Win A Slow Cooker (and Try These Simple & Delish Recipes!)
Our fabulous partner, Small Kitchen College has teamed up with Naptime Chef for their Slow Cooker Challenge. Starting now, you can head to their site to enter and win a freaking sweet (and expensive) slow cooker to add to your kitchenware. Not only are they giving away slow cookers, but they will also have a live Twitter chat and a Facebook event this week giving out even more supplies for your kitchen. Check out Small Kitchen College to see all the entry details and more information about all the fun events this week!
Big Girls Small Kitchen and Small Kitchen College even sent us some of their simple and amazing recipes for you guys to check out! Tell us your favorite slow cooker dish and share your recipes in the comments below.
Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 medium sweet onions, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
3 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth
10 basil leaves (plus more for garnish)
Freshly grated Parmesan (for garnish, optional)
Slow cooker version:
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. Allow the soup to cool slightly. Then puree in batches in a blender until very smooth. Serve immediately, or transfer the soup back to the slow cooker and keep on low until your guests arrive.
Stove-top version:
Combine all ingredients in a heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low, and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. Allow the soup to cool slightly. Then puree in batches in a blender until very smooth. Serve immediately, or transfer the soup back to the pot and keep on low until your guests arrive.
Garnish with more fresh basil and some grated Parmesan cheese.
Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip Serves a crowd Recipe Adapted from Food Network
Ingredients
One 9 ounce box of frozen spinach
One 12 ounce jar of artichoke hearts
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
½ cup of grated parm
dash of milk
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
Defrost spinach, and squeeze out excess liquid in a kitchen cloth. It’s okay if some moisture remains; don’t go crazy trying to squeeze it dry. Drain artichoke hearts and break up with fingers.
Combine all remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Dip will seem very thick, but once the cheese all melts it will become more of a dip-like consistency.
Cook on high for 2 hours. Serve with pita chips, crackers, or whatever dipper you enjoy.
Two Slow Cooker Recipes from Life2PointOh‘s Julie Miller
1. Take 2-3 lbs. of beef brisket and put it in the slow cooker with a package of dry onion soup mix and about a teaspoon of water. Just mix the water and soup together and run it over the brisket.
2. Get a package or two of frozen meatballs and pour a bottle of BBQ sauce to cover the meatballs and cook until warm. Serve with toothpicks. Perfect for your next party!
Want more? Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
Photo Credit: Small Kitchen College
