Crockpot Sunday

For our Crockpot Sunday today, I tried fajitas and they were fabulous. I bought a pork loin roast from Winco (actually 3 in a package) for 1.43/lb. I cut it up in strips along with a couple green and red peppers (also on great sales at Winco) and an onion. I saute'd them briefly in my crockpot, which I can take off it's base and put it directly on the stove, I love it. If you are in the market for a new one I would recommend it. It has a nonstick inside and is lightweight and easy to clean. Then sprinkled Laurey's Fajita seasoning over the top and stirred it. I put it on medium high for around 3 hours. It was a little juicey when we got home. So I took the meat and veggies out and put the juice back on the stove to reduce it down. Then I added the meat back in stirred and yumm! We had it will tortillas, salsa, sour cream and cheese.

Here is a link to see my crockpot: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000065UF2/qid=1068435245/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1_etk-kitchen/002-7293462-8630432?v=glance&s=kitchen&n=284507/flyladynet-20

I just received a great link to some more crockpot recipes from someone in my missionary mom group. Let me know if you try any of them. http://www.50plusfriends.com/cookbook/crockpot/index-5b.html

Crockpot Sunday

Crock Pot Shepherd's Pie

4 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 c. grated cheese
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, diced
Garlic to taste
1 lb. lean ground beef
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme (I used basil)
t Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. frozen vegetables (I used 1/2 corn and 1/2 peas)

In a skillet cook onions with oil until translucent. Add garlic. Add beef and cook until brown. Stir in tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, stewed tomatoes, and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix cornstarch in 1 cup of cold water. Add to skillet and cook, stirring until liquid thickens slightly. Pour into crock-pot. Layer vegetables on top of meat mixture, cover with potatoes, then cover with cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

Enjoy!

Debbie

Crockpot Sunday

Do you have plans for dinner tomorrow? Here is a great crockpot recipe that uses cheese which I (and many of you) now have a lot of.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Serves 4

2 cups chicken broth
2 (8-ounce) packages frozen cauliflower (fresh is ok too)
1 medium stalk celery -- cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium carrot -- cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion -- cut into eighths
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper -- to taste

1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese -- shredded

Throw all ingredients except milk and cheese into a crockpot and cook on low until vegetables are very tender, about 4-6 hours.

Carefully pour mixture into work bowl of food processor fitting with steel blade or into blender container. Cover and process until smooth. OR, if you like it a little lumpy and bumpy like I do, use a potato masher and have at it in the crockpot itself--mash to your heart's delight.

Place your cauliflower mixture into a saucepan; stir in milk and cheese. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and mixture is hot.

Per serving: 235 Calories; 16g Total Fat; (59% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 46mg Cholesterol; 701mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: A big green salad and some whole grain rolls make for a nice supper.

Crockpot Sunday

Chicken Breast Supreme
6 chicken breasts
mushrooms
can of mushroom soup
swiss cheese
chopped fresh chives
bacon

Put chicken, mushrooms (sliced or whole) in crockpot and pour the soup and chives over the top. Cook on high if chicken is frozen and medium if it is thawed for 3-4 hours. Top with cheese and bacon and cook another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with rice and steamed broccoli.

#3

Good Morning,

Here is the next food storage top 10 item. It has to do with essentially making something out of nothing. It will require an explanation. The point is that if you are looking for ways to use what you have, you may find something more than what you thought you had. I had some mostly rotting pears, but found a new favorite.

3. Pear Vinaigrette - We picked pears at our parents home in Rupert. They were little and pretty scared, but we thought they would be good to eat, which they were. After a week, they were over ripe and would be rotting soon. Marty asked if we were going to can them. Uh, no, way too much work for the very small pears. We (ok Marty) had just made applesauce though and I thought maybe he could just run them through the applesauce maker, which he did. So we got sort of runny, but very tasty pear sauce. I looked up pear recipes on the Internet and found the pear vinaigrette recipe which is one of my all time favorites.

Here is the recipe:


Pear Vinaigrette



1 (15-ounce) can pear halves in juice, undrained (I just used the pear sauce)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of ground red pepper

To prepare dressing, drain pears, reserving 1/3 cup pear juice. Combine pears, juice, vinegar, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Yield: About 2 cups (serving size: about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

Food Storage Recipe of the week

Pear Vinaigrette

1 (15-ounce) can pear halves in juice, undrained
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of ground red pepper

To prepare dressing, drain pears, reserving 1/3 cup pear juice. Combine pears, juice, vinegar, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Yield: About 2 cups (serving size: about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

Chicken Salad
1-13 oz can chicken
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise (approx. can use Miracle Whip and/or yogurt)

Optional additions - add 2 or 3 of what you have and like:
1/2 cup craisins or raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc)
1/4 cup wheat berries
pickles
celery
grapes cut in half
mandarin oranges
water chestnut
seeds like pumpkin, sunflower
1 tsp. flax seed
salt and pepper

Drain and shred chicken. (Save the chicken broth for soup or another recipe.) Add mayonnaise, seasonings and additions. Mix together and serve or chill until ready to eat. Makes approx. 4 sandwiches--Serve in pitas, rolls, bread, or eat plain no bread. This is quick and easy. I tried it and it took me less than 15 minutes to make! The ingredient are easy items to store as well.

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Delicious Granola Bar Recipe

3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14-ounces)
2 tablespoons melted butter or 1/2 cup peanut butter

3 - 4 cups of any of the following:

shredded coconut
nuts - almonds, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, etc. - slivered or chopped
miniature semisweet chocolate chips
cranberries, dried

raisins

sunflower seeds

flax seed

any dried fruit chopped

trail mix

Another option: add 1/2 cup dried milk or protein powder for a little more nutrition.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix oats, butter, and additions in large bowl
Press into greased 9x13-inch pan
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned
Let cool 5 minutes
Cut into bars
Allow to cool

These are great to take along for the winter activities and all ingredients could come from your food storage. :)

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Cajun Curry Chicken
2 tsp curry
1/3 cup honey
3 Tbls prepared mustard
2 Tbls marg or butter (optional)
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Boneless skinless chicken breast (up to 6)
Combine ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake at 375 for approx 45 minutes.
Serve chicken and dripping over rice. I like brown rice.

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7/21/2008

Thai Chicken Crock-Pot
These ingredients should be easy to store. The only fresh ingredient is the ginger. You could use powdered ginger if you don't have fresh or freeze some shredded ginger should work.
Cook Time: 9 hours,
Ingredients:
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. ginger root
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Preparation:
Place chicken in 3-4 quart crockpot. In medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients except peanuts; mix well. Pour this mixture over chicken in crockpot. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve over hot cooked rice or couscous. 4 servings