Crockpot White Chicken Chili

posted in: food | 1

When you return from a week of being out of town, and have guests coming the next day for food, you are thankful for two things:

1.  A husband who will make a midnight, brain-dead, grocery run.

2.  A crockpot.

My friend, Diana, posted this recipe on her blog, I made some tweaks to it and here is the final product.  An empty crockpot (and I doubled the batch for my 6 qt crockpot).

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

1 whole chicken *I cooked one in the crockpot on high for 6 hours, just old bay seasoning and garlic powder), deboned

6 cans great northern beans *I drained and rinsed half of them, dumped the rest in as is

32 oz medium salsa

1 onion, chopped

1 T cumin *I would double this next time

2 t oregano

3/4 of a big block of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 T chives, chopped

Cook on high for 4 hours.  Serve over greens, with chips, top with sour cream, more salsa and cheese.

This was yummy.  I would leave the chicken in slightly larger chunks.  And perfect for a semi-quick meal (or at least hands-off)

Make sure you check out Diana’s blog linked above for lots of great recipes!

Crockpot Potato Soup

posted in: food | 0

Since being married, I’ve already made this soup: TWICE.  My husband likes it, it is vegetarian (not vegan), and it is so easy.  What is not to love?

6 large russet potatoes, leave them skinned, chop them all about the same size (1/2-3/4 inches)

1 large onion, chopped

2.5 cans vegetable broth (or chicken)

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup half and half (I didn’t say it was fat free)!

1 cup shredded cheese (I usually have taco or Mexican cheese on hand)

Toppings: sour cream, chives, bacon, cheese

Crockpot: potatoes through the pepper.  Turn on high for 4 hours.  Add in the half and half and cheese.  Turn off, stir, let sit till ready to serve.

Enjoy with toppings of your choice.

(Thanks to Elizabeth Beeler: wonderful cook, mom of 4, wife of a youth pastor, for this great recipe!)

Overnight Maple Cranberry Steel-Cut Oats

posted in: Uncategorized | 0

This has been, and will be, my breakfast. My friend, Tasya, gave me the recipe, so I made it while my parents were here, and am still enjoying it. I doubled the recipe because I have a 6 qt crockpot, but for all you 2-4 qt crockpot peeps, this recipe is as is.

1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats (Irish oats, McCann’s, etc)
4 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup maple syrup (not pancake syrup, this is much less flavorful and more watery than real maple syrup)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c dried cranberries
1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt

Stir together in crockpot, turn on low for 6-7 hours. Enjoy. I topped mine with cool whip and/or milk. Other additives would be walnuts, chopped dried apples, dried pears…

Male Chauvinist Chili (That's really the name of it)

posted in: Uncategorized | 0

I’m not making it up. I pulled out the Rival Crock-Pot Cooking old cookbook that I think we had when we got our first crock pot while I was growing up. COpyright date is 1975. Older than me. Maybe my folks got it when they got married that same year? Anyway, still have it. Still bringing good recipes. I made some changes to this recipe as I was going along, and I would still make it spicier. But, it was good. Yummy dinner to come home to on a cold day.

3 strips bacon, chopped, cooked, and drained
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 lb groun chuck or beef (angus 90/10 was on sale this week, so I got that)
6 oz of cajun smoked sausage (love!)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans italian-style diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chili beans, medium sauce
3/4 T worcestershire sauce
2 T chili powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook bacon, drain. Cook onion and rest of meat, drain. Throw all in a crock pot and cook for 8-10 hours on low. I served mine with sour cream and red-fat wheat thins. Yum. Would also be good with cheese and angel hair as well.