Would you believe this meal came completely out of the crockpot with recipes that involve absolutely no measuring? Well wrap your mind around it because its true.

The night before I threw some pesto and cheese on the fish, wrapped it in foil and put the fish packets in the fridge over night. I washed and trimmed the artichoke and got out the crockpots so that in my pre coffee haze I could manage to get this cooking quickly before going to work.

The fish went into the crockpot with a timed setting. This way the fish could cook for 3 hours and then be kept warm until I got home. It was perfect and flaky and not at all over done or fishy. Sometimes I love technology.

The artichoke went in the smaller old school crockpot with some water and lemon juice. When I got home the house smelled green and welcoming. There are few things I love to eat more than artichokes so coming home between jobs to pull the leaves off a perfectly cooked artichoke was a dream come true.

None of this is the fellas favorite thing in the world so I made it while we was in Boston a couple weeks ago and was a very happy girl. Sometimes cooking for one can be thrilling. I can do something as crazy as dual crockpot cooking without getting any funny looks. It was thrilling.

I highly recommend crockpotted artichokes. Not that it takes long to boil them regularly but there is something really nice about coming home to ready to eat food especially something as esoteric as an artichoke.

Crockpot Fillet of Sole with Pesto


1 to 2 pounds of white fish (I used sole)
bottled pesto
shredded Parmesan cheese
foil

Spread out a layer of foil on the counter top. Put a piece of fish in it. Cover it with a spoonful of pesto. Sprinkle on some shredded Parmesan.

Fold over the foil to create a little packet. Put the packet in the crockpot.

Continue to layer in foil packets until you run out of fish.

Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. You really should check it after 3 hours. The fish is done when it is fully white and flakes nicely with a fork. The stuff on the bottom will cook the same as the stuff on the top.

Original recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking.

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Crockpot Artichokes


artichokes
crockpot
water

Clean and prep the artichokes however you like to do so.

Put the artichokes in the slow cooker with liquid. I put the artichokes stem-side down in my big slow cooker and sprinkled them with a little salt, pepper, and fresh-squeezed lemon. Then I poured over about 2 cups of water (adjust to the size of your slow cooker; you may need a little less) and a drizzle of olive oil.

Cook on low for 6 hours or until the leaves can be easily pulled away. The final cooking time will depend on the actual heat of your slow cooker and the size of the artichokes.

Idea from the kitchen section of Apartment Therapy.

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As I get closer to the end of my pregnancy... only 10 weeks left but whos counting... Im having more and more emotions come to the surface. Mainly Im pretty much terrified at the thought of physically having this baby. I know, I know... millions of women do this all this time, but I am so scared at the thought of pushing this human being out of my body. YIKES! Dan has been really good about giving me encouraging words and promising that he will be right by my side the entire time, which does help with my anxiety (a little bit).

I have increasingly become more uncomfortable and frustrated as time passes. I hate how extremely exhausted I feel all the time, how I cant physically do what I use to, how shaving my legs is almost impossible, how I just plain hurt all over, how Im suffering from horrible acid reflux, how I have to pee constantly... and the list goes on. I know its all part of being pregnant and this is something I wanted and feel blessed to be capable of, but it has been a really hard adjustment for me recently when Im use to living a different way. I also am having a really hard time wrapping my head around that I no longer have any usable muscles in my stomach. My brain can tell my stomach muscles to flex, but there is nothing there to do so. Its a very odd feeling to me. And how long will it take me to get myself back into shape? Im already looking into the next 5K I can run this summer!

Yes, Im complaining... and truly I shouldnt be because in the grand scheme of things I have had an easy and healthy pregnancy so far. Life is good and God has blessed me a thousand times over with this amazing experience. I need to soak in every moment that I have because one day Ill look back and wonder where the time went. I am truly grateful even though I may sound like a Negative Nancy.

My sweet Remi Bear saying hello to his baby brother or sister! Goodness I love this dog!

Anyways... back to the stuff you might want to hear about. Currently, our June Bug is the size of a cabbage and weighing in at about 3 lbs. The baby will double or even triple in size up to my due date. When the baby moves... boy do I know it!!! I usually feel it mostly during the evening time when Im settling down from a long day. Its nice to lay beside Dan and have him feel all the jabs Im getting. I had my glucose test several weeks ago and passed all my labs just fine, which I was so thankful for because several of my friends who have had babies have not. More recently, I had an appointment and the babys heartbeat was 158 and Im measuring right on target. Currently, I have only gained 22 pounds, but it sure feels like a lot more to me. The doctor asked me if I had been having any contractions (which I have been since 5 months along, but they are just Braxton Hicks) and told me that if I start having really hard ones that I need to rest for an hour and if they continue then come in. There has been a lot of talk about pediatricians, touring the hospital, classes I could take, etc. Since I have not been having any problems I will have my next ultrasound at 36 weeks just to ensure there are no surprises before the baby is born and that the head is down.

Other than that, my parents have been a big help with assisting us in arranging the nursery, assembling the crib, and moving all sorts of furniture around since Im pretty worthless with lifting anything at this point. For the most part Dan and I have things where we want them to go, we just need to hang shelving and pictures up to finish it up. Im sure there will be a nursery post come along when we are ready to show it off. 

I think that is all the news I have to share with you right now. The time is getting closer and closer so I will try to make sure to update you as I find things out along the way.

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You know how you make Moroccan food even simpler?  Cook it in the crockpot.  Its basically the more technologically advanced version of a tagine anyway and you can cook while you sleep. 

I love my crockpot especially for cooking something in large portions like this before a party.  It is done the day before and all I have to do is warm it up before the guests arrive.  This planning ahead made this the least stressful party Ive ever had.  All I did was warm everything up and throw it on plates for my guests.  I could get used to that.

There maybe a long list of ingredients but believe me there is no work involved and in the end you are rewarded with tender, sweet and slightly savory beef covered in a gooey decadent sauce.  On a plate with those salty stuffed tomatoes and some red quinoa with roasted vegetables that my friend Jess contributed to dinner, and this was an excellent meal.  It was almost as good as actually going to Morocco...okay maybe not but it was fun pretending.

We had some Cakebread Pinot Noir with the beef and it was stunning.  Pinot was the right choice for sweet, spicy beef because it had enough fruit to compliment the red meat but was light enough to not over power the spices.  I was really pleased with dinner and even more so that everyone invited loved dinner and had managed to somehow all bring the right wines to go with dinner even though none of us knew what wines to pair with Moroccan food. 

Then for dessert I went a step farther and knocked every one into an ecstatic food coma with warm fresh rice crepes and some almond and argan oil paste called, amlou.  With an ice wine we were all insanely happy and yes just tipsy enough to really start having a good time.  

Also included in this meal:

Sundried Tomato Tapenade

Orange, Olive and Argan Oil Salad

Salty Stuffed Tomatoes

Red Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

Rice Crepes and Amlou

Crockpot Beef Tagine

2 tablespoon oil, divided use
4 large onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 pounds beef, trimmed of fat and cubed

1 cup stock (beef preferably)
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 inch piece ginger, grated
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 cinnamon stick

5 carrots, peeled and cut into chucks
1 9-ounce can tomatoes (or 5 large tomatoes, diced)
4 ounces dates, pitted
6 ounces prunes, pitted

1/ 4 cup toasted almonds, sliced
1/ 4 cup cilantro, chopped


In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat and brown the onion and garlic until well caramelized.  Place into crockpot.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over medium heat  Pat dry the cubes of beef (youll get a better sear on the meat if it isnt wet), then in small batches brown the beef on all sides.  Dont cook the meat all the way through!  Youre just searing the outside of the meat so it will stay tender while cooking on low heat for a long time in the crockpot.  As you brown the meat place it in the crockpot.

Place beef broth in measuring cup or small mixing bowl and whisk the spices and agave nectar into it.  Put spiced broth and whole cinnamon stick into crockpot.

Toss the carrots, tomatoes, dates and prunes into the crockpot.  Mix all the ingredients in the crockpot up so it is well combined and coated in spices.

You may need to add more stock or some water to the crockpot at this point.  You want the meat mostly covered in moisture so it wont dry out.

Cook on high in crockpot for 6 to 8 hours or until beef is tender and falling apart.

Serve over quinoa(if youre gluten free) or couscous(if wheat isnt an issue).  Top with the almonds and cilantro.

Modified from a recipe by the French Tart at Recipezaar.com

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This is what dinner looks like when I neglect to plan out recipes ahead of time.  Dont get me wrong, it was delicious but more random than Im used to.

The fella and I were both hungry and uninspired.  All we had were a couple random vegetables and a bunch of dry beans that no one wanted to put the effort into boiling.  Then while looking through the oddities of my cupboard I found one can of white beans neither of us could remember buying.  Not one to look down upon random dinner providing beans, I whipped them into a dip I remembered seeing in my food blog browsing earlier in the day.  And tada we had protein and an almost balanced meal.

Im not a fan of raw garlic (its not a fan of me either I found out in my elimination dieting so at least the feeling is mutual) so I cooked mine before adding it.  But if youre a the garlicky-er the better type and loss in a few cloves raw, this is the easiest dip imaginable.  Its like hummus for when youre all hummus-ed out or not in the mood to plan ahead for soaking chickpeas.  Especially on the forbidden corn chips this dip was extraordinary. 

White Bean Dip

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups (or 1 15-ounce can) cooked white beans

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 a lemon, juiced 
salt and pepper, to taste


If you decide to cook the garlic, saute it briefly in the olive oil over medium heat just until it is no longer raw before tossing in the food processor.


If using canned beans, drain and rinse them, then place in food processor.  If using dried beans, cook 1 cup of white beans of your choice using your preferred method and put in food processor when cooked through.


Put all of the remaining ingredients in the food processor with the garlic and beans and pulse a few times until the mixture is very smooth.  Check the seasoning to see if more salt, pepper or thyme is needed.  Also add additional liquid at this point if you would like the dip to be thinner.  Blend again until well combined. 

Modified from an original recipe at Affairs of Living blog.

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