seagrass

However, my results have been similar to those of seagrass. Everything I've ever made in the crock pot tastes like all the flavor's been leached out.

However, my sister's Beef Burgundy came out so good that, after many years, I still remember it.

Suzieque (coincidentally, not the OP here, but similar names!)

I'll look up my favorite recipe for that and post it here for all you who have helped me!

Chicken Picatta sounds great!!

I would like that Boeuf Bourguignonne recipe though, so tobygirl, please post it.

Thank you all for the wonderful ideas!

Suzi

This got rave reviews from our last guests!

Parchment Shrimp Scampi
Maui Marriott Resort and Ocean Club - Maui, Hawaii
A signature dish featured at the oceanfront Va Bene Italian Beachside Grill at Maui Marriott Resort and Ocean Club.
Ingredients:
1 piece parchment paper 17 " x 12 "
5 each tiger prawns, peeled & deveined, size U12 (12 shrimp per lb.)
4 oz. cooked angel hair pasta
4 pieces grilled asparagus
1 each roasted tomato, cut in half
1 each grilled Portobello mushroom, cut in half
2 oz. herb garlic butter (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon zest from lemon
1/2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Kosher or Haw’n salt & cracked pepper to taste

Preparation:
Take half of the olive oil and lemon juice, mix well in mixing bowl, add shrimp, and toss well until shrimp is well-seasoned with lemon oil.

Lay parchment paper down with long side on top. Lightly brush parchment paper with remaining oil. Place angel hair pasta in center of paper, place asparagus at angle on top of pasta, place mushroom and tomato along one side of asparagus, place mushroom and tomato along other side of asparagus, then place shrimp at bottom of pasta shingling off of each asparagus.
Portion out herb garlic butter on top of pasta, vegetables and shrimp. Sprinkle lemon zest around pasta and shrimp, and season with salt & pepper.

Bring top of paper to the bottom, begin to fold and seal paper at the opened ends until paper is well sealed and formed into an envelope.
Lightly brush top of envelope with oil.

Preheat oven to 370º F, place sealed parchment package on a sheet pan, and bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes. When cooked, transfer to a plate, open envelope at dining table, and release the aromas that were trapped inside. Mangia!
Recipe for Herb Garlic Butter:
1/4 lb. unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon each of (fresh or dried) chopped Italian parsley, thyme, basil
1 tsp. chopped fresh garlic
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup dry white wine

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl until well mixed.

Each sealed parchment package can be placed in refrigerator until ready to use.
Serves 1 person

BOEUF BOURGUIGNONNE

6 strips bacon cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 pounds beef rump or chuck cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
3 T. flour
1 10 1/2-ounce can condensed beef broth
1 T. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6 boiling onions, peeled
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup red or Burgundy wine

Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove to drain. Add beef cubes and brown well. Place beef cubes in Crock-Pot. Brown carrot and onion in bacon drippings. Season with salt and pepper; stir in flour. Add broth, mix well and add to Crock-Pot. Add cooked bacon, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and whole onions. Cover and cook on Low 8 to 10 hours. Saute mushrooms in 2 T. butter, and add with wine to Crock-Pot about 1 hour before serving.

To thicken Gravy: Turn Crock-Pot to High. Cream 1/4 cup flour and 2 T. butter. Roll in pea size balls and drop into Crock-Pot. Bring to boil and let thicken.

And lindac, thanks for saving us from botchalism! It will be easy to refrigerate those little packets, and I do need 2 nights of dinners at least, so I'll take your good advice and have them ready to pop in the oven when we get back here.

I appreciate all your help and tips!

Thanks,

seagrass

(However, the sky would be the limit for the best part of the meal - dessert!)

toby

My favorite is pork carnitas-- get a 4 lb cut of pork shoulder, trim it, then sear it in oil on all sides before putting it in the pot. Pour some orange juice over it, a half a can of coke (don't let the gourmets see you do that part), sprinkle with s&p, a liberal dash of cumin, chile pepper powder (ancho, cayenne...), dried oregano, some garlic. A sliced onion wouldn't hurt. At the end of the day, shred it, remove any fat that remains, then simmer the meat together with the juices, just till the juices are reduced to your taste. Adjust the seasonings if need be. Eat it like tacos-- you can be as simple or fancy with the toppings as you want. It'll make a foodie happy, I guarantee!

I can't wait to try it!! Thank you!!

allrecipes.com Make sure you review the reviews as tons of people will try the recipe's and each will tweak it here and there and tell you what changes will make it great.

recipezaar.com

southernfood.com

This should get you started. When you are going to cook something that over 1,000 people have made and reviewed, you get a pretty good idea if its a good recipe.

Enjoy!

HAITIAN VEAL CASSEROLE WITH CASHEW NUT SAUCE

This was a simple but prize winning recipe in a cross country cooking contest sponsored by a Canadian womens' magazine in the 1960s.

Tastes better if made one day ahead.

1 kilo of veal shoulder steak, cut into small bite-size pieces
2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup or tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teasp salt
1/2 teasp pepper
1 1/2 cups cashews (rinse if they are salted)
2 TBS butter
Worcestershire sauce

1). Grind garlic, salt and pepper together in mortar and pestle.

2). Roll veal pieces in this mixture in the mortar and then on a clean plate, being sure pieces are well coated.

3). Brown veal in butter in a saucepan. When brown, add onions, water, tomato sauce and cashews.

4). Simmer slowly until meat and nuts are both tender. About 40 minutes. It may need a bit of water added.

5). Thicken with a bit of flour and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.

6). Best served the next day. Goes well with rice and a crisp green salad.

SharonCb

BEEF KAPAMA

3 1/2 ro 4 pound round steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 tablesooon olive oil
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 ounce can beef broth (low salt)
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 6 ounce can red wine
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch ground allspice

Brown beef in oil and place in crock pot. Use a couple of tablespoons of broth to deglaze pan, then combine remaining ingredients and pour over beef. Cook for one hour on high, then turn to low and cook until meat is fork tender--6-8 HOURS.

ORZO AND BROWN BUTTER:

1 pound Orso pasta
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 ounces myzithra cheese, grated

Cook orzo in boiling water according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and add butter. Swirl pan occasionally and cook until foam subsides and butter turns golden brown and gives off a nutty aroma, about five minutes. Drain pasta well and turn out in a serving bowl.
Pour butter over, toss to coat, and sprinkle cheese on top.

Serve with a tossed green sald with feta cheese and kalamata olives and a vinagrette dressing.

If you need a dessert, try to find a bakery which has a good baklava.

I made a somewhat similar crock pot recipe last night. It was supposed to be Irish lamb stew, but I only had sweet potatoes, and I didn't feel like running out for beer, so I'm not sure I can legitimately call it that. Anyway, it was:

Browned lamb cubes
Sauteed leeks
Peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
A couple tablespoons of tomato sauce
Marsala wine
Chicken stock
Water
Fresh thyme
Salt

I'm happy with it, I think I'll make it again! I've been ruminating on this idea of how to make something easy that's impressive enough for company. I think if you made some kind of shredded meat, and fried tortillas into taco shells right when they got there, that would be pretty good. That would definitely impress me.

I wonder about experimenting with pasta. If wanted to do manicotti, and I made pasta sheets, filled them, and froze them, maybe they could withstand crock pot times. I've been wondering about using a lamp timer so I could cook stuff for shorter times (I guess it would have to be frozen stuff, that way it could thaw before the crock pot kicked on, rather than sitting at a dangerous temperature during that time).

I'm intrigued by this discussion.

I have been roasting small whole chickens this way too, only rubbing whatever I choose that day under the skin, also lots of garlic is always good. don't forget the onions on the bottom.

And here is a link to a great painless bulk caramelized onion recipe for the Crockpot that can be the base of many delicious dishes including of course onion soup

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

1-1/2 lb stew meat cut into cubes
1T cooking oil
1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4c minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1 bay leaf
1-1/2c beef broth
1/3c dry red wine
1 c sour cream
1/2c flour
1/4c water
4c hot cooked noodles or rice

In large skillet brown the beef in hot oil, drain. In crockpot combine beef, mushrooms, onions, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper thyme and bay leaf. Pour in broth and wine. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Discard bay leaf, and turn crockpot to high heat. Mix together sour cream, flour and water. Stir about 1 cup of the hot liquid into the sour cream mixture, return all to crockpot and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Serve over noodles or rice. Serves 6
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And although not exactly "white linen tablecloth" fare, Ginger's Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches are wonderful and great for a crowd, too!

Linda

3 ingredient pot roast

Ingredients:
•1 beef roast (chuck, top round, about $1.69/lb)
•jar of pepperoncini peppers
•slivers of garlic

Preparation:
Cut some slits in roast and insert garlic slivers. Place beef in crockpot. Dump peppers and all of the juice on top. Cook all day on low....at least eight hours.
For serving, just slice and serve with noodles or mashed potatoes, maybe rice. It's all good.
OR:
When cool, fork-shred beef, spread on hoagie (sub) rolls, add your fav cheese if you like.... Put some of those delicious pepperoncini peppers on the sub too!!

To me, gourmet means fine food and drink. A tender roast with browned potatoes, carrots, onions, a crisp salad on the side and a glass of good wine or beer meets that criteria. For that matter a burger can be "gourmet" when done properly. But any "gourmet" chef dish improperly done isn't fit for dog food IMO.