Those of you who are part of my generation may remember Dump Cake where you just opened cans and boxes, dumped their contents into a cake pan, and baked it. No fuss; no muss.
Since it is painful for me to stand more than a couple minutes, I’ve been experimenting doing that with meats in my crock pot.
I usually start with about three pounds of meat because that fits well in my pot and makes a comfortable number of servings.
Then I dump in whatever other ingredients I’m using and let it cook, usually four to six hours on low. Use a meat thermometer to check.
When it’s done Dave and I portion out the meat in chunks, diced bits, or shreds into single serve containers then stir whatever is still in the pot and add it to the containers.
I often eat the first serving warm, stick a couple in the fridge to eat soon, and put the remaining containers in the freezer for later.
Here’s some of my combos starting with one from the dump cake era:
Beef roast, one packet dried onion soup mix, one can cream of mushroom soup.
Pork roast, one can crushed pineapple, ground ginger.
Skinless boneless chicken, one jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, one can drained artichoke hearts.
I’ve now realized that I can take recipes that have multiple ingredients and reduce them to their basics to make them easier to assemble. And I can buy pre-peeled/chopped fruits and veggies to reduce prep requirements. So, I’ll be increasing my list as I figure these out. I’m looking forward to trying pork roast with pre-sliced apples and cinnamon. In the meantime, we’ve just made the chicken one above and it is delicious!
TTYL,
Linda
