Slow Cooker Wild Mushroom Risotto

Risotto can be made so easily in the crockpot.  None of that pesky stirring.  I just assembled this, threw it in the crockpot and went out with my husband for coffee.   When we came home we had a delicious creamy risotto that was ready to eat.  This recipe is one I modified from:
Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals That Are Ready When You Are

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped porcini mushrooms (or other wild mushrooms)
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt (depending on the saltiness of your stock you may want to add less and then adjust if needed, after cooking)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1.) Wash and chop mushrooms (I used a food processor).  Set aside.

2.) In a medium sized skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant and slightly softened, about one minute.

3.) Transfer the shallots and garlic to a 3.5 - 4 quart slow cooker.  Add the rice, stirring to coat with oil.  Stir in all the mushrooms, stock, wine, thyme and salt.  Cover and cook on high for about 2 hours, until all liquid is absorbed.

4.) About 5 minutes before the risotto is finished, stir in the parmesan and parsley and season with pepper.  Spoon into bowls and serve hot.

Notes

To my surprise, we all liked this.  Both kids ate it, even my son who is a self proclaimed mushroom hater!  I don't think it was my kids' favourite thing ever but they found it edible which was far more than I was expecting.  I enjoyed it quite a bit and will definitely make it again.

It's definitely not much to look at, maybe it would look nicer if I'd left some mushroom pieces larger, but it is good creamy comfort food.

Slow Cooker Boston Brown Bread

Bread in the slow cooker? You bet! It comes out very moist and doesn't heat up the kitchen.

Boston Brown Bread is a slightly sweet, dark and rich quick bread. Don't expect sandwich bread as it isn't that. It is, however, completely delicious.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups milk (I used skim)
1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar (or other vinegar)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses

1. Lightly oil or spray a baking pan that fits inside your slow cooker. I just used a corning ware dish, but you can use a coffee can with one end cut off, or a bread pan that fits, or whatever works for you.

2.) In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar and set aside.

3.) In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. Mix well. Add the molasses and milk mixture and stir until the batter is just mixed.

4.) Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place the pan inside the slow cooker (if you have a trivet you can place this inside the slow cooker before the pan. I don't have one and it works fine without it). Cover and cook on high until firm and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out dry, 3.5 - 4 hours. In my crockpot it was 3.5 hours.

5.) Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing. Excellent served warm, with butter. Make a great accompaniment for baked beans. Leftovers are also good spread with cream cheese.

Notes:

All of us loved this. My husband Kevin said he'd made boston brown bread one time many years ago, expecting sandwich bread and he was completely disappointed at the time as it was not what he was expecting (hence my note, above!). This time though, he didn't seem too disappointed - he had seconds the first night and has been enjoying the leftovers.

I have seen various ways of making bread and/or cake (yes, cake!) in the crockpot. Some have a water bath, some have trivets and other pans inserted. Some have you place foil over the bread, and some have you vent the cover.

I didn't do anything with this other than use a different pan inserted into the crockpot. The only reason I did that was because I felt the bread would end up too large and thin if I didn't use a smaller pan inside (I was using a 5.5 quart crockpot). If I used my 3.5 quart crockpot, I may not have used a pan inserted and suspect it would still be fine. My 3.5 quart crockpot had baked beans cooking in it at the time I was making the bread, however. It was a great dinner!