Some Different Recipes for Your Slow Cooker or Crockpot: Chowder for Vegetarians and Applesauce

Yes, the crockpots and slowcookers are also for those who don't care for meat. Personally, I eat mostly vegetables because I don't particularly like meat. I grew up with pet animals and never enjoyed eating them. My best friend's family ran a commercial chicken farm. I helped out there, especially after her father's death, and decided I would never eat anything that nasty again! Yes, my dislikes are in my head but so be it! But I know there are many of you out there who don't eat meat for more personal or political reasons. That is your choice and that is fine with me. But I realized almost all my crockpot and slowcooker recipes have meat in them. So in honor of you who don't eat meat, here are a couple of recipes for you. But never fear, meat lovers will enjoy these recipes, too. Just add a sandwich or a chicken breast, etc. and make a meal for all. The Chunky Applesauce is a great and easy way to enjoy apples and by substituting Splenda or other sugar substitutes for the sugar, you can make it a diabetic applesauce. It is also a good way to use up apples if you have too many and they are starting to go soft. And forget buying little jars of baby food applesauce. Your baby will love you for making your own.

BELL PEPPER-CORN CHOWDER
1 cup chopped yellow onion
5 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
2 cans (14-oz each) chicken broth*
1/2 cup water
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 green onions, chopped

Combine all ingredients, except green onions, in a slow cooker or crockpot; stir to blend and cover the pot. Cook on low to medium setting 4 to 6 hours. Before serving sprinkle each bowl with the chopped green onions and a dash of freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

*Vegetable broth may be substituted. I use vegetable broth and frankly, I think it makes a better chowder. The choice is up to you!

CHUNKY APPLESAUCE
10 large apples
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (depends on natural sweetness of the apples)*

Peel, core, and slice apples. Place the apples into crock pot along with the water, cinnamon, and sugar. Stir gently to combine. Cover the cooker and cook on low overnight or all day (8 to 10) hours. Delicious served warm or can be kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container for around a week.

*Make this a diabetic applesauce by substituting Splenda granular for the sugar. You probably won't need a full cup unless your apples are really tart!

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's slowcooker/crockpot recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasslowcookerrecipes.blogspot.com/

For her quick and easy recipes visit her at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com/

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Money and The Chocolate of Love

Despite the continuing recession it is estimated that revenues for US chocolates sales could reach about $18 million. Apparently, the down turn in industrial growth has not affected the appetite people have for chocolate. Chocolate lovers owe it to chocolates' background for its success. In reality, if the numbers are right, individuals are finding a lot more ways to enjoy chocolate and fulfill their great craving for this tempting sweet.

Food for the Gods

Give thanks to God for chocolate. Chocolates come from the Amazon, were the first cocoas were discovered in 2000 BC. Largely utilized by the Maya Culture, the word chocolate comes from xocoatl which means bitter water. The Mayas love for cocoa is marked in history thru their wood carvings dating all the way back to about 300 AD. These wood carvings depict pictures of cocoa pods. The Mayan territory increased in 600 AD and they took their cocoa with them to the northern parts of South America as far as the Guatemalan shores. This place became the birthing soil to vast cocoa plantations where the pods were often offered as a holy substance in rituals. The Mayas assume cocoa to be an exclusive food for the consumption of gods.

Dark Waters in Gold Goblets

As a hot drink xocoatl is a dark drink that is sweet to the taste. This was viewed by the Aztecs and Mayans to be a sustaining drink and utilized it for a lot of medical purposes. They additionally believed that drinking the dark juice or eating the fruits would deliver them wisdom. Even then, the natives believed in xocoatl's nourishing powers. Their leaders drank gallons of dark chocolate served in gold goblets.

The Bean Pay Ups

Due to its recognition and importance, the cocoa beans grew to become a kind of currency amongst Mayans and Aztecs. They used cocoa beans to trade and procue commodities.

In 1492, Columbus introduced King Ferdinand and his Queen to cocoas but little attention was given to cocoas. Columbus didn't realize the fantastic potential of chocolate; otherwise, he could have been the one who introduced the immense potential of chocolate to Europe.

And so as more and more individuals began utilizing chocolates as an essential currency, its significance grew. For example, an explorer by the name of Hernando de Oviedo y Valdez claimed to have brought slaves and prostitutes using cocoa pods.

By 1519, many parts of Mexico were conquered by Hernando Cortez who was fascinated by xocoatl, more for its currency value than its taste. Cortez cultivated the cocoa tree and made this into a profitable business. He also established multiple plantations making a handsome income for Spain.

Well, could we envision a world where there was no chocolate delicacy in our lives? As a chocolate lover, I have constantly had the yearning to find new kinds of enjoying chocolates. May there always be regular or ordinary chocolate, connoisseur chocolates or home-made, but exceedingly delectable chocolate, as my love and passion for them will always be there!

To find out more about chocolate for love visit chocolate for love. Also, to get immediate access to my FREE email chocolate health mini-course, visit Extraordinary Health Benefits of Chocolate.  Steve Campbell has a keen interest in chocolate, health and nutrition.

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What's The Problem With Gourmet Ingredients?

When was the last time you bought some gourmet ingredients? If you're like the overwhelming majority of people, it's likely to be either so long ago you can't really remember, or you may admit to having never actually bought any gourmet ingredients at all yourself. Yet why is this so often the case?

Is it because we don't feel we deserve gourmet food, or that we don't really know what to do with ingredients like that once we've got them? Is it because the local supermarkets don't stock gourmet products, offering instead the general, bland everyday food which sells well? Perhaps it's that we don't entirely know what we mean by gourmet, and imagine that if we buy French food from a restaurant, that's as close as it gets.

Sadly many people have a combination of these misunderstandings and assumptions, meaning that very few of us really tend to go out and choose gourmet items to cook with, or to enjoy as they are. Yet in truth it is neither hard to find such items, nor is it difficult to incorporate them into our everyday cooking. In fact many of your favourite recipes which you can happily put together yourself any day of the week could easily be transformed into something quite extraordinary thanks to just one or two gourmet ingredients being used in place of your normal ones. So first of all, let's challenge any possible assumption that we don't deserve gourmet food.

We have all been born with tongues, taste buds and the ability to enjoy good food. Indeed, eating is a pretty fundamental part of life, and so we might as well enjoy it. It is our right to enjoy the food we eat, but all too often we become so accustomed to the everyday convenience food offered by the supermarkets, that we can become extraordinarily pleased with ourselves if we happen to upgrade our standard beige steak pie for an "Extra Special, Customers' Choice" steak pie, which comes in a different coloured cardboard box. This isn't gourmet food, and it isn't what we deserve to have all of the time.

Now I'm not suggesting for one minute that we all dump our normal food and upgrade to first class gourmet dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But there's also no reason why every single meal of every single day has to be of the same standard. It would be great to treat yourself and your family and friends to something a bit special. And to be honest once you find out how easy it is, you'll wonder why you didn't switch sooner. So in terms of deserving gourmet food, if you have a mouth and a stomach, then of course you do.

The next question then is where to buy French food and gourmet items that can be used in your favourite recipes. Unfortunately many of the supermarkets offer a very limited selection, if anything at all, and so it can be hard to find the sort of thing you need locally. However, with the internet just a click away it's actually very easy to buy gourmet French products, by visiting a specialist retailer online, ordering your food and then waiting to have it delivered to your door. It really couldn't be much easier.

Finally, how do you integrate gourmet ingredients into your everyday cooking? You'll actually find that most of the better online retailers will provide a selection of ideas, suggestions and recipes, such as using goose fat for roast potatoes and vegetables, or using dried porcini mushrooms in your risotto. Take a look online today for gourmet ingredients and places where you can buy French food - your taste buds deserve no less!

For a wide selection of gourmet ingredients, recipes, tips and ideas visit The Good Food Network where you can buy French food and specialist ingredients online.

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