Crockpot Pork Chops and Potatoes

shared by Dara P.

Ingredients:
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced in half with skins on (can use other types of potatoes)
4 pork chops bone-in or boneless
2 packages dry pork gravy mix
1 package onion soup mix
1 box chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in crockpot.  Cook on high for 4 hours.
2. Makes quite a bit of gravy but it makes everything moist.

Spaghetti Squash

shared by Dara P.

1. Put the whole squash in the crockpot with 1/2 cup water.
2. Cook on high 3 to 4 hours.
3. When done, cut in half, scrape out the seeds, etc. and keep all the yummy "spaghetti."
4. We use it in place of potatoes if making cheesy potato casserole but it is also an amazing replacement for spaghetti noodles when making spaghetti.
5. Easy and healthy!

Crockpot Asian Beef and Broccoli

shared by Dara P.


Ingredients:
3 pounds beef, sliced (I cut up a roast and trimmed away ALL the fat)
3 cups beef stock
1 1/3 cups soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
4 T. sesame seeds
6 cloves garlic, minced
5 T. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. flour
3 pounds frozen broccoli


Directions:

1. Combine beef stock, soy sauce and brown sugar until well dissolved.
2. Add sesame seeds and garlic to the mixture. Give it a quick stir.
3. Add beef to crockpot and cover with the mixture.
4. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours. (I cooked it on high for 4 hours so it was ready for lunch).
5. Remove 5 T. of sauce from the crockpot. Put in a small bowl.
6. Add flour and cornstarch to the sauce and whisk well.
7. Add mixture back to the crockpot and stir.
8. Add broccoli and cover. (I actually just steamed my broccoli and added it to my rice.)
9. Allow to cook for another hour.
10. Serve over rice.

Note: This is for large families (of 7 or more) so this made enough for us to have 2 full meals with 5 people eating.  I made a "yellow" rice to go with it.

Caribbean Black Bean Soup

shared by Patty H. (This recipe was shared by a retired teacher in a feature story in a local magazine. It sounded delicious and I was not disappointed.  This is one of the best soups I have ever tasted and I would really encourage you to try it.  It said that leftovers freeze well but John and I didn't have any.  We just ate a bowl of it every day until it was gone!)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced onion

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. chili powder (I only used 1/2 T. and it was just right for us.)

1 T. ground cumin (I only used 1/2 T. of this also.)

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 T. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic (I only use the dry minced garlic where 1/4 tsp. = 1 clove)

1 – 14 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes * (Be sure to use these to get the full flavor.)

1 – 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 – 14.5 ounce can chicken broth

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken

1/2 tsp. salt (I used Kosher salt.)

2 – 15 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

1.      Saute onion and next 4 ingredients in hot olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender.

2.      Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

3.      Stir in tomatoes and next 4 ingredients until well blended.

4.      Stir in chicken, black beans and salt.

5.      Cook until heated thoroughly.

 Note: If you double the recipe it makes a crockpot full. Leftovers freeze well.

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

shared by Dara P. (Another recipe in preparation for little  # 3)

Ingredients:

6 chicken tenders or 1 lb. chicken breasts (I used about 4 chicken breasts.)

1 medium onion sliced

1 medium green pepper sliced

2 cups of salsa

1 can of green chiles

1 package of fajita seasoning (Old ElPaso)

2 T. olive oil

Directions:

1. Place all items in freezer bag. Toss and freeze flat.
2. When ready to cook place all ingredients in crockpot and cook for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
3. Remove chicken from mix, shred and then add back into the mix.
4. Serve with warm tortillas and top with salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce, sour cream and shredded cheese. 

Game Time Chicken Tacos

shared by Cori H.

Ingredients:

1 package of taco seasoning (I use La Tiara brand from Wal-Mart because it is locally made, with no MSG)

1- 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, DRAINED (1 can Rotel could be used, if you prefer spicier)

1- 2 lb. bag frozen chicken tenderloins

Instructions:

1.    Put the chicken in the slow cooker, frozen or thawed, pour drained diced tomatoes on top, and finally sprinkle taco seasoning evenly over chicken.

2.    Cook on low for 8 hours.

3.    Scoop out chicken with tomatoes, shred, and place in a serving platter such as a 9x13 pan.

4.    Serve with warm corn tortillas (or flour tortillas) and additional toppings such as cheese and sour cream, if you like.  (We like griddle-warmed corn tortillas and salt and hot sauce.)

5.    Optional ideas with this recipe:  add 1 can drained and rinsed pinto beans, serve over rice, topped with cheese.

No-Peek Beef Tips

shared by Billi M. ( I have made this twice now and it has turned out great! Once was in the crockpot, which is always a winner!)
Ingredients:

2 lb. - beef tenderloin tips, stew meat, chuck roast or chuck eye, cubed (I use round steak)
1 - 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 – packet brown gravy mix
1 - packet dry onion soup mix
1 – 4 oz. can mushrooms
1 - cup water or ginger ale soda

Directions:

1. Add cubed meat to a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the meat.
3. Add mushrooms and stir to coat.
4. Cover with foil and bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours.
5. Do not remove foil until done.
6. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Servings: 6 - 8

Crockpot Cheesy Potato Soup

shared by Cori H.

Ingredients:

1 bag (26 oz.) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 medium chopped onion
1/2 c. diced celery (1 med. stalk) OR 1/2 t. celery salt
1- 32 oz. carton chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 tsp. garlic salt

Thickening Agent:

3 T. flour

1 cup milk

Toppings:

2 cups shredded cheese, such as American-Cheddar blend

1/4 cup cooked bacon pieces
4 medium green onions, sliced
sourdough bread bowls

Directions:

1.    In crockpot, mix potatoes, onions, celery, broth and milk.  Cover; cook on Low for 6-8 hours. 

2.    In small bowl, mix 3 T. flour into 1 c. milk; stir into potato mixture. 

3.    Increase heat setting to High.  Cover; cook 20-30 min. or until mixture thickens.

4.    Stir in cheese until melted.  Puree in blender, for smoother texture. 

5.    Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions and serve inside sourdough bread bowls OR with freshly baked bread..  Sprinkle with pepper, if desired.

BBQ Chicken

shared by Cori H.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
1 c. mild salsa
1 c. ketchup
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1.      Place frozen chicken into freezer bag.

2.      Combine all ingredients and pour into bag and coat chicken well. Squeeze air out of bag and freeze. Chicken will marinate as it defrosts in refrigerator for 24 hours.

3.      Remove chicken from bag and place in 9x13 baking dish.

4.      Pour excess sauce from bag over top of chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes (30 minutes for tenderloins). Serve with cornbread.

Super Easy Crockpot Chicken

shared by Cori H.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks (I use an entire 2 lb bag of frozen chicken tenderloins from Aldi and put them in frozen, without cutting up...I do that later.)

1 bottle Italian dressing (the Light Italian dressing from Aldi)

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.      Put the chicken in the slow cooker, pour in the dressing, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

2.      Cook on low for 8 hours.

3.      This is where I cut up chicken and serve over cooked rice.(This is tasty served with a green salad, broccoli or green beans.)

Easy Apple Butter

shared by Dara P.

Ingredients:

12 granny smith apples peeled, cored, and finely diced

4 cups white sugar
2 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients (mixed well) into a crockpot and cook on high for 1 hour. 
2. Cook for an additional 10 hours on low.
3. Refrigerate or freeze.

Note: I ended up just cooking mine from 4:30 in the afternoon and got up at 6 the next morning to put into jars. Mine didn't get all "mushed" up so I put it in the ninja for a few pulses and it came out perfect.  Aaron approved and he had never had apple butter before.

Billi's Crockpot Chicken over Rice

shared by Billi M.

Ingredients:

2-4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese (let sit out to soften)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. Italian dressing seasoning (the dried kind in the packet)
rice

Directions:

1. Stir the cream cheese, cream of chicken, and seasoning together in the crockpot.
2. Put the frozen chicken in and cover with the mix.
3. Cook on high 4-6 hours or until the chicken is cooked and fall-apart-tender.
4. Serve over cooked rice.

Crockpot Pizza

shared by Patty H. (a favorite of the Hallam clan)

 Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. hamburger, browned and drained

1 onion, chopped

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

½ pkg. sliced pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni for a little healthier version.)

2/3  box rigatoni noodles, cooked (I use the smaller mini penne noodles, Barilla brand)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can mushrooms, drained, optional  (I don’t use this)

2 cans pizza sauce (I use the 24 oz. Bertolli Tomato & Basil Sauce, very yummy!)
(can also use 1-15 oz. can tomato sauce + 3-4 tsp. Italian Seasoning + ½ - 1 tsp.  garlic powder)

 Directions:

1.      Alternate layers in crock pot as follows:  hamburger, noodles, cheese, soup, mushrooms, onions, sauce and pepperoni. 

2.      Heat 4 hours on low in crock pot. 

Cheeseburger Casserole

shared by Cori H.
(This recipe reminded me of the taste of shepherd's pie. I served it with hot bread and green beans.)
Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 t. salt
dash of pepper
½ c. bread crumbs (I used 2 toasted pieces of bread which I ground in the blender)
1 egg
tomato juice to moisten (I used ½ can of tomato paste mixed with equal portion of water)
4 ½ c. mashed potatoes (I used instant and followed pkg directions to make 4 ½ c. quantity)
9 slices of American cheese (I used shredded cheddar)
Directions:
1.Combine beef, onions, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, egg, and tomato juice. Place one third of the mixture in slow cooker.
2.Spread with one-third of mashed potatoes and 3 slices of cheese. Repeat 2 times.
3.Cover. Cook on low 3 hours.