Need your help with slow cooker...

I used to prepare my meal at night for the next day - so when you get home by 7 ish I would start then and set the clock to wake up and turn off - then you have lunch for the next day and dinner:bigsmile:

Another option is to hook your slow cooker up to a light timer (like the kind you use for Christmas lights). You can set the timer to turn out when you need it and then it won't cook all day. This is a great option if your cooker doesn't have a timer.

my mother got me this book when i moved out, filled with a lot of great recipies http://www.amazon.com/Best-Slow-Easy-Recipes-Flavor-Packed/dp/1933615249, and this is my favorite slow cooker recipie.

Ropa vieja


MEAT

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
¼ cup tomato paste
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
Salt
2 ½ cups of water
¼ cup of soy sauce
2 bay leaves
2 ½ pounds skirt or flank steak, cut into 3-inch pieces
Ground black pepper

PEPPERS AND SAUCE

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into thin strips
2 large green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into thin strips
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, rinsed and halved
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley leaves
1-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Ground black pepper

1. For the Meat: Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions, tomato paste, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the Water, scraping up any browned bits. (you can do this step the night before and leave it in the fridge and put it all in the slow cooker in the morning)
2. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the soy sauce and bay leaves until evenly combined. Season the meat with salt and pepper and nestle it in the slow cooker. Cover and cook, either on low or high, until the meat is tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
3. Transfer the meat to a platter and cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces, discarding any fat. Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then gently tilt the slow cooker and remove as much fat as possible from the surface using a large spoon. Measure out and reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid, discarding any extra liquid.
4. For the Peppers and Sauce: Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely pureed, about 7 pulses, and set aside. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the bell peppers, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the processed tomatoes, olives, and 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid from the meat, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until the peppers are soft and the sauce has thickened slightly, 12 to 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the shredded meat and continue to cook until the meat is heated through and the flavors have combined, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste before serving.

I just searched to see if I could find it and couldn't - I'll look again when I have more time. Years ago, I bought an adapter for my crockpot - you plug the crockpot into this thing and then into the wall -- anyway, I got it because it would auto switch to just "Warm" after 4-6-or 8 hours depending on how you program it. Might be worth a quick search to see if you could find it.

skinnycrockpot.com... we live off of this site!

You can cook a brothy meal like chicken soup or beef stew. If you cook on a low setting, most meals take 6-8 hours anyway. It would be good if you have a timer feature which changes to 'warm' setting after 8 hours. I use a plastic liner in the crock pot to keep food from burning inside the crock pot. (The brand is Reynolds).

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.slowandsimple.com/&h=XAQH1k9iC
http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/slow-c...
http://www.allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-D...
http://www.dinnermadeeasy.com
http://www.great-recipes.net/Crockpot
http://www.kraftrecipes.com
http://www.betterhomesandgatdens.com

I just made this last week! It was sooo good! Skinnytaste is a great site for low cal great tasting recipes

www.skinnytaste.com has some good recipes. I just made the Turkey Pumpkin Chili yesterday. I put it in the crockpot on Low at around 6am and we ate around 5:30pm. You should be able to cook just about anything on low for long periods of time.