Release Your Inner Crock-star
Four Ways to Release your Inner Crock-star!
As we go through the last blustery weeks of winter and welcome the rainy spring days, we thought you might like some cooking inspiration. Put your crockpot to use a few more times before it gets relegated to the back of the pantry in exchange for grilling season. We polled our chef team for their favorite slow-cooker meals guaranteed to warm you heart and soul, and to show off your own inner crock-star. We can already hear the crowds going wild!
Shelby’s Pick: Homemade Greek Yogurt
Start your day with a protein boost from your very own greek yogurt! Making your own Greek yogurt at home gives you the opportunity to be in control of ingredients used like organic, grass-fed milk or maybe even goat or sheep’s milk. If you ferment it long enough, the beneficial bacteria will consume lactose, producing a lactose-free product for you to enjoy! I love topping my yogurt with any variety of homemade granola and seasonal fruit. Yogurt from a crockpot, who woulda thunk?!?! It’s crazy good.
Marie’s Pick: Slowcooker Chicken Adobo
My wheelhouse cuisines are Asian and Latin, so what better way to feed my family than with our traditional Filipino comfort food? This recipe works pretty well in a pressure cooker if you’re in a pinch for time on a weeknight and forgot to set the crockpot in the morning. The seasonings are simple and the chicken just pulls apart so fork-tender and melt-in-your-mouth good.
Kari’s Pick: Pork Chili Verde
Sorry, guys, no one’s getting my ribs recipe! You’ll just have to call me to come make them for you. But I do love making most any kind of pork in a crockpot, like this chili verde. Enjoy on its own or as tacos. You’ll get richer, more complex flavors from roasting the vegetables for the salsa in advance. I give you permission to pig out on this dinner! (Laura would want me to tell you to add some veggies on the side, ha ha!)
Laura’s Pick: Texas-Style Chili with Slow-Cooked Brisket
Growing up in Texas, I know a thing or two about Chili Cookoffs. Texans are serious about their chili, and many of the best recipes won’t make it online because they are closely-guarded secrets. As a kid, one of my favorite poolside treats was “Frito Chili Pie” which is a bowl of beef chili topped with shredded cheddar cheese and Fritos. I hated beans in my chili then, but have grown to love them as an adult. Here’s my kind of chili recipe. It’s worth every bit of effort. The hours of slow-cooking will tenderize the brisket, infuse such decadent flavors, and prove you worthy of the name “Crock-star!!” Happy cooking y’all!
