Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (Sundancer7)

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:35:32 GMT

I made two crockpots of beef stew last evening and I let both cook overnight for a total of about 12 hours. I used two packages of beef stew veggies plus a extra bunch of potatoes, carrots, pearl onions and celery and I added beef broth to each, a couple of tablespoons of flour and about two pounds of cubed chuck roast, two packages of beef stew spices and a whol jalapeno to each.

Real good with some fried corn bread. The gravy is outstanding. I did flour the beef and browned it before added it to the crock pot.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (ann peeples)

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:49:25 GMT

Browned country style ribs( salt and pepper). Add a half cup bbq sauce to bottom of crock. Add ribs..top with sauce, chopped onions and brown sugar. My favorite sauce is Roadhouse, but use what you like. Cook on high 3 hours, then turn to low. If you arent home during the day, cook on low all day....easy and good!

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (Route 11)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 21:53:46 GMT

Adaptation Of Edna Lewis's Kidney Bean Soup

Note: This is a soup from poor times. Very plain but very filling and cheap. I ate a big bowl with some bread and butter tonight!

Ingredients:

1 bag kidney beans
1 T. dried or fresh thyme
1/2 to 1 lb smoked meat (I used Trader Joe's Bacon Ends and Pieces)
Salt and Pepper

Rinse kidney beans and pick over. Let them soak for six hours.

Drain the beans and rinse them again. Put in crockpot and cover with water two inches above the top of the beans.

Cut meat into small pieces. Drop that in and add the thyme. Stir.

Cook on low heat for 8+ hours. I let mine go all day. You want the broth to be syrupy.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (deepfryerdan)

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:02:58 GMT

From my blog deepfryerdan.wordpress.com :

Ingredients
1 4-5 pound Pork Butt Roast
1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon pepper
4 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 large sweet onion, sliced into rings
1 cup water
Directions
-Firstly, I pour the water into the crock pot and turn it on low (why not get a jump on the heat?) and then I rinse the pork butt off in the sink.
-Next, mix the dry spices together in a bowl or something of the like and rub it into the meat. Getting it into the cracks and crevices is good practice.
-Now the liquid smoke. I never measure this stuff. Usually just a few hits on each side is more than enough.
-Place the meat ever so gently into the crock pot and spread the onions all over. Place the lid on and let it cook for 7-9 hours (I usually do 9).
-Once finished, remove the pork and tear it up with a couple forks.
Serving and Notes
-Do NOT open the lid during the cooking process, you will lose way too much moisture and heat and the meat will end up tough.
-If you don’t know how to serve barbecue: serve with hamburger buns (or hoagie rolls – much better) and barbecue sauce (homemade is best.. seriously)

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (Route 11)

Mon, 16 May 2011 12:29:36 GMT

Cheap and Vegetarian Crockpot Chili

You need:
One onion and a green pepper, sauteed
1 packet of chili seasoning (low sodium)
1 can hot chili beans
1 can of beans (whatever you have, black, pinto), drained
1 beer
1 bag Morningstar crumbles
1 can diced tomatoes
Put this mess in your crockpot and let it go on low for about 5 hours. Use the cheapest beer you have.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (bartl)

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:32:16 GMT

Foodbme
Spray Crockpot with butter-flavored cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, egg, mustard, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and 1/2 cup ketchup. Shape mixture into a ball and place in slow cooker. Spread remaining ketchup over top of loaf. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

OK, that means the meatloaf should be shaped like a sphere, with only the bottom touching the crockpot? Or maybe the bottom and one point on the side, or should it be balanced?

Bart

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (Foodbme)

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:55:51 GMT

bartl

I have seen numerous meatloaf recipes for crockpots, but what I have NOT seen is instructions for people who have never made one in a crockpot. How do you form and shape the meat?
Bart

Crockpot Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds very lean ground beef
1 egg
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup soft torn bread crumbs
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 cup ketchup, divided

Preparation:
Spray Crockpot with butter-flavored cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, egg, mustard, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and 1/2 cup ketchup. Shape mixture into a ball and place in slow cooker. Spread remaining ketchup over top of loaf. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Serves 6.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (bartl)

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:53:58 GMT

I have seen numerous meatloaf recipes for crockpots, but what I have NOT seen is instructions for people who have never made one in a crockpot. How do you form and shape the meat?

2nd, unrelated question: any good chicken marsala recipes for the crockpot? Shoprite in New Jersey is selling boneless chicken breasts at $1.69 a pound for 2-3 pounds this week, and I just found an unopened bottle of Marsala in the cupboard...

Bart

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (ALLGOOD)

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:26:09 GMT

Cheezy Hot Dogs & Potatos:
1 lb. package of Oscar Mayer hot dogs sliced into thin pennies.
1 large jar Cheez Whiz
1 small (8oz) container Sour Cream (full-fat, no dainty stuff)
6 medium baking (russet) potatoes peeled, boiled, and roughly cubed (not diced) Place all in round or oval slow cooker. Add a touch of milk (1/2 c or so) if desired. Sprinkle with any seasoning you crave (garlic powder, Lawry's, pepper, salt, etc.)
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (Sundancer7)

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:45:03 GMT

I am preparing a corned beef with seasoning and cabbage with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and chicken stock in the crockpot. I will let it rip for about 8-10 hours on low. ROZ (Iwanago) will take it to her employees tomorrow. It will travel in the crockpot and be nice, fresh and hot on arrival.

She will slice it when she serves it.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (tarragon)

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:01:30 GMT

Had this last night, and boy was it tasty! So simple, too:

1 pot roast, dry rubbed with salt-free lemon pepper and garlic/herb spice blend
1 can of jellied cranberry sauce

That's it, put the roast in the crock pot, empty the can of cranberry sauce on top, turn on low and let cook for @ 8 hours or so. If you take the roast out, you can add a slurry/roux to the cranberry sauce and make a gravy. It was just a bit sweet, but omg how delicious it tasted with some mashed potatoes on the side! Very tasty. :)

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (improviser)

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:41:08 GMT

Tried something new over the weekend. Poured some spaghetti sauce (I used a 26.oz jar of Ragu with peppers and mushrooms), added a cup and a half of water, threw in some cannellini beans (the recipe called for a 1 lb. can of beans but my crockpot isn't that big, I used about half of a smaller can) and then threw in some chicken breasts and smoked sausage. Cooked on low for 4-5 hours.

Made a tasty chicken and sausage soup.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (improviser)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:25:33 GMT

Yesterday, I put several chicken breast tenders in the crockpot, covered them with about 2/3rds of a bottle of hot wing sauce, plus a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. Cooked on low all day. You could put the chicken on buns, maybe with some blue cheese or ranch dressing, but I just had it in a bowl, with a hunk of bread to mop up the sauce.

Very spicy. I liked it.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (improviser)

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:35:16 GMT

I made this yesterday: Crockpot cheeseburgers.

Brown a pound of ground beef; drain. Place in crockpot with 1/4 cup of ketchup and one to teaspoons yellow mustard. This didn't seem like quite enough, so I added a bit more ketchup. Place cheese cubes atop beef mixture. Cook on low for three to four hours.

Note: Though the recipes calls for 3-4 hours of cooking on low, I found that while it was good, it seemed a bit dry. So I'm going to reduce the cooking time the next time I make it.

You could slap the result on buns, but I just ate it out of a bowl, with some sweet relish.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (agnesrob)

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:40:18 GMT

I bought a couple of beautiful smoked pork chops the other dat and thought they would go great with some collards. I put my fresh collards in my crockpot along with a dash of cider vineger, tiny amount of sugar, chopped onion, chopped garlic, pork stock and a dash of hot sauce. I put the pork chops on top of the greens and cooked on low for five hours. It came out so good. I never cooked greens in my slow cooker before. The pot liquor was to die for! I highly reccomend it!

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (mayor al)

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:03:41 GMT

This time of year we use two slow-cooker/crockpots, but for making Fruit Butter. After a couple of batches of Apricot Butter a few weeks ago, we now have done two batches of Earliblaze and Golden Delicious Apples. The Apples are very early this year, and really 'dry' due to the constant 90 plus degree weather. We use bottled apple juice in the cooking and a Foley Strainer to prep the fruit for the Crockpot. About 6 to 8 hours of slow cooking with Cinnamon and Clove added to the Sugar and Apples makes some really great Apple Butter.

We will pick up 2 bushels of Peaches today to do the same with Peach Butter (lighter on the Spices) tonight. The Slow-cookers sure beat using the gas range in the kitchen during this hot time of year.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (baileysoriginal)

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:22:30 GMT

Rump Roast - my very favorite Crock Pot thing to cook - use a Slow Cooker Liner - add the roast - garlic - pepper - a few sliced onion rings - a stalk of celery chunked - a little soy sauce and a few squirts of ketchup. Then either about half of a beer or half of a glass of red wine - drink the rest.

I usually cook it the day before and then put it in the fridge - it's easier to remove the fat and slice it - put it back in the Crock Pot and heat it again. Then after the meal all you have to do is discard the liner.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (BelleReve)

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:38:39 GMT

I've misplaced a recipe for one of the best beef stews I've tasted, cut out from Cook's Country magazine about 5-6 yrs. ago. I know it called for tapioca as a thickener and you make a hobo package for the potatoes and carrots to cook separately on top so they don't overcook. I tweaked it a little, cut back on the full two onions it called for, as I felt there were too many and made the dish too bitter. I also added whole mushrooms to the vegetable mix which did fine.

Does anyone have a similar recipe they can post?

Re:Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (improviser)

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:12:22 GMT

Here's something I've been making lately. Take chicken breasts or thighs, place them in the bottom of the crock pot. Dump a jar of salsa on top (I've been using La Costena brand, really spices it up). Cook on low for 7 and 1/2 hours. Remove the lid of the crockpot and stir in some taco seasoning. Recover and cook for an additional half hour. Tasty!

Re:Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (Roadkill2009)

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:12:26 GMT

James' BBQ Recipe
Ingredients
·         1 Boston butt - 8 to 10 lbs.
Liquid Base
·         1 cup Water
·         1/4 cup Moore’s Marinade
·         2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
·         1 Tbs. Liquid Smoke
·         1 Tbs. Red Wine Vinegar (garlic flavored)
·         1 Tbs. Sherry Cooking Wine
·         2 Beef Bouillon Cubes
I use a glass 2 cup measuring cup for this. In the measuring cup, place the 2 beef bouillon cubes in 1 cup of water. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, and make sure the cubes dissolve. Place the rest of the ingredients into the measuring cup and stir.

Dry Seasoning
·         1/8 cup Fajita Seasoning (I use Legg’s Old Plantation Seasoning)
·         1/2 Tbs. Sea Salt
·         1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
·         1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
Just mix all the dry ingredients in an empty shaker, or just shake each one onto the meat individually and guesstimate.

Preparation
Place the Boston butt in a Crock pot with the fat side down. Cover the entire Boston butt generously with the dry seasoning, saving a little to re-apply after you pour in the liquid base. Pour the entire liquid baste over the top of the meat. This may wash some of the dry seasoning off the meat, so reapply the dry seasoning as necessary. Place the lid on the crock pot, and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours depending on the crock pot. You may have to just keep an eye on the meat and adjust the temperature as necessary to keep from burning the outside. Turn the meat over halfway through cooking, putting the fat side up.
For 2 Boston butts, double the ingredients and cook in an 18 quart roasting pan at 325-350 degrees for 6 to 8 hours. You may have to just keep an eye on the meat and adjust the temperature as necessary to keep from burning the outside.

After Cooking
Let cool enough to be able to handle. Wear rubber gloves if it’s too hot (I wear them whether it’s hot or not). Pull the meat, separating the bones, fat and other undesirable stuff from the meat. You can also chop the meat with scissors if you like your bbq chopped instead of pulled. If the meat seems dry, add some of the stock from the crock pot to it.

Re:Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (UncleVic)

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:26:23 GMT

Saw this in the paper. Something simple and the only reason I'm adding it is for the sauce recipe.. Gives ya something to work with.

Meatballs

1/2 pound hamburger
1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard

Combine hamburg, pork, cracker crumbs, eggs and salt and pepper. Roll into balls. Brown.

Combine sauce ingredients. Place in slow cooker with meatballs. Cook on high about 2 hours.

Re:Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (rainyday6)

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:23:58 GMT

Black Bean Soup

10-12 oz dried black bean, picked over and rinsed
1 yellow onion, 1 carrot, 2 celery stalks, 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
4 slices raw bacon
1 T each chopped garlic, cumin seed, chili powder and cocoa powder
1 bay leaf

Cover with water and cook on low until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Fish out large chunks of veg/bacon. Discard bay leaf. Puree chunks with some beans and add back to soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Good with flour tortillas.

Re:Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (ferretface)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:20 GMT

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cooked & shredded
1 bottle hot sauce/wing sauce 12oz.
2 packages cream cheese, 8 oz.
1 Hidden Valley Dressing envelope, prepared (16 oz)
1 ½ cup chopped celery
8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese or Cheddar Cheese, grated
Combine the shredded chicken with the entire bottle of hot sauce, spreading to make an even layer in the bottom of an oval crockpot. In a saucepan, combine the cream cheese, celery and ranch dressing over medium heat until smooth. Pour evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Heat on low a couple of hours & serve with celery sticks & crackers.

Crock-pot Angel Chicken
Throw the following ingredients into crock-pot:
5-6 large frozen Chicken breasts, or equivalent chicken tenders (Don't need to thaw first. Can use fresh if you want, but I love this recipe because you can just throw things from your freezer into your crockpot!)

1 small tub or block of cream cheese
1 can Campbell's golden mushroom soup (If you use cream of chicken or something it's not at all the same. This is something I wouldn't substitute unless you have a 'shroom allergy.)
1 packet Italian dressing mix (just the powder, don't mix it with anything)
1/2 cup white cooking wine or chicken broth
1/4 stick butter
a drizzle of canola oil

Cook in crock on low all day or high about 4 hours. Serve over angel hair pasta or rice.

Crockpot Venison (or steak)
In a crock pot place enough venison for the family. Cover with 1 can of “Golden Mushroom Soup” and 1 envelope “Lipton Onion soup Mix.” Cook for 9 to 10 hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes. The sauce makes a great gravy.

Re:Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (NYNM)

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:03:46 GMT

NYNM

I just made this up, am am delightfully shocked about how easy and delicious it is!

Crockpot Choucoutre (of sorts)

Pork strips
Cabbage (used bag cut to make cole slaw)
Carrots
White Raisins
Sweet/spicy mustard
1/2 cup water

Mix it up, cook it up, eat. yum.

Could also add some bacon, maybe pre-cooked sausage, caraway seed, whatever.

Oh, drink with a bottle of German or Alsatian beer (or a riesling might be good), (or pour in the crockpot, too)

Oh, or throw in some apple slices...

Re:Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (NYNM)

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:59:19 GMT

I just made this up, am am delightfully shocked about how easy and delicious it is!

Crockpot Choucoutre (of sorts)

Pork strips
Cabbage (used bag cut to make cole slaw)
Carrots
White Raisins
Sweet/spicy mustard
1/2 cup water

Mix it up, cook it up, eat. yum.

Could also add some bacon, maybe pre-cooked sausage, caraway seed, whatever.

Oh, drink with a bottle of German or Alsatian beer (or a riesling might be good), (or pour in the crockpot, too)

Re:Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (tarragon)

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:06:12 GMT

I saw a slow cooker recipe packet in the store and decided to try it; it's put out by Slow Cooker Gourmet, made by Purely American foods. It was for Lewis and Clark lentil and sausage stew. What the package contained was a packet of assorted lentils (red, brown, green) and a packet of spices, which contained very little sodium. Fortunately, this was on a "10 for 10" sale, so only cost me $1. Everything else, I had to purchase separately! Here's the recipe, taken from the back of the package:

1 cup fresh carrots, chopped in slices
1 onion, chopped in slices
6 oz. smoked turkey sausage, quartered and sliced
1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
4 cups of water
1/4 cup fresh or frozen spinach, chopped.
and the lentils, which should be thoroughly rinsed and checked, and the package of spices

Directions:
Layer the carrots and onion evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer the sausage evenly over the carrots. Spread the lentils across the sausage, then add the chicken broth. Next, you sprinkle the spice package and some salt (if you desire). NOTE: I'm uncertain what all was in the spice packet but it was definitely dried onions and celery, black pepper, garlic and a bay leaf. Next, pour 4 cups of water over all, put the lid on the crock pot, and set it to cook on low for 4-6 hours.

15 minutes before serving, add the spinach, stirring it into the crockpot. Continue cooking on low; the stew should thicken a bit as it cools.

(sorry, forgot about the spinach! LOL)

We served it over a bit of rice and added some plain yogurt (which I use like sour cream) and a bit of shredded cheddar jack cheese. It was pretty tasty to me, actually.

Some personal notes: I used the turkey/chicken sausage that had sun dried tomatoes in it, which definitely added to the taste. The onion is my addition too. Slow Cooker Gourmet in addition recommends that if you are in a "hard" water area, to soak the lentils overnight, with a bit of baking soda, to make sure that they cook. Our water is a bit hard and I have to say that I agree with that recommendation; I wish that I had soaked them too, and normally lentils don't require soaking! I also think that I would just have one type of lentil, rather than a mixture; it was sure hard to see if there were any stones in there, with the brown ones, to be honest!

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (mayor al)

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:56:05 GMT

It being a cold and snowy day in the Louisville area today, we decided to make a crockpot of Ham and Bean Soup using our Hambone from the Xmas Holiday Ham. It is real simple meal in the pot and goes well on this sort of day !

We soaked one pound of white beans overnight last night, then drained them and added 8 cups of fresh water this morning. To the beans I added two medium Onions cut into fairly small pieces, The large ham-bone (it had quite a bit of clinging meat scraps atached), and small amounts of Celery Salt, Montreal Steak Pepper mix, Garlic Salt, and Minced Garlic. Later in the day I checked the "Saltiness" and added half a package of Onion Soup Mix to boost the broth a bit. Our Christmas Ham was one of the major brand spiral sliced city hams and was not overly salty...that helped keep the Soup fairly mild as well. A large chunk of Butter also added to the richness of the Broth. It has cooked in the Crockpot for about 6 hours and is just about done. Here is the visual of the results.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (BrooklynBill)

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:52:45 GMT

I have played with this one for the better part of a year. Hope you enjoy.
Bill

Tomatoey Crock Pot Pasta E Fagioli

1/4 + lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 ½ carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans, drained *
1(32 ounce) box of beef broth
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons parsley (1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 20 ounce jar spaghetti sauce (That’s half the jar, or use 10 oz of your own sause.)
1cup tubular pasta (I like whole wheat.)

1. Brown beef in a skillet.
2. Drain fat from beef and add to crock-pot with everything except pasta and 10 of the 32 oz of beef broth.
3. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-6 hours.
4. During last 30 min. add pasta and rest of beef broth.
* Note: Instead of high sodium canned beans: Soak 1 cup of dry beans overnight then simmer for 30 to 40 min. drain and add to crock pot mix.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (John A)

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:40:38 GMT

Some boneless country style pork ribs

Pile on sauerkraut with caraway seeds

A few splashes of Worcestershire sauce. Not even spell checker could do that one, had to get the bottle.

About six hours later

It’s not the most colorful or prettiest I’ve ever done. But it’s definitely the most tender and tastiest. The pork came apart
with a fork.

RE: Favorite crockpot recipes, recipes ONLY. (tarragon)

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:30:59 GMT

Made a batch of beef/mushroom/barley soup (although it came out more like a stew!) in the crock pot today. It was a good day for it too, turns out; the temp never got over 40 degrees and it looks like we even got a light dusting of snow here.

I started with some beef short ribs, which I'd picked up at the grocery store Friday afternoon; they were on sale, so I knew I had to use them right away. I seasoned them with salt-free lemon pepper seasoning, then browned on all sides before setting into the crock pot. Next, I sauteed a whole box of white button mushrooms, all sliced up, along with a stalk of celery and one big white onion, sliced, in the same pan where I'd browned the meat. As that was cooking, I sliced up some fresh carrots, and mixed up a couple of cups of beef broth (sodium free), adding them to the crock pot. As soon as the mushroom/onion/celery mix was finished, I put that in the crock pot as well, then measured out 3/4 cup of medium barley (bigger than the pearl barley I'd been using) added that, put the lid on and set the pot for low.

I did check on it a couple of times, and added some seasoning about half way through, along with some frozen peas and carrots. I started it in the pot about 9:30 am and it was done by 3:30 PM.

It was some of the best soup/stew I've ever had, if I do say so myself! And there are leftovers enough for another meal, even better. Delicious and good for you. [:P]

4 beef short ribs, seasoned and browned in a bit of oil
after they're done, sautee:

1 whole onion sliced in crescents
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 box of button mushrooms, sliced

you can add garlic and whatever seasonings you like; I use salt-free lemon pepper and salt-free garlic herb blend (Mrs. Dash).

The beef ribs are in the crock pot, to which I added 2 cups of beef broth (no sodium) and 2 cups of water and some fresh carrots, sliced.

I added the finished onions/mushrooms and celery to the crock pot, then added:

3/4 cup of medium pearl barley

about 4 hours into cooking, add some frozen veggies, as desired; my choice was peas and carrots.

Then cover the pot and set it on low... let cook for 6 hours or so. I think I added another cup or two of water, as it thickened up considerably; I also tasted it and decided it needed a bit more seasoning. The short ribs made an excellent choice of beef for this, but I think I might try some oxtail next time. YUM!