What you’ll need:

Chicken to feed your family ~ I used 3 chicken quarters
1 can broccoli cheddar soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup of rice
frozen broccoli
salt and pepper

What you do:

Place the chicken in the crockpot ~ I threw my quarters in frozen.

Add condensed soup to the crockpot. I put in about an extra half a can of water.

Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Two hours before you want to serve your chicken go ahead and toss in the rice. Rice cooks at a 2:1 ratio, so you need 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice…and if you want it to be creamier then add even a little more. I added about 1 can of water and it came out great.

The last 30 minutes of cooking add the frozen broccoli to the crock pot. Stir gently so you don’t break your chicken all apart, and let it cook.

Enjoy.

Pork provides many different cuts of meat:? bacon, ground sausage, ham, pork butt steaks, ribs, loin, and chops. Each has its own characteristics and provides different options for how it can be cooked. In the slow cooker you can use just about all of those cuts if you like. The leaner cuts will give you the least fat if you are watching your diet.

Boneless pork chops and pork tenderloin will not take as long to cook. Your slow cooker should be set on four hours instead of eight. Pork can be bought seasoned from the store. If yours is not, try a trick I like to use for pork and poultry. Add a packet of onion soup mix to the meat. It can be regular onion or golden onion, whichever you prefer.

Once you have added your pork cut and onion soup mix, pour about one cup of water and any other flavorful sauces, such as soy or terriyaki sauce into your slow cooker. Veggies can be tossed in now if you want to add them. You can use fresh or frozen veggies either one.

Sausage balls can be made by rolling out ground pork sausage. If you don?t have fresh pork, frozen sausage balls will do. Again, be sure to add your favorite sauce and a bit of water to the cooker. Depending on how many sausage balls you are preparing and whether they are fresh or frozen, cooking time is approximately two to four hours, with frozen pork sausage and higher quantities requiring the higher amount of time. Remember, with pork you can never be too careful when it comes to making sure it?s cooked through. After two hours of cooking, check for doneness.

Another favorite cut of pork for the slow cooker is pork ribs. They can be country style (little to no bone and more meat) or spareribs. You may choose to season and marinate the ribs with your favorite store bought or homemade marinade. For best results, marinade overnight before cooking them in the slow cooker. They will be in there for six to eight hours so there is no need to parboil on the stove for tenderness.

Yep, you guessed it; don?t forget to add water before cooking. An hour or two before cooking is complete, add your favorite barbeque sauce.? The spicy sauce will find its way through the meat and add flavoring. By the time they finish cooking, the ribs will be so tender it will fall away from the bone. Now those are some good ribs!

You can even slow cook a ham for a special Sunday dinner. Glaze it with honey or brown sugar and pineapples an hour or so before it is cooked. The meat will be juicy, flavorful, and tender when sliced.

Pork is a great meat to use in the slow cooker. Just be aware of your cooking times for boneless meat as opposed to bone-in varieties. The last thing you want is a dried out piece of meat that no one enjoys. How do I know that you might be asking?? Take my word for it it?s not delicious by any stretch of the imagination.

What You Need:

3 T canola oil

4 lg. chicken breast

1 (19 oz) can of enchilada sauce

2 (11 oz) cans cream of chicken soup

1 (4.25 oz) can black olives, sliced

2 dozen corn tortillas

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 (8 oz) pkg. taco style cheese

How to Make It:

Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is heated add the chicken. Cook about 5 minutes per side. Remove and allow to cool. Once the chicken has cooled it can be shredded.

Cut the tortillas into 8 wedges per tortilla.

In a large mixing bowl combine the soup, olives and onions. Begin layering in the crock pot with the enchilada sauce on the bottom. Then add the tortillas, soup, chicken and the cheese in that order. Continue layering in that order to the top being sure to end with the cheese. Cover and cook on low temperature 7 hours.

Tip: This is best served in a bowl and topped with sour cream or guacamo

This fantastic dish would be a great meal for a Friday night… do you have your weekly meal plan done? If not, why not? It makes life so much easier. You always know the answer to the question “What’s for dinner”, you save money, and it’s so much more likely to get a home cooked meal on the table. If you need help with meal planning, feel free to take a look at some of my weekly meal plans and use them for yourself!

What You Need:

3 T canola oil + 2 T canola oil

2 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless

2 T flour

1/2 tsp.?salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 lg. onions, chopped

1 T garlic, minced

1 T ginger

1/3 C curry powder

2 bay leaves

4 C chicken broth

3 lg. sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

What you do:

Place the flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper in a large zip lock bag. Shake to mix together. Add the chicken and coat well.

Place the 3 T canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the chicken and brown on both sides about 2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and place in the crock pot.

Add the 2 T canola oil to the skillet and heat on medium high. Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the skillet. ?Cook until the onion is a caramel color. Add the curry powder and cook 2 minutes stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and add to the crock pot over the chicken. Place the bay leaves, yams and chicken broth to the crock pot. Stir in the remaining salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low 4 hours.

Tip: This dish is best served over a bed of white rice and garnished with a little parsley.

If you don’t have time to do all the on stove cooking, and want your chicken to take longer to cook, you can also just take all the ingredients ~ including frozen chicken. Toss it in the crock pot, and then put it on low for 8 hours. It will come out great.

If’ you’d like to not only make 1 meal, but create a plan for your whole week, take a look at my weekly meal plans. Feel free to use them for yourself.

The best bet is to look and see if the manufacturer even makes crock pot parts to replace parts that have broken. You may have to call the company and talk to a customer service representative. The problem with replacement crock pot parts is they are hard to find, and when you find them they can be even more expensive than just buying a new crock pot.

The most often sought after crock pot parts are crock pot lids and crock pot handles. There have been quite a few crock pots that the handles have been defective, and when they get hot they break. I recommend you don’t bother looking for replacement parts, but just grab a new crock pot. Defective crock pot handles are a safety hazzard. You certainly don’t want them to break while you are carrying a hot crock of food.

The crock pot part most looked for is a replacement lid. Lids often times get dropped and they break. I know my the handle of my crock pot lid decayed and finally broke off. In this situation you can do one of two things. You can complain long enough that your husband finds a way to put a new handle on your lid or you can just buy a new crock pot lid. Either way will work, one costs you husband irritation, the other costs you a few dollars. All depends what you’re willing to pay.

Finding crock pot parts may not always be easy, and sometimes with the way the price of crock pots has come down you may find it easier to just get a new crock pot instead of hunting down crock pot parts to replace the ones that have broken on your machine.

I’ve had my fair share of rival crock pots, but this Rival smart pot is my absolute favorite. This programmable crock pot allows you to set the cooking time and when the time is over it will automatically move to the warm setting ~ keeping your food warm, but not cooking it anymore until you are ready to eat.

I had put dinner on one morning and then we had to run some errands in the afternoon. Errands always take longer than anticipated, and I was really worried we’d come home to a crock full of mush. However, the crock pot had switched to warm mode. Our dinner was ready and delicious when we got back. All we had to do was plate it up and eat.

My programmable crock pot is pretty basic. There are other programmable crock pots that have a lot more features. The Hamilton Beach 33967 Set ‘n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker has three different ways to program it. You can do the same as mine, and have it go to warm after a certain amount of time. You can also use the thermometer probe to have it change to warm when the food gets to a specific temperature. The third programmable feature actually takes the program out of it. You can do this crock pot on a manual setting. This just heats the crock and you turn it off when you’re ready, no timer involved. This is great for heating up leftovers, or when you are going to be around watching it.

The other super cool feature of this programmable crock pot is the snap on lid. I have never seen another crock pot with this feature. The lid actually snaps on securely. You can easily grab your crock pot and go and know you will not experience spills along the way.

If you have used a crock pot in the past, and found your food was overdone by the end of the day when you returned to eat, a programmable crock pot may be the perfect answer for you. I know it sure has been for us! I use it at least once a week all year round. It means I don’t have to heat up the house with the oven in Summer, and amazing soups and stews come out in the Winter. If you love slow cooking you will love a programmable crock pot.

It seems like the slow cooker was practically made for soups and stews. On a cold fall or winter day, you can combine the ingredients for your favorite soup in the pot and fill the house with a delicious aroma while it cooks. Everyone needs to make at least one soup or stew in their slow cooker. It’s an unwritten rule of the kitchen.

Why do we like soups? They are fun and easy to make. Many cultures rely on soup as their main dish for lunch or dinner. A soup can be thin like chicken noodle or some Thai soups. A soup can also be thick like vichyssoise or borscht which represents ethnic soup dishes. Thicker soups keep you full longer between meals. Add a bit of bread and you have a complete meal.

Soups require more liquid than a regular meal in a slow cooker. Don’t be afraid to add two or three cups of broth or water to your cooker when creating soup dishes. If you have a larger slow cooker, you may need to add a bit more liquid depending on how many other ingredients you also add.

If your main ingredient is meat, add it first. For soups it is a good idea to cut raw chicken into small cubes. For beef, buy already cubed beef for stew to avoid having to cube it yourself. Meat should be thawed for soups and stews before adding to the crock pot. Sear meats in a pan before adding them to the cooker. A bit of water will remove those pieces of essence from the bottom of the skillet so they can be added to the soup for flavor.

Go ahead and add your vegetables to the soup once the meat has been put in. Chop potatoes, carrots, squash, zucchini, and onions into soup-sized pieces. Frozen veggies can also be added to the soup. Let your soup concoction cook for six to eight hours. Celery is a common veggie in soups. For a firmer celery texture, wait to add the celery until a couple of hours before the end of cooking.

Creamier soups are also a good choice for slow cooker meals. Heavy cream can stand up to the longer cooking time without scorching. If milk is called for in your dish, use evaporated milk in its place. Evaporated milk has had the water component removed and provides a creamier texture without the curdling effect that can be common when using straight milk.

Now you are ready to add the finishing touches. When making soups like potato soup or chowders that call for cheese, wait until close to done before adding the cheese. Herbs like rosemary, dill, basil, oregano, and parsley can be added now too. Chives, leeks, shallots, and garlic also add flavor to soups and stews. Chives, parsley, and leeks can be used as a garnish.

Can you taste that soup now? The best thing about soup is that it can be frozen in bowls and thawed whenever you feel like some warm-in-your-tummy goodness. A slow cooker makes a batch large enough to feed an army or a large family of hungry eaters.

What you need:

1 1/2 lb Ground beef
1  Onion — large; finely chopped
2 tb Olive oil or butter
2  Garlic — cloves; minced
1 4oz can Mushrooms — sliced; drained
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Oregano — leaf
1/2 pk Spinach — chopped; frozen (thawed and drained)
3 tbsp Flour
6  Eggs — beaten
1/4 c Milk — scalded
1/2 c Cheddar cheese — sharp; grated

What you do:

In skillet, lightly brown ground beef and onion in olive oil; drain well.
(I like to saute fresh mushrooms instead of using canned.)

Place in wellgreased crock-pot.

Stir in remaining ingredients except eggs, milk and cheese until well
blended.

Beat eggs and milk together.

Pour over other ingredients; stir well.

Dust with additional nutmeg.

Cover and cook on LOW setting for 7 to 10 hours or until firm.

Just before serving, sprinkle with grated cheese. 6 to 8 servings
(About 2-1/2 quarts)

This is a delicious recipe and will let you cook ahead so you can enjoy time with your brunch guests. ! I recommend the 10 hours on low though, any less and the eggs are runny.

What you need:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 slices bacon, diced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbs flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 can (10 3/4oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 tbs dry red wine
1 cup dairy sour cream
6 to 8 hamburger buns, toasted and buttered

What you do:

In large skillet, brown beef and bacon until red color disappears. Drain.

In crockpot, mix together drained beef, bacon, onion, flour, paprika,
and salt.

Stir in undiluted soup and wine.

Cover pot and cook on low 4 to 5 hours.

Stir in sour cream.

Spoon mixture over toasted buns.

Serves 6 to 8.

You can also serve this over egg noodles instead of buns ~ it’s quite good that way as well.

What you need:

Crust:
3/4 cup wafer-cookie or graham cracker crumbs
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 cup ricotta cheese (light)
12 ounces cream cheese, light (neufchatel)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 cup amaretto
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate mini-morsels

What you do:

Combine crust ingredients and pat into a 7-inch springform pan.

Beat the cheeses with the sugar until smooth; add eggs and whipping
cream and beat for about 3 minutes on medium speed of an electric
hand-held mixer.

Add amaretto, cocoa, flour and vanilla; beat for
about 1 more minute.

Stir in semi-sweet chocolate morsels; pour into
prepared pan.

Place the cheesecake on a rack in the Crock Pot (or use
a “ring” of aluminum foil to keep it off the bottom of the pot).

Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Let stand in the covered pot (after turning it off) for about 1 to 2 hours, until cool enough to
handle.

Cool thoroughly before removing pan sides.

Chill before serving; store leftovers in the refrigerator.