Slow Cooker, Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped)
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk (or substitute non-diary alternative like almond milk)
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or substitute maple syrup or other desired sweetener)
1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk or butter

Directions
Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on low for approx. 7 hours (slow cooker times can vary).

Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well.

To reheat single servings: Put 1-cup cooked oatmeal in microwave proof bowl. Add 1/3 cup fat-free milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Continue cooking for another minute, or until hot.

Recipe can be doubled in 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Increase cooking time 1 hour.

Source: The Yummy Life

From Food Network, just simply add 1 cup steel cut oats with 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup dried figs and 4 cups water and 1/2 cup half and half. Cook 8 hours on low. I'm going to substitute raisins for cranberries and add the spices and flax seed from above and use water instead of half and half.

Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

8 cups veggie broth
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
1 cup sliced celery stalks
1 cup large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 pound (3 cups) butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 cup turnip, peeled and diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker, and secure the lid.
Turn it on low, and leave for eight hours (or on high for five hours).

Credit: Popsugar

Changes: I just substituted 1 cup parsnips for the turnip and it was better. Also, add more salt and about 1-2 tbsp mustard to the recipe.

Steak Marinade

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp dried basil
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp minced garlic

Combine all ingredients. Pour marinade over meat. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Cook meat as desired.


Note: until I use it up, I substituted 4-5 Tbsp of a spice mix that I have for all the powdered spices in the list above. It's a close enough match and worked fine the first time.


Source: Allrecipes

Mushroom Lentil Barley Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup dry lentils
½ cup uncooked pearly barley
1 quart beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
14 oz can of diced tomatoes 
8 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms quartered
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 tbsp mustard
4 garlic cloves minced
Bay leaves
1-2 teaspoons ground fresh black pepper
Salt to taste
One medium potato chopped

Directions:

In a slow cooker, mix all ingredients. cover, and cook 4 to 6 hours on High or 10 to 12 hours on Low. Remove bay leaves before serving.

(Recipe called for ¾ cup each of the barley and lentils. I guess it’s ok as long as it adds up to 1.5 cups. This would be a fine recipe with just barley)

French Press Coffee

Some notes:
2 Tbsp beans for each 8 oz of water,
Set burr grinder to 8 for french press (2 for auto drip)

And the process (from here)

Preheat the glass and plunger by pouring hot water inside the pitcher and plunge once to warm everything up. Discard the rinse water.
Add ground coffee.
Pour hot water (30 seconds off the boil or about 205 degrees F) into the French press, saturating all of your grounds, and pouring to the halfway mark. Start your timer for 4 minutes.
After 1 minute, stir the “bloom” (or top layer) and pour the rest of the water evenly to the top and affix the press pot lid.
After 4 minutes, plunge and serve. Any coffee not served immediately goes in a thermos so it doesn't sit in the used grounds.

Slow Cooker Chili

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground turkey
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 14-oz. cans chopped tomatoes, with juices
1 14-oz. cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup beef stock
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/6 c. cornmeal
1-2 Tbsps chili powder, to taste
1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup brown sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


INSTRUCTIONS

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a slow cooker. Add onions to the skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Drain fat and add onions and garlic to slow cooker.

Add the ground turkey to the skillet, brown it, and transfer it to the slow cooker with a slotted spoon. Add all the remaining chili ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to blend. Cover and cook for 6 hours – 5 on high and the last hour on low.

Adapted from: http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2012/02/17/6-hour-slow-cooker-chili-my-familys-favorite/

Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1/2 pound cremini (aka baby portobella) mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, and sliced.

2 lbs stew meat
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

2 medium celery stalks, medium dice
1 medium carrot, peeled and medium dice
1 turnip diced (optional)
1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
3-4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 - 1.5  cups dry red wine (I used Tilia Malbec)
2 tablespoons mustard (Dijon)

1/2 teaspoon paprika
3-4 potatoes cut into large chunks (Can use sweet potatoes, yukon golds, red, etc)

2 cups chicken broth
2-3 dried bay leafs

1 cup frozen peas (optional)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

1. Heat oil in cast iron skillet. Add butter if desired. Brown mushrooms in cast iron skillet and add to slow cooker.  
2. Coat the stew meat with salt and pepper. Saute the meat in a cast iron skillet in as many batches as needed to get them evenly browned. Remove the meat to the slow cooker. 
3. If needed, add a little oil to the skillet. Add the celery, carrot, turnip, onion, garlic, and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots just begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook until it’s no longer raw-tasting, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and mustard, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Use spatula to deglaze skillet. Cook until the wine reduces by roughly half, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add to the slow cooker. 
4. Now add the following into the slow cooker: paprika, potatoes, chicken broth and bay leaf, tucking the bay leaf into the broth. Stir.
5. Cover and cook on high (300 degrees F) for about 30 minutes and then set to low (200 degrees F) for about 9 hours until the beef is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.As an alternative, one recipe I read said to cook on high, stirring about every 1 1/2 hours if possible (if you can’t stir it that often, it’s OK), until the beef is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork, about 5 hours. 
6. At the end, add the peas and parsley, stir to combine, and continue to heat until the peas are warm, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.

I took several recipes from the internet and combined what I thought were the best ideas. Sources included Chow.com, The Pioneer Woman, TPW again, and I read a few others (who can keep track?). There's one I found that uses Guinness that I plan to try sometime soon.