Crock Pot Pork Carnitas

Don't skip the step to broil the shredded pork under the broiler. This is what makes the flavors develop and the crispy pork adds a lot to your meal.

3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder roast
12 oz bottle beer (I used a lager)
2 oranges, juiced (4 oz)
1 large lime, juiced (about 2 oz)
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
1 recipe of the Spice Mix below

Spice mix 
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Mix well in a small bowl.

Toppings
10 tortillas (flour or corn)
white onion, diced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
shredded Mexican cheese (of your choosing)
hot sauce (your choosing)
sour cream (optional)

1. Pour beer and juice from oranges and lime in the bottom of a crock pot
2. Add onion, saving about 1/4 of it to put on top of the roast
3. Rub spice mix and garlic clove into the meat on both sides
4. Place meat into the crock pot and place the onion you set aside on top of the roast
5. Cover crock pot and turn to high setting for about 5-6 hours or on low setting for 7-9 hours or until roast is tender and shreds with a fork.
6. Shred pork, salt and pepper to taste, and place on a foil-lined metal baking pan (may use 2 pans)
7. Preheat broiler on low broil setting.
8. Place meat under broiler, mixing periodically until meat begins to brown and get crispy.
9. Remove pan and assemble carnitas into tortillas with toppings of your choice.
10. Tastes great with homemade refried beans in the tortillas or on the side.
11. Reheats well for leftovers or can freeze leftovers and use another day.

Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 lb thawed chicken breasts
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 large shallot, diced
4 carrots, sliced
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 packages of Lundberg Farms wild rice-brown rice blend with seasoning packets
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp fresh sage (or 1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
2 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 1/2 Tbsp dried)
2 large bay leaves
3 Tbsp butter
10-12 cups chicken broth

Place all ingredients in order listed, give it a good stir. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Remove chicken breasts and shred. Add more chicken broth to make it more soup-like or you can add milk or heavy cream to make it a creamy soup. Warm any additional liquids you add before adding it to the rest of the soup. I ended up adding more salt and garlic powder.

Note: You can make this stove top and used cooked chicken. I substituted about 2 pounds of leftover turkey (for a half recipe) from Thanksgiving for the chicken and homemade turkey broth for the chicken broth. I also added 4 oz of sliced baby portabello mushrooms. 

This makes enough for about 8 people. Serve with a salad and bread.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

2-3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
24 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
10 oz can enchilada sauce (any heat level you like)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 oz can chopped green chili peppers (undrained)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth (low sodium if you have it)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
juice of small lime

Toppings
crumbled corn chips or freshly made tortilla strips*
sour cream
shredded cheese
avocado, diced
Salsa

1. For a freezer to crock pot meal, place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, garlic, spices and cilantro into a freezer bag. Write on bag: Add 4 cups chicken broth.

2. When ready to make, dump contents of freezer bag into cock pot plus the 4 cups of chicken broth. Cover and turn on high for 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours. If possible, make sure the chicken is on the bottom of the crock pot and sitting in the broth.

3. When done, shred chicken and place back into the soup mixture. Add the juice of one lime and adjust seasonings. If desired, you can remove the chicken and then use a blender to blend the contents of the rest of the soup until smooth. Then return the chunks of chicken. If you need more "soup" - add more hot chicken broth.

4. To serve, top with desired toppings and enjoy!

If you do not want to make this a freezer to crock pot meal, just cook fresh ingredients in a large Dutch or in your crock pot oven until chicken is done. Follow instructions in steps 3 and 4.

*Homemade tortilla strips can be found on this tortilla soup recipe.

Pork Ribs and Sauerkraut

I still remember my mom making this dish early in the day and smelling the sauerkraut and pork simmering on the stove. This is one of my favorite German dishes and still one of my favorite ways to eat sauerkraut. If you want more probiotic goodness from the kraut, only add half the kraut when you boil the dish and then add the rest just before serving. I personally don't care about that aspect of the dish and have never done it that way. You can also make this meal in the crockpot. Be sure to brown the ribs and then layer the rest of the ingredients. You won't need as much liquid, if any extra when you use a slow-cooker.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 package (about 3 pounds) bone-in or boneless country spare ribs
1 large onion, sliced
32 oz. sauerkraut (homemade or a good store-bought one like the kind in the refrigerated section)
1 head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), washed, cored and thinly sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 apple, peeled and cored, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt & Pepper to taste
Water as needed

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil and brown ribs. Add onion about half-way through and brown until almost caramelized. About 1 minute before adding other ingredients, add the garlic and give a good stir until fragrant. Salt and pepper the ribs as you cook them. Don't be afraid to use plenty of salt. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits. Add liquid from sauerkraut and more water, if needed. Liquid should be boiling. Turn to medium-low heat and add apple and cabbage. Make sure there is enough liquid so cabbage can cook down. Bring ribs to the top of the pan so they don't burn. Cover Dutch oven with lid and steam cabbage until it is wilted and then salt and pepper again. Add sauerkraut on top of ribs, making sure the ribs are simmering in the liquid. Liquid should be about halfway up the Dutch oven.

Turn stove to low, simmer, covered until meat is very tender and cabbage is cooked down (it will look a lot like the sauerkraut). Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove meat (it should be falling off the bones) and take out the bones and fat and cartilage, leaving pork as chunky as possible.

At this point, you can continue to simmer or turn o

ff and reheat or eat immediately. If you like caraway seed, you can add that when you add the raw cabbage. I wouldn't add more than a teaspoon unless you really love the taste of caraway seed!

Serve with boiled potatoes that have been buttered and seasoned with salt and pepper or make a big pot of mashed potatoes and serve it with that. Serve in a bowl and make sure you get some of the cooking liquid as "gravy" on the potatoes (not too much or they get watered down).

NOTE: You can use all sauerkraut with this dish. I added the cabbage because I love the taste of the cabbage with the kraut. This dish is great as leftovers too!

5 Easy Freezer to Crockpot Meals

  Philly Chicken Sandwiches

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2-2 pounds)

2 Tbsp butter

1-2 bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow - your choice), sliced

1 large sweet onion, sliced and then cut into half moons

1 Tbsp + Montreal Steak Seasoning (any brand will due)

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

 

Sliced cheese or grated cheese of choice (mozzarella, provolone, etc.)

Hoagie Rolls

 

Put all ingredients except cheese and rolls in a gallon freezer bag and freeze and label. If you want, you can leave out the onion and pepper and add those when you make this.

 

Cooking Instructions:  Put chicken into crock pot (add fresh ingredients if you didn't freeze them with the chicken) and cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to crock pot and stir with a slotted spoon.

To serve, drain the chicken with the slotted spoon and scoop into hoagie buns lined with the cheese of your choice. If you don't drain the chicken, your bun will get soaked and it will be too slopping to pick up and eat. You can also toast the buns under the broiler and then top with chicken and then cheese, return to broiler to melt the cheese on top.

These taste great with sweet potato chips or roasted sweet potatoes and a side of fresh tropical fruit.

Note: you can also cook this on the stove in a covered sauce pan. Be sure chicken is not frozen for best results.

Cilantro Lime Chicken w/ Corn and Black Beans

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Limes, juiced (1 oz)
1 cup cilantro
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 chopped onion
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp Mexican seasoning
½ tsp ground cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
12 oz bag frozen corn

Put all ingredients except frozen corn into a gallon freezer bag. Mix bag by shaking, seal, label and put in the freezer.

Cooking instructions: Put chicken mixture and frozen corn into a Crock pot on Low for 6 hours or High for 3 1.2 hours.  Serve with warm tortillas or serve over cooked rice, and dress with sour cream, guacamole, and/or cheese.

Makes 8 1 cup servings - 381 calories per serving without rice or toppings.

Honey Garlic Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup soy sauce (use reduced sodium to lower saltiness)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey

Add all ingredients to gallon freezer bag.  When you are ready to cook this, put all ingredients into a crockpot and let cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Serve with your favorite sides.

BBQ Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 bottle (about 1 1/4 cups) your favorite BBQ Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays Honey Chipolte)
1 green pepper and white onion (when ready to cook)

Combine above ingredients in a gallon freezer bag.When you are ready to cook this, put into a Crock pot and add 1 chopped green pepper and ½ cup chopped white onion.

Cook for 3-4 hours on high or low for 6 hours.Shred to make sandwiches or serve with rice or potatoes or however you enjoy BBQ chicken!

Italian Dressing Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup or so of Zesty Italian Dressing

Place chicken in a gallon freezer bag. Pour Italian dressing over the top just until the chicken is covered. Seal, label and freeze

Cooking Instructions: Add frozen chicken to crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. When finished, cut up chicken for pita sandwiches, for salad topping, or eat with rice and Italian green beans.

 Alternate Cooking Method: This is a great one to grill! You can pound the chicken breasts to flatten slightly before freezing. Then just put them on the grill frozen and grill until juices run clear. Otherwise, you can thaw and grill these using the same method.

Orange Chicken in the Crock Pot

2 tsp. good quality balsamic vinegar
6 Tbsp. ketchup
12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
6-8 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
 4-5 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks
1/3 cup flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped in large chunks**

In a small bowl, mix vinegar, ketchup, orange juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper until completely smooth. Taste to make sure it is sweet enough to your liking.

Toss chicken in a bowl with flour until completely coated. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Working in batches, brown chicken on all sides, but do not cook chicken completely as it will finish cooking in the crock pot.

Put browned chicken in the bottom of a crock pot. Cover chicken with orange juice sauce and stir. Add sweet red pepper and stir slightly.

Cook on low 5 hours, watching to make sure it doesn't burn. Chicken should be very tender and not dry.

Serve over rice. Serve with spring rolls!

Shown with homemade spring roll and peanut sauce.

**You can also add chunks of sweet onion, or other vegetables if you'd like.

Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Beef

 

5 # chuck roast (trimmed)
3-4 cloves of garlic, cut in slivers
1 Tbsp. EACH paprika, celery salt (or 1/2 that with celery seed), granulated garlic, parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. EACH ground black pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, seasoned salt, tarragon
4 oz. beer (I like New Castle -- the darker the better in my opinion)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2-4 Tbsp. hot sauce (less if you want less spicy)
2 tsp. liquid smoke
1 LARGE onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 large jalapeno peppers, chopped (see if you don't want so spicy)

Using a sharp knife, poke 1 inch holes into meat and insert slivers of garlic into them. Do this on both sides and take time to do this -- it adds tons of flavor to the meat. Combine paprika, celery salt, granulated garlic, parsley, ground black pepper, chili powder, cayenne, seasoned salt and tarragon in a small bowl. Rub all over the meat and place meat in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Add onion, green and jalapeno peppers on top of the beef.

Combine beer, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and liquid smoke in another bowl. Mix well. Pour over beef and vegetables.

Cook on low setting for 10 hours (beef so be VERY tender and moist). Shred beef and remove any large fat or gristle. Return to liquid. You can thicken liquid with flour if you want the meat in a "gravy."

I use this recipe for any recipe calling for Mexican shredded beef. It's extremely tasty with rice and beans, topped with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, lettuce and corn-bean salad. Makes enough for 2 meals unless you're really hungry! :)

Here are photos of the rice, corn-bean salad, guacamole, and salsa that we made to go into these burrito bowls.

Mexican Chicken for Burrito Bowls

The key to keeping the chicken moist is to start with frozen chicken breasts!

4 frozen chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
14.5 oz low sodium chicken broth or homemade chicken broth
15 oz can black beans, undrained
1 c. frozen corn
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp.onion powder
1-2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste

Place chicken in crock pot. Add all other ingredients and give a good stir. Cook on high for 5-6 hours until chicken is tender. Take chicken out and shred with two forks. Return to crock pot and stir. To thicken you can either turn crock pot to low and leave cover off chicken or thicken with a little flour and water. Serve over cilantro-lime rice. Add cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, onions, black olives.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
Make 1 1/2 cups of rice (to make 3 cups of cooked rice). Add the juice of one lime and a small bunch of chopped cilantro. Give a good stir.

Crock-pot Beef Stew

3 medium potatoes, peeled
4 medium parsnips, peeled
4 medium carrots, peeled
2-3 medium onions, peeled and cut into eighths
1 stalk celery, chopped into smaller pieces
2 large cloves garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
1 c. low-sodium beef broth (from 14.5 oz can)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tsp. paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and gristle or beef stew meat

Roux:
1-2 Tbsp. butter
2-4 Tbsp. flour
Juice from cooking + additional beef broth as needed to make a thick gravy

Cut all veggies to about the same size (chunks should be around 2 inches). Place in the bottom of the crock pot. Add celery, garlic, bay leaf. Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch cubes making sure it is trimmed of most fat. Place meat on top of vegetables. Mix spices with broth and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the top of the meat.

Crock pot for 10 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high, mixing up meat and veggies at least once if you cook on high to keep meat moist and tender.

Just before serving. Make a  roux with butter and flour in a small saucepan. Add hot liquid from cooking plus any extra beef broth to make a thick gravy. Pour over stew and stir together just before serving. Remove bay leaf. Makes excellent leftovers and if you have enough, you could make a beef pot pie the next day!

Serve with homemade biscuits, muffins or corn bread. Add a lettuce salad for a complete meal!

Crock pot Chicken Jerk Sandwiches

 

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped into smaller pieces

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. ketchup

3 Tbsp (or more) Jerk Seasoning Mix (see my recipe)

Rub seasoning over chicken. Place peppers and onions in bottom of a crock pot. Top with chicken. Mix broth and ketchup and pour over chicken.

Cook on LOW setting in crock pot for about 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and return to the crock pot and mix well with other ingredients. Can add more Jerk Seasoning to spice it up a bit more...or just add some cayenne if you like it a bit hotter.

Spoon into hard rolls (like hoagie buns or sub buns). Makes about 6 sandwiches.

Serve with chips and coleslaw or tropical fruit salad and bread-butter pickles on the side!

Denise's Black Beans

This recipe comes from Once a Month Cooking cookbook by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg (Revised Edition - page 58). It is an easy crock pot meal that you can eat right away or freeze for later use. It is spicy, but quite tasty. I've incorporated my own twists and turns into this recipe, so it is not exactly like the one you find in the book!

1 pound smoke meat (I use smoked pork chops, but sausage also works), cut up
3 15-oz cans black beans, drained
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (I use one large onion)
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper (I use one large one)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (I use 3 stalks)
4-5 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried thyme leaves (I'm going to try this with fresh thyme)
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano (fresh oregano? I have a lot of that!)
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper (I always add extra)
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (do not leave this out and add extra if you like hot!)
1 chicken bouillon cube (I leave this out - don't like MSG)
5 bay leaves (this adds a unique flavor and is good)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 c. water
(I also add a smokey chipotle hot sauce for extra heat and fresh jalapeno peppers chopped up roughly)

Rice (to serve with beans)
Toppings: salsa, fresh avocado or guacamole, tomato, sour cream, green onion, cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients except rice and toppings in a Crock-Pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove bay leaves. Serve over rice and top with desired toppings.

To freeze: cool to room temperature and place in 1 6-cup container (I use a large plastic bag or a large plastic sherbert container.). When preparing to serve, heat to boiling and simmer 15 minutes. Serve over rice with desired toppings.

Serves 6-8 people (depending upon hunger level!)

Mexican Beef

Mexican Beef served w/ rice, black bean, corn & avocado salad, sour cream, salsa, & cheese





3 lb beef rump roast
2 lb. pork roast (just to cook w/ beef for flavor)
2 1/2 cups beef broth (not quite cover roast)
Pepper
Juice from roast
14 1/2 oz. diced tomatoes
1 can green chiles
1/2 medium onion
2 roasted jalapenos
2 cloves garlic, crushed
fresh cilantro & oregano (about 1 handful each)
2 Tbsp. flour (mixed w/ cold broth)
pepper & salt to taste

Pepper beef and pork generously and cook roasts together in the crock pot for about 6-7 hours until the pork roast is done. Save juice & set pork roast aside to make pork BBQ or other recipe. Cut beef roast into thin slices and then into small strips. Place in pan and cover with juice from crock pot (use other juice for Pork BBQ).

Add tomatoes, chiles, jalapeno, onion, fresh herbs, onion, garlic, & salt and pepper to the meat. Simmer covered until beef is very tender (may take 3-4 hours). Mix flour and water or cold broth together and add to juice until slightly thickened. Beef should be very tender and juice should be slightly thick so that it clings to the beef when taken out of the pan, but not as thick as gravy.

Use beef as a base for tacos, burritos, or serve over white rice with beans, sour cream, cheese, and guacamole. Use as beef for a burrito-bowl experience (like Chipotle Restaurant). Serve with corn-black bean relish.

Chicago-style Italian Beef Sandwiches

This is one of our favorite beef roast recipes. You can use chuck roast to make it because it will be tender and tasty with all of the added Italian spices added.

Place a 3-4 # beef roast and 1 cup of beef broth or water in crock pot. Spice beef with garlic powder, onion powder, fennel, salt, pepper, dried or fresh oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook for 6-8 hours or until very tender. 

Remove roast from crockpot and strain juice. Cool both in the refrigerator until fat hardens in juice. Skim fat from juice and remove fat from beef and cut or shred roast into thin slices. You can use any beef roast (sirloin tip, chuck roast, bottom round). Place roast beef and the juice from the crock pot into a large pot. To it add:

2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sesame seed
2 tsp. fennel seed
5-10 pepperoncini peppers, sliced, but not seeded
1/4 c. of juice from pepperoncinis (don’t skip this!)
Black pepper and salt to taste
1 thinly sliced sweet pepper (I use red, orange or green)

Juice should cover or nearly cover meat (if not, add  water or more canned of beef broth), bring to a boil and simmer until pepper is tender.

Serve on toasted Kaiser rolls w/ a slice of provolone cheese on the bottom. Serve with sauce for dipping. Can also serve with giardiniera pickled veggies atop.

This recipe takes a little planning, but you can cook the beef in the crock pot the day before and then it takes no time at all to make up the Italian beef (maybe 1/2 hour) the next day.

It has no artificial ingredients and no preservatives! Serve with homemade oven fries or Guiltless Parmesan Roasted Potatoes and Italian broccoli (Cook broccoli, add freshly grated parmesan cheese and spritz with low-fat Italian dressing for a tastey and healthy side dish!!) or zucchini stir fry with onion and Italian seasoning. 

2-meal Pork and Beef Roast - sandwiches

This recipe combines pork loin roast and beef chuck roast together to make a delicious pork-beef meal and then leftovers to make a delicous pulled pork-beef roast sandwich that my kids loved. Dave (the real cook in the family) made this recipe and the kids asked if we could make it again! It was definitely a hit and will be included in our regular repitoire of recipes again and again!

This is a TWO MEAL in one idea!

Meal one: (Beef-Pork Roast w/ Mashed Potatoes, gravy and Green beans)

Cook a small (2-3 pound) boneless pork loin roast and 3 pound beef chuck roast in a crock pot. Add one cup of water and one beef boullion cube, salt, pepper and garlic powder on top of roasts. Cook in crock pot until falling apart tender. Eat this for dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans. Save the cooking juices. Reserve 2 cups for the sandwiches and use the rest to make gravy for the roasts and potatoes. Yum!

Meal two: (BBQ Pork-Beef Sandwiches with Coleslaw)
*You can make this with just Pork Loin for a great pulled pork sandwich!

1/2 c. chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups juice from cooking meat or 1 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth plus juice from roast to make 2 cups
4 roasted and chopped jalapeno peppers (or fresh if you don't have roasted ones)
3 tsp. chili powder (use a good one like Penzy's Chili 9000)
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. white wine or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. paprika
3/4 c. ketchup (eyeball it)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2/3 c. light brown sugar
1 bay leaf
Salt & Pepper
4-6 cups cooked sliced across the grain beef and pork roast (or just pork roast)
(6-8) Kaiser rolls or sour dough rolls

Coleslaw (recipe above post)

Saute onion, garlic (and jalapeno if fresh) until tender, add next 9 ingredients. Cook until smooth and right consistency. Add the beef and pork, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until hot and meat is falling apart.

Serve on warm buns -- top with coleslaw. Serve with kettle chips or Roasted Sweet potatoes

To roast jalapeno, put in 450 degree oven and bake until skin is blistered and dark and peppers are tender. Freeze whole so you have them on hand. You can just add the entire pepper (stem removed) to your dish. If you keep the seeds in the jalapeno, the dish will be hotter than if you seed them ahead of time. Chop it up before you put it in with the meat or let it fall apart as it cooks.