It is week 2 of my crock pot month and I have to say last week was AWESOME! The evenings were much less chaotic and I had a better handle on my emotions. I have missed cooking big meals a bit but all in all I'd have to say this experiment seems to be a success!
Last weeks meal review:
The Artichoke Chicken was delish! What is it about capers that make everything better?
BBQ Ribs -I am not sure how ribs could be anything less than FABULOUS, and they were...
Meatloaf - In our house it is called "Meat Casserole" - YUM-O!
Today is taco soup day and I am "souper" excited (I am a dork and I know it, I have accepted it, you should too!)
For those of you playing along here is next week's recipes
Lasagna from
http://bunchabenhams.blogspot.com/8 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef or turkey, cooked (with onion and Mrs. Dash) and drained
1 (28 oz.) jar of spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/3 C. water
16 oz. cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 c. Mozzarella cheese
Combine cooked meat with spaghetti sauce, Italian Seasoning and water. In greased crock pot layer (1/3) uncooked noodles, (1/3) meat mixture, (1/3) cottage cheese. Repeat those layers two more times. Don't worry about the layers being neat or pretty--the noodles aren't going to fit perfectly in a rounded crock pot--but it doesn't matter--once it's cooked it's great. Cook on low 4 hours. The last 20 mins. add the moz. cheese.
Enchilada Casserole
ok, this is one where I am going to wing it a bit. Most of the recipes I found had a cream of soup in them and that is not my idea of an enchilada casserole so....
-I will boil 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts and shred them
-Then I will mix the chicken with one jar of Herdez salsa verde
*they sell it at Target for under $2.00
-I will tear up 6-8 flour tortillas
-I am toying with the idea of using black and refried beans - I KNOW! I am a wild woman but sometimes you have to take risks
-I am going to use grated jack and cheddar cheese
-I will also dice up a nice white onion
In the crock pot I am going to layer
approx 2 torn up tortillas
some of the shredded chicken
some of the beans (whatever the combination may be)
diced white onion
grated cheese
Repeat until all ingredients are used
Cover and cook for about 4-5 hours.
I will be topping mine with sour cream and cilantro. I would also like to add that many of the recipes I looked through had olives - my husband is an olive hater so I won't use them but it sounds like a nice addition. If I were making a crock pot of Enchilada Casserole all for myself I would add the olives. But I am not, I will be sharing, so I will refrain from sprinkling tasty black olives all through the delicious layers.
Apple Chicken
Again - I saw several recipes that I liked part of so here is my version
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 C apple cider
I packet of onion soup mix
Combine all ingredients and walk away until dinner time - beautiful! I think I will serve it with tater tots and a green salad....not very classy but it just sounds yummy - tater tots make the world a better place!
Beef Burgundy
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1612,155185-233203,00.htmlI may use stew meat but I have to say the whole roast has me intrigued...
Mustard Pork Loin
I am using this combination
* 2 pork tenderloins
* Mc Cormick's grill seasoning blend
* 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
* 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Pop it all in and walk away - fabulous!
And on Sunday I will be making Rachael Rays Apple Chicken Chili
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/soup-recipes/Creamy-Chicken-Apple-ChiliI will be doing my best to adapt it to the crockpot - it is perfect just the way the recipe reads - YUM!!!
If you are playing along please leave a comment and tell me how it is going!
