Gingered Figs - Slow Cooker Challenge, September 2014

'Tis the 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness'.  Hopefully we won't have too many mists just yet, as summer seems to have returned for a few more days, however I am looking for some fruitfulness as September's Slow Cooker Challenge is cook with FRUIT in your slow cooker.

Your dish can be sweet or savoury as long as it contains some fruit.  My recipe is a simple one,  I love baked figs and thought it would be easy to pop them in the slow cooker and it worked really well.

Slow Cooker Gingered Figs
4 ripe figs
50ml orange juice
4 dessert spoons Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve (or chopped preserved ginger)

1. Cut the hard part of the stem from the top of the figs, then slice a cross into the top of each one, be careful not to cut all the way to the bottom or your figs will fall apart.
2. Place the figs in the basin of the slow cooker, open out the sections of the fig a little and fill the space with a dessert spoon of Ginger Preserve.
3. Pour the orange juice around the figs and cover with the lid.
4. Bake on low for 2-3 hours.
5. Remove the figs from the slow cooker to a serving dish, pour the juices into a pan and bring to a rapid boil, reducing the syrup by half, then pour this over the figs and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
6. Serve with greek yogurt, drizzling the syrup over the figs and yogurt.



If you would like to take part in the Slow Cooker Challenge, then please: 

• Make your recipe in your Slow Cooker and post a photograph and the recipe, or a link to a recipe, on your blog
• Link to Farmersgirl Kitchen
• Use the Slow Cooker Challenge logo in your post
• If you use twitter, tweet your post with @FarmersgirlCook and #SlowCookerChallenge and I will re-tweet it to my followers AND post your picture on the dedicated Pinterest Board. 

Rules: 

• Please do not publish recipes from cookbooks on your blog without permission, they are copyright.
• If you are using recipes from another website, please link to the recipe on the website rather than publishing the recipe.
• One entry per blog.
• Recipes must be added to the linky by the 28th of each month.

The phrase 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' comes from John Keats' poem 'To Autumn'

Labels: figs, fresh figs, Fruit, Ginger, September, Slow Cooker Challenge, spiced ginger Mackays

posted by Janice @ 06:30 14 Comments

We're Jammin' - Slow Cooker Challenge Round Up, Aug 2014

The theme for the August Slow Cooker Challenge was 'Preserves' and my regular entrants didn't disappoint.  Sarah from 'Tales from the Garden Shed' brought a ray of French sunshine, and some inspiration,  with her recipe for Peach Jam.

Now this is a brilliant and unusual combination which I would never have though of.  Slow Cooker Carrot, Lemon and Almond Chutney is the entry from Strong as Soup and is reminiscent of middle eastern cuisine.

Baking Queen 74 has taken to jam making in the Slow Cooker with the enthusiasm of a convert!  In her entry for the challenge she brings us two jam recipes a zingy Blueberry and Ginger Jam AND Blackberry Jam  both look really delicious.

My own preserve created in the slow cooker was Lazy, Luscious Beetroot Relish.  The beets were baked in the slow cooker and then the chutney made in the usual way on the stove in only 20 minutes.

Thanks to all who joined me for the slow cooker challenge, look out for the new challenge which will be posted early in September. 

Labels: Blackberry Jam, Blueberry and Ginger Jam, Carrot, chutney, jam, Lemon and Almond Chutney., Peach Jam, Round Up, Slow Cooker Challenge

posted by Janice @ 20:31 4 Comments

Slow Cooker Challenge August - Preserves

August is a month of plenty and a time when traditionally we preserve the fruits and vegetables from our gardens and markets by making jams, jellies, curds, chutney and relish and even some bottling and canning.  The Slow Cooker is ideal for making some preserves and can be used for softening the fruit for those that need a rapid boil on the stove to bring to a set.

Apple and Apricot Chutney

To celebrate the World Jampionships, which take place in August,with winners announced in September, your challenge this month is to make a preserve in your Slow Cooker, write about it on your blog and link the post to the Linky below.



If you would like to take part, then please: 

• Make your recipe in your Slow Cooker and post a photograph and the recipe, or a link to a recipe, on your blog
• Link to Farmersgirl Kitchen
• Use the Slow Cooker Challenge logo in your post
• If you use twitter, tweet your post with @FarmersgirlCook and #SlowCookerChallenge and I will re-tweet it to my followers AND post your picture on the dedicated Pinterest Board. 

Rules: 

• Please do not publish recipes from cookbooks on your blog without permission, they are copyright.
• If you are using recipes from another website, please link to the recipe on the website rather than publishing the recipe.
• One entry per blog.
• Recipes must be added to the linky by the 28th of each month.

Labels: August, chutney, Curd, jam, jelly, preserves, relish, Slow Cooker Challenge, world jampionships

posted by Janice @ 10:20 6 Comments

July Slow Cooker Challenge Round Up

Canellinni Bean Dip is a hummus style dip made in the slow cooker, what a clever idea from Corina at Searching for Spice



Slow Cooker Provencal Style Chicken with Rice  is the delicious summery entry from Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed

Slow Cooker Orange Pistachio and Honey Cake  oh my goodness Baking Queen 74 has excelled herself with this delicious moist cake full sticky syrupy goodness.

Camilla at Fab Food For All has cooked up this Slow Cooked Italian Chicken, a tasty dish and ideal for summer.

Many thanks to all of you for entering the Slow Cooker Challenge in July, remember to check out my Mexican Chicken recipe too and I'll be back in a day or two with a new challenge for August.

Labels: Canellini Bean Dip, Mexican Chicken, orange, Pistachio and Honey Cake, Provencal Chicken, Round Up, slow cooker, Slow Cooker Challenge

posted by Janice @ 18:00 4 Comments

Mexican Chicken in the Slow Cooker

The Slow Cooker is often put away in the cupboard over the summer, in the Slow Cooker Challenge for July I have challenged my readers to get that Crockpot or Slow Cooker out of the cupboard and make a summery dish to enjoy after a day out.  Let's face it we are more likely to be away all day to the beach, the park or other attraction over the summer months and it's so nice to come home to a meal that's ready as soon as you walk in the door.

This recipe for Mexican Chicken Drumsticks comes from The Slow Cooker Cookbook by Gina Steer which is reviewed on the Slow Cooker Challenge post.  I used chicken thighs rather than drumsticks but either would work just as well. The chicken was soft and fell off the bone and the sauce was rich with an intense tomato, chilli flavour.  Highly recommended.



Mexican Chicken
Serves 4

4-8 chicken drumsticks or thighs, skinned
1tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 red serrano chilli, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp tomato puree
475ml (16 fl oz) chicken stock
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 squares (50g)/1 3/4oz) bitter chocolate
salt and freshly ground pepper
2tbsp sesame seeds
Lime wedges
Cooked rice and tossed green salad, to serve

Preheat the slow cooker on high. Lightly rinse or wipe the chicken drumsticks and pat dry on kitchen roll.  Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, brown the drumsticks on all sides, drain and place in the cooking pot.

Add the onion, garlic and chilli to the frying pan and saute for 5 minutes or until softened. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then take off the heat.  Blend the tomato puree with a tablespoons of the stock and gradually stir into the pan with the remaining stock and the chopped tomatoes.  Add the chocolate with seasoning and bring to the boil  Cook, stirring until the sauce has thickened slightly, then pour over the drumsticks.  Cook on high for 3-5 hours. Remove from the cooker, adjust the seasoning of the sauce then pour over the chicken.  Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, garnish with lime wedges and serve with freshly cooked rice and a green salad.

I served my chicken with couscous and roasted peppers, courgettes and onions.



You can win a copy of The Slow Cooker Cookbook by Gina Steer on the Slow Cooker Challenge post entries open until 28th July, 2014. 

Labels: Chicken, chilli, crockpot, mexican, slow cooker, Slow Cooker Challenge

posted by Janice @ 21:20 10 Comments

July Slow Cooker Challenge and a cookbook giveaway

Summer is a time when most people in the UK put their slow cooker away in a cupboard, only to rediscover it sometime about the end of October.  But this is not the case in warmer climes, where the Slow Cooker or Crockpot is seen as the perfect way to cook without literally sweating over a hot stove.  I also think that it's perfect for days out at the beach or the park or even in the garden. as you can  load it up in the morning and head off knowing you will be coming home to a meal you simply have to serve.

Your challenge, for July, is to come up with the perfect SUMMER Slow Cooker meal. Add your link to the InLinkz tool at the bottom of this post.

While I'm here I'm going to tell you about The Slow Cooker Cookbook by Gina Steer




About the Author: GINA STEER is an established and experienced food writer and stylist. After receiving her diploma for Home Economics, she wrote for many leading women’s magazines and was Cookery Editor for a leading women’s weekly publication. She is now a freelance food writer and editor. She has written a number of cookery books and had a regular feature on London’s LBC Radio. She has always been a great lover of hearty, slow cooked meals, ensuring they are accessible to all.

The Slow Cooker Cookbook starts with advice about buying a slow cooker and some tips on food preparation and cooker care. However, this is a short chapter and you are soon into the recipe chapters.

Starters and Sauces contains some really interesting recipes that I am keen to make like Sunburst Soup, Lentil and Squash Broth, Duck Pate, Cheesy Bean Dip and Tangy Tomato Sauce.

Fish and Seafood covers a wide range of different types of fish, I was drawn to Salmon with Sweet Chile Glaze, Scallop, Prawn and Saffron Rice and Tuna with Mango Salsa.

Meat those of you with a slow cooker will know just how good it is at cooking meat, this chapter covers traditional dishes like Braised Beef, Lamb Hot Pot and Braised Lamb Shanks as well as recipes for Lemon Pork with Cumin, Lamb Fillet with Plum Sauce and Sweet and Sour Ham.

I cook at lot of chicken, so am always looking for different ways to cook it, and in the Poultry chapter there are plenty to choose from.  What about Mexican Chicken Drumsticks, Chicken with 40 Garlic Gloves and Chicken Gumbo Supper, other poultry also features including Duck with Cherries, Guinea Hen with Orange Sauce and Turkey Tagine.

In the Vegetable chapter there are plenty of meat free dishes to enjoy including Stuffed Peppers, Warm Bean and Pumpkin Salad, Stuffed Acorn Squash and Spicy Vegetables with Coconut.

I have still to make any Desserts in my Slow Cooker, I think the first might just come from this book.  I'm finding it hard to resist Sticky Date and Toffee Bake, Maple Syrup Dessert and Gingerbread.

The Slow Cooker Cookbook
Gina Steer
Apple Press RRP £9.99

If you like a chance to WIN this book, enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway by leaving a comment and following the instructions.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Labels: #review, Apple Press, cookbook, Cooking, Food, Gina Steer, giveaway, slow cooker, Slow Cooker Challenge

posted by Janice @ 06:30 19 Comments

May and June Slow Cooker Challenge Round Up

The Slow Cooker Challenge ran over two months due to my trip to Nova Scotia  at the end of May.  As usual, I was delighted by the variety of dishes that the 'Challengers' have submitted, something to suit every meal and every mood.  Slow Cooking is such a pleasure, especially when you have been out all day and return to the aroma of your whole meal gently bubbling and ready to serve.


 Ox or Beef Cheeks have become very trendy in fine dining restaurants but they are a really economical as well as a delicious cut of meat. Deon at Food Jam serves us Asian Ox Cheeks


Corina at Searching for Spice combines her Slow Cooker Chicken with some Stir Fried veg to retain the crispness, find out how she did it  Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Stew with Stir-fried Vegetables

A Girl Eats World brings us a simple dish of BBQ Meatballs  made with frozen meatballs and ready made sauce, coming together in the Slow Cooker.

A lack of red wine led to Caroline Makes making this Orange inspired version of Beef Bourgignon: Slow Cooker Beef in Orange and a new dish was born!

Over at Indo Global Food, the slow cooker is being put to good use to make Mango Jam, what a great idea!

Camilla at Fab Food for All brings us a delicious Slow Cooked Pulled Lamb with White Wine and Root Vegetables. 

Sarah  of Tales from the Kitchen Shed is the Queen of the Slow Cooker, she has her own digital cook book on the subject!  Not surprising then, that she has submitted this delicious looking Peach Melba Rice Delight

Now this is my kind of dessert!  Slow Cooker White Chocolate and Lemon Creme Fraiche Icing and Blueberries.  A great slow cooker recipe from Baking Queen 74.


Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best and Sarah has come back with a second offering in the shape of these Slow Cooker Jacket or Baked Potatoes, perfect to come home to.

Many thanks to everyone who entered, look out for the July Slow Cooker Challenge which will include a Slow Cooker Cookbook Giveaway.

Labels: Baked Potatoes, Beef Cheeks, blueberries, Chinese Chicken, Mango Jam, meatballs, Rice Pudding, Slow Cooker Challenge

posted by Janice @ 18:50 5 Comments

Ham in Ginger Beer - The May/June Slow Cooker Challenge

After relying on my Slow Cooker for three months, once I got my oven back, I rather neglected the Slow Cooker.  However, today I was getting my hair coloured and cut, plus doing a few bits of shopping in town, which meant I would be out from 10am until about 3.30pm.  This is when the Slow Cooker really comes into it's own.

Slow Cookers are brilliant for cooking gammon joints, the slow cooking makes the ham really tender and it's such a simple dish to make.


Slow Cooker Ham
750g-1.5kg ham or gammon joint
10 black peppercorns
1 tbsp honey
330ml Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Beer, cider or apple juice
500ml boiling water

1. Place a piece of foil in the bottom of your slow cooker, this will help you lift the ham out when it is cooked.
2. Place the ham in the slow cooker and add the peppercorns.
3. Pour over the bottle of Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Beer.
4. Mix the honey with the boiling water and pour over the ham.
5. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours.
6. When the cooking time is up, lift the ham from the cooker and drain before slicing.
7. Serve hot or cold. 

 I served the ham with boiled new potatoes, cauliflower and parsley sauce.  I added a little of the cooking liquor to the sauce which added a lovely sweetness with just a hint of ginger. We also had the ham cold with salad and the flavour of the Alcoholic Ginger Beer came through more strongly in the ham slices.  I managed to make it stretch to three meals for three adults, with reasonable portions, so really good value all round.



It's an OPEN themed challenge this month, so feel free to enter ANY recipe cooked in a Slow Cooker or Crockpot, just follow the rules below:

• Make your recipe in your Slow Cooker and post a photograph and the recipe, or a link to a recipe, on your blog
• Link to Farmersgirl Kitchen
• Use the Slow Cooker Challenge logo in your post
• If you use twitter, tweet your post with @FarmersgirlCook and #SlowCookerChallenge and I will re-tweet it to my followers AND post your post your pictures on a dedicated Pinterest board.

Rules:

• Please do not publish recipes from cookbooks on your blog without permission, they are copyright.
• If you are using recipes from another website, please link to the recipe on the website rather than publishing the recipe. 
• You can re post previous recipes on your blog, but please add the Slow Cooker Challenge Logo and link.
• One entry per blog.
• Recipes must be added to the linky by the 28th of each month.

As I will not be available to round up the challenge at the end of May, I am running this challenge over two months. The Challenge will end 28TH JUNE, 2014. 
 

Labels: Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Beer, Gammon, ham, Slow Cooker Challenge

posted by Janice @ 20:51 7 Comments

7-a-day Slow Cooker Challenge Round Up

It seems that packing 7 fruits or vegetables into a slow cooker recipe was quite a challenge as, other than my own, I only had two excellent entries which I will share with you.

First up was Pravina from Indo-Global Food with a simple vegetable curry: Aloo-Palak (Potato and Spinach) Curry which can be eaten with rice, naan, roti or paratha.

 My own dish was Chicken with 7-a-day Mediterranean Vegetables a great one pot meal best served with something that will soak up the delicious juices.

Natalie at The Tofu Diaries brought a Vegan dimension to the Slow Cooker Challenge.  Regular readers may have noticed I have a real love of paprika, so this Sweet Potato and Three Bean Paprikash is going on my recipe wish list.

Many thanks to Natalie and Pravina for taking part in the Slow Cooker Challenge.  I hope you will join me on 1st of May to find out what we will be making in our Slow Cookers as we move towards the warmer weather.

 Woo hoo!  I must have left the linky open longer than I though and the lovely Sarah of Tales from the Kitchen Shed has snuck in at the last minute with a delicious Vegetable Biryani and what a gorgeous vibrant photograph.

Labels: 7-a-day, beans, Biryani, potoates, Round Up, Slow Cooker Challenge, spinach, Sweet Potato, Vegan, Vegetables

posted by Janice @ 21:29 16 Comments

Chicken and 7-a-day Mediterranean Vegetables

I thought I'd better make a recipe for my own blog challenge: The Slow Cooker Challenge.  The theme this month is 7-a-day Fruits or Vegetables.  Now it might be pushing it to get a full seven portions of fruit or vegetables onto one plate, but it isn't that difficult to add 7 fruits or vegetables to a single dish.

Chicken 
with 7 Vegetables

8 chicken thighs
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
8 mushrooms
7 small vine tomatoes
2 Aubergines (Eggplant)
3 large or 12 mini red, orange or yellow (bell) peppers
2 large courgettes (zucchini)
12  pitted black olives
2 tablespoons of pesto
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
small bunch of parsley

1. Brown the chicken pieces in a pan with a little oil, set aside.
2. Chop all the vegetables into even sized pieces and place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Mix the pesto and balsamic vinegar into the vegetables and top with the chicken pieces.
4. Cook on medium for 4 hours or on low for 7 hours.
5. Top with chopped parsley.
6. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the juices.




I'm also entering this recipe for Four Seasons Food Spring Challenge: Let's Celebrate Vegetables run by Delicieux and Eat Your Veg.
Fuss Free Flavours and Utterly Scrummy are also celebrating 7-a-day with their challenge Extra Veg.

Labels: 7-a-day, aubergines, Chicken, courgettes, Extra Veg, Four Seasons Food, slow cooker, Slow Cooker Challenge, tomatoes, Vegetables

posted by Janice @ 08:46 19 Comments

April Slow Cooker Challenge: 7-a-day!

How many portions of fruit and veg do you manage to eat in a day?  The latest research is showing that we should be upping our target of 5-a-day to 7-a-day or more.  Read more about this on the BBC News website 7-a-day Fruit and Veg Saves Lives

As I care deeply about all my readers and want them to live for a very long time, the theme for the April Slow Cooker Challenge is 7-a-day  make a dish in your slow cooker that contains 7 portions of fruit and/or veg, follow the rules and link it up to the Linky below:

06/04/14 I've had some feedback that it seems unreasonable to include 7 portions of fruit/veg in one meal and that's probably true.  That wasn't really my intention but I can see that I did actually say that!  In the dish I made (coming soon) I included 7 different vegetables so use that as your guide - just pack as many fruits and veggies in there as possible. Janice

• Make your recipe in your Slow Cooker and post a photograph and the recipe, or a link to a recipe, on your blog
• Link to Farmersgirl Kitchen
• Use the Slow Cooker Challenge logo in your post
• If you use twitter, tweet your post with @FarmersgirlCook and #SlowCookerChallenge and I will re-tweet it to my followers AND post your post your pictures on a decicated Pinterest board.

Rules:

• Please do not publish recipes from cookbooks on your blog without permission, they are copyright.
• If you are using recipes from another website, please link to the recipe on the website rather than publishing the recipe. 
• You can repost previous recipes on your blog, but please add the Slow Cooker Challenge Logo and link.
• One entry per blog.
• Recipes must be added to the linky by the 28th of each month.

Labels: Fruit, Linky, slow cooker, Slow Cooker Challenge, veg, Vegetables

posted by Janice @ 20:27 5 Comments

March 2014 Slow Cooker Challenge Round Up

Many thanks to all who took part in the March Slow Cooker Challenge bringing us some lovely barbeque flavours created in the slow cooker.

Caroline of Caroline Makes started us off with Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Barbeque Chicken a delightfully straight-forward, throw it all in the pot sort of recipe, just the thing for lazy days when you want a tasty dish with minimum effort.


Jane, at Onions and Paper, gave pulled pork another try with The Epic Pork a recipe from Mudpies and Fries.  Unfortunately, despite liking the idea of pulled pork, Jane found that she didn't enjoy the texture of the dish.  If you like pulled pork in a barbeque sauce, you will probably enjoy this slow cooker version.  Even if you don't enjoy pulled pork you should head over to Jane's blog to see the fabulous onion 'flowers'.


Karen at Lavender and Lovage has taken a different approach to the Barbeque theme, with a potato dish with a smoky BBQ flavour coming from smoked bacon: Irish Slow Cooked Bacon and Potatoes  in Paper it would be delicious with sausages, chops or steaks cooked on your barbeque, or even as a lunch or supper dish with a salad, as Karen has done in the photograph.


Corina at Searching for Spice takes us on a trip to Japan with a Slow Cooked Pork in Tonkatsu Sauce (Japanese Barbeque Sauce) which she served with pancakes for pancake day!  Another fabulous recipe for the Slow Cooker Challenge.


Pork seems to have been a very popular choice for a barbeque based slow cooker dish but each one is different.  Ness at JibberJabber has gone a bit retro with a Slow Cooker Barbequed Pork with Pineapple, the sauce looks lovely and sticky,  just as it should be.



Finally, a recipe from Natalie who I met on Twitter @Starcatch3r however, Natalie doesn't have a blog, so she emailed me her recipe and photograph to share.  The Barbeque Shredded Chicken recipe was adapted from a recipe on Sugarlaws blog.  Natalie served the dish with wedges and corn cobs, added salad for the adults and the children had their chicken on rolls it looks delicious. 



And the winner of Slow Cooking for Two (picked by Random Number Generator) is Corina of Searching for Spice.  Congratulations Corina.

Thanks to PGUK for providing a copy of Slow Cooking for Two by Cynthia Graubart as a prize.

Labels: barbeque, March, potatoes, Pulled Pork, Shredded Chicken, Slow Cooker Challenge, Tonkatsu Pork

posted by Janice @ 21:48 0 Comments