Crock Pot Recipe Day 9

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bundles
From Fix It and Forget It Big Cookbook
Page 340

Makes 6 servings
Prep time 15 minutes
Cooking time 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size 4 qt

3 whole chicken breasts, split and deboned I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 pieces thinly sliced ham  I used deli sliced ham and it was so thin it was kinda hard to tell it was there.  I'd suggest using a slice thickness that isn't paper thin.
6 slices Swiss cheese  All my cheese oozed out so I'd suggest putting 2 slices per piece of chicken instead of one.
 salt to taste
pepper to taste
6 slices of bacon
1/4 cup water
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 cup white cooking wine I substituted 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

1. Flatten chicken to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness.  Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on top of each flattened breast.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  I'd suggest you salt and pepper the chicken and then place the ham and then the cheese.  Roll up and wrap with a strip of bacon.  Secure with toothpick.  Place in slow cooker.  If you don't have a meat tenderizer you can use a rolling pin.  However, it doesn't get your chicken as thin as a meat tenderizer would.  It can sort of mutilate your chicken too.  I would also suggest using a bacon that has some fat to it, but not a lot.

2. Combine 1/4 cup water, granules, and wine (or 1/2 cup chicken broth).  Pour into slow cooker.  You could probably use the chicken bouillon that comes in the cubes.  However, you would need to dissolve it in the water first.

3. Cover.  Cook on High 4 hours.  Ok, so I put mine in on low for 6 1/2 hours.  I figured it would be fine since my chicken wasn't completely thawed (yeah, try smashing that).  Much of my cheese oozed out of the center.  I actually think I'd recommend putting 2 slices of cheese inside instead of one. 

4. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water.  Add to slow cooker.  Cook until sauce thickens.  Because I had my chicken in the crock pot for so long (ended up having a detour tonight before I got home), the kids were starving so I skipped this step.  Even though there was still liquid in the bottom of the crock pot (part bacon drippings, part juice I put in there) the chicken was a smidge dry and I think it probably did need this sauce.  I wouldn't recommend skipping this step.

Crock Pot Recipes Days 7-8

Mexican Pork Chops

From Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two 

P 142

Cooker 1 1/2 - 3 qt

Setting & Cook Time High 3-4 hours

2 tsp olive oil I didn't use this

Two 1 inch thick boneless center cut pork chops I did 8 chops 

2/3 cup chunky tomato salsa, fresh or jarred I used an entire qt

1 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice I used 3 small limes

1 TBSP freshly squeezed orange juice I used 1 medium orange

Squeeze of fresh grapefruit I used 1/2 of a grapefruit

1. In a heavy skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil and quickly sear and brown the pork chops on both sides.  Place the pork chops in the slow cooker.  I don't use the olive oil because I use a non stick pan.  I seared the pork chops until I couldn't see any pink on either side.  I could still see pink on the edges of the chops, but not the top or bottom.

2. In a small bowl, combine the salsa and juices, and pour over the pork.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the meat is tender.  Serve immediately.

These turned out spicier than I had anticipated.  Not so spicy that we couldn't eat it, just spicy enough that the kids were a bit hesitant.  I did use homemade salsa too so you could possibly control the spice by which kind of salsa you use.  My husband didn't like the pork chops because they had a sweet taste to them.  I could taste the grapefruit stronger than I thought I would.  I would only use 1/4 of a grapefruit if I did it in this quantity again.  

Barbecue Beef on Rolls

From Fix It & Forget It Big Cookbook

P. 319

Makes 12 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 6.5-8.5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4 qt

3 lb boneless chuck roast

1 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

1 small onion, chopped I used 1/2 cup white onion

1 TBSP Dijon mustard I used a Honey Dijon mustard

2 tsp. brown sugar

1. Cut roast into quarters.  Place in greased slow cooker.  I didn't grease my crock pot.  I also didn't cut my roast into quarters because there were bones in the way.

2. Combine barbecue sauce, preserves, green peppers, onion, mustard, and brown sugar.  Pour over roast.

3. Cover.  Cook on Low 6-8 hours.  Remove roast and slice thinly.  Return to slow cooker.  Stir gently.

4. Cover.  Cook 20-30 minutes.

5. Serve beef and sauce on rolls.

Crock Pot Recipe Day 6

Today I actually made 2 new recipes.  Only 1 was in the crock pot.  But, they both turned out really good!

The first recipe I made wasWhite Chicken Chili (pictured above)
From 175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics
Page 160
Works best in a large (minimum 5 qt) slow cooker
1 TBSP olive oil I didn't use this
2 onions, finely chopped I used 1/2 of 1 white onion
4 cloves garlic, minced I did use 4, but 2 were super tiny.  I was worried there would be a heavy garlic taste, but I couldn't taste it at all.
1 TBSP cumin seeds, toasted and ground I just used ground cumin because I figured it was tons easier and faster!
2 tsp dried oregano leaves, crumbled I just used dried oregano that was already crushed
1 cinnamon stick piece (2 inches) So, 1 bottle of cinnamon sticks costs $5.36 at WalMart.  I was worried that there would be a really strong cinnamon flavor, but it was actually quite subtle.
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns I just used black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, quartered (about 12 thighs) I used boneless, skinless chicken breast.  I had 3 small and 1 large chicken breast.  I read ahead in the directions thinking at some point I'd have to take the chicken out and cut it up.  It never says to do that.  My chicken was partially frozen still when I put it in the crock pot, otherwise I would have probably cut it into pieces beforehand.  I'd suggest cutting the fat off and into pieces before it goes in the crock pot if you can.
2 cups cooked dried or canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed I used canned white kidney beans.  They were a little tricky to find because they weren't right next to the red kidney beans.  They were actually by the great white northern beans (they're white too).  1 15 oz can is about 1 1/4 cups.  I ended up using 2 15 oz cans so it was probably closer to 2 1/2 cups than 2.
2 tsp dried ancho or New Mexico chile powder, dissolved in 1 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice So I couldn't find either of these ingredients.  I ended up using regular chile powder, which does not dissolve.  1 small lime was a little more than 1 TBSP so I just used the juice from 1 whole lime.
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped I used about 1/2 of one
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped I left this out because my kids don't like spicy
1 can (4 1/2 oz) diced mild green chiles, drained
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Finely chopped cilantro
Lime wedges (optional)

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds.  Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic, toasted cumin, oregano, cinnamon stick and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add stock and bring to a boil.  I put the garlic in right away with the onions.  I think that's why I couldn't taste the garlic  I pulled the pan off the heat to add all the spices because I didn't want the onions to burn.  After I had added all the spices, it wasn't very easy to stir because it kinda all just stuck to the onions and turned into a glob.  So, I just added the chicken stock rather than cook for 1 min. 
2. Transfer to slow cooker stonewar.  Add chicken and beans and stir well.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.  I put the chicken stock mix in and then the beans.  I ended up laying the chicken on top.  My crock pot is a super crock pot because I had it on low and it only took about 2 1/2 hours before I was able to cut up my cooked chicken.  The chicken stayed really moist and tender.  I think it might be because it was still slightly frozen when I put it in the crock pot so it added a little more juice to the mixture.  You can't tell from the picture, but there isn't a ton of juice to this chile.  I ended up taking out the cinnamon stick when I cut up the chicken.  I think it would have been fine to leave it in, but I didn't want to forget about it and have it end up in one of the kids' bowls.
3. Stir in chili powder solution.  Add bell peppers, jalapeno pepper and green chiles and stir well.  Cover and cook on high for 20 - 30 minutes, until peppers are tender.  Add cheese and cook, stirring, until melted, about 1 minute.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro.  Pass lime wedges at the table, if using.  I didn't mix the cheese in and melt it in the crock pot because Sam doesn't like cheese.  So, we cheesed our own.  I also didn't put the cilantro on as a garnish.

The juice does look a bit funky and it smells rather "interesting" when you transfer it to the crock pot.  I was worried the kids would be like "EWWW" because it looked funny.  I think part of it was that I used regular chile powder.  Even with leaving out the jalapeno and only using about 1/2 of 1 green pepper, it seemed like there were a ton of peppers in here.  If you aren't a big pepper fan, I'd suggest just using the diced green chiles.  Nash ate the chicken and really liked it.  I was worried it would be quite spicey, but it really wasn't.  He wasn't a big fan of the kidney beans though.  Samantha didn't like it at all, even the chicken.  Travis and I thought it turned out good though.  Caleb still hasn't even tried his.

Make ahead:
THis dish can be partially prepared before it is cooked.  Complete step 1.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.  When you're ready to cook, continue with the recipe.  I think you could also cut up your chicken ahead of time.

To go with the chili, I made Simply Corn Muffins
From The Cornbread Gospels
Page 119

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP baking powder
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, preferably unrefined I used 1/4 because I was worried that it would be too sweet if I used more.  Nope, 1/3 would have been just fine.
1/3 cup melted butter or mild vegetable oil I used butter

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with oil or line with muffin papers.  I ended up getting 19 muffins out of this recipe.
2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl, stirring well.  Set aside.
3. Whisk together the buttermilk and baking soda in a medium bowl until the baking soda is dissolved.  Whisk in the eggs, sugar, and melted butter or oil.  The batter was quite "poofy".  I think it was from the baking soda.  It reminded me of when I've made the Jiffy boxed cornbread muffins and I let the batter sit for awhile and it has risen.
4. Stir the combined wet ingredients into the dry until the mixture is just barely combined.  Spoon into prepared muffin tin.
5. Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.  Serve warm.  Mine only took 12 minutes.

My kids love cornbread and this was no exception.  I didn't have regular honey and none of them wanted the creamed honey so they were a little bland with just butter on them.  But, they were still really good.

Crock Pot Recipe Day 5

Honey Barbecue Pork Ribs
From: Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two
Page 155

Cooker: 3 qt
Setting and cook time: Low for 7-9 hours

2 lbs pork loin back ribs, baby back ribs, or country style pork spareribs, cut into serving pieces of 3-4 ribs
I used spare ribs
1 small yellow onion, sliced I used dried onion flakes because it's what I had
1 c. store bought or homemade barbecue sauce of your choice I used Kraft Original because I had one already open
1/3 c. mild flavored honey I didn't have quite 1/3 cup so I ended up using whipped honey to make up the difference.  Might have been easier to mix it up if I had melted the whipped honey first.
A few splashes Sriracha hot sauce, or other favorite hot sauce I used a green tabasco sauce - maybe a tsp.   I couldn't really taste the hot sauce.  If you like it spicy I'd add at least 1 TBSP.


1. Arrange the rib portions in the slow cooker, layering them with the onion slices.  Because my slow cooker is bigger than 3 quarts, I didn't have layers.  I laid the ribs in the bottom of the cooker and sprinkled dried onion on top of them.
2. Combine the barbecue sauce, honey, and hot sauce in a small bowl until smooth; spoon over the ribs.  If you have a round cooker, stack the ribs with sauce in between.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours, until the meat is tender and starts to separate from the bone.
3.  Serve immediately.  If there is extra sauce on the bottom of the cooker, transfer to a bowl and serve on the side.

These were really tasty.  There wasn't a strong honey flavor.  If you like them with a strong honey flavor, I'd suggest using a honey flavored barbecue sauce.  

New Year's Eve & WOW! My baby is HUGE

 Only in UT, on New Year's Eve can a person find her children playing in a giant pile of leaves while her husband mows the lawn.  Yep.  This is what I saw as I looked out my back window on New Year's Eve:

 To celebrate New Year's Eve we went out to Trav's parents' house.  It was just us, Trav's parents & his sister's family.  The kids had a ton of fun playing together.  We had lots of yummy food and the big boys played their guitars.  Later, we watched The Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  The movie was ok, but I'm glad I didn't pay $6 to see it!

Yesterday I went out to Paradise to visit my cousin (Ashlee).  She's visiting from Oregon with her new baby.  Her kids are super cute.  Her older one is only a month younger than Caleb and her new one was just born the day before Thanksgiving.  Ash's sister, Natalee, was there with her little boy too.  He is about 3 or 4 weeks younger than Brooke (and 6 lbs lighter).  Look at the difference!:  

Little sister looks like a small buffalo for sure now!  My mom told me to check my baby book to see how old I was when I hit 20 lbs.  I was 8 months.  Brooke was about 7 months when she hit that mile marker.  I'm curious to see how old my other kids were when they hit that pound mark.  I think Sam was about 9 months because that's when we turned her car seat around.  It's crazy to think she's only gained 10 lbs in 7 months (she eats like a starving horse).  She looks so HUGE next to the boys though!  I'm pretty sure she out weighs my niece who's 2 months older than her too!  How sad.  I can't believe how fast they grow up!