Dieting Between Holidays? Me Too!

Well, it's not exactly dieting...just trying to maintain. You know, when I was younger, I never needed to do this!

Low Cal Cabbage Pot

1/2 lb ground beef or sausage
2 cans beef broth
3 fresh cut tomatoes or 1 jar home canned tomatoes
1 head of cabbage
1/2 of an onion
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon curry powder


Brown the ground beef and put into the crock pot. Add all other ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours. If  you are not dieting or maintaining (or for the rest of family), serve with corn muffins.

Bread Pudding

What you need:

8 eggs, beaten
4 cups milk
2/3 cup light brown sugar sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups dry French bread cubes
2/3 cup raisins (optional)

What you do:

   1. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
   2. Place the dry bread cubes in the Crock Pot.
   3. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and stir in the raisins.
   4. Cover; cook on High for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.


*This recipe is also good with 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk and 1/2 cup firmly packed sweetened coconut flakes.

**Mix 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk or water just to moisten. From a knife or teaspoon drizzle over each individual serving.

OR

Sauce:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large can evaporated milk * **
1/2 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring until thickened.

*   1 pint half-and-half can be used.
** for a richer sauce use condensed milk.

Best served warm.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake (updated below)

This is not my picture or my recipe. I am thinking about attempting to adapt the recipe to the crock pot and baking it the day before Thanksgiving. The recipe came from EatingWell. If you try it before me, please let me know how it turns out.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, divided
• 1 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries (about 3 cups)
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature (see Tip)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk, at room temperature
• Whipped cream for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat brown sugar, 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons orange juice in a large (12-inch) cast-iron or regular skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter melts and the mixture starts to bubble. Let cool. Coat the sides of the skillet with cooking spray.
3. Bring the remaining 1/4 cup orange juice and cranberries to a simmer in a medium saucepan, stirring often, until about half the cranberries have popped. Pour evenly over the cooled brown sugar mixture in the skillet.
4. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
5. Separate egg whites and yolks. Place the yolks in a large bowl and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, oil, granulated sugar and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with milk, using a rubber spatula, starting and ending with the flour. Stir just until the flour is incorporated. Beat the egg whites in a clean dry mixing bowl with clean dry beaters on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest until almost no white streaks remain. Spread the batter over the cranberries.
6. Bake until the top is golden brown and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate. Let cool for at least 30 minutes more before serving. Serve warm or room temperature. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Tips & Notes

• Ingredient Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour has less gluten-forming potential than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure tender baked goods. Find it in the baking section of the supermarket or online at bobsredmill.com and kingarthurflour.com.
• Kitchen Tip: To bring an egg to room temperature, set it on the counter for 15 minutes or submerge it (in the shell) in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot) water for 5 minutes.

UPDATE: 11/26/10

Okay. I made this for Thanksgiving. I'm not particularly fond of cranberries but it was okay. Not great, but okay. The only thing is whether you bake it in a cast iron skillet or in the crockpot, it does the same thing. You have to leave it in whatever you bake it in to cool completely. Brown sugar dries like glue. The cake will not come out. I sprayed both the pan and the crockpot and neither would release. I had to heat them for a minute to get the cake out.  After a while,  they both fell (in the middle). It didn't change the taste but it didn't look as good. You definitely need the whipped cream. Also, the crockpot one was more moist than the oven baked one. And, from the oven, the cranberries turned out pretty tart. You might want to add some sugar to them while you are cooking them til they pop on the stovetop. They were sweeter in the crockpot.

My cake

I doubt that I would make this again, but you never know because I think if you used strawberries, this would really be good.

Cranberry Orange Cider

What you need:

1 cut fresh cranberries

6 cups apple cider or unfiltered apple juice

2 cups cranberry juice

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

4 whole cloves

4 whole allspice

2 cinnamon sticks

4 orange slices, cut 1/4 inch thick

3 lemon slices, cut 1/4 inch thick

3 lime slices, cut 1/4 inch thick

What you do:

Place cranberries in a food processor and pulse just until coarsely chopped.

Place chopped cranberries, cider, cranberry juice, brown sugar, cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, orange slices, lemon slices and lime slices in a preheated crock pot. Cook over high heat 10 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer another 10 minutes. Remove from crock pot; let stand 15 minutes.

Strain cider through a fine wire mesh strainer; discard solids. Keep cider warm by returning to crock pot and setting to the keep warm setting. Serve with additional orange, lemon and lime slices and a cinnamon stick.

Lemon Garlic Turkey Breast

1-3 lbs turkey breast

1/2 cup lemon juice

6 minced garlic cloves

1/4 tsp dried parley

1/4 tsp dried tarragon

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsp dried sage

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh, ground black pepper

1/2 cup white wine

Place the turkey breast in the crock pot. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic, parsley, tarragon, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper and wine. Pour this sauce over the turkey breast. Cover: cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours.  yields approximately 6 servings

 

Cranberry-Orange Turkey Breast

If you need Thanksgiving meal ideas for only a couple or just yourself, here's a good one. If you aren't spending Thanksgiving with a large group, you can still have a great Thanksgiving dinner... and without all the fuss.

You will need:

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1 16 oz can whole cranberries in sauce

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

3 pounds turkey breast

In a medium bowl, combine the orange marmalade, cranberries and orange zest. Place the turkey breast in the crock pot and pour the orange-cranberry mixture over the turkey. Cover; cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or on high for 4 to 5 hours), or until internal temperature of the turkey reaches 185 degrees F.

Makes 6 servings.

Rice Pudding

The wonderful smell of vanilla and cinnamon will fill your home as these spices slowly cook in your crock pot creating a most comforting, delicious pudding for your Thanksgiving dessert.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups scalded milk
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
3 eggs, beaten
2/3 cups white or brown sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
3 Tablespoons soft butter

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients.

2. Lightly grease the sides of the crock pot, then pour everything into crock pot.

3. Cook on high 1 to 2 hours, stirring after a half hour.

The Christmas pudding tradition

Puddings range from sweet to savory, with a texture varying from soft to moderately hard. It can take the form of porridges, flans, custards, tarts and dumplings. The pudding is a thick and soft dessert, typically containing flour, milk, eggs, a flavoring and sweetener.

Christmas puddings originated as a fourteenth century 'porridge' called frumenty. They were made of cereal, breadcrumbs, mutton and beef with raisins, wines, prunes, currants and spices. they were stuffed in sausage skins, enclosed in a pastry and baked. It was eaten as a fasting dish before the Chrismas festivities.

By 1595, the frumenty was replaced by a plum pudding with eggs, breadcrumds, dried fruits and flavoured with spirits and ale. It became the Christmas desserts but it was banned in 1664 by the Puritans.George I re-established it as part of Christmas in 1714. By Victorian times, the Christmas puddings became similar to the ones enjoyed today. Today, puddings serve as a dessert as in chocolate pudding or as a main dish, such as corn pudding. It's a dessert in Britain. Some puddings are universally popular (bread and rice puddings) and are made with regional variations.
Many superstitions have surrounded the Christmas Pudding:

#   The traditional time for making a Christmas pudding is on Stir Up Sunday which is the 25th Sunday after Trinity (Catholicism).
  
# Is should be made with 13 ingredients to represent the Christ and His Disciples.
  
# It should always be stirred with a wooden spoon from east to west in honor to the Three Kings.
  
# Every member of the family should take a turn at stirring while making a wish.
 
# In Dutch and Flemish Christian folklore it is believed that rice porridge is the meal given to people who go to heaven, and it is eaten out of a bowl with a golden spoon.

Sweet Pork Roast

I saved the juice from the Sweet Pork Chops and mixed in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. I poured it over this pork roast. I sprinkled the roast with corriander and drizzled some honey over it. I cooked it on low in the crockpot for about 7 hours.  I will definitely make it again... and the chops too.

Sweet Pork Chops

Ingredients

    * 6 boneless pork chops
    * 1/4 cup brown sugar
    * 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    * 1/2 cup soy sauce
    * 1/4 cup ketchup
    * 2 cloves garlic, crushed
    * salt and pepper to taste

Directions

o  Place pork chops in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops.
o  Cook on Low setting for 6-8 hours,

Note: This recipe is for thick chops.

**I was in a hurry and I had 2 packs of the very thin sliced chops. They will cook in less than 2 hours on high. They were very good. Next time, I'll use the thick chops and let them cook all day. I loved the flavor.

Apple Pie in the Crock Pot

Cut the apples into slices

Mix the ingredients

Bake in the crock pot

Eat!

I have so many apples and I don't won't to let them go to waste, so I tried a crock pot pie. It turned out very well.

First thing you do is lightly grease your crock pot. (This turns out more like a cobbler than a pie).

What You Need:

• 8 tart apples, peeled, sliced

• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 tablespoons softened butter

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup Bisquick

• 1 cup Bisquick

• 3/4 cup milk

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 3 tablespoons cold butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

What You Do:

1. In a large bowl, combine apple slices and cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Add coated apples to the greased crockpot.

2. In another bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk and add 1/2 cup Bisquick. Spoon the mixture over the apples.

3. Combine 1 cup Bisquick and brown sugar. Cut the butter into mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture over top of apple mixture.

4. Cover. Cook on low 6-7 hours or until apples are soft.

I took the inside crockery out and put it in the oven on pre-heated broil for a minute and a half to get a browner top. I like it a little crunchier than it is when it comes out of the crock pot. If you do this, you cannot leave it or answer the phone. You have to stay with it and watch the clock or set a timer.

Potpourri in the Crock Pot

My house smelled so good! I saved fruit peelings for a week just to make this. I put them in a zip lock feezer bag and kept them in the refrigerator.

I placed the ingredients on the stove, on high, in a large pot and brought the mixture to a boil before transferring to the crock pot.

The reason this picture looks cloudy is because of the steam that the boiling pot was putting off and producing an amazing aroma.

Ingredients:

Grapefruit peel
Orange Peel
Cucumber Peel
Lemon Peel
Apple Peel
4 cinnamon Sticks
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnonmon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or 4 whole cloves

I added a little sprinkle of ginger and nutmeg, but it's not necessary.

I have a couple of little liquid potpouri pots (the old-fashioned kind that has a tea light under it). I ladled out a little of mixture and placed in those 2 little pots and placed them in different rooms in the house. The whole house smelled incredible!

I divided the ingredients into 4 parts and put them into freezer bags. Now I can take them out of the freezer and use them later.

Give it a try. It's easy!