Why not make Crock Pot Meatloaf and Potatoes? The HH has been working hard for the past week sanding the floors on the kitchen side of the house. This situation has left me without a kitchen to cook in. Or a proper place to wash dishes.
And since everything from the kitchen side of the house is jammed into the family room side of the house we don’t even have a proper table to eat on for that matter.
These days I float between feeling claustrophobic and wanting to scream because so much stuff is crammed into one place. Also on not giving a flip and embracing the feeling of living like a hoarder. Of course with stuff crammed into every nook and cranny.
Good times.
But we’re getting there. Today we’re going to apply the first coat of stain to the floors {and then there will be 2 coats of sealer after that}. So there is a light at the end of {this stage} of the tunnel in sight.
YADA YADA YADA…
Yesterday, I found my mixing bowls and whipped up a meatloaf.
But, since I don’t have a working oven right now. Which I didn’t want to deal with trying to clean a Crock Pot filled with grease in the bathroom sink I put the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan and set it in the Crock Pot in a 1/2″ inch of water.
I cooked the meatloaf on low for 3 hours and then drained the fat into a can and set the meatloaf back into the Crock Pot.
I pierced 4 potatoes and set those on the edges of the meatloaf tin, put the lid back on and cooked everything for an additional 2 hours.
This was the first time I had tried cooking a meatloaf {in a tin} in the Crock Pot and I was pleasantly surprised at how it all turned out.
Oven… we don’t need no stinkin’ oven! š
And as an added bonus, I was able to harvest some fresh chives to sprinkle over our dinner. Wahoo!
Keep Calm and Carry On.
~Mavis
Tamara says
Necessity is the mother of invention; well done!
Susan says
Brilliant! Iām glad to have this āback pocketā idea if I need it!
Laura says
A little over two years ago we remodeled our kitchen, a complete tear out down to the studs. 1 month in, well we all know what happened two years ago, the crew left and we had to get creative about food. Thank goodness our kids were grown. We had our coffee pot and microwave in a bathroom and we grilled a lot. I also used the crackpot. When it’s all done it will be worth the inconvenience (keep thinking of your beautiful Aga in your kitchen)
Diane says
Get some of those crockpot liners and you wonāt have any clean up at all! And paper plates!
Jennifer says
Hey yall, I need help. I want to make hard boiled eggs and even though I am 53, I have never been able to make them where they would peel easily. I’ve tried lots of tricks, but nothing helps. How do you do it?
Rosemary Calhoun says
Here is how I make them. Once they are done boiling, immediately drop them into a bowl of ice cold water (and I do mean ice cold ā I fill a bowl with ice and then add water). The theory is that the white part of the egg will shrink away from the shell when it hits the cold water (making it easier to peel). Also, it is very hard to peel fresh eggs (if you have chickens). If they are a couple of weeks old, they will do better.
Nancy S says
I cook the eggs and dump out hot water and refill with cold water.While filling with cold water I reach in and crack each egg against the side of the pan and let sit in the cold water. The eggs will peel easier. Also use older eggs for boiling, fresh eggs do not work well.
Virginia says
I bought an Instant Pot years ago and use it quite frequently ā now, that would really come in handy in your current state of affairs, Mavis! ā anyhow, wouldnāt you know, it makes the best easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs ever. Every single time.
Dianne says
Over the weekend, my niece made hard boiled eggs in her insta-pot. They turned out perfect! And I mean perfect, no sight of a green ring anywhere, the yolks were a perfect color of yellow. The shells just fell off. I would recommend this way for hard boiled eggs.
Jam says
This cooking store did a comparison of all the different methods. Here’s the link to the testing they did. https://www.gygiblog.com/blog/2020/04/07/hard-boiled-egg-showdown/#:~:text=Bring%20water%20to%20a%20low,12%20minutes%20for%20this%20test).
In short, here’s what won and what I do now: (the key is the ice water bath to shock the membranes after finishing the boil)
Boiling Water
Add enough water to a pot so that when the eggs are added, theyāll be submerged with about 1ā³ of water.
Bring water to a low boil (200 Degrees F) and add 6 cold eggs. Using tongs or a mesh strainer will prevent the eggs from cracking.
Place the lid on and allow water to return to a low boil.
Then reduce heat to low and simmer eggs for desired time (12 minutes for this test).
Remove from pot and immediately plunge in a ice water bath for 15 minutes.
Pat says
My method is to put your eggs into a pot and cover the eggs with at least 1/2 to one inch of water. Bring to a boil and then time them for 14 minutes. Drain the hot water and run them under cold water, then drain. Mine peel very easily after I crack the eggs against the inside of my sink or on the counter. Try a couple to see if it works for you. Good luck and Happy Easter!
Julie says
If you get your water boiling first, then carefully put your eggs in a steam basket, or gently put room temperature eggs into your boiling water (that covers the eggs) cover and cook allotted time 12-15? minutesā¦ The traditional way is to start with cold water, so the shells donāt break, but like getting your frying pan hot, before you put your meat in it, lessens the sticking, starting with hot water lessens the egg sticking to the shell. That is a confusing explanation, but, indeed, it works!!! Also, after theyāre cooled in cold water, smack the wide end of the egg on the sinkā¦.it pushes the air bubble around the inside of the shell. Good luck!
Sheila says
Keep them for at least a week, then cook them however you wish. New eggs generally don’t peel worth a darn – no matter the method. My grandparents had an egg farm, way back before free range became a thing (they had 12 long – massively long – barns full of chickens)…they knew their eggs. š
Personally, I boil the water, lower the eggs into the water with a spoon, time it for 13 minutes and put them in cold water.
Mimi says
I put them in a pot with a steamer insert over simmering water for 15 minutes. So far that is the method that works best for me.
Silkifae says
I am 67 & have tried all the methods (including Instant Pot). What has worked best for fresh eggs from my chickens is to steam them. I let the eggs sit on the counter a couple hours to come to room temperature, place them in a steamer basket in a pot, add water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain steaming for 18-20 minutes on my glass-top stove & I never have a green ring. When time is up, I drain the water from the pan, add cold water from the faucet (no ice) & when that water warms, I drain again & add more cold water. When that water becomes tepid, I drain & with the lid on the pot I shake it to crack the eggs, add more cold water from the faucet & immediately peel them. The shells slip right off. I find if the eggs are a tad warm they peel easier than if eggs are cold. I have done it this way for several years now & while I will occasionally have one that doesn’t look perfect when peeled, it has been a 99% effective process for me.
Lana says
Five years ago we put new flooring in every room upstairs except our bedroom so everything squashed in there with us. At night I felt sure the piles would fall over and we would be crushed!
LindaT says
Look at you! Cooking just like the pioneers!
I actually think that was very creative.
Deborah says
I really like this idea for cooking meatloaf. Especially in the summer. Iāll have to keep this in mind. Thanks for the idea!
Annette Horsley says
I am going to try it
Mimi says
Good to know about the crockpot meatloaf. Sometimes I just want to avoid using the oven, especially in the summer.
Michelle says
Try living without a kitchen and half the house sealed off due to dust with 6 kids!!! Plus 2 dogs. For a month! That was my family a year and a half ago when we remodeled the kitchen. I cooked with a microwave, toaster oven, and crockpots. I ended up ordering some Tupperware to help cook in too. The microwave rice cooker is still in regular use even though our kitchen is functional again. Functional… Yet still not finished.
Joely says
You are so resourceful. You may have to add a cookbook with all of your “without a kitchen” recipes!
Linda says
Donāt forget about your Costco Chicken Chili recipe. Iāve dumped all the ingredients in a crockpot & let it cook either on high or low- depending on the time I needed it ready- and it worked perfectly!! I made it tonight & itās a family favorite!
Love the meatloaf idea! Like others have said, good for the summer when you donāt want your oven on!
Linda Practical Parsimony says
This is how I boil eggs and peel them easily. Start with cold water, bring to a boil for ten minutes, turn off stove and put top on the pot of eggs. Pour off boiling water and let cold water run in pan for just a few minutes. Then, using ice cubes, put the eggs into icy water in a bowl or another pot. Let them sit for about ten minutes. Break the eggs large end first. Hold the egg under running water, letting the water run cold water into the large end. Turn on the water so it is very forceful on the egg. The water gets between egg and shell, making it easier. Peel under the running water. It always works. However, fresh eggs are difficult to peel.
Mavis, save washing a mixing bowl by using a gallon freezer bag to mix the meatloaf or anything.
Bonnie says
The only thing I say is “Where’s the ketchup!”. Lol.
Bonnie says
Oh, I forgot to mention they sell crockpot liners. They make fore great cleanup also.
Bonnie says
For not fore