Crock-pots contain heat




Bill Slingerland is a teacher at Port Aransas High School who has a passion for cooking. Contact him through the South Jetty at southjetty@centurytel. net or P.O. Box 1117, Port Aransas, TX 78373.

Bill Slingerland is a teacher at Port Aransas High School who has a passion for cooking. Contact him through the South Jetty at southjetty@centurytel. net or P.O. Box 1117, Port Aransas, TX 78373.


Summertime has arrived and it is hot, hot outside. Many of us enjoy cooking outside, and there is no reason to heat up the inside by using the oven for your barbecue side dishes.

I have two recipes for hot side dishes that don’t heat up the house. I make them in crock-pots. Crock-pots are for more that heating up cheese dip or making a pot roast. These appliances from the 70’s can make casseroles, soups and desserts. I like both of these recipes because you can start them early and tend to other cooking chores or relax outside in the shade.

The first recipe is for a creamed corn. This recipe is so easy and gets eaten up every time. It doubles and triples easily, but be sure to add cooking time to it. Frozen corn, cream cheese and milk are used. Just remember to not peek at it constantly because this interrupts the cooking process.

I have not always been a big fan of macaroni and cheese. My mother’s was OK, but I never was a big devotee of Kraft’s little blue box of this popular item. But I came across a recipe for macaroni and cheese made in a crock-pot and I fell in love with it.

It is very easy and involves stirring everything together into a crock-pot. Just remember to cook it no longer than four hours or it will dry out.
Crock-pot Creamed Corn

1 lb. frozen corn

1 8-oz. package cream cheese,

cut in cubes

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Pour corn into the bottom of the crock-pot and top with cream cheese cubes. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over corn and cream cheese. Cover and cook on high heat for three hours. Stir well before serving. Remember, do not lift the lid of the crock-pot during the cooking.

Crock-pot
Macaroni and Cheese


Cooking oil spray

1 1/2 cups milk

1 15- oz. can evaporated milk

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni



Spray the pot of the slow cooker with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, pour in the two milks, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well with a whisk or fork. Pour the milk into the crock-pot. Add the cheese and macaroni. Stir gently to mix.

Cook for three-and-a-half to four hours on low or until the custard is set. Remember, do not cook longer than four hours.

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