Choice Morsels

Today's recipe is from a Taste of Home magazine featuring slow cooker recipes:   Slow-Cooked Sirloin. Delicious!  Sirloin steak is cooked in a richly seasoned broth-Worcestershire mix with bell peppers & onions for 4 hours on high, then just thicken broth into gravy and serve sliced over rice or mashed potatoes!   It's simple and easy.  I bought a tray of 2-sirloin steaks from the meat department, because I wanted enough for two meals for us, so we could each have half a steak, about 5, maybe 6 oz.  (I mean, really, who wants to eat just 3 oz of steak?) The double-pack was cheaper then buying them singly. They were each 4 inches by 8 inches--not super big. For a family of 4, I believe you'd need at least two steaks. (photo is my own plate from dinner ) Slow-Cooked Sirloin Ingredients 1 Beef top Sirloin Steak (or even two) 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, cut into 1 inch chunks 1 medium green bell pepper, ...

Today's delicious recipe comes from the "Taste Of Home" Skinny Slow Cooker Magazine edition I picked up at the grocery. I was tired of so many recent Pinterest recipe fails (which I don't publish).  Taste of Home recipes are tested and more of a sure thing. So, today's I'm serving up Slow Cooker "Country French Pork with Prunes & Apples." This pork loin came out perfectly seasoned and so tender! It calls for " herbes de Provence ," which is a mix of summer herbs representing that region France. Lavender is a big ingredient in it among a dozen others.  It's unique and not one you can substitute for. I discovered I love it, though and use it in tuna salad and salmon salad or any meat or vegetable dish! McCormick makes it and I found it readily available where I shop. I didn't peel my apples and used instant chicken bouillon broth and it came out tasting fabulous.  It does take a 5 or 6 quart slow-cooker for this s...

Because I still have usable Cilantro growing outside, I wanted to do something with a Thai feel, so I pulled out this recipe for this richly delicious and slightly spicy slow cooker I posted here 5 years ago! It calls for canned tomatoes with certain things added: one with green chilies and one with jalapenos, which can be either diced or stewed.  For tomatoes with jalapenos, I found a can of Mexican Recipe Stewed Tomatoes by Del Monte that included jalapenos, cumin and garlic. If you can't find  tomatoes with either green chilies or jalapenos added, you can buy small can of diced green chilies and a small, fresh jalapeno. I'd seed and dice the jalapeno and saute it with the onion, though. The original recipe is from Pillsbury , though mine is an improved version. (Photo is my own.) Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken In Peanut Sauce Ingredients: 8 to 10 boneless chicken thighs 1 to 2 Tablespoons Olive oil 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 1 clove garlic, minced (1 ...

Bake your Easter chicken in a Slow Cooker! I tried several months ago and it works great, though I decided this is more of a "company's coming" or "Sunday dinner" kind of recipe when you might want a whole hen. For Hubby and myself, I'd rather cook just chicken breasts or thighs that are already cut up. Just easier. But for something fancy, I recommend this! This recipe is for a 5 to 6 quart size slow cooker. The photo is from recipe blogger No. 2 Pencil, who devised this recipe. Slow Cooker Chicken Ingredients: 1 whole chicken about 5 to 6 pounds  (For a I used a roasting hen that size) 1 Tablespoon Paprika more or less to taste 2 -3 Tablespoons or to taste your favorite seasoning such as: dried Rosemary combined with minced garlic or a bottled seasoning like steak seasoning,  lemon pepper, Tuscan, any McCormick Grill Mate flavors, etc Salt & Pepper to taste Directions: 1)  Remove any insides and rinse chicken inside out, then pat dry....

T his weeks Good Eating recipe is super yummy and easy to make:   Slow Cooker Taco Chili! 👍 Just pre-cook the meat, slice the veggies, open cans and throw it all  into the slow-cooker and enjoy all the favors of a Taco in a bowl of chili! The recipe calls for a small 8oz can of tomato sauce, but I forgot to buy it, so I substituted 1/2 cup catsup mixed with 1/2 cup water and it gave this chili a delicious sweet-spicy that I like better! I've made this Taco Chili twice now and it's a fan favorite on Sunday nights! I served it mine with cornbread. (Photo is my own of a bowl I ate for lunch today!) If you have a few sprigs of Cilantro, that's worth adding, too! You can choose your heat level by your choice of Taco Seasoning packets and by adding a jalapeno or not. ( I didn't use the jalapeno because Hubby doesn't like too spicy!) The sweet potato adds fiber and nutrition, but you can skip it if you're not a fan. Slow Cooker Taco Chili Ingredient...

T oday's Good Eating recipe is for Slow-Cooker Mac & Cheese made with Velveeta. I found this recipe in Pinterest pinned from Kraft. I found it pretty tasty and worth making again. (I forgot to take a photo of my own, so the photo here is a general slow-cooker mac & cheese from Pinterest .) Slow-Cooker Velveeta Mac & Cheese Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked 3 1/2 cups of milk 1 lb Velveeta, cubed (a full box of Velveeta is 2 lb, so that's half ) 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces. Directions: Spray inside of slow-cooker with oil cooking spray.  Combine all the above ingredients in slow-cooker. Give a stir to combine, then cover and set on LOW for 2 1/2 hours or HIGH for 3 1/2 hours. At end of cooking time, turn off, give a stir and let sit 15 minutes prior to serving. (It's best to time this or any slow-cooker mach & cheese to be done exactly when you want to serve it, since pasta continues to absorb t...

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I've pulled this wonderful recipe for "Wonder Cranberry Sauce," from a previous Good Eating post that's fantastic for cooking a single Turkey breast or several thighs or legs--or any meat or roast that will fit in your Slow Cooker! It makes fabulous gravy for your mashed potatoes, too! *** For how to slow-cook a whole roasting hen, go here . Just add the wonder sauce & cook! Thanksgiving Slow Cooker Cranberry Wonder Sauce Just 3 ingredients: 1 15oz can jellied cranberry sauce, any brand 1/2 cup Italian dressing, any brand 1/2 cup LIGHT  cranberry juice, any brand or cranberry combo, like apple-cranberry, etc Directions: Spray slow-cooker with an oil spray. Salt & pepper whatever meat you're planing to cook and arrange in your slow-cooker.  (A large oval slow-cooker can accommodate a roasting hen or whole turkey breast.) In saucepan: combine jellied cranberry sauce, Italian dressing & light cranber...

Today's recipe try-out is in the slow-cooker right now for dinner! But who can go wrong with slow-cooked beef & veggies served over steamed rice? This recipe comes from a food blogger called, The Weary Chef , whom I follow on Google+. It calls for about 2 lbs of flank steak. I found a 1 1/2 lb flank steak for a reasonable cost and that cut up into plenty for the two of us. But you can choose any steak cut that fits your budget, depending on how many people you want to feed, since slow-cookers do wonderful things for any kind of beef! Since it's just the beef & sauce that get's slow-cooked first, you can either cook your meal slow or fast! If you're planning on being away, set on low and cook 4 to 8 hours as needed. If you want you meal in 2 or 3 hours, set cooker on high!  (The photo is what it looked like dished up!) It was sooo delicious I plan on making it again! Slow Cooker Asian Beef With Vegetables Ingredients: 2 lbs flank steak, cut into ...

Ever buy those little recipe booklets at the grocery store? Sometimes they're recipes for quick meals or cakes or that sort of thing. That's where today's recipe comes from. One of those little recipe booklets from the grocery store: a collection of Slow Cooker recipes by Betty Crocker. Of the recipes I've tried from it, this one is, by far, the BEST! It makes a large quantity of Mexican-flavored, cheesy-goodness! I'll give you the base recipe, but you can make yours more spicy by choosing hotter Salsa or Taco seasoning or add minced onions & chopped green peppers to the meat when browning it and so on. The photo is a batch of Tex Mex Lasagna in my own slow cooker I made this past Sunday. (I had 2 odd lasagna noodles left over I just plopped on top, I think working them into the layers would be better.) Tex Mex Lasagna Ingredients 1 lb lean (at least 80% ) ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken) 1 can (15oz) Pinto beans, drained & rinsed 1 p...

I've been trying new Pinterest recipes fairly often to build-up a good inventory for posts, so I tried this one a couple weeks ago: S low-Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes! It's a tasty side dish. The potatoes were very tender & cheesy. The recipe only calls for 1 Tablespoon of Ranch Seasoning. It said "or to taste," but without having ever made it, who would know? So, I tell you 1 Tablespoon IS NOT enough. 2 or 3 Tablespoons PLUS at least 1 glove of minced garlic would greatly improve this dish, so for this recipe, I'll be adding that to the ingredient list! I'm also suggesting Hormel Real Bacon Bits for a quick way to have bacon without the mess of cooking it! This recipe originally comes from this blog . Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes Ingredients : 1/4 cup Hormel Real Bacon Bits ( or 6 slices, cooked, cooled & crumbled.) 3 lbs red potatoes, chopped into 1 inch size chunks 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used Kraft 2% milk ...

Last Friday I wrote about how Cardinals have figured out how to get inside my squirrel-proof feeder cage that's designed for smaller birds. Last year one male Cardinal figured it out. This spring a female figured it and since then, they've been teaching all their youngsters how to get in and dine like kings, too. Here's a photo of a typical day at the feeder: two juvenile Cardinals sitting on the bottom of the feeder, hogging the feeding holes. (Being too big to sit on the perches!)  A Purple Finch is sitting on the hook above, waiting her turn.  A musing. Today's Good Eating Recipe is one I've got in the slow-cooker right now: Slow-Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs! It's a Pinterest recipe I'm trying out that someone pinned from SixSistersStuff.com.  Basically they're sweet n' sour meatballs and I love just about any recipe that will let me use frozen turkey meatballs! Plus my bell pepper plant presented me with a beautiful green pepper...

   Happy New Year!  May your 2014 be a year filled with good things! I'll be taking New Year's Eve & New Year's Day off, so next blog will be Mama Kat on Thursday. Today I'm making  Chocolate Clouds , a delicious meringue cookie filled with chocolate chip goodness! We always host a Pray-In-The-New-Year event annually at the Airman Center on base, featuring food, fun, movies & games until just about 15 minutes prior to midnight when we gather, share prayer requests, then pray over the hour into the New Year. I'm taking the chocolate clouds. Plus I'm trying a new slow cooker recipe for mac & cheese. I love trying slow-cooker recipes, since the appliance is more economic then the stove!  Last week I tried a couple rounds of  Slow-Cooker Rosemary Rolls , one with herb, the other without. I added that extra teaspoon sugar, extra 1/2 cup of flour and split the olive oil with half coconut oil and the second batch came out quite a bit better....