For a busy mom there are two kitchen appliances that can really make all the difference in their life. One is the West Bend Slow Cooker and the other is a breadmaker such as the Cuisinart CBK 100 Programmable Breadmaker

To give you an idea of the convenience these two machines I have a tasty recipe for you. You will so how easy it is to program the machines and have dinner ready when you get home.

Make this tasty soup and serve it with fresh homemade bread, programmable to be ready just on time!

Pork and Vegetable Thick Soup

What You Need:

  • 1 T canola oil

  • 1 (1 1/2 lb) pork shoulder roast, boneless and cut into pieces

  • 1/8 t salt

  • 1/8 t+ 1/4 t pepper, divided

  • 8 small red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered

  • 2 C baby carrots cut in half

  • 1 (12 oz) jar pork gravy

  • 2 T ketchup

  • 1/2 t dried rosemary

  • 1/8 t ground sage

  • 1 1/2 C frozen cut green beans, thawed

How to Make It:

  1. Place the oil in a skillet over high heat.

  2. Heat the oil until hot but not smoking.

  3. Sprinkle the pork pieces with the salt and 1/8 t of pepper and place them in the hot oil.

  4. Cook 7 minutes or until brown on both side and no longer pink in the middle, being sure to stir them often to ensure even browning.

  5. Place the pork into a West Bend Slow Cooker

  6. Add the quartered potatoes and the carrots.

  7. Pour in the gravy mix and the ketchup.

  8. Sprinkle in the rosemary, sage and the remaining pepper.

  9. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated together well.

  10. Cover and cook on low 7 hours.

  11. Add the green beans to the soup and stir to combine.

  12. Cover and place the heat on high.

  13. Continue cooking 20 to 30 minutes or until the green beans are fork tender.

Serving Size: 6

The ketchup in this soup gives it not only a rich color but a slightly sweet taste.  In a hurry and don't have time to brown the pork you don't have too.  Just put it in the crock pot as is and allow it to brown on its own.  It will give you a little less flavor and color but will save you time with both cooking and clean up.