Slow Cooker Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup

Holy smokes has it been cold in Las Vegas.  It always gets cold for a week or two, but it always
catches me off guard.  Every time.  My body just is not acclimated for the cold weather any more.  Even Bodie, our Australian Shepherd who is COVERED with thick fur, hates the cold.  He has been jumping up on the bed and snuggling my legs every single night.  We even had our first chance for snow this past week.  Yup, it's a bit chilly out there.

And whenever it gets cold like this, nothing sounds better to me than a big bowl of creamy soup.  This time, for some reason, broccoli just sounded so good.  But I wanted it a bit heartier than just broccoli and cheese.  Throw in some potato!  Mmmmmm.  Top it with bacon.  Because bacon makes everything taste better.  And we have an instant family favorite.  The Hubs was asking me to make it again even before he was done eating.  And that my friends, is awesome.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 can evaporated milk
1 box (32 oz.) chicken broth
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups frozen southern style hash browns
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
12 oz. prepared cheese product, cubed
1 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Bacon bits for topping
Extra cheese for topping

Directions:

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add onion and cook until tender.  Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Slowly pour in milk, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.  Remove from heat.

3. Pour broccoli and potatoes into slow cooker.  Add broth, pepper, salt, and onion mixture and stir to combine.  Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

4. Add cubed cheese to soup and stir until melted.  Add cheddar and parmesan cheeses.  Stir until melted.

5. Serve immediately with bacon bits and extra cheddar cheese.

Serves 8

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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Over the summer, I had a hankering for Buffalo Wings.  But I didn't want to make the full wing.  I didn't want to fire up the fryer or the oven.  But I wanted the flavor.  That spicy, tangy, crispy, drooling........oh, sorry.  I love buffalo wings.  Especially on game days.  The only thing I don't like about them is getting the buffalo sauce on my fingers and having it burn my skin.  So I usually opt for the boneless wings.  No fryer, no oven, boneless chicken.  This called for a slow cooker recipe!

So this is what I came up with.  A slow cooker version that you can pile high with tender chicken, saucy and spicy. I also wanted my carrots and blue cheese with it.  So I made a carrot slaw, tossed on some red cabbage, and topped it with chunky blue cheese dressing.  The result was so delicious, and tasted just like having wings at a restaurant.  Seriously one of my new favorite sandwiches.  One tip - get a good, crispy roll.  Not a soft bun like a hamburger bun.  We're talking bakery roll.  The soft buns will soak up the sauce too much and fall apart in your hands.  Okay, I think I need to make these again this week.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups chicken broth
1 bottle Frank's® Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce
1 bottle Lighthouse® Chunky Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
Shredded Cabbage
Sandwich rolls

Carrot Slaw:

3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts and broth in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

2. Prepare carrot slaw.  Combine carrot shreds with olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Toss to coat.  Set aside.

3. Remove chicken from slow cooker.  Discard liquid.  Shred chicken with 2 forks and place in a large bowl.  Add 1/2 bottle or 1 cup of wing sauce to chicken and toss to coat.

4. Pour 1 Tbs. of blue cheese dressing onto bottom half of sandwich roll.  Top with buffalo chicken. Add shredded cabbage and carrot slaw.  Pour another 1 Tbs. of dressing on top of carrot slaw, adding more buffalo sauce if desired.  Top with remaining sandwich roll half.  Serve immediately.

Serves 6

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Slow Cooker Picnic Ham

Pork is a traditional Easter main course.  Some have pork chops, some have pork roast.  But the ham is one of the most made main dishes on Easter.  I was never a big fan of ham.  It was always dry, chewy, too salty.  Until now.  I went to Hawaii several years ago and the food was almost hypnotizing to me.  Especially at the luaus with the roasted pig and all that wonderful pineapple.  I'm a huge fan of fresh pineapple - I'll even eat it until I have cankers in my mouth.  So when it came time to fix a ham for Easter dinner and making a ham, I combined a few of my favorite marinades and added some pineapple to it.

This recipe calls for the ham not to be marinated, but to be slow cooked in the marinade.  The soda tenderizes the meat while the orange and pineapple juices give it another level of tender (high acidity levels in the juices) as well as a sweetness.  And frankly, citrus and ginger just were made to go together.  I use a picnic ham because my family is smaller, but you could use a regular ham (please get one with the bone in.  Seriously, it's so much better.).  And it will not slice like a regular spiral cut ham would - this is tender and just comes apart with a fork.  It's a beautiful thing.

Slow Cooker Picnic Ham

Ingredients:

4-6 pound picnic ham, bone in
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 cups lemon lime soda
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. ginger

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients except ham.  Whisk to combine.

2. Place ham in slow cooker, fat side up, and baste with sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, basting ham every hour.

3. When finished, remove ham from slow cooker and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8-10
Recipe Updated 4/17/2014

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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

I think it's about time for another slow cooker recipe.  We have had a cold front come through Vegas this
weekend (nothing like you folks up north are experiencing), and it gave me a craving for some warm comfort food.  Plus I've suckered myself into doing Crossfit with The Hubs, so I've been craving more red meat.  Not sure why, except for the protein.

Stroganoff is a meal that I remember eating as a child.  But it was made with ground beef.  I wanted something with a little more sustenance, and something I could make in the slow cooker.  Making it in the slow cooker tenderizes the steak, so you can use a crappy cut of meat if you want.  The sauce makes itself while the beef is cooking.  All you have to do in the end is cook the egg noodles.  And enjoy.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 pound top round steak, cut into quarter inch thick slices
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz. sliced white mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1 cup sour cream
Egg Noodles

Directions:

1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.  Place steak, onion, parsley, mustard, salt, dill, pepper, mushrooms, and garlic in slow cooker.

2. Pour flour and broth into a shaker and shake until well blended.  Alternatively, pour flour and gradually add beef broth while constantly whisking, until well blended.  Add to slow cooker and stir all ingredients together.  Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.  Reduce to low and cook for another 8 hours .

3. Prepare egg noodles.  Turn slow cooker off.  Stir in sour cream.  Leave lid off and let stand for a few minutes to thicken.  Serve over egg noodles.

Serves 6

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Cheesy Bacon and Potato Casserole

I have another side dish for you!  Except, this one is slightly not as healthy as the Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad.  But it's still yummy!  And it's easy.  And you make it in the slow cooker.  So dinner is simplified.  And who doesn't love simplified?  These potatoes are creamy, but pack a punch with the smokiness of Gouda cheese and bacon, and the tartness of sundried tomatoes.  They are a great compliment to a meat dish and a nice alternative to mashed potatoes.

Cheesy Bacon and Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
8 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup julienned sundried tomatoes
1/2 lb. pre-cooked bacon, chopped
1 (32 oz.) package frozen southern-style hash brown potatoes

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, Gouda cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes, and bacon.

2. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.  Pour 1/2 of the cheese mixture into the bottom of slow cooker.  Add hash browns.  Top with remaining cheese mixture.

3. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4.

Serves 8

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TBT - Slow Cooker Corned Beef

St. Patrick's Day is fast approaching, as in Monday!  Are you ready?  We have Irish roots in our family, so we generally celebrate with a nice slow cooked corned beef roast.  Complete with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.  If you've never made a corned beef roast, you should try.  They are very good, very Irish.  And you can grab my recipe here.

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Slow Cooker Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

There are so many recipes out there using slow cookers.  Most of the time I use mine for meats and
soups/stews.  But this time around, I thought I'd give Brinner a try.  Using the slow cooker just makes dinner prep so much simpler.  And when I'm running low on time (which seems to be happening a lot lately), it's nice to have something all ready when 5:00 hits.

French Toast is a family favorite over here, so it was really a no brainer on what I was going to make.  And when I found some cinnamon raisin bread on a price cut at the store, I knew I was going to use that to make the French Toast.  A trick that I've learned when making French Toast is to mix your spices with the vanilla extract.  If you do this, the spices will mix in better with the eggs.


*Note, if you have a smaller crock pot, cut the recipe in half.

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 dozen eggs
2 cups milk

1 loaf cinnamon raisin bread

Syrup

Directions:

1. Spray crock pot with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, and brown sugar.  Add eggs and milk.

2. Dredge each slice of bread in the egg mixture and place in crock pot.  When all the bread is added, pour the remaining egg mixture over it and cover with lid.  Cook on low for 5-7 hours.  Keep an eye on it for the last hour to avoid burning.

3. Serve warm with syrup.

Serves 8

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Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

If you're like us, and have a small family, making a ginormous turkey might not be up your alley for
Thanksgiving.  Don't fret, I have an answer for you!  You can get a wonderfully moist, tender turkey for your dinner if you have one thing - a slow cooker.  And you can always make this for times other than Thanksgiving.  I love making this for Sunday dinner (and leftovers the next day for sandwiches!).

First of all, turkey breasts are typically 4-6 pounds.  If you go by the rule of thumb for turkey weight, this is perfect for a family of 4-6.  When you cook a turkey breast in the oven, you have to be careful on the timing - just a little too long and it will dry out, a little too soon and it will be undercooked.  So using a slow cooker allows you to set it for a few hours and have a moist bird when you are done.  But MAKE SURE you add some type of liquid to keep it a moist heat - I choose chicken broth because it'll help with adding a little more flavor.  And one more tip - use a meat thermometer if you have one, the one that comes with the turkey may not pop out!

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

4-6 pound turkey breast
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. Remove turkey from wrappings, remove any giblets and gravy packet.  Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Lay turkey out on cutting board, breast side up.  Rub turkey with olive oil.  Combine all spices in a small bowl.  Rub spices all over turkey and in cavity.

3. Place turkey in slow cooker, breast side up.  Insert meat thermometer into breast (thickest part of the bird) or make sure timer that came with the turkey is visible.  Pour chicken broth into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.  Reduce heat to LOW and cook for 5 hours or until internal temperature of turkey reaches 165 degrees or timer pops out.

4. Turn slow cooker OFF and leave lid on for 20 minutes.  Remove turkey from slow cooker and cut meat off to serve.

**To make gravy**
1. Using a turkey baster, remove 2 cups of liquid from bottom of slow cooker.  Add to a medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer.

2. Combine 3 Tbs. flour with 2 cups cold water in a shaker.  Slowly pour into simmering broth and whisk constantly until gravy thickens.  Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6

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Slow Cooker White Bean Chili

I think I've expressed my love for a nice big bowl of hot chili.  But there are times when beef chili just gets a little old.  I like to have a variety of meats in my diet.  So when I came across the idea of a chili with a poultry base, I knew I would fall in love with the end result.

But with poultry, I wanted to use a lighter bean - color and flavor.  And because I love the texture of ground meat in chili, there must be ground turkey.  And chicken for added umph.  But there is no tomato base in this.  So don't wonder where I went wrong in the ingredients.  I didn't!  This is a lighter version of chili that even the kids love.  And don't forget the Corn Bread!  It's perfect with any kind of chili.

Slow Cooker White Bean Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 box chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 bay leaves
3 cans (15 oz. each) various white beans, drained
Shredded Mexican Cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion to pan and cook until tender.  Add the garlic and ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.

2. Pour beans into slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

3. Add cheese when serving.

Serves 6

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