friday favourites- crockpot

I know I haven't been regular with my Friday Favourites posts,
 it has been more a problem of having too many posts and not enough time to do them all in.

I must say I am a recent convert to the humble crockpot/slowcooker.

I have only had one for a little over a year.

My aunt actually gave me one years ago that used to be hers but when I looked at it I realised that there was no way I was going to fit a meal for our family in it, so I passed it onto someone with a smaller family.

More and more recipes have been appearing on the internet and when a friend got one and raved about it my interest was piqued.
After a little searching and looking around comparing prices, sizes and how they worked I bought an 8L slow cooker with a searing pan, this allows me to brown the meat in it on the stove and then just throw in the rest of the ingredients and turn it on without having an extra frypan to wash up.

 here it is working away cooking dinner, think the outside could do with a clean!

The crockpot has really come into it's own over this winter's soccer season.

I have made Friday nights a slow cooker night as I need to take B4 and The Girl into soccer training and I don't get home until 5:30 or later and B1 and B2 are usually heading out to play soccer and referee at that time or earlier and are not home until 8:30pm so they need to eat before they go.
If I have put the crockpot on earlier in the day they can simply serve themselves and eat before they leave and not have to grab some junk food at the soccer match.

Then the rest of us can eat when VCH gets home from work.

Last week B2 was playing a 6pm game in a neighbouring town and VCH was providing the transport so they just ate when they got home at 8pm and the rest of us had ours earlier.

Last week we used the crockpot 3 nights in a row.

Wednesday I made a potato bake in it before I took the kids to kids club and bought some fresh fish at the local fish monger- leather jacket it was delicious!

Thursday night B3 made crockpot lasagne- this is the second time we have made it and I have to say it is the most delicious and easiest home made lasagne I have ever come across, I used gluten free pasta sheets.

Friday night we had easy chicken curry, I add sweet potato to it and later will add some greens 1/2 hr before it is ready when I add the coconut cream.

Another family favourite is taco chilli chicken.

We are getting ready for an international night at church and this year we are having an Indonesian night, so I am practicing some recipes, tonight we are having rendang padang  (beef curry) and I found a slow cooker recipe for it so I will let you know how it turns out.

We have also enjoyed Marnie's stuffed Capsicum's
and a slow cooked lamb hot pot
and also this beef stew
Some other things we like in the crockpot are corned beef and pickled pork and irish stew.

What are your favourite things to make in your slow cooker?

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