Chicken Tortilla Soup

Allrecipes.com

I don't know about you but I have been freezing my behind off. Winter is coming and I am not excited. I am not a winter person, I don't like to be cold at all. I am not one of those fun moms that go out and throw snowballs in the winter and I rarely help make snowmen. I'm not a scrooge or anything I just hate the cold! I am living in the wrong area I know. The best part of winter is hands down homemade soups!! There are so many possibilities some using leftovers some that you make a ton and then eat them for leftovers all week. This one made the whole house smell so yummy we couldn't wait to eat it. THIS IS MADE IN THE CROCK POT SO IT DOES TAKE AWHILE TO COOK!! After its all done you can place toppings on the table for people to garnish with. Toppings can include: cheese, avocado, fresh squeezed lime juice, etc.




1 pound shredded, cooked chicken ( I did this in the crock pot the day before)
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can green enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
I ADDED a can of black beans to ours and it was great!!
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas*
vegetable oil*




Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

**Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Now if you don't want to make your own tortilla strips then you can do what we did and just use corn tortilla chips it just keeps life a little simpler.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

pickypalate.com


I love the crockpot!! I especially love the crock pot!! Its like my best friend... always there for me, helping me under stressful situations, prevents me from loosing my cool ;) What more could you want right???




3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 14oz can cream of chicken soup
1 14 oz can cheddar soup
1 14 oz can chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic salt seasoning
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups broccoli florets, lightly steamed, just fork tender
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place soups, chicken broth, salt, Cajun and garlic seasoning into a crockpot over low heat. Whisk until smooth. Place chicken in, pressing to the bottom. Cover lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.

When chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred into bite size pieces. Stir in sour cream and broccoli.

Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese.

4-6 servings

Chicken Ceasar Sandwich in the slow cooker

www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

I first had this sandwich at a bunco party and thought it was wonderful. The other day I was looking for something I could make ahead and take to baseball games. Something quick and easy. I remembered this and text my friend and asked her for the recipe. It worked out perfectly!! Not only is it sooo good on buns but my kids like to eat it with pretzel chips. It is also one of those meals you could serve for a large group of people .... simple and yet with the right sides its a great meal.



2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing (I like Cardini's and Brianna's Asiago Caesar)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (if you don't have fresh use around 2 teaspoons of dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns


Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat.
Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. I really make sure that I discard any fat pieces so by the time I was done I only used about 1/2 cup of dressing but you make need more if you have more chicken. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.
Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve

Crock pot turkey steaks

MY most awesome sweet kind loving cousin TACI!!!!! (Did I say that all right Taci lol)

I love turkey steaks but my husband is not a fan because he says they are always too dry. SO I was speaking to my above mentioned cousin who is a FABULOUS cook and she told me how she makes them so they aren't dry in the crock pot so I thought win win situation and gave it a try and SUCCESSSSSS!!! My husband only ate 3 so not sure how much he liked LOVED them lol.




9 turkey steaks frozen
2 cans cream of chicken
3/4 can milk
butter or evoo
onion powder, garlic powder, parsley etc. any seasonings you want to use.

Fry turkey steaks in a pan until just a light brown on both sides. Season them with parsley or other seasonings you want I would hold off on the salts until time to eat it . Mix cans of cream of chicken soup and milk until smooth. Pour over steaks and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until done. Serve with some of the soup mixture for gravy.


Thanks Taci for sharing this great recipe with me!!!!

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket

Allrecipe.com

Have you ever tried beef brisket? it can be a more costly cut of beef but it is so tender that once in awhile you just have to do it. I was honestly a little nervous about this recipe because my husband isn't a big chili sauce kind of guy but he loved it and so did the rest of the family. And I loved it for a few reasons 1) I think chili sauce and roast go together like peanut butter and jelly. I like to dip my pot roast in chili sauce :) 2) It was soooo easy to throw together and let it cook all day. My hubby was so worried it would be dry and kept asking if I should turn it off but after 8 hours it was sooo moist and tender he had to eat his words. (Thursday I will be posting the potato recipe I made with it that is now one of my families most favorite potato recipes.)

Ingredients
1 (3 pound) beef brisket
2 (12 ounce) bottles chili sauce (I used my homemade bottled chili sauce)
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
2 teaspoons garlic powder


Place the beef brisket into a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix together the chili sauce, onion soup mix, and garlic powder. Pour over the brisket. Cover, and cook on the Low setting for 8 to 10 hours. Slice the brisket against the grain, and pour the gravy over the slices.


Serves 6

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

Bakingbites.com

approx 3 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
16-oz. beef broth (1 1/2 cans)
1 10.5-oz. can condensed French onion soup
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 French rolls sliced provolone cheese, optional

Trim excess fat off of beef roast (important to do or else your juice is greasy) and season meat all over with salt and pepper. Pour beef broth, condensed French onion soup, and garlic powder into slow cooker and place beef roast into liquid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Slow cookers have different time intervals that you can select, so work with your cooker. Depending on how the settings on your slow cooker work, the time will vary. Since this is cooking in liquid, you don’t have to worry about the meat drying out in the same way you might if you were roasting the meat in the oven. Mine took 7 1/2 hours and was falling apart tender. Take beef out and rest it, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes. Slice beef and return to slow cooker on low or very low for 30 minutes. Lightly toast the bread and evenly distribute cheese between rolls, if using. Divide beef onto rolls and spoon the beef juice* into ramekins or other small bowls and eat everything while it is hot. Serve each sandwich with its own dip.

Seves 4-6.

*Note: If there is excess fat in your au jus, simply pour it from the slow cooker into a large measuring cup and let it stand for about 5 minutes so the fat separates. Skim it off, then pour the juice into serving cups

Tangy Crock Pot Pork (allrecipe.com)

This was a great recipe BUT was even better the second day!!
1 large onion, sliced

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

1 cup hot water

1/4 cup white sugar

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Directions
1. Arrange onion slices evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the roast on top of the onion. In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce; pour over roast.

2. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Yep I made another taco meal!! This was a TOTAL last minute meal!! But it was easy, it worked, and the kids and hubby were happy so I was happy :)

5 chicken breasts
1 (24 oz) jar of salsa
2 cans corn- drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 taco seasoning packet (optional)
Taco shells
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream

Mix corn, salsa, and beans. Place chicken in crock pot, dump salsa over the top. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4 hours. When chicken is cooked, shred this is done really easy if you have a mix master with a preetzel tool or you can do it with a fork. Serve on tortilla with cheese & sour cream

Taco Soup

Brown:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
Drain & season with garlic salt

Put in crock pot with :
1 can corn with liquid
1 can stewed tomatoes + liquid
1 can kidney beans, rinsed + 1 can water
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning

Cook on low for 6-7 hours
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and corn chips

Crock pot Berry Cobbler (PAULA DEAN)

I love the simpleness of crock pots but to be a recipe by such a fabulous cook makes it even better, so heres another crock pot recipe i hope you enjoy as much as we do.

Filling:
1 (10-ounce) bag each frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, frozen raspberries
1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking mix
Topping:
2 1/4 cups baking mix
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Spray the insert of a slow cooker with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, toss together all the frozen fruit, sugar and 1/2 cup baking mix. Transfer the fruit to the slow cooker. In another large mixing bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups baking mix, 1/4 cup sugar, melted butter and milk with a wooden spoon. Drop bits of dough on top of the fruit. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough. Turn the power onto high and slow cook for 3 to 4 hours until the topping has puffed and the fruit is bubbling(watch this carefully around 3 hours so it doesn't over cook) .Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream

Shredded Pork Taco

I know I know I do a lot of tacos or the like there of, but my kids love anything on tortillas. They could live off tortillas & cheese alone if I would let them.
Anyways I got this recipe years ago and have added to it as the years go on. This is so easy... its also crock pot YES!!! Simple!!

12 boneless pork chops
1 large RED enchilada sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Tortillas
Green enchilada sauce
Opt. Toppings: Corn, jalapenos, etc.

Ok the big cooking instructions. Place pork chops in crock pot. Pour enchilada sauce over it and let it cook 7-8 hours on low heat. The longer you cook them the more tender the meat will be. After its cooked pull out pork & shred with fork. Put on tortilla top with cheese, sour cream, (or opt. toppings) and drizzle with GREEN enchilada sauce. Roll up and enjoy. The plates always end up clean :) Yields: 6-8 servings DONT FORGET TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT OUR GIVEAWAY!!! AS SOON AS WE HIT 125 FOLLOWERS WE WILL DRAW A # FROM OUR COMMENTS ON THE GIVEAWAY POST. IF YOU GET PEOPLE TO FOLLOW YOU GET TO POST ONCE FOR ALL OUR NEW FOLLOWERS YOU BROUGHT US AFTER THEY POST AND PLEASE TELL US YOU SENT THEM :)

Crock pot Chicken Dinner

Football has officially begun!!! So Sundays now include a game or two or ten :) yes I'm a good wife .... actually I think I usually turn the game on before my hubby does. I don't want to be slaving in the kitchen during a game! But yet I still want a nice Sunday dinner. Did you know you can cook a chicken or a lil turkey in the crock pot?? Well you can!! Sunday morning I put it in before church and 7-8 hours later boom dinner is served. All you have to do is season the 5-8 lb poultry. Place 4 balls of tinfoil in the bottom of the crock pot. Place poultry on tinfoil. Turn crock pot on low heat and cook until at temperature (7-8 hours) When meat is done pull it out of crock pot. Take tinfoil out too. You should have juices for gravy. Thicken for gravy. It is so good we never have leftovers :) Yields: 6 servings

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich (ourbestbites.com)

This sandwich is perfect for this hot days. Leave it cooking while your at the lake or a baseball game ;) 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder Garlic powder Onion powder Kosher salt Black pepper Liquid smoke 12 oz. BBQ sauce Rinse pork in cold water, trim off excess fat. Pat dry. Sprinkle roast with liquid smoke & seasonings. (Always remember to use a little more seasonings when cooking in a crock pot) Place roast in slow cooker. Add 1/2" water. Cook on low 8-10 hours. When finished cooking remove roast & drain liquid. Return roast to crock pot. Shred pork ( I just use 2 forks & pull it apart). Pour BBQ over meatReturn to crock pot until heated through. Serve on rolls. *Can add: coleslaw, dill pickles, peperoncinis etc. Yummy yum yum!!!

Pork Tenderloin with garlic brown sugar glaze( food.com adapted by me)

This is a sweet and Spicy pork. My hubby's doesn't usually like sweet meat but HE LOVED THIS!!! His reasoning was that pork is naturally salty so this balances out well with just a little kick lol!! He literally ate 6-8 pieces

1 pork roast (about 5 lbs or  tenderloins)

4  tsp. salt

1/2 -1 tsp  fresh ground black pepper

1-1 1/2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

4-6 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze:

2 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce  (or adjust to suit heat level)

In a small bowl stir together the salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon.

 Using clean hands rub the spice mixture over the pork to coat well.

Heat a large oven-proof skillet with oil over medium-high heat until very hot.

Add in roast  

 Brown the pork on all sides then leave in the skillet.

 Put in pork in crock pot then cover with glaze.

To make the glaze: Stir together brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco; pat onto the top of roast

Roast in the crock pot for 3-4 hours or until a thermometer registers 150°F.

 Let sit in the crock pot  for 10 minutes at room temperature (the temperature of the pork will rise to about 160F while standing for the 10 minutes). 

 Remove to a board and slice

Seasoned Pork Tenderloin or Roast

So this week has been a little crazy with the holiday and the kids out of school. When life is sooo crazy I am so thankful for my crock pot!!!! I really think I have used it 4 times in the last week!!!!
Congrats to Mindy for winning the giveaway!!! She is going to be sending her recipe blog post to me soon so we can enjoy her recipe!!!!


3 lb pork tenderloin or roast
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. dried tarragon

Place pork in a crock pot. Combine all the seasonings. Add bouillon to water. Pour over roast then sprinkle seasonings over the pork. Cook on low for 5-7 hours or until at temperature.


Remember you don't want to keep taking the lid off when using the crock pot!! It will take about 30 minutes to an hour longer every time you take the lid off!

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean soup (Make it Fast Cook it Slow)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken pieces
4 c. chicken broth
1 ( 16 oz.) jar prepared salsa
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 c. sour cream
OPTIONAL GARNISHES: shredded cheese, avocado slices, fresh cilantro

Put the beans in a 4 qt crock pot. Add the chicken, broth, and salsa, then add the corn, mushrooms, and cumin. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high 5-6 hours. If you'd like to thicken the broth ( I didn't), you can use an immersion or traditional blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken (about 2 cups) Stir the mixture back in the soup. Mix in the sour cream before serving, and garnish with the cheese, avocado, and cilantro.

 LAST DAY TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Horseradish Scalloped Potatoes (Make it Fast, Cook it Slow)

Ok Ok so this doesn't sound very good right! Especially to those that don't like horseradish HOWEVER you don't really taste the horseradish. This is a very creamy potato and every time I have served it I have had rave reviews and people have no idea what is in it!!! It calls for extra hot and it was not hot when done but you can use any prepared horseradish.

3 lbs. red potatoes (washed and sliced no need to peel)* I have used brown potatoes too
cooking spray
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp. prepared extra hot horseradish (regular not the creamy kind)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Use a 4 quart crock pot. Scrub the potatoes well and cut into 1/4" slices. Layer into a removable stoneware you sprayed with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream, horseradish, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over the top of potatoes. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hour, high for 4 hours, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Garnish with shredded Parmesan.

Yields: about 6 adult servings

Brown Swiss Steak with Potatoes

Family LOVED this one!!!

6-8 cubed steaks
1 1/2 - 2 c. flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 pkg. onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom  (undiluted)
2 cans beef broth
extra virgin olive oil

Mix flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and garlic salt in a baggie. Shake to mix well. In a bowl mix cream of mushroom, beef broth, and onion soup mix set aside. Pour flour mix into a square dish big enough to put meat in. Take a cube steak and put in flour mix, making sure both sides of meat are covered well in the flour mix. Press down to make sure it gets coated well. In a skillet pour about 2 tbsp olive oil. When oil is heated put meat in and cook until brown on both sides. While cooking meat pour about 1/3 of the soup mix into crock pot. Place meat in crockpot then cover with remaining soup mixture.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Before serving cook mashed potatoes. Serve with the soup mix as gravy...you may need to thicken it with cornstarch.

A-1 & Dijon Steak (Make it Fast Cook it Slow) adapted by me!!

Ya I know this one sounds a little different but it was soooooo VERY good and easy!!!

2 Tbsp. A-1 steak sauce
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
4-6 steaks or a hunk of tri-tip you cut into steaks
1/4 c. white wine (I used beef broth)
Garlic salt

Use a 4 qt slow cooker. Combine the A-1 sauce and Dijon in a little bowl. Paint the sauce mixture on all sides of each piece of meat. Sprinkle each piece with a little garlic salt. Put the meat into the crock pot. Add the wine (or broth). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3 Packet Pot Roast (Make it Fast Cook it Slow)

This roast is proabably one of my favorite ways to make a roast for sure!!!
1 (3lb.) chuck roast
1 (1oz.) packet ranch salad dressing mix
1 (1oz.) packet Italian salad dressing mix
1 (1oz) packet Au Jus
1 c. water *
In a small bowl combine the 3 packets . Put the roast in a 4 qt crockpot. Sprinkle the seasonings over the meat, flipping the meat to cover all sides. Add 1 c. water cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. The meat will be more tender if you cook it low and slow!!!


* I prefer to add more water to it like 3 cups but if you only want to add 1 then it is more concentrated so about 20 minutes before serving add 2 more cups of water! Waiting to add water to the end will help the meat retain its shape and the added water will make a nice gravy!!!

I have used many different roasts including elk but if your going to use a gamey meat you might want to put a 1 tsp vinegar on it! The recipe says you can substitute the au jus for McCormick Grill Mates Peppercorn & Garlic but I havent ever tried that one!!!