Cooking for an army.

I don't know what it's like to cook for an army, but it is possible if you have a large slow cooker. I've been wanting a slow cooker for awhile, but there weren't many deals around. Finally, they had a 6 Quart slow cooker (serves 6-7 people) on sale at London Drugs for $26.99 (original $49.99). God answers prayers. Score.

At first, I wasn't sure if the thing could really cook because well, I've never used a slow cooker before. And it doesn't seem to generate enough heat to cook anything! The first time I used it, I was so paranoid that it won't cook anything, I kept running back to the kitchen to check on it. I was afraid that it would either explode and blow up my kitchen (???) or the meat will just sadly sit inside the pot and be raw forever. Anyways, I managed to try two recipes over the weekend and they turned out okay! There was so much food that I was able to pawn off lots to my brother and another good friend of ours. Slow cooker meals are really good when you want to save time during a busy week, or freeze them for later.

Slow-Cooked Chili (courtesy of Allrecipes - one of my favorite sites)

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I just got red kidney beans.. they were on sale!)
  
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I put in like 4-5 cloves, I think)
  
• 2 tablespoons chili powder (I added more for hotness)
  
• 2 teaspoons salt (I just use generous amount ... don't be silly, nobody measures salt)
  
• 1 teaspoon pepper (see above comment re: salt)
• Shredded Cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the next nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours. Garnish individual servings with cheese if desired.

Note: I added garlic powder and italian seasoning to the mix. I served it over sliced french bread ($0.99 for a huge loaf at Safeway OMG). I also tried it with a dollop of sour cream and cheddar cheese and served it with tortilla chips. Equally yummeh. Although I think the recipe would be even better tasting if it has cayenne pepper in it. Let's hope they have them on sale the next time I go grocery shopping. Another word of caution: this chili makes you gassy. I'm not speaking from personal experience, of course. o_O



Don't be scared of the huge slab of meat in the bowl on the top left corner. It was the ever-so-common Chinese soup - "Green and Red carrots with Pork Bone soup".

The other recipe I tried was the beef stew. When you have a slow cooker, you have to make beef stew with it. It is a hearty meal on a "meh" type of weekend. Throw everything into the slowcooker and forget it. A few hours later, you have a full meal. You can pretty much eat it as is, or I sometimes serve it over rice. Freezes pretty well, too.

Slow-Cooker Beef Stew (courtesy of The Canadian Living Test Kitchen)

• 2 lb (1 kg) stewing beef cubes
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut in wedges
• 3 carrots, cut in chunks
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I just used a bunch)
  
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) beef stock (I used 1 can of Swanson's chicken stock and it was still good)
• 1 can (5 oz/156 mL) tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf (Didn't have it, so I used italian seasoning)
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce (Generous splashes, please)
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas
• generous amount of salt and pepper (don't measure, silly!)
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) all-purpose flour
• Chili powder and garlic powder (not part of the original recipe, my addition)
  

Trim and cut beef into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes. In 18- to 24-cup (4.5 to 6 L) slow-cooker, mix together beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, beef stock, tomato paste, bay leaf, peas and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours (or on High for 5 to 6 hours) or until beef and vegetables are tender.

5.5 hours later:


I like my stew thick and not runny, so I made a flour/water mixture (1/2 cup water to a couple tablespoonfuls of flour... I don't really measure), stirred it in at the end to make the sauce really thick, cover and simmer for about 5 more minutes. The can of chicken stock allowed for enough sauce, so that's good when you are serving it over pasta/rice.



I'm so glad it's Friday tomorrow. The slowcooker saved my ass this week because both Mr.C and I have been working long hours these days. I believe every busy household should have a slowcooker, it's also great for parties/potlucks, too.