The Slow Cooker Black Bread That Almost Wasn't

I'm so angry the camera ate this picture.  The Slow Cooker Black Bread from Kleinworth and Co turned out really really...special.

The darn thing was so moist I added an additional 2 cups...of super moisture absorbing rye flour and it was still very. Very. VERY wet when I put it in the crockpot.

I baked it for 2 hours on high.  The amount of time I've found it takes to cook every other loaf of bread I've ever made in the crockpot.  However, that was using this recipe from Artisan bread in 30 min a day.  After 2 hours on high, this recipe for bread was no where near being done.  We had to leave the house for over an hour so I turned the crockpot off, thinking that the residual heat from the ceramic insert would continue to bake the bread.

When we got home the bread was still not done.  So I turned the crockpot back on and cooked it for another 45 min.  The bread was still quite raw in the middle.  By this time the outside was getting very brown.

I wrapped the bread in foil and baked it for another 30 min at 400F.

That should have done it.

But alas...

No.

The loaf did split on one side though.  The bread looked sort of like a 3D pacman.

Most of it was done...mostly.  I cut the more done exterior parts off of the round loaf and cubed those slices.  I then put the pieces under the broiler to make croutons.   Let me tell you, those crutons were something amazing dipped into baked potato soup.  If only the whole loaf had turned out.

I tossed the doughy middle in pieces out the back door for the squirrels.  The squirrels went mad for it.  It was hilarious to watch them fight over the precious pieces.  Who knew squirrels liked doughy brown bread so much!

via

I have no idea why the bread recipe was so moist, nor why it took so long to cook.  It probably had to do with the fact that it calls for about 2 cups of "wet" ingredients and only 2 1/2 c of flour.  Perhaps my 2 cup addition of rye flour made the loaf too dense to cook all the way through.  It's really too bad because what did get cooked was scrumptious.  I guess I'll just stick to my usual crockpot bread recipe from now on.

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

I cannot believe I didn't take a picture of this soup.  I could have sworn that I did.  I think perhaps my camera ate it.  It was so yumtastic that I could see how a camera would want to.

via

In the past, I've made mashed potatoes in the crockpot, but never baked potato soup.  Let me tell you, it's a total winner.  It was the perfect meal for a freezing day on the go. Chop everything up before you go off to work and bam...delicious dinner waiting for you when you get home.

I had planned to have this with black bread that was baked earlier in a crockpot, but that's a story for another post.

• 1kg potatoes (around 5 medium potatoes)
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g butter
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Toppings of your choice: I used cheese, spring onions and corn

See an Asian Pot Roast Recipe

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks, and add them to the slow cooker along with the stock, onion and garlic. Mix to combine, and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Add the grated cheese and butter, and cook for a further twenty minutes or so until the cheese has all melted. Season to taste (be generous!)
3. Serve topped with your choice of toppings – I used a little more grated cheddar, some sliced spring onions, and some sweetcorn.

Note: this soup should keep for a few days, but it will thicken up a lot as it cools. To reheat, just add it to a pan with a good splash of water and it should thin down again as it gets warm.

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-loaded-baked-potato-soup/#cSEJWuvUgdLHc0gh.99

Baked potato soup in the crockpot from Amuse Your Buche
1kg/ 5 med potatoes
500ml chicken stock
1 onion, diced
4 minced cloves garlic
50 g shred cheddar cheese
2 T butter
salt and pepper to taste
toppings of your choice: I used cheese, corn, green onions and turkey bacon

dice potatoes and toss into slow cooker.  I left the skins on. Add stock, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook on low 8-9 hrs.  Mash with potato masher or immersion blender.  Add cheese and butter and let them melt, about 20 min.  Add desired toppings to bowls.  This reheats well, but needs a bit more liquid as it thickens a lot as it sits.

1kg potatoes (around 5 medium potatoes)

500ml vegetable stock

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

50g cheddar cheese, grated

30g butter

Salt

Black pepper

Toppings of your choice: I used cheese, spring onions and corn

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-loaded-baked-potato-soup/#cSEJWuvUgdLHc0gh.99

• 1kg potatoes (around 5 medium potatoes)
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g butter
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Toppings of your choice: I used cheese, spring onions and corn

See an Asian Pot Roast Recipe

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks, and add them to the slow cooker along with the stock, onion and garlic. Mix to combine, and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Add the grated cheese and butter, and cook for a further twenty minutes or so until the cheese has all melted. Season to taste (be generous!)
3. Serve topped with your choice of toppings – I used a little more grated cheddar, some sliced spring onions, and some sweetcorn.

Note: this soup should keep for a few days, but it will thicken up a lot as it cools. To reheat, just add it to a pan with a good splash of water and it should thin down again as it gets warm.

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-loaded-baked-potato-soup/#cSEJWuvUgdLHc0gh.99

• 1kg potatoes (around 5 medium potatoes)
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g butter
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Toppings of your choice: I used cheese, spring onions and corn

See an Asian Pot Roast Recipe

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks, and add them to the slow cooker along with the stock, onion and garlic. Mix to combine, and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Add the grated cheese and butter, and cook for a further twenty minutes or so until the cheese has all melted. Season to taste (be generous!)
3. Serve topped with your choice of toppings – I used a little more grated cheddar, some sliced spring onions, and some sweetcorn.

Note: this soup should keep for a few days, but it will thicken up a lot as it cools. To reheat, just add it to a pan with a good splash of water and it should thin down again as it gets warm.

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-loaded-baked-potato-soup/#cSEJWuvUgdLHc0gh.99

Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers

Let me first say that I like neither peppers nor sweet sausage.  Why then did I ever think to make Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers from Pass the Sushi?

 Maybe because I thought Mrblocko would enjoy it? 

No, let's blame aliens.

So the aliens told me to make this.  And I'm relaying their message of world domination.  Or not.  Just make this dish.  

Two things first, on what not to do...

Number one.  Do not. I repeat.  Do NOT use anything other than Sweet sausage.  Regular old Italian sausage will result in a regular old dish.  Not an amazeballs dish that you will rule the table with if you use sweet sausage.

Number two.  Do not serve this on anything other than a crusty roll.  It will get soggy and messy before you can finish consuming it.  A crusty roll will soak up the juices of goodness. 

Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers from Pass the Sushi
1 Tolive oil
1 lb bulk ground sweet sausage (use only this or sadness will engulf you for the remainder of your days)
1/2 lb ground beef
2 (15oz )fire roasted tomatoes
 8oz tomato sauce
1 sm onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced (I used orange because green is the grossest of all peppers.  Use what you like!)
sliced provolone or mozzarella
Fresh rolls (They should be crusty for maximum sandwich enjoyment)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown sausage and ground beef, breaking into bite sized portions as it cooks. Transfer to a large slow cooker along with roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, and peppers. Cook on low for 5-7 hours. Listen to the cries of anguish and hunger as the smells from the crock pot waft through your house and torment you and your family.

Toast rolls with a slice of cheese until golden brown and cheese is starting to melt. Using a slotted spoon, pile sausage and pepper mixture onto rolls.  Shove the food in your face and try not to let your eyes roll back into your skull.

Hot Fudge and What to do with it

On a fit of whimsy I decided to make some hot fudge sauce.  I found the recipe over at simply gourmet.  Although, all you have to do is remember the 3 "c" s. 

A Cup (of chips)
A Can (of condensed milk)
A Cube (aka stick of butter)

You melt the butter in a pan, then add the chips.  When they are melted add the condensed milk and stir over the heat until it's all mixed together.

Nice and rich and chocolatey.

But when you store it in the fridge it hardens up like this:

Ok so this one has been in the microwave for 30 seconds so it's spreadable, or easier to eat by the spoonful.

It gets pretty solid, or fudge-like once fully chilled.

 Aside from straight off a spoon, this is the best way to eat it:

SMORES!

Spread some of this softened fudge on a graham cracker, then place the other graham cracker square on a microwaveable plate.  Pop a marshmellow on that bad boy and nuke it for 10 seconds until it looks large and in charge.  Top with the chocolate coated cracker, and BAM...instant smores sans fire.

It beats roasting the marshmellows over your gas stove and almost setting your house on fire.

PB Cup Mug Cake

Since I can't seem to find an enjoyable version of hot chocolate, I'll just drown my sorrows in mug cake.  This peanut butter cup mug cake from the Frugal Foodie Mama sure does the trick nicely.

Sadly, thieves broke into my house and ate all my Reese PB cups so I had to use chocolate chips instead.  They did a fair job, but I think I will have to have one or ten more cups to make sure it's a passable substitute.


PB Cup Mug Cake from Frugal Foodie Mama
2 T flour
1 T brown sugar
1/4 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1 T canola oil
1 1/2 T peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 1/2 T milk
1 Reese Peanut Butter Cup or chocolate chips

In a mug mix  flour through salt. Add oil, milk, and peanut butter. mix well.  Push Reese cup down into center of mug. Nuke 45 sec.

Bird seed ornaments

Way back over Christmas break, Blockette and I made these Birdseed ornaments.  I made them with the intention that the squirrels would eat them. 

You see, we had a bird feeder in our backyard growing up.  Those darn squirrels ate every last drop of seed from the feeder.  And when they ate all the birdseed?  Do you know what those little devils did? 

They ate the feeder.

Yes.

The squirrels gnawed off the plastic top of the feeder.

Thus ended the feeding of the birds and/or squirrels.  The squirrels are such ruiners.

So I hung these birdseed ornaments off these weird hooks on what used to be the inside of our 3 season room, now covered patio.

Yeah...I know this picture is horrible, but it was cold out and my camera hates taking pictures through the screen.  I also hate being in the cold and was too lazy to put on my coat.

I made the ornaments in a mini bundt pan.  The pan has 6 mini bundts and this recipe from saltwater- kids filled the entire pan up perfectly.  The little bundts just lent themselves to being hung as ornaments.

So far, the squirrels have only figured out how to get one of the birdseed dealies down.  Everytime we get a new layer of snow I can see all these squirrel tracks all around the post they are hanging near.

Could it be that I have finally outsmarted the squirrels?

We'll have to let the rest of the winter progress to find out.

Squirrel (or not) Birdseed feeder ornaments from Saltwater-Kids
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup
4 cups birdseed
molds (muffin tin, cookie cutters, etc.) 
straw
yarn or twine

Combine flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup in large mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined. Add birdseed, stir until well coated. Spray mold(s) with cooking spray, and spoon birdseed mixture into each mold. Use bottom of measuring cup to pack it down, and make the top smooth. If needed, poke a hole through top of each birdseed mold using a drinking straw, making sure it goes all the way through. Leave birdseed mixture in molds for 2-3hrs. Then, remove straws and lay out a sheet of waxed paper. Gently remove hardened ornaments from mold, and place on wax paper upside down. Allow to dry overnight.Thread those bad boys and hang them up outside where you can watch the animal antics.

A big Cross Stitch Finish for December

I wrote about this one separately because I was too lazy to iron it in time for the post I made on Wed.
So here it is in it's ironed glory.

The design is called Bethlehem by Imaginating.

For my birthday in 2012 my husband gave me a free for all in the most awesome cross stitch store near where my mom lives.  (Big shout out to Stitchville USA.  You rock!) One of the things I purchased was this chart and the fabric.    The fabric is 32ct hand dyed linen.

I started it in December of 2012 but stopped because it wasn't Christmas anymore and I was tired of stitching all in dark brown.  I picked it up again in Dec 2013 and finished it one week before Christmas.

Normally, we don't frame the cross stitches I make anymore, but I think I may ask for this to be framed for my birthday this year.

Here are a few close ups:

As a side note, I named all the buildings while I was stitching them. They are from Left to right: Mushroom, Castle, Bullet, Alamo, Plantation, and the Adler Planetarium.  (Because I'm sure Jesus was born right next to the Adler Planetarium.)