Bethenny Frankel shows you how to make easy lunch or dinner recipes for your kids. diet.com Cooking doesn’t have to take a long time. Teach your children how to cook by having fun. Eating healthy never tasted so good. Featured recipes: Mediterranean Turkey Burgers. Check Out Diet.com Video! Diet.com: www.diet.com Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel – www.youtube.com Go behind the scenes w/ Sarah’s Blog- www.diet.com Twitter twitter.com Facebook: www.new.facebook.com iTunes: tinyurl.com Sarah’s Fitness Blog – www.examiner.com
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SONGS FROM THE ANTICIPATED ALBUM “THREAT 2 MANKIND” PLUS MORE NOT FEATURED IN VIDEO. AVAILABLE ONLINE SUMMER 2010. DOVER,DELAWARE ARTIST READY FOR THE NEXT STEP.

Sue Mallick with Food City presents a fresh recipe for Italian Style Macaroni and Cheese at Food City’s Cooking School. This episode accents a free program featured every Monday night at The Crown Point Shopping Center location on North Eastman Road in Kingsport, TN. See www.foodcity.com for complete recipe details. Ingredients: 1 pkg elbow macaroni 1 can Italian style diced tomatoes 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 cup water 1 container sour cream 2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese Stir together elbow macaroni, diced tomatoes, soup, water, and sour cream. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 3 quart slow cooker, top with remaining cheese. Cover and cook on Low 4 1/2 hours or until macaroni is done.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

In my ‘un-biased’ opinion, the crockpot / slow cooker is one of the most convenient and easy to use appliances in my kitchen. The time savings features of the slow cooker and the delicious dinners that have resulted more than offset any minor drawbacks.

Before I list my top reasons why the crockpot is the most useful appliance in any kitchen, I will list a few of the areas where it does not perform as well.

- Large cuts of meat such as boneless prime rib or leg of lamb are still best when oven roasted.

- Except for stews and chowders, the slow cooker does not cook fish very well.

- The slow cooker collects a lot of the juices since the steam does not escape during cooking and these juices can become diluted and watery, which can affect the flavoring of the food.

- If not careful, a slow cooker can overcook food -especially some of the more tender meats and poultry.

These drawbacks are relatively minor compared to the positives which I will list now.

- The slow cooker needs virtually no tending while it cooks, freeing you up to do other chores or recipes.

- The slow cooker will tenderize less expensive, tough cuts of meat and make great stews out of them.

- The slow cooker allows you to be out of the kitchen for extended periods of time -sometimes even all day.

- Burning your food is rarely a problem. The slow cooker will make many dishes for you better than any other appliance -especially those that tend to stick to the bottom of a pan.

In my opinion the slow cooker is one of the most under-utilized and yet superior of kitchen appliances. When used for what it does best, you will find that you are able to prepare great dishes in less time than you thought possible!

The terms ‘crockpot’ and ‘slow cooker’ have come to be used interchangeably. The word ‘crockpot’ is a name which was actually a trademarked name, but is often used as a generic term.

‘Rival’ is the original holder of the trademarked term ‘Crock-Pot’.

The Rival Crock-Pot / slow cooker has been one of the most important cooking tools for busy families since its introduction in 1971. Slow cooking is a great way to provide delicious home cooked meals for people and families on the go and produces flavorful meals time after time.

This appliance is made of fired clay and is usually glazed and surrounded by a metallic housing. It contains a controlled heating element to maintain the slow cooker temperatures whuich allow food to be cooked over longer periods of time.

Typically a slow cooker will have just two heat settings, and a glass lid is used to retain the heat and moisture. An important tip to be sure to follow is this: Don’t lift the lid while it is cooking the food! Letting the heat escape in this way will add twenty minutes to the cooking time! The lid is important as it prevents escape of hot water vapor which would, if permitted, lead to lowering the internal water level, loss of heat and drying out of the contents.

A slow cooker works in a much different way than a pressure cooker which allows much higher temperatures than the boiling point of water. Because the lid of a slow cooker is on very loosely, the temperature inside will never get above the boiling point of water. Any vapor that does occur condenses on the lid and returns as moisture back onto the food.

Because of the nature of slow cooking, food can be cooked for longer than expected with no harm to the food. In fact, your meats become more tender when they are cooked like this over longer periods of time.

Recipes for these cookers must be adjusted to compensate for the nature of the cooking. Often water must be decreased. Most (probably all) come with recipe booklets. Many cookbooks with slow cooker recipes are available and there are numerous recipes on the Web. A small number of cookbooks seek to make complete dishes in a slow cooker using fewer than five ingredients while others treat the slow cooker as a serious piece of culinary equipment capable of producing gourmet meals. With some experience, timings and recipe adjustments can be successfully made for many recipes not originally intended for these cookers. The long, moist nature of the cooking method allows for lower quality cuts to be used.

And even though a slow cooker takes longer to cook the food, it will actually save you time! How is this possible? Well, you can quickly load the ingredients in the morning and turn it on. That right there is the bulk of your time -not very much! And at dinner time, your home will greet you with a flavorful aroma fit for a king or queen!

Whether or not you are a meat eater, vegetarian crock pot recipes are one of the healthiest ways that you can eat well and keep the weight off. The best thing about cooking a recipe for the crock pot is that it is so easy. You just simply add a bunch of different ingredients and leave it simmering. That is it. The crock pot cooks all day, and by the time you get home, it is done.

My favorite vegetarian crock pot recipe of all is lentil soup. I love crock pot lentil soup. The thing about soup is that it has to simmer for a long time to mix all the flavors together. You really need to keep it going all day. This is easy if you work at home, but if you don’t, you can’t watch the soup. It is dangerous to leave the burner on. This is why vegetarian crock pot is such a good way to cook. It simmers at a very low temperature, carefully regulating the soup. This means that no fires can start. There is no danger about leaving a vegetarian crock pot going all day. One time, I accidentally left my crock pot on for a week while I was out of town. Except for the fact that the crackpot wasted a little bit of electricity, nothing bad happened.

Of course, there are many recipes for crock pot – both vegetarian and omnivorous. Most of the time, I enjoy eating vegetarian low carb crock pot recipes, but this is not always the case. Sometimes I like to splurge on something a bit unhealthy. After all, why not live dangerously? My favorite meat crock pot recipe is beef stew. I simply love making crock pot beef stew. I have never understood how people can make beef stew in the normal way. It takes so much attention to make it on the stove. But in the crock pot, everything cooks so slowly that it is easy. You just leave it going all day, and voilà. You have the most delicious beef stew imaginable.

Once you get good with vegetarian crock pot cooking, you can usually experiment on your own. The first time, however, it can be good to follow a recipe. You can get crock pot recipes all over. They are on the Internet for free. You can also get crock pot cookbooks. There is no shortage of information about how to cook with crockpots. It is really so simple that once you try it, you won’t stop!

Even if you don’t really follow football closely or at all – everyone celebrates the Superbowl. There is fun for everyone, like new and funny commercials, over the top pre-game and half time shows, and an excuse to have a party, eat and drink too much.

The foods that are most famously associated with this event are admittedly geared more towards men and carnivorous choices but, you can find a vegetable or legume on the list too. Some items on the list can be made as unhealthily or healthful as you like by the ingredients you use.

Most would agree that the Superbowl is all about food, friends and fun!

Okay, Here is my list of the top ten Superbowl foods:

10. Chips, Dips, Salsa and Nuts

This is a big umbrella of general “snack food” or ” junk food”. Beer nuts or any kind of nuts are almost a pre-requisite for a Football party anyway. There are some really great appetizers that are now almost synonymous with Football. For example: Nachos – whether you just pour some melted cheese on them or go all out with salsa, guacamole, jalapenos, black olives, refried beans and spiced ground meat – these are always a crowd pleaser. There’s also the “old fashioned” Chex mix that is really quite a nice retro snack. Purchase, various Chex cereal flavors, add mini pretzels, some peanuts, melt some butter and honey with some kicked up seasonings – mix them all together and spread them out on a cookie sheet in the oven on 350 for 15-20 minutes. Great stuff.

9. BBQ Baked Beans

The classic baked bean recipe can take over 24 hours to prepare and serve. It involves soaking the dry beans which takes up most of the time, and marinating and baking the beans in a combination of Molasses, brown sugar and BBQ sauce. It normally has Pork in it too and that adds a really great flavor but, if that’s not your bag you can substitute ground turkey or have no meat at all.

8. Steak Tips

There are also Turkey, Swordfish and Chicken tips out there too now a days. Whichever you choose, marinating them in a good marinade first is a must. Steak will need the longest in a marinade but, all of them will be great once they are grilled on a nice hot grill. Pair tips with Salad and a mixed rice and you are all set!

7. Sandwiches

I prefer the foot long Italian hoagie from the local deli cut up into 2 or 3 inch size sandwiches. Hot peppers are a necessity but should probably be “on the side” for the less inclined. Any kind of sandwiches will work really and Calzones which are not really considered sandwiches are a great choice because they are easy to eat while not sitting down and come in all kinds of yummy flavors.

6. Pizza

Well, I had to put it on the list. It is really popular as a football food. It’s not truly my choice but, considering that watching football is a male oriented past time and most men are not into cooking, it makes sense that something you can pick up the phone and have delivered within 30 minutes (men are not normally planners either) would be on the list. PS: Anything that can be ordered, created and delivered within 30 minutes is not something I would recommend for adults – Children…okay.

5. BBQ Pork with all the fix’ins

This choice is really for a dedicated BBQ’er and will take some time to do right but, boy. It is well worth it. You really have to start this menu item the day before you want to enjoy it. It takes a smoker and a pork butt, some good dry rub, a mop sauce (this is important as far as I am concerned) and some good BBQ sauce along with a dedication to the low and slow way of cooking. In addition to the pulled pork, lay out some hamburger buns, home made cold slaw, and some chips and you have the perfect football party meal.

4. Chili

This is one of the most versatile and easy one-pan dishes you can make. You can prepare it for a whole crowd using a crockpot and it has so many variations there is bound to be one that’s to your liking. Just type in “Chili Recipes” in Google or your favorite browser and see all of the hits you get. Yep, you can’t go wrong with a good chili. Make sure to have extra hot sauce for the diehards that insist on kicking it up a notch!

3. Ribs

Short ribs, Long ribs, Dry ribs, Wet ribs….There is a whole big debate about the best type of meat to use and the best way to cook ribs that is almost as hotly debated as who is going to win the big game. Two things I can tell you about ribs: 1. They are difficult to cook just right and, 2. When they are cooked correctly they are delicious! My suggestion to you is to purchase some ribs at your best local BBQ restaurant or grocery market and pop them in your oven before your friends arrive, set out your favorite BBQ sauce and pass them off as your own creation. See if anyone figures it out.

2. Sausages, Hot Dogs

These may not appeal to those of you that are on a health food kick but, really there have been vast improvements in the hot dog and sausage varieties and quite a few are now more healthy options than other choices. And really, what’s better than a sweet Italian Sausage smothered in sauted peppers and onions with gobs of mustard all wrapped up in a bun – mummm mummm. You can take a walk at half time to make up for it.

1. Chicken Wings

Okay, No surprise here. I don’t know exactly how Chicken Wings became the unofficial Football food but, I am cool with it. I have no complaints. Wings are pretty easy to make and you can make small batches at a time which is great if you are not sure how many people will be showing up demanding to be feed on the big day. The secret to great wings is the Wing sauce. There are almost as many brands of Wing sauce these days as BBQ sauce and mustard! That tells a little something about how popular these babies are.

There’s something about eating a nice, hearty bowl of chili that warms us down to our toes. Doesn’t matter what time of year – anytime is chili time! It’s amazing how many varieties of chili recipes exist in the cooking universe. Here’s a small sample of some great chili recipes.

Award Winning Chili – Made with beef brisket, garlic, V8 juice, jalapeno pepper, spices, beer and your commitment to making great chili. You’ll win awards in your own kitchen after making this delicious chili.

Authentic Texas Chili – Made with top round beef, garlic, green peppers, dried chilies, beef stock and hot sauce. This chili brings you a taste of the old Southwest – open prairie, a cozy fire and a cowboy strumming a tune on his guitar.

Bill’s Prize Winning World Best Chili – Made with lean ground chuck, lean ground pork, lean beef chuck, onions, tomato sauce, powdered mole (mo-lay), hot sauce and spices. This amazing chili recipe is definitely for the true chili connoisseur.

Chili’s Restaurant Southwest Chicken Chili – Made with navy beans, kidney beans, chicken breast, tomatillos, jalapeno pepper, green pepper, onions, lime juice and chili spices. If you’ve ever enjoyed this dish at Chili’s restaurant and wondered how they make it. Now you know.

Down Home Crockpot Chili – Made with kidney beans, ground beef, garlic, tomatoes, cayenne pepper, chili seasoning, and spices. A savory slow-cooker chili recipe with a delicious homemade flavor.

Texas Beer Chili – Made with ground beef, pinto beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, beer, onion and spices. A simple yet hearty chili to enjoy with thick slices of toasted garlic bread or tortilla chips.

Wendy’s Chili – Made with ground beef, kidney beans, onion soup, tomato paste, spices. I love Wendy’s chili. Eat this when you have a cold – it’ll make you feel better.

White Bean Chili – Made with chicken, white beans, pepper jack cheese, and mild salsa. A great chili recipe to make when you’re in a hurry to eat.

Best Cincinnati Chili – Made with ground beef, tomato sauce, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, allspice and chocolate. Cincinnati is famous for this sweet and spicy salsa. Serve it over spaghetti noodles with sprinkled cheese on top – yum!

Uncle Jim’s Award Winning Vegetable Chili – Made with pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, corn, zucchini, jalapeno chilies, onions, green peppers, carrots and spices. Who needs meat when you can enjoy this hearty vegetarian chili instead? Sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top to make it extra special.

One of the advantages of preparing soups in crock pots is the richness of flavour from the slow cooking process. Today, I am sharing with you three deligthful crockpot recipes for soups, great confort dishes any time of the year.

16 BEAN SOUP
1 package 16 Bean Soup
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon crushed oregano
2 cans no-fat chicken stock
Additional water to cover
3 stalks celery chopped
3 carrots diced
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic sliced
1 pound turkey Italian sausage sliced
2 cans stewed (or diced) tomatoes

Combine first 5 ingredients (liquid should cover mixture by 1″-2″) in
Crock Pot Cook on high for 2 hours Add remaining ingredients and shift cooker to low and cook for additional 3 hours For more zing, add cayenne or crushed red pepper when adding second set of ingredients. Serve as complete meal or over rice. Freezes well.

VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
1 pound ground chuck
1 cup chopped onion
1 large (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes (chopped)
3 cup diced potatoes
1 (16 oz.) can cut green beans
2 teaspoon chili powder
2-3 dashes cayenne pepper sauce
2 (10 1/2 oz.) cans condensed beef bouillon
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Brown meat with onion and celery; drain off fat. Stir in remaining ingredients and add 1 or 2 cups water. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

BARBECUED BEAN SOUP
* 1 lb Great Northern beans, soaked
* 2 tsp Salt
* 1 med Onion, chopped
* 1/8 tsp Ground pepper
* 2 lb Beef short ribs
* 6 cup Water
* 3/4 cup Barbecue sauce
Place all ingredients in Slow Cooker except barbecue sauce Cover and cook on Low 10 to 16 hours. Before serving, remove short ribs and cut meat from bones. Return meat to Slow Cooker. Stir in barbecue sauce before serving.

A crockpot (slow cooker) may be the answer to some very practical issues in food preparation for your family. This often overlooked kitchen appliance, when appropriately called upon, will take a lot of the worry out of preparing your next meal.

You see…

- If you’re short on time a crockpot might me your answer.

- If you’re looking for a more well balanced and healthful meal, a crockpot might be your answer.

- If you’re looking to save money, a crockpot might be your answer.

The trusty old crockpot can be the solution to many of the everyday food challenges -and it was right under your nose the whole time! With some simple forethought and preparation, the time that you spend in the kitchen preparing your next meal will be considerably reduced.

Another thing you’ll notice is this: Buying the top of the line meats is quite unnecessary. You see the crockpot will tenderize your meats for you just by the nature of the slow cooking process. Very easy on the pocketbook for what will end up being deliciously tenderized cuts of meat.

Creating a meal will get easier and easier as you learn which recipes you and your family really like and have all the necessary ingredients handy. There are recipes out there where all that is called for is four, maybe five ingredients. How much easier can it get?

Crockpots are the right answer for many occasions and many meals. Let it do all the work for you while you’re away! Simply put in the ingredients the recipe calls for and make sure to turn the appliance on. Then go take your kids to school, drive yourself into the city for your job, do your errands or whatever. If in the past you always seemed to be short on time, you will see that most of the work involved in making dinner has just been completed. And it’s still morning! Now it’s the slow cooker’s turn to do its work.

You may be asking, “How can a slow cooker save me time in making dinner, that’s goes against logic, doesn’t it?” The answer is “Yes” it does ‘apparently’ go against logic, but also “Yes” it will save you time in your dinner preparations. Many are re-discovering this fact. The time spent in preparing the meal is the key, and this is where the time savings occur. You will not have to be present, watching over and monitoring your meal every minute to make sure everything is going according to plan. The slow cooker makes this totally unnecessary.

And when you come home from a full hard day of doing all the things that needed to be done, you will be greeted by an aroma-filled home and a delicious sit down dinner!

So you see, with just a little pre-planning you will only need to spend a few minutes in the morning and you’re practically done with all of your dinner prep. Prove it to yourself!

Many of your favorite recipes can be successfully adapted to the crockpot or slow cooker if you follow a few simple rules. You’ll find a basic time/temperature guide for converting recipes, some do’s and don’ts for specific ingredients and a few tips for making your slow cooker dishes more flavorful.

Liquids
Generally, liquids may be decreased in slow cooking – a general rule of thumb is about half the recommended amount. Unless the dish contains rice or pasta, one cup of liquid is usually enough.

Pasta and Rice
When recipes call for cooked pasta to be added, cook it until just slightly tender before adding to the pot. Add 1/4 extra liquid per 1/4 cup uncooked rice, and use long grain converted rice for the best results. For long-cooking recipes, add cooked rice shortly before serving.

Beans
It is usually best to soak beans overnight before cooking them in the crockpot. Before adding sugar or acidic ingredients, the beans should be softened first, either in the slow cooker or on the stove top. If your recipe includes tomatoes, salt, or other acidic ingredients, the beans should be tender before beginning.

Herbs and Spices

Ground herbs and spices tend to dissipate over long cooking times, so it’s best to add them near the end of cooking. Whole herbs release flavors over time, so are a good choice for crockpot cooking. You should taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary, before serving.

Milk/Cheese
Milk, sour cream, and cream break down over long periods of cooking, and should be added during the last hour. Condensed cream soups are good substitutions for milk and can be cooked for extended times. “Healthy,” or reduced fat cream soups can be used in any recipe as a substitute.

Cheeses don’t generally hold up over extended periods of cooking, so should be added near the end of cooking, or use processed cheeses and spreads.

Soups
Add water only to cover ingredients in soup, and add more after cooking if necessary for a thinner soup.
For milk based soups, add 1 or 2 cups of water and during the last hour, stir in milk, evaporated milk, or cream as called for.

Vegetables
Dense vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables should be cut no larger than 1″ thick, and placed in the bottom of the pot, since they take longer to cook
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