Hamburger Soup

Hamburger Soup
From Set for Life Cookbook

1/2 pound Ground Beef
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks Celery, diced
4 Potatoes, cubed
3 Carrots, diced
2 16 ounce cans Tomatoes
2 cups Cabbage, chopped (optional)
1 c. Corn
1/4 c. Brown Rice, Noodles or Macaroni
4-6 cups Water
1 large Bay Leaf
2-3 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
Pepper to Taste

In larege pan brown ground beef with onion.  Drain well.  Add reamining ingredients.  Soup should not be too thick so add more water if needed.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, and simmer about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove bay leaf before serving.

Slow Cooker:  Brown ground beef with onion.  Drain well.  Put all ingredients in slower and simmoer on low all day.

Approximately 12 servings.  

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3 to 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (I use whatever pork roast is on sale)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 tablespoon hickory flavored liquid smoke (Found by the BBQ sauce)
2 cups barbecue sauce

Rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper over the pork and place in a slow cooker. Add water and liquid smoke. Cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork is very tender.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and discard the remaining liquid. Shred the pork using a couple of forks. Place the meat back in the slow cooker along with the barbecue sauce and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the pork is hot again. Serve on buns with extra barbecue sauce.

Simple Crock Pot Chicken

Simple Crock pot Chicken -
**The picture is deceiving.  You can't ever get it to come out of the crock pot whole.  It is so tender it just falls apart.**

Whole Chicken
1 Whole Onion
2-3 Whole Garlic Cloves
Salt & Pepper

Recipe is best if you cook in crock pot on low for at least 8 hours.  Skin your chicken.  The skinning part is gross but it is so much better than your chicken swimming in fat.  Once the chicken is skinned and rinsed you are ready.  Cut your onion in half and put in the cavity of the chicken.  Shove the garlic cloves in there as well.  Rub the chicken all over with salt and pepper.  I use about one and a half teaspoons of salt on a good sized chicken.  I then generously sprinkle pepper all over.

I always spray my crock pot with non-stick cooking spray for easy clean up.  I lay the chicken in the crock put, breasts down and that's it.  Once cooked, your chicken will literally fall apart as you take it out.  So have your serving dish ready.  I then strain the liquid in the crock pot and use it for gravy for the mashed potatoes.

Crock pot BBQ Whole Chicken

Crock pot BBQ Whole Chicken

Bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce
1 Whole Chicken
1 onion
2 cloves garlic

Skin your Chicken.  Cut onion into 4 pieces and put inside cavitiy of chicken.  Shove the garlic cloves in there as well.  Pour bottle of sauce all over chicken.  Bake on high 5 hours or on low 8 hours.

Serve with baked potatoes, corn on the cob and salad.

Crockpot Applesauce Chicken

I have to be honest and say I have not tried this recipe before.  However I have a similar recipe for Cafe Rio Sweet Pork which calls for applesauce.  So I am going to be daring and try it.  

Crockpot Applesauce Chicken
From A Year of Slow Cooking

--4 frozen chicken breast halves or thighs (I used 2 of each)
--1 1/2 cups of applesauce
--1 T dried onion flakes, or 1 yellow onion, chopped finely
--1 T apple cider vinegar
--1/4 tsp cinnamon
--1/2 tsp black pepper
--2 cloves garlic, minced--1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, I used them, and added more to the adult servings)

The Directions.

A 3 or 4 quart crockpot is the best size for this, but I did use a 6 quart. If your pot cooks fast, err on the lower end of cooking time.

Put the frozen chicken pieces into your crockpot. Add the onion (if you are using the dried onion, wait and add it to the applesauce). In a bowl, mix the applesauce, vinegar, garlic, and spices together. Pour on top of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4.

Serve with rice or quinoa.  

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

From A Year of Slow Cooking

--1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds)
--2 tsp kosher salt (if you'd like it as salty as the ones in the store, add another 1 tsp.)
--1 tsp paprika
--1 tsp onion powder
--1/2 tsp dried thyme
--1 tsp Italian seasoning
--1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
--1/2 tsp black pepper
--pinch of chili pepper (probably not necessary)

--4 whole garlic cloves (optional)
--1 yellow onion, quartered (optional)

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart crockpot for a 5 pound bird. It fit nicely.

Skin the chicken and get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity. This takes a while, and is gross.

In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into the crockpot.

If desired, shove 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat.

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

From a Year of Slow Cooking

2 pounds pork shoulder
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 large lime)
7 cloves garlic (whole intact)
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 cup beef broth
corn tortillas
sour cream, salsa, sliced avocado (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the salt and cumin. Rub mixture all over the pork, then plop into the slow cooker. Add whole garlic cloves. Squeeze on the citrus, and pour the beef broth evenly over the top.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the pork shreds quite easily with a fork. If your meat is still fully intact after 8 hours, remove and cut into chunks, then return to the crock and flip to high for about an hour or two.  Shred meat fully and serve on warmed corn tortillas with desired toppings.  Serves six.

Crock Pot Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

Crock Pot Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
Fix and Forget It Cookbook

Diced Ham
8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion thinly sliced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Paprika (optional)

Spray slow cooker with no-stick spray. Layer bottom of crock pot with half of potatoes, ham and onions. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and half of cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Spoon soup over top of potatoes. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or 4 hours on high. For a creamier sauce add 3/4 soup can of milk.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2-3 pound Pork Roast
1 small onion
12 oz bottle BBQ Sauce or Homemade BBQ Sauce
1/4 c. honey
Hamburger Buns

*For best results put your pork in the crock pot the night before with a few inches of water. Slice the onion and lay on top of roast. Cook on low overnight*

In the morning discard onion and drain water. Shred pork add BBQ sauce and honey and cook on low until ready to serve.

Homemade BBQ Sauce
Recipe is for about a 2 pound roast
1 c. applesauce
½ c. ketchup
1 c. brown sugar
6 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ garlic powder
½ tsp cinnamon

Bring boil, remove heat and cool. Pour over shredded pork and cook on low until ready to serve. Omit honey when using homemade BBQ sauce.  Serve on hamburger buns. 

Taco Soup with Black Beans

Taco Soup with Black Beans
Fix it and Forget It Cookbook

1 lb. ground beef
Small onion or 1-2 T. dried onion
28 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes
15 1/4 oz. can corn, undrained
15 oz. can black beans, undrained
15 1/2 oz can red kidney beans or pinto, undrained
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 envelope dry taco seasoning

Toppings:
Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream

Brown ground beef with onion, drain fat.  Combine all ingredients and cook on low in crock pot for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.  If you forgot or don't have time to use the crock pot, just combine in big pot and simmer on stove for about 15 to 30 minutes.

Shredded Pork Soft Tacos

Shredded Pork Tacos

Leftover Kalua Pork recipe here
Salsa (amount to your taste)
Can of Pinto beans rinsed and drained
Tortillas
Toppings (Tomato, sour cream, lettuce, cheese)

Mix together pork, salsa and beans in frying pan. Reheat over medium heat. Add water if needed. Cook until meat is thoroughly heated about 10 minutes.

Shredded Pork Sandwiches

Shredded Pork Sandwiches

Leftover Kalua Pork (click here for recipe)
BBQ Sauce
Buns
Mustard (optional)
Mayo (optional)

I don't like an overwhelming flavor of BBQ sauce. Therefore I re-heated the meat and had my family pour the amount of BBQ sauce they wanted on their sandwiches individually. It was delicous. I like a litte mustard and mayo with my sandwich as well.

Kalua Pork Recipe

Kalua Pork
mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

This is a big batch. However it freezes well. And is very versatile below I listed some variations I am going to use with the leftovers.

10-12 pounds pork shoulder butt roast (don't substitute a leaner cut of pork or it will be dry)
1 bottle liquid smoke (you can find it with the steak and BBQ sauce at the store)
2 tablespoons sea salt (or hula salt if you can find it)
1 1/2 cups water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim roast of large pockets of fat (but leave some fat on there to help the pork stay tender while cooking). Place pork in large roasting pan (the aluminum, deep roasting pans you can buy at the grocery store work great if you don't own a heavy-duty roasting pan). Rub 2-3 tablespoons of sea salt into pork. Pour the bottle of liquid smoke over and around the pork. Pour the water around the pork. Cover roasting pan TIGHTLY with two layers of aluminum foil.

Bake for 5-7 hours (don't uncover while baking - let the steam and heat work it's magic!).

*Crock pot Method- Follow instructions however cook on low in crock pot for 14-16 hours.

Shred with two forks and serve with rice. Note this is not a saucy meat. Next time I am going to serve it with gravy over my rice.

Great recipes to use with leftovers is Shredded Pork Sandwiches and Shredded Pork Soft Tacos

Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken

Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks
From mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

2 cups frozen corn (.89 Ream's)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound) (1.89/lb Macey's)
1 1/2 cups salsa (I used mild last time and it was a little bland. I am going to try medium this next time around and I am not a spicy person)

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Pour frozen corn into the bottom of the slow cooker and place the frozen chicken breasts on top. Cover with beans and salsa. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir until the chicken, corn, beans and salsa are combined.

Toppings:
Lettuce (.50 ea Rancho)
Roma tomato (.50/lb Rancho)
Avocado
Sour cream (1.00 Smith's)
Cheese (ok price at Smith's)

Recipe Source: from www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/originally from my sister-in-law Erin

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Slow-Cooker Chicken
from Prudence Pennywise & mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1.89/lb Macey's)
1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

Coat the inside of your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours, or until chicken shreds very easily with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Chicken will absorb liquid after it is shredded.) Serve in tacos or however your little heart desires.

Topping:
Sour Cream (1.00 Smith's)
Tortillas
Tomatoes (.50/lb Rancho)
Lettuce (.50 each Rancho)
Beans (help stretch your meat and add beans)

*Freezable Meal: I freeze the leftovers in a freezer-safe container and let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving the next day. I reheat over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.