Cream Cheese Chicken

Oh I think this is going to be a favorite at our home!

I got the recipe from my favorite slow cooking blog and I revised it as follows:

2-4 pieced of frozen, boneless, skinless chicken (I used breasts)
1 can cream of "something" soup (I used cream of celery)
1/2 cup chicken broth*
1 package Italian Salad Dressing mix
2 cloves minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon of pre-minced garlic in the jar)
1/2 package frozen vegetable medley
1 block of cream cheese

Layer frozen veggies in bottom of slow cooker. Add frozen chicken. Combine soup, chicken broth, dressing mix and garlic. Pour on top of chicken and cook on low 6-8 hours, until chicken shreads. Shread chicken with 2 forks, add block of cream cheese and cook on high for 1/2 hour until cream cheese melts.

I served over orzo pasta. This was an instant hit with the husband!

Next time I am going to try Neufachel cheese which is 1/3 less fat than regular cream cheese.

*Money saving tip: My chicken broth came in a 14 oz can. I brought out 2 small custard dishes and zipper sandwich bags and measured 2 - 1/2 cup portions of the broth into the bags sitting in the cups for the form and froze. I took the froze bags and moved them to a freezer bag and have a ready portion for the next time I make this. The portion that was left less than 1/2 cup was added to the dogs' dinner tonight with no complaints from them.

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna - baked, not slow cooked

I revised this recipe from my favorite slow cooking blog. I was bad and I oven baked my lasagna this weekend since we were home. I personally like a crunchy crust to my lasagna and I have not been brave enough to try one in the slow cooker yet.

My revisions:

1 package oven ready lasagna noodles
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I use tomato & basil)
1/4 cup (or more depending on your taste) of hot sauce (I use Frank's)
8 oz ricotta cheese
2 cups shreaded cheese (I mix mozzerella & cheddar)
6 oz cubed grilled chicken (I bought mine at Aldi)
blue cheese crumbles to taste

Spray your baking pan with cooking spray. Mix pasta sauce and hot sauce together. Add one spoonful of sauce to bottom of pan. Layer noodles, riccotta, chicken, shreaded cheese, sauce & repeat. Top your last layer of noodles with sauce, shreaded cheese and blue cheese crumbles.

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven COVERED for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let sit 15 minutes before cutting.

I served with butternut squash which I cooked with butter & brown sugar, to offset any "kick" from the lasagna.

Cleaning Out The Pantry Chicken

2-4 frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup backed brown sugar
1 envelope onion soup mix

Arrange chicken in slow cooker. Combine all sauce ingredients and add to cooker. Cook on low 7-9 hours.

Rita's Variation - I can't wait to try this
Add 8 oz of sour cream the last hour of cooking.

Hearty Meat Sauce

I always have to "doctor up" my pasta sauce and this is my favorite way to do it.

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I use a tomato & basil sauce)
1-2 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 package of sliced pepperoni, parboiled to remove fat
1/2 package of frozen meatballs

Empty contents of sauce into cooker. Cook bacon in skillet. Eat bacon while cooking the onion in the leftover bacon drippings in pan, until translucent. Add onion (not the drippings) to sauce. Add pepperoni & meatballs. Cook on low 4-5 hours.

Serve with your favorite pasta and salad.

Tomato Based Stew

1.5-2.5 pounds of frozen meat (beef or pork - whatever I have in the freezer) I have used several different cuts with success.
1 package onion soup mix
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 - 1/2 cup cranberry juice (any variety) or wine if you prefer
1/2 package of frozen vegetable medley

Layer frozen veggies and mushrooms on bottom of slow cooker. Add frozen meat, then tomatoes. Mix juice/wine with onion soup mix and pour on top of meat and tomatoes. Cook on low 7-9 hours.

I serve this with either mashed potatoes or rice.

Salsa Chicken

2-4 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup salsa
1 can of mushroom slices
fresh baby carrots (or whatever veggies you have to put in)

Layer veggies on the bottom of the slow cooker. Add frozen chicken. In a separate bowl, combine soup & salsa. Add to cooker. Cook on low 7-9 hours.

Black Bean Chili

1 lb ground meat (I have used beef or turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of diced tomatos
1 package of McCormack's Chili seasoning (I use mild as we are not fans of too much "heat")

Brown the ground meat & onion together, drain off grease. Mix in chili seasoning. Add all ingredients to slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low until warm, 4-5 hours.

I love serving this with garlic bread or corn pudding.

My obsession with my slow cooker...

With my husband being a regional truck driver, he likes to come home to a good home cooked meal. My dilemma was timing dinner without being a slave to our home, and having a dinner ready when he would not be sure what time he would make it home.

The answer to our dilemma was the slow cooker. So far I have used this many more times in the last month than in the past year that I have owned it!

Please feel free to email me with a quick and easy slow cooker recipe that we can try! I will document my favorite recipes as I try them on this blog.