Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

You know what’s as good as going to see my grand baby?

When she comes to see me!

Which she did last week.

It was wonderful!

And honestly – this Nana didn’t want to do anything but be with her! And I do mean anything – including cooking. But for some reason, everybody still thought they needed to eat! Go figure?!

So I decided to let the crock pot cook for me and got creative with what I had on hand.

Crock Pot Mexican chicken was the result.

Nothing fancy, but it sure tasted good and was really easy to make.

So here it is – just in case you have a super busy week and need a fast and tasty meal!

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

3-4 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, I used bone-in

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 can Rotel tomato and peppers

2 (or more – depending on how hot you wish to make) Chilpotle peppers in adobe sauce*

Place the chicken in the crock pot. Sprinkle with the spices. Add the Rotel and as many Chilpotle peppers as you wish.

Put the lid on and let it cook on high for 5 hours. (Add more time if the chicken is frozen.)

Pull the chicken off the bone and serve it on tortillas or chips with all your favorite Mexican toppings.

*For those of you unfamiliar with Chilpotle peppers, they can be found in the Ethnic food section of the grocery store. They are a little hot but add a yummy smoky flavor to dishes. This recipe uses two peppers from the jar – not 2 jars of peppers. The remaining peppers keep very well in the fridge!

Enjoy!

Potluck Chicken

Some people call them basket dinners, others fellowship meals, but our church calls them potlucks and we have one the last Sunday of every month.

We love them!

But I’ve struggled through the years finding something to bring. The oven at church was always full – so it needed to be something in a crock pot.

It also needed to be fast, cheap, and easy to make.

And – after that one embarrassing potluck when my meatballs where raw in the center – it had to be fully cooked.

Enter – Potluck Chicken!

I developed this recipe one Saturday afternoon in desperation. It proved to be a big hit – especially with the kids – and has become my signature potluck dish.

The ingredients are simple – just thawed chicken legs and some Montreal seasoning (I use my homemade version which can be found here).

The secret is time management.

The night before, I line a sheet cake pan with aluminum foil. This helps with clean up.

Then I take the thawed chicken legs and sprinkle them liberally with the Montreal seasoning mix and lay them on the tray.

I cover the tray with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.

First thing the next morning, I remove the plastic and put the pan of chicken in the oven at 350 while I shower, eat breakfast, and get dressed.

Then – Just before I leave for church – I take the chicken from the oven and put the legs and any juice in my crock pot on warm. I throw away the aluminum foil and quickly wash the pan.

That’s it!

The chicken legs bake for about 90 minutes to 2 hours and are fall of the bone tender.

They could be eaten immediately, but will stay warm and wonderful for hours in the crock pot.

You could bake them immediately and skip the whole refrigerator step, but there’s something wonderful that happens when the spices sit on the chicken overnight!

Either way they are yummy!

Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

‘Tis cold my friends.

There’s frost on the pumpkins in the mornings! Oh wait – there are no pumpkins in my garden because those evil squash bugs killed them!!

But I digress.

It is cold enough to start craving some tummy-warming soups, like this family favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup. (Especially after a cold day outside cleaning up the remains of the pathetic, pumpkin-less garden! :))

I was able to use some of the bits and pieces of remaining garden produce to make this already cheap meal even cheaper.

For the can of crushed tomatoes, I took the skin off some fresh tomatoes and quartered them.

For the can of chile peppers, I used fresh jalapenos and sauteed them with the onion.

I added more chicken broth in place of the water for more flavor.

It’s a great way to use up some left-over chicken and can be made in advance and kept warm in a crock pot!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound chicken, cooked and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
1 can (10.5 ounce) chicken broth
1-1/4 cups water
1 can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional but yummy!)
1 package corn tortillas

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic until soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut corn tortillas into strips. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until crispy. Watch them carefully!

To serve, scoop the soup into bowls and top with corn tortillas. You may also add sour cream, cheddar cheese, onion, peppers, or even black olives.

This is really yummy over a pile of rice, or with a hunk of homemade bread!

For you THMer’s – this would be a solid E with either the baked corn tortillas, a side of brown rice or a piece of plan approved bread. Substitute 0% fat free yogurt and a wedge of laughing cow cheese for the sour cream and cheddar.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with the THM Tuesday at Gwen’s Nest.

Pizza Soup

With yet another snow storm expected tonight – I guess winter isn’t quite done with us yet!

There’s still time to put some hearty and warming soup on the menu.

One of our favorites is this very easy pizza soup.

Just a few ingredients to stir together and heat up, either on the stove top or in the crock pot.

It’s warm, satisfying, and really yummy.

We love it with a green salad, fresh rolls, Italian bread sticks, or even grilled cheese sandwiches.

Pizza Soup

1 pound ground beef or sausage
2 cans (26 ounces each) condensed tomato soup
6-1/2 cup water
1 jar (28 ounce) spaghetti sauce (I use one quart of homemade)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1- 16 ounce bag rotini noodles
2 cups cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef or sausage. Drain the grease. Add to soup kettle or Dutch oven with the tomato soup, water, spaghetti sauce, and Italian seasoning.

Bring to boil. Add the package of rotini noodles. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until tender, about 15 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in the cheddar cheese.

Serve warm with additional cheese to garnish.

You can make this soup in the crock pot – just add the browned meat, tomato soup, water, spaghetti sauce and Italian seasonings to the crock pot. Cook on high for three hours. Then you can either add the noodles and cook for another 30 minutes, or just cook the noodles on the stove and stir them in just before serving.

To spice things up – add some pepperoni, a can of mushrooms, or some Canadian bacon pieces. Or throw some diced onion and green pepper into the meat while it’s browning.

Need it gluten free? Use your favorite gluten free pasta or omit it altogether and add extra meat or veggies.

It’s as flexible and versatile as pizza!

Enjoy!

Barbeque Baked Beans

It’s a cold, blustery day outside today. But inside there’s a cinnamon candle burning on my table, a Focus on the Family radio drama in the CD player, a yummy supper cooking in the crock pot.

On the menu tonight – barbeque baked beans – a stick to your ribs comfort food that is fast and cheap – especially when you use dry beans that you cooked yourself.

Tonight we added a pound of fried sausage to the beans to make it even more hearty.

It took about 10 minutes to throw together and is sending the most delicious smells through the house!

Barbecue Baked Beans

1/2 cup ketchup
3/4 cup tangy barbecue sauce
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons mustard
3 cup canned white beans
salt to taste

Mix the ketchup, barbecue sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, honey and mustard. Bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes.

Add beans and salt to taste.

Transfer to a greased casserole dish and bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Or put in a greased crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. The crock pot version won’t be as thick – but just as delicious!

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

Last week-end was hot. And humid. And busy.

I had just gotten home from a trip to town and was putting away bags of groceries…

And several garage sale treasures…

And 4 dozen rolls of toilet paper…

And purple plates and napkins for graduation…

When Angel Girl reminded me that the older kids had a Youth Group Hot Dog roast that night.

And they needed to bring something to share.

In my weariness I sheepishly offered, “A bag of chips?”

I guess not.

I closed my eyes and frantically searched my tired brain cells for any sign of inspiration.

It was a blank slate.

No wait – wait – I think I have it – there it is – yes – it came to me – mac and cheese in the crock pot.

So what if we had never made it before. I found the recipe in my Taste of Home Slow Cooker Cook Book, handed it to Angel Girl and went to the couch with a large glass of ice water.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a teen in the house. 🙂

She made it.

She brought it.

The kids devoured it.

Success.

Slow Cooked Mac and Cheese

1 – 16 ounce package elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 – 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 – can condensed cheddar cheese soup – 10-3/4 ounce (we substituted cream of mushroom)
1 cup milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Cook macaroni according the package directions and drain. Place in a large bowl and toss with the melted butter.

In a bowl combine the eggs, evaporated milk, soup, milk, and three cups of cheese. Pour over the mixture and stir to coat.

Pour everything into a 5 quart slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and cook 15 minutes longer.

Sprinkle with paprika. (We forget this step – the kids never noticed.)

Although the cheddar cheese would have added even more cheesy goodness – the mushroom soup was tasty and the teenagers didn’t seem to mind.

Enjoy! 🙂

Crock Pot Creamed Corn

Can I confess here that I never knew that you could make creamed corn from scratch?

My idea of creamed corn was the stuff you buy in a can by accident when you’re looking for canned corn.

Oh – but how wrong I was!

I discovered this gem recently and had to pass it on!

It’s rich and delicious and so easy to make!

We put it in the crock pot on low before we leave for church – and the corn is hot, creamy and ready to eat when we get home. It’s the perfect side dish for our traditional meat and potatoes Sunday lunch.

I took it to a recent potluck and brought home rave reviews and an almost empty crock pot.

It would be a great addition to a Thanksgiving meal, too!

Crock Pot Creamed Corn

16 ounces frozen corn (I used a fat quart of our home-frozen corn)
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon white sugar

Melt the butter and cream cheese. Add the milk and sugar.

Stir in the frozen corn and put everything in a crock pot.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cook on high 2-4 hours or low 4-6 hours.

It’s that easy folks!

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Crock Pot Chicken Rolls

Have you ever felt like you were in a rut in the kitchen?

Me, too.

It was time for something new and different.

Something that would raise eyebrows at the dinner table.

Something like these chicken rolls. 🙂

Although they were a little more involved than my usual recipes – they went together pretty fast and had a definite “wow” factor!

Dagmar made the rolls on Saturday and refrigerated them overnight. On Sunday morning I rolled them in the seasoned flour, browned them, and put them in the crock pot with the soup mixture before we left for church.

By lunch they were perfectly done and delicious!

I had planned for one roll per person – but they were so filling that we had enough left-overs for another meal.

Although I cooked them in the crock pot – you could also bake them at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Crock Pot Chicken Rolls

(original recipe from Taste of Home Slow Cooker Favorites)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 slices fully cooked ham
6 slice Swiss cheese (we used mozzarella chese)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth

Flatten chicken to 1/8 inch thickness. Place 1 slice of ham and cheese on each breast. Roll up and tuck in the ends; secure with a toothpick. (We needed multiple toothpicks to make them stay!)

Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. (I refrigerated them over night – and I think that at this point you could freeze them.)

Combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, sage, paprika, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken rolls on all sides.

Brown the bundles in the oil in a hot skillet. Transfer them to a 5 quart slow cooker. Combine the soup and the broth and pour over everything.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove the toothpicks and serve with the gravy.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Mock Smoked Turkey

I seriously had no time to plan my meal for our recent family gathering.

When my mom emailed me asking what I wanted to bring – I told her it would be something on a bun.

A “surprise sandwich” if you will.

Trust me – it was a surprise for me, too. 🙂

When I finally got around to thinking about it – just 2 days before we left – I found 1 big turkey in the freezer.

It was too big to fit in the smoker – so I knew I couldn’t smoke it. So what could I do to make it a little different than just roast turkey sandwiches?

My exhausted, muddle-headed brain decided to try brining the bird putting some liquid smoke right in the brine.

Would you believe it worked? The family gobbled up that bird (excuse the pun) so fast I was amazed.

The smoked flavor was light – but the brine keep it really moist and yummy! And the best thing of all – anybody can make it – you don’t need a smoker!

Sometimes creating while half-asleep is a good thing. 🙂

Mock Smoked Turkey

Take your thawed bird (either a chicken or a turkey) and put it in a large container to brine. This will need to fit in your fridge overnight – so you might need to be creative. (Hint: Alton Brown suggests using a large ice chest for brining your birds so that it can sit out overnight.)

Then make enough brine to completely cover your bird. I do this one batch at a time until the whole thing is drowning.

Brine:

1/2 cup non-iodized salt
1/2 sugar (I’ve used both white and brown)
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 quart water

Just mix them together till dissolved and pour over your bird.

Then let the whole thing sit for at least 6 hours – but I prefer overnight – in the fridge (or ice chest).

When your ready – take it out of the brine and place in a roaster with a little water on the bottom. Shake a little salt and pepper on the bird and bake at 350 degrees until that little popper thingee pops up.

You could slice it and serve it hot from the oven – or you could pull it from the bone and freeze it with the broth until you need it.

I pulled the meat off and froze it overnight with the broth. (I wanted it good and cold for the 4 hour car ride the next day.) To serve – I threw it in the crock pot to warm it up and served it hot over my dad’s fresh buttermilk bread. Yum!

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing

You know I love potlucks!

But the one thing about a potluck that can get interesting is trying to jockey a position for your casserole in the oven.

We’ve had ’em stacked 2 high on both racks in an oven on a potluck Sunday!

Which is just one more reason to love my crock pot!

But I was feeling like I was in a rut and in need of a new recipe – something different – but easy. Something like Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing.

Hey – I love stuffing. I mean really love it.

I crave it year round.

It was the perfect dish to bring to my friend Cinnamon’s potluck and baby shower.

I had everything prepped the day before so that it assembled quickly in the morning. It cooked through the church service and was hot and ready at noon.

I guess other people really like stuffing too – cause there wasn’t much left! I’m just glad I had Angel Girl snap a picture of it in it’s raw state before we left home!

Poor Jan was looking forward to some in his lunch the next day – but Dagmar and I finished it off that night – it was that good!

Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

1 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can mushroom stems and pieces, drained (4 ounces)
3 Tablespoons dried parsley
1-1/2 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
12 cups dried bread cubes
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (10-3/4 ounce)
5-6 cups cooked, chopped chicken

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions, celery, mushrooms, parsley, sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Saute until tender.

Combine the eggs and soup. Stir in the broth. Add the sauteed mixture.

Pour over the bread cubes and mix well.

Put half of the stuffing mix in a greased 5 quart crock pot liner. Cover with half of the chicken. Repeat layers.

Cook on low for 4-1/2 to 5 hours.

Serves about 14-16.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Hunk of Meat Monday at Beyer Beware, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at At the Well, Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, and Tuesday’s at the Table at All the Small Stuff.