Slow Cooking Thurday

It's slow cooking Thursday and before I share my recipe, I have to tell you about the new slow cooker I got. If you remember a few weeks ago Sandra was able to give away a new slow cooker from Rival and my name was chosen. It came last week. I was quite excited to see this big box waiting for me when I came home from work.

When I opened the box I found this beautiful slow cooker inside.

It has some really nice features. It has a timer, that allows you to cook on high for a while and then change to low. You can set it for a certain amount of time and when that time is up, it will automatically change over to warm. The crock and lid are oven proof so you can cook with it in the oven.

Another nice feature, is the ability to use the crock to brown your meat on the stove top. I must admit that it kind of scared me to do it, but it worked really well. It was nice to not dirty another pan just to brown the meat.
Thanks to Rival for this great slow cooker and to Sandra for faithfully hosting Slow Cooking Thursday and handling this give away! I love it!

The recipe I have for you is the one I used this slow cooker for. I have shared this one before, but it is one of our families favorites and because you have to brown the meat first, it was perfect for testing the slow cooker.

Slow Cooked Pepper Steak

1 1/2 -2 lbs round steak
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T. oil
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 c. soy sauce
16 oz. diced tomatoes
1 T. minced onions
2 lg green peppers (cut into strips)
1 clove garlic
1/2 c. cold water
1 tsp sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt

Cut beef into 3 x 1 inch strips. Brown in oil in skillet. Transfer to slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, onion, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and ginger. Pour over beef. Cover and cook on low for 5 - 6 hours, until meat is tender. Add tomatoes and green pepper. Cook another hour on low. Mix water and corn starch. Remove liquid from crock pot and thicken on stove with water/cornstarch mix. Pour thickened sauce back over meat and vegetables. Serve over rice.

For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.