I love my Crock pot

And so did Mable. Thank you!

It's super....

Yes, Super Bowl Sunday is here again. No big party here, but the crock pots are full of chili (one ground beef and one chicken) and we have hot dogs, brats and chips to round out the dinner table of seasonal fare.

Our chicken chili recipe originated at allrecipes.com. As usual, we made a few modifications (not as many white beans...forgot the canellini and tomatillos) but it still smells pretty good.

Now all we have to do is get ready for it all. My favorite part of Super Bowl is the commercials.

Stay tuned...

I'm not in Casablanca...

However, from the looks of the recipes I've been cranking out today, you'd think I was in Casablanca!

The house is currently being perfumed by Moroccan Meatballs and Chicken and Chickpea Stew. How did I do it? Well, I took a couple of recipes from the internet and adapted them to my situation. Chicken thighs and ground lamb were on sale at my local store, so I bought some of both.

First, I made the Chicken and Chickpea Stew in my SmartPot crock pot from this recipe from www.goodhousekeeping.com. Below is my adaptation.

• 5 pound(s) chicken thighs, skinned
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 1 (1-pound) jumbo onion, chopped
• 2 clove(s) garlic
• 2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground red pepper (cayenne)
• 1 can(s) (28-ounce) whole tomatoes in puree
• 1 can(s) (14- to 14 1/2-ounce) chicken broth
• 6 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 can(s) (32-ounce) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1 cup(s) pitted green and black olives, whole

First, I browned the chicken thighs in olive oil on both sides. Then I sprinkled the seasoning mixture (cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne) on top of each thigh. Once browned, I put the first 6 in the crock pot, then browned the remaining six and topped with spices when browned.

Next I added my can of tomatoes and my chickpeas to the crock pot on top of the first chicken thighs. When the rest of the thighs were done, I added those.

Following this, I chopped my carrots, and in the skillet I used for the chicken, I browned my onions and garlic slightly. When done, I added them all to the crockpot, and topped it with the olives.

Finally, I set the heat to four hours and away I went. NOTE : this dish is great with pasta or couscous on the side.

Photo of Chicken and Chickpea stew below:

Soup journal: Red lentil, Oxtail

Well, winter's nearly over, but I've had a lot of fun making different soups this year. For the most part, I've put them in my crockpot as I've gone about my business, cleaning house on my day off or working.

Here are a couple of my favorites below.

Red lentil soup (from www.nytimes.com) is a healthy vegetarian soup.

I made oxtail soup last week based on this recipe from www.cooks.com. I did deviate slightly, though. Cooks.com is great because it has a whole section of crockpot recipes.

Here's my version I made in my SMART crockpot.

Oxtail soup

4 ox tail pieces
3 tbsps butter
1 cup red wine
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove
1.5 qts. water + 1 can beef broth
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 onion, chopped
6 large carrots, chopped

Saute ox tails in three tablespoons butter until browned. Pour in one cup red wine (I used burgundy) and simmer in covered frying pan for 10 minutes.

NOTE: I also browned the onions in the same skillet used for browning the oxtails. Add all other ingredients and cook in crockpot 4-5 hours.

Cook until done. (Optional: add 1 teaspoon sugar to enhance flavor.) Remove meat from oxtails when soup is done. This soup is even better the next day, and it's easier to skim off fat when cold.

Serve with your favorite crusty bread or cornbread.