Slow Cooker Meals for the Summer

I hate to turn on the stove or oven in the summer so slow cooker meals are ideal for my family. I can dump the contents into the slow cooker and walk away for hours. Occasionally, I have to stir the pot or add an ingredient or two, but slow cooker meals are still much easier to prepare than almost anything else.

Now that I’ve gotten your attention with all of this talk about how easy slow cooker meals are, though, I have to tell you something else about these easy-to-make meals: you can create almost anything in a slow cooker. To give you an idea how diverse slow cooker meals can be I will give you a few of my favorite concoctions:

Macaroni and Cheese – Combine three cups of macaroni with a tablespoon of butter, two cups of evaporated milk, three cups of shredded cheese, and one teaspoon of salt. I like to use cheddar cheese, but you could use spicier cheese if you want to add a little extra flavor. Let the ingredients cook on your cooker’s high setting for two to three hours. Don’t forget to stir two or three times as the meal cooks.

BBQ Ribs – You don’t have to be a BBQ whiz to create home-style ribs in your home. Brown two to three pounds of boneless ribs in a skillet to get things started. Then place them into your slow cooker along with quartered onion slices. Pour your favorite BBQ sauce (or make your own) over the tops and cook on your cooker’s low setting for eight to ten hours.

Mexican Casserole – If you’ve got an urge for Mexican food, this slow cooker casserole won’t let you down. Start by combining single cans of crushed tomatoes, salsa, tomato paste, black beans, and sweet corn into a bowl. Slice two chili peppers and add it into the bowl with one teaspoon of cumin and one teaspoon of garlic powder. Once you have everything mixed up you can start to build the casserole. Begin by one cup of your mixture into the slow cooker. Top it with a single flour tortilla. Continue alternating the mixture with tortillas and cook on low for five hours.

For some more great slow cooker recipes, visit the AllYou.com site. They have recipes for sweet and sour Brisket, pulled pork, jambalaya, and beef stroganoff.