French dip sandwiches
submitted by
Mrs. T 1 (3 lb.) beef roast, trimmed of fat2 c. water1/2 c. soy sauce1 t. dried rosemary1 t. garlic powder1 t. dried thyme3-4 whole peppercorns1 bay leaf8 French rolls (or other hard rolls), split1. Place roast in slow cooker; add water, soy sauce and seasonings. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender.2. Remove meat from broth to bowl; shred meat with two forks; cover bowl and keep warm.3. Strain broth; skim off fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping.4. Serve beef on rolls, along with a small cup of broth for each person to dip the sandwiches while eating.
Slow cooker sirloin tips
submitted by
Mrs. T2-3 lbs. London broil, cut in cubes1 can beef consomme1/3 cup cranberry juice2 Tblsp. soy sauce1 onion, cut in quarters or eighths1 or 2 whole garlic cloves (or use dried minced garlic)Pepper to tasteCombine all in slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Thicken juices with cornstarch for gravy if desired. Great with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.
"Rotisserie" Chicken
submitted by Mrs. T
1 roasting chicken
Seasoning of your choice -- like lemon pepper, or Italian or Greek seasoning, or Montreal Chicken seasoning -- but the seasoning may be optional, as you will see
Rinse the chicken and remove any innards. Put it in a slow cooker and sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
(Now, if your market sells seasoned roasting chickens, you may prefer to use those for a couple of reasons: the innards have already been removed, so you don't have to pay for them; and also, you won't need to add any extra seasoning.)
This produces a wonderfully tender chicken that just falls off the bones. You can serve it with mashed potatoes or rice and a veggie for a very easy meal. The leftovers -- it produces a lot of great, concentrated broth -- give you a great head start on a soup. Recently I wanted to make a large amount of chicken salad, so I just cooked a seasoned roaster like this and used the entire thing to make the salad. Since the meat obligingly falls off the bone, it simplifies the task of cooking chicken for any recipe.
Crockpot Ribs
submitted by Mrs. T
3 to 4 pounds of country-style pork ribs
Steak seasoning, lemon pepper or other favorite seasoning to taste
1 cup barbecue sauce
Place ribs in crock pot. Sprinkle liberally with the seasoning of your choice. Lemon pepper is good; Montreal-style steak seasoning is outstanding. Or try one of your own favorites. Cover crock pot. Cook ribs all day on Low, or 4 to 5 hours on High.
30 minutes before you are ready to eat, drain off all the liquid from the crock pot. Spread the barbecue sauce over the ribs. Cover crock pot again and continue to cook for 30 minutes.
This easy recipe produces some of the tastiest ribs you will ever eat. If you use bone-in ribs, the meat will fall off them. Boneless ribs are even better. This has become a favorite meal in our family! Great with mashed potatoes and coleslaw for a warming winter meal.
Tortilla Enchilada Soup
submitted by Mrs. T
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans chicken with rice soup
1 small boneless skinless chicken breast (frozen is fine)
1 cup salsa or picante sauce
1 can red enchilada sauce
Flour tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese OR cubes of velveeta-type cheese
In crock pot combine the broth, soup, chicken breast, salsa, and enchilada sauce. Cook on low for about 4 hours. Remove chicken breast from soup; shred it or cut in small pieces. Return to soup.
When ready to eat, cut flour tortillas into strips (scissors work best for this). Put tortilla strips in each bowl and ladle the hot soup on top. Top with shredded cheddar or cubed velveeta. About 6 servings.
This is another favorite in our "rotation" of crockpot meals. It is just delicious and soooo easy. Great with cornbread!
Italian Wedding Soup
submitted by
Mrs. T 6 cups chicken broth
12 to 15 1/2-ounce frozen meatballs (or 6 to 8 1-oz. ones) (You could certainly use homemade ones if you prefer.)
1 small boneless skinless chicken breast (may be frozen)
Sliced celery to taste (I usually use a cup or two)
Cut-up carrots to taste (I usually use baby carrots and quarter them --again, about a cup or two)
Spinach to taste, stems removed (can use up to a bunch of spinach -- I
have used part of a bag of baby spinach leaves or of frozen cut leaf spinach)
Garlic powder to taste
Lemon pepper to taste
1/4 cup tiny pasta, like alphabets or orzo (add during last hour of cooking)
Parmesan or Romano cheese to taste
Put the meatballs on a microwave safe plate and defrost them for a minute or two, so you can quarter them. If using the larger (1 oz.) meatballs, cut them in eighths.
Put in crock pot along with broth, chicken, vegetables and seasonings. Cook all day on low or 3 hours on high. Add pasta during the last hour of cooking. (In the case of alphabets, I have added them just before
serving and they cook just fine.) Before serving, remove the chicken breast and cut it or shred it in small pieces. Return chicken to the soup.
Serve with Parmesan or Romano cheese for people to add to taste. Probably makes about 6 servings.
This is one of my crock pot standbys! So easy with homemade bread from the bread machine!
Taco Soup
submitted by
Mrs. T 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or use less -- even as little as 1/2 lb.)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (28 oz.) crushed or diced tomatoes
1 can (14 oz.) kidney beans, not drained
1 can (17 oz.) whole kernel corn, not drained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning
1 to 2 cups water
Shredded cheddar cheese
Crushed tortilla chips
Brown beef in large heavy kettle or Dutch oven; drain off any fat and add onions. Cook until onions are tender. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and chips; simmer for 15 minutes. (Or, after browning the beef and onions, combine these with the remaining ingredients -- except cheese & chips -- in a slow cooker and cook for 3-4 hours on low.) Ladle into bowls; top with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips, to taste.
Yield: 4-6 servings.
This simple recipe has been a lifesaver for me so many times. Recently, I saw a young mom whom I'd given a homemade recipe book for her wedding some years ago. She was visiting at her Grandma's and thought, "What recipe can I make from memory?" She then told me, "It was your Taco Soup!" What a blessing to realize the cookbook had truly been a help to her.
Easy Spaghetti Sauce
submitted by Jennifer Muth
¼ pound frozen ground beef
1 large can Italian style diced tomatoes (the Dei Fraetelli brand is awesome!)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
salt to taste
Place the beef in the crock pot, cover with both cans of tomatoes, undrained. Cook on low 4-6 hours, or high 2-3, breaking up the beef as you have opportunity. Make sure the beef is cooked through.
Picante Chicken
submitted by
Jennifer Muth 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, frozen
1 cup picante sauce or salsa
¼-½ cup water
Place chicken in the crock pot. Add the water. Pour the picante sauce over the top, hitting as much of the chicken as possible. Cook on low 3-6 hours, or high 2-3, until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Shred chicken with a fork and mix with sauce.
We like to fill up tortillas with this mixture and add toppings like guacamole, sour cream, cheese, lettuce & tomato, but you can also make killer nachos and even quesadillas with the leftovers! We use Medium Pace Picante sauce for this, which ends up being not too spicy.
Taco Salad
1 Pkg. of Beef Rice-A-Roni
1 c. Salsa
1 tsp. chili powder
Corn chips
Lettuce
Shredded American or Cheddar Cheese
Any Salad toppings (tomatoes, olives, etc.)
Brown meat untl crumbled, drain. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, prepare Rice-A-Roni according to the directions. In a large pot, combine rice & meat. Stir in the salsa and chili powder. Mixture will be thick.
Spoon mixture over corn chips, sprinkle cheese on top, and add your own variety of salad toppings.
Serves 6-8
The meat mixture freezes very well for future meals.
