Innie or Outie

In case you haven’t been able to tell by my latest posts, this is the time of year when I love heading into the kitchen. And because it is one of the most hectic times of the year with every day producing unknown schedules, I find that the crockpot is one of my best friends. I am constantly on the look-out for new ideas and recipes that I can incorporate into my catalog of substituted edibles. However, recently ran across a site that has one-upped my imagination in creating original edible combinations. Never in one thousand years would I have come up with this.

Here’s another yummy recipe that will fill you up and warm your tummy during these cold winter months.

Crockpot Sausage and Potato Stew

2 medium potatoes (quartered and thinly sliced)
1/2 medium onion (quartered and thinly sliced)
12 ounces spicy sausage (sliced into bite-size pieces)
1 15 ounce can red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup beef bouillon
1/2 cup flour

Layer potatoes, onion, and sausage on bottom of crockpot. Add kidney beans, tomatoes with liquid, oregano, garlic, sugar, pepper, and cumin. Mix flour in bouillon and pour on top of other ingredients in crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with bread or over rice.

This is a chunky and hearty chicken recipe:

Crockpot French-Country Style Chicken Stew

3 medium potatoes (quartered and sliced)
10 slices bacon (julienned)
3 skinless chicken breasts (cut into bit-size pieces)
1 medium onion (quartered and sliced)
1 cup frozen green beans (cut into bit sized pieces)
1 15 ounce can kidney beans (drained)
1 14 1/2 ounce can stewed tomatoes (with juice)
1 tablespoon minced garlic paste
1 tablespoon thyme flakes
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch salt
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup flour
1 10 1/2 ounce can chicken broth

Place potatoes on bottom of crockpot. Add bacon, chicken, onion, green beans, kidney beans, stewed tomatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary, pepper, salt, and wine. Mix flour and chicken broth, then pour mixture on top of other ingredients in crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 8 – 10 hours. Serve over rice or with bread.

This is an easy and earthy-flavored stew:

Crockpot Irish-Style Pork Stew

2 lbs boneless pork (cubed)
4 medium potatoes (quartered and sliced)
2 large onions (quartered and sliced)
1 tablespoon minced garlic paste
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 laurel leaves
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 101/2 ounce can chicken broth
1 large pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 12 ounce stout Guinness beer

Place potatoes on bottom of crockpot. Top with pork and onions. Add garlic, parsley, caraway seeds, laurel, brown sugar, olive oil, chicken broth, salt, black pepper, red wine vinegar. Mix flour and beer together, then pour mixture into crockpot. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours. Serve over rice or with bread.

This is an easy, yet deliciously spicy, seafood recipe:

Crockpot Spicy Seafood Stew

2 medium potatoes (quartered and sliced)
1 large red bell pepper (julienned)
1 large onion (quartered and sliced)
2 large tomatoes (quartered and sliced)
1 package frozen seafood mix (thawed) – this is a combination (approximately 3 cups) of peeled shrimp, bite-size squid, and clams found in the frozen food section at local supermarkets
1 cup peeled shrimp
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes
2 teaspoons turmeric
½ teaspoon mustard powder
1 cup white wine
2 cups fish stock or chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried cilantro flakes
1 large pinch salt

Place potatoes in bottom of crockpot. Top with bell pepper, onion tomatoes, seafood mix, and shrimp. Add olive oil, garlic, chili pepper, turmeric, and mustard powder. Pour in wine and fish stock. Finish with cilantro and salt.

Cover the crockpot and cook for 8 to 10 hours on high. Stir occasionally. Serve over rice or with bread.

This is a simple recipe that consists of ingredients found in almost every household.

Crockpot Chunky Beef Stew

2 lbs cubed stewing beef
2 ribs of celery (sliced)
2 medium carrots (sliced)
4 medium potatoes (halved and sliced)
2 medium onions (halved and sliced)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 small or 1 large can of sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic paste
Dried parsley

Brown beef in frying pan on medium heat in olive oil. Stir in pepper and garlic paste.
Place potatoes in bottom of crockpot and top with carrots and onions. Then place browned beef on top of vegetables. Add the mushrooms and finally add the cream of mushroom soup. Cover and cook on high for 8 to 10 hours. Sprinkle each serving with parsley.

This is another simple and quick recipe for those with busy schedules.

Basic Meat Sauce

1 pound hamburger
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon minced garlic paste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons white pepper
One 15 ounce can tomato sauce
One 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
One 4 and 1/2 ounce can mushrooms

Brown hamburger in a frying pan, then drain off excess grease. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, onion, oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, garlic, tomato paste, muchrooms, and white pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Store in refrigerator for at least 8 to 10 hours.

This basic recipe goes well with pasta, rice, or cornbread.

Another alternative to add flavor as well as increased nutritional value to white rice is to use prepackaged grain mixes designed specifically for rice.

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10 Grain Rice

Simply prepare rice for cooking as usual. Add one grain packet on top of uncooked rice prior to cooking, then cook as usual. When cooking is completed, thoroughly stir grains into the rice and serve.

I like this type of rice with homemade thick-batter vegetable tempura, herb-marinated B-B-Q pork cutlets, or as the main ingredient of a quickie snack using butter, soy sauce, pickled turnips, and grated parmesan cheese.

In America when we want a quick bite of something we often get a slice of luncheon meat, some cheese, a little lettuce, two slices of bread, and throw together a quickie sandwich. On Okinawa, a quickie munchie can be a bowl of rice topped with ochazuke (an instant snack of green tea and seaweed diluted with boiling water).

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Another instant product that is very popular on Okinawa is instant miso soup ( sort of the Japanese equivalent of canned soups in America).

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On occasion I combine these two products (I can just see the locals going into shock!) and create my own quickie rice gumbo.

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Japanese-style Instant Gumbo

1 and 1/2 cup precooked white rice
1 packet ochazuke
1 packet (set) instant miso soup
1 umeboshi (pickled plum)
boiling water

Place rice in serving bowl and pour contents of ochazuke and instant miso soup packets on top of rice. Pour 1 – 11/2 cup boiling water over rice mixture, and let stand for approximately 3 minutes. Thoroughly stir all ingredients and top with umeboshi.

There are several varieties of these two products available, so you can try different versions to find the flavor that suits your own taste best. The ingredients should be available in your local supermarket’s Asian foods section. Also, if you want meat with this, precooked bite-sized tonkatsu (chicken-fried pork cutlet), chicken dog, shrimp, or even spam can be used.

As tasty as rice is, sometimes one can get tired of the same old plain white rice. This is a recipe I created to put a little variation on the dinner table.

Golden Rice

3 cups cooked white rice
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1/4 cup milk

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients and place in the microwave oven for 2 minutes. This recipe is good for backyard B-B-Qs or with saucy meat entrees (such as Chanpuru-No Rules-Cooking☆Recipe#20).