Crockpot Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

1 (6-9 lb) boneless turkey breast
1 (1 oz) packet dry onion soup mix
¾ cup water
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and place turkey and diced onions inside. In a small bowl, mix together the water and onion soup mix and spread evenly over turkey.
In another small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the turkey breast.
Cook on low for 8-9 hours (or until turkey is very tender and the seasonings have flavored the meat). Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and make sure it reads at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) to ensure that your turkey is fully-cooked.
To eat, remove turkey from slow cooker and slice.

I found this recipe on Six Sister's Stuff and altered it a tiny bit, but it is mostly just the same. The turkey turned out so tender and with tons of flavor! I paired it with mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread, and vegetables.

Amazing Pork Tenderloin

I made this pork tenderloin a few nights ago and it turned out so good! Plus, it was really easy and took very little time to prepare. I'm thinking you could easily make this in a crockpot as well. I tend to not plan far enough in advance for my crockpot recipes though, so I'm glad this one works just as well in the oven. This is my new favorite way to do pork tenderloin so it will be making it into the rotation fairly often! I paired this with mashed potatoes/gravy and green beans.

Pork Tenderloins
1 package of pork tenderloins (2 tenderloins total about 2-2.5lbs)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon country dijon mustard (whole grain mustard)
4 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley*
1/2 cup chicken broth
freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take tenderloins out of package. Rinse and pat dry. Spray a 9x13 baking dish and place tenderloins inside.
Make the marinade next. In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the pork. You do not have to let the meat marinate for hours before hand. 

Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour (or until your meat thermometer says its done), basting once halfway through cooking process.
Once removed from the oven, let pork rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before cutting in.
Don't forget to pour the sauce over it. The sauce is really amazing! I think next time I will actually thicken the sauce with flour or cornstarch to use as a gravy over mashed potatoes.

*The recipe actually called for Rosemary which I don't like. So I substituted the parsley and it tasted great! 

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. minced garlic
8 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce, OR basalmic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Thyme (optional, I don't like Thyme so I always leave it out)
 Swiss cheese slices 1/2 tsp

Directions: In a large pan saute onions and garlic in one cup of the broth. Cook until the broth is completely evaporated and onions are caramelized. They should become a nice brown color without becoming burned. This is the step that gives the soup such a nice flavor.

Meanwhile, add broth, worcestershire, salt, pepper and Thyme (if using) to a crockpot. Add caramelized onions and cook on high for 4 hours or on low 8 hours.

Just before serving ladle soup into individual dishes and put a slice of cheese on top. Then either microwave for about a minute until cheese is melted or if you're using oven safe dishes you can put them in the oven for a few minutes. Also, it really is best to use swiss cheese. I ran out and tried cheddar instead on a couple and they weren't as good. Since this is really more of a broth it wouldn't be enough to be considered a main dish. I served this with grilled cheese sandwiches. Everyone in the family really liked it!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

So I'm kind of on a roll with the soup recipes here! I decided to try doing a new soup every week....well, until I move onto some other obsession!  I found this recipe here. I did change a few things and doubled most of it (the version here is ALREADY doubled*) It originally called for 2 cups of sour cream but I couldn't really stand the thought of that many calories! Even with one cup though, the flavor is really great.  It tastes much better than my picture looks!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large green or red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

 

coarse salt and fresh black pepper

2 cans (11 ounce) Ro-tel diced tomatoes & green chiles

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 + 1/4 pounds boneless chicken breasts, uncooked 

2 cans corn

2 can black beans, optional

1 1/2 tablespoons chile powder

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 + 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or monterey jack, plus more for serving

1 cup sour cream, plus more for serving

tortilla chips, for serving

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile to your crock-pot add the Ro-tel, chicken broth, chicken, corn, black beans, chile powder, cumin, oregano and 1 teaspoon coarse salt or 1/2 teaspoon fine and about 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix in the cooked onions, peppers and garlic.
3. Cook on high 3 - 4 hour or low 5 - 6. Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Stir the cheese and sour cream into the soup. Shred the chicken or cut into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot. Taste and season as needed. Cook 1 more hour on low heat.
4. Serve garnished with more cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

*The original recipe says this makes 4 servings which is why I doubled it. It filled my BIG slow cooker to the very brim. This doubled version was enough, even after everyone had seconds, to have leftovers for tomorrow.

Minestrone

With the coming of the cooler weather I have been craving soup. But I really didn't have a lot of recipes for soups so I've been doing a little research.  I came across this Minestrone recipe from Taste of Home and it turned out really great. Nobody's leaving the table hungry after this meal! Not only is it really hearty but this makes a huge batch. My family of 6 had enough to eat it for two meals.  This would probably freeze really well too if you didn't want to eat it all on two days back to back.

Ingredients:
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup canola oil
2 garlic gloves, minced
5 cups beef broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning OR basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
1 can cut green beans
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup uncooked ditalini or other pasta

In a large stockpot, saute the onions, celery and parsley in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, Italian seasoning or basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Brown the beef and drain off the grease. Stir into the soup along with the zucchini, beans and pasta. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables and pasta are tender. Top each serving with cheese. Yield ~ 20 servings.

***You can also do this is a crockpot. Just brown the beef, saute the onions, garlic and celery. Then combine everything into the crockpot except for the noodles. Cook the noodles separately and add just before serving.

French Dip Sandwiches

This is such an easy recipe that it doesn't really even need to be written down (though I probably should have gotten my act together and actually taken pictures. Oops!) My family loves these and it really is a easy meal that makes your whole house smell amazing! Your family will think you've spent all day in the kitchen!

Directions:

Buy a roast big enough to feed your family. Generously sprinkle it with sea salt and rub it into the meat. Then use your favorite steak seasoning (I like to use McCormick Steakhouse Seasoning Grinder) and VERY generously coat all sides of the roast and rub it into the meat. Your roast should look pretty dirty by the time your done with it (this is where a picture would have come in handy, right?! But my hands were dirty and I was too lazy to wash them and take a picture!) Don't be afraid to really season that sucker. Then brown all the sides of the roast before putting it in your crockpot. Add water until the roast is not quite covered. This will be your au jus dip so make sure you'll have enough for each person but not so much water that it is too diluted. Then cut up 2 medium or one really large onion and place the slices on top. Cook this on low for about 8 hours.

When the meat is cooked take out the roast and shred it. Butter hoagie style buns and toast them on a griddle. Put slices of pepper jack cheese on the buns and then hot roast pieces. You can also add mayo if you like but I usually don't. Give each person a small bowl of au jus to dip their sandwich in and enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

This is a great casserole to prepare the night before in your slow cooker and let it cook all night and in the morning you have a delicious breakfast. This turned out really great and it made enough that we had enough for two days in a row (the kids didn't seem to mind having it reheated in the microwave the second day.)

Ingredients:

• 1 bag 26 oz. frozen hash browns (or make your own)
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 16 oz. roll sausage
• 1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of shredded cheese

Directions:
Spray your crockpot or use a liner. Layer the hashbrowns  at the bottom.  Then put on a pretty good layer of cheese.  Cook the sausage, drain, and layer on top of the cheese (you could also easily use diced ham, or cooked and chopped bacon)  Spread the can or soup, undiluted, on top.  Mix everything together. Then crack 12 eggs into a separate bowl, add the milk, ground mustard, salt and pepper and whisk together.  Pour the egg mixture over the contents of the crockpot.  Then turn on low for 6 - 8 hours and you wake up to a yummy, hot breakfast in the morning.  I wouldn't advise cooking it for longer than 8 hours or it will be to dark around the edges. 

I did have a picture of this but can't seem to locate it.  But I got the recipe from HERE and she has lots of pictures.

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

This was seriously the easiest dinner ever!  And the chicken turned out very tender and moist with a perfect lemony flavor.  I will definitely be doing this one again!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (or chicken tenders)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2- 3/4 Tablespoon McCormick lemon and pepper seasoning

1/4 C butter

Melt butter and add to soup and seasoning mix.  Pour half into crock pot.  Add chicken and pour over remaining soup mixture.  Cook 5 hours on LOW in crock pot.  Serve over rice.

Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

Trying to figure out what to do with that after Christmas Ham? Or that After Thanksgiving Ham? Or that after Easter Ham? Or that after My-Husband-Just-Loves-Ham Ham?  This is a great recipe for thinking outside of the ham sandwich box!

8-10 slices of ham
8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 of one large onion, sliced
1 C. grated cheddar cheese
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the sliced potatoes in 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1 cup of water.  Drain.  Put half of ham, potatoes, and onions in a crockpot (I like to spray the crockpot with cooking spray first).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cover this layer with one can of the cream soup (not diluted) then half the cheese.  Repeat with the remaining half of your ingredients.  You can also sprinkle this with paprika if you want.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4 hours or until the potatoes are cooked through. 

Chicken & Broccoli

 

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 10oz can cream of chicken soup
1 10 oz can cheddar soup
1 14 oz can chicken broth (I think next time I'll half this amount, it was a little too runny)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt seasoning

1 cup sour cream
6 cups broccoli florets, just fork tender (I cooked it in boiling water for 3-4 minutes)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place soups, chicken broth, salt, and garlic seasoning into a crock-pot over low heat. Whisk until smooth. Place chicken in, pressing to the bottom. Cover lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4 hours.

 2. When chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred into bite size pieces. Stir in sour cream and broccoli.

 3. Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese.  

This original recipe said this made 4-6 servings so I doubled it for my family of 6.  It made a humongous batch!  I ended up freezing over half of it which was fine because it will make for an easy meal some other night.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

1 envelope Taco Seasoning
6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 jar Salsa (16 oz)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, lettuce, shredded cheese, guacamole, salsa,sour cream etc. I couldn't believe how soft and moist this chicken was and it tasted so good.  I made fresh Guacamole and Blender Salsa to go with ours and it was amazing!

Pork Loin Alfredo

This is such an easy recipe and it's so, so, so good!

Ingredients:

Pork Loin, 2-3 lbs.
1/2 to 3/4 cup Italian dressing
1 Jar alfredo sauce

Put pork loin in crockpot and pour Italian dressing over it. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low all day until pork is cooked through. Take pork out and shred it, then put it back in the crockpot. Add alfredo sauce and stir it all together. Turn crockpot on High until alfredo sauce heats up. Serve over rice or pasta.

Cafe Rio Burritos

Sweet Pork:
3lbs pork roast (boneless)
16 oz salsa
1 can Coke
1 Cup brown sugar (I like it less sweet so I only put 1/2 cup)
water

Put roast in crock pot and fill half way with water. Add salt and cook on high for 4 hours. Drain the liquid and remove the roast. Shred the roast and put back in crock pot. Pour the salsa, coke and brown sugar in and mix with pork. Cook on high for 2 more hours.

Creamy Tomatilo Dressing:
1 pkg dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 green tomatillos
1 jalapeno (seeds removed, or leave this out if you don't want it too spicy)
1/2 bunch cilantro
juice from 1 lime

Put chopped up tomatillos and jalapeno in a glass dish with a splash of olive oil, salt and garlic salt. Roast for 25 minutes at 350. Then place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Burrito prep:
Get large tortilla and add black or pinto beans (or a mix of the two) then add sweet pork. Roll it up and top with plenty of Tomatillo dressing and then Mexican blend cheese. Put it in the microwave just long enough to melt the cheese and then add tomatoes, onions, sour cream, or guacamole according to your own personal tastes.

Chicken Breast Supreme

I think the name of this recipe is sorta silly but with so many chicken recipes out there I guess you have to get creative. It is "supremely" good though. Sorry, no picture. We were too hungry and just dug right in without taking a picture.

Chicken Breast Supreme

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope dry Italian Seasoning
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 container of chive and onion cream cheese

Place chicken in sprayed 9X13 pan. Sprinkle with dry Italian dressing. Cream together the soup and cream cheese until smooth. Pour over chicken. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Serve over rice or noodles. This recipe also works great in a crockpot.

Spicy Bean Dip

I made this for Super Bowl Sunday. It was good but definitely not low fat!

SPICY BEAN DIP

1 can refried beans

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups sour cream

cayenne pepper to taste

1/2 c. salsa

1 can black beans

3 cups shredded cheese

1 can green chilies



Mix together in a crock pot on low until cooked through. Serve with chips.

Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas

Once again I forgot to take a picture but here's an easy and delicious recipe. My husband used to take this to work for the faculty pot luck dinners and the secretaries would keep wandering past his office just to get a whiff!

CROCKPOT CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

2cans cream of chicken soup
1 C. sour cream
1 small can green chilies
1 C. sliced olives (optional)
2 C. grated cheese, Colby Jack or Cheddar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (browned and cut up into bite-size pieces)
1 doz. corn tortillas

Sauce: Mix sour cream, soup, olives and chilies

Spray Crockpot with cooking spray. Begin layering with a little sauce on the bottom of the Crockpot: 3-4 tortillas, 1/3 of chicken pieces, 1/4 of cheese, then 1/4 of remaining sauce. Repeat layering 2 more times. End with sauce and cheese on top. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours.

Southwestern Chicken

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN

2 cans whole kernel corn
1 can black beans
1 (16 oz) jar chunky salsa
6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cubed
1 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt

Combine corn, beans, chili powder, salt and 1/2 cup salsa in crockpot. Top with chicken and pour remaining salsa on top. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 7-8 hours. Sprinkle cheese on top and heat until melted. You can serve this over rice or in tortillas or just by itself.

Pork Chops

PORK CHOPS AND POTATOES


4-6 Pork chops
1 Can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 C. Sour Cream
1/4 C. Water
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
4 C. sliced potatoes

Brown porkchops (or bake on top of the potatoes). Mix soup, sour cream, water and parsley. In casserole dish alternate layers of potatoes, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and sauce. Top with pork chops. Cover and bake at 375 for 1 hr. 15 minutes. You can also do this in the crockpot.

I generally double this meal for my family of 6.

Chili

If you are someone who believes whole-heartedly in the virtue of soaking beans overnight for your chili then this is not the recipe for you. If, however, you are a huge fan of chili and a fan of the convenience of the can then give this a try!

CHILI

1 lb hamburger
1 Cup chopped onion
1/2 Cup chopped bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Can stewed tomatoes (14 1/2 oz size)
1 15 oz can Kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans
1 8 oz tomato sauce
2 to 3 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1/4 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Brown hamburger with onion, bell peppers and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat. In crockpot put undrained tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil and pepper. Add hamburger mixture. Cook in crockpot on high for 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours. This can also be done on the stove top.

I usually double this recipe (except for the hamburger) to have enough for my family of 6 with enough for some leftovers.

Crockpot Barbeque Chicken

This recipe is so simple it ought to be punishable by law! Just don't tell your husband and he'll think you slaved all day! I like to make this one for Sunday dinner because getting my kids ready for church takes all my energy and I need a dinner that requires no hassle (and that won't lose it's shoes, or spill orange juice all over itself 5 minutes before it's time to leave!)

CROCKPOT BARBEQUE CHICKEN

4 Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 Cups BBQ Sauce
1/2 Cup Italian Dressing
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Put Chicken in the crockpot. Mix all other ingredients and pour over the top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4. Take out chicken during last 30 minutes and shred and put back into the sauce. Stir. Put in hamburger buns for a sandwich or over rice. I prefer the using the buns but you might like to try the rice. You can also substitute a pork loin (about 2 pounds) for the chicken.