Sunday, March 11, 2012

Crock Pot Cooking



We have had some busy days around here lately! With pea fences and potato planting, seed starting, dog grooming and grandkids. It was time to crank up the crockpot. I use my crockpot so much during gardening season.  I just don't always feel like standing on my feet and doing alot of cooking after hours outside working. In my old age or desperation I am getting smarter with how I use my crockpot though. I am trying to plan whole meals that I can cook in it. For instance on this day I was having pork chops so I seared them and put them in the crockpot with some onions, garlic, mushrooms and mushroom soup.   Then I took three baking potatoes and wrapped them in aluminum foil and placed them in the crockpot on top of the meat and gravy mixture.  Then on top of that I placed 4 frozen ears of corn on the cob also wrapped in foil on the top of the potatoes. I turned it on Low and went out into the yard for the day. 




6 hours later the corn is cooked perfectly and not dried out. 


The potatoes are baked perfectly.



So we split the baked potato and added the gravy over the top. With a pork chop, fork tender ,on the side. And corn on the cob to go with it. And better yet everything on that plate was produced on this farm. 


After dinner  the plates go in the dishwasher and we only have the crockpot to clean. 

I love it when a plan comes together and we will be trying more crockpot exclusive meals in the future. 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter


101 comments:

  1. Love your sweet blog! I'm a new follower!
    Best,
    Anne ♥♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish you had said to put the pork chops and gravy in foil before putting in the crock pot, I followed your directions however it wasn't until I saw the photos that I realized thats what you had done. Oops too late for me now!
      I wonder if it will be edible (its cooking now) with the foil on the potatoes in direct contact with the gravy mix, what do you think?

      Delete
    2. So do you put the chops and gravy in foil to or what is the exact way to layer and cook this?

      Delete
    3. chops on bottom with spices and soup(not in foil), next layer potatoes individually in foil, next layer corn individually in foil.

      Delete
    4. Sheila, i am not sure what pics you looked at but...she did NOT wrap the chops in foil; in the instructions she even says to not do so. So...??

      Looks delicious, sounds so super easy; we are having it this week!! How about fresh corn still in the cob?? We may try that, as that is what we have. 8-)

      Delete
    5. How long do you cook it on low?

      Delete
    6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  2. Love you for this post, CQ. :-) I have bookmarked it and I'm sure I'll use it in the future. :-)

    We love mushroom soup gravy, too. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now, I'm gonna have to find something to eat!!! That looks delicious and all home grown, amazing.

    Wonderful tip, too, I had never thought of combining like that...thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is just what I needed. This recipe will surely be used alot! Thank you, T

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love using my crockpot, especially on garden days! What a life-saver. Thank you for the idea of putting in the corn and potatoes--I'll be using that!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I so love using my crock pot. Like you mentioned, who wants to be standing on their feet and slaving over the stove after working in the yard/garden. Great idea with adding potatoes and corn in tin foil, I would have never thought it. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. How delicious, please share more of these meals!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello! I'm a recent follower of your blog and am enjoying all of your posts! I believe I'll learn a lot from you! I still live in the South and love it! Blessings from Bama!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful idea!!! I love my crockpot and I have no idea why i never thought to cook all that stuff together. Thanks for yet another lesson!!!! Keep 'em coming!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing
    Belinda

    ReplyDelete
  11. We do this too. I love my crockpot and utilize on my busy busy days. I love using it especially in the Spring during planting season, again in the late summer and fall when I am canning mode.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Is the meat and gravy mixture in foil as well to separate it from the potatoes, or are the foiled potatoes literally sitting in gravy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a single layer of steaks so the gravy was not very deep and potatoes were sitting directly on meat in the gravy!

      Delete
  13. Thank you so much for this post. I am always looking for ways to make dinner with less effort. I'm a mother of two and expecting my third. Thank you for this simple dinner creation.

    God Bless

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am going to try that, sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
  15. That looks amazing and easy! I would like to recommend slow cooker liners for your crockpot. I love them and it makes clean up super easy. As long as the liner doesn't tear, I just rinse mine with a little bit of dishwashing liquid and hot water.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yummy!! Can't wait to try this!!!! Thanks so much for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. This sounds so yummy for our family of 7! Did you use lean cuts of pork chops? If there is such a thing lol. Also how much of the soup or water? I'm not good at eyeballing things ;) Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes lean pork chops and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

      Delete
  18. Also was it cream of mushroom soup? Sorry all the questions!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Do you think this would work with some chicken breasts or other meat? Do you always have to seat meat when throwing it in the crockpot?

    Thanks for sharing this, it's PERFECT for my family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I always sear the meat and chicken breasts work wonderfully!

      Delete
  20. Can one use fresh corn on the cob, cleaned, silk removed, placed in foil with a little water?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes I used frozen but i do not see why fresh would not work well.

      Delete
  21. Can one use fresh corn on the cob, cleaned, silk removed, placed in foil with a little water?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi there! Found this on Pinterest. :) I am cooking in my crockpot now but it just wasn't big enough for the corn, I was wondering how big your crock is? I think my is a 6qt...

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine was a 6 quart. There are just 3 of us so there were only 4 small chops , 3 medium potatoes and 4 small corn. Plenty for a small family. If not corn you could always wrap green beans in foil and do a layer of green beans in your combo.

      Delete
    2. Hi there! Thanks for responding. I wanted to let you know I ended up cutting my cobs in half and tightly tucking them. It was all too high for the lid to cover it completely so I covered the top in foil tightly and placed the lid back on. It worked. :) I got 6 thick chops in there, 3 medium sized potatoes, and 5 half pieces of corn. It came out delicious too. Family of 5 here. :) What a brilliant idea. I must use my crock more!

      Delete
  23. I will be doing this for Sunday dinner. We drive so far away for church and we want to do crock pot meals for the summer and Sundays. I love it!!! Thank you for sharing. I want to share with you (if someone hasn't already) Find you some crock pot liners. All the mess is gone except for the plates the lid and silverware. God Bless You ma'am!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Someone else suggested liners too. I may have to try them : )

      Delete
    2. You'll love them. I have used them for years. Best place to get them from is from Amazon. Possibly ebay. You can get a whole lot more for the same price you pay at the grocery store.

      Delete
  24. Do you think you could use another kind of soup? We don't like cream of mushroom? I love this idea though

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So my suggestion is use chicken soup or no soup at all. Simply do a marinade and pork chops or chicken breast. Or even canned gravy. Tailor to your family and their likes.

      Delete
    2. Cream of celery works wonders too!

      Delete
    3. Cream of Celery, Cream of Chicken and Lipton Onion Soup Mix is absolutely fabulous with pork chops or chicken. I will be trying this crock pot combo tomorrow! I never imagined cooking the potatoes and corn together with my main dish! GENIUS!!!!!

      Delete
    4. I love them with Italian dressing in the crockpot,

      Delete
  25. I got fresh corn on the cob at farmers market yesterday, Might try just potatoes and corn sincey daughter is vegetarian.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Just made this for Sunday dinner and everyone gave it a 4 thumbs up!! Next time I am going to slice my potatoes, add butter, onion, garlic and some cheese for fun!! So glad to have a crockpot meal that is not swimming in gravy! I also used just plain beef broth and onions in place of creamed soups.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I did not sear my pork, but I did turn up the crock pot towards the end ( I have a roaster/crockpot) and that browned them off on the bottom of the pan very nicely!! After reading, wanted to mention that French Onion soup is really easy and good in place of the creamed soups too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. French Onion sounds delightful and i will try that!

      Delete
  28. Just wondering, did you add butter in the foil with the corn and/or potatoes? Or did you just put them in dry? Thanks for sharing. This sounds yummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did add a little butter with the corn but nothing with the potatoes.

      Delete
  29. New follower after I saw this pinned. Love this idea! I have a busy household and I need to organize myself to put meals in the crockpot so I'm not rushing around at the end of the day. Like today....

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a clever idea, must try it.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I often use dry french onion soup mix and seared pork chops. I have occasionally used both the dry soup mix and the can of cream of mushroom. I may try a layer of foil between the meat with the gravy and some french style green beans instead of the corn. Thanks for a great meal idea!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Did you set the crock pot on low or high for 6 hours?

    ReplyDelete
  33. This looks wonderful and oh so easy. And with it being corn season - can't wait to try!
    Anna

    ReplyDelete
  34. Wonder if this would work with sweet potatoes?

    ReplyDelete
  35. Where can you find crock pot liners?
    Judith

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crockpot liners are available at most grocery stores or Walmarts. In our Walmart they are by where they sell the crockpots : )

      Delete
    2. In our Walmart, I found crockpot linets with the plastic baggies, aluminum foil, Saran Wrap, etc.

      Delete
    3. They are MUCH cheaper from Amazon or eBay!

      Delete
    4. They are MUCH cheaper from Amazon or eBay!

      Delete
  36. Replies
    1. No I do not. I simply wrapped my potatoes in foil and applied on top of meat and grave mixture. Then wrapped corn on top of that : )

      Delete
  37. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  38. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  39. this sounds yummy...just found this blog via pinterest.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I used this recipe, but with chicken breasts, cream of mushroom soup for gravy. I wrapped my potatoes in foil. Did not have any corn on hand, but had fresh carrots. Sliced the carrots, put them in foil with a little pepper and salt substitute, and salt free butter. Cooked them in the crock pot with all the rest. It was all delicious. Carrots were better than any I've had lately. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  41. And, I do use crock pot liners when I can. Found them in my local grocery on the same aisle as the sandwich bags, and freezer bags. They are great. No clean up to speak up. I really like them.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I just put this in my crock pot. I used sweet potatos and fresh corn. I am not a gravy fan so I made a honey garlic marinade for the pork chops. It looks awesome, hopefully it turns out as tasty! Thanks for the idea! :)

    ReplyDelete
  43. I made this tonight for a family of 4 using chicken breasts, corn, and green beans. I used Lipton onion soup mix for the "gravy" and it turned out fantastically! I also put a layer of foil between the meat and the corn so I wouldn't have a juice mess. Thank you so much for letting us know that crock pots can be used to cook multiple items. I would have NEVER thought of this but I will be doing it at least once a week now!

    ReplyDelete
  44. OH!MY!WORD!!! I fixed this for our Sunday lunch today and it is out of this world! The only thing I did differently was...I knew it wouldn't have 6 hrs. to cook before we got home from church, so I got everything in the crockpot about 7 this morning, turned it on high until we got ready to leave for church around 8:45 and then turned it on low. When we got home and changed our clothes and was ready to eat it was perfectly cooked!! Thanks so much for sharing this!!
    Janice

    ReplyDelete
  45. Just as an FYI, in case no one else mentioned it, you could cut the cleaning of the crock stone too by using the disposable crock pot cooking bags.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thanks so much for this recipe. I have thought about having my own blog for such fun to share, but the way people immediately scroll to the bottom and just repeat all the same questions that have already been addressed by others is too annoying for me. Until I can learn to deal with little annoyances like that, I'll just keep being an reader rather than a blogger. Thanks again- this recipe made my usual hour to two hours of prep, cook, and clean up seem plain silly!

    ReplyDelete
  47. This sounds like a wonderful idea! I'm going to do this today before I head to work. I will love coming home to dinner already made! :) Love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Can you use the boneless pork chops?

    ReplyDelete
  49. Do you have any beef or steak suggestions? I can not wait to try this layered idea. You are such a genius canned quilter! And can ham or ham steaks by crock potted? What about pastas in layers? Sorry bout all the questions....just thinkin out loud ya know. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have used beef round steak or pepper steaks and they turned out wonderful. I simply browned the steaks slightly then added a few onions and some sliced mushrooms and about 2 cups of beef broth. Then layer whatever on top. After everything is cooked simply remove the steaks and thicken the gravy or not. Au jus is good too! I have done chicken breast this way as well as turkey breast and cutlets. Pork chops are always good too. Try ham steaks and wrapped sweet potatoes. this is my favorite meal type during the bust spring gardening season.

      Delete
  50. Sounds amazing! I bet that people with smaller crock pots could just cut pork chunks to fit. We love baked onions with S&P and butter to I think I'll try to fit those in too!

    ReplyDelete
  51. This looks so easy! Thanks so much for posting.

    ReplyDelete
  52. we just tried this today. my mom was taking it out and said the potatoes weren't really cooked and were still hard.
    did you every have problems with the potatoes? or just tips for them to get them cooked

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have made this many times with different foods and never had a problem with the potatoes. But a.) every crockpot is different and yours may not get as hot as mine b.) Always put the potatoes on the bottom closest to the meat c.) I donot use huge baking potatoes but rather a small to mid size baker. I am sorry you did not have good luck with this method.

      Delete
    2. Just an after thought but try sticking your potatoes in the microwave for a couple minutes and precook them before wrapping and putting in the crockpot ..Good Luck : ) CQ

      Delete
  53. I'm a Colorado girl replanted to Texas. It is currently 102 degrees here in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and my crock pot is working beautifully with a beef broccoli recipe I use frequently and found on Pinterest. I also found your recite on Pinterest...thank you. It's on the soon to do list especially with this weather.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I found this on Pinterest and it immediately went on my "Good Eats" board! It may not get as hot here in upstate NY like other places but the humidity is enough to make me not want to cook or stand outside by the grill while I sweat myself away! I cannot wait to try this recipe! I also like the idea of using a canned gravy or packet as my family does not like the cream of mushroom soup too. Just a quick question: How long do you sear the chops for? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just enough to kind of brown them a little on the outside and give them a little color!

      Delete
  55. Love your post! I saw it on Pinterest (and pinned it, of course!)
    This looks delicious and I like that it has room for tailoring it to my family's tastes.
    I'm a new fan :-)

    ReplyDelete
  56. Do you mix wader with the soup or just use out of the can?

    ReplyDelete
  57. Where is the recipe for this? If there isn't one, can you please list it? I really want to make it! I see so many questions, and it just confused me.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Use a crock pot liner and your won't even have to wash the crock pot!!!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Is there a "print" friendly option on this page?

    ReplyDelete
  60. Was wonderful! I always use the crockpot liner so no cleanup! Thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Could you cook it on high for half the time?

    ReplyDelete
  62. Though they don't cost much but what if you can order them online that saves extra bit of hard work for you. These are the trusted websites who deliver products at your doorstep at no extra cost. Check them now: Slow Cooker Liners usa

    ReplyDelete
  63. I am going to try this using boneless pork ribs and barbecue sauce.

    ReplyDelete
  64. I just cooked a succulent pork roast with fresh corn on top in my crock pot. Just a couple of tips. Fresh corn works beautifully in for this arrangement. I left some of the husk on to protect it and provide nature's perfect substitute for foil. I also separated the corn from the roast by placing a piece of parchment paper between. I only recently started using my slow cooker regularly. Thanks so much for the fantastic idea of cooking the items all together!

    ReplyDelete
  65. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  66. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Feel free to challenge me, disagree with me, or tell me I’m completely nuts in the comments section of each blog entry, but I reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever (abusive, profane, rude, or anonymous comments) – so keep it polite, please. Also I am not a free advertisement board if you want to push a product on my comments I will delete you fast !!!

Related Posts with Thumbnails