Archive for the ‘Slow Cooker’ Category

For some reason I have bad luck with Chicken and my slow cooker. I always seem to dry it out. But I keep trying. This recipe sounded good so I gave it a shot.

Source: Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking Annual Recipes Cookbook 2004

Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 4-5 hours

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz) chicken broth
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes, cut up
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 medium green onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt or garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion salt or onion powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cold water
• Hot cooked noodles or rice

Place the chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the next 11 ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm. Pour cooking juices into a saucepan; skim fat. Combine flour and cold water until smooth; stir into juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over chicken and noodles.

Yield: 4 servings

I was very happy with this recipe! I thought the chicken turned out great. The thing I did different was put the chicken in frozen. Maybe that is the key for me at least. I also think you can do more the 4 chicken breasts. There is plenty of sauce. I think 6-8 chicken breasts would work depending on your slow cooker size(I used a 3 quart).

With fall in the air I am starting to pull out some of my favorite cold weather dishes. This one is at the top of my list. Its easy smells so good while it cooks and tastes even better!

Source: Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook

Prep 15 min Cook Time: 4-6 hours

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 8-oz. cans tomato puree
• 1 or 2, 16-oz cans kidney beans, undrained
• 4-oz can diced green chilies
• 1 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves , minced or 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. mild chili powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. pepper

1. Brown beef and onion in skillet. Drain. Place in slow cooker on Low.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.

Yields: 6-8 servings

What I do different. I only use 1-1/2 lbs ground beef I just think 2lbs is too much. If you like your chili really thick well by all means add the extra half pound of meat in. I also don’t add the full amount of chili powder. I have never seen a “mild” chili powder. I usually use around between 1-1/2 tbsp of chili powder. I also find it good to taste test to see if you want to add something. Also about half way through cooking if you can give the chili a stir and another taste test. I love to serve this with my homemade bread and some shredded cheddar cheese and taco chips. Yum Yum!!

Every one has that one favorite holiday dish that they look forward to every year. Mine is homemade bread stuffing. I love the stuff and I eat way to much of it every year. Of course now I don’t have to wait for a holiday to enjoy this dish but I still tend to save it for special meals. My parents are up for the weekend so I wanted to do Thanksgiving  now. I will say my mom made the stuffing because I had to go grocery shopping. This recipe is my great-grandma’s and its really not hard to make. You can stuff the bird with it or you can put it in the slow cooker. I used the slow cooker because I used the rotisserie for the Turkey and you can’t stuff it when you cook it that way.

Source: Family

This is for a 15lb turkey

• 2 1/2 loaves of bread(rip bread into small pieces) or bread cubes ( it takes a little less than 2 bags)

• 1 tbsp – sage

• 1 tbsp – salt

• dash of pepper

• 1 cup onion

• 3 cups of celery

• 3 eggs

• 1/2 cup of butter (melt the butter)

• 4 cups milk

Mix all ingredients except the bread cubes – together.  In a large pan mix the wet ingredients into the bread cubes. Don’t add it all at once – add a cup full at a time.  Sometimes there is a little extra left – but for a moister dressing I usually add it all.  I always end up mixing it with my hands – just seems to work better.

Grandma would start her turkey in a 400 degree oven for 2 hrs. – then turn it back to 350 for 3 hours.  I usually just put it in at 350.
12 to 16 lb turkey – 4 to 5 hours
16 to 20 lb  – 4 1/2 to 5 hours
20 to 25 lb – 5 to 6 hours
Add 30 to 45  minutes more to time for stuffed bird.

Yield: A crowd

For the slow cooker put stuffing into a 5 quart cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

We halved the recipe and made it in a 3 quart slow cooker. We only used one loaf of bread not 1-1/2. I also think its better with bread not bread cubes. You may also have to add more milk as your mixing. My mom added another 3/4 cup.

I have gotten bored with store spaghetti sauce. Even my kids have not been eating it as well the last few months. So after talking with people who make it themselves I started to get excited about giving it a try. I admit I am a recipe person I don’t do a lot of just throwing stuff together so I started looking through my cookbooks for one to try. So when I came across this one I was excited. If you don’t have a slow cooker you really should get one they are the best. I admit I am more of a winter slow cooker user but its great year round. Plus one of the many benefits is smelling your yummy food cooking all day long.  I will say I did play with this recipe a bit. I will share the original and then tell you what I did different at the end.

Source: Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2009 Cookbook

Prep: 15 min (um more like 30) Cook: 6-7hrs

• 1lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 to 1 cup water
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp pepper
• cooked pasta of your choosing

In a large skillet, cook beef and pork over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes, water, tomato paste, vegetables, sugar, garlic and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Serve with pasta

Yield: 8 servings

What I did different. I put less onion in (half), instead of 1 cup carrots I did a half of a cup and then added a cup of cut up fresh mushrooms as well as a half a cup cut up zucchini. I also added another 6oz can of tomato paste and more oregano(not sure how much more of this I added probably another tsp or so).  I also added another 1/2 cup of water which I may not have needed.

These kind of recipes are fun because you can ready make it your own with out a lot of work.

I also wanted to add that its..

This was a hit with my son. He loved it. He was shoving fists full of this into his mouth. He had it again for lunch today and same thing. Its the most meat and veggies I have gotten into his mouth in quite some time. This probably tickled me more then anything.

So this recipe was a hit all the way around. I might try to work with the spices a little the next time I make it but that is all part of the fun.