Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup

 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 teaspoons cornstarch

 1/3 cup water
2 packets minute rice, optional
1/2 tablespoon (or more) sesame seeds

3 scallions, chopped

Directions
Place chicken in Crock Pot and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine onion, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oil and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or high for 2 hours.

Remove chicken to a cutting board, leaving sauce. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces; set aside. Prepare rice according to package instructions.

In a small bowl, dissolve 4 teaspoons cornstarch in 1/3 cup water; add to crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Cover and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Add cooked rice to 4 plates, top with chicken and spoon sauce over top. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey/ or chicken)

29 oz can tomato sauce

8 oz pkg. lasagna noodles, uncooked

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef in a pan with a little oil.

2. Add chopped onion and garlic to the ground beef

3. Stir the tomato sauce in with the ground beef

4. Spread 1/4 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the crock-pot

5. Arrange 1/3 of the uncooked noodles over the sauce (I usually break them up so they fit better)

6. Combine the cheeses in a bowl. Spoon 1/3 of the cheeses over the noodles.

7. Repeat these layers twice

8. Top with remaining sauce

9. Cover and cook on low for 4hrs (I've started the crock-pot on high in the morning before I leave for work and then put it on warm when I leave and it's perfect when I get home)

10. Let the lasagna stand in the crock-pot with the lid off for at least 10 minutes 

* Variations *

1. Use Italian sausage in place of ground beef or with ground beef

2. Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese to the cheese mixture. Replace cottage cheese with Ricotta.

3. Add 1/2 cup additional shredded mozzarella cheese to the top of lasagna 5 minutes before serving

Ranch Pork Chops

I really enjoy a meal that doesn't take a lot of ingredients, and you can throw into a crock pot and be DONE. Here is a recipe that does just that! What could be better then coming home to a home-cooked meal, that is already cooked for you? Nothing! Comfort at its finest :)

Modified from realmomkitchen.com

Ingredients:
4-6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (I used boneless)
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 tbs parsley
1/4 cup chopped onions

Directions:
Place pork chops, and all other ingredients into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

All ready for some crock pot cooking!

Finished! It smelled delicious while cooking, and was juicy and tender when done!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

When we were in college, a fun weekly event was Wednesday WING NITE, when wings were discounted and proved to be a delicious, cheap get-together with friends! Every now and then, my husband and I drool over those silly college cravings but oh buddy, THIS recipe will leave those wings in the dust!
I introduce to you... WINGLESS WEDNESDAY: Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a delicious find from mykitchenapron.blogspot.com


  

Add the chicken (frozen is ok), hot sauce, and ranch packet to the crock pot. Cook for about 7 hours on low.

When about an hour is left, take the chicken out and shred using forks. It should come apart easily, and if not, then just let it cook a little longer in the crock pot.

After shredding, let it cook for the last hour till done! Oh I bet your taste buds are drooling by this point ;)

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

3 lb. bag of frozen chicken breasts
1 bottle Frank's Wings Buffalo Sauce
1 packet Ranch Dip Mix
2 TBSP butter

Put frozen chicken, wing sauce, and ranch dip mix into crock pot.
Cook on low at least 6 to 7 hours
Using two forks, shred chicken & return to crock pot.
Add butter.
Cook on low for an additional hour.




I made this recipe with two chicken breasts and lessened up on the sauce and butter when cooking, and it turned out to be the perfect portion for 4 whole sandwiches. We didn't eat our 4th sandwich though... we were so full! So husband ate it for dinner the next night! Works for me!!

We served this on heated rolls with provolone cheese... DELICIOUS! With a side of celery and ranch anyone???

Loaded Potato Soup

My husband and I wanted to visit some friends of ours who recently had a baby. I know meeting up with friends that have a family is harder than it is for just the two of us... and add a baby into the mix and it becomes even harder still. So I thought we could save them some trouble and bring dinner and hang out at their house! I wanted to try this potato soup recipe I found, and thought it would be perfect for these cold winter days we have been having recently. I was right! The soup was delicious and everyone enjoyed it!

Modified from mamalovesfood.com

Ingredients:
- 5lbs Russet Potatoes, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 10 cloves of garlic (you can use whole, crushed, or minced)
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 8 oz cream cheese (I used 8oz lowfat)
- 1 TBS seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning
(I didn't have either seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning, so I made my own mixture of: marjoram + paprika + dried parsley + chili + cumin + salt, all to taste but about a table spoon of each spice and a good amount of salt)

Garnishes:
- Crumbled bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Clive

Directions:
- Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken stock to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
- Remove and puree the garlic cloves (if you used whole cloves) and cream cheese along with 1/2 to 1/3rd of the soup, and then reintroduce to the remainder in the crock pot.
- Add any additional seasonings to taste. Stir every 10-15 minutes until soup is well blended.
- Top with your choice of garnishes & serve!

Yields about 10-12 servings.



Cooking in the Crockpot and almost ready to eat soon! (made our home smell delicious all night!)

I wasn't able to take a picture of out soup in their bowls, we all ate them so fast! But here is a picture (with some left over toppings) of the soup in it's "left overs container" :) There wasn't really that much left after 4 adults and a child got through with it! YUMMM!

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

Ingredients

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

This was SOOOO easy to make and so delicious! My husband thinks I could open a restaurant with this! Now I don't know about that... but this meal was gone quick and tasted YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a picture some where of it, I will post when I can!

Crock Pot Turkey

Cook a turkey breast with vegetables in your crockpot for a healthy one dish meal!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours
Total Time: 7 hours, 25 minutes
Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb. baby carrots
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
4-6 lb. boneless turkey breast, cut in half, thawed if frozen
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
14 oz. can low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine or water
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp. pepper

Preparation:
Spray a 4-6 quart crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Place the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic on the bottom of the slow cooker. Put the turkey breast halves on top of the vegetables. Combine the thyme, chicken broth, wine or water, poultry seasoning, and pepper and pour over the turkey breast.

Cover crockpot and cook on low for 5-7 hours or until turkey is tender and meat thermometer registers 170 degrees. 8-10 servings