# College Student - Need Help!



## MDJ54 (Sep 11, 2012)

Hello!!

So I am in need of help. I know nothing about cooking. All I know is I'm one poor college student with next to no time on his hands. My mother gave me a slow cooker, but because she works in Russia it is hard to get a hold of her. I figure that I will use this slow cooker for a lot so I can start it, get to classes and then do homework all while the food is cooking.

I currently have two thawed chicken breasts, asparagus, broccoli, and a lot of red potatoes.

Does anyone know of anything I can do with these?!? I can pick up a few cheap things at a store if needed but my budget is very small! 

Any help anyone could give would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, cooking makes about as much sense to me as nuclear physics (I'm a Secondary Education Major) so ANY help is loved.

Thank You!
MJ


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## Oldvine (Sep 11, 2012)

Is the slow cooker the only cooking appliance/vessel you have?  How about a refrigerator for left overs?  A frying pan?  Maybe a pot to boil water?   We've had several kids go away to college and I can't remember one of them going with a slow cooker.  I'm sure some one will come up with some ideas.


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## MDJ54 (Sep 11, 2012)

I do have a refrigerator and a frying pan/skillet. I live in a house with three roommates so we are decently set up. I just figured the slow cooker would allow me to set it before I go into my class and be able to come home, eat, and tackle my hours and hours of school work! College is tough


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## chopper (Sep 11, 2012)

Oh my gosh, good for you!  So many college students get fast food when things get so busy. I would suggest you get a slow cooker cook book and start trying the recipes. Don't forget the liners to make clean-up easier. Most slow cooker recipes are simple, and you end up with a great result. Your friends and roommates will all want you cooking for them soon.


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## chopper (Sep 11, 2012)

I just thought of something else.  If you have an iPhone (so many do) there is an app called big oven that you can put in three ingredients and get different recipes. Just a thought. . I think the big thing is to have fun!


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## Dawgluver (Sep 11, 2012)

+ 1 to Chopper's suggestions.  Welcome to DC!

Put everything (cut up the veggies and potatoes) in the CP(crockpot), sprinkle with S&P (salt and pepper), and pour over a can of cream of something soup, like mushroom, celery, chicken.  Cook on low for 6 hours or so, don't let it dry out.  

Check out the slow cooker thread!


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## Merlot (Sep 11, 2012)

I googled 3-5 ingredient slowcooker meals and came up with quite a few. There is also a couple of websites related to 365 days of crockpot cooking where I found a few simple ones, you just have to weed through them. I cant vouch for their taste but Im sure they are edible! 
I agree with dawgluver, I was just going to suggest a "cream of something"


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## DaveSoMD (Sep 11, 2012)

MDJ54 said:


> Hello!!
> .....
> 
> I currently have two thawed chicken breasts, asparagus, broccoli, and a lot of red potatoes.
> ...





Dawgluver said:


> + 1 to Chopper's suggestions.  Welcome to DC!
> 
> Put everything (cut up the veggies and potatoes) in the CP, sprinkle with S&P, and pour over a can of cream of something soup, like mushroom, celery, chicken.  Cook on low for 6 hours or so, don't let it dry out.
> 
> Check out the slow cooker thread!



+1 

With those ingredients I'd suggest cream of celery, broccoli, or chicken.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Sep 11, 2012)

Change your major to Culinary Arts and you'll never have to worry about where your next meal is coming from.


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## chopper (Sep 11, 2012)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:
			
		

> Change your major to Culinary Arts and you'll never have to worry about where your next meal is coming from.



LOL


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## Bigjim68 (Sep 11, 2012)

With the ingredients you have on hand, all but the asparagus would work well in the slow cooker.  

I would try browning the breasts, adding the potatoes and broccoli, halving or quartering the potatoes if they are large.  Seasoning with pepper, salt, and some spices of your choice.  Add canned stock, preferably unsalted.  Cook on low.  Breasts can be tough and dry if overcooked.  Leave the asparagus for another day.

The computer is an excellent idea.  Thousands of recipes.   I like the 3 ingredient idea.


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## buckytom (Sep 11, 2012)

welcome doctor j! (md j)

man, your mom has a helluva commute!

just kidding. 

if and when you get tired of eating slow cooker meals, you might want to make something else.

i would suggest getting a hunk of cheddar, some milk, some chicken stock, toss it in a blender, then add the broccoli for broccoli cheese soup. that is, blitz the chunks of cheese, milk, and a little stock until it's smooth, add the brocvoli, pulse the blender to chop up the broccoli into bits, pour into a pot over low heat and heat it up, stirring frequently until it's just warm.

next, i would cut the potatoes into wedges, toss with olive oil and a good amount of salt and pepper, put it in a baking dish and roast them in tbe oven at 375 for about 30 minutes until crispy and browning on the edges.

while the potatoes are roasting, use the frying pan to saute strips of chicken and the asparagus with some garlic and dried herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary,and parsley (just a teeny pinch of each) in just enough olive oil to coat the pan over high heat for a few minutes. after the chicken starts to get a little browned, add a cup of chicken stock, reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan. let it steam for a few minutes, stir, cover and let it cook a few mnutes more.

when the potatoes are done (test by sticking a fork in one. if they're soft through, they're done) and spoon them onto a plate.  carefully spoon the chicken and asparagus next to the potatoes, but leave any liquid in the pan. add some butter to the pan to melt, and let it cook until it starts to thicken a little.  if you know what a corn starch slurry is, add that. it'll thicken the sauce right away. pour the thickened sauce over the chicken and potatoes.

hth. if you have any questions, don't he afraid to ask. we can take you through just about anything step by step.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Sep 11, 2012)

buckytom said:


> welcome doctor j! (md j)
> 
> man, your mom has a helluva commute!
> 
> just kidding....



BT is one of my go-to guys around here for ideas.  He has a lot of good ones.  Unfortunately, you said that you are also very short on time.  Soooo, you can make virtually everything that Bucky gave you in the slow cooker.  Fro the asparagus, simply wash the spears, and place them into an aluminum foil pouch, seasoned with S&P, with a bit of butter.  Seal the pouch by crimping the edges.  Take the chicken strips and saute them in a hot pan until very lightly browned.  Add them to a foil pack as well, again seasoned with granulated garlic, S&P, and a tsp. of olive oil.  The cubed potatoes are treat the same, seasoned with S&P, a bit of garlic, a little dried basil, a bit of either butter, or olive oil, maybe toss in some pre-sliced mushrooms, seal, and put the slow cooker.  All of these can be cooked at the same time, with the slow cooker set to low temp, not warm, but low.

If you want a soup, you can add any of the ingredients you mention, along with onion, carrot, peas, green beans, whole kernel corn, just about any veggie you can think of, add meat broth, any kind you like, a quarter cup of pearl barley, or rice, and let it cook all day.  Season to taste when you get back to the apartment with salt, pepper, or whatever you think would compliment the soup.  Just remember, when seasoning food, any food, use the seasonings sparringly.  You can always add more if need be, but once it's in the food, you can't take it out.  And over-seasoned food is as bad, or worse than food without enough seasoning.

Using foil wrap to seperate your foods, allows you to make virtually any dinner you want, from spaghetti with meat sauce, to lasagna with a side of green beans.  Check out some of the recipes on the sites suggested for ideas to use with your slow cooker.  It is a versatile tool, if you use just a little imagination.  There are even recipes for making bread in a slow cooker, or coblers, or crisps, or cakes, or banana bread, or roast beef, or rice casseroles, or, or, or...

And as the others have said, if you have an idea for something you might want to make in that slow cooker, just ask.  We can help.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## buckytom (Sep 11, 2012)

that's why he's my big bro.

but i do protest.

time is relative. 

wait, aren't brothers relatives?

i'm getting confused...


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## Whiskadoodle (Sep 11, 2012)

Surprisingly, set the vegetables on the bottom in layers,  eg, onions, potatioes, carrots, then broccoli or green vegetables, and the meat on top, in this instance chicken.  You don't need as much liquid in a slow cooker as if you were oven braising.  So don't drown everything and it will cook up nice for you. 

After it's all cooked, you can remove the contents and finish by making  gravy or sauce from the liquid.


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## Addie (Sep 12, 2012)

buckytom said:


> that's why he's my big bro.
> 
> but i do protest.
> 
> ...


 
Join the club. You won't be lonely.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 12, 2012)

Welcome to DC! Are you confused yet? If you have a Kindle, or a Kindle app, you can get free cookbooks from:

Dining Downloads: Free Cookbooks Every Day! | Dining Downloads

There have been a number of crockpot cookbooks lately.


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## vagriller (Sep 13, 2012)

You could make pulled pork in a crock pot. Then there are so many things you can do with that, sandwiches of course, tacos, enchiladas, and many more things. You can do pot roast with potatoes and carrots. I would recommend some spice blends like this one. I put this on quite a lot of things.

Buy Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blend, Garlic & Herb & More | drugstore.com


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## Queen Ransom (Sep 13, 2012)

I use my slow cooker a lot, especially in winter. I like to stock up on cheap meat cuts (just trim off the fatty bits) beef chicken and vegetable stock cubes are fairly cheap, frozen veggies, and I buy bottles of sauce on special like hoi sin sauce etc.
I like to seal my meat a little in a fry pan before putting it in the cooker, and half boil potatoes if I'm putting them in as I can never seem to cook them enough. 4 hours on high, 8 hours on low. You can really throw anything in there though! Good luck


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Sep 14, 2012)

Shredded beef is so easy to make in a slow cooker.  Simply sear the meat in a hot pan, to brown it a little, season with salt, and throw it into the slow cooker with some chopped onion, and about 3 tbs. of fresh cilantro.  Let it cook while you are in classes.  When you get back to the apartment, use two forks to shred the beef.  Pour off the extra juices to use for gravy, or sauce in another meal.  Use the beef for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or mix with pasta, or as a filling for a great sandwich.  Serve with freshly sliced avocados, or guacamole.   The shredded beef is also great for nachos.  There are so many great ways to use it.

Take that shredded beef, chop up some fresh peppers, and onion, an pan fry together.  Spritz it with lime juice and use for any of the above.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## jennyema (Sep 14, 2012)

Don't cook chicken breasts in a crock pot.  They totally dry out no matter what liquid you cook them in.

They cook on their own in a fry pan in 20 min -- much faster if you cut them into pieces.


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