Crockpot Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

Rub Ingredients for the Chicken

4 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

For the Crockpot

1 cup chopped onion, approx 1 medium to large onion

4 to 5 carrots, scrubbed, no need to peel, chopped in halves or thirds

4 celery stalks, cut in thirds

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 whole lemon quartered

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lbs roasting or fryer chicken

Directions:

Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Prep the vegetables and place inside the slow cooker (I use a 7 quart oval one like this one.

Remove chicken from packaging and remove neck and pouch with organs. Discard or reserve for later use in another recipe. Rinse chicken with water and pat dry with paper towels.

Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken. Put garlic inside the chicken. Put the rub all over the outside and inside the chicken. Add quartered lemon to the inside of the chicken.

Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours. (When I used a 4 lb chicken, it took about 6 hours. The time will depend on the size of the chicken and your slow cooker.) Cook until the internal temperature of the leg is at 160 degrees F or use a pop-up thermometer as the original recipe calls for.

Remove chicken and place in a 9x13 glass or ceramic baking dish. Place baking dish in the oven under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Allow chicken to rest after removing it from the broiler for 5-10 minutes.

-Mandy

Crockpot Bacon Pork Loin

INGREDIENTS 

3 pound pork loin, trimmed of excess fat

 1 tablespoon canola oil 

salt and pepper, to taste 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

⅓ cup light brown sugar 

8 slices thick cut bacon 

Rub the tablespoon of canola oil and add Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Add the garlic and brown sugar to the top of the pork. Wrap the pork with the bacon (I wrapped all the way around, if you want to drape them over the top you can as well.) Place carefully into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours. If you finish the cooking time and for some reason the bacon is not as crispy as you would like, remove the pork and put it on a baking sheet in the oven on broil for 2-3 minutes (keep the pork in the middle of the oven, not too close to the top).

-Mandy

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 T. Vegetable oil

1 pound chicken breast

1/2 c. Diced onion

Minced garlic

4 c. Chicken broth

1 c. Masa harina

3 c. Water

1 c. Red enchilada sauce

16 ounces velvetta 

1 t. Salt

1 t. Chili powder 

1/2 t. Cumin

Boil chicken and shred. Fry onion and garlic in oil until onions are translucent. Add ingredients to a pot. Add broth. Combine masa with 2 cups of the water. Whisk until blended. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese & spices. Simmer 30-40 minutes. Garnish with tortilla chips and fresh pico de gallo.

Pico: 2 medium diced tomatoes 

1/2 c. Diced onion

2 t. Fresh jalapeño 

2 t. Fresh cilantro

Pinch of salt

-Mandy

Tater tot Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb hot breakfast sausage

• 1 (30-32oz) bag frozen tater tots
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat. In a large bowl, toss together tater tots, cooked sausage and cheeses. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and milk. Pour over tater tot mixture. Bake uncovered for 60 - 70 minutes, or until eggs are set.
*usually takes 2 hours to bake
- Emmy’s college recipe

Janet's "Best Bread Ever"

1 pkg. or 2 Tb dry yeast                        1/3 C oil

½ C lukewarm water                        2 eggs, slightly beaten

2/3 C honey                                    3 7/8 C hot water

2/3 C powdered milk                        2 Tb salt

12 C flour        

                           

Dissolve yeast in water. In a large bowl, blend honey with the hot water.  Add milk, oil, eggs, and yeast.  Stir in 6 cups flour and salt.  Knead in remaining flour.  Knead until elastic, 5 - 10 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.  Punch down.  Separate into 4 or 5 loaves.  Shape, place in greased 9 X 5 (4) or smaller (5) loaf pans and let rise until double.  Bake at 350  35 - 50 minutes or until sides are a very light brown.  Baste top with butter to give a soft crust.

Submitted by: Gina

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

6 cups diced, peeled potatoes
5 cups water
2 cups diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup margarine or butter
4 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
2 tap. salt
1/4 tap. pepper
12-oz. can evaporated milk
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley (I left this out because I'm not a fan of parsley)
8 oz. shredded cheese, Colby or cheddar

1. Combine all ingredients except milk, parsley, and cheese in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on high 7-8 hours, or until vegetables are tender (only took my slow cooker 6 hours).
3. Stir in milk and parsley. Stir in cheese until it melts. Heat thoroughly.

Submitted by: Gina

Vegetarian Crockpot Enchilada Casserole

I did this recipe yesterday and everyone loved it! I actually got it from Family Circle and they call it Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Casserole, but I changed the name. The great thing about this is that it was so easy to put together and tasted great. I made a few changes to the recipe and will include both original and the changes I made.

Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray, and then add the following in order:
1 can (15.5 oz) drained and rinsed black beans
2 cups thawed frozen corn
2 cans (10 oz.) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies (From past experience, I know 2 cans is too spicy for my family, so I only did one can Rotel and then one can or just regular diced tomatoes)
1 can (15 oz) mild enchilada sauce
1 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Stir in 4 oz. cream cheese with chive and onion (I used regular cream cheese and sprinkled in some onion powder)
Add one more can (15 oz) enchilada sauce
Top with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (It calls for Tex-Mex cheese, but I used colby-jack because that's what I had.)
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Top with sour cream, diced avocado, cheese, green onions, or, as most of my family did, Fritos.

One more note: I couldn't find the mild enchilada sauce in the 15 oz. cans so I bought three 10 oz. cans and used 1 1/2 each time it called to put it in. Happy cooking!

Submitted by: Gina