Food Friday: Crock-Pot Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

Here is great slow-cooker recipe from a family friend. You know one of those comfort foods, especially this cold weekend. I plan on using the leftover Christmas ham from the freezer for this.


Crock-Pot Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

6-8 slices of cubed ham
8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup grated cheddar or American cheese
1 10 ounce can cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup
paprika to taste (optional)

Chunk ham in pieces. Put half of the ham, potatoes, and onions in crock-pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then top with grated cheese. Repeat with remaining half of everything, then add undiluted soup over top. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4 hours. Increase by half for 5 quart cooker.

Food Friday: St. Patrick's Day Meal

Now, if you're Catholic you can't make this tonight...but you can sure have it tomorrow! It's my Corned Beef and Cabbage in the crock (how easy can it get) pot. I posted it before on Mommy's Recess but it's too good not to share again!

Super yummy, super easy and super Irish (American). Enjoy!

Food Friday: Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've been craving some good broccoli cheese soup. And I may have found it. I started this recipe by just "dumping" what sounded good. It worked! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

One can of chicken broth
A can of cheddar cheese (Great for Cooking, Campbells)
A can of cream of chicken
A bag of frozen broccoli (chopped)
A chopped head of broccoli (cause it was in the fridge and I wanted to use it up) Some minced onion, minced garlic and before serving, a bag of shredded mild cheddar cheese....and a bit of pepper...(see what I mean by "dumping")

Cooked it on low for about 8 hrs, like I said, added the shredded cheddar before serving...yum-o

I ate two bowls last night...must have needed the folic acid in the broccoli!

Enjoy!

Food Friday: Tim's Pot of Homemade Chili!

The weather turned cold this week. Wednesday was the really first damp, rainy day and last night the temperature dipped down into the twenties. Brrr....

If you are not ready for winter (like me), then make yourself a pot of chili this weekend to warm you up. Tim, my husband, came up with his own recipe several years ago, making a family favorite.

Add some shredded cheddar cheese on top with corn chips. Make some tasty, golden cornbread from scratch. Or dip a peanut butter sandwich in this delightful, filling dish. At any rate, fill your tummy and then curl up with a good movie with the family this weekend.

Cook Together
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 green peppers finely chopped

Add 1 package of McCormick Chili Seasoning with additional chili powder to taste. Let simmer into meat for a couple of minutes.

Add
14 oz can Hunts Fire-Roasted tomatoes
16 oz can light red kidney beans
16 oz can dark red kidney beans
28 oz can Hunts crushed tomatoes

Stir all together and let simmer. Add more chili powder to taste if needed. Cook until ready to serve or make in the crock pot to serve later in the day. Add V8 original juice to make the pot go further.

Food Friday: The BEST Crock Pot Cheesy Baked Potato Soup

Now, I can't speak for the caloric content of this soup. If you're on a low fat diet, a cardiologist or health nut, just stop reading now. Cause it will only make you hungry for something you're not going to eat. Or shouldn't eat. But it is SOOOOO good.

Ingredients:

8 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes.
1 box of chicken broth
2 cans of Cheddar Cheese soup (I used Campbells)
1/2 of a stick of butter
1 package of pre-cooked bacon
Pepper
Salt
Bacon Salt
Green Top Onions
1/2 of a white onion, chopped.
1/2 of a bag of shredded cheddar cheese

In a crock pot, add potatoes, butter, white onion, 4 strips of pre-cooked bacon chopped, chicken broth, canned soup, dash of salt and pepper to your liking. Set on low and cook 8 hours.

About half hour before serving, mash up potatoes with fork as well as you can. Cut green top onions and add to crock pot. Add cheese to crock and let melt into soup.

Heat up the remaining pre-cooked bacon and cut into strips. Serve soup, topped with sour cream, bacon strips and more cheddar cheese.

It is SOOOO good. Hearty, warm...perfect for cold days! And it's even better leftover!

Food Friday: Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Tacos!

This recipe is GREAT for in the hot summers when you don't want to heat your oven, takes less energy and produces less heat in your crockpot. It is also great to make in the winter when you want something warm and cozy in your tummy!

Ingredients

1 pkg small corn or flour tortillas

1 onion, diced

1 16oz can black beans, drained

1 16oz can kidney beans, drained

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 8oz can corn, drained

2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies ( usually use Rotel)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream to garnish



Directions

Combine beans, onion, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic, taco seasoning in crockpot. Place the RAW chicken breasts on top and cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Right before you serve, use a fork to shred the chicken and stir right back into the mix. Serve over fried corn tortillas or soft flour tortillas and top with whatever toppings you desire. Some ideas would be shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, fresh cilantro, guacamole, etc.

Joanna is the chief domestic engineer at home, holding the fort together for her family. Her and her husband of nine years have adopted three beautiful, sweet children. In her free time, she obviously loves cooking and baking! And especially enjoys sharing her cooking and baking ideas with family, friends, and strangers. For great new meals and treat ideas, visit
JoJo's Num Nums.

Food Friday: Refried Beans to Compliment Your Mexican Dish!

Mexican meals make good dishes after being outdoors. Tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos, and rice all makes delightful, hearty, and simple family meals. Of course these meals are not complete unless you have a side of home made refried bean dip and chips.

Refried beans provides an excellent source of protein for the picky eaters who forgo any kind of meat. Since canned beans add so much sodium, we like to cook our own batch of beans. Plus, beans are cheap, easy to fix, and definitely fill up a house full of boys. The leftover bean mixture even stores nicely into the freezer for a later date.

You can have bean burritos. You can make beans and cornbread. Personally, I like to make bean dip as a side dish with our main Mexican course.

A bag of pinto beans usually costs just under a dollar in the store. When I get home after grocery shopping of an evening, I open the bag of beans to sort out the old, discolored beans and rocks I might find (there will be just a few). I then put the sorted beans into my colander to wash. After a good initial washing, I fill up a bowl of water, placing the colander down inside for soaking overnight.

The following morning, I will rinse off the beans one more time before pouring them into the crock pot. I only add four cups of water. The beans cook all day on high prior to supper. At supper time, I will turn down the heat for them to slightly cool and then puree them in my blender.


To make the bean dip, I will pour the mixture into a pie plate/tin or 9 by 13 pan (depending on amount needed), layer taco sauce and salsa on top, and coat the top with both mozzarella and cheddar cheese. I bake the dip in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese melts.

My mom also makes a dip but after warming the beans in the oven, she tops the mixture with sour cream followed by lettuce, tomato, and black olives. These dips are great for parties as well. Just serve with a bag of tortilla chips!

Food Friday: Slow-Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Stew!

Recently the weather turned rainy and cold, not at all like our spring sunshine earlier this week. I decided to try this recipe I found from a brochure our dietitians from our local grocery store, hoping it would help curb the cold.

Serving the chicken stew with home made biscuits I was sold on the recipe. Not only was it surprisingly delicious but also hearty and nutritious. This chicken stew recipe was all around a great find for our family.

Here is the original recipe for Slow-Cooker Turkey and Biscuits as I found it.

Ingredients

2 medium red potatoes, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 ounces fresh sliced baby Bella mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, crushed
1 pound turkey breasts
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup frozen sweet peas


Here is the version I adapted for what I had on hand. To highlight, I substituted cornstarch for tapioca as my starch thickener. In this process though I learned that tapioca is often used as a less fattening means to thicken gravies. Also, I thought this recipe seemed small and so added two extra potatoes and a whole can of broth. I made the stew in rapid time using my food processor to chop all the vegetables.

4 medium red potatoes, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound chicken breast
1 small can reduced sodium chicken broth
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup frozen sweet peas

Directions

1. In a slow-cooker , combine potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture. Top with chicken breast and pour broth over entire mixture.
2. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours or on HIGH heat for 3-3 1/2 hours.
3. Remove chicken from slow-cooker. Coarsely shred chicken into pieces and return to cooker. Stir in peas and cream cheese, cooking for another 10 minutes.

Feel free to add biscuit dough for chicken pot pie and dumplings. I just served the stew over the biscuits. Recipe made about three meals worth for three people. This would be a good meal to put in the freezer to pull out when needed.

Food Friday: Crock Pot Potato Soup

I always find it difficult to make meals during Lent that don't include meat. And to be honest, you can only have fish sticks or grilled cheese and tomato soup so many times. I ran across this recipe and thought I'd try it. It would be great with leftover ham or bacon tossed in as well. Just not on Friday's during Lent.

Ingredients:

• 8 large potatoes, cubed into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup chopped onion (I used minced dry onions)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 tablespoons dry parsley flakes
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup flour, mixed with water
• Bacon Salt--For meat flavor without the meat!
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preparation:

Place potatoes, onions, butter, bouillon, parsley, and water in the slow cooker/Crock Pot and cook all day on low. 1/2 hour before serving; add milk and flour mixture. After the soup thickens, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Now it is ready to serve.
Note: 1 can evaporated milk may be substituted for the regular milk.
Serves 6 to 8.

It was SO YUMMY and filling. When I served it, I garnished it with more cheese and pepper. It would also be tasty with chives. MMMM. Almost like baked potato soup.

Potato Soup

Make Monday: Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

Usually we save food for "Food Friday" but since St. Patrick's Day is coming up on Thursday, I wanted to share my recipe for corned beef and cabbage.

Peel 8 potatoes and put them in the bottom of the (sprayed with cooking spray) crock pot.

Peel 6 carrots (snap them in half) and finish lining the bottom of the crock pot.

Put your packaged corned beef on top (with all of the juices and spice packet that comes with it).

Pour a bottle of Guinness and 2 cups of water in the crock pot. If you don't have Guinness (don't have Guinness? What kind of Irish are you?) any beer will do.

Set your crock pot on low and let it cook all day. 

One to two  hours before serving, cut up a head of cabbage and put on top (cabbage will cook down quickly so I always do this last).

And there you have it. A great Irish dish. The corned beef is great as reubens for left overs.  YUM!

Food Friday: Sloppy Joes or Sloppy Jacks?

What guy is not a meat lover! For any meal, especially a party, my husband asks for meat! In fact a meal at our house is not complete without meat. Therefore to complete our Super Bowl table of snacks and appetizers, we must include some meat!

One dish we like to make at our house for company is Sloppy Joes and Sloppy Jacks (a name and recipe my mom invented). This way people can have sandwiches to go with all the other sides. It is also easy to make for large amounts of company.

These recipes are easy for your husband to make and satisfies their need for meat during the football game.

Brown ground beef on the stove with chopped onion. You will need approximately one pound of ground beef for every four people. While the meat is cooking, get out two crock pots and set them up to cook.

Once the meat is done, divide it between the two crock pots evenly as one will house the Sloppy Joes and the other the Sloppy Jacks. For the Sloppy Joes, I combine my mothers and my mother-in-laws ingredients of ketchup, a little mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix to taste, so all ingredients have been stirred in well. For Sloppy Jacks, use a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup and a can of mushrooms, enough to mix with the amount of meat you have.

Cook in the crock pot on low for several hours before your company comes, occasionally stirring. Serve on sandwich buns. Add your other sides for a complete Super Bowl buffet!

Food Friday--Crockpot Chicken

Welcome to the first edition of Food Friday. We know too well how family recipes can become blah and boring so we're hoping to showcase a new recipe every Friday. These have been "kid tested and mom approved" and hope that you find them easy, simple and tasty.

The first Food Friday is my own little concoction, Crock-pot Chicken (because I haven't thought of a better name for it). I started making it shortly after our youngest was born, 3 months ago. And I'm pretty sure we've had it at least 6 times since. Yeah, it's that good. And easy.

Ingredients:

One whole young frying chicken
Two large apples
One stick of butter (ya'll--just channelling my inner Paula Deen)
One-half of an onion
A handful of Rosemary
Fresh cracked pepper
And a crock pot on your kitchen counter...oh...wait...we're not singing.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Place the chicken in the crock pot. Slice the apples and put all of the slices from one apple inside the chicken. Put 1/2 of the stick of butter in the chicken.

Place the other apple slices around the chicken. Rub the other half of the butter on the chicken. Sprinkle chicken with rosemary and pepper. Slice 1/2 of an onion and place on top of the chicken. Add 2 cups of water.

Cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Lift chicken out of crock (this is easier said than done) onto a serving platter. Chicken will fall apart. Don't worry, if it doesn't look that good it sure does taste good.

For a side, I use the Idahoan Loaded Baked Potatoes. The package says to add two cups of boiling water per package. After taking the chicken out, I scoop two cups of water out of the crock pot and add it to the potatoes. This way I get the chicken flavor along with the loaded baked potato flavor. This is THE BEST. My husband took the potatoes for lunch one day and had co-workers argue with him that it couldn't be instant potatoes because it smelled so good when he heated it up. I have learned, in order to have enough for everyone, I have to make two packages.

And here's the finished meal. Notice the chicken fell apart. I serve it with the potatoes and green beans (or your favorite veggie). Since the chicken pulls easily off of the bone, save the leftover chicken for chicken salad, chicken tacos etc. The leftover options are endless. If there is anything left over.

Enjoy!