Don't Waste The Easter Ham Bone

I've had this recipe post sitting in my drafts since Christmas which the last time I baked a ham and decided to wait to post it right before Easter which clearly didn't happen. SkinnyTaste beat me to the punch by posting their Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham last week which is almost identical to my recipe (except their photos look much more appealing).

Crockpot Chicken Marsala

One of my favorite dishes to order when I go to an Italian restaurant is Chicken Marsala so when I stumbled on a slow cooker recipe (original recipe here), I had to try it out for myself. Luckily the only ingredient I didn't have was Marsala cooking wine so it turned out to be an inexpensive and easy dinner to prepare.

I made some minor changes to the ingredients based on my taste but I think it turned out to be almost as good as restaurant quality, considering slow cookers result in a different texture of cooked chicken breast (not pounded but easy to shred).

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Ground black pepper & salt to taste
Poultry seasoning
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups mushrooms
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cup Marsala cooking wine
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Serving size: 4 - 6 people



For the sides, I went with Whole Grain Penne Pasta and Pear Gorgonzola Salad. Both really excellent with this dish.
 

What To Do:

1. Lightly grease your crockpot with cooking spray and then place chicken breasts in there. Season chicken with poultry seasonings of your choice, black pepper and salt. (I actually never use salt in my recipes but I include it for those that like it).

2. Add minced garlic, mushrooms and the Marsala cooking wine to the crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours covered.

3. While the chicken cooks, prepare your side dishes and set aside.

4. After 5 hours, remove the chicken breasts from crockpot using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate or bowl. Mix together water and cornstarch using a whisk until fully dissolved and then add to the crockpot.

5. Return chicken to the crockpot, increase heat to high and cooking for another 30-45 minutes until sauce is thickened. 

Enjoy!

Cooking times may vary based on your slow cooker. I find my crockpot cooks a lot quicker on low setting than what some recipes recommended so adjust the temperature and cooking time based on the crockpot you are using.
 

Crockpot Skinny Chicken Pot Pie

Skinny Mom posted this Slow Cooker Pot Pie recipe late last year and I just had to try it. I love making use of my crockpot plus finding ways to cut calories in hearty recipes such as this one is always a win. I made a few small changes to the original recipe but overall I give this recipe 5 stars for being super delicious, fairly healthy (other than the biscuits) and easy to whip together.

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless, boneless chicken breasts
7 red potatoes, peeled (optional) and cubed
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
1 small yellow onion
2 cans Campbell's 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 bag Birds Eye Frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 cup celery, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
Black pepper (to taste)
Red Cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 can Pillsbury Flaky Biscuits (optional)

What To Do:

1. Place the cubed potatoes at the bottom of crockpot and layer chicken breasts on top.
2.  Evenly layer diced onion, celery and minced garlic over chicken.

3.  In a bowl, mix together the soup, milk, water and chicken stock. Stir in spices and seasonings and pour over the celery, onions, chicken and potatoes. 

4.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 4 hours).

5. 30 minutes before serving, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and shred with fork. Return to crockpot and stir in mixed  frozen vegetables. Cook for an additional 30 minutes.
6. Optional: Make biscuits according to directions on the package.

Enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Spiced Brisket

A coworker of mine shared her Spiced Brisket recipe with me and I changed it up to my liking. At first it seems like a lot of liquid to use but the brisket soaks it up nicely to create a juicy amazing taste and the leftovers are even better. 

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef brisket
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp mined garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 cups beef stock
1 cup ketchup
1 cup chili sauce
1 cup brown sugar

What To Do:
Pour 1 tbsp of olive in slow cooker and grease the bottom nicely before placing the brisket flat at the bottom of the crock pot.

Saute onions with remainder of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in the dry spices (paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic and onion powders, black pepper) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside. Pour mixture on top of the brisket and spread evenly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar. Pour over onion/spice mixture in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours (or 5-6 hours on high).

The consistency may look watery throughout cooking but the brisket really soaks up the juices and will help to keep it from drying up throughout cooking for that long period of time. Let cool for a couple hours before serving so the juices can set in even more.

We LOVED this recipe and briskets are great for leftovers because the flavor will soak up even more overnight.

Enjoy!

** We will be taking a break from the Recipe Swap next Tuesday 12/30 due to the holidays **

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Crockpot Pulled Pork

This was my first time experimenting with pulled pork and I really like this recipe I found online but changed it up a bit. We had leftovers for days which was great to make a quick sandwich for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds of pork butt roast

1 12 oz can or bottle of beer

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 onion chopped

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

What To Do:

Pour 1/4 of the can of beer into the bottom of crockpot and add pork. 

Mix remainder of beer, mustard, honey, garlic, BBQ sauce, cayenne pepper in a bowl until honey is dissolved. Pour mixture over pork in the crockpot and add chopped onions. 

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until pork is tender enough to shred. Turn pork half way through cooking and add water/BBQ sauce mixture if it begins to dry up. Once fully cooked, use two forks to shred and pull the pork apart.

Enjoy!

 

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Slow Cooker Pot Roast

**We'll be taking a break from the recipe swap for the next two Tuesdays (09/02 & 09/09) due to the long weekend and some travel plans lined up. Hope you'll come back to join us on 09/16.**

I've tried making pot roasts using different recipes and this was my favorite so far. I used the recipe on the back of the McCormick's Pot Roast Seasoning packet but used the veggies of my choice.

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless chuck

1 1/2 cups baby carrots

1 1/2 cups cut-up red potatoes

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 packet McCormick® Slow Cooker Pot Roast Seasoning

1 cup water

Serving size - 8-10

What To Do:

1. Grease crock-pot with Pam spray.

2. Place beef at the bottom of the slower cooker and layer with chopped veggies.

3. Mix seasoning mix and water until well blended. Pour over the beef and vegetables. Stir and cover.

4. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Stir well before serving.

I cooked for about 4 1/2 hours on high so it looks a bit mushy but it tasted incredible and was a very hearty meal.

Enjoy!

 

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