Crockpot Heaven

all recipes compliments of cammi-pea (twopeasinabucket.com)


Cajun Chicken with Rice
Ingredients:
* 6-8 chicken tenders or 4-6 chicken breasts
* 1 can crushed tomatoes
* 1 can tomato paste
* 1/2 C chopped red bell pepper
* 1/4 C minced onion
* 3 tsp. minced garlic
* 1 1/2 tsp. Cajun season

Place chicken in the crock-pot. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8+ hours. Serve over rice.



Crock Pot Pork
Ingredients:
* 5-6 boneless pork chops
* 2 cans cream mushroom soup
* 1-2 cans cream chicken soup
* sliced potatoes and carrots

Add all ingredients in crock-pot. Cook on high for 3 hours and then on low for 3 hours. Serve over rice.



Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup
Ingredients:
* 5 Cups water
* 4 chicken bouillon cubes
* 6-8 potatoes (peeled and chopped into pieces)

Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

* 6 slices of bacon (cooked and chopped)
* 1 can evaporated milk
* Grated cheddar cheese (1 cup or more depending on your preference)

After cooking potatoes on low, add cooked/chopped bacon, evaporated milk and grated cheddar cheese. Stir into crock-pot and cook for another 1/2 hour until the cheese melts.
Serve in bread bowls or with homemade bread.



Basil Chicken
Ingredients:
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1 tsp dried basil
* 1 can cream of celery soup
* 1/2 green pepper, sliced

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Sprinkle with pepper and basil. Spread soup on top of chicken. Arrange slices of green pepper on top of soup. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 4 hours. Serve over pasta.



Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken
Ingredients:
* 2-4 chicken breasts
* 1 C chicken broth
* 1 C salsa
* 1 can corn (drained)
* 1 can black beans (drained)
* 1 pkg taco seasoning
* 1/2 C sour cream
* 1 C grated cheddar cheese

Place chicken in crock, pour broth, salsa, corn, beans and taco seasoning over chicken. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and place on plate or serving tray. Stir in sour cream and cheese. Shred chicken with 2 forks and return to crock-pot. Mix well and serve with warm tortillas and Spanish rice.

Mexican Chicken

Mexican Chicken (compliments of Paula Dean, foodnetwork.com)


Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cheddar cheese soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes
1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken
Unsalted butter, for greasing pan
1 (11 1/2-ounce) package flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by-9-inch pan with the cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the 3 kinds of soup and the tomatoes. Stir in the chicken. Layer the tortillas and the chicken mixture in the pan, beginning and ending with tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

Sczechuan Noodles

Sczechuan Noodles (compliments of barefoot contessa, foodnetwork.com)


6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup good soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
4 scallions, sliced diagonally (white and green parts)

Place the garlic and ginger in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the vegetable oil, tahini, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, chili oil, sesame oil, and ground peppers. Puree the sauce.
Add a splash of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook the spaghetti al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander, place it in a large bowl, and while still warm, toss with 3/4 of the sauce. Add the red and yellow bell peppers and scallions; toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature. The remaining sauce may be added, as needed, to moisten the pasta.

Spicy Sausage Meatloaf Patties with Italian Barbecue Sauce

Spicy Sausage Meatloaf Patties with Italian Barbecue Sauce (compliments of 30 minute meals, foodnetwork.com)


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped and divided
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
Salt and pepper, for seasoning, plus coarse black pepper for finishing sauce
1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 pound bulk hot sausage
3/4 pound ground sweet sausage
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs, 3 generous handfuls, Italian or plain
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
1/8 pound pancetta, 4 slices, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Splash red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
1 can petite diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce
Serving suggestion: green salad


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot, saute the red pepper, half the onions, celery and carrots together, 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper then remove to a plate to cool.

Mix ground beef and sausages with egg, bread crumbs, cheese, and cooled vegetables. Form 4 large oval shaped patties no more than 1 1/4 inches thick then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Place in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake 17 to 18 minutes, until cooked through.

Heat a medium sauce pot over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO to the pan and the pancetta. Let the pancetta crisp up a bit and render fat, then add onions and garlic and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add a splash of red wine to deglaze the pan. Stir in the beef stock and tomatoes and season sauce heavily with coarse black pepper. Add Worcestershire and hot sauce and reduce heat to warm.

Serve meatloaves with Italian barbecue sauce on top and green salad alongside

BBQ Chicken Burgers with Slaw

BBQ Chicken Burgers with Slaw (compliments of 30 minute meals, foodnetwork.com)


1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
1 small red onion, 1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 tablespoon hot sauce, eyeball it
1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick brand) a palm full
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons honey, eyeball it
1 lemon, juiced
3 rounded tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 cups shredded cabbage mix
Salt and pepper
4 cornmeal Keiser rolls, split


In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chopped onions, garlic and tomato paste and sweat them for 5 minutes to soften and sweeten. Sprinkle in sugar and remove from heat. Cool in a bowl, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire, hot sauce to bowl and combine. Add chicken to the bowl then grill seasoning and combine the burgers well to evenly distribute the flavors and form 4 patties. Wash up.
Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties 6 minutes on each side.

Combine the honey, lemon juice, and remaining extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl. Add relish, cabbage mix and sliced onions and season with salt and pepper. Toss the slaw to coat and reserve.

Serve burgers on bun bottoms topped with slaw and bun tops.

Taco Soup

Taco Soup (compliments of Paula Dean, foodnetwork.com)


2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

Cats and dogs galore....

More cuties......