Oven-Fried Chicken...In the Crockpot

Today's recipe is an alternative to conventional fried chicken, which I prepared in the crockpot.  You could make yours in the oven if you preferred.

Ingredients:

~chicken legs & thighs, skin removed
~1 cup organic flour
~4 tablespoons flax seeds
~3 teaspoons paprika
~2 tablespoons seasoned salt
~2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
~2 teaspoons minced onion
~1 teaspoon pepper
~1/2 stick organic butter, melted

Directions:

Spray the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray.  Combine flour, flax seeds, and all spices in a large zippered bag.  Drop a couple of pieces of chicken at a time into the bag, reseal and shake to coat pieces.  Layer the coated pieces in the crockpot, then drizzle melted butter over all.  Cook on high 3-4 hours.  (Alternatively, you could bake this dish at 425 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.)

Enjoy!
~nikki

Crockpot Pork Chops

So happy together... my two crockpots.

Crockpot on the right has our roasted new potatoes and carrots, which are just delicious.  On the left was a new recipe for pork chops I was trying for the first time today.  I found this recipe on Pinterest, and you can view the original at Kristi's Recipe Box.  I made a couple of minor adjustments, and here's my result.

Crockpot Pork Chops

Ingredients:

~4-6 thin boneless pork chops
~1/4 cup olive oil
~1 cup chicken broth
~2 cloves garlic, minced
~1 tablespoon paprika
~1 tablespoon seasoned salt
~1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Place pork chops in crockpot.  Mix together chicken broth and olive oil; add garlic and other spices and stir well.  Pour mixture over chops.  Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours.

Between the pork chops and the potatoes & carrots cooking this afternoon, the house smelled really good!  All of us enjoyed this meal, most especially my husband!  It is actually quite easy to make, and the spices could be varied depending on what you have on hand or what you're in the mood for.

~nikki

Crockpot Potato Soup

A couple of months ago, I was on the hunt for a crockpot recipe for potato soup.  I certainly found a lot of versions of this dish, but my husband was pretty particular about what he did and did not want with this soup.  Any recipes that were overly cheesy were out, as were recipes that included broccoli (how dare we include broccoli!?!).  I found a simple enough recipe that I thought he (and the rest of us) would enjoy, via Pinterest.  (Here's my pin)  The original recipe comes from Life on Mars and can be found here.

This is how my hubby wanted his...
with cheese and crumbled bacon pieces
(Cute that he didn't want a recipe that
was too cheesy, but then he covered
his soup with chesse...)

Crockpot Potato Soup

Ingredients:

~5 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
~4-5 cups of chicken broth
~1 stick of melted butter
~1 cup of half-and-half
~salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

For toppings:

~shredded cheese and crumbled bacon pieces (that's what we use, but you could certainly add other toppings to suit your tastes)

Directions:

Place the chopped potatoes in the slow cooker.  Pour in the chicken broth until the potatoes are just covered.  I cook this on high for about 4 hours (you want the potatoes to be really soft).  Since I don't have an immersion blender, I use a potato masher to blend the potatoes to the consistency that we like (really smooth...but you could leave it chunkier if that's what you like).  Add in the half-and-half, melted butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir until combined.  Cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes to let it thicken up.  Serve with toppings of your choice.

~nikki

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

One of the meals my family seems to really love in particular is my variation on mac & cheese, of course, prepared in my crockpot.  I looked for a crockpot mac & cheese recipe for a bit (there are lots) and tried one that turned out kind of pasty.  I've played around a bit and have found what works for me that we all enjoy eating.

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

~2 cups milk
~1/2 stick melted butter or margarine
~1 can evaporated milk
~2 eggs
~salt & pepper
~3 cups shredded cheese (I use cheddar blends like cheddar jack, or one called gourmet blend)
~1/2 box elbow macaroni
~1/2 cup to 1 cup grated Parmesan
~1 additional cup of shredded cheddar blend cheese

Directions:

Grease crockpot with cooking spray.  Combine milk, melted butter, evaporated milk, eggs, and salt and pepper and whisk until smooth.  Add 3 cups shredded cheese and the macaroni.  Stir gently to coat evenly.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and add 1 cup shredded cheddar blend cheese.  Do not stir.  Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours.

You can see in the above photo (which was taken after dishing up my kids' portions) what might happen along the edges.  Even though I cook this on low and only for about 3 hours, the edges can really brown.  What I try to do is sort of scrape away the macaroni from this almost-burned edge while the dish is cooking. I haven't really figured out any way around this happening, and what is left in the middle is plenty for us, believe me!  So I don't worry about it...

With all that cheese, it's also not the most healthy dish I make...and that's okay, too.  I use skim milk, low fat evaporated milk, and sometimes the reduced fat cheeses (made from 2% milk).  So, while it is a bit calorie-high I'm okay with that.

~nikki

Two Crockpot Meals: Fruit-Stuffed Pork Chops and Roasted New Potatoes and Carrots

Well, it's another two crockpot day here at my house.  All afternoon, my husband has been happily basking in the scents coming out of my kitchen.  I'm pleased to say that he thoroughly enjoyed the taste of the meal as well!  (The kids even liked it, too.)

Fruit-Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:
~1 boneless pork loin roast
~1 cup dried fruits (I used cranberries and cherries)
~1 tablespoon minced onion
~1 teaspoon salt
~1 teaspoon thyme
~1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
~1/2 teaspoon black pepper
~2 tablespoons olive oil
~1 cup apple cider

Directions:

Cut pork horizontally (think hot dog bun).

Layer dried fruit and minced onion in opening.

Bring halves of pork together and tie at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine.  In a small bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients and rub into roast.

Place roast in skillet with oil and brown roast on all sides.  Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and add the roast.  Pour in the apple cider.  Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Roasted New Potatoes and Carrots

Ingredients:
~1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, unpeeled
~1/2 pound carrots (I took the very-easy route and used bagged carrot chips)
~1/2 cup butter, melted
~1 tablespoon dried parsley
~1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon black pepper
~1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray.  Add potatoes and carrots.  Mix melted butter and spices.  Pour mixture over potatoes and carrots and stir.  Cover and cook on high for about 3-4 hours.

~nikki

Crockpot Creamy Italian Chicken and Crockpot Cinnamon Carrots

Yes, that's right... It's a 2 crockpot day here in my kitchen.  Because sometimes one just isn't enough!

So, here's what's cooking:

Crockpot Creamy Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

~4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
~1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
~1/2 cup water
~Fat free cream cheese, 1 (8 oz) block, cubed
~1 can cream of chicken soup, 98% fat free

Directions:

Spray crockpot with nonstick spray.  Place chicken in crockpot, mix Italian dressing mix and water, pour over chicken.  Spread cream cheese cubes out over chicken.  Pour can of soup over all.  Cover.  (I cook this on low for about 4 hours.)

(Giving credit where credit is due, I found this recipe on my SparkRecipes free iPhone/iPod app.  You can find the web version here.)

Crockpot Cinnamon Carrots

Ingredients:

~2 (16 oz) pkg carrots (I used the crinkle cut slices, but you could use baby carrots instead)
~3/4 cup packed brown sugar
~1/4 cup honey
~1/2 cup orange juice
~2 1/2 tablespoons (1/3 stick) butter, melted
~3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Spray crockpot with  nonstick spray.  Add carrots.  Combine in a bowl: brown sugar, honey, OJ, butter, and cinnamon.  Pour mixture over carrots.  Cover and cook on low about 3 hours or so.  (Stir twice during cooking.)  About 20 minutes before serving, transfer carrots (with slotted spoon) to serving dish and cover to keep warm.  Pour liquid from crockpot into a saucepan; boil for several minutes until reduced by half.  Spoon over carrots in serving dish.

(Just a note, this recipe makes a lot, so I froze half of it to use again another time.  You also could prepare just half.)

~nikki

Crockpot Pork Chops with Apple-Cranberry Stuffing

I found a recipe a while back using a free app from SparkRecipes.  You can view the original recipe, "Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apple-Cranberry Stuffing," here.  I was intrigued by the recipe, but I was surprised that it called for apples and dried cherries, but no cranberries.  (After all, "cranberry" is in the recipe's title... so I wanted to use cranberries.)  Also, my family does not care for celery and I don't happen to like onion, so those ingredients needed to come out for us.  Here's what I ended up doing with it:

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apple-Cranberry Stuffing

Ingredients:
~1 package (6 ounces) herb stuffing mix
~1 cup apples, peeled and chopped
~1 cup dried cherries
~1 cup dried cranberries
~minced onion (honestly, I can't remember how much...  maybe a couple teaspoons?)
~1 cup chicken broth
~5-6 boneless pork loin chops (about 1/2 inch thick)

Directions:
Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray.  Mix all ingredients except pork.  Place half of the stuffing mixture in slow cooker; top with pork.  Spoon remaining stuffing mixture over pork.  Cover and cook on low heat setting until pork is tender (I think I did about 4 hours or so).

p.s.
My family really enjoyed this meal!  My son, Geoffrey, though, didn't know what it was when he found it in the crockpot after school (I was out taking his sister to her dance class, so I wasn't there for him to ask).  Since it didn't look that good to him, he opted to make himself some Easy Mac in the microwave.  When I got home, I told him what was in the crockpot (he loves pork, by the way!)... Boy was he surprised!  Though he was full when we sat down to eat, he did reheat some for himself a little later.

~nikki

Crockpot Apple Butter Pork Tenderloin

This is another very easy meal which I prepare for my family using my crockpot (one of my favorite things, for sure).  Seriously, my daughter helps me make it, it's that easy!

Slow Cooker Apple Butter Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

~1 pork tenderloin (about 2 lbs)

~1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce

~1/4 cup butter, melted

~2 tsp minced garlic

~2 tsp worcestershire sauce

~1 tbsp ground ginger

~1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Place the thawed tenderloin in the slow cooker.  Mix the other ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour over tenderloin, rolling meat to ensure all sides are coated.  (As a note, Hope & I did increase the amount of applesauce and melted butter, but we kept the amounts of the other ingredients unchanged.)  I cooked this on low for about 4 hours.  When you serve this, it's nice to ladle some of the applesauce mixture onto the pork slices on everyone's plates.

~nikki

Crockpot Oatmeal

I have made this recipe for my family a number of times now.  Each of us enjoys it (a big plus), and it is super easy (another big plus).  I am a big fan of eating breakfast foods for dinner, and this meal is an example of that.  There are always leftovers, too, which is nice.  At least a few bowls are served at breakfast in the days following this meal.

Served plain

With toppings: brown sugar,
granola, and diced strawberries

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats & Apples

Ingredients:

~2 cups steel cut oats, dry
~2 cups apples, chopped
~3 cups water (be prepared to add more water to your crockpot later on, if your oatmeal starts to look too thick)
~1 cup low-fat milk
~1 tablespoon cinnamon
~1 teaspoon apple pie spice (the original recipe called for pumpkin pie spice... you could use whatever you like or have on hand)
~I also added about 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, about 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, and about 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
~margarine (for greasing inside of crockpot)

~optional toppings:  cranberries, dried cherries, raisins, pecans, brown sugar, granola

Directions:

Grease slow cooker with margarine.  Add ingredients to slow cooker, except the toppings.  Stir to mix and cover.  I cooked mine on the low setting for about 3 hours.  As I mentioned, I did need to add more water later as the oatmeal became too thick.

~nikki