Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops

I've been making this dish for a long time. It is SO easy and very yummy and only has a few ingredients!  The other day at the grocery store my timing was just right with the meat department guy and he was putting out newly marked down meat and I grabbed the porch chops for next to nothing....I love when that happens!  This dish makes a wonderful gravy that you have to serve over mashed potatoes, or rice.
Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
4-6 pork chops
1pkg ranch dressing mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup, (or any combo of two cans)
Spray the inside of the crockpot with nonstick cooking spray and place the pork chops inside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the ranch seasoning package.  Put the soups on top. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Serve the pork chops with mashed potatoes and use the leftover sauce/gravy to put on top! You could easily add carrots to this dish too.

Crockpot Beef Tips

I have been on a mission lately to clean out my three freezers, um yeah, I said three! One freezer is mainly for the half beef we get each year, so that helps me justify having three. But, still food finds its way to the back and when I finally find it, it is attached to a hunk of ice! So, with prices of fuel and basically everything else going up, I've got to be even more frugal than I already am.  Our half beef order for this coming year is due anytime so I had to rearrange frozen foods and this put me on a mission...again....to use up stuff that has been sitting in the deep cold way too long.  I had a couple packages of stew beef and since it has been over 100 and high humidity off and on for weeks on end I am not about to make a big pot of stew with it! But, I will however get my wonderful crockpot out and make this yummy recipe for beef tips. It is so easy to throw together and you can serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles. It has a wonderful gravy.
Crockpot Beef Tips
2packages, or around 2pounds, beef stew
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1pkg onion soup mix
1 soup can full of water
Throw everything in crockpot and stir well. Cook on low 8 hours, or high 4-5 hours, or until beef is cooked through. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles along with the gravy it makes.



OK, this picture makes this look disgusting, but it is a hard meal to photograph, you'll just have to trust me that its way better than it looks!



Crockpot Kielbasa Supper

This is a fast and convenient crockpot supper that won't heat up your kitchen. I used potatoes from our garden and prepackaged coleslaw.
Crockpot Kielbasa Supper
2pounds fully cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into chunks
(I use one package fully cooked turkey sausage)
1package shredded coleslaw mix
1can chicken broth
3 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
or about 6-8 new potatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
Throw everything in a crockpot, it will look like a lot of cabbage, but it will cook down.  Mix well and cook on low around 8 hours. I start my crockpot after lunch on low and it is done by supper, so each crockpot cooks differently.

Green Beans and New Potatoes

This is a recipe I grew up with and it is pure comfort food. My family grew the garden with the new potatoes and  green beans and grandma canned it all. We would sit at many a ball game and snap green beans together because we knew what goodness it would bring!  I could seriously eat this for dessert every night.  I can still remember as a kid seeing the canned new potatoes downstairs in the basement at my grandma's and thinking how disgusting they looked, but I always put that image aside and devoured each can! My grandma taught me how to can years ago and there is a lot that goes into it, but oh how it is worth it! I prefer to freeze most things, it is much easier and quicker, but when it comes to this dish I preserve it by canning it! This version below is adapted to the crockpot.
Green Beans and New Potatoes in the Crockpot
Adjust the amounts to the size of crowd you are feeding
2pounds fresh green beans, snapped

1pound bacon, partially cooked...or 1 ham bone with some meat on it

1 onion, chopped, optional

1-2pounds red new potatoes, rinsed and cut in half

1tsp garlic powder
1tsp salt
Place the green beans, bacon or ham bone, and onion in the crockpot. Add water only to cover the beans and cook on low for 3 hours. Remove ham from bone(if using) and discard the bone. Add potatoes to crockpot and the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for one hour, or until the potatoes are tender. Make sure they are cut in half.

I linked this recipe over at Mandy's Recipe box!



There is nothing quite like a field of Kansas Sunflowers!

My dad, grandma, me, and my sweet Brookie
Can you believe my grandma is 91! She sure doesn't look it!



Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made this recipe for my husband for our first Valentine's dinner 13 years ago.  I remember being in the kitchen most of the day preparing everything so it was just right when he came  home from work.  I was so nervous and wanted everything to be just perfect for him.  This chicken recipe was nice because after it is assembled it cooks in the crockpot and you can prepare other dishes.  I remember it smelled wonderful and it tasted even better.  It is one of those dishes that is simple, yet it tastes elegant.  Our first Valentine's dinner turned out perfect and he seemed very impressed.  But, about 5 years later when I made this dish again and I reminded him how it was our first Valentines dinner, he didn't seem to remember....oh well.....that is a man for ya!  I have learned over the years not to take it personal when stuff like that happens! Men and women just don't see things the same....period!
Chicken Cordon Bleu-crockpot
4-6chicken breasts(pounded)
thin slices of ham, one per chicken
slices of swiss cheese, one per chicken
1/4C flour, with salt, pepper, cayenne mixed in
mushrooms, sliced
1/2C chicken broth
1/4C parmesan cheese
2cans cream of mushroom soup
After the chicken is pounded, put a slice of ham and cheese on each chicken breast and roll up.  Secure with a toothpick and roll in the flour mixture.  Put mushrooms and broth in bottom of the crockpot.  Then place the chicken on top and pour the soups over the chicken and top with parmesan cheese.  Cook in crockpot on low for 6-7 hours or on high 3-4hours.  Serve with rice and place the chicken rolls on top and cover with the soup mixture sauce.

Corn and Broccoli in Cheese Sauce

This is another recipe for the crockpot....I'm all about keeping the heat out of the house while I'm cooking during the summer.  Kids will eat their broccoli with this dish because it has velveeta on it! This recipe comes from a Healthy Cooking magazine.
Corn and Broccoli in Cheese Sauce
1(16oz) pkg frozen corn
1(16oz)pkg frozen broccoli florets
4oz reduced fat velveeta, cubed
1/2C shredded cheddar cheese
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1/4C milk
In a 4qt slow cooker, combine the corn, broccoli and cheeses.  In a small bowl, combine soup and milk;  pour over veggie mixture.  Cover and cook on low for 3-4hours.  Stir before serving.

Crockpot Lasagna

This is a great dish from the wonderful cookbook collection, Gooseberry Patch.  It is great during the summer heat because it is made in the crockpot and doesn't heat up your kitchen.
Crockpot Lasagna
1-2pounds cooked ground beef
26oz jar spaghetti sauce
8oz pkg bowtie pasta-cooked(I use egg noodles)
12oz cottage cheese(I use the full 24oz container)
16oz pkg mozzarella cheese
Mix beef and sauce.  In crockpot, layer 1/2 beef mix, 1/2 pasta, 1/2 cottage cheese, 1/2 cheese.  Repeat. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.  Serves 8
I added pepperoni and mushrooms
When I made this in my 6qt crockpot it came clear to the top and it cooked on high it took 3-4hours

This recipe linked to:

The Best Baked Beans

We thankfully made it through many rounds of storms the last couple of weeks.  We had lots of wind and  rain, but thankfully no large hail and tornadoes like so many other places.  Living in Kansas you somewhat expect this weather this time of year, but nothing ever quite prepares you for a tornado. I've seen several over the years and they are some kind of amazing force! Our prayers are with those that lost loved ones and homes.  There are many small towns that had damage and even deaths, but no media coverage, because bigger towns had more damage and more deaths.  So remember those towns that are so small that no one hears about because they still need help as well.  It is awesome to watch how a community comes together, and even complete strangers, to help one another through these terrible trajedies.  I remember when I was young there was a huge tornado that killed many people and demolished miles of houses and we didn't live that far away from it, and my parents got my brother and I in the car and we spent many hours helping to clean and go through wreckage that the tornado left.  That was one of the first times when I was a kid that I learned that you put others first, especially in times of need.  I saw what devastation those poor people had gone through and they literally had nothing left, not even a pair of shoes or a toothbrush.  I remember finding old pictures and old love letters that a married couple had written one another during the war and I made it my mission that day to track down who they belonged to and I finally found the old lady they belonged to and she just cried and cried and thanked me.  I'm so thankful that my parents always found ways to get my brother and I involved in helping others, it really helped open my eyes that there is a huge world of people in need and there is so much more to life than being selfish and only focusing on what I want.  We each can make a huge difference in people's lives if we just take the time to look and listen to others.  One of the best things we can teach our children is to do for others, this helps them to be thankful and thoughtful and to really see how blessed they are.

This recipe is wonderful and I like to make it ahead a couple days so it can sit and mingle flavors together.  You can cook it in the oven or the crockpot.
The Best Baked Beans
6cans pork-n-beans, or 3 large Bush's baked beans
1 chopped onion, optional
2T mustard
1C ketchup
1/3C brown sugar
1pd cooked and crumbled bacon
I love to add around 2-3T liquid smoke, but this is optional
I also save around 2T bacon grease and throw it in
Combine all of the ingredients and bake at 350 for one hour, or place in a crockpot on low for a few hours to heat through.

Applesauce

Did I ever score! My mom is in town and we went to the store to find $0.99 bags of granny smith apples! Mom got 7 or 8 bags and her and my 5yr old got busy and made applesauce....yeah for me! Now, I have tons of yummy applesauce in the freezer! It's so great when my mom comes to town, I get all kinds of yummy cookin! And she keeps my kids entertained when I am too tired to play!
Today is my hubby's birthday, he is 36...that is now officially closer to 40 than 30.....wow! That sounds strange! Not old, just strange! I love you Kyle and I am SO glad you are my bestest friend and partner in life! I will not post his favorite supper of all time, which I'm making tonight for his birthday, because well, um, it's Spaghetti! Not much to it, but he loves the stuff and can't get enough of it! Makes it easy on me I guess! But, I will post the yummy applesauce my mom and daughter made that we will serve with it....I should also post the peach pie and grape pie she made too, and then her awesome monster cookies I can't get enough of, but that will be for another day(I gain like 5pounds when my mom visits!).
Applesauce
6pds granny smith apples
1tsp lemon juice
1C sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1/8tsp nutmeg
Peel, core and chop apples. Add the apples to a big stockpot and put 1C water in the pot and bring to a boil. After it starts to boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 25minutes, COVERED,stirring every so often. After this is done simmering, stir well enough to get the consistency you want. It will look watery, but the longer you stir the more it sets up and the smoother it will become. I made one batch very smooth and it took about 5-10minutes of constant stirring. The other batch I made somewhat chunky..I love both ways.  After stirring add in 1tsp lemon juice and stir. Then add 1C sugar, 1tsp cinnamon and 1/8tsp nutmeg and stir well.  Let cool and ladle into mason jars or ziploc bags and freeze. Or you can process them in a hot water bath and can them.  You can also adapt this recipe to the slow cooker!



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Crockpot Salsa Chicken

This is a fun and easy crockpot recipe that you can add ingredients to make it more of a meal, like black beans, rice, corn, green chilies....just whatever your family likes..throw it in! But, this is the core recipe that you start with.  It is good topped with crushed up tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Have fun with it!
Crockpot Salsa Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts(add more if your family is bigger)
You can even throw them in frozen!
1C salsa
1/2-1pkg taco seasoning
1can cream of mushroom soup
1/2C sour cream light
Add chicken to crockpot and sprinkle with amount desired of taco seasoning. Pour salsa(or even a can of diced tomatoes)over the chicken.  Cook on low 6-8hours or high 4-5....just depends how hot your crockpot cooks. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Serve over rice.    Feel free to add the rice to the crockpot and many other ingredients...I like adding in corn and chili beans  (makes it healthier), then I top it with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

This is in the crockpot and the chicken is on the bottom

Creamed Corn

This is an easy crockpot dish that could be taken to potlucks or parties. A nice twist from regular corn.  You could even spice it up and make it mexican and add a can of green chilies, or add stuff to it like spanish rice and hamburger and black beans,etc etc Play around with it and make it a main dish!
I got this from a Taste of Home cookbook.
Creamed Corn
2pkgs(or around 26oz)frozen corn
1(8oz)pkg cream cheese, softened and cubed
1/4C butter, cubed
1T sugar( I don't add this)
1/2t salt
Coat crockpot with cooking spray and combine all the ingredients. Cover and cook on low 3-4hours or until cream cheese is melted and corn is tender. Stir before serving.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

St Patrick's Day is coming up quick and those corned beef are going on sale at the stores! I usually buy a few of them while they are on sale and freeze some for later. We love reuben sandwiches around here, so I save some corned beef meat just for these sandwiches. This recipe can be made in a dutch oven or adapted to a crockpot! I got the recipe from allrecipes from Laria Tabul
Corned Beef and Cabbage
3pounds corned beef brisket(with spice packet)
10 small red potatoes
5 carrots, peeled
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges
Place corned beef in large pot, or dutch oven, and cover with water.  Add the spice packet.  Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 50minutes per pound.  Add whole potatoes and carrots and cook until almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15min more. Remove the meat and let it rest for 15minutes. Place veggies in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth from the cooked meat as you want. Slice meat across the grain.
Crockpot version: Add meat and sprinkle spice packet on top. Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 5-6 hours. Add potatoes and carrots and cabbage a few hours before serving. If you had to leave for the whole cooking period I would think you could add the veggies in with the meat, they may just get mushy.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

Sorry about the bad picture...I need a better camera! But, these sandwiches really are awesome, the picture doesn't do them justice.  What is really nice is they cook in the crockpot all day...BONUS!
My kids love these and they like when I reserve the juice and put it in a bowl so they can "dip" the sandwich in it...so, it's kind of like an italian/french dip! The secret to these sandwiches is to use real cheese, not the imitation stuff and to use a good italian bread....I know, I said I don't eat white flour, but this is one exception and I don't use wheat on this.  Very easy meal and it makes a lot of meat! This would work great to put on low before bed on a Saturday night and let it cook during church and when you get home it would be ready to shred and eat for lunch!

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
11/2C beef broth(I boil water and add 2beef bouillon cubes)
1C water
1t salt
1t pepper
1t garlic powder
1(.7)pkg dry italian seasoning mix
1 5pd roast(use lean) I have also used a 2pd with the same amount of seasoning
Combine water and beef broth and seasonings and stir to combine.  Place roast in the crockpot and pour the seasoning over the top.  Cook on low 10-12hours, less if it's a smaller roast. Or cook on high 4-5hours. My crockpot is a beast and I cook it on high and it's done in 3 hours, so just check on it after 4hours on high to see if it shreds easily or not.  When done cooking, take two forks and shred the meat, ridding any fat.  This is why you want to use a lean roast, it makes this part much quicker and easier. Take your hoagie rolls and open them flat on a cookie sheet, butter the top side and place drained meat on the other side. Place swiss cheese on top of the meat and leave laying open and broil for 3-5minutes or until cheese is melted and the buttered side is browning....watch closely! Those broilers are sneaky things and can burn bread quickly!  I usually have lots of shredded meat left over and I freeze it for another meal.