Crockpot Tomato Basil Soup

I picked up more hours this fall which means I am not home until at least 3:30pm most days.  With dinner between 5 & 5:30pm, I really need to "keep it simple" this year.  Because of my limited prep time, my crockpot is getting a workout this year!  A coworker pinned this recipe and brought in her leftovers for lunch.  She let me snitch a spoonful.  It was delicious, so I made it later that week.  Although my kids didn't really like it, my husband & I did.

NOTE: This recipe has about 45 minutes of work at the end to finish it, so prepare accordingly.

• 2 (14-ounce each) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained (I used the garlic & olive oil variety)
• 1 cup finely diced celery (I omitted this)
• 1 cup finely diced carrots (I used matchstick carrots)
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

• In crockpot, combine the tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, oregano, basil, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the vegetables are tender.
• About 45 minutes before serving, melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden, about 3 minutes. 
• Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in 1 cup of the hot soup from the slow cooker. Whisk until smooth and bubbly. Add another cup and stir again until smooth. Add another cup or two and stir until smooth.
• Stir the creamy, hot mixture back into the slow cooker. Add the Parmesan cheese, half-and-half, salt and pepper, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
• Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes until ready to serve. Top with croutons.

Crockpot Pork Tenderloin (only 4 ingredients!)

This pork tenderloin was so easy and so yummy.  My 6 year old, who isn't a big meat fan, had seconds and thirds.

2 pounds of whole pork tenderloin
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of golden mushroom soup
1 can of french onion soup

Place tenderloins in crockpot.  In bowl, whisk together the 3 soups.  Pour over tenderloins.  (DO not add water)

Cook, on low, for 4 to 5 hours.  Remove & slice.  The soups make a delicious gravy over mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.

Bacon & Cheese Crockpot Potatoes

Looking for a new way to prepare potatoes?  Well, look no further.  These.  Were.  GOOOOOOD.  Here is where I found them.

• 3 large potatoes
• 1/4 pound of bacon, chopped into small pieces
• 1 medium onion sliced thin
• 2 - 3 cloves of minced garlic
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 cup of cheese for layering
• sliced green onions  
• 1 cup of cheese for topping

 Slice potatoes in half horizontally, and then vertically. Slice quartered potatoes into approximately 1/4 inch slices. Layer potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, bacon & cheese then repeat.  Dot with 3 tablespoons of butter. Cook potatoes on high for 4 - 5 hours, or on low for 8 - 10 hours. When the cooking time is done, top with remaining 1 cup of cheese, and sliced green onions.

 

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

It's a new year!  Time to make resolutions (and break them)!  I hope to try (at least) one new recipe a week (and of course blog about those that are delicious). 

Thank you to pinterest for this simple, alternative to ground beef tacos.  (I couldn't link to the original post because I received the error message "blog not found")

6 chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
1 jar of salsa (I used Chi Chi's original, mild)
1 packet of taco seasoning

Lay chicken in crockpot.  Sprinkle with taco seasoning.  Pour salsa over the top.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low 6-8 hours.  I hred mine with a fork about 30 minutes before eating, to let the flavors get on all the chicken.  Eat in tortilla of your choice, served with toppings of your choice (we used cheese, lettuce, sour cream & guacamole...would have used tomatoes & black olives too, but we didn't have any).

For sides, I served with black beans & Spanish rice.  So good & so easy.

Crockpot Potato Chowder

I got a new crockpot and a Taste of Home Crockpot cookbook for my birthday recently. Yesterday was a total soup day, so I tried this since we had all the ingredients on hand. I wondered if this soup would be bland, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was sooooooo good. We of course topped it with some shredded cheddar cheese as well!

8 c diced potatoes (we left the skins on)
1/3 c chopped onion
3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
1 can (10 oz) cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (8 oz)cream cheese (cubed)
1/2 pound bacon (cooked and crumbled)
snipped chives
shredded cheddar cheese to top, if you'd like

In a slow cooker, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add cream cheese; stir until blended. Garnish with bacon and chives if desired. We topped our bowls with some shredded cheddar!

Crockpot Apple Crisp

This was really good. Everyone liked it. It didn't make very much. The four of us polished it off (Ellie only having a little bit).

Whisk together:
3 Tbl. sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

toss with:
6 large apples (peeled, cored, sliced)

place in greased crockpot

top with:
(combine the following until crumbly)
1/2 c flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 Tbl. cold butter
1/2 c nuts (optional)

cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours

Country Style Ribs

I rarely make ribs, but these sounded so yummy. Plus, I love it when a recipe calls for things that you already have at home. All I needed to buy for these were the ribs themselves! This recipe came form June/July 2010 issue of simple & delicious.

1 1/2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/4 c ketchup
2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp chili powder

Place ribs and onion in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours.

We enjoyed our ribs with green beans, mashed potatoes, applesauce & some pull apart bread.

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

This recipe was so easy. Ribs were fall off the bone tender.

3 1/2 pounds ribs
salt & pepper
1/2 c cherry cola (we used Cherry Pepsi)
BBQ Sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ)

Put ribs in slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour soda over. Cook on low for 8 hours. Place ribs on broiler pan, brush with BBQ sauce and broil in oven until BBQ is glazed.

We served with a baked potato and corn on the cob.

Super Easy Sirlion Tips

This is so simple, does it even count as a recipe? Do I even need to post this, or is this how most people make them? Well, regardless, I'll share:

1 to 2 pounds sirloin tip meat
1 can beef broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
salt & pepper
mushrooms (optional)

put meat in slower cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper
pour soups & soup mix over
Cook on low 6 to 8 hours

*if adding mushrooms, wait until there is only about an hour left

Serve over buttered noodles

How easy is that?

Beef Stew

Here are 3 things I do to "keep it simple" in the kitchen (all of which are found in this recipe)

1) make an entree that contains your meat, starch, and vegetable all in one recipe (no extra pots, pans, things to prepare...)

2) use your crockpot

3) used canned soups as the bases to your sauces

NOTE: I was skeptical on pairing a chicken based soup with beef, but when mixed with everything else, it was fine.

Beef Stew

1 pound beef stew meat
1/2 c boiling water
1 can creamy chicken mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 Tbl Minute Tapioca pudding
1 medium onion
4 peeled and chunked potatoes
4 peeled and chunked carrots (or I use baby carrots to save time from peeling/cutting)
whole mushrooms (optional-I'm the only one that likes these, so I leave them whole so they are easy to avoid for my other family members)
2 beef bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp granules)

Put stew meat on bottom of slow cooker. Slice onion and lay on top of meat. Mix water, soups and Tapioca in small bowl and pour mixture over meat. Turn crockpot on low. Meanwhile, peel potatoes & carrots, chunk them, and add them to the crockpot. Add beef bouillon. Stir throughout the day. The mushrooms first need to be added about an hour before serving time. Let cook in crockpot all day, about 6-8 hours. I like to serve this with warm bread or rolls.