Lentil Minestrone Soup Recipe

I had a cold last week. I'm better now, but there were a few days there when I was pretty much certain that I was going to choke to death on my own snot. 

(lovely, just lovely, steph...)

Anyway. I really wanted a soup to soothe my throat and to make me feel loved and taken care of. Since I'm home during the day with an almost-three-year-old, there wasn't anybody available to make me soup, so I did it myself (I promise I washed my hands really well first!).

But by the time it was finished cooking, I was back to bed, and was served ---- complete with a Thomas the Tank spoon.

I love my family.

and you'll love this soup. It's easy to throw together, uses household staples, and freezes and reheats VERY well. I kept it vegetarian, but Adam suggests I throw in a hambone next time. Sliced smoked sausage would be awesome, too.

If you'd like a soupier soup, add more broth 30 minutes or so before serving.



The Ingredients.
serves 6


2 cups lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrot
1 onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juice!)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups hearty torn greens, like kale or chard (if you'd prefer spinach, stir in before serving)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (optional: add another 1 to 2 cups of broth if you'd like before serving)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the rinsed lentils into the bottom of an empty insert. Add the diced celery, carrot, onion, and garlic (if you have a food processor, it might be helpful to use). Add the entire can of diced tomatoes, and add the seasonings and torn greens. Stir in the broth (I used chicken, but any broth will work just fine).
Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the lentils are soft. If you'd like to stretch this to feed more, or for a thinner soup, feel free to add more broth.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired, and a hunk of garlic bread.

The Verdict.

I ate this for all my meals 3 days in a row and was HEALED(!) from the WORST cold, ever!
that, and I may have taken some Nyquil....


other minestrone soups you might like:
Italian Minestrone
Clean-Out-The-Pantry Minestrone
Pesto Minestrone
Traditional Minestrone



In case you missed it, I'm fortunate to be able to offer an updated Ninja Cooking System package to you, and we are still running daily giveaways to help with your holiday shopping!



have a wonderful week!

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Meat Lover's (No Bean) Chili Recipe

I was challenged to see if I could make a low-carb, no bean chili. I know there are lots of people who don't need beans in their chili. 

I am not one of them.

or at least I THOUGHT I wasn't one of them. I stand corrected. Very very very corrected.

This is a great chili --- it has all the spice, kick, texture, and heartiness of chili but doesn't have a single bean.  I hate it when I'm wrong.

The Ingredients.
serves 8


2 pounds beef stew meat (frozen is fine)
10 ounces smoked andouille sausages, sliced
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (whole can)
1 onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (or about 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups beef broth

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. I didn't brown anything for this recipe, but merely plopped it all in and turned the slow cooker on. Load everything into your cooker --- meat, sausages, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and all the seasonings. Stir in the broth. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. For chili, the longer the better, in my opinion -- get the flavors to really meld together and provide the meat an opportunity to fall apart.

If you'd like, you can help the meat out by shredding it completely with two large forks, or you can even pulse a few times with a handheld stick blender to naturally thicken the gravy/sauce (what do you call the juice in chili?). 

Serve with your favorite toppings. My kids really like the Scoops chips that Tostitos puts out -- they ate their bowls that way.

The Verdict.
I served this on a chili night to three other families, because I was eager to test out a no-bean version. The crock was scraped clean! I've made quite a few chilis the past few years, and love having a new one to share. I think you'll really enjoy it.

Have a great day! Here are a few other chili recipes you might enjoy, and feel free to share your favorites --- you can never have too many chili options!

pizza chili
enchilada chicken chili
white bean chili
poor man's chili
sweet potato chili (vegan!)
traditional chili
21-Ingredient chili




We're still hosting daily giveaways! Click on over to join in the fun, and start compiling great ideas for the upcoming Holidays.

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Lentil and Kale Super Food Slow Cooker Recipe

I've been slow to warm up to kale. I sort of feel like I've been peer pressured to cook with it ---- I see it all over the internet and all over the cooking channels and thrown in my face in lots and lots of food magazines.

and I hate being told what to do.

I tried the oven "fried" kale chips. I put it in smoothies. Guess what? I'd rather eat a bag of Lays, and even if I call the smoothies "dinosaur shakes" or "swamp juice" my kids aren't all that impressed, and I'm left to drink a pitcher full of murky liquid all on my own.

of course, I'm the type of person who likes cheese in a can more than is probably socially acceptable...

anyhow. I needed to cook up the kale I had in the fridge, because I hate wasting food even more than I hate being told what to do.

This, here, is SUPER FOOD. Not SUPER in that it tastes like oreo cheesecake or chocolate mousse, but SUPER in that it has a bunch of super foods in it: lentils, tomatoes, garlic, and kale.

and it actually tastes pretty good!

The Ingredients.

serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4 as a full meal

2 cups lentils, rinsed

1 onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (7-ounce) can fire roasted whole chiles (mild; this provides tons of flavor)

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

3 cups chopped kale (just the leaves. give the stems to the guinea pigs or the compost heap)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (start with 1/2, then season if needed at the table)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon cumin

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Rinse lentils until the water runs clear, and then put the wet lentils into your slow cooker. Add diced onion and the chopped garlic. Add the entire cans of fire roasted chiles and diced tomatoes. I used the whole chiles because I had them in the house and so the kids could pick them out, but the chopped chiles would be just fine if that's what you have already.

Add the kale, dried spices, and stir in the broth. Cover, and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until the lentils are bite tender and the onion is translucent. It took closer to 6 hours in my 6-quart.

The Verdict.

I ate this as my main course, but Adam and the kids had it as a side dish with some sliced chicken and artichoke sausage. Adam and I really liked everything about this--- we felt full but not grossly overstuffed, and we were really quite satiated. The prominent flavor is from the ginger and cumin; it tasted a lot like Dal.

I insisted on three bites from the big kids, but couldn't convince the baby. I am looking forward to leftovers for lunch, and since I'm trying to eat better more often than not I'm going to make another batch and freeze in lunch-sized portions.

BlogHer is next week! Are you going? If so, find me--- I'd love to meet you!!  I'll be the one without the smart phone...

other stuff you might like:

lentil and sausage stew

lots and lots of chicken slow cooker recipes

poor man's chili

honey beans and spinach dinner

lots of vegetarian slow cooker recipes

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Hot Dogs for a Crowd

Guess what? You can fit 60 hot dogs in a 6-quart slow cooker. This is kind of big news if you happen to be:

• planning an end-of-the-year swim party for the 5th grade graduating class
• planning a block party potluck and know that kids really don't want to eat 75 different types of salad
• manning the Little League concession booth
• trying to beat the world's record in hot dog eating
• interested in testing out your cholesterol medication

The Ingredients.

• a crap load (technical term) of hot dogs (60, to be exact, although you can wimp out and do fewer, if necessary)
• buns 
•  fixens'
•  6-quart slow cooker
•  an outlet

The Directions.

Unwrap all the hot dogs and throw the wrappers in a plastic bag and then immediately take out the garbage because if the kittens knock over the garbage can and hot dog juice gets all over the kitchen floor you're going to get annoyed and then have to mop unless you just wipe it up with a baby wipe and pretend the cats didn't really lick your floor.

Stand hotdogs on end if you're trying to cram in 60. If not, you can just dump them in. There's no need to add water. This is for two reasons: 1, the hotdogs will release moisture all on their own, and 2, if you have a crockpot full of hot dog water it'll just be kind of gross to dig through the water to pick them out. and 3 (I lied, there are 3 reasons) if the hotdogs hang out in hot water for too long they'll end up splitting on you.

Cover, and cook on low for 4 hours, or on high for about 2 hours--check to make sure the ones in the middle are fully hot before serving. Serve with tongs into buns and top with desired fixens'.

Your dogs can stay on the "warm" setting for an awfully long time. If your pot has a hot spot (mine does), the dogs on the edge will get kind of crispy and blackened, which will COMPLETELY fool your 10-year-old into thinking you learned how to barbecue.

The Verdict.

If you eat too many hotdogs in a day because you don't want to waste them you'll be really really thirsty for the next three days.

Also? 6 hotdogs in two days is too much for a 2-year-old. Don't do that.

and? it's kind of fun to call your neighbors and have them over for spur-of-the moment hot dogs and it's even cooler that when you call to squeal that 60 hotdogs can totally fit in a 6-quart they know what you mean and highfive you through the phone.

Adam says these dogs remind him of the hot dogs from 7-11 or the movies where they cook on the roller bars--they aren't boiled, aren't barbecued, but hot. And hot dogs are fully cooked anyway in the package, so all you're doing is heating them through.

Happy Almost Summer!!

more cool stuff:

crockpot baked potatoes

use your crockpot as a rice cooker

crockpot as a smoker

make yogurt in a crockpot

crockpot as foot bath

crockpot as air freshener

1 Minute Muffin (not in a crockpot)

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Slow Cooker Matzo Ball Soup

I made my very first Matzo Ball Soup yesterday. In the crockpot.

I called my friend Jennifer and she talked me through how to make the broth and Matzo dough--she's not gluten free, but after a lot of googling and texting to confirm my hard-core journalistic researching I figured out what I should do.

AND IT WORKED.

[insert Crush voice from Finding Nemo] I SO TOTALLY ROCK.

This is a 2-day process, or at least a really, really full day process. First we're going to make the homemade chicken broth/soup.

The Ingredients
serves 6-8

   

3 pounds bone-in chicken parts
2 onions, peeled, cut into quarters
6 cloves garlic, peeled with cloves intact
1 cup baby carrots
3 ribs celery, cut in large chunks, leaves okay
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon kosher salt
12 cups water
1 package gluten free matzo ball mix, or make your own (recipe below)

gluten free matzo balls
makes 8-10 or so

  
1/2 cup finely ground almond meal
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons dill
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Use a hand-held or stand mixer to blend the ingredients together to form a dough. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before using in soup.

The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker.  Place the chicken into your slow cooker. I used chicken quarters, and did try to take as much of the skin off as I can (because of my weird issues). Add vegetables and seasoning. Pour in a bunch of water (4 cups per pound of chicken)—be careful, your pot will be quite full. Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Unplug the slow cooker, and let it sit for 3 hours, or until the meat is cool enough to handle.

Remove meat from pot, and discard the bones. Scoop out the vegetables and set aside. Some people prefer their matzo soup to be simply broth, some like chunks of meat and vegetables—it’s up to you. I decided to get rid of the onion and celery (the garlic kind of melted into a paste), but kept the chicken and carrots.  

Strain the broth through a cheesecloth or fine-mesh sieve to remove the peppercorns and extra bits. Return the broth to the slow cooker.

Plug the cooker back in and cook on high for 2 hours. While the broth is reheating, mix the matzo dough (if using packaged matzo, prepare according to the written instructions).

Homemade matzo dough.  Don't handle it too much; you want it light and fluffy

Once your soup is hot, drop rounded spoonfuls of matzo into your slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through and “bounces” in the broth when poked with a spoon.

the matzo balls bounce when you poke them with a spoon!

Serve and enjoy!

The Verdict
I must admit, since I've never had this soup before, I don't have anything to compare it to. But we liked it. The five in my family ate every last smidgen in our bowls, and I packaged up a little tupperware to send home to my mom and grandma. I really liked the dill flavor. Everytime I cook with dill, I'm reminded more and more that it's such an under-utilized herb in my pantry. I hope you enjoy this soup--I look forward to making it again and again in the years to come.

Thank you to Jennifer, for holding my hand (AGAIN)!

other recipes you might like:
chicken and dumpling soup
apple dumplings
honey cake
sweet mustard roast 
I just Spent The Whole Day on Pinterest...

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Italian Minestrone Soup in the Slow Cooker

 

The temperature has followed the clock's lead, and has turned back a notch. It's officially cold outside, and we're ready for soup season.

mmm.

There is something terribly soothing about minestrone soup--- regardless of your age, curling up with a bowl of hearty soup is as if you're being cuddled from the inside.

simply lovely.

The Ingredients.

serves 6-8

1 pound lean ground meat: pork, beef, or turkey. I used beef.

4 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 cup chopped carrot

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced or stewed tomatoes

1 tablespoon dried oregano

4 cups beef broth

2/3 cup dried elbow pasta (to add later; I used Tinkyada brand which is gluten free)

kosher salt (add to taste at the table)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Brown the first four ingredients on the stovetop, and drain the fat. I know, I hate cooking before I cook too, but this is a good thing because you're draining the rendered grease/fat.

Add meat to the slow cooker, and your vegetables. Add the whole can of tomatoes, the oregano, and beef broth. Stir to combine. Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, stir in the dry pasta. Flip to high, and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until pasta has become bite-tender.

Serve in wide-mouthed bowls with a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

The Verdict.

I served this soup last week to my family of five, my parents, and my grandma. We didn't have any leftovers. I am  beginning to really prefer beef broth to chicken in my heartier soups that have tomatoes--- it's just a more rich flavor.

If you plan on freezing this soup, I wouldn't add the noodles until you reheat and serve; they'll break up on you in the freezer.

additional soup season favorites:

Albondigas Soup

Tortilla Soup

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Doro Wat

Black Bean Soup

Corn Chowder

Clean out the Pantry Minestrone

End of Summer Harvest Soup

African Peanut Soup

GIVEAWAY!! I'm hosting a giveaway for Chime.In over on the review page, and I have a FREE Amazon Kindle Fire for a lucky (randomly selected) winner!

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Slow Cooker Caribbean Jerk Chicken Recipe

Happy Friday! It's the last day of September, which means CROCKTOBER begins tomorrow! 

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

 

Today's recipe is one of my new favorite chicken recipes. I used a whole chicken, but this spice rub would work great on whatever you've got in the house---it might be really fun to do party drumsticks or wings, too.

I skin my chickens because of my weird issues. If you don't want to skin the bird, you don't have to. You can also insert a rack under the bird to let the drippings settle away from the bird, if you'd like. If you don't have a wire rack, you can make a foil snake (3 feet long, then twist up and create a coil at the bottom of the pot) and use that instead.

The chicken pictured was skinned as much as I could with poultry scissors, then cooked in the crock, breast-down. I didn't throw in potatoes or use a rack, but you certainly can if you'd like.

The Ingredients.

serves 4 to 6

4-5 pound whole chicken

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon all spice (not a typo, I used a whole tablespoon!)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Skin the bird as much as you can (or don't. it's your choice.) and place it into the slow cooker. I prefer to cook my chickens upside down, to keep the breast meat as juicy as possible. Make sure all the giblets, neck, etc. are out!

In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and dry spices. Rub this spice and sugar mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Pour on the lime juice.

Cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4. Check doneness with a meat thermometer, or cut in to make sure the meat is no longer pink. Usually the bird falls completely apart--which is great. Moist, juicy, wondefully-flavored meat.

You can serve with lime wedges for a bit of extra citrus flavor, if you'd like.

mmm.

The Verdict.

My family and my friend Sharyl's family ate this chicken and we all loved it. Even my super-picky 10-year-old (I can NOT believe she's ten. #nothappyaboutthis) ate her serving and said it was good.

Sharyl asked for the recipe, which is always a good sign.

The bit of heat from the cayenne is there--- but not enough that any of the kids (six in all) complained. The pan drippings would be great to cook your rice in as a side dish.

more chicken? no problem!

lemon roasted

herb garden roasted

chicken with summer tomatoes

Vietnamese roasted

20-40 garlic clove

rotisserie-style

Have a great weekend! 

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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?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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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How to Make Vegetable Broth Using Your Slow Cooker

Yum! A big bowl of brown liquid!



It's spring break in our house, and I couldn't be happier. I feel the most at peace when we're all home together---even when the peace is broken every 2.7 seconds with bickering or boxes of spilled cereal.

For the record? If a brand new box of Cinnamon Chex cereal is "accidentally" dumped onto your freshly-mopped kitchen linoleum, the cinnamon and sugar will ADHERE to it and the floor will be speckled and sticky (and smell like a churro factory) for pretty much ever.

and you'll want to move.

or at least go outside and drink your coffee all alone while practicing your  lamaze yoga breathing.

Napping garden gnomes make everyone happy



I have a recipe for vegetable broth that I want to share. It's free, it's easy, and it's healthy.

If vegetable broth isn't your thing, that's okay. You can make beef or chicken, instead!

PS: vegetable broth and vegetable stock are the same thing. There are no bones, so I'm sticking with the term broth.

The Ingredients.

makes about 4 quarts

thoroughly washed vegetable peels

thoroughly washed vegetable ends and parts

water

salt (I do not add salt now, but prefer to salt to taste when using in a recipe)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. This is a "free" recipe! When cooking, save your vegetable ends and peels. 

Many people have a large Tupperware container in their freezer that they use for just this purpose. In order for this to be safe, you'll need to wash your vegetables well and scrub off all of the dirt. I'd highly highly highly (three highlies!) recommend using certified organic produce when making broth/stock---or better yet, organic vegetables that you've grown in your own garden.

Some great veggie-broth-making candidates are: carrot peels, onion skin, celery ends, bell pepper stems, and garlic skins. Don't bother with potato skin, it's too starchy and has an overwhelming earthy (dirt) flavor.

Put the (washed) vegetable skins and pieces into your slow cooker and add a bunch of water. I don't measure, I just make sure the skins and pieces are submerged (you may need to poke them down a bit with a wooden spoon). Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. Place a colander in a large stock pot, and carefully strain the vegetable pieces from your broth.

Cool completely and freeze in containers until you are ready to use in your favorite recipe.

The Verdict.

It's quite interesting how garlic and onion peels infuse the water with so much flavor. This is a very customizeable recipe---if you'd like a greens-packed broth, save the ends from spinach or chard---it's really up to you!  If you use even the tiniest amount of beet skin, you'll end up with pinkish red broth. Neat!

Turtle prefers it when I save vegetable skins/pieces for her

2008 Flashback:

March 24: Baked Ziti

March 25: Walnut and Sage Potatoes AuGratin

March 26: Split Pea Soup

March 27: Perfect Gluten Free Bread

March 28: Smoky Refried Bean Soup

March 29: Honey and Cinnamon Glazed Carrots

March 30: Ratatouille

March 31: Pot Roast with Red Wine and Cranberries

April 1: Easy Taco Night

April 2: Bread Pudding

April 3: Eggplant "Parmesan" with Feta

April 4: Roasted garlic

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Apple Coffee Cake-- made in the Slow Cooker

It's the Bunnykens dish set again! (side note: I really should take a run to the dollar store and get more unmatched dishes so I can post food pictures on the Internet.)

I really like baking in the slow cooker. I get it that this perhaps sounds a bit odd---- why should I bake something in the crockpot for 2 to 3 hours, when I can easily throw a pan in the oven and have coffee cake in only 30 minutes?

I'll tell you why. I'm bonkers.

I don't mean this in the clinical sense (although I'm sure some could argue otherwise), I mean it in the I'm always doing too many things at once and sitting around waiting for 30 minutes for a cake to rise and bake properly just isn't going to happen.

because the doorbell rings.

or the phone.

because the baby needs changing. 

or because she plays with a bottle of vanilla extract while "sorting" the spice cabinet and some spills and she licks it up and then her mom reads the bottle and finds out it's 26% pure alcohol and maybe-just-maybe over-reacts and calls poison control and talks to a really nice man named Michael who assures her that she's JUST FINE and that NO ONE likes the way that vanilla extract tastes and she surely couldn't have ingested very much.

or something like that.

SO! That is why I like baking in my slow cooker. I like the wiggle room. I like it that I can whip up the batter, wash the dishes, and leave the house to run a few errands or pull some weeds in the garden. I like that I know that when I start to smell the baked goods, there's no need to panic---it's not going to burn to a charred brick. I like that I can hold a baby on one hip while I check the baking process without worrying that she's going to lean in and burn her hand to a singed nub.

The Ingredients.

serves 8

coffee cake:

cooking spray

2 cups Bisquick mix (NOTE: if not GF, you can use AP flour, but a mix will provide the fluffiest result--I used Pamela's Baking Mix. There is a new GF Bisquick, though, at most grocery stores)

2/3 cup applesauce

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2  apples, peeled, cored, diced (green is best, I had Fuji on hand)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

crumb topping:

1/4 Bisquick (or Pamela's, etc. see above notes)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

The Directions.

I used a 4-quart slow cooker with the batter directly in the crock (stoneware)  insert. If you only have a large 6-quart slow cooker, that's okay---put the dough into a loaf  pan and put that into the stoneware insert. No need to add water, just put the pan in the crock.

Spray your pan or 4-quart insert with cooking spray and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for your coffee cake. Stir with a rubber spatula--no need to break out the mixer. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Pour into your prepared stoneware insert (or baking pan).

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the crumb topping and sprinkle evenly on top of the batter. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, or until the cake browns and pulls away from the sides. Uncover the cooker and cook on high for another 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

The Verdict.

This is a perfect coffee cake: sweet, but not too sweet, moist and crumbly. I sometimes will make the batter the night before and then scrape it into the crock to bake while I get work done around the house before the rest of the house wakes up. I also love making this during the day as an after school snack. It freezes and reheats (in the microwave) beautifully--perfect for a busy morning.

more crockpot baking magic! 

banana bread

blueberry buckle

brownies in a mug

apple dumplings

perfect baked bread

pound cake

turtle pudding

shrinky dinks

salt dough ornaments

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