What Cookin' this Weekend

The weather may be warming up iaround here...finally but I am not ready to put away the old crock pot to start up the grill.  Sunday is supposed to be a dreary raining day so it will be perfect to plug in the slow cooker and have a nice easy dinner that I get to smell cooking all day long.

I have a great recipes for Lasagna for the oven but I think I am going to give it a try in the crock pot.  I have always wondered how it would turn out...I think it is time! 

Here is the recipe I am going to give a try. 

Find it here.

What You Need
1 lb.ground beef
1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup of water
1 container (15 oz.) POLLY-O Original Ricotta Cheese
1 pkg. (7 oz.) KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 egg
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Make It
BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, egg and parsley.

SPOON 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles, broken to fit; and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit; cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid.
COOK on LOW 4 to 6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand, covered, 10 min. or until melted.
Not sure it is going to be any easier to make than a regular oven lasagna but I will enjoy the smells it creates through out the house. 

Have a great weekend!  What are you cooking?

Can't Wait for Sunday

With being so busy during the holidays I put my Crockpot away.  It is definitely time to take it back out.  Snow is on the way this weekend. What better time to turn on the slow cooker than on Sunday morning and get to smell the wonderful smells of what ever it is I decide to cook all day long.  I have found a couple top choices from Crockpot. 

Chicken Marsala

Find it here

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1 stick butter
8 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup Marsala wine
21 1/2 ounces mushroom soup, canned
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper

Directions
1.Cube chicken breast. Place chicken, butter and spices in the slow cooker.
2.Mix cream cheese, wine and mushroom soup. Pour over chicken.
3.Cover; cook 4-5 hours on High.

Beef Bourguignon

Find it here

Ingredients
6 strips bacon, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
3 pounds beef rump, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons flour
10 ounces beef broth, can condensed
2 cups red or Burgundy wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon whole thyme
1 whole bay leaf
1/2 pound white onions, peeled
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

Directions
1.Sauté bacon in a skillet on stovetop set to medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside.
2.Add beef cubes to skillet and brown well. Remove meat and set aside.
3.Brown carrot and onion in skillet and transfer to stoneware. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in flour, add broth, and mix well.
4.Add beef and bacon to stoneware, mix, and place in slow cooker heating base.
5.Add wine, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, onions, and mushrooms. Cover; cook on Low for 10-12 hours or on High for 5-6 hours.

I am getting hungry just looking at these recipes.  There are so many others that look just as good.  I may just have to make one Saturday and another on Sunday!  Perfect idea!

Have a great weekend!

New find for Slow Cooker Sunday

One of my favorite websites for recipes hunting is Allrecipes.com  I have made so many recipes from this site over the years I have lost count.  The thing I like about it is that people leave reviews and comment on what they liked about the recipes and give ideas on how to make it better or make it a little different.  So not only do you get the original recipe, you get many varieties of the same dish!

When I am looking for something new and different to make, I enter the type of food I want (chicken, beef, slow cooker...you get the point) and sort it by rating.  This will give you the top rated recipes first. 

I just found this recipe and it is a front runner for this Sunday's slow cookin'! It looks so YUMMY!!

Chicken Taco Soup

Find it here

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Directions
1.Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2.Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.


Check out Facebook Friday...I just stumbled upon this new link up at Mamabytes!!

 
Have a wonderful weekend!

It is time to give in...Fall is really here

I have come to grips with the fact that I must put my flip flips away and take my turtlenecks and sweaters out....but I don't have to like it!  One thing I do really like about the colder weather coming in is that I can settle in to my old weekend routine of slow cooker Sunday! 

 I do use it during the week as well but I have found that I need to stay close by to my cooker.  I thought it would be a good idea to get a huge 6 quart cooker for the 3 of us (really 2 because my daughter will rarely eat anything that comes out of it).  When cooking smaller portions in such a large pot...things tend to get the "you know what" cooked out of it.  When recipes call for cooking 8-10 hours on low...this usually means cook 6-8 hours on low and make sure you keep an eye on it after 6 hours or you are going to be eating charcoal.  

So...I am going to try to stick to my Sunday routine and find a smaller, more practical pot, for those week day slow cooker fixes!

Here are a couple recipes I am going to try right away 

Tangy Pulled Pork Sandwiches
SUPER SIMPLE

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 kaiser rolls, split

Directions

Cut the tenderloin in half; place in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper; pour over pork.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat; shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker; heat through. Serve on rolls. Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken Saltimbocca

(you must say this in your very best Italian accent)

Ingredients
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
6 thin slices deli ham
6 slices Swiss cheese
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup dry white wine or Progresso ® Chicken Broth
Hot cooked rice
Directions
Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Top each piece with a slice of ham and cheese. Roll up tightly; secure with toothpicks. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Roll chicken in flour mixture; refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a large skillet, brown roll-ups in oil on all sides; transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine the soup and wine or broth; pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is longer pink. Remove roll-ups and stir sauce. Discard toothpicks. Serve with rice. Yield: 6 servings.

Both of these recipes can be found at Taste of Home at http://www.tasteofhome.com/

Do you have any slow cooker recipe favorites you want to share?  I am always looking for new yummy ideas!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Who doesn't like a good cheese dip?

It doesn't look like we are going to have our first BBQ in our new house this weekend. It may happen in a few weeks....which is fine by me because I am NOT ready for it! Instead we have been invited to another get together. I usually make a shredded Cheddar cheese dip with corn and salsa but I have found another great recipe at Allrecipes.com. I love this site. It has so many recipes...anything you can imagine.

I have decide to bring a crowd pleasing Buffalo Chicken Dip. I found the recipe here on Allrecipes.com. (Photo and recipe taken from Allreipes.com)

Ingredients

Have a GREAT Weekend!
2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

Directions

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. cook, stirring until well blended ans warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubble. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

I may need to make a double batch it is so yummy!!

Have a great weekend!!

Slow Cooker Sunday Anyone?

Who wants to turn on the over when it is 90 degrees out? Not me! So instead the crock pot is coming out this weekend.

A few weeks ago I made some great pulled chicken sandwiches and might have to make them again. I found this recipe one in my Fix-it and Forget-it 5 ingredient magazine. Fix-it and Forget-it....one of my favorite cookbooks!! (as you can probably tell)

Herbed Barbecued Chicken

Makes 4-6 servings / ideal slow cooker: 4 -to-5 quart

4 lb chicken cut up or 8 of your favorite pieces (I used boneless breasts)
1 onion, thinly sliced
18 oz bottle BBQ sauce ( I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil


1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Combine onion slices, BBQ sauce, oregano and basil in a bowl. Pour over chicken, spread to cover.
3. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour and then 4-6 hours on low until chicken is tender but not dry.

Use this chicken to make open faced sandwiches. Simply shred the chicken and serve it on slices of French bread with a tomato slice, coleslaw and a pickle.

I used grilled hamburger buns and made regular sandwiches out of the chicken. The coleslaw really made the sandwich.

I would love to hear other variations of this great sandwich! Enjoy.

Super Easy and So Good

For quite a while last winter we would have "Slow Cooker Sundays." I would usually make the old favorites like Pot Roast, beef stew or BBQ pulled something or other. I just started using the crock pot again and loving it! I am always searching for new recipes and meals that my daughter will eat. I came across this really easy and delicious slow cooker Mac & Cheese in my Fix-it-and Forget-It cook book.

Lotsa Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
(makes 10 servings) Recommended to use 3.5 quart cooker

1 lb. uncooked macaroni
1lb. pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed (I used Velveeta)
8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 cups milk
1 stick butter, cut into small chunks

1. Follow package instructions for preparing macaroni, but cook only half the amount of time called for. Drain. Pour cooked macaroni into slow cooker.
2. Add remaining ingredients on top of cooked macaroni.
3. Cover and cook on high 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

I found that 3 hours on high seemed to burn the edges a bit. You may want to cook for 1.5 hours on high and the remaining 1.5 hours on low and add a bit of time if needed.


This recipe is also a great starting point for a great meal. Add ham, broccoli, hot dogs or even lobster! The possibilities are endless.



I cooked it a few weeks ago and had the neighbor's 2 little girls over and one of them said to me "this macaroni and cheese is better than the kind in the box." I think that is the ultimate compliment from an 8 year old. I didn't know anything was better than Kraft Macaroni and Cheese!

Hope you give it a try and enjoy "Slow Cooker Sunday!"