Author: Carma Spence

Carma Spence has been experimenting in the kitchen since she was four years old and loves trying out new recipe ideas. She is the author of Bonkers for Bundt Cakes and Your Perfect Pie, as well as author and contributor to several more non-food-related books. With Carma's Cookery, she is taking her passion for empowering people and blending it with her passion for cooking, gift-giving and entertaining.

Recipes

Slow Cooker Mac-n-Cheese

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 9, 2017

Who doesn’t like mac-n-cheese? This simple dish of macaroni and cheese sauce has become a crowd pleaser — especially if you have kids — at many an Easter meal. Below is a simple, creamy version you can make in your slow cooker, along with some variations I like to do to mix things up and possibly even “adult-ify” this mainstay.

Ingredients

12 oz macaroni, shells, spirals or your favorite pasta
3-4 cups shredded cheddar
8 oz cream cheese
4 cups milk
1 can evaporated milk
salt,pepper & nutmeg to taste

Directions for Mac-n-Cheese

Add all the ingredients to your crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours or until the pasta is done.

Variations

Need to lower the glycemic index so someone with diabetes can eat it? Choose whole-grain or protein-enriched pasta. Or, increase the protein of the dish by adding in some meat, as suggested below.
Add in sliced sausage, hot dogs or Vienna sausage.
Drop the nutmeg and add in mustard instead.
Toss in some cooked meat balls.
Add in some chopped garlic and fresh basil for a pesto-inspired version of mac-n-cheese.

Planning an Easter Meal at Home?

Make it a relaxing, easy event with the tips, suggestions and recipes included in Easy Easter at Home, Carma’s Cookery’s latest report. Take a sneak peak at the Table of Contents, then grab a copy of your own!

Introduction
Planning Ahead: Easter Activities & Decorations
Hosting Easter Without the Stress
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner?
Share The Joy – You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself
It’s Not Just About the Easter Bunny – A Short History of Easter
Getting Creative with Leftovers
Closing Words
Recipes
Crafting Ideas

Tags cheese, mac-in-cheese, macaroni

Recipes

Slow Cooker Brussels Sprouts

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 8, 2017

I’ll admit it — I’ve never been a fan of Brussels sprouts. When I was in college, I remember driving by fields of them around Central California and thinking to myself, “Are there really that many people who like Brussels sprouts?”

Well, apparently there are. And, recently I tried a dish that featured this tiny cousin of the cabbage that I actually liked! Below is not that recipe, but it looks good. Frankly, it had me at bacon.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar, lemon juice or rice vinegar (to give it a kick)
1/8 tsp salt
8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp

Directions for Slow Cooker Brussels sprouts

Wash and cut your Brussels sprouts, removing the end and slicing in half lengthwise.
Add them to your slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients, reserving half of the bacon for topping.
Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6.

Variations and Notes

Use fresh Brussels sprouts — frozen can get too bitter in the slow cooker.
Add in some cloves of garlic for extra oomph.

Planning an Easter Meal at Home?

Introduction
Planning Ahead: Easter Activities & Decorations
Hosting Easter Without the Stress
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner?
Share The Joy – You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself
It’s Not Just About the Easter Bunny – A Short History of Easter
Getting Creative with Leftovers
Closing Words
Recipes
Crafting Ideas

Tags Brussels sprouts, slow cooker

Special Occasions

Dyeing Easter Eggs in the Slow Cooker

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 7, 2017

Dyeing hard boiled Easter eggs is a lot of fun, but it can get a little messy. If you have a lot of little helpers around, dealing with boiling water on the stove is not always the greatest idea. Why not get your slow cooker out of the cabinet and dye your Easter eggs in it this year?

Before you get started, do yourself a favor and grab a package of crockpot liners. They are fairly inexpensive (you can get four liners for under $2 on Amazon) and will prevent the dye from discoloring your crock. Even though we’re dealing with food safe ingredients here, it won’t harm you to skip this step, but if you do, don’t be surprised if your slow cooker insert ends up being some funky shade of whatever.

Dyeing Easter Eggs with Kool-Aid

A fun and easy way to start coloring Easter eggs is with packets of Kool-Aid. Grab a few bright colors and think about how you want to go about dyeing your eggs.

Start with the lightest color and then mix to your heart’s desire. For example, you could go from yellow to orange, to red and finally to purple. If you have more than one slow cooker, or spread your dying out over two or three days, you’ll have even more coloring options available.

Directions

Start by lining your slow cooker and adding just enough water to cover your hard boiled eggs — but don’t put your eggs in just yet. Turn your slow cooker on high and allow the water to heat up for about 2 hours.
Add enough Kool-Aid packets to get a nice, deep color, and then carefully dip your eggs into the slow cooker.

Note: There’s no need to add vinegar since the drink mix has citric acid in it. Dye the eggs as you would with commercial Easter egg dyes.

Natural Dyes in The Slow Cooker

Another fun option is to use things like onion skin and red cabbage to dye your eggs. You’ll end up with some lovely natural shades.

Cook up the dye stock in your slow cooker, then carefully ladle it into cups or glass jars and dip your eggs in for dyeing. You’ll still want to add a liner before you start cooking to prevent discoloration of your crock.

In each case, fill your slow cooker about half full with water. Add plenty of the plant material suggested below and allow it to cook on high for 3 to 4 hours until your dye liquid is fairly dark.

Here are some ideas for making the dyes:

Several big handfuls of dry onion skins (I save them ahead of time)
1 small head of red cabbage, sliced
6 beets, quartered
1 to 2 cups of coffee grounds
8 to 10 tea bags – more for deeper colors.

Allow the dye to cook, then carefully ladle some of the liquid in jars and allow your hard boiled eggs to sit in the mixture for several minutes. The longer they sit, the darker the color. You’ll end up with pretty soft shades of yellow, purple, red, brown, and green. All will have earthy, subtle tones.

Planning an Easter Meal at Home?

Introduction
Planning Ahead: Easter Activities & Decorations
Hosting Easter Without the Stress
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner?
Share The Joy – You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself
It’s Not Just About the Easter Bunny – A Short History of Easter
Getting Creative with Leftovers
Closing Words
Recipes
Crafting Ideas

Tags dying eggs, Easter eggs

Recipes

Slow Cooker Baked Sweet Potatoes

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 6, 2017

Your slow cooker can act as an additional oven, baking foods such as these sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

3-5 sweet potatoes, scrubbed

Directions for Slow Cooker Baked Sweet Potatoes

Wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil and put into the slow cooker. You can stack them but try not to over stuff your crock.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until your sweet potatoes are fork tender.

Serving Suggestions

Sweet potatoes can go sweet or savory, so why not let your guests decide how they’d like them and create a sweet potato bar? Here are some suggestions for toppings you can include:

[one_half] Sweets

Cinnamon
Sugar
Chocolate chips
Whipped cream
Brown sugar
Pecans
Orange marmelade
Honey
Molasses
Whipped butter

[/one_half]
[one_half_last] Savories

Sour cream
Ricotta cheese
Goat cheese
Shredded cheddar
Chopped green onions
Sliced olives
Bacon crumbles
Chopped tomoato
Chopped cilantro
Satay sauce

[/one_half_last]

Planning an Easter Meal at Home?

Introduction
Planning Ahead: Easter Activities & Decorations
Hosting Easter Without the Stress
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner?
Share The Joy – You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself
It’s Not Just About the Easter Bunny – A Short History of Easter
Getting Creative with Leftovers
Closing Words
Recipes
Crafting Ideas

Tags sweet potatoes

Cooking Techniques Tools of the Trade

Stop Stressing About Side Dishes

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 5, 2017

Slow Cooker to the Rescue

Easter is almost here and, if you’re reading this, I’m willing to bet that you’re already getting ready for the big Sunday family meal. Maybe you’re cooking for a few friends, or you’re having your extended family over for a nice ham dinner. Perhaps you’ve been asked to bring a dish or two to the church potluck dinner. Whatever the case may be, there’s no need to stress about getting everything cooked and keeping it hot and ready. There’s an easy way to cook up delicious sides without all the stress – in your slow cooker.

One of the big advantages of using your slow cooker is that you end up with a dish that’s very portable and it’s easy to keep warm. Just keep it plugged in until your guests arrive or when you get to your dinner destination. It also leaves your oven free to bake the ham and maybe even a pie or two for dessert.

What You Can Make in a Slow Cooker

There are all sorts of delicious side dishes you can make with this handy kitchen appliance. If you like potatoes with your ham, try making a batch of creamy mashed potatoes in there, or how about some cheesy scalloped potatoes. Macaroni and cheese is always a big hit with the kids. You can even repurpose your crockpot as a rice cooker and whip up a yummy flavored rice dish for the dinner table.

Let’s not forget about the vegetables. You can cook up all sorts of delicious vegetable dishes and casserole style sides right in your slow cooker. Root vegetables are particularly suitable for long and slow cooking. Try fixing your glazed carrots or a mix of potatoes, carrots, turnips and onions seasoned with garlic and rosemary mixed with a little olive oil and cooked on low for 8 hours or until all the vegetables are tender.

Cauliflower and broccoli in cheese sauce is always a big hit. Brussels sprouts or asparagus slowly steamed in the slow cooker can be incredibly delicious.

And remember casseroles. Most of your holiday favorite recipes can easily be adapted to be made in a slow cooker. You can either search for a crockpot specific version of your family’s favorite casseroles or follow the tip below.

How to Adapt Casserole Recipes

Cook the casserole on high for 4 hours for every hour you would bake it in the oven. Precook your meat before adding it and add most vegetables raw, at the beginning of the cooking process. Spring vegetables like peas, summer squash, zucchini, etc. only need about 2 hours to cook, so add them later. Reserve toppings for the last 30 to 45 minutes.

Cooking your favorite holiday side dishes in the slow cooker is easy-peasy lemon squeezy. Give it a try this Easter and see if you can’t free up some valuable oven space in the process.

Planning an Easter Meal at Home?

Introduction
Planning Ahead: Easter Activities & Decorations
Hosting Easter Without the Stress
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner?
Share The Joy – You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself
It’s Not Just About the Easter Bunny – A Short History of Easter
Getting Creative with Leftovers
Closing Words
Recipes
Crafting Ideas

Tags casseroles, root vegetables, side dishes, slow cooker

Recipes

Slow Cooker Whipped Potatoes

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 4, 2017

Getting your Easter whipped potatoes just right doesn’t need to be a chore. Pop them into the slow cooker and they’ll be ready to whip in about two hours — no need to worry about burning them!

Ingredients

2-3 lbs. of your favorite potatoes, cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
3 Tablespoons butter
salt & pepper

Directions for Whipped Potatoes

Add the cubed potatoes to the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours (or until soft).
Once potatoes are soft and cooked through add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Hand mash or whip with a hand mixer for a creamier consistency.

Variations

Add a package of ranch dressing mix for Ranch Style Whipped Potatoes.
Add some garlic cloves to cook with the potatoes for Garlic Whipped Potatoes.
Add some pesto sauce for Pesto Whipped Potatoes.

Planning an Easter Meal at Home?

Introduction
Planning Ahead: Easter Activities & Decorations
Hosting Easter Without the Stress
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner?
Share The Joy – You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself
It’s Not Just About the Easter Bunny – A Short History of Easter
Getting Creative with Leftovers
Closing Words
Recipes
Crafting Ideas

Tags potatoes

Cooking Techniques Special Occasions

Enjoy a Relaxing Easter Breakfast Using Your Slow Cooker

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 3, 2017

Easter falls on Sunday, April 16 this year. And you may already be planning for your Easter festivities — at least I hope you are! Have you planned what to eat for Easter breakfast?

Easter mornings are a special time. Maybe you head out with your family for a sunrise service at your local church. Or maybe you wake up to the pitter-patter of little feet ready to go Easter egg hunting. In either case, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour in the kitchen cooking up a big breakfast.

Instead, you want to relax and enjoy a yummy meal with your loved ones for breakfast. But you don’t necessarily want to go out to a restaurant in order to do that. There’s an easy way to do this. Put your slow cooker to work.

Keep Easter Breakfast Simple with Baked Slow Cooker Oatmeal

Oatmeal is always a breakfast favorite. It’s quick and easy enough to make in the slow cooker for weekend breakfasts throughout the year, but you can also make it special for Easter (or any other important day) with special add-ins and toppings like chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruits, whipped cream and the like.

Start with the basic recipe. Be sure to use rolled oats in this recipe, for the finished oatmeal will turn out much better than if you use quick cooking oats.

Ingredients
2 cups dry oats
2 cups milk
2 cups water
sugar, honey or the sweetener of your choice to taste

Directions

Mix oats, milk, and water in the slow cooker.
Add your sweetener and mix well.
Cook on low overnight (for about 8 hours).

Top with your favorite flavors and serve. Topping suggestions include blueberries, apple sauce, cinnamon, walnuts or pecans. Yogurt is also good. For a special Easter treat, you could set out small bowls with various fresh and dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips and anything else that sounds tasty in oatmeal, and let everyone make their own unique blend.

Get Ready for a Busy Day with a Hearty Breakfast Casserole

If you know you’ll have an early Easter dinner with the whole family, it may make sense to skip lunch and opt for a big hearty breakfast or brunch instead. Here’s an easy way to have your big breakfast cooking while you sleep.

Ingredients
1 lb bacon
1 small onion
1 dozen eggs
salt and pepper to taste
32 oz. of shredded hash browns
2 cups shredded cheese

Directions

The night before, fry the bacon. Allow it to cool a bit and chop it up. Set aside.
Dice the onion. Set aside.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and layer 1/3 of the hash browns in the bottom of the crock. Top with 1/3 of the bacon and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat these layers two more times (omitting the cheese on the last layer). Pour the egg mixture over everything and top with the last cup of cheese.
Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours and enjoy when you are ready for breakfast or lunch.

Both of these ideas also work well if you’re serving brunch to your Easter guests.

Planning an Easter Meal at Home?

Introduction
Planning Ahead: Easter Activities & Decorations
Hosting Easter Without the Stress
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner?
Share The Joy – You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself
It’s Not Just About the Easter Bunny – A Short History of Easter
Getting Creative with Leftovers
Closing Words
Recipes
Crafting Ideas

Tags breakfast, breakfast casserole, Easter, oatmeal, slow cooker