Thai-style chicken pumpkin soup

• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger (I used gourmet garden)
• 1 tablepoon chili pepper blend (gourmet garden again)
• 1.5lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 15oz can packed pumpkin
• 1/2 cup mango nectar
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 cups good quality chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• green onions, chopped
• roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
• cooked white rice (take out is best)

In a skillet over a medium flame brown onion, garlic and pepper for 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in ginger. In large crock pot combine onion mixture with chicken, carrots, pumpkin, mango nectar, lime juice, peanut butter, chicken stock and vinegar. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Place a mound of cooked rice in center of serving bowl and pour soup around it. Garnish with cilantro, green onions and peanuts.

The dish: I hate our local newspaper, and yet I've been a steady subscriber forever. One of my favorite things to do is to settle back with the Sunday paper and read through all the news and save the colored funnies for a grand finale. Somewhere in there I sort through the mountain of store circulars and coupons. Hiding beneath that yogurt coupon is page after page of useless crap, ranging from Yankee's Christmas ornaments and limited edition trains to elastic waistband comfort pants made from genuine polyester (accept no imitations). One day a few weeks back I saw an ad for a set of three crock pot cookbooks among all the other crap. Feeling a little adventurous I sent in my check and waited 3-4 weeks for my bounty to come in the mail. When they arrived I thumbed through them and was not shocked to see mostly recipes I had seen before. This soup was one of the few new ones that stood out. We decided to be daring and try something new at home. The result was phenomenal; this soup is a winner. It turned out to be not spicy or sweet, but rather very distinctive and comforting. It will most certainly grace the red room again. If you're reading this in the fall of 2009, please be aware that there's a shortage of canned pumpkin and you may have to drive to more than one store before you stumble upon some.

pork verde chili

• 4 cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1lb boneless pork spareribs, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 jar of good quality verde salsa
• sour cream
• fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Combine beans, pork and salsa in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream.

The dish: This is an easy recipe that comes across as more difficult than it should. Since there's only a few ingredients it's important that you use only the freshest and the best as the flavors will come through. I used Santa Barbara roasted tomatillo salsa and it was awesome. It was a bit more than some of the cheaper varieties, but well worth the added expense. We're quickly coming up on that time of year when it's cold and dark when we get home so walking into a warm dish in the crock pot is a great feeling. If you don't already have one I can think of a few reasons why you should part with the $30 and buy one.

hoppin' Juan

• 1 lb dried black eyed peas
• 1 lb chorizo (spicy Spanish sausage)
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped fine
• 1 orange pepper, chopped fine
• vegetable stock
• fresh garlic, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 serrano peppers (or any other hot variety), seeded and chopped fine
• fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Soak the beans overnight. The next morning, saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for about 3 minutes, add hot peppers and turn flame off. Drain the beans, place in large crock pot. Add 1 container of vegetable stock plus one container full of water, onions and garlic mixture, and diced peppers, cook on high for two hours, then low for 6+. In the last hour of cooking add chorizo (it will already be cooked) and more liquid if needed. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

The dish: "Hoppin' John", as the bag of beans said, is a mixture of black eyed peas with Italian sausage and parsley. I had scored some great chorizo (Belmond Farms- awesome) and had designs of doing a dish like this before I ever saw the bag of Goya beans. I figured that the only material difference between hoppin' John and my dish was the slight Latin accent (not that kind of Latin) of the chorizo and cilantro instead of the sausage and parsley so I decided that "Hoppin' Juan" would be a good moniker. This was a great dish to come home to on one of the many rainy days that we've had recently and even tasted good cold as leftovers. For thousands of years people of all different cultures have believed that eating some variation of hoppin' John on New Year's Day would bring good luck in the coming year. Here we are at the midway point of this year and I hope that the good luck thing works as well now as it does in January. Have a great second half of 09 everyone!

dirty water dogs

• 1 package of good quality hot dogs (Nathan's or Sabrett)

Fill up your crock pot about halfway with water, place dogs in and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

The dish: There aren't many things better than spotting the familiar yellow and blue umbrella resting on the top of a Winnebago or trailer on the side of the road. Like few other things in my life, the sight conjures up a Pavlovian reflex in me where I flick on my turn signal and slow my car down so as not to kick up a cloud of dust in the undoubtedly gravel parking area. No matter where I'm headed to or coming from I ALWAYS stop and try a dog, eager to see each vendor's take on the American classic. So if you're like me, cooking dogs at home can be a bit of a challenge as the bar is set pretty high. People typically use one of three methods to cook dogs at home;

1. they fry them
2. they grill them
3. they boil them

The first two don't involve any H2O, so not replicating a good dirty water dog shouldn't come as a surprise, but the third always left me scratching my chin (what's left of it after all those dogs). I use the same brand, and yet mine come out mealy and with broken skin. Then it hit me (cue clouds parting), what's the first thing your town has you do after a water main break? You boil your water to make sure it's safe to drink. Obviously, if boiling water makes it clean, using it to cook a perfect dirty water dog makes about as much sense as grilling or frying them. The guy (or gal, as in the case of Nick's Hot Dogs, best in New Windsor/ Newburgh area) under that yellow and blue umbrella doesn't have a pot of boiling water, but rather a reservoir of warm water that the dogs sit in awhile. Using the crock pot produces the exact same effect and the taste will transport you to the shoulder of the road or a busy avenue sidewalk or wherever you eat your favorite dirty water dog.

unstuffed cabbage

• 1 head of cabbage, chopped
• 2 yellow onions, chopped fine
• 8 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
• fresh parsley, chopped fine
• fresh oregano, chopped fine
• red pepper flakes
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1lb ground turkey
• cooked brown rice (take out or instant works fine)

In a swirl of olive oil, saute the garlic and onions over a medium flame for about 5 minutes, or until just browned, then add to crock pot. In same skillet, brown turkey over a medium flame until done. Add all ingredients except rice to your crock pot (remember, we just don't give a damn about generecizing trademarks), cover and cook on low for 6+ hours. Serve over rice.

The dish: Stuffed cabbage is one of those dishes that I'll order out because it's both delicious and a pain in the ass to prepare. Cabbage leaves are more delicate than you'd think and getting the whole mix cooked evenly without burning parts of it is a true art. I'm not sure how I came up with the idea of doing it like this, but you get about 95% of the flavor with about 10% of the work of the original. That and like every other slow cooker recipe you can prepare it in the morning, or even the night before if you're using a crock pot that was made after leg warmers went out of fashion. You can add cheese if you wish, but I think it works well without it. As always, feel free to subsitute dried herbs for fresh ones.

chili mac

• leftover chili
• 1lb macaroni or other short pasta
• 1 can diced tomatoes

Heat diced tomatoes over medium high flame for 5-10 minutes. Add left over chili and simmer for another 10-20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of slightly salted water. Drain cooked pasta and stir into chili mixture.

The dish: Long before fusion restaurants began dotting the suburban landscape, offering unique amalgamations of different ethnic fare, creative home cooks have been fusing together the best of tex-mex and Italian in this classic dish. Chili over pasta makes for a hearty meat sauce with a stand out flavor. The extra tomatoes were added to stretch the batch a little as well as to make the mix seem more like a traditional sauce. Using "planed-overs" is a great way to save some time in the kitchen without making it seem like you're eating the same thing night after night.

chili

• 2 yellow peppers, diced
• 2 orange peppers, diced
• 1 lb ground turkey meat
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can small red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can diced tomatoes with chopped chilies
• assortment of hot peppers, finely chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cans Coors Light (or other light domestic beer)
• chili powder
• unsweetened cocoa powder

In large skillet cook onion in a little olive oil for 3 minutes, add to crock pot when done. In same pan brown meat (I add a pinch of Chinese 5 spice, but if you don't have some don't buy it just for this recipe) over medium flame for 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks (if anyone knows a technical term for this action, please feel free to let me know), add to crock pot when done. Add beans, peppers (for the hot ones I used 2 habernaros, 2 red chili peppers, and 2 green chili peppers) and tomatoes to the onions and peppers in the crock pot. At this point the whole mixture should be pretty dry. Add a couple of generous shakes of chili powder and a heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder. Use as much of two of the beers needed to get chili to desired consistency while enjoying the Rocky Mountain goodness of the third. Cover and cook for 8+ hours.

The dish: Chili is a pretty loose term that can mean a number of different things, but this variation is pretty close to what most people think of when they hear the term. You can add or omit things as they suit your tastes, don't like beans- don't add them (but I think you'd be doing a bad thing). The finished product was a little spicy, but not uncomfortable to eat. The real key here is the beer and the chocolate. Don't be scared of either as you won't taste them, but they'll give a rich taste that will make your chili a standout.

Guinness corned beef

• 2 corned beef rounds
• 4 cans of Guinness
• bay leaves
• mustard seeds
• whole peppercorns
• caraway seeds
• dried mustard

Pour one can of beer into Crock Pot and add a couple of shakes of dried mustard and stir. Add another can of beer and add the bay leaves, peppercorns, mustard and caraway seeds, stirring to combine. Place corned beef and whatever seasoning it came with in Crock Pot and cover with remaining beer, making sure to stir mixture and cover beef. Cook on low for 8+ hours. Scrape any seeds off meat before serving.

The dish: Everyone has a secret about their heritage and here's mine: I'm Irish and I can't stand Guinness. I constantly hear its praises sung, but to me it tastes like malted 10w-40. The meat certainly doesn't wind up tasting like a pint of the thick stuff, but rather has a full flavor that reminds me of the way corned beef is supposed to taste. The other key is to add plenty of seasonings, that anemic little pouch of seeds that comes with corned beef is no where near enough to really impart flavor. For the Puritans reading this, any alcohol in the beer gets cooked off which makes this dish family friendly and perfect for leftover sandwiches, just make sure to pack a flask with your lunch as the Guinness has lost all its potency.

German potato salad

• 5 pounds red potatoes
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• fresh parsley, chopped fine
• dried mustard
• kosher salt
• 5 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 large white onion, diced

Peel potatoes about 80% (I like to leave some skin on, but not too much) and cut into similar bite sized pieces. In bottom of crock pot whisk together vinegar and sugar with a generous shake of dried mustard. Add potatoes, bacon and onion to pot, stir and season with salt. Cook on high for two hours, then cook on low for 8-10 hours. Add parsley in last 20 minutes of cooking. Serve warm.

The dish: Keeping with the "you can cook anything in a crock pot" theme comes this warm potato salad. This was cooked in my crock pot which is about 5 years old. Depending on the age of yours you may need to adjust cooking times slightly. This dish is best done the first time while you're home and can keep an eye on things, making sure the potatoes cook. As you can see in the picture I got cocky and went out for the afternoon and came home to slightly mashed potato salad, no big deal though. I advise against using any slow cooker that's not a real Rival Crock Pot, many cheaper knock offs cook unevenly and don't seal as nicely. There are a few higher end cookers from companies like Kitchen Aid, but I can't see dropping $100 on something that's an imitation of the $40 namesake.

pulled pork sandwiches

• paprika
• cayenne pepper
• adobo
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• liquid smoke
• 2 chili peppers, seeded and chopped fine
• 1 bell pepper (I used half a yellow and half an orange), chopped
• 1 boneless pork shoulder roast
• prepared bbq sauce, or homemade if you need a hobby

Combine paprika, cayenne pepper (just a little), adobo and black pepper, spread mixture evenly on roast, cover (Tupperware or saran wrap is fine, but never tin foil) and refrigerate over night. The next morning mix together vinegar and brown sugar (over heat works best, but right in the crock pot will do), add a few dashes liquid smoke, peppers and roast, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Right before serving, drain roast in colander reserving a few drops of liquid on the meat, return to crock pot and shred with fork or wooden spoon and add some bbq sauce (I usually try to make my own, but went with Dr. Pepper flavored sauce this time and it worked quite nicely). Serve on your favorite rolls (Rockland bakery in the burgh if you're local) with extra sauce on the side.

The dish: I'm blessed to be 33 and have both my grandmothers still be alive. I could always tell when my birthday was 2 days away because I would get two cards, one from my maternal grandmother that had a bunch of scratch off tickets that were ALWAYS winners, and one from my paternal grandmother that would have a check for $20 inside. Usually the proceeds of both were spent acquainting myself with a host of designer inebriants, but I would always tell my grandmothers I spent the money on something more benign: no nan, I didn't get loaded with your birthday money, I bought a nice shirt. About three weeks before my 26th birthday I decided that I wanted a crock pot. "What a perfect idea" I thought, I can even tell my grandmothers I spent their bday money on it. By the time my day rolled around my pot already had some mileage on it and I was looking forward to telling my nans. I was shocked when the cards came but nothing was inside, apparently 25 was the cutoff for such things- who knew? I wound up telling both my grandmothers the full story and they got a kick out of it, but they also reminded me what being 26 meant, you've got to love the depression era. I've since used the hell out of my crock pot and have convinced many of my friends to buy one, becoming a champion of a kitchen gadget that probably reached the zenith of its popularity when I was in diapers. Pulled pork is always one of the first things I advise people to make. The recipe above is the advanced one, for ease you can just throw the roast in the cooker with some bbq sauce and be amazed at the results. If you're not down with the other white meat you can use beef, and if animals aren't your thing then lentils work well also, just cook them a little ahead of time.

Tuscan chili

• 4 cans cannelini beans, drained and washed


• 1 bag frozen chopped spinach


• 1 jar sun dried tomatoes, drained of oil


• 2 bell peppers, diced (I prefer yellow and orange)


• 3 cloves chopped garlic, or 3 tablespoons prepared garlic


• 3 tablespoons prepared pesto


• 4 links sausage


• 1/2 cup of vegetable stock


• chopped fresh parsley

If using raw sausage, brown meat in skillet and slice. If using cooked sausage, slice meat, then combine all ingredients except half of fresh parsley in crock pot (yeah, I'm that guy), season with dried Italian sounding herbs (look for lots of vowels- I used oregano), and cook on low for 8 hours. Garnish servings with fresh parsley.

The dish: I'm not really sure what makes a chili a chili, although typing this I'm inclined to think the presence of chili peppers does, but whatever. This is a great meal that has a chili-like satisfaction to it. Beans, peppers, meat- other than the Italian twist it's straight up chili. Like the more traditional variety of chili you can notch up the spice on this by adding some hot peppers, you can even find them Italian style if you wish to remain true to the name. If you're reading this and know me, you know the one thing on the planet that I CANNOT STAND is green peppers, which is fine because the yellow and orange ones really give off nice color alongside the green spinach and white beans. I used regular Italian sausage, but you could just as easily use a nice chicken sausage or no meat at all and this dish would satisfy. If you don't already own one I highly recommend picking up a crock pot as there is no way that we'd have a hot dinner half the time if we just didn't walk into it at the end of the day.

kale and friends winter soup

• 1 bunch of kale, torn into bite size pieces
• 1 cubed butternut squash
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked chicken, diced
• 4+ cups of high quality chicken broth
• assorted green herbs

combine all ingredients in large slow cooker (or "crock pot" if you just don't give a damn about trademarks), season with kosher salt and fresh black pepper, cover, cook on low for 8 hours. Add more broth if it appears to not have a soup-like consistency. I used leftover rotisserie chicken, but any will work. If using frozen squash, wait until the final 20 minutes of cooking to add.

The Dish: This is a hearty soup, great for those busy and freezing winter nights (of which we've had many this year). I've done it several times using both fresh and frozen squash and I've determined that fresh tastes better, it's just a pain in the ass to cut something the shape of Grimace into cubes. I had leftover rosemary and parsley on hand and they added nicely to it, but just about any green herb would work, although I'd avoid dill. Good chicken broth is key here, I had some frozen homemade stuff and I supplemented it with Rachel Ray's brand, the only stock with cleavage!! I have a 4.5 quart crock pot and this recipe makes plenty for us to have at least two meals. Great when served with hot garlic bread, or my favorite: Hannaford garlic toast, Texas style.