~Slow Cooker Tropical Chicken~

~ Slow Cooker Tropical Chicken (Pureed Sauce Version) ~

Ingredients:

• 1.5 - 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

• 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained

• 2 large mangoes, peeled and cut into chunks

• Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Optional Add-ins for more flavor:

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions:

1. Prepare the fruit: Reserve the juice from the canned pineapple and set it aside. Divide the pineapple chunks and the mango chunks into two equal portions.

2. Make the sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine one-half of the pineapple chunks, one-half of the mango chunks, and the reserved pineapple juice. Blend until smooth.

3. Prepare the slow cooker: Place the chicken at the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.

4. Combine ingredients: Pour the pureed fruit mixture over the chicken. Then, add the remaining pineapple and mango chunks (the un-pureed half) the pineapple juice from the can, and the lime juice.

5. Season: Sprinkle the salt, black pepper, and any optional spices you choose over the top.

6. Cook: Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is very tender.

7. Shred and serve: Once cooked, use two forks to shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker, mixing it with the pureed sauce and fruit chunks. Serve over rice or with your favorite sides.

~Slow Cooked BBQ Country Ribs~

~Slow Cooked BBQ Country Ribs~

Super simply recipe.

Ingredients:

• One package of country ribs
• One cup of BBQ sauce
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• ½ cup of apple cider vinegar

Directions:

• Place the ribs in the slow cooker and put about a ¼ inch of water in the bottom, cover and cook on high for an hour.
• While that is cooking mix the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar together.
• After an hour drain off the water and add the BBQ sauce mix until it covers the ribs with it. If there is not enough of the BBQ sauce mixture, mix some more up.
• LOW: 7 HOURS / HIGH: 3 HOURS — Ribs that are soft but stay on the bone (as shown in the video below).
• LOW: 9 HOURS / HIGH: 4-5 HOURS — Tender, fall apart in your hands ribs that melt in your mouth like butter (as shown in the image below).

Options:

• Add Yukon potatoes, carrots, and onion.
• Serve with rice. I like wild rice.

~~Apple Smothered Short Ribs~~~

Okay, this recipe idea come out of wondering how to use up food in the refrigerator because I will be closing up the cottage in a month.

I have some short ribs in the freezer, slow cook them in barbecue, naw did that last week. A friend left an apple… Could do something with those two?

Google: Slow cooker, short ribs, apple

Up came: Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions

Hmm… this has possibilities!

Slow Cooker Apple Butter Pork Chops

This also looks good.

This calls for a Mashup of the two recipes!

Ingredients:

• 2 short ribs
• 1 1/2 cup apple butter*
• 1 yellow onion sliced
• 2 Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar (packed)
• 2 Tsp. Butter
• Cinnamon 

Directions:

• Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onions and caramelize them. Put aside the caramelized onions.
• In the slow cooker place the ribs and cover with the caramelized onions.
• Add the apple butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and fold them together.
• Pour over the ribs.
• Cover and turn on the slow cooker (low = 4 to 5 hours, high = 3 to 4 hours), just before it is done add the sliced apples about 20 minutes before severing. 

~~~~~~~~

*Apple Butter can be made from apple sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ to ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

• In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes. 
• Remove from the heat; cool and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

~~Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs~~

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs - BBQ Sauce & Wine

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. country ribs
• 1 c barbecue sauce
• 1 c wine (I'm going to try it with a cup of Bourbon some day.)
• 1 c chopped onions
• 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• Hot sauce (Optional)

Directions:

• Place your ribs in your crock pot
• Mix the other ingredients and pour your mixture over your ribs
• Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (On high for 4 to 5 hours)* or until ribs are tender.

I like to add Yukon Gold potatoes to the ribs, they come out really nice.

* I use a mix of low and high settings. First I set the heat to high, when it starts to boil I turn it down to low heat. It cuts the cooking time down and stops the torture of having to smell the ribs all day.

~~ Slow Cooker Sunday Chicken & Dumplings ~~

 Ingredients:

• 4 Skinless, boneless chicken breast ( Option - 8 pork chops )
• 1 Can Campbell's Cream of Celery Soup (or Cream of Chicken)
• 1 Can Chicken Broth or 10 oz. White wine (I also have used 5 oz. of chicken broth and 5 oz. of wine)
• Potatoes - As desired 
• Carrots - As desired 
• Onions - As desired
• Corn - As desired
• Paprika, salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup Bisquick

Directions:

• Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and place them into a crock pot. 
• Combine the soup and chicken broth and pour over the chicken. 
• Cut the vegetables into cubes and add them to the crock pot. 
• Cook for 6 -8 hours on low heat or 4 - 6 hours on high heat. 
• About a half hour before being done mix the Bisquick according to instructions on the package for dumplings and spoon the dough on top of the chicken and vegetables.

Options:

• Serve it over rice instead of dumplings.
• Serve it over egg noodles

~~ Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole ~~

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast ( Option - Pork chops )
• 4 Cup of stuffing mix
• 1 Can of Campbell's Cream of Celery soup
• 1/4 LBS Sliced provolone cheese

Directions:

• Place the chicken on the bottom of the slow-cooker and cover with stuffing mix. 
• In a bowl mix the soup with one can of water ( Option - use wine instead of water ). 
• Pour over the stuffing and add the cheese on top of the stuffing. 
• Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.

~~ Diana's Chili ~~

Ingredients:

• 1 LB. Lean ground beef or beef cubes
• 1/2 LB. Salt Pork
• 1 Large Green Pepper
• 1 Large Onion
• 16 oz Can Red kidney beans
• 16 oz Can Pinto beans
• 2 - 16 oz Can Tomato sauce
• 2 TBS Cumin
• 2 TBS Chili power
• 2 TBS Minced garlic
• 1 Cups Water ( Option - Beer )
• 1/4 Cup Cornmeal
• Tabasco sauce

Directions:

• Cut the salt pork up into 1/4 inch strips. 
• Brown the ground beef or beef cubes and salt pork in a skillet. 
• Coarsely chop the onion and pepper. 
• Except for the cornmeal and the Tabasco sauce, add all the ingredients into a 4-quart crock pot and let the ingredients mingle and get to know one another for about 4 hours on high.. 
• Stir in the cornmeal to thicken. Season to taste with the Tabasco sauce.

I don't use cornmeal any more because I'm diabetic and I have to watch my carbohydrates. I used cornmeal to absorbs excess liquid, so adding it to your pot of chili will thicken the final result. .

I usually make this in the fall and freeze around eight portions to have through out the winter.

~~ Slow Cooker Pot Roast ~~

Ingredients:

• 2 - 2 1/2 LBS Pot Roast
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Celery
• 1 PKG Onion Soup Mix
• 1/2 Cup Red Wine
• Water

Directions:

• Place the roast in a pan to brown, leave in the oven uncovered until it's good and brown. 
• Cut the vegetables into 1 inch pieces. 
• Place the ingredients in the slow cooker and add 1/2 inch of water, onion soup mix, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery and red wine.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. 
• Use the remaining drippings for gray.

Option: Make dumplings on top the roast in the slow cooker.

~ Apple Glazed Pork Roast ~~

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. Pork Loin Roast
• 6 Apples
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Trim the excess fat off of the roast and rub in the salt and pepper. 
• Then brown the roast in a frying pan or up the broiler. 
• Place the roast in a crock-pot and add the Cider. 
• Peel and quarter the apples and place on top of the roast. Cover with the brown sugar. 
• Cooked in a covered crock-pot on low for 10 to 12 hours.

~~ Slow Crooker French Onion Soup~~

Ingredients:

• 4 onions
• 16 oz Reduced sodium beef broth
• 2 Beef bouillon cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups Croutons
• 2 tbls Butter

Directions:

• Dice the onions and in a frying pan melt the butter and add the diced onions, sauté until they just start to caramelize. 
• Add all the ingredients except the Mozzarella cheese and the croutons in a 2 quart crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours.
• Serve in a soup bowl with the croutons on top and cover with the Mozzarella cheese, brown the cheese under the broiler.

~~ Crock Pot Chicken Soup ~~

Ingredients:

• Store roasted chicken
• Carrots
• Onion
• Celery
• Salt

Directions:

• I use a store bought oven roasted chicken and after I picked it clean for meals (I usually reserve enough meat for the chicken soup, about one cup) I throw the carcass in to the crock pot. 
• I wrap it in a cheese cloth, place it in the crock pot and cover it with water for about 4 hours on “High” (The cheese cloth is to prevent the bones from breaking up and having to pick them out of the broth.).
• I remove the bag of bones and put the chicken meat that I reserved in the crock pot with the broth; I also add carrots, onion, and celery (There is no “right” amount, just add however much you like.). 
• I then cook it for another 4 hours but this time on “Low.” If you want you can add salt to taste.
• I usually serve the soup with Spaetzles or egg noodles.