Let's Plan Thanksgiving in the Crockpot!

TheresaL

TheresaL

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I have several crockpots and would love to put them to work for Thanksgiving to save time and free up the oven and stove. Let's post ways to put those slow cookers to work this year. Do you have any recipes you use or that could be converted to crock pot cooking for this holiday? Or do you have a recipe you need help converting? Let's post them here so we can all plan a Crockpot Thanksgiving!
 
Crock Pot Stuffing (Dressing)

Serves 16

1 lb ground chuck

1 cup butter

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

28 ounces herb seasoned stuffing mix, I use Pepperidge Farm sage and onion cubes

5 cups chicken broth (see directions)

turkey neck

turkey giblets



Directions:

1 Brown ground beef and drain grease.

2 Melt butter in saucepan and cook celery and onion until tender.

3 Combine stuffing cubes, ground beef and celery onion mixture in extra-large bowl or roasting pan (to allow room for mixing).

4 Add chicken broth and mix well. Note: the amount of broth you use may vary. I like my stuffing pretty moist and the amount needed can vary depending on how dry the bread cubes are. I generally use about 5 cups, but adjust this to your liking. It will not dry out in the crock pot like it does in the oven, so make about as moist as you want it to be when it is done, then add about 1/4 cup more. You can always add a little water later if it looks too dry, but it will be a bigger ordeal if it is too soupy for you (requires spreading on pan and baking in the oven for a while).

5 Place stuffing in crock pot and place turkey neck and giblets on top to help flavor the stuffing.

6 Cook on medium-low for about 4 hours.

7 Remove turkey neck and giblets before serving (I also give it a good stirring at this point).
 
Ingredients:

3 lb. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
2 T olive oil
non-stick spray for crockpot
2 tsp. sweet potato spice mix
fresh ground black pepper to taste
sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Sweet Potato Spice Mix
(grind herbs together with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, then mix in salt)

2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into pieces about 1 inch square. Put sweet potatoes into plastic Ziploc bag, add 2 T olive oil and 2 tsp. spice mix, seal bag and squeeze potatoes around until they're all coated with oil and spice mix is well-distributed.

Spray inside of Crockpot slow cooker with non-stick spray or olive oil. Put sweet potatoes in crockpot and cook on high, stirring a couple of times so they don't stick or get too browned on the bottom.

Sweet potatoes are done when they're completely softened and fragrant, about 3 hours. Mash slightly if desired, and season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and sea salt. Serve hot.

Source: Kalyn's Kitchen
 

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Crock Pot Corn Pudding Recipe:

2 (15 oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 (15 oz) cans cream-style corn
2 (8 oz) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
16 oz sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Lightly spray a large crock pot bowl with oil.

Dump all ingredients, except the cheese, into the bowl and gently stir until combined.

Mix in the cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring once halfway through.

Source: SeededAtTheTable
 
Crock Pot Maple Brown Sugar Ham

7-8 pound spiral-cut ham (bone-in or boneless)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups pineapple juice

Directions: Use a 6-7 quart crock pot. Unwrap ham from wrapper, and discard the flavor packet. Place ham inside crock pot, flat side down. Rub the brown sugar over all sides of the ham. Then pour on the maple syrup and pineapple juice. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Baste ham with juices an hour or so before serving. When cooking is done, carefully remove ham from crock pot and place on a cutting board. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.

Source: Life In The Lofthouse

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Slow Cooker Turkey and Stuffing

Serves 6

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 (2 -2 1/2 lb) skinless boneless turkey breasts, halves

2 (12 ounce) jars roasted turkey gravy

1/3 cup dry sherry or 1/3 cup apple juice

1 (6 ounce) package one-step seasoned turkey stuffing mix



Directions:



1 Spray 3 1/2-4 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Place onion and celery in slow cooker. Top with turkey breast half. Pour 1 jar of gravy and sherry over top. Top with dry stuffing.

2 Cover; cook on low setting for 6 to 7 hours.

3 About 15 minutes before serving, remove turkey from slow cooker; place on cutting board. Stir stuffing and cooking juices until mixed. Cover; let stand 10 minutes. Heat remaining jar of gravy in small saucepan. Cut turkey into slices. Serve turkey and stuffing with gravy.
 
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

8 medium potatoes

1 cup sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chives

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 pinch marjoram (optional)

1/2-1 cup thinly sliced green onion

bacon bits or 2 slices cooked crumpled bacon

milk

paprika



Directions:

1 Boil potatoes until tender.

2 Beat softened cream cheese and sour cream in mixing bowl.

3 Add hot potatoes and beat until smooth, adding small amounts of milk as needed.

4 Add butter, chives, salt, pepper and onion powder and beat until well-mixed.

5 Add garlic, green onions, and marjoram and beat until well-mixed.

6 Pour into either casserole dish or crockpot.

7 Dot with additional butter and sprinkle with paprika.

8 Bake for 25 minutes in 350°F oven or cook on low in crockpot for 2-3 hours. If cooked in crockpot, add a few additional drops of butter and stir, just before serving.

9 Sprinkle with Bacon Bits or crumpled bacon just before serving.

10 NOTE: Can be refrigerated overnight in either casserole dish or crockpot.
 
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Crockpot Cranberry Sauce

12 ozunces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed is best)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

The Directions.

Use a 2- quart crockpot. If you only have a huge crockpot, you can put an oven-safe dish into it to create a smaller cooking vessel --- like a pyrex or Corningware. This is what I use in the crock (scroll down to see them).

Rinse off the cranberries and put them into your crockpot. Add the orange juice and water. I had the kids squeeze fresh juice, but you can use store-bought if that's what you have on hand.

Add the sugar and the cinnamon. Stir. There will be an awful lot of liquid, and the cranberries will float and you'll wonder how on earth it could possibly turn into cranberry sauce.

Cover and cook on high. It will take about 3 hours.

Stir every hour or so. When the skin from the cranberries has softened, the cranberries will "pop" when pushed with a spoon up against the side of the crock. It wasn't until about 2 hours in that my cranberries were soft enough to do this.

Smoosh all of the cranberries. Stir well.

Heat enough for it to be warm throughout. Take the lid off and heat on high for another 30 to 45 minutes. Your house will smell wonderful!
rockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/crockpot-homemade-cranberry-sauce.html
 
Crock Pot Cranberry Pork Loin

Ingredients:

3 pounds pork loin
1 (14 ounce) can jelled cranberry sauce
½ cup cranberry juice
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon mustard
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Directions:

Place roast in slow cooker. In a medium size bowl, mash cranberry sauce; stir in cranberry juice, sugar, and seasoning until mixed. Pour mixture over pork loin. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove pork loin from crock pot to platter and cover with tin foil to keep warm. Measure 2 cups of liquid from the crock pot using as much fat from the liquid as possible. Pour liquid into saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water to make paste. Stir paste mixture into saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened. Serve with pork.

Source: WallStCheatSheet
 
Slow Cooker Pumpkin-Apple Dessert

1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling
2 cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
¾ cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Ice cream, if desired

Directions:

Spray 3½-6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Spoon pie filling into cooker; spread evenly. Beat remaining ingredients except ice cream with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pie filling. Cover and cook on high heat setting 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with ice cream.

Source: wallstcheatsheet


 
Homemade Creamed Corn Crockpot Recipe

Ingredients

48 ounces frozen corn, about 8 cups, thawed
½ cup half and half
10 ounces cream cheese, torn into chunks
4 tablespoons butter (½ stick), sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
chives for garnish if desired
Instructions

  1. Pour half and half in a blender with 1 cup of corn and puree until smooth. In a 3 ½ to 4 quart slow cooker add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook over high heat for 1 ½ hours or low heat setting for 3-4 hours.
  2. Stir the corn to incorporate the melted cream cheese. Season with more kosher salt or pepper to taste and garnish with chopped chives if desired.
Slow-Cooker-Creamed-Corn-FoodieCrush.com-12.jpg


Source: Food Crushie
 
Spicy Garlic Green Beans Crockpot Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (less if you don't want them spicy)
flaky salt and lemon zest to garnish

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the green beans and set aside.

In a large heavy bottom skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the green beans and mix everything together, making sure the garlic and shallots are evenly distributed amongst the green beans.

Season with salt and the lemon zest and serve immediately.

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Source: WhatsGabyCooking
 
TheresaL said:
I have several crockpots and would love to put them to work for Thanksgiving to save time and free up the oven and stove. Let's post ways to put those slow cookers to work this year. Do you have any recipes you use or that could be converted to crock pot cooking for this holiday? Or do you have a recipe you need help converting? Let's post them here so we can all plan a Crockpot Thanksgiving!
Click to expand...

Pumpkin-Pomegranate Cheesecake

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

1. Lightly coat a 1 1/2-quart souffle dish or casserole with cooking spray.* Line the bottom of the souffle dish or casserole with parchment paper. Tear off an 18x12-inch piece of heavy foil; cut in half lengthwise. Fold each piece lengthwise into thirds. Crisscross strips and place the prepared dish on top of crisscross; set aside.
2. For filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice (if desired), and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until combined. Beat in pumpkin until smooth. Beat in egg product on low speed just until combined. Stir in orange peel. Pour filling into the prepared dish. Cover dish with foil.
3. Pour the warm water into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Using the ends of the foil strips, transfer souffle dish to cooker. Leave foil strips under dish.
4. Cover and cook on high-heat setting about 2 1/2 hours or until center is set. Using foil strips, carefully remove dish from cooker; discard strips. Remove and discard foil covering top of dish. Cool pudding on a wire rack. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.
5. About 1 hour before serving, prepare sauce. In a small saucepan combine pomegranate juice, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Transfer sauce to a small bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Cool to room temperature.
6. Using a narrow metal spatula or table knife, loosen sides of cheesecake from souffle dish. Place a tray or large plate over top of dish; carefully invert dish onto tray (you may need to give the dish a little shake to release the cheesecake from bottom of dish). Remove and discard parchment paper. Invert cheesecake again onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges. Spoon sauce over each serving and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
bhg.com/recipe/pumpkin-pomegranate-cheesecake/
 
This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving (crockpot) dishes

ham bone and collard green soup

1 smoked ham hock
3 quarts chicken broth
1 1/4 pounds collards greens
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced salt pork (about 3 oz)
1 onion, minced (about 1 1/4 cup
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
sachet: 5-6 black peppercorns,
4parsley stems, and 1 fresh sprig or
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme enclosed in a large tea ball or tied in a cheesecloth pouch
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 teaspoons malt vinegar, or to taste
tabasco sauce, to taste

I tweaked this recipe for crockpot cooking. you can do the same. I just place everything in a crockpot. However, I do crisp the salt pork prior to putting in the crock. Additionally I leave the heavy cream out until the last 1/2 hour.
But here's the original instructions.

Place the ham hock and broth in a pot large enough to accommodate both. bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, 1 1/2 hours. removed the ham hock from the broth and allow both to cool slightly Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. cut the though ribs and stems front the collard greens. plunge the greens into boiling water and cook, 10 minutes. drain and cool slightly. chop the greens coarsely and set aside.
heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. add the salt pork and cook until crisp, 3-5 minutes. add the onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. gradually add the broth, whisking constantly to work out any lumps of flour. bring to a simmer and add the collard greens, ham hock, and sachet. cook 1 hour. remove and discard the sachet. remove the ham hock and cool slightly. trim away the skin and fat the disc the lean meat. return the meat to the soup. add the cream and season with vinegar and tabasco serve in heated bowls. source:the culinary institute of america book of soups.
 
Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons flour

4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups turkey broth

salt and pepper

pan drippings from turkey

Directions:

1 In a medium saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour.

2 Cook over medium-high heat until flour is incorporated and white bubbles begin to form on the top of the roux.

3 Cook the roux for 2-3 minute after the white bubbles have formed, whisking constantly.

4 Gradually add the broth, whisking constantly until the gravy is thickened and comes to a boil.

5 Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

6 At this point, you can cool, cover and refrigerate the gravy base for as long as 4 days. Reheat in a crockpot on low for a few hours. When turkey is done, skim off fat and pour drippings into gravy base and bring it to serving temperature.
 
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