French Dip Sandwiches (Slowcooker)

We seem not to eat enough sandwiches for dinner around this house as often as we should. One of my favorite (and super easy) sandwich recipes involves a crock pot, beef and using the juices for a dipping sauce when it's time to chow down.

4 pound Roast
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1 Bay Leaf
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
Beef Broth
1/2 cup Water
1 Beef Bullion Cube
Sandwich rolls
Mozzarella cheese


Place roast in slow cooker. Sprinkle with pepper, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and soy sauce. Add beef broth until the roast is just covered in liquid, then add water and bullion cube. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours (until meat is cooked through). Once cooked, shred the meat and serve on sandwich rolls with cheese. Use the left over drippings for dipping.

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Pigs in a Blanket)

On the way to my in-laws house several years ago, my husband mentioned his mother was fixing 'Pigs in a Blanket'. When we arrived, I was confused when I didn't see any hot dogs or breading anywhere on the table. Instead, his mother served what looked like rolls of cabbage leaves in a red tomato sauce. It was good and something I had never seen before. After we left I explained to him what MY 'Pigs in a Blanket' were: hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls with ketchup or mustard for dipping. He ended up finding (through Google, of course) that the Pennsylvania/Dutch version was what he grew up on- but most photos and recipes had come up as the hot dog snack I was used to.

I decided to search the web for what sounded the best to me for HIS kind of 'Pigs in a Blanket'. After coming across Melissa Norris' Cabbage Roll Recipe, I made some minor tweaking and ended up with something both my husband and I could agree was tasty. (And I even gave him my word I would include HIS name of the dish in my blog title. How sweet am I, right?)

I am sure you could bake these in the oven, but I always trust my crock pot to cook things tender and extra delicious.

12 leaves of Cabbage
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 cup Jasmine rice, uncooked
1/4 cup Milk
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 (15oz) cans Tomato Sauce
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
4 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

Boil cabbage head in large pot of water for a few minutes until leaves are soft enough to wrap. (I had to boil mine for about 5 minutes, peal off 5 leaves- and then return the head to boil another 5 minutes and peal off a few more)

In a medium bowl, mix ground beef, rice, milk, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Spoon beef mixture into cabbage leaves, tuck in the sides of the leaves and roll tight. Place in crock pot with the seam side down.

In separate bowl, combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well then pour over the cabbage rolls.

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 8 hours.

Crock Pot Chicken Tostadas

This by far is my favorite Mexican crock pot recipe (my husband is sure to agree). Tastes so fresh and so good. I always double my recipe to make sure there will be leftovers.

3-4 frozen uncooked Chicken Breasts
1/2 Onion, diced OR 1 Tablespoon Dried Onion Flakes
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
3-4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
juice from 1 small Lime
1-2 cups Chicken Broth
Salt & Pepper
Tostada shells
Refried Beans
Lettuce, shredded
Tomatoes, diced
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Sour Cream

Place chicken into the crock pot. Add garlic, onion, chili powder, lime juice, and chicken broth (enough to cover chicken a little over half way).  Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken once finished cooking.

Build the Chicken Tostadas by layering the tostada shells with warmed beans, shredded chicken, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese and sour cream.

Crock Pot Balsamic Roast

This slow cooker recipe is full of flavor. I like to serve it with my Roasted Balsamic Green Beens and Tomatoes and some 'Fancy' Potato Rounds.

3-4 lb Pot Roast
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil (extra virgin)
1/4 cup White Wine
3/4 cup Water
1 Onion, sliced
15 oz can Tomato Sauce
3/4 to 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Season both sides of roast generously with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and sear both sides of the meat (about 4 minutes on each side). Place meat in crock pot- return pan to heat and add the wine and water to deglaze the pan; pour over meat in crock pot. Add onion, tomato sauce and balsamic vinegar. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. I like to shred my meat once it is cooked to serve.

Crock Pot Jambalaya

This recipe is SO easy and SO good! I don't eat seafood so I do not put any Shrimp in my Jambalaya. If you want to add Shrimp- you can add 1 lb of cleaned Shrimp when you add the rice for the last 30 minutes and cook until it is cooked through.

2 lbs boneless skinless Chicken Thighs
1 to 2 lbs Smoked Sausage, cut into 2 inch slices
4 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
3-4 stalks of Celery, chopped
1 28oz can Diced Tomatoes in juice, undrained
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
Tabasco Sauce to taste (start with about 1 teaspoon and once cooked add to your liking)
2 teaspoon Dried Thyme
2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 1/2 cups Long Grain Rice

Place chicken, sausage, garlic, green pepper, onion, celery, tomatoes, chicken broth, seasoning, Tabasco, thyme, and oregano in Crock Pot. Cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours (or LOW for 8 hours). Add rice and cook on HIGH for 30 more minutes.

Crock Pot Beef Burgundy

Another extremely easy, throw-together-and-forget-about-it meal with lots of flavor! I put this recipe together, tried it out, and it is a definite keeper!

1 1/2-2 lb Beef Tips or Stew Meat

Salt, Pepper

Garlic Powder

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

1/3 cup Red Cooking Wine

1 envelope Dry Onion Soup Mix

8 oz fresh sliced Mushrooms (optional)

1 package Egg Noodles (for serving) 

Place meat into Crock Pot. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add soup, wine, dry soup mix, and mushrooms. Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. Serve over egg noodles and ENJOY!

Crock Pot Enchilada Casserole

This was a hit with the family. I am going to create a very similar recipe of this using chicken as well.

1 1/2 lb Ground Beef
Salt, Pepper
Garlic powder
1 Onion (or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried onion flakes)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Golden Mushroom Soup
1 can red Enchilada sauce
1 small can chopped Green Chilies
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese
5 large flour Tortillas, torn in small pieces

Brown meat and onions in a skillet. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Pour into crock pot; add soups, enchilada sauce and green chilies. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours. 1 hour before done, add shredded cheese and torn tortillas.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

This is one of my favorite crock pot recipes. My husband will even throw this together and is so proud of his work. Definitely a recipe that is kept in rotation in this house. Make sure to cut the veggies nice and thick so they stay nice and hearty through cooking.

4 lb. Roast
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
1 onion, sliced thick
5 cloves of Garlic, chopped in large chunks
5 stalks of Celery, cut in slices
1 bag Baby Carrots, cut in halves
1 bag small Golden Potatoes, cut in halves
1 box Chicken Stock

Season roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder; place in crock pot. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes and chicken stock. Sprinkle more salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.


(My husband likes to make cuts in his roast and slip pieces of garlic into the meat. It is good that way as well!)

Potato Soup

It is so easy to throw these ingredients together in a crock pot and one of my favorite potato soup recipes! I love it thick and creamy! If you like yours a little more 'soupy', go ahead and add both boxes of chicken broth.

You can also choose to use two bags of the frozen potatoes without peppers and onions, and add your own onion, as I prefer to do. I am not a huge onion fan and there are a lot of them in the Potatoes O'Brien.

1 (28 oz) bag Frozen Potatoes O'Brien (small cubes with peppers and onions)
1 (28 oz) bag Frozen Southern Style Potatoes (small cubes without seasonings/extras)
1 1/2 (32 oz) boxes of Chicken Broth
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 packages Cream Cheese

In a crock pot, combine both bags of potatoes, chicken broth, and soup. Cook on High for 4 hours. Cube cream cheese and add to soup. Cook on High for 1 more hour or until cream cheese has melted. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with shredded cheddar and bacon.

Savory Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

My favorite way to eat this meal is over a big bowl of egg noodles. Yum!!

3 lbs Beef Stew Meat

3 cups Beef Broth

1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 Onion,cut into wedges

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 (28oz) can Crushed Tomatoes, undrained

large bag Wide Egg Noodles

1/4 cup cold Water

2 Tablespoons Corn Starch

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Add beef, broth, squash, onion, salt, pepper and tomatoes. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

Cook noodles as directed for serving.

After the stew has cooked for 8-10 hours on Low, in a cup or bowl add water and cornstarch; stir to mix very well. Add mixture to the slow cooker and cook on High for 15-30 minutes to thicken. Serve over the hot noodles.

Chicken Curry Soup

I've been under the weather for the past few days with the typical winter cold and this was just what the doctor ordered. Very simple and simmers in your slow cooker until dinner time. I couldn't have asked for more on a day like today when I wasn't feeling like my usual self and needed something to make me feel better. My husband had about 3 bowls of "seconds"!

1 lb boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 small Onion, chopped (or use 1 Tablespoon dried chopped onions)
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and diced
3 medium Red Potatoes, diced with skin on (you can peel if you like.) (Or you can use 2 medium baking potatoes instead)
3 Carrots, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoon Curry Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Rice (white or long grain)
1/2 cup Cream
1 Lemon

Add Chicken, broth, onion, apple, potatoes, carrots, curry powder and rice to slow cooker. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 3-4 hours. Shred the chicken breasts and add cream. When serving, sprinkle a little curry powder, salt/pepper to taste and a small amount of lemon juice over soup in bowl.

Slow Cooked Chicken Pot Pie Stew

I absolutely love chicken pie. It's one of my favorite southern comfort foods. I love being from the south.. the food is phenomenal!

This is a recipe you cook in your crock pot. It couldn't get easier.. the amount of flavor will most definitely surprise you!

3 Frozen Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Potato Soup
1 can Mixed Vegetables
1 can Sliced New Potatoes
1 Tablespoon Dried Onion Flakes

Place frozen chicken breasts in crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook 8-10 hours on LOW.  Shred the chicken; stir. I like to add some basil or parsley and salt/pepper to season.  Add chicken stock to thin out stew or add flour to thicken, if you wish. Serve with some crescent rolls or biscuits.

I use 5 frozen chicken breasts when I double the recipe to keep the stew at the consistency I like best.

Slow Cooked Swiss Steaks in Tomato/Green Pepper Sauce

This calls for your crock pot. (Oh, how I LOVE my crock pot!) It reminds me almost of a roast; the meat falls apart and is full of flavor. I double this recipe as it is not enough meat for my family of four.

1/4 cup Italian Dressing

1  shoulder steak (1 lb.), cut into 4 pieces

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup  tomato paste

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup  beef broth

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup  shredded Swiss Cheese

Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.  Dredge steaks in flour. Add to skillet; cook 2 to 3 min. on each side or until steaks are browned on both sides. Remove from heat.

Place tomatoes, broth and tomato paste in slow cooker. Add steaks and peppers; cover with lid. Cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours (or on LOW 8 to 10 hours).
Once plated, sprinkle with cheese. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes. YUM!!