CrockPot App Recipe Review

I mentioned earlier that I downloaded a new app for the iPhone, the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Recipe Finder app. I’ve been toodling around with it a lot. I’ve built a list of favorite recipes from it. The best thing I like about the app is the ability to save a recipe, and the app with include all the ingredients into a shopping list. It’s make meal planning SO SO easy. I think it’s the best thing about the app. I’m looking for more apps that do similar things. I’ll let you know when I find them) and if you know of any, please let me know!).

Well, I tried the Beef Stroganoff recipe last night. It was “OK.” I’m not a big fan of cream sauces, but the kids like stroganoff. Stroganoff is, I believe, a Russian dish. I find it bland…. I wonder if the Russians really made it as bland, it’s like eating the leather from ugg boots, to me. It always needs more salt and LOTS more spices.

The recipe is a basic Beef Stroganoff (you use beef strips and not ground beef). It has onions, mushrooms, beef broth, Worcestershir sauce, etc. The recipe called for white wine, but I had none so I skipped that. I also usually add some of my own ideas when cooking– I was tempted to add paprika to this recipe to give it some kick, but I decided not to. I wanted to see how this would taste if I made it straight by the recipe. Again, just “OK.”

The recipe also calls for sour cream (another bland ingredient, I think). I added it very carefully, but it still curdled from the heat a little. (I haven’t been able to stop sour cream from doing that for any of my crockpot recipes! I’m going to avoid sour cream altogether next time).

The kids liked it, enough to eat it all! The beef was nice, but a little strong (always is in crockpot). The gravy consistency was good, but bland. I would make this recipe again, but I would spice it up a bit.

I’ll have more from this app (and any future app) to come. I’m looking forward to making some of the chicken recipes, especially a lemon-herb chicken dish that looks great! Stay tuned…

Crock-Pot iPhone App

Oh, it’s winter– comfort food season! Unfortunately, I have been so busy with work that I have not been cooking very often. My poor kids have been forced to scrounge for meals these days. I just don’t have as much time as I used to, searching for recipes, tabulating the ingredients, writing a grocery list, cooking all day… yow, cooking a meal is very labor-intensive!

I found this really neat iPhone app, though, and I love it! It’s the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Recipe Finder app (whew, THAT’S a mouthful). It’s a really neat little tool. Since I don’t have a whole lot of time to spend, creating menu plans and all, I use this app on the fly while I shop. You can quickly search the app by cuisine, ingredient, course, etc; choose a recipe and click “Add to Shopping List” (the little + at the top). So everything is added to my list.

What makes this app SO Perfect is that if you add two or more recipes to your Shopping List tab, the app will generate a list combining ingredients for all recipes you’ve selected. YAY! I love that feature!!! To see the combined shopping list, choose some recipes, then go to Shopping List, and click the “List” tab. There you will see a checklist of things you need to buy. It has little checkboxes, too, so you can cross off what you have purchased. YAY YAY! I love this.

I do think it needs more recipes, however. It has a lot already, true, but after I use them all up, I’d love to see more. I’ve only been using the app for a short time, so maybe the app people add more recipes after awhile, I don’t know.

Anyway, crockpots are MARVELOUS things. They make it SO easy to cook. The foods tend to be a little heavy, though, so you may wind up searching lipo 6 reviews after seeing some of the ingredients. But it’s a good app. Thumbs up!

I’ll have more reviews on food apps in future posts. Thanks for reading

Good Cooking Apps?

I’m searching for some really, really good cooking apps for the iPod. I love my iPod. I took it to the grocery store for the first time last week, because it had my grocery list on it. The grocery list app I have (Awesome List) wasn’t so hot. I like the app itself, but for grocery shopping, it was awkward. I can’t arrange the items, and it was just awkward to use. Do any of you have any good apps out there?

Basic things I’m looking for:

• Lists that can be organized: alphabetically, or by aisle (such as Dairy or Produce).
• Ability to store lists of commonly-needed staples.
• Ability to “check off” item in one click, not multiple “edit this,” and “edit that,” and the confirmation clicks.
• Ability to perhaps add notes to the item. For example, I can list “milk” on my list, but it would be nice to access a note for the item, such as “1 qt 2%” and “1 gallon skim,” or something like that.

The first two things are pretty much a standard. I couldn’t use an app that didn’t have the first two things.

And it would be cool if the app came without phentremene ads and ads for dating sites. I’d be happy to pay for the app if it is a really good one. Please leave any suggestions! Thanks!