

The original recipe this delectable crockpot meal was based on, called it Jamaican Jerk Pork.  It's just...  not.  The flavor has much more in common with Indian style curry than Jamaican jerk.  However, it is absolutely delicious!  And the flavor is very strong, so a little goes a long way.

I served it over rice, and it went quite well, though you could also serve it on noodles or potatoes, or go in a very different direction and put it on bread as a sort of curry barbecue.

Indian Chicken Curry Recipe

Wonderfully Seasoned Curried Chicken from India

This is a spicy and delightful chicken curry dish from India, usually served over rice.

This recipe for Indian chicken curry is actually surprisingly easy to prepare; most of the preparation involves measuring and grinding spices, and the cooking, although it requires some amount of time, requires little attention.

Like most Indian food, it is quite spicy, which can be moderated by reducing the amount of chili powder. But, also like most Indian dishes, it has a subtle array of flavors which has been very appropriately compared to a symphony for the taste buds, as opposed to Western recipes, which may contain only one or two seasonings, if any at all besides salt or pepper.

This chicken curry is generally served with rice. Optionally, it can also be served with plain yogurt, which can cut down the heat factor considerably for those who aren't quite up to eating such spicy foods.

It also keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week or so.

Indian Chicken Curry

Savory Indian Yogurt

This is (currently) one of my favorite recipes. A bit of this mixed with unsweetened oat cereal (generic cheerios work wonderfully) is quite delicious, and very healthy!

Based on the recipe 'Quinoa Yogurt Salad'.