Here in New England, it’s going to be a freezing weekend. Perfect for soup. Want some? Great for Sunday football:

3 cans beef broth (14 oz each)
1 jar hot salsa (16 oz.)
1 package frozen corn, thawed (16 oz.)
1 package frozen meatballs, thawed, (16 oz.)
1 tspn minced garlic

Combine all ingredients. Stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 4-7 hours.

You can also use a mild or medium salsa, depending on your tastes.

This recipe is from the Easy Slow Cooker Cookbook, by Barbara C. Jones.

Last week, I begged readers to submit their favorite recipes to make in a slow cooker. Thank you to everyone who obliged! I can’t wait to try them all. Here they are:

Stacie, Supermommy to the Rescue:
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes

Jen, at Jayesel
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
Crockpot Lasagna

Michele, at New England through Yummy Mommy’s Eyes
Jenny’s Cuban Style Slow Cooker chicken Fricassee
(It uses chicken leg quarters, and I sub breast since chicken bones don’t mix well with children.)

Elisa, The Unlikely Housewife

My favorite crockpot recipe is probably curry chicken: just place in the crockpot a medium chicken cut in parts (thighs, breasts, etc), 12 oz white wine, 8 oz chicken broth, 1 apple, cored and cubed, 1 cup unsweetened grated coconut and 3 Tbsp curry powder and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 1/2.

Blueviolet, at A Nut in a Nutshell

One thing my kids love is when I take lean stew beef (tenderized) and brown it. Then I put that in the crockpot with cream of mushroom soup and let it cook all day. I serve it over steamed rice. They LOVE it!

Missy:
Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

I use 4 pieces of chicken not frozen. I cook it for 3 hours, then shred the chicken w/ 2 forks and put it back in for another hour on low. So easy!! You can eat it on a baked potato or as a sandwich or just by itself in a bowl. Top it w/ sour cream and cheddar cheese!

Todd:
1.5lbs of steak, cut in 1 inch strips (or just get the package of stew beef at a grocer)
3 carrots cut v. small
1 onion chopped as small as you can.
4 cups of beef broth
3 cups of chicken broth
15oz stewed tomatoes (or pasta sauce, tomatoes are better)
8oz corn
1 cup peas
1 cup greenbeans
1tbsp of thyme
tsp salt
tsp pepper
1tbsp dijon mustard
2.5 cups of small pasta, like pinwheel or bowtie

Brown the meat, drop it in the crock pot. Saute the carrots and onions for a few minutes in the same pan as you browned the meat, throw it in the crock pot.

Add all the broth, stewed tomatoes, green beans, salt, pepper and thyme. Cover and cook on low for 6hrs. After 5.5hrs, add the pasta, corn, peas. cover back up and cook for 40 min. Before serving add the dijon mustard.

“In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.”

I’ve mentioned here before that we love to break out the crock pot when the weather gets cool. We’ve already made a few dishes this year, and will continue all through the Fall and Winter. It’s so easy, and the house smells so good! The problem? I don’t use it as much as I should during the week. Putting a few things together in the morning and then dinner is done without effort? Yes, please!

My question today:

Do you use a crock pot or slow cooker? If so, what is your favorite recipe? You get extra points if the dish doesn’t require any additional steps (no browning meat or adding cooked rice or pasta.) I’ll share the list as a new post in the future.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at today’s installation of Aloha Friday at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!