Slow Cooker Bourbon Baked Beans

 
I bought bourbon for the first time. I wasn't sure what kind to buy, but chose the Jim Beam because I recognized the name and it was on sale.

and then I made the most awesome baked beans known to man.

I checked with Shirley--- distilled alcohol is gluten free, yet some people react to anything made with grains. If you know you react, this might not be a good recipe for you. Here's a bit more on that from Shirley, at Gluten Free Easily.

The Ingredients.
serves 8-10 as a side dish, 4-6 as main course


1 pound pinto beans, soaked overnight and then drained and rinsed
* SEE NOTE BELOW
      (if you don't have time to soak overnight, no problem. Put them in a large pot, and cover completely  
       with water. Bring to a rapid boil for 10 minutes, then turn off stove and cover pot. Let your beans sit 
        for 1 hour, then drain water and put beans into crockpot)
8 ounces bacon, cooked, crumbled, and drained
1 onion, diced and browned
4-6 cloves garlic, diced and browned
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce (read labels carefully if avoiding gluten)
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon ground mustard
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup bourbon

* NOTE: pinto beans sometimes seem to take a super long time to soften. If cooking on low for up to 14 hours is too long for you (or 8-10 on high) then try using small white Northern beans instead; they soften faster!)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. In a large skillet on the stovetop (or use your Ninja!) brown the bacon, onion, and garlic until the bacon is crisp and the fat has been rendered. Discard the fat, and pour the bacon mixture into an empty slow cooker.
Add the soaked and drained pinto beans. Now add the brown sugar, molasses, barbecue sauce, and dried ground mustard. Stir in chicken broth and bourbon.

Cover, and cook on low for 10-14 hours, or until beans are soft. If you live in a high-altitude, your beans may take longer to cook. If you prefer to cook on high, check after 6 hours or so.


I served our beans with homemade corn bread made from masa.



This is the recipe I used:

Preheat oven to 425° and lightly butter a cake pan. In a mixing bowl, combine:
1 1/2 cups masa
1/2 cup all purpose flour (I use Pamela's Baking Mix as my gluten free all purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

wet ingredients:
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 stick melted butter (1/4 cup)
2 eggs

Mix the dry ingredients together until well-incorporated and the baking powder isn't clumpy. You can sift, if you'd like, but that's kind of a lot of work for a quick cornbread. I end up using my fingers sometimes to break up clumps.
Then mix in the wet ingredients --- use a fork or a whisk, no need to use a machine. Pour batter into pan -- it'll be quite thick, and you may need to shove it around to get it in place.
Bake at 425° for about 20 minutes.

The Verdict.

These beans are perfect. I am SO looking forward to the next potluck --- they had tons of flavor and smelled absolutely amazing. All 5 of us licked our bowls clean. I'm really very pleased with this recipe, and I think you will be, too. If you don't want to use bacon, I bet a saved ham-bone/hock would be *perfect*.
The masa cornbread was an experiment. I didn't have cornmeal in the house and really wanted cornbread. This is quite tasty-- it's nowhere near as sweet as traditional cornbread and tastes "cornier" if that makes sense. This would be a more traditional flavor that the pioneers or Native Americans would have had. 

at least that's what I told the kids.


a few announcements:

~ Ninja has *very generously* increased my cooking system package to now include the roasting kit, the baking kit, the mini warmer, the travel tote, free shipping, and a 5-year warranty for the Holiday season. This is the absolute best package deal available for the Ninja Cooking System and is better than the infomercial offering. 

~ we are still hosting giveaways daily on the giveaway page! Click on over and enter to win!

~ Amazon has my Totally Together: Shortcuts to an Organized Life book on sale. Make 2013 the best year yet by getting completely (and totally!) organized. 

~ I'm going to be speaking next month at BlogHer PRO on pricing and proposals. I can not believe how much my life has changed ever since I made that silly resolution in 2008, and I am so very (very) thankful. I am always happy to share blogging info and what has/hasn't worked for me, and think this will be an extraordinary conference. 

Have a wonderful day!!

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Super Quick Thanksgiving RoundUp

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I wasn't planning on posting before the Holiday, and was going to wait until next week (because I made the most awesome bourbon baked beans in the history of the universe) but somehow the house is quiet, and the kids are enrossed in an Amazing Race marathon on the DVR. (we're rooting for the Beekman Boys after feeling like we "know" them since we watched their show on Netflix streaming).
  
So here you go!

We aren't hosting this year, but are instead bringing stuffing to my mom's house and a few different pies. We'll be making a traditional pumpkin, a crustless pumpkin (in the slow cooker) and the pecan pie from Simply Recipes (I make it gluten free by using GF crust and Pamela's baking mix as my all-purpose flour).

If you are looking for all of the slow cooker Holiday recipes, this post has the entire list.

If you'd like even more, a few of us put together a Thanksgiving Slow Cooker board on Pinterest. 

Don't throw away your turkey bones!

instead, make:

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

or

Turkey Stew

or

 

Smoky Turkey and Black Bean Soup

or

Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup.  

But you should use Turkey because that's what makes sense, here.

and here's a bonus stuffing recipe because I always forget about it, and it's a good one.

Stuffing with Apple and Sausage

Have a very very very happy Thanksgiving. Lots of love to you and your family!

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I Had A Cranberry Party

plateful of cranberry goodness

A few weeks ago I had a cranberry party. And I only had to make one thing with cranberry juice, but I'm a total over-achiever and made FIVE things. BOO-YAH!
(recipes below!)

The Back Story:

The Simply Cranberry Cocktail people (through BlogHer) contacted me and asked if I'd like to throw a dinner party and use their new Simply Cranberry Cocktail as a springboard for the menu-planning.

I was already familiar with the Simply Orange Juice Company--we like their orange and apple juice an awful lot, and I'm a complete and total sucker for a challenge.

Before I responded, I texted Adam:

"Hey, we need to have a cranberry juice party, sort of an Iron Chef thing. You cool with that?"

He wrote back: "a la cuisine!"

I love that man.

I was given coupons for Simply Cranberry Cocktail by the Simply Orange Juice Company, and BlogHer paid me for my time and to purchase supplies for our cranberry party.


I then set to work planning the menu: baked brie with cranberries, cranberry martinis, cranberry chicken, triple-threat cranberry brisket, and cranberry fluff for dessert (scroll down for all the recipes).

To round out the meal I also roasted asparagus and made mashed potatoes (out of a box! Capital K classy, I tell you...).

Just so you know: Simply Cranberry Cocktail can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store; it is kept chilled from the time it is blended with not-from-concentrate cranberry juice and gently pasteurized with no added preservatives. It's sweet and tart and unlike other cranberry juice cocktails in that you don't shudder after drinking it.

I decided this was a really good excuse to buy cranberry red tablecloths and retire the ecru tablecloths I usually dig out of the china cabinet. (I'm pretty sure stained and bleached and then stained and bleached tablecloths are ecru. Right?)

Since we were having our party on April Fool's Day, I also bought silly straws and nose glasses for everyone out of the dollar bins at Target.

I invited my two best friends (guess what their names are? did you guess? wait for it... wait for it...

JENNIFER and JENNIFER) and their families. This meant we had 6 adults and 9 children for our dinner party. I set up two tables, with the idea that the kids would be at one and the grownups could sit at the other, and we'd all sit down and have sparkling dinner conversation and lovely table manners.

Bree Van de Kamp Hodge would be so proud.
(of course she's on trial for murder right now, but I think Gaby is about to confess.)

It was wonderful.


I need to have dinner parties more often. I think sometimes in the name of saving money I forget it's the little things in life that matter--good friends, good food, and good fun.

Someone else picking up the bill is awfully nice, too.

Thank you Simply Cranberry Cocktail !!

Recipes:

I don't have any photos of the brie because I may have already had a cranberry martini (or 2? not sure) before I thought to take pictures, and by then we pretty much killed the whole thing.

I used the candied pecan and cranberry brie recipe I made back in 2008 but didn't use the pecans because one of our little friends has a nut allergy. I did, though, add a drop of balsamic vinegar to the brown sugar and a bit of rosemary they way I did with the balsamic apricot brie.

8 ounce-brie round

1 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary

Stir topping together and place on top of the brie. Place the brie into an oven-safe bowl or dish and plop it into a slow cooker for about 2 hours, or until melty and gooey and delicious. Serve with apple slices and your favorite crackers. I'm not supposed to name brand names in this post, but we used the popular round gluten free crackers that come in the white box. Email me if you don't know what I'm talking about!

Cranberry Martinis

Since The Cocktail Lady was at our house I figured I'd use her expertise, and we came up with the most awesomest cranberry martini recipe ever. She also lent me her drink shaker because I accidentally gave away the one we got as a wedding present in one of our many moves.

Thanks, Jen! xoxo

Fill the drink shaker half-full or so with ice.

For each drink, add:

1 shot Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1 shot citrus flavored vodka

1/2 shot Triple Sec

1/2 shot Sweet and Sour Mix

Shake well and serve in chilled martini glasses with sugared rims. (Adam did the glasses by rubbing a cut lime on the edge then dipping the glasses in Baker's Sugar. He froze them for 2 hours or so before the party).

We were able to double this recipe and get two drinks in each shaker.

And they rocked.

Srsly.

Cranberry Glazed Chicken:

4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 large onion, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce

1 (16-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1/2 cup Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1 lime, juiced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the chicken into the bottom of your cooker (frozen is fine). Add diced onion and garlic. In a mixing bowl whisk together the soy sauce, cranberry sauce, and juices. Pour this mixture evenly over the top of your chicken. Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked (if you cook it longer, it’ll shred—it’s up to you!)

With tongs, carefully remove the chicken and place on a serving platter. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water to create a slurry. Stir this into your slow cooker to thicken, then serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.

Triple Threat Cranberry Brisket:

5 pound beef brisket

1 onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (16-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce

1/2 cup Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the meat into the bottom of your slow cooker insert. Add onion and garlic. In a mixing bowl, mix together the can of cranberry sauce, soy sauce, juice, and dried cranberries. Pour this combination evenly over the top of the meat. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for about 6 hours. Your meat is finished when it has begun to lose it’s shape and can pull apart easily with a fork. Serve over mashed potatoes with a spoonful of sauce.

Cranberry Fluff Dessert

I was channeling TW from Retro-Food.com when I decided to serve this dessert. I knew I wanted something we could all eat together and didn't want a big production (think ice-cream bar) or a huge mess to deal with later (again, think ice-cream bar). But I wanted the kids to like it and the adults to at least give it a half-hearted thumbs up.

I was WAY SURPRISED. We licked the pyrex clean. All 6 adults and 9 children couldn't get enough.

2 cups boiling water

2 (4-ounce) packages cherry gelatin dessert

1 cup Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1 (8-ounce) container whipped dessert topping, room temperature, divided

1 (15-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 package shortbread cookies (or something similar. Ours were gluten free, of course!)

Whisk the dried gelatin powder with the boiling water until it's completely dissolved. Whisk in the juice, and then refrigerate the mixing bowl for 90 minutes. You want the gelatin slightly set, but not really. 

Now stir in 2 cups of the dessert topping and the entire can of cranberry sauce. Pour this mixture into a 9 x 9 glass baking pan. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or until completely set. Spread on the additional whipped topping and dot with shortbread cookies.

Cranberry retro yumminess. It's tart, but not too tart, and sweet, but not too sweet.

It was the perfect end to a perfect night. And you know it was good when you wake up to this in the morning:

I had so much fun and feel so lucky to have the best friends ever. Thank you to Simply Cranberry Cocktail for giving me an excuse to have a party. And for the realization that I shouldn't have to have an excuse to have friends over--I should just do it!

 I'm pretty sure we're not going to have a UTI anytime soon...

Guess what? 

Simply Cranberry Cocktail understands that sometimes it's just not possible to have a spur-of-the moment party when you're busy living your life and all "extra" (HA on the extra!) income goes towards retirement, or college, or braces, or new tires. So they are offering to help out by giving one lucky winner a $100 Visa gift card to spend however you'd like.

Maybe you'd like to have a cranberry party of your very own?

What is your favorite way to make a party or get together at your home more festive? Tell me about it in the comments for a chance to win a $100 gift card.

Rules:
P.S: I didn't make these up. 



No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:


a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.


This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.


I'll randomly select a winner from the responses (leave an email address or sign in so I can find you!) and will make sure the gift card gets sent out promptly.


The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/7/2012 - 6/1/2012

updated 6/2/12: This CONTEST IS NOW OVER. A representative from BlogHer will contact the randomly selected winner. THANK YOU to all who entered!


Be sure to visit the Promotions & Prizes page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!


"Simply Cranberry_™" is a trademark of Simply Orange Juice Company.



BOO-YAH!

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mercury in food, a last-minute gift giveaway, and the best ham(s) ever

this is a compensated post. I was asked by BlogHer to help spread the word about  Mom's Clean Air Force.

I stopped eating tuna fish about 11 years ago, when I first became pregnant. I took my baby-prep research seriously, and followed all the "rules" the "experts" told me I should and shouldn't do. 

After my first was born, I remember quizzing the pediatrician, "I can eat tuna again, right?"

I will never, ever forget her non-answer: "I don't think anyone should ever eat tuna. It's just not worth the risk since we don't know enough about it." 

She was talking about mercury poisoning. Until a few days ago, I didn't know much about mercury except that it was bad. I didn't know it actually came from burning coal, and the coal emissions get in the clouds, which then get into the water supply through rain and snow. Every state in the country has issued a fish advisory of some type because of unsafe mercury contamination. 

If you really think about it, everything has a high level of mercury because it's in our water supply; all fruits and vegetables are watered with it, and all of the animals we eat have consumed it. 

Mercury is linked to Alzheimer's disease, cancer, premature birth, brain damage, premature death, and birth defects. 

I can't fix this. 

All I can do, and all you can do, is become educated. Be aware. I've been asked to share the Moms Clean Air Force website with you. Please consider joining, take the time to read the literature and pass it along; change happens from the bottom up. 

I've also been asked to share this youtube video for further information.

Hug your kids tight.

thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

in other news, I've got book giveaways over on the review page for you. I've got my friend, Crystal Paine's (the Money Saving Mom) new book, Hallie Klecker's new cookbook, The Triumph Grocery Guide, two DVDs that Elana Amsterdam sent, and 5 copies of Totally Together. Last minute gift ideas? No problem, I've got you covered!

also, our buddies at DinnerTool wanted to share that they are feverishly working on adding new recipes. They are eager to share their Chili Cook Off recipes with you, and would like to give you a head's up that in February they will be hosting a slow cooker recipe contest. 

Gluten Free Home for the Holidays is happening right! now! at Gluten Free Easily. Tune in each day for the whole month of December for a new recipe and new giveaway. The grand prize is a Vitamix!

Ham! I've got ham! Every day this week I've gotten an email about ham in the crockpot. Yup, it works, and it is WONDERFUL. Here are our favorites:

maple ham

honey glazed ham with thyme

have a wonderful day.

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Sundried Tomato and Artichoke Slow Cooker Dip

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

This is a compensated post by BlogHer and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and is part of the Real Women of Philadelphia project. This is the fourth out of four recipes.

Oh my. This will be made again.

I used the Savory Garlic Cooking Creme for this recipe--- and it truly couldn’t have been any easier. The Cooking Creme is perfectly seasoned; no need to add anything but the artichokes and sundried tomatoes.

The Ingredients.

serves 6 (maybe more, but I accidentally ate too much)

1 (10-ounce) container of Savory Garlic PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked, then drained and chopped

chips for dipping

The Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Scoop out the Cooking Creme and put it into an empty slow cooker. Lick the spoon.

Add the chopped artichokes and sundried tomatoes. Stir (but not with the spoon you licked, because that would be gross). Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or until fully hot.

Serve with your favorite chips.

The Verdict.

DEEEE LISH OUS.

and super garlicy. Keep gum in your back pocket.

I ended up making this back when school was still in session (EONS AGO!) and had a house full of kids after school. I had kids ranging from 13 down to the baby (16 months at the time) for snack, and the dip was finished before the homework was complete. 

It was easy to prepare, and a great "something new" to bring along to a backyard barbecue or potluck.

Now for some fun!

There is a GREAT BIG HUGE HONKING LIVE EVENT on June 30^th that you should all know about.

For the last few months, women all over the country have been submitting videos and original PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and Cooking Creme recipes to RealWomenOfPhiladelphia.com in the hopes of competing in a live judging event hosted by none other, than Ms. Paula Deen.

The showdown will occur at the Lucas Theatre in Downtown Savannah at 7pm (eastern) on June 30^th, and will stream live on RealWomenOfPhiladelphia.com (I did not enter this contest). Winning this event is a big deal: winners receive a cash prize of $25,000, recipes featured in cookbooks, online cooking videos, and will participate in publicity appearances.

The good news for you/us is that all of the finalist recipes are available online, for free on the Real Women of Philadelphia  website. Click on over and see which one you should try with your family (slow cooker optional. :-) )

Mark the 30^th on your calendar--- it’s always fun to witness live events in action, and you can participate in the action by joining the online community at Real Women of Philadelphia.  I bet there will be a twitter party, too!

Want even more? There are more blogger reviews and recipes posted on BlogHer’s Promotions & Prizes section. Long live Cream Cheese!


other stuff:

I'm still working on the site redesign and am compiling websites/urls for the "everyone is included" blogroll. If you have a website or blog that you'd like listed (and you aren't a spam bot or anything else ridiculously offensive) send me an email at contact@stephanieodea.com with the subject line: blogroll and your site's name and URL. 
I'm hoping to get the site stuff up and running sometime after the Fourth.


Also, I've got a new interview up on the webTV section. This time it's with Amy Green, of Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. Amy shares how cutting sugar and gluten out of her diet is to credit for her 80 pound weight loss and for completely eradicating the migraines that had plagued her for years.
Also? She's giving away a copy of her new cookbook! click on over and watch Amy's interview and enter to win a book of your very own.


in the crock today: Asian spiced turkey breast (recipe to come--I played around with some new-to-me ingredients for this one). It's starting to smell good---
I'm excited. I've got a hunkering/hankering for a turkey sandwich. 


or three.


have a great day!

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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili Shepherd's Pie

 

I got an email yesterday from Donna who asked if I had a recipe that used leftover chili and it dawned on me that I hadn't ever posted the vegetarian chili shepherd's pie I included in the second book.

This recipe first has you make some chili, but if you made 3 crockpots-worth of chili for Father's Day weekend, definitely feel free to use that as the filling!

The Ingredients.

serves 6

 

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

don't want to use canned beans? Here's how to cook dried beans.

 

1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn

1 small onion, diced

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups mashed potatoes (leftover, fresh, from a box-- your choice!)

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Drain and rinse the beans, and add to the crockpot. Add corn and diced onion. Pour in the tomato sauce, and add cumin, salt, pepper. Stir well to combine. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.

Squish the 2 cups of mashed potatoes down on your chili with the back of a wooden spoon. Now dust with the smoked paprika.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 3-4. Uncover the slow cooker near serving time and let cook uncovered on high for 20-30 minutes to cook away any collected condensation. The potatoes will brown on top a tiny bit and begin to pull from the sides.

The Verdict.

This is a fantastic was to either use up already-made chili, or clean out your pantry! The touch of smoked paprika at the end is my favorite part, it gives a bit of something special to the mashed potatoes. If you'd like a traditional shepherd's pie (well, sort of traditional. you'd need to use ground lamb to make it really truly traditional), here's a recipe for you.

I'm getting an awful lot of questions about the sponsored posts. No, I will not do only sponsored posts from now on. The timing with the Coca-Cola event and the Philadelphia cream cheese posts was/is unfortunate--and I can see how it would look that way. I spend a lot of time on the internet, and need to compensate myself for the time spent. 

I also need to sell books, or the publishers will not continue to allow me to write for them. It's just how it all works. I'm immensely fortunate I have the opportunity to work from home while being full-time with my children. But I can't ignore the bills or the mortgage, and it isn't fair to me to work for free.

I've put the recap post for Coca-Cola over on the Totally Together website because I needed to put up a cream cheese post here yesterday (only one more of those to go!)--- the most valuable information I learned at the Coke event was that women need to help women.

I’m in the midst of a new site redesign (nothing will change, but it will all be different. don’t freak out.) and would like to start an everyone-is-included blog/website roll. If you have a site that you’d like included and you’re a REAL person and not some spam monster, please email me at contact@stephanieodea.com (I’m the contact!) with the subject line: blogroll and I’ll get you on the list. This roll will constantly be updated—it’s time we reach out and support one another.

Thank you for being so wonderful. Have a fantastic day.

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Corn Chowder with PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Slow Cooker Recipe

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

This is a compensated post by BlogHer and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and is part of the Real Women of Philadelphia project. This is the third out of four recipes.

The kids are officially out of school for the summer, which means that 4/5 of us are home for a sitdown lunch.

I like this.

I find the kids are easier to please in the middle-of-the-day and are more willing to try new things. I regularly tease our nightly meal right afterschool, when I know they’re famished.

mean? Maybe.

But I prefer crafty.

This is a great lunchtime soup. It’s not as heavy as some chowders can be, and the kids each ate their whole servings.

The Ingredients.

serves 6

1 (16-ounce) bag frozen white corn

1 (15.5-ounce) can cut corn (and juice)

1 quart chicken broth

1 small onion, diced finely (or 1 tablespoon onion flakes)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces (1/2 block) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese

salt to taste at the table

The Directions.

I used a 4-quart slow cooker, but a 6-quart would work just fine. Empty the frozen corn bag and the can of corn into your crockpot. Add chicken broth, onion, and pepper. Drop in Cream Cheese. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or until onion is translucent and the soup is fully heated. 

Stir well.

Now, carefully use a hand-held stick blender and pulse to chowderify.

I didn’t add any salt to the kid servings, but salted my bowl when no one was looking. It needed a bit for my tastebuds, but the kids were fine.

Now for some fun!

There is a GREAT BIG HUGE HONKING LIVE EVENT on June 30^th that you should all know about.

For the last few months, women all over the country have been submitting videos and original PHILLY Cream Cheese and Cooking Creme recipes to Real WomenofPhiladelphia.com in the hopes of competing in a live judging event hosted by none other, than Ms. Paula Deen.

The showdown will occur at the Lucas Theatre in Downtown Savannah at 7pm (eastern) on June 30^th, and will stream live on RealWomenof Philadelphia.com (I did not enter this contest). Winning this event is a big deal: winners receive a cash prize of $25,000, recipes featured in cookbooks, online cooking videos, and will participate in publicity appearances.

The good news for you/us is that all of the finalist recipes are available online, for free on the Real Women of Philadelphia website. Click on over and see which one you should try with your family (slow cooker optional.  :-)  )

Mark the 30^th on your calendar--- it’s always fun to witness live events in action, and you can participate in the action by joining the online community at Real Women of Phildelphia.

(I bet there will probably be a twitter party, too.)

Want even more? Visit the Promotions and Prizes section at BlogHer.com for a complete blogger round-up. Long live Cream Cheese!

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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

This is a compensated post by BlogHer and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and is part of the Real Women of Philadelphia project. This is the second out of four recipes.

Guess what? I have over 500 recipes for the slow cooker, but not one for Beef Stroganoff.

How on earth did this happen?

I really don't have an explanation--- somehow this household staple completely flew off my radar.

I'm actually kind of embarrassed.

This is a great beef stroganoff recipe, and it couldn't be simpler.

You can fancy it up by adding a sliced onion or two and a pound of sliced (or button) mushrooms. I didn't, and it still worked beautifully, but I think I would add some veggies next time-- it felt a bit meat heavy to me.

and? no cream-of-something soup required!

The Ingredients.
serves 6 2-3 pounds beef stew meat (my meat was fresh)
1 (10-ounce) container PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme -- savory garlic flavor

optional: 2 sliced yellow onions, 1 pound mushrooms (sliced, or whole button) sliced bell pepper, etc.
hot cooked pasta for serving (I used brown rice fusilli)


The Directions.
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Place the meat into the bottom of your pot. Add the Cooking Creme.

If you'd like to throw in onion and mushroom, go for it.

That's it!
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Stir well and serve over hot cooked pasta.

Enjoy!

The Verdict.

I love dump and go recipes. I made this on one of our crazy end-of-the-school-year nights when we were only home together for about 20 minutes before heading back out the door. This made us ALL happy, and the baby probably at a good half-pound of meat herself. 

As I said up above, I'd add some vegetables next time to round out the meal. The morning I threw this in the pot was terribly hectic, and I truly didn't have the time to dig  out a cutting board. I  bet sliced red bell pepper would be lovely...

The garlicy flavor from the Cooking Creme was lovely, and provided a beautiful sauce for the pasta. The leftovers freeze and reheat well!

PS: I've contacted the folks at PHILADELPHIA regarding gluten, and the company does not hide gluten in "natural flavorings." As always, please do your own research and use your best judgment when using packaged products.



Want to read more? Visit the Promotions & Prizes section of BlogHer.com for more PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and Cooking Creme recipes and reviews.

also, all of the Real Women of Philadelphia finalist recipes are available to peruse/test out online at the Real Women of Philadelphia's Recipe Page. 

What looks good to you?

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I've got a new webTV video up of Laura, from I'm an Organizing Junkie. Laura hosts Meal Planning Monday each and every week on her site and is one of the most lovely people in the world. I love her, and you will too.

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