Parmesan Risotto

Creamy risotto in a crockpot?  No constant stirring?  Yah right!  I saw this recipe on another blog and thought; no way can you make risotto in the crockpot.  I tried the recipe and yes, you can make risotto in your crockpot!  Serves 4 – 6 depending on serving size.  I suppose you could cut the recipe in half if only for one or two people, but then you will have to pay attention to cooking time, probably 1 ½ hours???

Parmesan Risotto

1 1/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice (no substitutes)
1/4 cup olive oil or grapeseed oil
1/2 cup white wine (cooking wine will do)
3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp white (or black) pepper
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (to add at the very end)


The Directions
Toss the uncooked Arborio rice with the olive oil in your crockpot, add the seasonings and garlic, pour in the broth and white wine.  Stir to mix flavors.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the rice is tender.

Stir in the shredded cheese and leave uncovered for about 15 minutes to let a bit of the moisture escape.

The final product will be very creamy and have a porridge-like consistency.

The Verdict
This was yummy & creamy and…did I say yummy!  I can’t believe how easy this was to prepare, throw in the crockpot and forget about it.
I made grilled salmon with this but it would also make a good accompaniment to chicken parmesan.

I have to give credit where credit is due: I got the original recipe from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/creamy-crockpot-risotto.html , but of course made a couple modifications to make it my own.

Pizza Pasta

Once again, another almost 80 degree day, but I can't wait to make another crockpot meal.  Since the recipe time is anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, this would be a great recipe to throw in the crockpot before church on Sunday or maybe while you are running errands on a Saturday afternoon.  Serves about 4. 

Forgot to take a pic before we dug into it!

½ lb of rigatoni

½ lb of hamburger

½ lb of Italian sausage

1- 24oz can/jar of spaghetti sauce

1 ½ cup water

½ small onion, chopped

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

4 oz. pepperoni, chopped

2 cups shredded mozzarella

½ cup shredded Parmesan

Optional: any of your favorite pizza toppings (green/black olives, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms,etc.)

Cook hamburger, sausage, onion, and garlic on medium heat until hamburger is browned, crumble.  Throw everything into a crockpot (except cheese) and stir well.  Cook on low for 3 -4 hours or high for 2 hours (depends on the settings of your crockpot).  Stir once, half way through cooking time to make sure there is enough liquid/sauce, add more water (or sauce) if needed.  15 minutes before its ready, add both cheeses to top of pasta and cook until cheese is melted & bubbly.

Resist the urge to constantly open the lid of your crockpot to “check on your food” or to stir.  Every time you open the lid it releases a lot of heat & moisture.

Serve with a tossed salad and garlic bread.

VERDICT:  Another yummy recipe.  I got rave reviews immediately from my family.  I may have overcooked the pasta just a bit so maybe taste test your pasta 3/4 of the way through the time mentioned above.  There is some pre-cooking to do, but this was so easy to throw together.   You can always freeze cooked hamburger/sausage so it is readily available. 

 

 

Mexi-Shredded Chicken & Rice

Fall is approaching and so is casserole & crockpot season (insert super excited-ness here)!!!  Even though summer is closing in on us, it is still 80 degrees out.  However, I was too excited to try this recipe to wait for cooler temperatures.  Plus, the stove part of my oven broke so I will be using my slowcooker frequently till I get a new oven :-)  Here is my first recipe...

 

2 pounds chicken (your favorite parts, skin & bone doesn't matter because you will be removing it later)

 

1 package taco seasoning

 

1 1/2 cups salsa (I used Mrs. Renfro's Mild Salsa)

 

1 can cream of chicken

 

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

 Cooked Spanish rice or chicken flavored rice

Mix taco seasoning, salsa, cream of chicken, and chicken stock in bottom of crock. Put chicken in and cover chicken with the mixture. Cook on low for aprox. 5 hours. Remove any bones or skin, shred chicken.  Put chicken back. Add sour cream and mix together. Top with cheese. Heat for aprox. 15-20 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve over spanish rice and enjoy!

 

Now, I have to give credit where credit is due.  Although I changed up the recipe a bit, the original recipe came from: http://www.crockadoodledo.blogspot.com/search/label/CHICKEN

VERDICT:  Yummy!  This dish was awesome!  We had some leftovers so I will be freezing those and using in another upcoming recipe.