Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes -Slow Cooker

These Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes are are one of those side dishes that's even better than expected! It has quickly become one of my favorite recipes for this holiday staple to date. The recipe I started with called for 10lbs of sweet potatoes... That's a crowd size for sure!!! I scaled it down to one large sweet potato, it weighed 1 1/4 lbs. I also changed it to a slow cooker version to free up stove and oven space for the holidays. And you have to love that serving from the Crock Pot helps keep side dishes hotter longer too. Oh, and while plenty sweet, it only calls for a Tblsp of maple syrup... This one's a keeper folks:@)

I used my 2 quart Crock Pot, I'm guessing 2 1/1 lbs of sweet potatoes would have fit with no problem.

As a side dish, my recipe below is easily enough for 3-4 people.

The ad:

Leftover coconut milk?

May I suggest Quick Coconut Chicken Curry or Arroz con Dulce (rice pudding)

I'll list what I did for the sweet potatoes below.

Slow Cooker Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes-adapted from Marcus Smuelsson ad in Food Network Magazine

1 1/4 lbs sweet potatoes, peel well, wash, 1/2" dice
1 tsp coconut oil
1 Tblsp maple syrup
1 Tblsp + more to desired consistency coconut milk
salt to taste

1. Add liner to Crock Pot if using, spray vessel if not-I used a liner.
2. Cover and cook sweet potatoes on high for two hours or until tender (every slow cooker is different).
3. Add coconut oil and maple syrup to potatoes, and gradually add coconut milk while mashing to desired consistency. I used a hand held potato masher.
4. Add salt to taste.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Weekend Potluck

German Red Cabbage with Apple -Slow Cooker or Stove Top

I've been giving the slow cooker a lot of thought, and trial and error lately, and I've decided sometimes it works best for me if I use a combination of techniques... This German Red Cabbage with Apple is a great example of that. I started everything out covered on high for 1 1/2 hours and then took the lid off for the next 1 1/2 hours, still cooking on high, and gave it a stir whenever I passed by. This way the cabbage gets a nice head start by cooking hot, and then the excess liquid evaporates during the last of the cooking time. We all really enjoyed this pickled sweet/sour cabbage and I'll be adding it to occasional pork or sausage dinners going forward. Oktoberfest anyone???

Not sure what's going on with color of these pictures... The cabbage is actually a purple that's a shade or two darker, but you get the idea:@) 

I made a half batch in a 2 quart Crock Pot. You can click the original link to find the stove top instructions. I've given this my coleslaw label because it can be served hot, cold or at room temperature.

German Red Cabbage Recipe-adapted from Taste of Home
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1 medium apple, peeled and sliced or diced-at least 1/2" dice might be best, the apple cooks down
1 medium head red cabbage, approximately 8 C shredded
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C white vinegar
3/4 tsp salt, optional
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Make a couple layers of cabbage, apples and onions in vessel of slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle top with sugar, S&P.
3. Drizzle vinegar over top, don't stir.
4. Place lid on slow cooker, turn to high, leave lid on. Cook for 1 1/2 hours, remove lid, stir and cook for 1 1/2 hours longer on high, or until cabbage is tender. Give it a few stirs during this time.
5. Serve hot, room temperature or cold.

This is truly the definition of eating well and having a happy day:@)

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Slow Cooker Taco Potatoes

While these Slow Cooker Taco Potatoes won't make photo of the year, they are a nice easy side dish that won't heat up the house, and a great way to use up one or two potatoes. They go well with exactly what you'd think, any grilled meat or main dish that has a Mexican type flavor profile. ~Or~ you could do what I did... Add a spoonful of sour cream and call it lunch:@) I think the key to cooking cubed russet potatoes in the Crock Pot is to give them a good stir with a little olive oil.

I've given this my 'slow cooking fast' label, the potatoes were cut into about 3/4-1" chunks, 

I set the slow cooker to high and it took about 2 hours to cook.

I made 1/3 of the recipe in my 2 quart Crock Pot.

Slow Cooker Taco Potatoes-from Real House Moms
3 lbs red potatoes, quartered
1 oz envelope taco seasoning
2 Tblsp olive oil
2 Tblsp butter
1 Tblsp crushed red pepper flakes, can cut back-I just added a couple shakes
S&P to taste

1. Spray large slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Add everything and stir.
3. Cook on high 3-4 hours. Start testing potatoes at 3 hours for doneness.
4. Salt to taste before serving.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Hot Broccoli and Cheese Dip, Little Dipper Crock Pot or Oven Baked

Do you hear the buzz and feel the excitement in the air??? Yep, we're getting back to football season:@) Football always makes me think of dips and the first one I tried this year is this Hot Broccoli and Cheese Dip. I chose to cut the recipe in half and use my Little Dipper Crock Pot, and it worked great. I did thaw my broccoli in the microwave and pressed it several times between paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. This recipe has lots of dairy and is a ~very~ rich dip folks.

I had potato chips, tortilla chips and crackers, I think you could serve it with little toasts or bagel crisps too. Oh, and... 

It would probably be pretty good with carrot and celery sticks too:@)

Leftovers? How about melting the leftovers and adding it to some pasta and grilled/rotisserie chicken for lunch.

Hot Broccoli and Cheese Dip-from Kraft
*Cut recipe in half for Little Dipper Crock Pot
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 C sour cream
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese, divided
10 oz chopped frozen broccoli, thawed, dried well and chopped smaller if needed

1. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, Italian dressing and 1 1/2 C cheddar cheese.
2. Fold in broccoli.
3. Pour into oil sprayed 9" pie plate (for full recipe to be baked in oven), or spoon into Little Dipper (half recipe).
4. Oven: Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, sprinkle with reserved cheese, bake 5 minutes more or until cheese has melted.
5. Crock Pot: Place paper towel under crock pot lid, plug in Little Dipper, stir after 45 minutes. Heat until dip is melted and hot (mine took about 1 1/2 hours total).

🏈Eat well and enjoy football season folks... 

We're expecting big things in Philly this year:@)

Slow Cooker Velveeta Mac and Cheese

To be honest folks, I've tried a few different Mac and Cheese recipes in the slow cooker and have to say, I've been disappointed. Some called for canned soup and some wasted perfectly good sharp cheddar cheese... I was left with soggy noodles, burnt cheese and an awful mess to clean up... But if you're looking for a nice easy, fairly foolproof recipe, ~and~ if there's room in your diet for Velveeta, this Slow Cooker Velveeta Mac and Cheese from Kraft worked out well! Nothing fancy or gourmet, but creamy comfort food on a cold day for sure:@)

Now, I'm far from a slow cooker expert, but it seems the key is to know how yours cooks. Mine runs hot. So I made a half batch and chose to cook it on high for 2 hours, stirring twice at 45 minutes. I also added paper towels under the lid to collect condensation.

Slow Cooker Velveeta Mac and Cheese-from Kraft
3 1/2 C milk
16 oz Velveeta cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 1/2 C elbow macaroni, dry
1/2 C water
1/4 C butter-I cut back on this

1. Combine everything in vessel sprayed with cooking spray. Add lid. I added paper towels under lid.
2. Cook on low 2 1/2-3 hours or high 1 1/2-2 hours. I stirred mine at 45 minutes twice.
3. Turn off slow cooker, stir, and allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Try something new and have a happy day:@)

Holiday Creamy Mixed Vegetable Casserole-Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Recipe

I was really pleased with the way this turned out and it's great for big gatherings when oven space is at a premium. This Holiday Creamy Mixed Vegetable Casserole is a nice variation of the traditional green bean casserole. It's a combination of green beans, roasted corn with peppers, french fried onions and mushroom soup. The flavor has also been changed up a bit with the addition of some thyme. But the real beauty of this recipe is that it's cooked in the crock pot or slow cooker, freeing up the oven for other things... You know, like the turkey or ham:@)

Holiday buffet? Just set the crock pot to warm and serve right from it. 

No warm setting? No worries, it will stay hot in the vessel for a long time.

Leftovers? Add a little diced ham or turkey and spoon over noodles for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.
This is the Green Giant frozen roasted corn I used:

Holiday Creamy Mixed Vegetable Casserole
11-12 oz bag frozen green beans-thawed
11-12 oz bag frozen corn and bell pepper medley-thawed
3 oz bag french fried onions-divided
10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Mix everything, but reserve about 1/2 C fried onions for garnish before serving.
2. Add to 2-4 quart crock pot, cover and cook on high for 2 hours (give it a stir after 1 hour) or low for 4-5 hours. (Everything did fit into my 2 quart vessel and I cooked it on high for 2 hours.)
3. Give a stir before serving and top with reserved fried onions.
4. *I'm guessing 350 degrees for about 30 minutes in the oven would work fine too.

Let's start saving those holiday recipes and have a happy day:@)

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Slow Cooker Baby Waxy Potatoes with Rosemary, Lemon Pepper Seasoning and Bacon Fat

What did I do with some of the new potatoes Ma grew and shared with me? Whipped up these Crock Pot Waxy Baby Potatoes with Rosemary. What I really love about this idea is, the slow cooker works well for when it's hot outside ~and~ for the holidays or times when stove and oven space are at a premium:@) I had a little over a half pound of potatoes and used my 2 quart crock pot (up to 1.5 lb of potatoes would have easily fit). This really did make the house smell great while cooking and if you should happen to have some leftovers, they'd make killer home fries for breakfast too.

Try to play nice and not to fight over those pieces with the yummy dark spots:@)

I did make this again using russet potatoes, that worked well too.
But red or yellow waxy potatoes would be my first choice.

 Recipe is easily doubled, tripled, etc for a bigger crowd, just use a larger crock pot.

Slow Cooker Baby Waxy Potatoes with Rosemary
For every:
generous 1/2 lb baby potatoes, cut into quarters or 1/2" thick pieces
1/2 tsp bacon fat
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning-still lovin' the Walmart brand
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp onion powder

1. Add everything to crock pot, give it a stir. The bacon fat will melt... eventually:@)
2. Place 2 paper towels over vessel and nestle lid on crock pot on top of paper towels.
3. Set to high and cook for 2 hours total. Remove lid and stir after one hour. Add new paper towels and replace lid for last hour.
4. Gently stir potatoes before removing from Crock Pot.
5. Sprinkle with salt before serving if desired.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Sweet and Spicy Peanuts -Crock Pot/Slow Cooker Recipe

I love this simple Crock Pot/Slow Cooker technique for making candied nuts folks, it truly does make a nice glazed candy coating. These Sweet and Spicy Peanuts couldn't be easier and are a great snack for any time of year or occasion. And if you've been around Pig In Mud for a while it won't surprise you to hear me suggest subbing extra hot sauce for some of the water:@)

I've given measurements for a smaller batch below, you can check out the original recipe for a bigger party.

Sweet and Spicy Peanuts-adapted from Taste of Home
For each 1 C salted peanuts:
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp water-if you like hot sauce... use 1 tsp water, 1 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp butter, softened
1/3 tsp chili powder-just estimate

1. Mix everything in vessel of slow cooker (I use my 2 quart Crock Pot).
2. Place paper towels under lid and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours, stirring well once at 45 minutes. Be sure to remove the lid away from the vessel so condensation doesn't drip back down into the nuts.
3. Pour onto silicone (preferably) or parchment or ~good~ wax paper (do not use dollar store wax paper... trust me).
4. Spread out and allow to cool completely. Break apart and store in air tight container.

Have a sticky sweet happy day:@)

Saturday Snippets-Grill Toy, Crock Pot BBQ Pork and Mother's Day Weekend

I'm always amused and entertained with the grilling displays at stores. While making my rounds this morning I saw this bacon cooker at Walmart and thought it was really neat for the guy griller that has everything:@) Love the reservoirs for catching the fat. 

The weather forecasters were calling for a hot and sunny day here north of Philly... Turned out, not so much. So I sprinkled some country ribs with equal parts garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika and two times as much seasoned salt (I used Lawry's Chile and Garlic). Gave it a few cranks of black pepper and tossed them into my crock pot on high. Four hours later, shred the meat and slathered it with BBQ sauce... Not a bad sandwich and the house smelled pretty darn good too:@)

Here in the mid Atlantic states it is officially the beginning of gardening season, we have passed our last frost date and can plant annuals... and the chaos at the garden center this morning proved that! Since I looked at the 10 day forecast (which showed night time temps in the 50/60's) and got my planters in last weekend, and we had several 80+ degree days, I'm the proud Momma of... Yep, the string beans are coming up-Woo Hoo!

Wishing you all a wonderful Mother's Day-enjoy:@)