SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Alright, so I made my sweet potato casserole in the crock pot this week and my mother loved it! I on the other hand didn't care for it as much. I think it was because I really prefer my mother’s casserole with the sweet creamy potatoes and marshmallow topping. This casserole had tender, chunky style potatoes and a sweet taste but no marshmallows. All together the dish tasted good and was very easy to prepare. I think if someone doesn't care for the extra creamy sweetness of the potatoes and the goo of marshmallows this recipe would be the one to try. For Thanksgiving I  am going try my mother’s traditional sweet potato casserole in the crock pot. Then about 30 minutes before serving I will remove the top and throw on the marshmallows. The heat will melt the marshmallows and leaving the top off will allow any moisture to evaporate. I'll let you know it it turns out.  

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 sweet potatoes

½ cup of brown sugar

½ cup of milk

½ stick of butter

 1 tsp. of vanilla

¼ cup of orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot with PAM. Slice the potatoes and layer in the bottom of the pot. Mix all the liquids together and pour over the potatoes. Then sprinkle the brown sugar on and then top with the half of stick butter. Don’t worry, the butter will melt all over the sugar. Cook on high for 3 – 4 hours. Mine took about 3 1/2 hours.

CROCK POT CHICKEN AND DRESSING

 Last year, I threatened to cook my whole Thanksgiving dinner in crock pots. So this year I decided I better get an early start on it. Growing up I remember my Mom cooking a big pan of dressing that actually turned into two pans of dressing. The stuff just seemed to multiple on her. She would add a little something, taste, and add a little more. Then BINGO, two pans of dressing!  They never went to waste, but we had dressing for a week. So with that in my mind I decided no multiples this time I was sticking to the recipe and I was cooking it in the crock pot!  It came out wonderful. I managed to nail the moist part pretty well and the taste was no different than in the oven. I can see how cooking the dressing in the crock pot would free up the oven for the turkey and other side dishes. Our Thanksgiving dinner usually consists of turkey and dressing, green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, rolls, and dessert. So this year so far I have cooked a turkey breast (that should count as a turkey for feeding three people), green beans, dressing, rolls, and both apple dumplings and pecan pie in the crock pot. I think all I have left is the mashed potatoes and the sweet potato casserole. Guess what’s for dinner at my house tonight? I'll let you know how that turns out next week.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of cooked chicken, chopped

1 pan of cooked corn bread

3 cups of Pepperidge Farms herb stuffing mix

1 small onion, chopped

1 boiled egg, chopped

½ of a green bell pepper, chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 raw egg

1 – 2 cans of chicken broth

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 tsp of sage, thyme, and rosemary, or poultry seasoning would be fine ( I used fresh and packaged)

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot with PAM. In a large bowl crumble up the cornbread and add the stuffing mix.

Then add the chopped onions, bell peppers, celery, and boiled egg.

Next add 2/3 of the cream of chicken soup and one and half cans of chicken broth, all the seasoning to taste and stir.

Then add the raw egg and mix well. This is the hard part now. You have to decide if your dressing is moist enough or if you need to add more broth.  The more cornbread and stuffing mix the more broth you need. I poured a little extra in mine because we like moist, maybe almost to cans of broth.

Then add the chopped chicken and stir well.

 Pour in to the crock pot. Take the last 1/3 can of cream of chicken soup and spread over the top.

 Cover and cook on low for 4 ½  to  5 hours. Take the top off the last 15 minutes and let it continue cooking to get a little crust on the top.  

EASY VEGETARIAN CROCK POT POTATO SOUP

Okay this soup was way too easy to throw together and tasted really good. I have to admit I was a little surprised by the way it was so thick and creamy with just the right amount of cheesy flavor. We had a going away luncheon this past weekend for one of our co-workers. We brought in Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches and made two kinds of soup in the crock pots. I had a request for my chicken tortilla soup and I wanted to try a vegetarian soup. So when I came across this potato soup I knew I had to try it. I decided I needed to tweak it to make it completely vegetarian. The original recipe called for chicken broth and cream of chicken soup but I switched it to vegetable broth and cream of celery soup. It turned out really good. The tortilla soup was really good too, but I think the potato soup was definitely their favorite. I thought about using  golden potatoes and cutting them up but, this was so much easier especially since I would be preparing it at work. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1  30 0z. bag of frozen hash browns ( I used the cubed potatoes)

1  32 oz. of vegetable broth

1 10 ¾ oz. can of cream of celery soup

2 tsp. of minced garlic

1 chopped onion

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Spray crock pot with PAM or use a liner. Mix together all ingredients in the crock pot except the cream cheese. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. About an hour before serving, add the block of cream cheese and allow to melt. Stir well, top with cheese, bacon , or chives. 

CROCK POT BEEF AND BROCCOLI

Beef and broccoli is always good except when I get in a hurry and cook the meat too fast and then it’s tough. That’s why my family really enjoys it in the crock pot. The meat is cooked on low and slow so it becomes so tender it melts in your mouth. Then I add the thawed frozen broccoli about 30 minutes before it’s done so the broccoli is not overcooked. You can also use fresh broccoli but I would put it in at least an hour before you want to eat. Make some rice and there is your dinner. I have also used this recipe with thin boneless chicken strips and it turned out just as good.  

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 lbs of thin strips of boneless beef round steak or roast

1 bag of thawed frozen broccoli

1 cup of beef broth

½ cup of soy sauce

1/3 cup of dark brown sugar

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 tbs. of sesame oil

2 tbs. of cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

Spray crock pot with PAM. Mix in a small bowl the beef broth, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and oil. Next cut the beef into small strips and place in crock pot. Pour mix over the beef and stir. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. Then 30 minutes before serving remove about ½ cup of juice and mix in 2 tbs. of cornstarch, stir and return to the crock pot. Add the thawed frozen broccoli, cover and cook on high for 30 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles.

P.S. Sorry no pictures. We got in a hurry and ate it all it was so good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

 I was browsing through my deep freeze on Friday morning looking for something for dinner that night when I found a half a pack of Italian sausage. Hum I thought! What did I use the other half for?  I couldn’t remember. But I decided I better use this half soon. So I knew I had a bell pepper and onions that I could use and probably some diced tomatoes in the cabinet. It was decided, we are having Italian sausage and peppers for dinner tonight. Yea! That was easy and I didn’t have to go to the grocery store. So I quickly cut up everything and threw it in the crock pot and went back to doing more fun things like lying on the couch watching the Chew. Eight hours later my next decision was what to eat with it. Noodles and a dinner salad, or chips and a hoagie roll. Since I had spent the better part of the day on the couch I went for the noodles and salad just trying to be a little healthy. Beside I knew we were going to have enough leftovers that I could have my chips and hoagie rolls for lunch tomorrow.  I love it when I can recycle leftovers that easy. You can tell by my pictures I halved the recipe, but then again I only need to feed a family of three. So this would be great recipe to throw in the crock pot before going out for the day and have a quick and easy dinner waiting at night. Warm some hoagies rolls , throw on the sausage and peppers, top with some provolone or grated parmesan cheese on top and add some chips, or fix some noodles or even rice and call it a day.

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. of Italian sausage cut in to 1 inch pieces

2 bell peppers

2 medium onions

2 14 oz. cans of Italian style chopped tomatoes

2  6 oz. cans of  tomato paste

1 tbs. of Italian seasoning

 1 tsp. of minced garlic

DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot first with PAM. Then cut up the Italian sausages and place in the bottom of the pot. Then cut up the peppers and onions into strips and throw on top of the sausage. Pour in the cans of tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the seasonings and stir until combined. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours.

 

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

This week my crock pots were the most used item in my kitchen. I used one of them about 24 hours straight. I only took time to wash it out and started it back up again. I slow cooked 3 pork roasts, shredded them, and then froze them for a retirement party next week. When I bought the roasts I thought the bigger the better, but that wasn't such a good idea after all. They would only fit in 2 of my crock pots. So of course I was cooking pork roasts all day and night. Thank goodness I didn't have to watch them cook! Later I will thaw them out and add fresh homemade BBQ sauce for pork sliders at the party. Then two days later we had a luncheon for Boss’s Day. We decided to keep it simple so we had soup, salad, and dessert. Since I would be cooking the soup at work I wanted something quick and easy without a lot of cutting involved. I found this recipe for chicken tortilla soup and kind of revamped it for our tastes.  It was really easy to carry to work and quickly prepare using canned vegetables. I went ahead and cooked the chicken, and cut up my onions and peppers the night before so my soup would not have to cook as long. This would also work well with left over rotisserie chicken or even leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. You could also substitute Rotel tomatoes if you like more of a kick to your soup. The soup was very tasty with just the right amount of kick to it. I think the enchilada sauce makes the difference in the taste of this soup compared to other versions I have tried. Next time I make this soup I’m thinking about using adding some zucchini and avocados to it as well. This one will stay in my rotation files for a long time.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1 10 oz. can of red enchilada sauce

1 can of black beans

1  15 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1  can of corn

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 medium onion chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

1 tsp. of cumin

1 tsp. of chili powder

1 tsp. of salt

¼ tsp. of black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Spray the crock pot with PAM. Combine all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 3- 4 hours or on low for 6- 8 hours. When the soup is done remove the chicken and shred it with a fork and then return it to the soup. Stir well and serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese on top. 

ANGEL HAIR CHICKEN

I love my crock pots! I can’t say it enough. This week I bought a new wave digital cooker thinking that cooking dinner would be quicker and easier. NOT! I had to watch my food cook constantly. The cooking times did not match up with the cookbook. My brisket came out a little crispy around the edges and very chewy on the insides. The next morning I cut the meat up and made a vegetable beef soup in my crock pot. The meat ended up being very tender after simmering all day. I knew I should have just bought another crock pot. So after one bad dinner, I felt that I needed to redeem myself the next night with an awesome dinner. Last week I found this wonderful quick and easy chicken dinner that looked really good. I had tried a recipe similar to this that used a whole block of cream cheese and 8 oz. of sour cream and thought that was too cheesy and tart tasting. This one called for only 4 oz. of cream cheese and golden mushroom soup.  I think the soup made the big difference for us. The taste was kind of a buttery, cheesy, creamy taste that went over the angel hair pasta perfectly.  You could even get creative and add mushrooms to this to make it even better. I had plenty of gravy left over dunk my garlic toast in. YUM!! It was so good we only had enough leftovers for 2 lunches the next day. That was okay because my mother wanted vegetable beef soup  I made from the previous night's fiasco. I also think this would be really good with pork chops and potatoes cut up in the bottom of the pot. I think I’ll have to try that next week.  
 

INGREDIENTS:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)

1 can of golden mushroom soup

½ cup of chicken broth

1/4 stick of butter

4 oz. of cream cheese

Angel hair pasta cooked according to the directions

DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot with PAM. Place the chicken in the bottom of the pot. Then melt the butter in a bowl and add the cream cheese, salad dressing, soup, and chicken broth. Mix thoroughly and pour over the chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low for 4 – 5 hours.
Serve over angel hair pasta, rice, or even mashed potatoes.