Creamy Italian Chicken

I started a little "Foodie Club" with some friends from church when I lived in Billings, MT. We would meet once a month to share recipes.  Each Foodie Friend would bring a recipe for a main course, a side, and a dessert. We focused on sharing menus we would use if we knew company was coming for dinner.  This recipe is a family favorite.  It's not a weekly meal by any means, but when I make it, Jack always says, "Why don't we have this more often?" It's quick, easy, and very tasty, perfect for busy nights or nights serving guests.  I give credit for this family favorite to Dixie Langeveld.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 to 5 Chicken breast

1 Packet of Good Season's Italian, dry dressing mix

8 oz Cream cheese

1/4 cup Margarine or Butter

1 Onion, chopped

1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup

Garlic salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Rice or Noodles (bowties, penne, or egg noodles)

In a space pan, melt butter and chopped onion; sauté until tender, then add dressing mix.

Sprinkle the breast with garlic salt and pepper, then place it in the crockpot.  Pour butter mixture over chicken and cook for 2 hours on low. 

In the microwave, melt together cream of chicken soup and cream cheese; pour over chicken in the crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours.  Take out chicken and serve over noodles and rice, using the sauce as gravy.  

* I actually mix the onions and soup mix together and just cook everything all at once for 4 hours. I use my crockpot on busy days when I don't have time to check it multiple times.  It would work either way. 

We serve with a slice of homemade Peasant Bread and a side salad.

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Roast

I served this at the hospital party last Christmas and it got the same rave reviews from that crowd as it did my family.  I love Jamie Cook’s It Up blog I get many keeps from her kitchen.

www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com 

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Roast

Time: 10 minutes prep + 4-6 hours cooking

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe from Let's Dish via Pinterest

1  2 pound pork loin

1 t sage

1/2 t salt

1/4/ t pepper

1 t garlic

1/2 C water

Glaze:

1/2 C brown sugar

1 T cornstarch

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

1/2 C water

2 T soy sauce

1. Place your pork roast on a pan, or plate. 

2. In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, rubbed sage, and garlic. Press the seasonings into the pork roast. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray. Place the seasoned pork roast inside and pour the water along the edges of the roast. 

3. Cover and cook on low for 4-6, depending on how hot your crock pot cooks things. You are looking for an internal temperature of 180 degrees. 

4. In a small sauce pan, combine the glaze ingredients. Bring it to a boil while stirring and let the sauce thicken. (Should only take a couple of minutes.)

5. Drizzle some of the glaze over the top of the roast and let it cook for another 30 minutes. 

6. Remove the roast from the crock pot and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Slice it thinly, drizzle the remaining sauce over the top and your are ready to eat. It's fabulous served with rice and a green veggie...or with roasted vegetables

I (Jill) serve this with the glaze on the side. 

SIDE: Seasonal Steamed Veggies or Roasted Carrots (2 Tablespoons melted butter. Salt and Pepper to taste) Quick steam them in the microwave then roast them in the oven at 400 degrees until tender.

Slow Cooker Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie

This a favorite at our house, but how can you go wrong with a classic like Chicken Pot Pie?
My kids give this recipe a 5 Star rating; I have been making it for a couple of years now and can't believe I couldn't find it when I came searching on my blog for it.  I love this classic comfort food and that I can throw my chicken thighs in frozen and still have it done in 6-7 hours on low.
Make your favorite biscuit.  I usually use Bisquik because it keeps things simple, but any favorite biscuit will act like the crust if you will.  Split the biscuit and place in bowl and spoon some of the hearty stew over the top. Or if you are filling extra motivated you could bake pasty puff shells in place of the biscuits.  It's even good without biscuits if you don't have time to get to them.


Slow Cooker Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/4 pound of boneless chicken thighs (3 Costco size thighs)
1/2 cup chopped onions (Instant onions could be used here 1 Tablespoon. I prefer fresh always)
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 jar (18 oz) chicken or Turkey gravy or 2 envelope pouches made as instructed on package
2 medium celery stalks, diced
Add the last 15 minutes of cooking:
1 (12 oz) bag of your favorite frozen mixed vegetables

Place the chicken in a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Top with onions, bay leaf, pepper and gravy.  Place celery on gravy.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. (If you have an older crock pot it may take 8-10 hours just check your chicken to make sure it is cooked through).

About 30 minutes before serving, make and bake your biscuits.  Meanwhile, gently stir in frozen vegetables into the chicken mixture.  Increase heat to high setting, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Serve with your favorite biscuits as preferred- over the top or on the side whatever makes the crowd happy.  My in-laws like this served over mash potatoes. Its versatile.

MAKES 8 (3/4 cup each) SERVINGS

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I got from Betty Crocker Kitchens

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Nicole Hendershot via Girlfriends Kitchen Group)

I got this recipe from a good friend Nicole in our month Girlfriends Kitchen group I recently started up.  I started this group for many reasons 1- to get out of the house and have lunch with friends and 2- to exchange menu ideas to help me get out of a funk I was in.  It has proven to be meeting both of those needs.  This recipe got 5 stars from all but one of my kids whom gave it a 4.5 so you know it is now one of our favorites! I love that there is no pre-cooking, just open the cans and pour everything in. The *'s are what I did for our adaptations.


4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I usually put in about 8 tenders) 
     *I used a 1 lb. breast meat that I diced into small pieces while frozen
1 (15oz) can crushed tomatoes *I used a can of petite diced tomatoes with chiles
1 (10oz) can enchilada sauce
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles *I eliminated this because I used the tomatoes w/chiles
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. onion powder (or you can put in real onions) *I used 1 cup sweet onions, diced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1 can black beans
1 package frozen corn (Nicole usually just put in one can of corn) 
      *I used half a bag of frozen corn so roughly 8 oz.
1 TBSP. chopped cilantro (I don't add this).


Directions: Pour all ingredients in slow cooker and cover and cook on high 2-3 hours until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and shred then place back into cooker. Continue cooking on high 1-2 hours. Remove bay leaf before eating. (Nicole usually just cooks it until everything is done and shred the chicken and put it back in and eat it right away) Top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream. She also suggest trying it with fresh diced onions and avocado on top! 

Love avocados in any Mexican flavored soups! Thanks for sharing this amazing soup recipe with us Nicole!

Apple Crisp

Nothing says its fall like the smells of apples baking in the oven! Here is one of our favorite classics.

Apple Crisp

Apple Filling (What I use for my freezer apple crisp filling in the fall)

6 cups cored, sliced, peeled apples

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons All-purpose flour or 1 Tablespoon quick Tapioca

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Mix together all ingredients and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Topping

1 cup oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans, optional

1/2 cup butter, melted

Mix together well and crumble over the apple filling. Bake as desired-oven or crock-pot.

I put this in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes or in my crockpot for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.

Serve warm or cold, but at our house its always al-a-mode!

Slow Cooker Tuscan-Style Chicken Sandwiches

One afternoon I needed to find some good crockpot recipes to help me get through the meal times during soccer season when practice made it hard to have a meal on the table, homework completed, and kids in bed on a school schedule not a summer schedule. So I printed several to try. This was one of the first ones we put to the test. It did not disappoint us! We served it at a clinic staff party we held at our house. It received rave reviews then too. It is a 5 star recipe for me and many others. I give it stars for simplicity, flavor, and a time saving!

I can't readily find Foccia bread so I used Torta bread rolls from Costco and loved it! I have also roasted my own peppers from the garden. Both tasted well. I will say that the banana peppers vs red bell the major difference for me was by using the red it added a splash of color to the dish.

  

Slow Cooker Tuscan-Style Chicken Sandwiches

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-tuscan-style-chicken-sandwiches

1 1/4 lb. (about 6) boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 gloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup roasted red bell pepper (from a jar), cut into bite-size strips

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons pesto (See Homemade recipe below)

Foccia (Italian flat bread) or Torta bread

Tomato Slices

1. Place chicken thighs in 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with garlic, roasted pepper strips and salt.

2. Cover; cook on Low setting for 6 to 7 hours.

3. Just before serving, remove chicken from slow cooker; place on large plate. Shred chicken with 2 forks; return to slow cooker and mix well.

4. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise and pesto; blend well. Cut focaccia into 6 wedges; split each in half. Spread cut sides with mayonnaise mixture. With slotted spoon, place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture onto bottom half of each focaccia wedge. Top each with tomato slice and top half of focaccia.

Makes 6 sandwiches

Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker^® Kitchens

Ingredient Info

Focaccia is a flat, round Italian bread with a dense texture that slices perfectly for sandwiches. Look for focaccia in the grocery store's bakery or deli, or stop by an Italian bakery.

Kitchen Tip

Freeze any remaining pesto to use on pasta or crostini, or to add a flavor-boost to sauce, soups, eggs and rice. Drop pesto in 1- to 2-tablespoon portions onto a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet; freeze until firm. Transfer the frozen pesto portions to a food storage freezer bag. Remove only what you need, then return the resealed bag to the freezer.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Sandwich)Calories 460(Calories from Fat 225),Total Fat 25g(Saturated Fat 5g,),Cholesterol 65mg;Sodium 920mg;Total Carbohydrate 33g(Dietary Fiber 1g,Sugars 2g),Protein 26g;Percent Daily Value*:Exchanges:2 Starch;3 Lean Meat;3 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:2 ;*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Jill's HOMEMADE PESTO

1/2 cup pinenuts*

2.5 oz Fresh Basil

1 clove garlic

5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Place in a food processor and processes all ingredients until texture is smooth and creamy.

*I have also used almonds, but the texture never turns smooth and creamy. It has bits of nuts in it, but still has a nice flavor. I have read that you can also make pesto with peanuts as well. I personally love the pinenut texture best.

Green Tomatillo Chicken

My mom called me today wanting to know what I do with Tomatillo's so I am posting this recipe for her. We have had this recipe in our keeper pile since 2005. It won't have a picture because I haven't cooked it recently, but Jack loves the sauce. You can make it as mild or as hot as you wish by the salsa ingredients. We have used homemade salsa (recipe included below) or by it at the store when we don't have the fresh ingredients on hand. We love crockpot recipes that please our tastebuds. Mom I hope you enjoy this recipe! Good Luck

Green Tomatillo Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 medium onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup green tomatillo salsa (a.k.a Salsa Verde on the store shelf)

1 1/2 cups sour cream (now you know why it taste so rich and creamy!)

Place the chicken breast in the crockpot. In a small mixing bowl, combine the onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and salsa. Pour this sauce over the chicken breast. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours. Remove the chicken from the crockpot, stir the sour cream into the juices in the stoneware and blend well. Pour this sauce over each piece of chicken.

Makes 6 servings

WE LOVE TO SERVE THIS CHICKEN AND SAUCE OVER RICE!

We also make the Tomatillo Salsa Fresh whenever we can

Fresh Tomatillo Salsa (From Southernfood.about.com)

A tomatillo salsa recipe, made with fresh tomatillos and lime juice, along with chile peppers and seasonings.

2 Anaheim chile peppers, roasted, peeled, and chopped **

1 pound fresh tomatillos, peeled, stems removed, about 10 to 12 **

2 fresh Serrano chiles, cut in half **

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/4 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pulse tomatillos in food processor until coarsely chopped. Add peppers and next 3 ingredients; pulse until small dice, but do not over process. Pour into a serving bowl. Stir in the olive oil, lime juice, and salt until well blended. Cover and chill.

** I always remove the husks and wash the stickiness off the tomtillos as best I can, then I cut them in half and place them as well as my peppers on a cookie sheet and roast them under the oven broiler for about 7 minutes. Then puree all the tomatillo salsa ingredients together in a blender.

Sweet Cafe Rio Pork

There are several recipes I have seen for the Cafe Rio meats. Having only eaten there a few times on my visits to Utah I don't really know if they taste like the restaurants meats or not, but we enjoy them anyway. Sorry I don't recall taking a picture of this meal. It makes a lot of food so prepare it when you have company coming or plan to freeze it.

Sweet Pork

1 (3 lb.) Pork loin roast, thawed if previously frozen

1 (16 oz/ 2 cups) jar of Salsa

1 can green chilies

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 can black beans, undrained

Tortillas

Cheese

Lettuce

Tomatoes

In the bottom of a large crock pot mix salsa, green chilies, brown sugar, and black beans. Add the pork roast and cook on high for 4 hours. Take the meat out of the crock pot and shred with a fork. Return meat to crock pot and cook one hour more.

Serve on tortillas with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes or your other favorite taco toppings.

Yeilds 8 servings (We actually served 4 adults for two meals, plus had enough leftovers for our family of 5 to have an additional dinner.) The recommended 8 servings must be HUGE because I felt like each time we served it everyone ate nice size helpings.

**We served it in both hard and soft shell tacos and both were great.

Make it meal and serve it with Cafe Rio Lime Rice, Cafe Rio Pico de Gallo, and Tomatillo Cream Cafe Rio Dressing (Awesome dressing!) if making it into a salad instead of a taco, but we also like the dressing drizzled on our tacos.

Cafe Rio Chicken (2 different recipes here)

My good friend Sharla served this at a surprise birthday lunch she hosted in my behalf. Everyone loved the recipe so of course I had to ask her a copy. And of course I had know idea about the surprise, so there is no picture. Doesn't a soft shell taco all wrapped up look the same anyway? It isn't hard to imagine it is it. YUM!

Cafe Rio Pork or Chicken (Sharla P. family recipe)

4 lbs. Pork Roast or Chicken

2 cups brown sugar

1 (12-14 oz) jar Salsa

2 cans Coke (24 oz or 2 1/2 cups)

FOR PORK:

Place roast in crock pot, fill half way with water and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Disgard water. Shred meat with forks and return to crock pot. Combine sugar, salsa, and coke in a separate bowl. Add to crock pot. Cook about 3 hours more on low. Stir Occasionally

FOR CHICKEN

Simply add chicken to crock pot. Combine sugar, salsa, and coke in a separate bowl; add to crock pot. Cook 5-6 hours on low (or until chicken is done I have several crock pots and they all cook at different rates). Stir occasionally.

Place in a warm tortilla on a plate. Top with Rice, Black beans, pork/chicken, lettuce, and top with plenty of Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Dressing.

Cafe Rio Chicken (www.365daysofcrockpot.com)

5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thawed

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing

1 Tablespoon Chili powder

1 Tablespoon Cumin

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients except the chicken in a bowl. Place chicken on bottom of a greased crock pot.

Pour mixture in a bowl over the top of Chicken. Cook on high 5-7 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and reserve juice to pour over chicken when serving.

Beef Stroganoff-Crock Pot

Yes, another Beef Stroganoff for the crock pot. We do eat other dishes, honest!

I didn't get a picture of this dish. Most nights lately I feel lucky if I can get dinner on the table by 6 or 6:30. Life with the baby is good and normal as far as babies go. What is not normal in our lives at this point is how little we see of our daddy. (I always love having extra help with the kids while I am cooking...a grown-ups help that is!) Because it takes me so long to prepare and cook dinner with one hand while trying to keep my composure during the chaos with kids running, playing, or hanging out under my feet crying that they are hungry I am grateful to have recipes like this one for the crock pot my sister-in-law Echo gave me. It earned 5 stars at her house. Jack and I really liked it, the boys ate it but didn't love the sauce. It all worked out great because I am off dairy for Daisy right now so I kept the sauce separate to we could add it to our liking. (I had to snitch one bite so I would know how a complete bite would taste. ;-))

This makes a huge roast so I use the shredded leftover beef )because the sauce wasn't mixed in to make my easy beef pot pie-1 for dinner and 1 for freezer. I thought about beef enchiladas too but the cheese took it off the list for now.

Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs Beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into thin slices (about 1/2 inch think and 3 inches long) [I just put the roast in whole and mine was about 3 1/2 lbs)

1 Large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 lb White mushrooms, trimmed and halfed. Quarter if they are large [I used 8 oz package]

Course salt and black pepper

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

Cooked thin Egg noodles

Chopped fresh dill, for garnish, (optional) [I didn't use]

In 5-to-6 quart slow cooker, toss beef, onion, and mushrooms with 1 1/2 teaspoons course salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, about 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.

In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, whisk cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons water. Ladle 1 cup liquid that has cooked off your beef into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. With slow cooker turned off, stir in cornstarch mixture, then sour cream and mustard. Serve beef over noodles; sprinkle with dill if desired. [I just mixed the sauce all in my small sauce pan so we could serve it separately. It reminds me a little of a hollandaise sauce in its flavor.)

If you prefer you can make this in the OVEN: Preheat oven to 350. Follow steps for the crock pot using a 5-quart oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid instead of slow cooker. Add 2 cups water, and cover. Transfer to oven; cook until beef is tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Proceed with the sauce instructions as listed above.

Chicken Spaghetti

I recently attended a reunion retreat with all the incredible women I had the opportunity to work with at Academy for Girls at BYU. It has all been changed now and is simply called EFY.

So to keep it brief and get to sharing great recipes, I have to say I am enjoying some fresh new recipe ideas from a cookbook of recipes complied from these women's kitchens. I love when people share their tried and true with me, so this cookbook has been a hit with me.

This Chicken Spaghetti recipe comes from my sister-in-law. Why she has been holding out on me until I got this AFG Cookbook I will never know! :-) It makes a TON of FOOD. We made it for dinner with another family of three. I took a portion of it to a friend expecting a baby in a few weeks (1 week ahead of me.), and we ate leftovers for at least 2 meals. (I didn't try freezing any of it, but wondered how it would work.) It was a hit with my husband, kids, and dinner guest alike. We will make it again. The only thing we would do is add more mushrooms. Jack said that he would like to try just make the sauce without the shredded chicken, leave the mushrooms bigger or leave them whole, mix it in with the noodles instead of serving it over the top, and then top it with some breaded chicken. I think that sounds good too, but I love the simplicity of tossing it in the crock pot and forgetting about it. Thank you Merrie for a great recipe--next time don't hold out on me when you have such a great find! ;-)

Chicken Spaghetti (Merrie Parrish)

Place in the crock pot:

6 chicken breasts (I added more just because I was planning on feeding more than just my family)

1 onion chopped (I always use a sweet variety)

1 pkg. sliced mushrooms

2 pks dry spaghetti sauce mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup butter (can substitute with chicken broth. I used 1/4 cup each butter/broth)

Cook in crock pot 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. When done shred the chicken with a fork then add:

2 8 oz pkg. cream cheese

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

Stir. Cook o low for 1 hour longer. Serve over angel hair pasta.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

I have had this recipe in my e-mails from a friend since February. Yesterday I knew it was going to be a wild busy day filled with morning and afternoon R.S. Society commitments and meetings. Not to mention it was going to be a good hot day of summer-that is motivation in and of itself for me to crock pot lately. I decided I would take Ang up on her recommendation. It was a big hit with my kids, husband, as well as my sister- and brother-in-law and all their kids. (This was my trade for her watching my kids while I went to my afternoon meetings and then when Jack and I snuck in a date-that rarely happens for us-that evening.) This will be a keeper for us for sure! Because of the nature of day I didn't get a photo snapped of it. Maybe next time!

The best part of this recipe is that I usually have all its ingredients on hand and it was tossed together in a jiffy. I am excited to have another use for my stew meat in addition to beef stews.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

2 lb cubed stew meat (I took time to cut mine into smaller pieces)

2 (10.75oz) can condensed golden mushroom soup or regular cream of mushroom soup

1 chopped onion (I always use my favorite-sweet onions)

1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 c. water

1 packet Lipton Onion soup mix

Spray cooker with non stick spray

Combine all above ingredients in slow cooker

Ingredients added at the END (each of these you can add more or less of)

8 oz cream cheese (I like to used reduced fat)

1/2 to 1 cup sour cream (low fat or fat free is my choice here too)

fresh mushrooms

Directions

Cook on low 8 hours or on high 5 hours

Just before serving stir in 8 oz cream cheese and 1/2 to 1 c. sour cream

I also sauté mushrooms in butter and add those at the end

We serve over Wide Egg Noodles or Rice with a baked squash or other season vegetable favorites. Salad would be a great crunch side to add some nice texture to the meal.

Hope you don't wait as long as I did to take Angela H. up on here great recommendation! ENJOY!

Crock-Pot Enchiladas

These were not anything fantastic, but it was good and keep us all happily fed. I always enjoy a good crock pot recipe that takes care of itself while I am busy doing other things and it doesn't heat up our house. We served it with a fresh green salad.

Crock-pot Enchiladas

1 lb. Hamburger

1/2 cup chopped onion (I always use the whole onion)

1 can chopped green chilies

1 pkg. Taco seasoning

5-6 Tortilla

1 can Enchilada sauce

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

3 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I use Colby Jack because its always on hand-Cheddar might have made it taste better!)

Brown the hamburger, onions, green chilies. Drain and add taco seasoning according to package directions. Mix the enchilada sauce and soup together in a a bowl. Layer in crock-pot: 1 tortilla, meat, cheese, soup mixture. Repeat layers. Cook on low for approximately 4 hours. Top with favorite toppings-sour cream, avocado's, diced tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Chalupa--crock pot

This was a recipe I tried from our "Centsible" cookbook. I expected it to be more spicy, but it was bland to very mind if anything. I will increase the salt next time and if you want more spice I would recommend 2 cans of chilies or more chili powder or even adding a touch of Cayenne pepper. My kids at it pretty well. We did Taco's one night and over rice the next. We shared some with family and froze some for later. So as you can tell we didn't eat the 1 cup servings each that it recommends.

Chalupa-roast shredded and returned to the crock pot ready to be served.

We used it to make Burritos with all our favorite toppings-tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, etc.

We also liked it over rice.

Chalupa

1 lb. dried pinto beans

1 lb. Pork roast or 2 to 3 pork stakes (I used 1-pork roast that you can by in a 4 pack at Costco)

7 cups water

1/2 cup onion, chopped (I use a whole onion)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt (I personally think it needs at least 1 1/2 tsp.)

2 Tablespoons Chili powder

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 4-oz can green chilies, chopped

Put all ingredients in a dutch oven, crock-pot or heavy kettle. Cover and simmer about 5 hours or until roast falls apart and beans are done.

Uncover and cook about 1/2 hour until mixture reaches the desired thickness.

Serve with tortilla and the following toppings if desired (chopped tomato, chopped avocado, chopped onion, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, taco sauce, or other hot sauce. Makes 12 servings (1 cup each)

French Dip Sandwiches (Crock-pot)

This recipe was so easy. I found the recipe on ourbestbites.com. I took out a roast Saturday afternoon and put it in the fridge. It was still frozen solid when I had the idea of putting the roast in at 10-pm Saturday night so we could have lunch but 1-pm Sunday afternoon. Worked like a charm! I think I will try this method again with a frozen roast and just add my vegetables to the crockpot later the next day!

I think if you enjoy a French Dip sandwich now and then you will like this. I will say that my kids were not so excited about the soggy bread deal(so they didn't dip), but they at it well the first night just not as left overs. I was pleasantly surprised with the results and very pleased with the simplicity of the meal all together.

French Dip Sandwiches

1 (2.5-3lb) Beef Roast (I used a chuck roast)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

2 (1 oz each) packages of dry onion soup mix. (I used 1-onion and 1-onion and mushroom flavored packets)

2 cups water

2 cans beef broth

6-8 Large buns (or more! 6 is a VERY generous serving we got nearly 12 servings total)

Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and run roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. It is done when you can insert a fork and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, remove from crockpot and shred with a fork. (I then placed it in a bowl and added a ladle or two of the Au jus over it while it rested so it could soak up more juices.)

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or taster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melted.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy.

Crock-Pot Roast Beef Dinner-The Food Nanny BYUTV

This was a great Sunday night dinner and I love that the crock pot did most of the work. It smelled so delicious while it was cooking and we were not disappointed in the end results either. The roast just fell apart and the flavor was wonderful! We will make this again I am certain of that! No picture--If you've seen a roast with potatoes and carrots haven't you seen them all? :-)

CROCK-POT ROAST BEEF DINNER (thefoodnanny.com --BYUTV Thursdays)

1 (4-pound) beef sirloin roast (I used whatever roast I had in the freezer that was 4-5 lbs.)

Garlic salt

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

sauce

1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed

cream of mushroom soup

1 (1-ounce) packet onion soup mix

1 cup beef broth

5 large carrots, peeled and cut

into 1-inch pieces (optional)

6 red potatoes or medium

russets, scrubbed and

quartered (optional)

8 to 12 servings

1. Place the roast in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with the garlic salt.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire

sauce, mushroom soup, onion soup mix, and broth; pour over the roast.

3. Add the carrots and/or potatoes to the slow cooker if it is large enough to

hold them.

4. Cook on high heat 5 to 6 hours or on low heat for 10 to 12 hours.

If you choose not to add the carrots or potatoes to the slow cooker, then two

good side dishes are mashed potatoes and Reds & Greens Salad(p. 191).

Variation: Use a pork roast.

Chicken Parmesan

This is a simple and quick Chicken Parmesan recipe my mom and dad cooked for us when we were visiting them this week. My kids liked it and I thought it tasted good, so I wanted to blog the basics of the recipe so that I won't forget to add it to my crock pot file. My mom said she got the recipe from my Aunt Jayne so I am going to have to do some calling for the exact recipe.

Here is what mom and dad did for the one we had:

Put Chicken Breast in crock pot and cover with one jar of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. About 30 minutes before finished add another jar of sauce and heat through. (This helps your sauce be thicker and not watery.)

Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese when ready to serve.

Dad actually made the recipe today and he put both jars over the chicken then cooked it. It turned out pretty saucy, so he added a can of cream of mushroom soup to it hoping to thicken it a little bit.

We served it with angel hair pasta and a salad.

I love that it is a quick hands-off recipe! Nice for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

Hearty Potato Soup (Crockpot)

We liked this recipe and I loved that it was so quick to chop up and toss in the crock-pot, and that I usually have all the ingredients in my pantry or food storage all the time. With the exception of half-and-half I never have this on hand. This recipe comes from www.myrecipes.com it listed this soup with a bread bowl recipe "Italian Bread Bowls."

Hearty Potato Soup (myrecipes.com)

6 (2 1/2 lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used 3-3 1/2 lbs)

2 medium onions, diced

2 carrots, thinly sliced (I used 5--carrots are my kids favorite part)

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced (I used 3 celery ribs)

2 ( 14 1/2 oz) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth (I used 4 cans or make the broth or make it with bouillon cubes)

1 teaspoon dried Basil (I used 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon Salt (I used about 2 teaspoons by the time I was done)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups fat-free half-and-half (1 cup half and half or what milk I have on hand. If I use milk I add a little more flour to help thicken it.)

Serve in Italian Bread Bowls

(* One note to self: We love the bread bowls but they are so filling. The recipe recommends making 8 bowls out of the recipe. I am going to shoot for 16 next time.)

Combine first 8 ingredients in a 4 1/2 quart slow cooker (If you use my measurements then toss it in a 5 quart crock-pot).

Cook, covered, on High for 3 - 4 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Stir together the flour and half-and-half; stir into soup. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve in Italian Bread Bowls, and garnish with fresh celery leaves, if desired.

Tex-Mex Beef Wraps

This crock-pot keeper came to me via e-mail one of my recipe newsletters. I printed it off and added it to the "to try" pile during the summer, but now that I have a chance to blog it I can't give the source-sorry about that! We enjoy the simplicity of using our crock-pot in many ways-easy meals and easy clean up are the top to reasons. As of late we have tried many different Mexican flavored meats in the crock-pot so I will try to spread them out in the postings. If you are looking for a quick toss it in the pot this one is for you. Takes 10 minutes tops.

Tex-Mex Beef Wraps

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 boneless beef chuck pot roast (2 1/2 to 3 lbs), cut into 4 pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup salsa, divided (I used my homemade salsa and added nearly 2 cups)

12 (6 or 7-inch) Tortilla corn or flour, warmed

1 cup shredded cheddar of Monterey Jack Cheese

1 cup chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 ripe avocado, diced

Blend chili powder, cumin, salt and red pepper. Rub meat all over with spice mixture. Place onion and garlic in bottom of 4 1/2 quart crock-pot; top with meat. Spoon 1/2 cup (1 cup homemade) salsa over meat. Cover and cook on low 8 to 9 hours or on High 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Remove meat from crock-pot; place on plate and use to forks to shred meat. Skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid; return meat to juices and mix well. Adjust seasonings. Place meat on warm tortillas; top with cheese, tomato, cilantro, and avocado. Roll up and enjoy!

We served with remaining salsa, sour cream, and a Mexican Lime Rice which I hope to post soon.

Bajio Chicken-Salad or Tacos

This quick and easy crock-pot was a good change to our traditional flavored taco meats. This is on the sweet side. It is great on a salad and as a taco-take your pick! I will however recommend that is you don't like your taco's juice you might want to strain the portion of meat you will be using, straight from the pot it has extra juices that will make the tortilla drip with juice. We topped it with our favorite toppings: cheese, cilantro, tomatoes (or the Pico salsa), and avocados.



Bajio Chicken

5 chicken breasts

1/2 cup salsa

1 Tbsp cumin

1/2 cup brown sugar (more to taste, I added at least an extra 1/8 cup)

1 (4 oz. can) diced green chilies
6 oz.
Sprite (1/2 can)



Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and cook 1 more hour. Thicken the juices with a little cornstarch mixed in water.
Serve with flour tortillas, lettuce, cheese, black beans and any other taco fixings.
If you want it spicier rather than sweeter add a hotter salsa and more green chilies.

Pico De Gallo
30-40 grape tomatoes, cut in half or about 4-5 large tomatoes, seeded
(I just eyed what I thought looked like a good balance between the tomatoes and onions.
1 onion (you can use any onion, red, sweet, yellow. Sweet onions are my favorite!)
1 green pepper (I didn’t have a bell pepper so I left it our and it turned out a little sweeter than I think it would had I used the bell
1/2 bunch cilantro (I added a whole bunch-We love cilantro. If you don’t have fresh try adding dried cilantro)
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice (I used concentrate from a bottle)
salt
pepper

You can dice all ingredients by hand, or use a food processor. Put the tomatoes in the food processor ( if using grape tomatoes have them cut in half. If using large tomatoes have them cut into 4ths) Pulse until tomatoes are desired consistency. Pour tomatoes into a large bowl. Next put the onion in the food processor. Pulse until reached desired consistency. Add to tomatoes. Next process the green pepper and cilantro. Pulse to desired consistency. Add to tomatoes and onions. Add garlic, vinegar, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Stir and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, overnight is best. The longer you can let it sit in the fridge, the better it is because the flavors can meld together.