January is the perfect time of year to pull out your slow cooker (or Crock-Pot), throw in a combination of ingredients, and let them simmer all day to edible perfection. We’re sharing a few of our favorite mouth-watering, hearty, and super easy one-pot recipes for one of the coldest (and coziest!) months of the year.

If you’ve never used a slow cooker before, there’s no time like the present to experiment with this very handy device. For singles, couples, and families alike, the slow cooker is one of the most beloved items in the kitchen. Why? They’re easy to use, cook delicious meals with minimal effort, and save tons of time that could be better used relaxing after a hard day’s work. Did I mention that there’re few things better than the smell of a delicious, home-cooked meal awaiting you at the end of the day? And if you choose to include meat in your dinner, no matter the size or cut, slow-cooked meat is the most tender you’ll ever eat. It melts in your mouth. Delicious!

Several of our Mast Store family members have put together their favorite slow-cooker recipes to get you started. Happy Slow Cooking Month and happy eating, everyone!

Beef Tips and Gravy by Greta

Ingredients
1 ½-2 pound beef tips or stew beef pieces
½ onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 -3 small jars of Heinz Beef Gravy
1 large jar of drained portobello or shitake mushrooms (I liked the portobello best.)
 
Directions
Saute the beef tips, onion, and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive or canola oil until thoroughly browned on the outside.

Put into slow cooker with enough gravy to cover the beef tips well.  Add mushrooms and stir. (Make sure there is enough gravy, so it doesn’t cook down too much.)

Let cook on low while you are at work.  I usually start this at 7:00 a.m., and it is nice and tender when I arrive home by 5:00 p.m.

I served it on garlic mashed potatoes with a salad or peas and carrots.   This is a quick and easy meal without a lot of work and serves 4 – 5 people.
 

Slow Cooker Curry Chicken by Renea

Ingredients
3 to 4 medium to large chicken breasts
3 to 4 medium to large potatoes (I use red potatoes.)
1 15 oz. can coconut milk
1 c. chicken broth
1 large sweet onion, chopped (I use Vidalia.)
1 clove garlic
¼ c. of curry powder
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Handful of raisins

Directions
Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except the bell pepper and raisins.  Cook on low for 8 hours. Add the chopped bell pepper and raisins 45 minutes before serving. Serve over jasmine rice or the rice of your choice.

Cowboy Beans by Elizabeth

Ingredients
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz. can navy beans, drained
1 15 oz. can pork n' beans, drained
1 15 oz. can butter beans, drained
1 15 oz. can lima beans, drained
1 large onion, chopped, drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups BBQ sauce
1 pound ground turkey or beef

Directions
Brown and rinse beef/turkey.  Combine all beans in the crock pot and layer meat on top, do not stir!  Layer onion and bell pepper on top of the meat and pour BBQ sauce over everything.  Cook on low for 3 hours without stirring, cook last hour on high and stir occasionally.  Serve with sour cream and corn chips. (Total cook time: 4 hours, prep time: 30 minutes)

Mexican Soup by Allen

Ingredients
1 10 oz. can Enchilada Sauce
1 12 oz. [or more] jar Salsa
1 15.5 oz. can Black Beans, drained
1 10 oz. can re-fried Beans
1 7 oz. can sliced green chilies
3 14.5 oz. cans broth, any kind
1 10 oz. can chicken
1 large onion, sliced and chopped then steamed in microwave for five minutes*
2 bell peppers, sliced and chopped then steamed in microwave for five minutes*
4 tablespoons taco seasoning

Directions
Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low until warm, at least an hour. This can cook up to eight or nine hours, but you may want to add another can of broth to thin the soup a little because the re-fried beans thicken the soup the longer it is cooked.

*To steam the onions and peppers, put them in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Cook in microwave for five minutes.