Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups whipping cream
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups of milk chocolate chips

Instructions:

Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Stir again before serving. Garnish as desired.

DIY Corn Muffin Mix

6 c flour
1 c sugar
4 c cornmeal
1/4 c baking powder
1 T salt
2 t cinnamon

Whisk together all ingredients and store in airtight container.  Makes enough for 5 dozen muffins.

1 c milk
2 eggs
4 T melted butter
1 t vanilla
2-1/4 c muffin mix

Whisk it all together until just blended.  Transfer to greased muffin pan and bake at 400 for 15 mins.

Turkey, Hominy, Squash Chili

2 T evoo
1# cooked turkey sausages cut into 1" pieces
1 large onion diced
1.5t dried oregano
4 large garlic cloves, minced
15 oz can hominy, undrained
1 c green chili enchilada sauce
1/2 c + 2T chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 c cubed (3/4") peeled butternut squash

Heat oil in large heavy pot over med.  Add sausage, saute 4 mins.  Add onion, oregano, garlic.  Stir 2 mins.  Add hominy, enchilada sauce, 1/2 c cilantro, squash.  Bring to simmer.  Cover, reduce heat to med-low.  Simmer until squash is tender, stirring occasionally, 12-15 mins.  Uncover simmer to thicken.  Transfrer to bowl.  Sprinkle with remaining 2T cilantro and serve.

Amish Chicken Noodle Casserole + frozen vegs

Fricassed Chicken + Mushroom soup sauce + Noodles

Macaroni and Cheese [Rachel Allen]

SERVES 6–8 / VEGETARIAN
Macaroni and cheese must be the ultimate cure-all for adults and children alike. You can
also add small pieces of cooked ham or bacon to the sauce. Macaroni and cheese can be made in advance and then reheated when you are ready to serve.
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3/4 c (3 oz) all-purpose flour
33/4 c boiling milk
1–2 tsp Dijon mustard
8 oz cheese (Cheddar, or, even better, half Cheddar and half
Gruyère), grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
11 oz elbow macaroni
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and cook gently until soft. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute, then gradually add the milk, whisking all the time, and the mustard. Whisk in three-quarters of the cheese and allow to melt into the sauce, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water with a teaspoon of salt, until just soft. Drain, then toss into the cheese sauce and transfer to a gratin dish about 10 inches square. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and pop under a broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese on top, or if you wish, put this aside for later. To reheat, put the dish in an oven preheated to 400°F (200°C) for about 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Crockpot Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken

Serves 4-6 (really 4 because its so yummy!)
3-4 lbs of chicken (whole or pieces)
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c packed light brown sugar
1/4 c water
1/4 c apple juice or sherry (I use any sweet juice on hand)
3 T catsup
1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional)
2 green onions, trimmed and halved (I just chop and toss in)
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 T cornstarch + 1 T cold water
2 T sesame seeds (toasted)

Wash and dry chicken.  Remove giblets and neck (if using a whole chicken) and cut off excess fat.  Put in cooker, breast side up (if whole).  Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sherry, catsup, red pepper flakes, green onions, garlic in small bowl and pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 3.5 - 4.5 hours until temp on an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180.  (I just cook it until it's falling off the bones)

Transfer chicken to platter and mix cornstartch with water and stir into the remaining sauce.  Stir constantly while cooking still on high, and it will thicken.  Spoon over chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Hearty Minestrone

Serves 6
Prep 30, Cook 60

Soup improves with age!
2T evoo
1# portuguese or Italian sausage, sliced
1 large onion, coursely chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk with leaves, sliced
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2t thyme dried
1/2 t rosemary dried
1 t sweet paprika
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
2 large potatoes, srubbed and cut into 1/2" chunks
16 oz crushed tomatoes
2 x 16 oz canellini, kidney or pinto beans, or chick peas
8c water
1# small tortellini, ravioli, agnolotti or other stuffed pasta, cooked
grated parm, asiago or romano cheese

Heat oil in large soup pot over med heat. Add sausage, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, paprika. Cook until softenend and sausage begins to brown. Add cabbage and potatoes and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally until cabbage is wilted, abotu 5 mins. Rais heat to high and add tomatoes and juice, beans and water. When boils, lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until vegs are tender about 40 mins. Add pasta and simmer 10 mins. Serve with cheese.

Serve with ligh, spicy red from Proence like a Bandol or Chateuneuf du pape or a chianti.

Chicken Jambalaya

Serves 4-6
Prep 20 mins
Cook 40 mins

2T veg oil
2# chicken, cut up and deboned
1c course chopped cooked ham
1/2# spicy smoked sausage, sliced
2 med onions coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coursely chopped
3 celery stocks with leaves, fine chopped
1 t dried marjoram
1 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 x 16 oz cans whole tomatoes coarse chopped with juice
1 t tobasco
2 c chicken broth or water
2 c uncooked white rice

Heat oil in large deep skillet over med heat. Add chicken and brown lightly all over. Remove. Add ham, sausage, vegetables and herbs and cook, stirring til vegs are softenened. Stir in tomatoes and simmer 5 mins. Add tobasco and broth. Boil, then add rice and reserved chicken. Lower the heat and simmer until tender. 30 mins.

Serve with an earthy white wine: Rhone or California Syrah

Stove Top Corn Bread

Serves 2-4
Cooking 25 mins

1 c white or yellow cornmeal
1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt
1 large egg
3/4c milk or plain yogurt
1/4c veg oil or melted butter

Mix dry ingreds in a bowl. Make a well in the center and break egg into it. Beat lightly with fork and add milk and half the oil and incorporate with a few swift strokes. Heat heave 10-12" cast iron skillet over moderate heat. When skillet is hot, pour in the rest of the oil and heat til it shimmers. Pour in the batter. When sizzling stops, cover skillet and turn heat to low. Cook until edges brown and top is dry to touch, about 15 mins. Slid spatula under bread and turn. Cook til bread springs back when touched, about 5 mins.

One-Pot Hungarian Chicken with Dumplings

serves 4
Cooking 45 mins

Rust red chicken stew warms the belly on a chilly night.

3-4lb frying chicken cut up (or 3# chicken pieces)
s/p
2 T veg oil
1 med onion
2 med carrots, peeled, sliced 1/4" thick
2 red or green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and sliced 1/4" thick
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 T sweet paprika
1/4t cayenne
1 bay leaf
1 t dried oregano
3 T flour
14 oz can whole tomatoes
12 oz can beer

DUMPLINGS
1.5c flour
1T baking powder
1/2t salt
3/4 c milk
3 T veg oil or melted butter
2-3 drops tobasco

Season chicken with s/p.  Heat oil in skillet over med-high.  Add chicken and brown.  Set aside.  Lower heat to med.  Add vegs, herbs to pan and cook, stirring 5 mins.  Add flour and cook, stirring 2 mins.  Add tomatoes and beer and stir, scraping browned particles stick to pan.  Return chicken and cook til tender (25 mins).  Skim off fat.  Make dumpling batter.

Mix flour, baing pwder, salt in mixing bowl.  Add milk oil and tobasco, stir till moist.  Drop tablespoonfuls 1" apart on surface, cover and cook without lifting lid, 15 mins.

Kimmey's Grandma's American Goulash

pasta shells
ground turkey
stewed tomatoes + juice
onion
garlic
basil
oregano
salt
pepper
cheese

cook pasta, saute onion until tender, brown meat in same pan. Add tomatoes and spices and simmer. Put it all together with cheese in a baking dish. Bake at 400 for 20 mins.

Baked Greek Chicken with Potato-y Sauce

This is a common meal in Greece and smells delicious while it is cooking.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Juice of two lemons
4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and sliced french-fry style
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup water
One head garlic, the cloves peeled but whole
Oregano, salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken in a shallow baking tray. Arrange potatoes around chicken pieces. Scatter whole peeled cloves of garlic around chicken and potatoes.

Mix together lemon juice and olive oil, and pour evenly over chicken and potatoes. Add water until potatoes are just about covered. Add salt, pepper to taste. Cover chicken and potatoes with generous amounts of oregano. Bake at 350 degrees F, until tops of chicken
are reddish brown.

Turn chicken, stir potatoes, and sprinkle on more oregano. If potatoes aren’t at least half-covered with liquid, add water. Return to oven for about 15-20 minutes. Chicken is done when both sides a lightly browned and potatoes are soft when touched with a fork.

Serve with a crusty bread or with pita bread.

Serves 4.

ULTRA FAST VERSION USING LEFTOVER ROTISSERIE CHICKEN - A LOW FAT ATHENIAN ROOM MEAL!

heat olive oil + garlic + leftover chicken meat... add water or broth + oregano... meanwhile bake frozen french fries at 450 for 15 mins... then use fries as base and pour chicken and broth over it all.

Simple Cauliflower Soup Recipe

To take this soup from simple to sublime, add a dash or two of truffle salt or truffle oil to the soup when serving.

Ingredients

• Florets from one head of cauliflower (tough core of cauliflower discarded)
• 1 quart of water
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Chives
• Olive oil

Method

1 Bring 1 quart of water to a rolling boil in a medium-sized pot. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water (if using salted butter in this recipe, use only 1 teaspoon of butter). Add the cauliflower florets, and cook until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove florets to a bowl. Reserve cooking water.

2 Working in batches, fill a blender half-way with cooked cauliflower, add enough cooking water to the blender bowl so that it comes up a quarter of the way. Purée until smooth. You want the consistency to be that of soup, so if you need to add more water, do so. For each blender batch, add salt and butter to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and about a tablespoon or more of butter for each blender batch). Since you are using only lightly salted cooking water for a base, not stock, you will need to salt this more than you would otherwise.

3 Serve immediately into bowls. Drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with chopped chives.

Serves 4.

Egg Drop Soup Recipe

Homemade chicken stock is the best for this. Also, if you can't locate any of the mushroom types indicated in the recipe, crimini (aka: baby bellas) will do just fine. Or, you can just leave them out all together.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups of chicken stock*
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce*
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper
• 3/4 cup of straw, enoki, or sliced shitaki mushrooms

*If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free stock and gluten-free soy sauce.

Method

1 Reserve 1/2 cup of the stock and mix with the cornstarch until dissolved.

2 Place the chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce, green onions, mushrooms and white pepper in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch and stock mixture and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer.

3 Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the soup. The egg will spread out into ribbons. Turn off the heat and garnish with a few more chopped green onions. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Chicken and Dumplings

Friends rave every time I make this recipe. It's comfort food, and I especially enjoy making it on cold or rainy days. I often use a whole chicken cut into pieces and skinned. You can make the store-bought chicken stock taste more like homemade by adding some fresh herbs and parsley and simmering until it's reduced by half. ****add a small can of corn. I doubled it as it just did not seam to be enough for a family of 5 plus we like leftovers. **** To save time, I shredded the white meat only from store bought rotisserie chicken. I also used low fat low cream of celery soup instead as well. **** To up the flavor and the heartiness, I add three cloves of garlic, 2 chopped carrots, 2 diced celery stalks, one diced potato and add a bay leaf while it boils. Enjoy with a nice light red wine!**** I used 2 cloves of garlic and pre-made buttermilk biscuit dough ****make the dumplings to the box recommendations vs. the recipe.


Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
4 pounds chicken pieces, skinned
1 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Dumplings:
2 cups baking mix (such as Bisquick)
2/3 cup fat-free milk

Remaining ingredient:
Chopped parsley (optional)

Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in sherry and the next 4 ingredients (sherry through soup), and bring to boil. Add chicken pieces; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken pieces from cooking liquid. Place chicken in a bowl, and chill 15 minutes.

Remove chicken from bones, and cut meat into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones. Add chicken to pan; stir in peas.

Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; stir well.

To prepare dumplings, combine baking mix and milk. Drop the dough into chicken mixture to form 16 dumplings. Bring to a simmer; cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the dumplings are done. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture and 2 dumplings)

CALORIES 373 (24% from fat); FAT 10.1g (sat 2.8g,mono 3.1g,poly 1.5g); IRON 2.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 99mg; CALCIUM 116mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.7g; SODIUM 725mg; PROTEIN 35.9g; FIBER 2.4g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2001

Chicken & Dumplings in the Crockpot, MENU

The Menu

CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS IN THE CROCKPOT
A wedge of iceburg lettuce with Thousand Island Dressing
UPSIDE DOWN CHOCOLATE UGLY CAKE

The Recipes

CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS IN THE CROCKPOT

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut to small chunks
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
2 cups water
2 (10 oz) packages refrigerated biscuits
1 chicken bouillon cube

Combine all ingredients, except biscuits, in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. 30 minutes before serving, tear biscuit dough into 1-inch pieces. Add to your slow cooker; stirring gently. Cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 30 minutes or until biscuits are fluffed up and cooked through.

A wedge of iceburg lettuce with Thousand Island Dressing

1 cup pickle relish
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

Mix all together and store in fridge. Keeps well.

UPSIDE DOWN CHOCOLATE UGLY CAKE
~Submitted by Judy, MI

2 cups mini-marshmallows
1 cup brown sugar
1 chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare chocolate cake mix according to the box. Mix marshmallows, brown sugar, cocoa, and water in a bowl. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Spoon cake mix on top of marshmallow mixture, but don't mix them. Bake for 45 minutes. Then, after the cake cools, flip over onto a cookie sheet. Be careful--the marshmallow mixture might run. No need to frost.

Cornbread

1 c. flour
1 c. corn meal (yellow or white)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 c. buttermilk (or regular milk)

whisk together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into a 8 x 8 in. pan. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Memphis Meatloaf *****

Absolutely delicious meatloaf and sauce! Those who claim they don't believe there can be such a thing as a great meatloaf will love this. Based on a meatloaf given to me by a dear friend, Virginia Strehl, Memphis TN & Leesburg FL. Nita Holleman, 2000

by Nita Holleman

1½ hours | 20 min prep

SERVES 4 -5 , 1 meatloaf

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (ground shoulder roast is good)
• 1 slice bread (broken or chopped finely)
• 1 egg
• 1 small vidalia onion or type sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2-2/3 cup whole milk or half-and-half

Sauce

• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2-4 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed firm (to taste)
• 1/2 cup ketchup

1. Meatloaf: Combine meat loaf ingredients and place into a loaf baking dish.
2. Smooth out top.
3. Sauce: Combine sauce ingredients and pour on top and sides of meatloaf.
4. Bake at 350°F about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until done.
5. ENJOY!
6. *The addition of 1 or 2 teaspoons of Kitchen Bouquet® makes this recipe very good.
7. **Recipe should be"plump" from the addition of the milk or Half & Half.
8. It should NOT be runny.
9. ***A second batch of sauce served hot is good to serve with the meatloaf.
10. Nita's Note: I note that some of you are using game meat such as deer -- Deer is a very DRY meat. It is wise to HAVE some fat added to the deer -- especially to ground deer. Maybe 25 % fat, otherwise your results will be poor. I don't know about some of the other game meat some are using. Please consult and expert. The recipe is delicious as it stands! Enjoy! Nita Holleman.

One Pot Chicken

• 1 large stewing chicken, well rinsed
• 2 large onion, chopped
• 2 large carrot, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 cup mixed minced fresh herbs, (such as parsley, sage, thyme and oregano)
• 4 cup water
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup flour

Directions:

1. Place the chicken, vegetables and water in a cast iron pot or large stew pot. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Suspend just far enough over an open fire to bring the water to a simmer and keep it there. Simmer for one and a half hours. Alternatively place on a burner on a modern stove and do the same.
2. While the chicken cooks make a modern roux with the flour and butter. Melt the butter and stir in the flour until a smooth thick paste forms.
3. In the last twenty minutes of cooking add the herbs. When done carefully remove the chicken and vegetables to a serving platter. To make gravy whisk the roux into the simmering juices that remain. Serve immediately.