Title and Description

Terry Spear--USA Today Bestselling Author of Urban Fantasy Romance, Medieval Highland Romances, and Paranormal Young Adult Romance

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

What Are Friends For???

muse needs direction (640x531)
I took this picture at a sculpture park of one of the three muses. And I thought she was perfect for the role.

What are friends for? Helping me to get unstuck. Our brains aren’t computers. We can do research online or elsewhere, but sometimes it’s fun to just ask the question of friends, and I mean Facebook friends. I had used a crock pot meal in Cougar’s Mate–Irish Stew, love it, and so my hero made it for himself while he was repairing the cabin rentals he owned. But he’s also a part-time deputy sheriff and so he gets a call. Long story, he doesn’t make it home to turn off the stew. But friends can be a lifesaver. Dan, the sheriff, goes to his place and puts the stew away, but he had to taste it first. Thankfully, he left enough for the hero and heroine to have for eats the next day.
I also make Wassail in it at Christmastime.

But I couldn’t think of something a hero could use in She-Wolf. All the males in my family cook, so if you wonder why they often cook something in the stories, that’s why. In fact, my mom hated to cook, so dad did most of the cooking. Early on, mom did. But after dad retired, he did most of the cooking. I just always thought it was neat. We had a neighbor who wouldn’t lift a finger to fix a meal for himself when his wife had to be away on trips, so she would prepare a bunch of meals for him for while she was away. He was not hero material.

But I was stuck and so I asked what could be cooked in a crock pot. I had an outpouring of ideas. I loved them. It made me hungry. I want to try a bazillion of them for myself. Forget waiting for a hero to step in and make it! :)

So if you get stuck in everyday life, sometimes, just asking for help/direction/tips will get you to where you need to go.

Were you waiting for me to share the ideas? Here they are! I was getting hungry just reading over them again.

Pot roasts, chicken tortilla soup, Lamb Shanks – can you tell I’m a kiwi? But they are so tasty and the meat melts off the bone in the slow cooker, Chilli, although I do Dill Cream Chicken so good
Chicken breast , potatoes, carrots, onions salt and pepper and Dill lots of dill. pour whipping cream over the chicken and veggies and let your crock pot do the work

goulash is amazing
stew, with Guinness or Irish whiskey
wings,
New Mexico Green Chili!!
I make onion soup – water; several onions; bit of olive oil, bit of cider vinegar; little bit of beef, dredged in flour; I make chili from scratch; chicken soup from scratch; tomato soup from scratch = low sodium tom juice; toms, onions, carrots, peppers – mostly toms – water, bit of brown rice; etc
Just about any soup but the one I make with winter squash is a family favorite!
ham (we use turkey ham) and scalloped potatoes
goulash is amazing in the crock pot
We make gluten free chili in the crock pot.
Also great for a pork roast that you later cover with bb’cue sauce and fork into strips for pulled pork.
Pinto beans, chili, pulled pork…, Baked beans, pork Bar-B-Q, chili, any type of chicken or beef stew.
You cold be different and bring a hot drink like spiced cider., we cook just about everything in the crockpot including oatmeal during the winter so it is ready in the morning, shredded pork, http://teespring.com/crock-pot-superstar
Lasagna. It’s fabulous! Tastes just like Stouffers.
Pork and veg’s mushroom soup.
or chicken with veg’s chicken .or mushroom soup they come out like a stew

BBQ beef, Oh, pork loin, seasoned with salt, paprika, dry mustard, brown sugar, cooked on low for hours with beer (one bottle). When it’s super soft (almost ready to pull) drizzle bbq sauce over it. Cook a few more hours on low, then pull. (Last half hour, pop cornbread in the oven and pull the cole slaw out of the fridge.) Fave easy meal for friends that looks like you’ve slaved for hours in the kitchen, pot roast, chicken pot pie, Shepherd’s pie
For the meat eaters in my house: make a whole roasted chicken, BBQ chicken, enchilada casserole, meatballs, all sorts of soup, breakfast pot–eggs, cheese, sausage and potatoes. For myself I make TONS of vegetarian things!
brisket
chow mein
Mac and cheese
New England Boiled Dinner
Corned Beef & Cabbage, Chili, just about anything – some people even “bake” cakes
Chicken with a can of mushroom soup. Serve with rice. Super yummy and chicken is so tender it almost falls apart.
Actually you can do a beautiful Dr Pepper/Root Beer pork loin for bar-b-que, Pork butt bbque sandwiches, manwiches, stew, Salisbury steak, roast, lasagna lol use mine for everything…
Cabbage rolls are good.
Settlers’ Beans. Uses 3 or 4 different kinds of canned beans plus spices and browned ground round.
chicken soup
Corned beef & cabbage or pot roast or pork chops & sauerkraut
Taco Soup. Great eating too!
Pot roast or beef tips using onion soup mix cream of chicken or mushroom soup and water.
Bite-sized meatballs in marinara sauce…all you need is pasta to complete the dinner…maybe some Italian bread.
Crockpot apple pie is still out of this world.
I made Sicilian Chicken over Egg Noodles yesterday !!!
Asada with pork loin. Not sure that’s how to spell it.
I made an awesome sweet and sour chicken to serve over rice.
Bread pudding
Chicken and Dumplings
Roast and veggies
bbq pork roast.
Simplest pot roast there is. Take a piece of beef, salt and pepper it, dredge it in flour. Brown it. Take it out of frying pan, add a can of French Onion Soup (Progresso works great), add a packet of onion soup mix, bring to a boil, scraping all the bits from the pot, for flavor. Add a tablespoon of flour to thicken it. Then put meat and liquid in crockpot, cook for -6-8 hrs on low.
cowboy hamburger stew (tomatoes, chopped onions, corn, cooked hamburger, green chiles, black beans (canned variety). When it gets hot and bubbly, you can place canned biscuits or cornbread on top and allow it to cook for another hour.
Chicken in either cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken goes great with either mashed potatoes or elbow macaroni. OR Ham cabbage and potatoes
Coca cola pulled pork, or u could use root beer or dr pepper too
Fiesta Chicken – boneless chicken breasts, cans of diced tomatoes, black beans & corn – +spices (Mexican flavors) – served over rice or cornbread with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream & guacamole – plus margaritas of course!
Cougar story. Hmmm…how about a brisket? Make a rub with a jar of paprika and the same amount of sugar. Rub it into brisket and cook on high 4 hrs. If you have a smaller brisket, use half ingredients.
My mom used to layer the following: floured cubed steak, carrots, and potatoes, then sprinkle a pkg of dry onion soup and cover everything with water. Cook on high a couple hours, then on low for 6 hrs( in those days there wS only one temp! ). Falls apart, it’s so tender and yummy!
Go to getcrocked.com she has some fabulous recipes
London broil, new potatoes, baby carrots, 1 large can of cream of mushroom soup, salt, pepper and garlic powder. 1 cup of water. Throw it all in, cook on low for 6-8 hours and you’re done.
A roast with potatoes,carrots and onions. Using beef broth instead of water?
Layer some onion, add chicken pieces. 3 hrs on high. Drain the juices. Add a can of cream of ck soup, or mushroom soup, or some BBQ sauce. Cook for another 30 min. Done!
I love making chili verde in a crock pot.
cheesecake, apple crisp, chili, hot chocolate, mulled wine.
Split pea and ham soup.
Now I’m hungry. Sweet potatoes are awesome in the crockpot.
Slice Kielbasa into bite size pieces. Mix 2 cups brown sugar, 2 cups ketchup, 1 can pineapple chunks with juice in crock pot. Add Kielbasa. Cook on low for 3 hrs. Serve over rice.
Chicken and dumplings is a good meal too.
Chili, pot roast, BBQ beef, corned beef, potato soup
Or shredded chicken with hot sauce to make buffalo chicken sandwiches
Meatballs with grape jelly and your favorite bbq sauce
BBQ pulled pork or chicken, shredded salsa chicken for tacos or burritos, pork carnitas…there are so many options.
I make meatloaf and also lasouna I can’t spell Italian with the long flat noodle layer meet sauce feta cheese
Caveman chili!
Beef Stew, Pork Roast, Roast Beef and Vegetables, Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage, Chili, BBQ Beef, Pulled Pork for Sandwiches, Swiss Steak with Vegetables, Mexican Chicken, Chicken and Noodles, Vegetable Soup, Macaroni and Cheese, Southwestern Chicken with Rice, and the list goes on…
I put chicken breast in and add a jar of salsa to it. Cook until you can shred it then add a couple of cans of beans-drained and rinsed, and some frozen corn. Add more salsa if needed. Use in burritos or on top of rice.
I do a whole chicken–http://kitchenexcursions.blogspot.com/…/slow-cooker…
Chicken Cacciatore
BBQ pork
Cook pork roast in the crock pot
After meat is finished add BBQ sauce and simmer

Cacouli is spicy Portuguese pork butt.Delish.Can make a sandwich with Portuguese rolls,great in an omelet or burrito.Its so tender you shreds it.
I love mushroom soup! Another good crock pot recipe is Corned Beef
ratatouille, posole, pasta sauce, chicken soup.
Beef bourguignon, pot roast, lobster bisque, Turkey pot pie, Seafood barley risotto, Chili, Seafood soup. Chicken and dumplings, Barbecued brisket.
Home made beef or turkey soup. My grandmother makes it on very cold winter days and she throws in anything around the house from (for the beef soup) carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, and (for turkey soup) rice she calls it a “dump soup” because you are just dumping in random things to utilize them
I make pulled pork. Pork butt, seasoned salt, pepper to taste 6-8 hrs. Depends on size. Let cool pull apart with a fork. Serve with favorite side dish or add BBQ and serve on Keiser rolls. Yummy simple no fail
My familiy enjoys ‘Pork Chop Slop’. lol Don’t let the name fool you. It is delicious. You just toss a little tomato sauce in the bottom of the crock pot, add your seasoned your pork chops, then a can of corn (water and all), a can of green beans, several cut up potatos, a chopped clove of garlic, a few slices of onion and green pepper, then top it with a can ot tomato soup. It is my husband’s favorite meal.
Beef stew. I cook whole chickens in mine
***
I love some of the titles: Caveman Chili, Pork Chop Slop, Cowboy Hamburger Stew.

So what do you think? Ready for some crock pot cooking??? What was fun was that some commenters wanted to try the recipes of other commenters, and I know for me, I certainly do. :)
I’ve done the same with asking about shampoos–dog grooming tips, just all kinds of things.

Okay, enough goofing off. I’ve got to get back to writing, now that I have the hero preparing lobster bisque to win the she-wolf over. Would it work for you? I love lobster, never had lobster bisque, but it sounds intriguing.

I took my garbage out, Wednesday hump day is garbage day around here, and I had only one bag. Usually I have two. I keep feeling like I’ve misplaced a bag of garbage. Ever feel like that? Watch me find it when I’m looking for something else.

Have a super great Wednesday!

Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
Connect with Terry Spear: Website: http://www.terryspear.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
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