Crockpot Archives - Crafty Cooking Mama

Cranberry Butter

November 14, 2015 by Amanda 8 Comments

Cranberry Butter. This is booming, sweet, tart, concentrated in your face cranberry flavor!

It’s that time of the year folks. It only comes once a year…cranberry season! Most people casually pick up a bag or two of cranberries to make some sauce or a cake. I, on the other hand, am running out to the store in a frenzy to stock up on cranberries. I load up while I can. I usually buy enough to use for the season plus about 10 bags to freeze. Cranberries freeze perfectly – just throw the baggie in the freezer as is. It’s recommended to use them within 6 months of freezing, but I just recently used a bag from last year. 11 months in the freezer and still perfectly delicious!

So if you don’t already know, I love cranberries. I love baking with them – cranberries and chocolate are one of my favorite sweet combos ever. Cranberries are not a seasonal treat for me – I need them year round!

I found this recipe for Cranberry Butter months & months ago and somehow totally forgot about it. Shame on me! Insomnia & Pinterest reunited me with this gem of a recipe. Perfect timing too – I just bought 10 bags of cranberries, hehe.

I must warn you, though. This recipe is not for the faint at heart. This is booming, sweet, tart, concentrated in your face cranberry boldness. It’s like a cousin of homemade cranberry sauce – only it’s smoother, creamier and on flavor steroids.

Oh, and it only gets better. Throw everything in the crockpot and walk away for a few hours. Toss everything in a food processor, pour thru a sieve then cook it down for a few more hours. Easy peasy.

So what did I do with the Cranberry Butter? I added a spoonful to oatmeal, spread it on fresh bread with brie and cream cheese, paired it with chocolate, served it with a cheese platter, added a dollop on top of a brownie and I plan on making a simple chocolate pound cake and topping it with some cranberry butter. I’d love to try it with a cheesecake too! You can bet I’ll be making another batch for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities.

So get out there and stock up on cranberries while the getting is good. This Cranberry Butter is a great way to really savor the brightness & sweetness of this super food! Enjoy 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Amanda-

Recipe from “the view from great island”. I absolutely adore this blog! Seriously, it’s one of my favorites!

Print Recipe

Cranberry Butter

Cranberry Butter made in the crockpot. Creamy & smooth - bright, bold, sweet & tart.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 15 mins

Course: condiments

Servings: 2 cups

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

2 - 12 oz bags cranberries fresh or frozen, rinsed
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup apple juice or cider

Instructions

Add all the ingredients in a crock pot and stir to combine. Cook on high for about 2 hours or until cranberries are softened.
Remove the cinnamon stick, set aside.
In 2-3 separate batches, run the mixture thru a food processor for a minute or two.
Pour the pureed cranberry thru a mesh sieve. Press with spatula or spoon to force puree through. Discard seeds/solids.
Pour the pureed cranberry and cinnamon stick back into the crock pot.
Cook on high with the lid ajar. Cook for about 2 hours or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Try to avoid forming a "skin" on top. I stirred mixture about every 20 minutes or so.
Pour cranberry butter in jars and store in fridge. Cranberry butter should keep for about a month. Enjoy 🙂

Want more cranberry recipes…I’ve got you covered 😉

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Butter Cake

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

Cranberry Chocolate Oat Bars

Lazy Day Spanish Style Chicken Breasts in the Crockpot

February 18, 2015 by Amanda 2 Comments

I have many, many nights where getting dinner on the table feels like an impossible feat. The day is too hectic, too busy, too kid crazy or I’m just beat, exhausted and done. These nights consist of leftovers, sandwiches, tortilla pizzas, a quick breakfast for dinner or occasionally some take out. I really try to stay away from frozen foods and prepackaged foods as much as possible – eating is better, healthier and cheaper that way.

I’ve learned to fill these nights (becoming more frequent) with lazy, effortless dinners that involve as little work as possible. Plan a bit ahead on these days and the crockpot could become your backup.

Chicken breasts cooked in the crockpot are notoriously known for being bland and dry. Blame it on all the those old crockpot recipes we were subjected to as kiddos. Chicken breasts, a cup of water, some salt and pepper – 8 hours later a barely edible protein was on the table. Blah. News is, though, that amazing chicken can come from the crockpot.

I think it takes more time to gather the ingredients for this dinner than it does to put it all together. Throw the chicken in the crockpot, sprinkle all the spices on top of the chicken and pour the broth over it all. Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours. After 3 1/2 hours, remove chicken, shred it and dump it back in the crockpot. Let it cook for another 10 minutes or so – giving it some time to soak up some of that seasoned broth. That’s it. Really. Dinner ridiculously simple.

This isn’t meant to be eaten soup style, so remove the shredded chicken from the crockpot with a slotted spoon to strain all the excess broth. The broth the chicken is cooked in will be very salty – not so yum. I serve this chicken with a plate of rice and beans. On the sidelines is some chipotle sauce, avocado slices, shredded lettuce, sour cream or whatever else I might have around.

I get a twofer from this dinner and make double the amount we need. This juicy chicken booming with flavor is perfect for some oven baked chicken and cheese quesadillas. Awesome use for leftovers and another easy dinner! Score and Score!

So go ahead and be a little lazy. You’ll find that sometimes the search for simplicity results in surprisingly impressive results.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you swing back soon! Happy Cooking!

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Lazy Day Spanish Chicken (Crockpot)

A lazy day, throw it together chicken dinner for the crockpot.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time3 hrs 40 mins

Total Time3 hrs 50 mins

Course: Chicken &amp, Poultry

Servings: 6 -8

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

2 pound chicken breast tenders
1 packet sazon seasoning Goya
2 teaspoon Adobo seasoning Goya
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
pinch of oregano
2 cups chicken broth I use a chicken/tomato bouillon

Instructions

Place chicken in crockpot.
Sprinkle all spices over chicken.
Pour chicken broth over chicken and seasonings.
Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours.
Remove chicken, shred and put back in crockpot.
Cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove chicken with slotted spoon to strain excess broth.
Serve and enjoy.

Crockpot Sofrito Chicken

January 21, 2015 by Amanda 5 Comments

Years ago my crockpot was just another kitchen contraption collecting dust. Occasionally I’d throw a hunk of beef in there and make some stew, but for the most part the crockpot just wasn’t getting any love. The past few years I’ve really started embracing it’s convenience and enjoy trying new dishes in it. My Sofrito Chicken is a fine example of how awesome a crockpot can be!

I tend to use the crockpot on days where I know I have a lot going on or when I just don’t want to deal with a dinner time production. Throw it all together, pop a lid on it and 4-8 hours later dinner is ready to go. Of course any crockpot recipe can easily be made in the oven or a dutch oven, if you’d like.

Onto sofrito. For those not familiar with it, it’s best described as a liquid seasoning, it has a thin salsa consistency. A few tablespoons is used in anything and sometimes almost everything in Latin food – meats, stews, rice, beans. Everyone makes it a little different. It’s basically a combination of pureed or chopped peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro. You can buy this stuff already made at the store in the freezer section, but I suggest making it yourself to experience the real flavor.

This chicken recipe is slow cooked in a what’s basically a big batch of sofrito, some herbs and spices and chicken broth. I know you’re looking at the longer than usual list of ingredients thinking “Whaaat!? I don’t have some of this stuff”. Hear me out….

Cubanelle peppers. This is a long, sweet, yellow/green pepper. Cubanelles are a pretty common pepper, often referred to as simply “cooking peppers” or “yellow peppers”. If they are not available, substitute a bell pepper.

As for Sazon and Adobo – I swear I’m not a spokesperson for Goya products. ( Not yet, anyhow. A *hint, hint* to Goya lol. ) I do use both seasonings often in my cooking. I absolutely, positively recommend picking both up. Sazon comes in a small box with individual packets inside and Adobo is in a regular spice container – you’ll usually find them in the “ethnic section” of your grocery store. They both lend important flavors to this recipe and many other Latin recipes. Good news is, buying both of these will only set you back a few bucks and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other uses for both seasonings.

As most crockpot recipes – there’s some prep work involved and then you’re pretty much done. Throw the chicken thighs in the crockpot, no browning is necessary. I wash, prep and roughly chop the green pepper, cubanelle peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro. I toss them all into my food processor, pulse it and drizzle in the olive oil. Process until mixture is a runny salsa consistency. Alternatively, if you don’t have a food processor or a blender, you could finely chop or grate everything by hand.

Pour the sofrito on top of the chicken in the crockpot. Follow with remaining ingredients and pour warm chicken broth over it all. Pop the lid on and cook for 4 hours on low or 8 hours on high – whichever works for you.

That’s it. I serve this almost like a stew. I dish out a giant spoonful of all that “sofrito sauce goodness” into a pasta bowl, top with some rice and a piece of chicken. Sprinkle with a pinch of chopped cilantro if you’d like.

There’s just so much flavor in this chicken. Bright, bold, fresh – it’s a wonderful change of pace. Liven up that chicken with this Latin inspired crockpot dinner.

I do hope you love this recipe as much as we do. I’d love to hear your comments! Thanks for stopping by : )

Until next time…..

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

Crockpot Sofrito Chicken

A flavorful Latin inspired Sofrito Chicken for the crockpot. Peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic and cilantro make this slow cooked chicken a must try!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time8 hrs

Total Time8 hrs 20 mins

Course: Chicken, Crockpot

Cuisine: Latin

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken thighs bone-in
1 large green bell pepper
2 medium cubanelle peppers
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic minced
1 handful of cilantro optional
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes undrained (14.5 oz)
small can tomato sauce 8 oz
1 packet goya sazon seasoning
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon goya adobo seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
pinch of oregano
10 olives + 2 tablespoon olive juice
1 1/2 cup warm chicken broth
prepared rice

Instructions

Place chicken in crockpot.
Wash, prep and roughly chop peppers, onion, cilantro and garlic for food processor.
Process veggies, drizzle in olive oil. Pulse until you have a thin salsa consistency. This is your sofrito.
Pour sofrito over chicken.
Pour can of undrained diced tomatoes and tomato sauce over chicken.
Add packet of sazon, bay leaves, adobo, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, olives and olive juice.
Pour warm chicken broth over top.
Cover crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours - whichever works for you.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Eat this almost like a stew. Serve chicken with a BIG ladle of sofrito/juices/sauce and a hearty portion of rice. Sprinkle with a pinch of chopped cilantro if you like.
Enjoy : )