Potato Soup

Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon
6 med. potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 6 cups)
2 cups chopped onions
2/3 cup chopped celery
2 lg. carrots, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/2 pint of whipping cream
snipped chives
4 cups milk

Directions:
In a large pan fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, drain, crumble and set aside. Stir potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, water, salt, sugar, salt, pepper into bacon drippings. Cook covered until veggies are tender (20-25 minutes). Combine flour and 2 cups milk until thoroughly blended in a pot. Add potato mixture along with remaining milk. Cover over medium heat, stirring occationally until mixture is thickened (10-15 min). Stir in cream and crumbled bacon, heat through. Garnish with chives.

Makes about 10 cups.

Notes
You can add velveeta cheese to this to make it cheezier. Add right before adding bacon.

Spaghetti with Sauce Italiano

ingredients

• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage or ground beef
• 1cup chopped onion (1 large)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 4-ounce cans (drained weight) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (optional)
• 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 to 2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 large)
• 12 to 16 ounces dried spaghetti
• Grated or finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

directions

1. In a large skillet, cook meat, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.

2. Meanwhile, in a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine undrained tomatoes, mushrooms (if desired), tomato paste, bay leaf, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir in meat mixture.

3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Discard bay leaf. Turn off cooker. Add sweet pepper; cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling, lightly salted water according to package directions; drain. Spoon meat mixture over pasta. If desired, sprinkle with cheese.

Spaghetti with Spicy Sausage-Cream Sauce: Prepare as directed, substituting bulk hot Italian sausage for Italian sausage. Before serving, stir 1/2 cup whipping cream into sauce.

Nutrition Facts per serving for Spaghetti with Spicy Sausage-Cream Sauce: 621 cal., 30 g fat (15 g sat. fat), 78 mg chol., 1,514 mg sodium, 62 g carb., 6 g fiber, 28 g pro.

nutrition facts

• Servings Per Recipe 6 to 8 servings
• Calories548
• Total Fat (g)25
• Saturated Fat

Homemade Applesauce

I haven't tried this yet but I am saving this recipe in hopes that my apple tree will be good to me this year.

Make this super simple applesauce recipe in your slow cooker. You can eat this Slow Cooker Applesauce warm or cold, or freeze for future use.

Cooking Time: 8 hr 30 min
Ingredients

* 8 to 10 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Put apples in slow cooker and pour water over them. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

2. Then add the sugars and cinnamon and cook for another 30 minutes on low.

3. Mush the mixture with a potato masher and stir to desired thickness if still lumpy.

4. Sprinkle top with cinnamon if serving warm.

Chicken Puffs

There are a million different ways for this recipe to be made. Some people make it with onions but I think the flavor of onions is WAY too overpowering.

Chicken Puffs
1 package of frozen rolls
4 chicken breasts
8 oz. cream cheese
salt and pepper
Ritz crackers
butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
milk
sour cream

I cook my frozen breasts of chicken in the crock pot with S&P and Ms.Dash. My mother-in-law boils it. I like it done in the crock pot b/c it's so tender when it comes apart that it just falls apart.

Shred it or if its too tough to shred use a food chopper and chop it up. Then you mix it with the cream cheese and S&P. Make a little mash. Then thaw the Rhodes rolls (some people use crescent rolls and that is much easier but I have tried both ways and Rhodes is the best-promise). I usually put them in the microwave for 30 seconds on regular microwave heat, turn them over and then do another 30 seconds. DO NOT OVER HEAT. Mold one roll at a time in to disc shape. Put a T. of mash onto the roll then fold and pinch dough around mash. I then dip it in melted butter (about a stick is what you'll need for the recipe) then roll it smashed Ritz crackers. Then I put it on a greased cookie sheet upside down so it doesn't come undone. Cook at 350 degrees for about 23 minutes.

Top with sauce. To make sauce combine one can of cream of chicken soup and one soup can of milk in sauce pan over med. heat. Keep a close eye on it, you don't want the sauce to burn. Once those two ingredients are combined mix in 1 c. of sour cream with whisk. Bring to a gentle boil then remove from heat.

Recipe from peach tree cooking

Crock Pot Mac N Cheese

Servings 8

Ingredients
8 ounces, weight Macaroni, Cooked And Drained
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 can Of Evaporated Milk, 13 Oz. Can
1-½ cup Milk
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Cheese, Cubed (Velveeta And Cheddar)
2 Tablespoons Butter

Preparation Instructions
Toss the cooked macaroni in oil, then stir in all remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Pulled Pork

Rub the meat 2 days prior to cooking it and it cook on low in the crockpot for about 10 hours.

Pulled Pork

Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper - I used black pepper
1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional) - I omitted
2 cups barbecue sauceMix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

Massage spice rub into meat (I recommend doing this on a jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet with sides). Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. (I refrigerated ours for 2 days).

Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and 1/4 cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.

Transfer roast to cutting board (again, I used a large cookie sheet with sides. This helped to contain the mess); discard liquid in liner. Pull by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.

Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

Creamy Cheesy Chili Dip

You can halve this recipe and make it in a small oval cooker. Makes about 3 cups; serves 12.

Cooker: Medium round or oval

Setting and cook time: LOW for 2 to 3 hours

Two 14.5-ounce cans meat chili with beans

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into pieces

2 bags Fritos Scoops corn chips

Place the chili, sour cream, and cheddar in the slow cooker; stir to combine. Stir in the cream cheese. Don't worry that it is in chunks; it will melt. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours, until the dip is hot throughout and the cheese is melted. Stir the dip once or twice during the cook time.

Set the slow cooker in the serving area. With the cooker set on low and the cover off, serve with the corn chips for dipping.

Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows

Cooker: Medium round or oval crockpot

Setting and cook time: LOW for 3 to 5 hours

1/3 cup unsweetned cocoa powder

6 cups milk or soy milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

One 14-ounce can nonfat sweetened condensed milk

8 to 12 marshmallows

1. Place the cocoa and 2 cups of the milk in the slow cooker; whisk by hand or use an immersion blender to combine until smooth. Add the remaining 4 cups milk, the vanilla, and the condensed milk, stirring to combine. Cover and simmer on LOW for 3 to 5 hours.

2. Briskly stir the cocoa with a whisk before serving. Ladle the steaming cocoa into mugs; top with 1 or 2 marshmallows and serve.

Scharffen Berger Cocoa, Valrhona and Hershey's Cocoa are best.

North Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches

For Pork:
3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder roast
Garlic salt
Ground black pepper

For Sauce:
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
3/4 cup lemon-lime sode, 7UP
1 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning
2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 package (16-ounce) shredded cabbage, Ready pac
Hamburger buns

Rinse pork with cold water and pat dry. Season with garlic salt and ground black pepper. Place in 5-quart slow cooker. Pour 1 cup of lemon-lime soda over roast (in addition to soda called for in sauce mixture). Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours (roast should fall apart easily).

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine sauce ingredients; set aside. In a large bowl, toss shredded cabbage with 1/2 cup of sauce; set aside.

When cool enough to handle, shred pork by hand. Place shredded pork in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 to 1 cup sauce. Pile cabbage mixture and seasoned pulled pork on hamburger buns. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

From Sandra Lee

Winter Woods Chili

Makes: 6 servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 2 hours


4 slices bacon
3 lb. beef stew meat
1 large onion, sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 28-oz. cans whole tomatoes
1 15.5-oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 15.5-oz. can red beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Shredded cheddar cheese
Snipped fresh oregano
Cooked bacon, crumbled

Directions
1. In 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven cook bacon and beef, half at a time, over medium heat until beef is browned. Drain fat. Return meat to pan. Reduce heat; add onions and half of garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender.

2. Add undrained tomatoes, beans, and 1 tablespoon of the chili powder. Bring to
boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in
remaining garlic, chili powder, and vinegar. Cook, covered, 1 hour. Add water to desired consistency. Season to taste. Top servings with cheese, oregano, and crumbled bacon. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6 servingsCalories 546, Total Fat (g) 23, Saturated Fat (g) 9, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 9, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 107, Sodium (mg) 1222, Carbohydrate (g) 31, Total Sugar (g) 7, Fiber (g) 8, Protein (g) 54, Vitamin A (DV%) 0, Vitamin C (DV%) 37, Calcium (DV%) 25, Iron (DV%) 41, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Sloppy Joe's

by Tina Schumacher

2 1/2 pounds hamburger
3 cups celery (I don't use)
1 large onion chopped
1 cup ketchup
1 can tomato soup
1 can chicken gumbo soup
2 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp vinegar (I don't use)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Brown hamburger. Put in a roaster with all other ingredients and bake at 250 degrees for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occassionally. If you use celery, it will remain crunchy.

Beans

2 Cans Big Bush Country Style Beans
1 pkg bacon - diced and cooked
1/4 - 1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
Salt & Pepper

Mix in crock pot. Simmer a couple of hours.

Can also add:
Sauteed onions
Liquid Smoke - gives it a good smokey taste

I add everything to the beans.

from Laura Holzapfel

Chicken Fettuccini

This is an easy and very delicious recipe.

1 package cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package italian seasoning
3-4 chicken breasts

Cook in crock pot on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is done and tender.

Serve over fettuccini noodles.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

4-6 chicken breasts (You can put them in the crock pot frozen)
2 cans black beans
1 can of corn
1 can chicken broth (water and chicken boullion cubes will work)
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa (sometimes I'll just add the whole jar)

Top with grated cheese, sour cream, and chips before eating. This recipe is great because you can throw it in the crock pot in the morning, cook it on low, and it's perfect by dinner time. The chicken usually shreds on it's own, but you may want to shred it yourself before serving it.

Reuben Dip

This is yummy! This is from Frank's Kraut.

1/2 cup Frank's Kraut, drained and chopped
1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
4 oz sliced corned beef, finely diced
2-3 Tbs milk

1. Combine and heat all ingredients, except milk, in a small saucepan over low heat until hot.

2. Thin with milk if necessary

Microwave Directions:
1. Combine and heat all ingredients, except milk, in a microwave-safe bowl until hot (approximately 4 minutes). Stir after 2 minutes.

2. Thin with milk, if necessary.

Servings: 1-1/2 cups
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes

Cowboy Beans

Recipe by Tina Schumacher

1 can pork and beans
1 can drained butter beans
1 can drained kidney beans
1 pound fried hamburger
1 pound fried bacon
1 medium fried onion
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons molasses

Combine sugars, mustard, ketchup and mix well. Add three kinds of beans. Add remaining items. Bake one hour at 325 degrees.