slow cooker Archives - What Would Betty Do?

Vodka Sauce with Sausage

Written on December 13, 2013 by Alisa.

Hearty Vodka Sauce A few months ago, we were traveling and came upon a restaurant that was filled with families, but mysteriously had no kiddie menu. The prices weren’t cheap, and I wasn’t going to order the Tiny Kitchen Assistant an entire adult meal at nearly $20 a pop considering that we had no means […] Read More

Anasazi Beans

Written on October 4, 2013 by Alisa.

The Prettiest Beans in the World A few weeks ago, I went to the store to replenish my stock of small red beans for red beans and rice. They were out of the red beans in the bulk aisle, so I tried the packaged, dried beans. That’s when I stumbled across a bag from Bob’s […] Read More

Forget the Bacon: Go Pancetta

Written on September 27, 2013 by Alisa.

Pancetta is Better Than Bacon What’s better than bacon? Ok, admittedly very little. But in recipes, it turns out that pancetta > bacon. I’ve been using bacon in plenty of bean and slow cooker recipes, and it works fine for flavor. But uncooked bacon leaves behind a stringy mess that needs to be fished out […] Read More

Slow Cooker Bratwurst

Written on September 6, 2013 by Alisa.

Bratwurst in a Crock Pot To say that I’ve been relying on my slow cooker a lot lately is a massive understatement. We’re in soccer season now, which means twice weekly soccer practices that don’t end until 7:15. This is a huge issue. I can’t pick the boy up and feed him dinner at 4:00 […] Read More

Tequila Lime Chicken

Written on June 7, 2013 by Alisa.

Crockpot Roasted Tequila Lime Chicken I’ve done the crockpot roasted chicken before, and while it comes out tender and juicy, it’s not exactly flavorful. Of course, the easy way to fix that is with a marinade. One of the easiest roll-home-from-little-league meals is anything Mexican. I can have black beans defrosted in the fridge, ready […] Read More

You Need a Rice Cooker

Written on February 8, 2013 by Alisa.

Why Buy a Rice Cooker? As a kid, I didn’t even know that rice cookers existed. Actually, I don’t think I’d ever even heard of them until I moved to California. (Cut me some slack; I lived a sheltered culinary existence in Campbell’s and Kraft-land.) But in California, everyone has a rice cooker. Everyone. I […] Read More

“Beef and Beans”

Written on January 25, 2013 by Alisa.

Slow Cooker Hearty Chili First of all, let me sincerely apologize for the lack of photos in this post. In all seriousness: does anyone have any tips for how to photograph soups, stews and chilis that don’t look… well, awful? All suggestions are appreciated. In my house this recipe is known as “Beef and Beans.” […] Read More

Betty Says: The 10 Commandments of My Kitchen

Written on October 31, 2012 by Alisa.

Kitchen Commandments 1. Thou shalt not put anything in the freezer unlabeled. Failure to follow this commandment means will result in some very strange meals in the future. 2. Thou shalt not stack dishes in the sink because you don’t feel like unloading the dishwasher. Don’t be lazy. 3. Thou shalt not complain that the […] Read More

Pozole (Posole?)

Written on October 19, 2012 by Alisa.

Pozole Stew I have to admit, somewhat reluctantly, that I had no clue what pozole was before stumbling across a recipe at the farmer’s market. It sounded interesting enough, so I brought it home… and promptly threw it away when cleaning the kitchen. (Oops.) This started me on a Google quest for a pozole recipe […] Read More

You Can Make Yogurt At Home

Written on June 1, 2012 by Alisa.

I have to tell you, I hadn’t given any thought to making yogurt at home. There are supermarkets on every corner, and did I really need yet another project? It appears that the answer was yes. We go through a lot of yogurt. The Tiny Kitchen Assistant eats it with fruit and honey. The adults […] Read More