Crock-Pot No-No

Last week I posted on Facebook a new recipe I tried called, Slow-Cooker Pinto Bean Stew with Jalapeno-Corn Dumplings. I have been going back and forth, debating whether I should share this recipe, because I completely botched it.

 

When I make crock-pot recipes I like to make them on Sundays, so we have left overs for the week OR I try and put something in the crock pot during the week when I won’t be home till late. The problem I have encountered with crock-potting during the week is I’m typically gone for 10-12 hours during the day. So if I put the ingredients in the crock pot before I leave for work, I am limited to recipes that required 10-12 cook time.

Needless to say, this recipe is not a 10-12 hour recipe, but a 9 hour recipe at MOST. Luckily the “stew” didn’t burn, instead it turned into pinto bean chili. All the delicious veggies got SO over cooked that you couldn’t taste them at all… and the only taste that really came through was pinto beans. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE pinto beans, especially when they are cooked in the crock pot, but in this case I wasn’t too thrilled with the outcome.

The next disappointing aspect of the recipes (that I didn’t mess up) was the jalapeño-corn dumplings. Just those three words were enough to entice me into making this whole recipe! I love spicy (jalapenos), I love most breaded items (dumplings) and who doesn’t like corn bread?! The recipe calls for you to mix together the batter and drop “tablespoon-full of dough, drop 8 dumplings on top of the stew. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour”. Well, that part I did, and these “dumplings” were like flavorless dough balls. I was very disappointed.

IF I were to make this recipe again, I would make the following changes:

1. Only cook the stew for the recommended time, no longer than 8-hours on low or 4-hours on high.
2. Add additional veggies (probably 1.25 to 1.5 the recommended amount).
3. Cook the dumplings in a skillet instead of in the stew.

 I believe this recipe has the potential to be good, but I clearly botched it during my first attempt. Lucky for me Frank and I both like the flavor of pinto beans and it hasn’t gone to waste!