Crock Pot Turkey?? YES!! And Many Other Amazingly Simple Crock Pot Ideas!!

I am all about quick and easy when it comes to cooking. I mean, once in a while I will plan something that takes planning and effort, but on a weekday, my main purpose to to be able to eat with minimal time, money, and effort, so that I can move on to the next big thing. I thought about multi-purpose cooking- i.e. I cook a turkey and can have turkey one night and make it stretch into turkey sandwiches, turkey and noodles, etc. So, I decided to try turkey in a crockpot today. I LOVE crockpots. I have 2 of them and use them at least twice a week.They are the best invention since the dawn of electricity, besides the internet.

So... crockpot turkey. It's necessary to find a turkey to fit in your crockpot. Probably less than 10 lbs. (If you have a small crockpot, cook a chicken instead.) My turkey was almost 9 lbs. I slathered it up in olive oil, like it was going to a wrestling match, and then sprinkled it with rotisserie seasoning - note - I said rotisserie seasoning, not seasoning salt, because that might make it a wee too salty, unless that's how you like your meat. Then I just threw it in the crockpot till I got home from work. Now, my crockpot, is timed at 4, 8, and 10 hour increments. I set it for 10 hour. If you have a crockpot that only sets at "high" or "low", turn it to high, and go to work!  (But keep reading, because there is more to the story.)

When I got home from work, the turkey smelled so good and the meat was falling off the bone. The skin, however, was still pale, and kind of slimy looking, so I put the meat onto a cookie sheet and put it in the oven on "Broil". I left it in for about 15 minutes, which, as you can tell, was a bit too long. So I would say to put it in for about 8-10 min. and go from there.

I can't brag up a crock pot enough. I throw together my ingredients the night before, put the crockpot in the refrigerator overnight, and take it out and turn it on the next morning before I go to work. When I get home, dinner is prepared and I can RELAX!! I've listed some of the things that I make in my crock pot. Keep in mind, I stick with the quick and easy basics. You can always add more spices and frills here and there to jazz things up. With MOST crock pot recipes, if you are going to be gone all day, it is best to put them on a "low" setting. Keep in mind, I work an 8 hour day, so with travel time, most of these recipes cook for about 9 hours.

Beef Stroganoff- 1-2 lbs stew meat, 2 cans of golden mushroom soup,and a "skotch" (a word my dad used, pronounced with a long "O", which means 'a little bit') of Worchestershire sauce. When you get home, stir in a carton of sour cream.  Serve over cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Pork chops- add 1-2 lbs porkchops and mix in a can of cream of mushroom soup. Thicker pork chops work better, but you CAN use the thin breakfast chops. They will take much less time to cook, probably 3-5 hours.

Chicken tacos - mix one jar of salsa with 1-2 lbs boneless skinless breasts. Serve as you normally would with tacos.

Sante Fe Chicken - 1-2lbs boneless skinless breast, 1 can corn (drained), 1 can black beans, 1 packet taco seasoning (I like to use only about 1/2 a packet). When you get home, add in 1 block of cream cheese. After this melts, serve over brown rice.

Beef Stew- this one is kind of a free for all. You can use stew meat OR hamburger. Some people prefer to brown and drain the hamburger ahead of time (maybe with diced onion), but I don't. Then add a 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes, corn (undrained), green beans (undrained), and whatever spices you like. I prefer bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme.

Beef Roast - this one was funny because I had an argument at work with a lady about who had the best roast recipe. Come to find out we were using the same recipe that we got off Pinterest! Place your roast in the crock pot. Cover it with a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch ranch salad dressing. Add a stick of butter on top of this. Top it off with 5 pepperoncini peppers. DELICIOUS!!

Ribs- Beef or Pork- Cook in crockpot without any sauce. After cooking, remove from crockpot, baste with a favorite BBQ sauce and place under broiler for a few minutes.

Chili- Browned hamburger, onion, 2 cans of red kidney beans (drained), 2 cans of stewed tomatoes (undrained), and chili powder to taste. I like to serve this with shredded cheese on top.

Ham and Beans- Brian, my significant other and I argue greatly about this recipe. I use ham hocks or pigs feet in this recipe. I use them because of the fat content that gives flavor to the recipe. Brian is used to having ham and beans made with cut up chunks of a processed ham (which sounds absolutely flavorless and gross to me). The first time I served him ham and beans he was horrified, and still teases me about trying to serve him a "HOOF". Regardless, you can flavor with which ever meat you prefer. I use a bag of lima beans, which often come with seasoning packets, or I season with onion, cumin, salt, and a bit of garlic. The bag of beans will say to pre-soak the beans, but I have never seen the benefit in that. I just rinse them and use them. fill the crockpot almost to the top with water. Serve these with a plate of corned bread. YUMZA!

                     There you have it! Easy, peasy, lemon squeezey!!