Crock Pot Sweet BBQ Chicken (my version of Sweet Baby Ray Chicken from Pinterest)

Crock Pot Sweet BBQ Chicken

6-8 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (Original recipe calls for Chicken breasts)
3/4 c. Noh Hawaiian Bar-B-Q Sauce
3/4 c. apricot marmalade
2 T. soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free)

Place chicken thighs in crock pot and cook on low for three hours (for easy clean up use a crock pot liner).  Mix remaining ingredients and set aside. After three hours drain juices from the chicken and cover with the sauce for 30-45 minutes.  Serve over egg noodles, a gluten free pasta, or rice.

(I made it with all of the specific ingredients from the original recipe and then with ingredients that I generally keep on hand.  We actually liked the second one better. We like using chicken thighs because they stay more tender and don't dry out as much as chicken breasts tend to,)

Pasta Fagioli (Copy Cat with my modifiations)

 

Pasta Fagioli

2 lbs. ground  beef (next time I will make it with sweet Italian sausage)
1 onion, chopped
3  carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 c. minced dry garlic (added for my own personal taste)
1 qt. canned tomatoes (the original called for 2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes), undrained
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed (white kidney beans)
3 10 oz. cans beef broth
3 t. oregano
2 t. ground pepper
5 t. parsley
1/2 t. Tabasco sauce (originally called for a full teaspoon)
1 24 oz. Prego Traditional Spaghetti Sauce (my personal preference)
8 oz. small cut pasta

Brown beef and place in lined crock pot with everything but the pasta.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours or low 5-6 hours. (for my personal crock pot 4 hours was not long enough for the vegetables to be tender)  30 minutes before serving add the pasta. 

*This makes a large batch of soup in the future I will take 1/2 of the soup out before adding the pasta and freeze for another meal and add the pasta at that time.  To make it gluten free just make sure the beef stock is gluten free and use a gluten free pasta.  This is compared to Olive Garden in the original recipe but I don't think it is the same, but it is a keeper for me.

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

1 lb. boneless beef chuck or round steak, slice thin
1 14 oz. can beef broth
1/2 c. soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free)
1 T sesame oil
1/3 c. brown sugar
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T cornstarch
2 T cooled sauce (at the end of cooking time)
Broccoli, fresh florets. (frozen can be used as well just add a little cooking time)
Mushrooms, fresh or canned, to taste

Combine broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and garlic mix well.  Pour over the meat in the bottom of the crock pot.  Cover, cook on low for 7 hours. At the end of the cooking time remove 2 T of the sauce and let cool, combine with the cornstarch and add to the meat mixture and stir well.  Add the broccoli and mushrooms, stir cover for another 30 mins.  Serve over hot rice.

(I have had this one tucked away for awhile, it is so easy and yummy and will become a staple in my rotation. To make it even easier use a crock pot liner and clean up is a breeze.)

Rotisserie Style Chicken in a crockpot

A great way to save money and make some really great meals is to use whole chickens. You can get whole chickens at Costco for $.99 a pound and if you watch the ads for your local grocery stores you can get them for around $.69 a pound, sometimes even cheaper. I used to only buy chicken breasts because they are easy, and I am grossed out by raw meat so the thought of pulling the bag of giblets out is so disgusting! HOWEVER, the price difference is huge! Chicken breasts are anywhere around $2.99 a pound! I looked into whole chickens a little more and found that it can be so easy, so good, so cheap, and there is so much more that you can get out of it!
Here is what you need:
Crockpot
Whole Chicken
Seasoning
That's it! You can use any seasoning you like. You could do lemon pepper, bbq style, the possibilities are endless! I used a steak rub which has: sea salt, crushed black peppercorns, dill seed, coriander, red pepper, garlic, and paprika. You do not need to add any water to this! The best part of this is the natural juices that come from this! It is so moist and so tasty!
Pull out the giblets and rinse your chicken in water. Place your chicken in the crockpot breast side up and tuck the wings underneath. Sprinkle your favorite seasonings on top.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Do not uncover it while it is cooking because that will lower the temperature and will make the cooking time longer. It is done when the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.

Notice all of the broth in the bottom! I didn't add any water at all!
Cut the chicken and serve. The left overs can be put in a bag in the freezer and can be used in all kinds of things!

Don't stop there! Make your own chicken stock*! Put the bones and skin back in the broth,

fill the rest of the crockpot with water, turn the crockpot on low and leave overnight. You can add carrot, onion, and celery for more flavor. A really frugal tip is to use carrot peels and the ends of onions and celery for the flavor but save the rest of the veggies for soups and other meals.

In the morning strain off the stock and run it through a cheese cloth to remove some of the fat. Let it cool and then put it in containers and freeze!

*Chicken stock is different than chicken broth. Chicken broth is made by boiling the meat. Stock is made by simmering the bones overnight and it releases the gelatin in the bones. When stock is refrigerated it becomes a thick jelly texture. I thought I had done something wrong the first time because I was expecting it to be like broth when cooled, turns out I made a good high quality stock my first try!

Quatro Frijoles con Pollo Cantaro--slow cooker

Again I found this recipe and can't give credit for it but I recently tried it and like it. I would add jalapeno peppers to the recipe to give it a little kick. I would also use pork rather than chicken.

1 c. pitted black olives
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 16 oz. garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 16 oz. can Great Northern or navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 16 oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. chicken stock, plus extra as needed
1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 c. onion, minced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
hot sauce to taste
2 c. crushed corn chips
6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
(small jalapeno seeded and minced finely, optional)

Combine olives, chicken, beans, chilies, and chicken stock in slow cooker. Mix well and set aside. Heat oil in large skillet, over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, and cumin until onion is soft. Add to the chicken mixture. Cover, cook on low 4-5 hours. check liquid about halfway through, adding more hot broth as needed. Taste and add hot sauce, salt and pepper. Serve in warm bowls and garnish with corn chips and cheese.

Asian Beef with Broccoli (slow cooker)

This is a recipe that I found while I was teaching classes at the Macey's Little Theatre, I have had it on file for a long time and decided to try it. I can't give credit to the magazine I got it from but it is a really easy and tastes really good. (We will add mushrooms in the last 15 mins, as well in the future.)


1 1/2 pounds chuck steak, about 1 1/2 inches thick, sliced into thin strips
1 10.5 oz. condensed beef consomme, undiluted
1/2 c. oyster sauce
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 bag (16 oz) frresh or frozen broccoli florets
6-8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
Hot cooked rice
Sesame seeds

Place beef in cloe cooker. Pour consomme and oyster sauce over beef. Cover, cook on high for 3 hours. Combine cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. cooking liquid in small bowl. Add to slow cooker, stir well to combine. Cover, cook on high for 15 mins. longer or until thickened. Poke holes in broccoli bag with fork.

Minestrone

With my stove on the fritz I have had to come up with other ways to cook and of course my crock pot is one of the first things that I turned to. Soups are some of my very favorite things to make at any given time so I chose to make minestrone today. The house smelled so good and it hit the spot.

It's so easy to throw everything in and go about the day. Just about a half an hour before serving add the pasta or cooked rice.
Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and serve.

Minestrone:

1 med onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced thin
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I like to use the small ones of different colors)
1 med zucchini, sliced into rounds
2 cloves garlic minced
2 14.5 oz. cans beef broth
1 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 15.5 oz. cans kidney beans, drained

1 15.5 oz can white beans
2 t. dried marjoram (crush again to bring flavor out)
¼ t. ground black pepper
1½ c. cooked rice, optional

or small pasta shell or Ditalini

Add all ingredients except rice or macaroni in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. Add cooked rice and stir to combine. If using pasta add uncooked during the last half hour of cooking time.

Slow Cooked Pork Tenderloin

I'm always looking for recipes to do with Pork tenderloin and my daughter came up with this one, it's a keeper.

Take a 3-4 lb. Pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper and place in the crock pot, I just love these crock pot liners with them clean up is a breeze.

Mix the soups together and cover the tenderloin with them.

Put the lid on and cook for an hour, after another hour turn the roast. Cook for another 2-3 hours.

A half hour before serving pull the roast out and shred. Put the pork back into the soup mixture.

Serve with mashed potoates.

3-4 lb. pork tenderloin

1 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup

1 10 oz. can french onion or onion soup

1 10 oz. golden mushroom or cream of mushroom with roasted garlic.

salt and pepper to taste

Stuffed Pork Chops in a Slow Cooker

5-6 thick loin chops, butter flied
Stuffing Mix, pork flavor
Water
3 t. chicken bouillon or three cubes
Olive oil
2 c. water

Spoon dry stuffing mix into the pocket of the butter flied pork chops. In large skillet heat olive oil and brown the pork chops.
Place the pork chops into the crock pot with the pocket side facing up. Pour water into the skillet and add bouillon. Heat to boiling. Pour liquid over the pork chops in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours, or high 4-5 hours.

Super Easy Pot Roast

1 5-6 lb. beef chuck roast, boneless
medium onion, sliced in thin rounds
1 10 3/4 oz. can Golden Mushroom Soup
1 c. water

Sear the roast on all sides. Place the roast on top of onions in slow cooker, cover the meat with the soup and add water. Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes the soup makes an excellent gravy. Optional cut red potatoes and carrots and place in the slow cooker along with the meat.

(This is my adaptation of my son-in-laws family recipe. The meat is so tender you can cut it with a fork)

Rosemary Chicken

oilve oil
1 ½ lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or thighs
1 9 oz. package frozen artichoke hearts
12 cloves garlic, minced ½ c. chopped onion
½ c. chicken broth
2 t. dried rosemary, crushed
1 t. finely shredded lemon peel
½ t. ground black pepper
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. cold waterlemon wedges, optional

Coat a skillet with olive oil. Preheat over medium heat. Borwn chicken, half at a time, in hot skillet. In a 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker, combine frozen artichoke hearts, garlic, and onion. In a small bowl combine broth, rosemary, lemon peel, and pepper. Pour over vegetables in slow cooker. Add browned chicken, spoon some of the garlic mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6-7 hours, or on high setting for 3-4 hours. Transfer chicken and artichokes to a serving platter, reserving cooking fluid. Cover chicken and artichokes with foil to keep warm If using low heat turn to high heat setting. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and the cold water. Stir in to liquid in slow cooker. Cover and cook about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over the chicken and artichokes. Serve with lemon wedges, optional. Serves 6.

(This is a new one for me. I am always looking for slow cooker recipes that don't use the same old cream soups and have the same flavor, this one was good and worth sharing.)