Balsamic Roast

Ingredients:

3-5 pound chuck roast

1 3/4 cups beef broth

1/4 water

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 orange juice

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 garlic cloves - minced 

Mini potatoes (red or I used mini sweet idahos)

Directions: 

1) Place roast & potatoes in your crock pot and set it to low. (Will need to cook at least 8 hours)

2) In a small mixing bowl combine all remaining ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Then pour over meat & potatoes and let cook. 

*Notes:

- it is obviously cooking in A LOT of liquid, so it's perfect for french dip sandwiches too. Just skip the potatoes :) And after it's done cooking remove some of the juices (as much or as little as you want) for later dipping your sandwich in. Then shred the roast in the crock pot and let it soak up all the flavors of the juice it's in. Served on your favorite toasted hoggie with a small bowl of your reserved juices for dipping. Serve with fries. 

- the first time I made it I made some balsamic & butter & garlic fresh french beans on the side to serve with it. Just dump all ingredients into a skillet over medium heat, sauté until breans are cooked. (I just eye-balled the amounts of everything)

- this recipe has no balsamic flavor to it, it's more of a mild sweetness. 

Honey Sesame Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest via this super cute blog called Table for Two Her recipe is a crock pot recipe but I did mine on the stove. Her recipe can be found HERE mine is just adapted from hers and is below. Enjoy!!

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, about 4

Garlic Salt 

Pepper

1 cup of honey

1/2 cup of soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

TINY bit of water
1 can  of pineapple chunks & juice from can

Sesame seeds (which I forgot)

Instructions:

1. Trim all the fat off the chicken breast. Slice in thin slices. Add a small amount of oil to a skillet, once oil is heated add chicken to skillet. Season to liking with garlic salt and pepper. They will cook fast and before every thing else is done, that is okay. Once cooked remove skillet from heat.
2. In a medium sized pan, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, about 1/4 - 1/2 the can of pineapple juice and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine well.
3. In a small bowl add cornstarch and a tiny bit of water, mix very well until there are no lumps, slowly add to your sauce, make sure you are stirring the whole time. Once well mixed into the sauce, simmer sauce and continue to stir until it gets thick. This may take a few minutes - do not add more cornstarch! If you can't get it to thicken just turn the heat up. You want to to cook for a couple minutes to cook out that chalky cornstarch flavor/consistency.
4. When done, remove chicken from skillet and add to sauce, also add the pineapple chunks. You could do mandarin oranges or snow peas or broccoli too. Mix well and serve hot over rice and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Crock-Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Another Pinterest find! The recipe {& pictures} are from The Six Sisters Stuff Blog It's so easy - it's only 3 ingredients!

Ingredients:

4-6 Frozen Boneless Chicken Breasts 

1 Bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)

1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks, drained

Directions:

Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray for an easy cleanup! Place frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce.  Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top. Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce. 

*Sometimes I also throw in a chopped up green pepper and chopped onion . . . it tastes good with or without it.

NOTE: You can serve it over rice or one person said that they  ate theirs on sliders with some provolone cheese!

Crock Pot Cherry Cobbler

Makes 4-6 Servings (I would guess ... Eric & I ate the whole thing last night :D!)

Ingredients:

1 21oz. can of cherry pie filling (you can use any kind of can pie filling you like)

1/2 package of french vanilla cake mix (not prepared)

1 stick of melted butter

Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Mix 1/2 the package of cake mix with the melted butter in a medium bowl. Place pie filling in bottom of crock pot. Spread the cake mixture evenly over pie filling. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream.

Simple Beef Stroganoff

Makes 4 servings

1 pound beef stew meat
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1 4oz. can of sliced mushrooms (drained - optional)
Egg noodles or White rice

Combine all ingredients (but noodles or rice) in crock pot, cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Serve over hot cooked egg noodles or rice!

Meat Loaf

Possibly the BEST meat loaf I have ever had!! Serve with a green salad and garlic bread.  

Serves: 8 

Meat loaf Ingredients:
2 envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 lbs. ground beef
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup ketchup

Sauce Ingredients {make after meat loaf comes out of the oven/crock pot}:
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
dash of tabasco

Crockpot Directions:
In large bowl, combine all meat loaf ingredients; shape into loaf. Arrange in slow cooker and cook covered on LOW 6 to 8 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours or until done. Let stand 10 minutes, top with ketchup sauce before serving & enjoy!

Oven Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all meat loaf ingredients in large bowl. Shape into loaf in 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake uncovered 45minutes to 1 hour or until done. Top with ketchup sauce before serving & enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Recipe From: Melissa

Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Directions:
Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

CROCK POT ROAST

Recipe from: My AWESOME Mom Donna

Ingredients:
4 potatoes - peeled & sliced in chunks
2 carrots - peeled and sliced in chunks
1 Onion soup mix packet (not prepared - keep it dry)
1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 soup can of water
1 small chuck roast (they shrink about half their size once cooked so keep that in mind when buying)

Directions:
Place roast in crockpot. Peel and slice your veggies and place them around or on top of your roast. Top with onion soup mix packet. In a small bowl put the soup & water, mix then pour over roast & veggies. Cook on low all day (at least 8 hours)

Sweet Pork Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

Recipe From: Make it Love it

Cilantro Lime Slaw
1 package Cole Slaw or whole shredded cabbage (I bought red cabbage)
1 c. Mayonnaise
1 c. Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. minced Garlic
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper or a dash of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. Lime Juice
1/2 tsp. Cumin

Combine all but slaw in a mini food processor or chop and combine yourself. Mix desired amount of dressing with slaw mix no more than 30 minutes before serving.


(I used the above recipe with only 1/2 a head of red cabbage and it was perfect for my taste. I liked the slaw to be more juicy. And we didn’t need as much slaw because I didn’t make as much meat as the recipe below.)


Roasted Sweet Pork
6 (approx) pounds Pork butt/shoulder
1 19 oz. can Red Enchilada Sauce
1 can Dr. Pepper (20 oz)
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 Clove Garlic or 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


Combine all ingredients into your crockpot and cook on low overnight or until meat is tender.

(I only had a 2 pound Pork Roast in my freezer and used that with the above recipe. There was way too much sauce. Ooops. But it still worked perfectly. I will buy a bigger piece of meat next time and freeze the extra meat, as she recommended. You could also half the recipe if you’re using less meat, but I didn’t want a half a can of enchilada sauce or soda or whatever else……just going to waste. Anyway, just to let you know.)


Then she placed the meat on top of a tortilla (we used grilled corn tortillas…….but I’m sure flour would be good too) and then the slaw on top of that. Fold in half and take your first mouth-watering bite. She also suggested using the meat in burritos or tostadas as well. Or heck, you know this stuff would be good on a sandwich, or even just by itself…….with a fork. Just sayin’. ;o) Enjoy!

Crockpot Lasagna

Recipe From: Amanda/Sarah


Ingredients:
1 lb of 93% ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
28 oz crushed tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups cups part-skim mozzerella cheese, divided and shredded
6 dry lasagna, no-cook noodles
1/2 cup parmesan


Directions:
~Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until meat is done.

~Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, and basil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

~Meanwhile mix together 1 cup ricotta and 1 cup mozzerella cheese.

~Spoon 1/3 of beef mix into a 5 qt crockpot. Break 3 lasagna sheets in 1/2 and arrange over beef mixture; top with 1/2 of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining beef mixture.

~Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and top with remaining mozzerella and parmesan cheese.

~Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up - about 10 minutes.

Pork Burrito's

Recipe From: Sarah

Ingredients:
1-2 lb Pork roast
1 jar tomato sauce 15 oz (I used spagetti sauce)
1/2 can Dr Pepper or coke
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 tbs ground mustard
1 cup brown sugar (optional- I did not use because Dan doesn't like sweet meat)


Directions:
Put all in crock pot, cook all day. Shred the meat and return to sauce for 1/2 hour.

We added Spanish rice, refried beans, pork mixture, lettuce, tomato, olives, cheese and Cilantro ranch. It was so good but pretty messy..need a few napkins!

Cilantro Ranch:
1 pkt ranch dressing
8 oz green salsa verde
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp hot sauce (optional)
Blend in blender, the longer it sits the thicker it gets.

Pineapple Chicken

Recipe From: www.Fabulesslyfrugal.com


Ingredients:
2 Cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 Cup vinegar
3/4 Cup water
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 Cup ketchup
1/3 Cup cornstarch
4 Chicken breasts
1 can (8oz.) pineapple chunks, drained
1 Medium green pepper, cut into chunks - optional


To Prepare For Freezing:
In a gallon size freezer bag combine the first 9 ingredients, then add chicken. Seal and freeze. Set aside pineapple in pantry so you'll have it when you make this meal. Slice and freeze pepper in a separate bag.


To Prepare After Freezing:
Thaw ingredients enough to place in crock pot. Cook on low for 5 hours. 30 minutes before it is finished turn to high & whisk in cornstarch, once completely dissolved add your pineapple & pepper, cook an additional 30 minutes - make sure you continue to watch it & stir it in these last 30 minutes - it's ready once your sauce has thickened. Once it was done I took out the chicken and cut it into chunks & then served it over cooked rice & with pot stickers!

Chicken Lasagna Florentine

I made this the other night .... Eric loved it but I thought it tasted too much like the cream of chicken soup - so if I make it again I would only put in one can of the soup & maybe add a tiny bit of garlic to it. Enjoy!

Makes: 8 - 1 cup servings

Ingredients:
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans condensed cream of chicken soup - undiluted
1 (10oz.) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained & squeezed dry
1 (9oz.) package frozen diced cooked chicken
1 (8oz.) carton of sour cream
1 cup milk
1 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
cooking spray

Directions:
1) Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl - stir well

2) Place 3 uncooked lasagna noodles in bottom of a 5-quart crock pot coated with cooking spray. Breaking noodles in half if needed to fit in crock pot.

3) Spread one-third of spinach mixture over noodles, sprinkle with 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese

4) Keep repeating steps until all noodles, cheese & spinach mixture is used.

5) Cover crock pot with lid, cook on low heat for 6 hours or until pasta is cooked.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

I made this the other day & I put in a bag of cubed cooked ham with all the other ingredients and I cooked it all on low for 6.5 hours (before adding the milk/flour mixture) and it was awesome!! Since I did the ham, I didn't do the bacon pieces or the green onion. I also seasoned it all with salt, pepper & a tiny bit of dried minced garlic and let that all cook together. Then served it with home-made corn bread!

Makes: 6 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

INGREDIENTS:
1 bag (32 oz) southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup medium stalk celery, diced
1 carton (32-oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 Cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup real bacon pieces
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
Optional - you can add 1 can of corn


DIRECTIONS:
1) In 4 to 5-quart slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, carrots, corn, celery, ham (if used),broth and water.

2) Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.3) In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual servings with cheese, bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco's

So I made this for dinner last night (well made it up) and it turned out pretty good


Recipe From: Sarah

Ingredients:
4 frozen chicken breasts
1 can of Fire roasted diced tomato's (14.5 oz)
1 can of chilies (mild or hot) (8oz)
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 cup of water

Directions:
Put all in in the crock pot and cooked all day, came home stirred up (chicken was so tender it shredded) let simmer for a few more minutes. Served with tortillas and topped with cheese. Super easy and good!

Sweet Pork Burritos

Recipe From: The Krazy Coupon Lady

Ingredients:
4 lb Pork Roast
2 cups Brown Sugar
1 Jar Salsa, 12-16 oz
2 Cans Coke or Dr. Pepper (not diet)
Cook this in a crock pot for about 7 hours


Then fill Tortillas with these items:
Sweet Pork
Black Beans
Rice
Green Enchilada Sauce
Cheese


I like to build the burritos and then broil them on a cookie sheet for a few minutes to melt the cheese and warm it up!

Salsa Verde Pork Carnitas

Serves 4-6


Ingredients:
3 pounds pork tenderloin roast or pork carnitas or chicken - frozen!!
16 ounce jar of salsa verde (green salsa)
fresh juice from 1/2 large lime
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (roughly, a handful chopped)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cans of black beans


Directions:
Place all in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is done. The meat is so tender it just falls apart. Shred the meat and serve on tortillas with cheese & sour cream!

CROCK POT PORK CHOPS

- Put pork chops in crock pot

- Add brown sugar, BBQ sauce, chopped onion, garlic & pepper

- Cook on low for 8 hours

Service with baked beans and mashed potatoes with gravy & green salad

Crock Pot Corn on the Cob With Garlic Herb Butter

Recipe From: CROCKPOT


Makes 4 to 5 servings


Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
4 to 5 ears of corn, husked
Salt and black pepper, to taste


Directions:
1. Thoroughly mix butter, garlic and parsley in small bowl.

2. Place each ear of corn on a piece of aluminum foil and generously spread butter on each ear. Season corn with salt and pepper and tightly seal foil.

3. Place corn in crock pot; overlap ears,if necessary. Add enough water to come 1/4 of the way up each ear. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH 2 to 21/2 hours or until done.

Meatball Sub Simmer

Recipe From: Kraft Foods

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
36 frozen cooked meatballs (1 lb.)
6 sandwich buns, partially split
1/2 cup Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese


Directions:
*MIX spaghetti sauce and water in slow cooker; stir well. Add meatballs; stir gently until evenly coated. Cover with lid.
*COOK on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH for 2 to 4 hours).
*FILL buns with meatballs and sauce; sprinkle with cheese.