Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder with Bacon

Chicken Corn Chowder is one of our favorite soups.  One that I make several times a year, but usually a different recipe each time.  This is at the top of my list at the moment.  The flavors are wonderful and the recipe is so easy to prepare using the slow cooker.  I threw this together in the morning and let it cook while I did the rest of my chores around the house that day.  It was great not having to figure out dinner by the time I was finished my other tasks!

Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder with Bacon
     Adapted from: Damn Delicious

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs red potatoes, diced 
• 1 yellow onion, diced 
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 16 oz. frozen corn
• 3 Tbs. flour 
• 1 tsp. Thyme 
• 1 tsp. Oregano 
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp. pepper 
• 6 cups chicken broth 
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 6 slices thick bacon, cooked and crumbled 
• 1 cup chicken, cooked and diced

To prepare: 

• Place the potatoes,onion and bell pepper in the crock pot.  
• Stir in the flour. 
• Pour in the frozen corn and combine well.  
• Add seasonings and chicken broth.  
• Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.  
• Stir in the heavy cream, chicken and bacon.  Allow to cook for another 15-20 minutes or until heated through.  

Yum!  So, so good!  This soup really hit the spot after a busy day!  We'll definitely be having this a few more times this winter!  Can't beat easy and delicious!  

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

If you're a regular here, then you know I love soup!  When summer begins, I count the days until it's cool enough to make soup again.  This year, I'm slacking!  I've only made two pots of soup so far and October is almost over!

This soup was inspired by the overflowing vegetable bins in my fridge.  I had to use 'em or lose 'em! So, after dinner one night, I began chopping and throwing everything into my crock pot.  Before I went to bed, I turned the slow cooker on low and let it cook overnight.  Cooking overnight seems to be the only way I manage to get dinner on the table these days.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup 
     
Ingredients: 

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• canned black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 12 oz. bag fresh baby spinach, torn
• 1 onion, diced 
• 1 large carrot, diced 
• 2 celery ribs, diced 
• 1 tsp dry minced garlic 
• 1 Tbs. Italian seasoning 
• crushed red pepper flakes (to taste) 

To Prepare: 

• Combine ingredients in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  

This recipe was a hit! We both enjoyed it for dinner the first night, then I ate the rest throughout the week for lunch.  

Here are more of my favorite meatless, slow cooker soups:  

• Minestrone 
• Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup
• Lima Bean Soup

Crock Pot Quinoa ~ Tex Mex Style

Since trying quinoa for the first time a couple of months ago, I've been eating it a lot.  Quinoa, black beans, corn and taco seasoning seems to be my favorite combination.  It's very flavorful and really filling.  Finding a crock pot recipe for this delicious, healthy food just makes me love it even more!

This makes a lot and since Joe isn't fully on board with my love for quinoa, I decided to freeze the leftovers in smaller portions for myself.  Perfect for a quick lunch during the week!

Crock Pot Quinoa ~ Tex Mex Style
        adapted from:  Chelsea's Messy Apron

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups Quinoa, rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained/rinsed
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 jar Trader Joe's tomato-less Corn Salsa
• 6 mini sweet peppers, sliced
• 1 vidalia onion, diced
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 Tbs. Chili Powder 
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 Tbs. reduced sodium taco seasoning
• 3 cups water

To Prepare: 

• Spray crock pot insert with nonstick cooking spray.
• Rinse quinoa as directed on package.  
• Combine all ingredients in crock pot.  
• Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.  

Notes:

• This is great served as is or with additional toppings like sour cream or shredded cheese (fat free varieties for me please). 
• This recipe reminded me of Spanish Rice, so while it's great on it's own, it would also work well as a side dish.  
• Excellent in a wrap, too!  

Crock Pot Enchilada Chicken Chili

We eat a lot of Mexican inspired meals in our house.  Enchiladas and Chili are favorite go-to meals when we're in the mood for something spicy.  So, I was really glad to come across a recipe combining our two favorites!

I was even more happy to have all of the ingredients on hand for this one.  In fact, I used up the last of our enchilada sauce, canned beans and chipotles.  I'll have to be sure to add them to my shopping list because I'll be making this recipe again!

Enchilada Chicken Chili 
     adapted from: A Year of Slowcooking

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast, frozen 
• 28 oz. can enchilada sauce 
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 bell pepper (I used orange), diced 
• 1 onion, diced 
• 1 chipotle pepper + 1/2 tsp. adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin 
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 
• cooked rice (optional) 
• shredded cheese (optional) 
• sour cream (optional) 

Directions: 

• In your crock pot insert, combine the enchilada sauce, veggetables and spices.  
• Stir in the beans, then add in the frozen chicken.  
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  
• Remove chicken and shred.  
• Return the chicken to the crock pot, and allow to cook for another hour on low.
• Serve over rice and top with shredded cheese and sour cream (optional).  

Notes:  

• So easy!  I really can t get over how easy this recipe is to prepare!  I actually did the prepping for this recipe while I had another night's dinner cooking on the stove.  I added everything to the crock pot, then put in the fridge until I was ready for bed, then I allowed it to cook overnight while I slept!  
• This makes a lot, especially if you serve this over rice.  I didn't measure out serving sizes but would guess 6-8 servings (if paired with rice).  
• Next time, I think I will toss in a can of diced chilis and maybe a cup or so of corn.  

I've linked this post to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Mix It Up Monday

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of September 9th

Wow!  Last week was a total blur!  It flew by so quickly!  Due to the long weekend, I really had a difficult time keeping track of the days too!  I honestly thought Wednesday was Monday!  How's that for confused?! But I guess that's a much better scenario than thinking Monday is Wednesday!  That would make for a very long week!  

On facebook last week, someone posted a photo of a big pot of vegetable chili and man, oh man, did that look delicious!  Totally threw the rest of my menu plan right out the window!  A quick check of my pantry showed that I had most of the ingredients for a veggie chili if I switched up the black beans for a trio of different beans!  The result was super-tasty!  That was dinner for 2 nights! 

Then, trying to think of what to make for last minute dinner and bonfire plans with friends resulted in another pot of chili!  This time with the same trio of beans (black, kidney and pinto) and meat!  Again, that was dinner for 2 nights!  And we have plenty left for another night or two!  

So, with chili making a 4-night appearance on the dinner table last week, there will be a couple repeats from last week showing up on this week's plan.  

Monday 

Macaroni Salad
BLT wraps

Tuesday 

Crock Pot Chicken & Peppers
Garlic Bread
Salad

Wednesday

Leftovers 

Thursday

Steak Fajitas 
Rice 

Friday

Corn Quesadillas 
Soup

Saturday

Leftover Night 

Sunday 

Crock Pot Ravioli 
Crusty Bread
Salad

Now that you know what we're eating this week, let us know in the comments what's for dinner at your house this week! Or, if you need more menu planning inspiration? Follow me over to Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie! Or, if you like what you see here, you can check out my past menu plans.

Crock Pot Recipe: Spicy Chipotle Pot Roast

Pot Roast has always been one of my favorite meals.  Only when it was prepared by someone other than myself.  It seemed that no matter what recipe I followed, it never seemed to turn out right.

Even now, this recipe didn't turn out the way it should have....but I was very pleased with the outcome.  So much so, that we've enjoyed it quite a few times since first finding this recipe last year.

Almost always, when following a recipe, I change this or that to adapt the recipe to fit the tastes of my family.  In this case, the recipe sounded perfect for us, so I followed it as written....and just as I thought, it was perfect!

As I stated above, the recipe didn't turn out exactly as planned.  It was supposed to be shredded beef...but when the cooking time was over, it just wouldn't shred.  But it sliced down perfectly and made fabulous roast beef sandwiches.  All the times I've made it since then, we've served it as pot roast, with roasted or steamed veggies on the side.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Like most of you, my crock pot gets a lot of use during the winter months.  Soups and stews are so easy when you just toss everything into the slow cooker and walk away!  

Crock pots are still handy in the summer-time, too!  When I'm busy outside with Grace on a hot day, the last thing I want to do is cook dinner.  And take out isn't always an option.  So, if I throw something together into the slow cooker before going outside to play, dinner is pretty much ready by the time we come back inside.

A few weeks ago, a friend mentioned that she was making Crock Pot Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves for dinner one night.  This reminded me of the fact that I had this meal mentally added to our summer menu plan.  I had a whole chicken in the freezer and a big jar of garlic cloves in the fridge.  

It just took me several days to get around to thawing out that darn chicken!  Honestly, things that go into our chest freezer almost never make it back out!  Well, they do...it just takes longer than planned.  I need to work on getting that freezer organized so that I don't dread having to dig something out of there for dinner!  But that is for another post....let's get back to this chicken dish!  

This recipe is just too easy!  Three ingredients are all you really need for Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic...but if you happen to have a few more seconds to spare, go ahead and take the time to add the onion, lemon, rosemary and ground black pepper!  You won't be sorry!  

I snapped this photo before adding the fresh ground black pepper.  The bird looks a little naked, but honestly crock pot chicken doesn't look much better after it's cooked....but oh, it tastes sooo good!  

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients:

• whole chicken
• 40 cloves garlic 
• 1/2 onion cut into wedges
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup butter, sliced 
• fresh rosemary sprig 
• black pepper 

Directions: 

• Place chicken in crock. 
• Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken then place the lemon and onion inside the cavity of the chicken. 
• Wedge a few pieces of garlic under the skin, then toss the rest over top and around the chicken.  
• Do the same with the butter.  
• Top with a sprig of rosemary and some black pepper. 
• Cover the crock pot with the lid and cook for 6-8 hours on low.  

I usually add the onion to my garlic chicken, but this time, I really enjoyed the addition of the lemon and rosemary!  The flavors are so perfect for a summer meal! 

Inspired by Pinterest ~ Sesame Soy Pork Chops in the Crock Pot

I don't cook pork very often.  Personally, I'm not a huge fan.  I do add it to our menu every now and again just for a change from our usual beef or chicken dinners.  Especially, when it's on sale cheaper than chicken at times.

Talking to a friend a few weeks ago, I wanted to try a recipe for Maple Glazed Pork Chops.  For some reason, I assumed that the recipe was for the slow cooker.  Instead, it was a grill recipe.  Not the cooking method I was prepared for today.

While the kiddos played nicely together, I decided to search Pinterest for Crock Pot Pork Chop Recipes and came up with quite a few options.  This recipe for Peking Pork Chops seemed to be the easiest for the time frame I had to throw it together and get it cooking.

Sesame Soy Pork Chops in the Crock Pot
     adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in pork chops 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 
• 1 tsp. ground ginger 
• 1/2 cup soy sauce 
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 heaping tsp. minced garlic 
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions: 

• Place chops in bottom of crock. 
• Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. 
• Pour over meat, flipping chops to cover both sides.  
• Cover, set on low for 4 hours.  

Notes: 

• To toast the sesame seeds, I just sprinkled them into a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and shook the pan to toss the seeds a bit until they turned golden brown.  

Oh, goodness!  This dinner was so delicious!  The pork was so moist and tender, not dried out which is usually how pork chops turn out when I cook them!  The meat fell right off the bone as I served up our dishes!  I do think this will be our go-to pork recipe.


I've linked this recipe to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Saturday Show & Tell 
• Weekend Pot Luck
• Salt Tree Social #46
• Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday
• Tip Me Tuesday

Inspired by Pinterest ~ Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Today's post is about a recipe that I stumbled across last week while browsing Pinterest and just couldn't wait to try.  In fact, I almost prepared it last week, but was missing one of the key ingredients for the recipe.  I probably could have searched Pinterest for a replacement option, but I really wanted to keep things as simple as possible and picked up the missing ingredient while running errands over the weekend.


This soup was as delicious as it was simple!  I followed the recipe almost exactly, only making a couple of small changes based on the ingredients I had on hand and the leftovers available in the fridge.

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
          adapted from Creatively Domestic

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups homemade chicken broth 
• 10.5 oz can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup 
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 small onion, diced 
• 2 cups frozen corn
• salt & pepper, to taste 
• 2 cups rotisserie chicken, diced 
• 1-2 cups leftover buttered noodles

Directions: 

• Whisk together the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup.  
• Stir in the celery, onion, carrots and frozen corn. 
• Season with salt and pepper to your liking.  
• Cover and set crock pot on high for one hour.  
• Stir, adjust heat setting to low, and allow to cook for another 4 hours.  
• Add in the diced chicken and pre-cooked noodles.  Cover and allow to cook for another hour or until chicken and noodles are heated through.  

Notes:

• Since I started with frozen corn, I started out with the crockpot on high for the first hour.  If using thawed, canned or fresh corn, cook on low for the entire 4-6 hours. 
• This recipe is a keeper!  I think next time I will double it!  

I'm sharing this recipe and linking up to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Salt Tree Social #43

Crock Pot Potato & Ham Chowder

The past few weeks, I've been spending time looking for some frugal dinner ideas.  Relying on some of our go-to meals has left me bored and uninspired when it comes to meal time.  During the month of December, I was in a real rut when it came to menu plans resulting in too many fend for yourself nights, frozen chicken nuggets and fries, and more take out than I'd like to admit.

January is more than half way gone and we've managed to skip the take out dinners!  Yay!  But that does mean more cooking for me, which for the most part, I do enjoy.  It's just that I need to find new recipes to prepare.  Cheap recipes.  Easy recipes.  One-pot recipes.  Recipes that will provide dinner for at least 2 nights.

This soup recipe fits the criteria that I'm looking for:
          cheap, easy, made in the crock pot, and plenty for 2 nights!

Crock Pot Potato and Ham Chowder 
          adapted from Hillbilly Housewife

Ingredients:  

• 3 russet potatoes, peeled & diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 
• 1 onion, diced 
• 2 celery stalks, diced 
• 1 cup ham, diced 
• 4 cups water
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• pepper, to taste 
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup cut green beans
• 5 Tbs. butter
• 5 Tbs. flour 
• 2 cups milk

Directions: 

• Fill crock pot insert with the potatoes, carrot, onion, celery and ham. 
• Stir in water and drop in bouillon cubes. 
• Season with pepper. 
• Cover and set crock pot on low. 
• Allow to cook for 6-8 hours (until potatoes are tender).  
• Add in the corn and green beans.  
• 45 minutes before serving, melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat.  
• Add flour and gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly.  
• Stir flour/butter/milk mixture into the contents in the crock pot. 
• Cover and allow to cook for another 30 minutes minutes.  

This is a great way to use up some of the leftover ham from the holidays.  When cleaning out the fridge from all the holiday food, I separated our leftover ham into 3 portions.  Although we had a spiral ham from the supermarket, the portions that I froze were from the end and not spiral cut.  Instead they were decent sized chunks that just need be diced up and added to future recipes.  

Diced ham steak, sliced Canadian bacon or cooked bacon would be a good options for this too if you don't happen to have any leftover ham in your freezer.  

Crock Pot Taco Soup

Taco Soup is one of my favorite soups.  It's such a delicious and flavorful soup, but also it's so simple to make!  What I love the most is how easily you can switch up the ingredients based on what you have in your pantry, something I had to do this morning when I threw this soup together.

Normally, when following a recipe like this 8 Can Taco Soup, I'd sneak in some fresh vegetables.  But on this Monday morning, I appreciated the simplicity of this no chopping, just open some cans recipe!  Although, I did make a few changes based on what was in my pantry.  No running to the grocery store to prepare this meal!  I used what was on-hand!  Also, instead of cooking on the stove, I threw it all in the crock pot and let it cook while I was doing chores and running errands!

Crock Pot Taco Soup 

Ingredients: 

• 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes 
• 14.5 oz. can fat free chicken broth 
• 10 oz. can enchilada sauce (I used red) 
• can condensed cream of chicken soup 
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning 
• 15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed/drained 
• 15.5 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed/drained 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed slightly
• 2 cups pre-cooked chicken, frozen. 
• shredded cheese, sour cream, diced chilies for topping, optional  

Directions: 

• Pour tomatoes, chicken broth, enchilada sauce and cream of chicken soup to crock pot insert and stir to combine.  
• Add in taco season, stir.  
• Mix in the beans, corn and chicken. 
• Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours.  

This soup was delicious!  I'll tell you, I was a little worried about the addition of the cream of chicken soup to this recipe.  But in the end, I liked the creamy texture it brought to the soup.  Also, I loved how quickly this soup cooked, only 2 1/2 hours in the crock pot!  Cook on low for 4-5 hours if you have more time.

Instead of the Corn Quesadillas that I originally planned to serve with this soup, we enjoyed some leftover biscuits.  I also crumbled some tortilla chips into my bowl of soup, while Joe stirred in some sour cream into his soup and topped with cheese.  Mmm!  So good!

Also, I think it's time for me to find a homemade taco seasoning recipe to replace my usual bulk jar of seasoning that I keep in the pantry, as this seemed a little bit too salty for me (even before adding in the crumbled tortilla chips).


I've linked this recipe to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Delicious Dishes hosted by Pocket Change Gourmet
• Open Call Tuesday #36 hosted by Salt Tree

Crock Pot Chicken & Peppers

Today's recipe has been adapted from a recipe I found on a Facebook recipe group for mom's in my area.  Many times a week, Tracy posts wonderful photos of meals she prepares for her family.  As soon as she posted her recipe for Crock Pot Chicken & Peppers, I knew right away I had to give it a try.  

Tracy's recipe is super-easy ~ using 6 boneless chicken breast, chopped green peppers, canned sauce and diced tomatoes (packed with basil, garlic and oregano).  I made changes based on the chicken available in my fridge and the veggies in my bin that needed to be used.  I also added some Italian Seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes to add a little zing!  

Crock Pot Chicken & Peppers

Ingredients

• 3 bone-in, spiit chicken breast, skin removed
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 29 oz. can tomato sauce*
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, with basil, garlic & oregano
• 1/2 Tbs. Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 box rigatoni pasta

Cooking Directions

1. Place chicken in crock pot, and cover with remaining ingredients (except pasta).
2. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours*.
3. Remove chicken and place in a bowl, allowing to cool slightly.
4. When cool enough to handle, remove bones from chicken.
5. Add meat back to sauce, stir to combine.
6. Allow the chicken and peppers to cook on low while preparing pasta according to package directions on the stove.
7. Pour cooked and drained pasta into a serving bowl and top with the Chicken and Peppers Sauce.
8. Enjoy!

*Notes:

• The original recipe called for Contandina Sauce and DelMonte diced tomatoes.  
• Since I used bone-in chicken, I wanted to remove the chicken before it started to fall off the bones so there weren't any stray bones in the sauce.  At about the 6 1/2 hour mark, I removed the chicken from the sauce and placed it in a large bowl and allowed to cool for a bit.  Then followed the remaining steps of the recipe.  

I loved this meal and plan to keep it in mind next time chicken is on sale!  So easy and so flavorful!  I may have to make this the next time we have company for dinner!

Don't forget to come back on Sunday and bring your best soup recipes for Week 2 of Soup's On!



Last week's party was a huge success with a very delicious grouping of soup recipes!  Please stop by and show your support for week 2!  The party will go live at 12:01am on Sunday!  

This recipe post has been linked to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage
• Frugal Food Thursday hosted by Frugal Follies 

Crock Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken

Last week, I had chicken in the fridge that I almost forgot about.  Usually, I just put the pack of boneless chicken breast right into the freezer as soon as we get home from the store.  This time I didn't for some reason.  Probably because I couldn't fit another thing in the freezer at that moment.

When I finally remembered it was at the bottom of the fridge, I knew I had to cook it right away.  I also knew I wanted to cook it in the crock pot.  I just didn't know what I wanted to make with it.  I ruled out the to go-to chicken breast recipes I've made throughout the summer since I had just recent made Zesty Shredded BBQ Chicken (in fact, there are 2 containers of it in the freezer) and was out of the balsamic vinegar needed for Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken.

I remembered seeing a recipe for buffalo chicken over at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy and Low Calorie a while back.  After looking it up, I saw that I was missing an ingredient.  The packet of ranch dressing mix.  To be honest, that packet of ranch dressing mix is what has kept me from trying the recipe before now.  I just wasn't convinced I would like it.

Anyway, I decided to just see how it would turn out without the powdered dressing mix.  Making this a 2-ingredient, throw it in the crock pot recipe!

Crock Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken 

Ingredients: 

• 3 - 3 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breast 
• 1 cup Frank's Buffalo Chicken Sauce

Directions:  

• Place chicken on bottom of crock pot. 
• Pour sauce over top.  
• Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.  
• Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks.  
• Add back into the sauce and stir.  
• Allow to cook for one hour, more.  
• Serve.  

So easy, right?  And sooooo good!  All the deliciousness of Buffalo Wings without the hassle of picking the meat of the bones!  

I made this using the mild flavor Buffalo Sauce and brought a bottle of the hot Buffalo Sauce to the table, in case either of us wanted to add a little heat to our meal!  

We used this easy, shredded chicken as a filling for wraps.  Some lettuce, some chicken, a little hot sauce.  Mmm!  I also think this would be great topping a baked potato!  Mmm!  

This was so delicious and so easy!  I can't wait to make it again!  

Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup in the Crock Pot

I came across this recipe for Hearty Vegetable Soup while looking for easy and healthy dinner options last week.  Since I had most of the ingredients on hand, I decided to prepare the soup last week even though I already had the meals for the week planned out.  What can I say?  I'm easily swayed by easy soup recipes!  Especially, crock pot recipes!

As usual, I made a few changes.  I wasn't sure how I'd like allspice in the soup, so I left that out.  An easy decision, since I didn't have any in the spice rack!

Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup in the Crock Pot 

Ingredients:  

• yellow onion, diced 
• 2 carrots, sliced into 1" pieces
• 2 white potatoes, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced 
• 1 tsp. bottled minced garlic 
• 4 cups chicken broth 
• 16 oz. bag, frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, green beans, lima beans) 
• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic 
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 Tbs. Italian Seasoning

Directions: 

• Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or until carrots and potatoes are tender.  

Notes:  

• The original recipe stated the cooking time to be 8 hours on low.  My crock pot usually cooks faster, but this time it took the full 8 hours.  Probably because I added my vegetables while they were still frozen.  Using thawed vegetables or cooking on a higher temperature would probably speed up the cooking time a bit.  
• This made 6 hearty bowls of soup.  You could probably stretch the recipe further, making it a thinner soup by adding more broth.  Small pasta and/or shredded chicken or even ground beef would be a good addition as well.  

How easy is that?!  I love when it doesn't matter what order you add the ingredients to the crock pot!  I really enjoyed this soup.  It reminded me of a minestrone soup but without the pasta.  I'm sure this recipe will be appearing in more than a few of our menu plans during the fall and winter months!  

I've linked this recipe post to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Delicious Dishes 
• Open Call Tuesdays 
• Your Cozy Home Party

Burger Four Bean Bake ~ Crock Pot Recipe

This is one of my favorite pot-luck/family get-together meals.  My aunt always brings this to family cook-outs and I always eat a couple of servings thoughout the day!  It reminds me of our favorite baked bean recipe but is a complete meal with the added ground beef and green beans!

While this is my aunt's specialty, I've also made this a few times as my contribution to cook-outs with friends.  It's always a hit with baked bean lovers.

I planned to make this overnight in the crock pot so we could take it to a friend that is recovering from surgery.  I knew the basic ingredients, but wasn't sure of the exact measurements.  When I looked for my copy of the recipe, I couldn't find it.  I think we may have misplaced it when we moved a few years back.  Rather than call my aunt after 11pm, I decided to search online for a similar recipe!  Wow!  There are so many different variations!  This one seemed to be the closest to what I remembered, and I made a few changes to make it more like my aunt's recipe.

Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the completed dish.  So, here's a photo of our favorite baked beans....just imagine the added ground beef and green beans!

Crock Pot Burger Four Bean Bake
     *Adapted from Calico Beans Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 lb. pre-cooked ground beef
• 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 28 oz. can pork 'n' beans
• 16 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• can butter beans, drained and rinsed 
• 2 cups frozen cut green beans 
• 1 tsp. finely ground mustard
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar 

Directions: 

• Add all ingredients to crock pot, stirring to mix well. 
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  

Notes:  

• I used some pre-cooked ground beef from my freezer.  A month ago, I browned up 3 or 4 lbs. of ground beef with some added vegetables (onion, red bell peppers, celery and carrots).  Since I knew I was going to throw this together before bed, I decided it was a good idea to save myself some time. I took it out of the freezer earlier in the day and let it thaw partially before adding it to the bean mixture.  

Recipe Review ~ Zesty Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

While I love to cook and try new recipes, my time in the kitchen is often limited.  Especially now, with the weather being nice.  We spend so much time outside that I find myself scrambling to get dinner made and on the table.

I make it a point to look for new dinner ideas that are quick and easy.  Recipes with just a few ingredients and minimal measuring.  Using items already on hand is a plus.  The crock pot is a bonus! 

The Prickly Banana's recipe for Zesty Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches fit my easy dinner requirements perfectly.  I was really excited to add this to our summer menu plan!  I was so eager to try this that it was the first meal I prepared this month!  I wasn't disappointed! 

The shredded chicken was so delicious and the recipe so simple!  I'll never buy a tub of shredded bbq chicken from the grocery store again!  The best part?  I was able to start with frozen chicken breast.  Since I usually forget to thaw the meat for dinner, the fact that I could use frozen chicken breast is a huge plus. 

The Prickly Banana's Zesty Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, fresh or frozen
• 1 1/2 cups Barbecue Sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian Dressing

Directions:

• Place chicken in crock pot.
• Pour the bbq sauce and dressing over top.
• Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.  (or longer depending on your slow cooker)
• Remove chicken from the sauce, shred with 2 forks.
• Add chicken back to the sauce and stir. 
• Serve over buns, sandwich thins, or use to top a baked potato like I did last night. 

Notes:

• Most times when I try a new recipe, I alter the recipe slightly depending on what's in the pantry or to fit our tastes.  No need for adjustments with this recipe!  I had partially used bottles of both the BBQ Sauce and dressing on the fridge door.  So happy to get them out of there! 
• This recipe is so simple!  There really is no way to screw it up!  I only had 1 1/4 cups of BBQ sauce, so I added approximately a 1/4 cup of water to the bottle (to make up the difference of liquid) and shook it up to get the last drops of sauce and poured it into the crock pot. 
• We just happened to have a bottle of the same sauce used in the original recipe.  It's not a brand we usually use, but Joe picked it up a month or two ago when it was on sale.  Next time, I'd like to try it using my homemade barbecue sauce or even some Butch's Lip Smacking BBQ Sauce. 
• This makes a lot!  Joe and I enjoyed this for dinner 3 nights in a row!  Perfect to reheat on busy weekends!  There's still about half of the recipe left to go into the freezer. 
• Since it makes so much, it would be great to serve for company or take to a pot luck. 

Thanks so much to the Prickly Banana for such a wonderful recipe!  I look forward to checking more of your recipes soon! 

Zesty Chicken and Vegetables in the Crock Pot

I've been having a difficult time getting myself motivated to cook dinner lately.  I realized that I was in a rut and was getting really bored with making the same things for dinner over and over again.

The fall weather always puts me in the mood to cook, but with this new season, I wanted to find some new dinner ideas to incorporate into last week's menu plan.

While checking out some recipes I found online, I was looking for two things.

• One, the recipe had to be pantry-friendly. I didn't want to have to hit the grocery store for a bunch of ingredients we didn't have, when I have a pantry full of food just waiting to be added to a recipe!
• And Two, I wanted to use my crock pot. I wanted to be able throw dinner together in the morning so I could enjoy the rest of my day with Grace.

This recipe definitely fit my criteria.  After a quick check of my fridge, I saw that I had slightly more than enough Zesty Italian dressing to put together this simple, crock pot meal! 

I increased the veggies (with the addition of onions and green beans) and used 1/4 more of the dressing since it was the last of the bottle.  Since our refrigerator door is always stuffed to overflowing with condiments, there was no way I was going to put JUST a 1/4 cup of dressing back into the fridge.  Plus, with the added veggies, I figured a little more liquid wouldn't hurt. 

Zesty Crock Pot Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• 6 potatoes, diced
• 5 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion
• 3 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 3/4 c. Zesty Italian Dressing
• frozen cut green beans, thawed

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together in crock pot. 
• Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. 
• Near the end of cooking time, add in the thawed green beans.  Cook until beans are heated through. 

Notes: 

• My crock pot seemed to cook this really quick.  My guess is because my crock pot is too big for this recipe.  Next time, I will either double the recipe or use a smaller crock pot and allow to cook longer.  Or, just use this quicker cooking meal for one of those mornings that I can't seem to get the crock pot started early enough! 
• I loved the simplicity of this meal and the fact that I had all of the ingredients in my pantry and freezer.   
• This recipe is a keeper! 

I'll be linking this post to the following blog hops and linky parties: 

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday Party
• Totally Tasty Tuesdays
• Delectable Tuesday

 

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

Soup was originally scheduled for Thursday night's dinner, but somehow, I managed to be a day behind in this week's menu plan.  I'm kind of glad that it worked out this way, since we woke up to more snow on the ground here in Pennsylvania on Friday morning.  There's nothing like a nice pot of soup cooking on a cold, snowy day!  So warming, so comforting. 

Let's throw it all in the crock pot and call it soup! 

 I really didn't have any idea how I was going to make this pot of soup.  I only knew a few things for sure:

1. Cabbage would be a key ingredient, since I had a head of cabbage in the fridge that needed to be used. 
2. This soup would give me a chance to use up some of the homemade vegetable broth I had stored in the freezer.
3. I planned on using the crock pot, of course. 



Homemade Vegetable Broth



After checking my pantry (and freezer), this is what I threw together for last night's dinner: 

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:  

• 2 c. carrots, chopped
• 1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
• 6 c. cabbage, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 c. vegetable broth, canned or homemade
• 15.5 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15.5 oz. can chick peas
• 14.5 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes w/garlic
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes w/basil
• 1 T. parsley
• 1/2 T. Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 T. Mrs. Dash
• crushed red pepper, to taste
• cooked pasta
• 2 c. cooked green beans
• 1 c. cooked peas

Directions: 

• add all ingredients to crock pot (except pasta and green beans)
• stir until well combined
• cook on high 4-6 hours or cook on low 6-8 hours
• just before serving, add green beans and peas, stir until combined
• to serve, add a bit of cooked pasta to your bowl and ladle the soup over the pasta

Notes: 

• I was really pleased with how this soup turned out.  For a veggie soup, it was amazingly hearty.  The flavor of the soup reminded me of canned Progresso Minestrone, only better!  When I was a kid, that was the only soup I would eat.  I remember my brother and I looking for the chick peas in our bowls as if they were something special!   
• I usually add garlic to most of my soups.  This time, the only garlic added was the garlic that was already in the can of fire roasted tomatoes.  After opening that can of tomatoes, my kitchen was filled with the garlic-y aroma, so I didn't feel I needed to use any additional garlic. 
• I'm sure this soup would be great with some shredded cheese sprinkled on top or even a dollop of sour cream.  If you like a little heat added, try adding a couple of dashes of Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce.
• I suggest keeping the pasta separate from the soup.  I continuously make the mistake of adding the cooked pasta (or rice) to a pot of soup and every time, I end up having to add more broth when reheating the leftovers. 
• Speaking of leftovers - There WILL BE LEFTOVERS!  My 5 quart crock pot was filled to the brim of this tasty soup!  We barely put a dent in this batch of soup!  We'll be having this for dinner again tonight! 

I'll be sharing this recipe with the following linky parties: 

• Check ME Out Saturday
• Strut Your Stuff
• Not "Baaad" Sundays
• Homemaker Monday
• My Meatless Monday
• Mouthwatering Monday
• Just Another Meatless Monday
• MMMmonday
• Midnite Maniac Meatless Mondays
• Made From Scratch Tuesday
• Delicious Dishes
• Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tuesdays at the Table
• Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
• Tasty Tuesdays Bloghop
• Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday
• Hearth and Soul Hop
• Tuesday Night Supper Club
• It's a Keeper Thursday
• Full Plate Thursday
• Beat the Winter Blues
• Food On Fridays
• Foodie Friday 
• Ultimate Recipe Swap Crock Pot Recipes

Crock Pot Chicken a la King

Ever since I discovered that I could cook a whole chicken in the crockpot (oh, what you can learn on the internet!), I seem to always have some cooked, diced chicken in the freezer.  Not that I'm complaining!  Having the cooked chicken in the freezer has saved me many times when I had no clue what to make for dinner! 

Last year, I was getting bored with our same old, quick chicken dinners.  I was so happy when I found a recipe for Chicken a la King!  I only ever had Chicken a la King once in my life.  I was in the hospital when I was 13 and this was delivered to my room for lunch.  I took a bite and gave the rest to my dad (he brought me some food from Wendy's!). 

I was a picky eater when I was a kid.  A REALLY picky eater!  There are still a few things that I don't like, but not like when I was 13 years old.  I hated everything then! 

As an adult, I've seen many Chicken a la King recipes.  I never thought to try it since all of the recipes called for mushrooms.  Mushrooms are one of the foods that I didn't like as a kid and still don't like as an adult.  The recipes also called for pimientos.  Now, I'm not really sure if I like pimientos or not, I've never eaten them, but I never have them in the pantry either.  So, those Chicken a la King recipes were never made in my kitchen. 

For some reason, it never occured to me to just leave those 2 items out of the recipe.  Seriously?  I don't know why, since almost every recipe I make is usually tweaked and adapted in some way to fit our tastes or what we have on hand. 

Then, last year, I found a Chicken a la King recipe without the mushrooms and pimientos over at Love From the Kitchen!  I am so glad I did, since it became one of my go-to meals.  I served this for many dinners last winter and we just LOVED it. Over the summer, I forgot about it and when I tried to find the recipe this winter, I thought I lost it!  I figured that I really should share the recipe here on my blog, that way I don't have to worry about losing it again!

Chicken a la King

Ingredients:   

• 1 can, condensed cream of chicken soup
• 3 Tbs. flour
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• dash cayenne pepper
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
• 1/2 c. celery, diced
• 1/2 c. green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 c. onion, diced
• 2 c. frozen peas

Directions: 

• add condensed soup, flour, black pepper and cayenne pepper to the bottom of crock pot and stir until combined
• mix in the remaining ingredients
• cook on low for 2-3 hours, until heated through
• serve over cooked rice or toast points

Notes: 

• I love the short cooking time of this meal.  It leaves the veggies still a bit crisp.  The crunch of the celery is a good match for the softer chicken and rice. 
• Need dinner quick?  I'm sure this recipe would work on the stove as well!  I just love the ease of throwing dinner in the crock while Grace is down for a nap. 
• I've considered doubling this recipe since we enjoy it so much.  After we each have seconds, there's usually only a small amount left for lunch (for one person) the next day. 
• If you don't like the idea of using the canned soup for the sauce, there are many recipes online for homemade condensed soups.  I eventually want to have a few batches made and in the freezer for recipes like this.  I just haven't gotten around to that project yet! 
• I gave measurements for the veggies, since a lot of times I prep my veggies for the week ahead of time.  So, I just add in a scoop or two of the vegetables as I'm mixing it up in the crock.  Use whatever combination you like.  (Heck, even add mushrooms and pimientos if you like!)  I don't think you could ruin this recipe at all! 

I'll be linking this post to the following blog carnivals this week: 

• Crock Pot Wednesday
• Ultimate Recipe Swap: Crock Pot Recipes



Chipotle Turkey Chili

Last week, Joe and I finally cooked the FREE turkey that was at the bottom of our chest freezer.  We don't usually make turkey too often.  Like a lot of people, we only eat a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving.  We've decided that we're going to try to eat more turkey during the winter months. 

I made homemade broth with the turkey carcass and also diced the leftover meat and separated in 2 cup portions for future meals. 

I made a big pot of Turkey Noodle Soup on Tuesday and that turned out to be dinner for two nights in a row.  Perfect for a snowy Tuesday night dinner.  I'm pretty sure Joe enjoyed having a hot bowl of soup on Wednesday too since he worked outside most of the day on Wednesday. 

A couple of weeks ago, I found a recipe for Chipotle Turkey Chili online.  I knew right away that I wanted to make it, since it would be different than any of the other meals I made with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.

You can view the original recipe here.  As with most recipes I try, I adapted this either to simplify or to fit our tastes.

Chipotle Turkey Chili

Ingredients: 

• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with basil
• 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbs. chipotle chilies in Adobo, diced
• 1 1/2 Tbs. Oregano
• 1 tsp.  cumin
• 3 tsp. chili powder
• Oil
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 heaping tsp. minced garlic
• 1 15 oz. can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 oz. cooked ground turkey
• 1 1/2 cups diced, cooked turkey

Directions: 

• cook celery, bell peppers and onions in hot oil for a few minutes over medium heat.
• add the cooked ground turkey (mine was still frozen)
• once the turkey is heated through, add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes along with chipotle chilis in adobo and the spices
• stir until combined and allow to cook for a few minutes
• add diced turkey and beans
• bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover
• cook until vegetables are tender

The original recipe called for just the diced turkey.  When I make chili using beef, I like to use a combination of ground beef and diced london broil.  I decided that I wanted a similar texture with the turkey.  Having the pre-cooked ground turkey in the freezer made this super-easy! 

I also think that this would be a perfect recipe for the crock-pot, just throw in all the ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. 

This recipe made a lot of chili and I'm really glad it did!  We LOVED it so much that we didn't mind eating it 3 days in a row!!!  It was soooo good, I couldn't bring myself to put the leftovers in the freezer (even if they would have fit in the freezer) so we just ate it until it was gone!  There is one small container left, perfect for lunch.  We really could have gotten a 4th night's dinner out of this pot of chili, but we ate some pretty hearty portions on the last night since we were trying to finish it up! 

I still have some diced and ground turkey in the freezer, so I have a feeling I'll be making another pot of this yummy chili before the winter is over.....maybe for Super Bowl! 


You can find this recipe linked to the following blog carnivals: 

• Chili Cook Off
• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods
• Tuesdays at the Table
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Hearth and Soul Hop
• Tuesday Night Supper Club
• Delicious Dishes
• Tasty Tuesdays Bloghop
• Crock Pot Wednesday
• What's Cooking Wednesday 
• Works For Me Wednesday
• Show and Tell
• Whatever Goes Wednesday
• What's Cooking Wednesday
• Whatcha Makin' Wednesdays
• Look What I Made
• Make it Yours Day
• Penny Pinching Party
• Whassup Wednesday
• Recipes I Can't Wait to Try!
• Frugal Food Thursday
• Life in a Shoe