Crock Pot Applesauce

10 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced/diced (or enough to fill your crock pot 3/4 of the way full; I only used 8)
1/4 c - 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1-2 tsp cinnamon (optional, I like cinnamon)

Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker and place on low for 8-10 hours. After fully cooked, mash apples with hand mixer or stick blender. Leave apple chunks if desired. Refrigerate.

Reviews: YUMM-O! Everyone loves it. I used a variety of apples - Granny Smith, Red Delicious and Gala because that's what was in the house.

Other Ideas - replace water with cider

Keeping: Freeze or process pint jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes to can for later use.

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Sloppy Lentils

For Marie...

Stovetop Version

This is a very basic recipe, you can always add onions, garlic, etc.

3 cups of water

1 cup of dried lentil beans, rinsed and picked through

1 pkg Sloppy Joe seasoning

1.25 cup water

6oz can tomato paste

Combine water and beans in a large skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Drain and reserve liquid (1.25 cups) and then add the lentils back to the skillet, with 1.25 cups of reserved liquid or water, package of seasoning and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. When it reaches sloppy joe consistency, serve over hamburger buns.

Crockpot Version

2 cups water

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed

salt to taste (optional)

1 cup chopped onion

15 oz can diced tomatoes (drained), tomato sauce or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste, optional (as needed to thicken – especially if using tomato sauce)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 tablespoons rapadura, molasses, or honey

1 Tbsp white vinegar

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine all your ingredients in the crockpot. Turn on low and cook for approximately 5 hours, until lentils are tender and the mixture has thickened and absorbed most of the liquids. Serve on open faced hamburger buns and top with melted cheese, as desired.

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Crockpot steel-cut oatmeal experiment

And it worked!

I read a tip from a friend (Hi, M!) that she makes oatmeal in the crockpot in a water bath. I had resisted making oatmeal in the crockpot overnight because I thought it would turn out like inedible paste, but a water bath seemed like a great idea and I had to try it.



First, my crockpot is a funky oval and the only bowl that would work wouldn't sit right, so I had to fashion a trivet of some kind to use, in this case scrunching up aluminum foil.



I added the oatmeal and water to the glass bowl and then sat the bowl on the aluminum foil balls in the crockpot, and then added water to the crockpot so it came up to 2/3 way of the bowl's side. This was around midnight, I turned it on low and went to bed.



I woke up around 7 and checked it, it was a little dry so I added another cup of water, gently stirred it, and let it cook for another hour and half. It was perfect!



Here is my bowl, I added a little rice milk, maple syrup, and some dried cranberries. It was so good and creamy. Steel-cut oatmeal is a little chewier than rolled oats but made in the crockpot it was creamy and tender, yum.

Crockpot Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Serves 4

1 cup steel-cut oats
2 1/2 to 3 cups water

In a small bowl add oats and water and stir to combine. Place in crockpot crock carefully making sure it is secure, you may need to use a heat safe trivet or aluminum balls to steady it. Add water to the crockpot, not the bowl with the oats, until it reaches the 2/3 the way up the side of the bowl with the oats. Cover and set on low for 8 hours. Check towards the end of cooking, and add more water with necessary. Top with favorite oatmeal accompaniments, like butter, milk, nuts, dried fruit, etc.

-Empress

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