Deal: 8L slow cooker!

(This post contains affiliate links, and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking a link. Thanks in advance for your support!)  

Check out this Groo deal for a Morphy Richards 8L slow cooker!

This slow cooker is priced to sell, at just 149 nis for an 8L pot! Add 29 NIS for shipping, and you're all set!

If you just need a small one, check out this deal for 3.5 liter slow cooker, priced at 119 nis, plus 29 nis for shipping! 

Groo deals often sell out quickly, so be sure to order before the deal ends!

Have you joined Israel Deals Made Easy! on Facebook? Join us there and you'll find out about awesome deals every day! 

Summer Craziness... Shabbat is almost here AGAIN!

This summer has flown!! I cannot tell you how crazy it's been for us this summer. Just trust me, it's been crazy, and I feel like every week just gets to its end before I even had time to get started!
I've been working 'round the clock on some new projects and some old projects, hanging out with friends and family, and in the process, totally neglecting this blog. I'm so sorry!
I still love you all, I'm just truly in over my head... Please bear with me, ok? 

So it's Thursday, and normally I would post a new recipe or something, but I just have barely been able to keep my family fed, let alone clean my kitchen. So... no new pictures today! 

But since some of you asked about my "crock-pot" roast a couple of weeks ago, I'll just write out what I did. Feel free to make it and take pictures - mine was only finished cooking on Shabbat, and then it got eaten up, so there were no pictures:

Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker:

Cheapest beef I found was #8 (on sale) so I used that, this last time it was a 2+ kg piece.
4 onions, sliced
10 garlic cloves, sliced
crushed black pepper
Silan (pure date honey) (I used about 1/8 cup, as that's all that was left in my jar)

Place some onions and garlic in the bottom of the crock. Put the beef on top of that. It was a large piece, so I piled more onions and garlic on it and then sort of folded the beef over that. Top with more garlic and onions. Top with as much black pepper as you like, and then pour silan over it all. Cover the crock pot. Cook on low till Shabbat lunch.
Everyone who ate it loved it (I don't eat beef, so I can't personally tell you how it was, though it definitely smelled delicious!)!
Enjoy!

Other Shabbat recipes you may want to use:

Our favorite challah is Whole Spelt and Oat Bran Challah (can be made with Whole Wheat, as well)

We always like Split Pea Soup (though it's a bit hot for that now!) or Vegetable Soup - but I think I've only made soup once this entire summer! Soup season will be back before you know it, though!

Favorite Chicken Recipe: Oven Fried Chicken

Favorite Kugels: Potato Kugel and Broccoli (or other vegetable) Kugel

Unfortunately, I can't post "Favorite Salads" because my kids are so picky and really only eat plain cut vegetables... Though lately it's gotten better. Some of them eat a few salads now, so I hope to post our favorites at some point (when life is calmer).

But most of us really like Vegetarian Liver, served on a bed of lettuce and garnished with tomatoes, pickles and olives (for some).

Most weeks we also have Black Bean Cholent for lunch.

And for dessert, brownies and cinnamon cake are always winners!

Let me know if you try out any of my recipes! I'd love to hear from you!

What's on your family's favorite list?

Be sure to follow my Facebook Page, I post updates there even when I don't post a whole blog post. I'd love to stay in touch with you!

Crock Pot Lentil Soup (Vegan)

This Shabbat I decided NOT to make my usual cholent.

Instead, I made this Crock Pot Lentil Soup which was a really great way for us to warm up at lunch! And it was so simple to make!

And, since we were just 3 for lunch, we have plenty of leftover soup for Melave Malka after Shabbat!

Here's the recipe:

Crock Pot Lentil Soup

1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small potato, diced
1 cup whole barley grains, soaked if possible, drained, and rinsed
500g whole red lentils, picked over and rinsed
water to fill the pot
salt and pepper to taste

Fill Crock-Pot with all the above ingredients. Cook on high for a couple of hours, then switch to low till lunchtime, or at least 5 more hours (although my low setting is not working well - it's TOO low, so I left it on high and it was perfect for lunch!)
Note: My crock pot is a 6 or 6.5L crock pot, like this one:


 

Tuesday Night (Feb.15, 2011)

Tuesday is turning into a busy day for us! I have a feeling it will be one of those days when we get home at 6 p.m. from running around all day, famished.

I think it will be a crock pot day!


Here's what we'll be eating:

Tomato Soup -  Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. place in crock pot with crushed tomatoes, soup stock (I love keeping soup stock in my freezer - made from all the vegetable trimmings that otherwise would have gone to waste!), a few tablespoons of tomato paste, honey or other sweetener, ground black pepper, and bay leaves. Cook on low for 8 hrs. Don't forget to remove the bay leaves before serving, and puree if desired. I don't usually bother to puree this soup.

Toasted sandwiches - We have leftover pitot, so we'll fill them with tomatoes, peppers, avocados, olives, etc and sprinkle with cheese, and toast.

Fresh Veggies on the side - Whatever is still in the fridge! (I think we're down to carrots and cucumbers)

Apple Crisp - Diced apples sprinkled with cinnamon, covered with oats mixed with sugar and healthy oil, and baked till smells delicious. I'll assemble this in advance and put it in the oven as soon as we walk in the door.

How do you feed your crew on busy days?

Crock Pot Cooking

Today, I decided to put the soup in the crock pot, even though we were home all day. I thought it through and was wondering which one is more cost effective - to cook the soup on the gas stove for an hour or more, or to use the crock pot?
If anyone knows, I'd appreciate the information!

Sunday Night

It's going to be a busy week, so I've begun my planning already now that the kids are in bed (ok, only the younger ones).
Tomorrow, we plan to be out and about all afternoon. And I still have plenty of those 1 and 2 NIS/kilo veggies, plus the Bulgarian Cheese that was on sale at Kim'at Chinam.

Here's the menu for Sunday evening:

Black Bean & Tomato Soup (crock pot)
Embellished Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Salad - Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, Bulgarian Cheese, and Olives(w/ a splash of olive oil)
Fruit for dessert (we have tons of oranges and pomelit right now)

A note about the soup: be sure to used pre-cooked black beans! (It's another one of those chop and toss recipes that I love: chop onions, garlic, celery, red pepper, a small potato, and 2 tomatoes. Place in crock pot with cooked black beans, tomato paste or crushed tomatoes, and 1 c. frozen corn. Cover with water or soup stock, season to taste. Let your crock pot cook it all day!)

Embellished grilled cheese means everyone gets to put their own "toasted" sandwich together. We usually offer a variety of cheeses, tomatoes, olives, and roasted peppers. But, of course, you can be as creative as you like!