Crock PotI’ve always been a fan of both extremes of cooking… pull the heavy pots out, throw them on the gas stove, grab the chefs knife and go to town spending an afternoon in the kitchen slicing, dicing, and julienning something delectable that calls for the good china and “Best Gold Chopstick”. (2 points if you can tell me who said it and in what movie, 10 points if you can give me the rest of the quote from the scene…)

However like most singles (and working couples) I can’t do that every day so I depend on a lot of “Quick and Dirty” improvisational meals the production of which has been facilitated by a number of judiciously chosen Plug In countertop appliances. I can still have good, interesting meals with not a lot of fuss and minimal mess to clean up.

Almost all of these appliances are well suited for people on Limited Budgets, Living in Small Quarters, and especially Students living in the Dorm…

So today I’ll start with one of the Three Main Workhorses of the Outlet Kitchen… “The Crockpot”.

The ubiquitous Crockpot… 30 plus years old and available in a multitude of sizes to fit any family size. Very expensive when they first came out but can now be bought for under $10.

I find the 1 1/2 quart (under $10 at most stores) with the removable liner is best… cooking just enough for either dinner for 2 or dinner for 1 with enough to take to work for lunch left over or freeze for another day.

I found it worthwhile to buy 2 so that I could have a second liner crock to use if the first one is still in the fridge with leftovers in it. (THE Advantage of the Removable Crock).

The Second Advantage is I can fill the crock with the ingredients for the next day and STORE IT IN THE FRIDGE overnight so the next day I’m not rushed getting ready for work and getting the crockpot ready….pull the filled crock out of the fridge, drop into the base, plug it in, and come home to finished dinner….something I usually only need bread and salad to go with, the bread from the Bakery or out of another Outlet Appliance..the BreadMaker.

There are plenty of Crockpot Cookbooks and a quick check on Amazon or Recipe Search on Google will turn up lots of wonderful recipes…But I said I’m into “Down and Dirty Improv” so heres one of my favorites I whipped up one day…..remember to write down what your doing if you’re experimenting…nothing worse than having something come out Spectacular and then you can’t remember how you made it!!!

This recipe relies on a 16 ounce or two 8 ounce cups of Wendy’s Chili. I usually buy several at a time and stash them straight into the Freezer for use in recipes or if I feel like some Chili without wasting gas to go out. It is slightly sweet and not really spicy. Much better than canned and about equivalent in price.

The Chili has the beef, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and is already partly spiced so you don’t need much else to change it into a Beef Soup.

Note: For a richer taste crush a bouillon cube in a 1/2 cup of hot water… Beef, Vegetarian, Mushroom, Tom Yam..take your pick from whats out there…into the crock after adding the spices and before filling the rest of the way up. Just leave out any additional Salt as they are almost always made with lots of it.

Tomato Beef Soup

For a 1 1/2 or 2 Quart Crockpot

1 16 ounce cup of Wendys Chili, fresh or frozen

1 good sized Plum Tomato OR 1 5oz can Tomato Paste

1/4 Cup Dried Beans…Navy, Pea, Kidney, Garbanzo, Pinto, Black, Pink, Pigeon..pick your favorite.

1/4 Cup Dried Pasta. I usually use Linguine that I break into small pieces.

1 Clove Garlic, Minced OR 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Chopped (or too taste~ I like Garlic)

2 Tablespoons Dried Chopped Onion

1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoon Spaghetti Sauce Seasoning OR Chili Seasoning

Dash Hot Pepper or to Taste (Optional)

Start by letting a 16 oz. cup of the Chili thaw enough so that you can drop it from the cup straight into the middle of the crock…don’t worry about it being a frozen lump in the middle it will mix during cooking.

Seed and finely chop the Plum Tomato and put in the crock around the Chili cube or if you use the Paste layer it around the bottom.

Sprinkle in the Beans followed by the Pasta Add water or broth to cover then sprinkle in the Garlic, Onions, and Spaghetti Sauce/Chilli Seasoning.

Add more water or broth until the crock is full and cook or refrigerate until your ready to use.

Once you get home and its cooked give it a good stir… add the Hot Sauce if you wish and let sit for a few minutes until you dish it out.

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Variation: Substitute a cubed Potato or other Tuber type vegetable for the Beans or Pasta or both.

Photo credit: wikipedia.