Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Allrecipes
Photo by Our Best Bites

Ingredients
1/2+ tsp. kosher salt
1/2+ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of olive or cooking oil
3 lb. beef roast, trimmed of excess fat
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 16-oz. jar sliced pepperoncinis, undrained
Crusty sandwich rolls (for sandwiches)
Sliced provolone cheese (for sandwiches)

Directions
Heat oil in a pot or high-sided skillet over high heat. While the oil is heating, combine the salt and pepper and rub it into the meat. Add more if necessary. When the oil is hot, sear the roast on all sides so the outsides of it is browned and a little crispy. Transfer the roast to a slow cooker and add the minced garlic and the entire jar of pepperoncinis. If possible, cook on high until the liquid comes to a boil and then turn it to low and cook until the roast shreds easily with a fork, for a total cooking time of about 6-8 hours. If not possible, cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the beef is fork tender.

For sandwiches, slice the rolls and spread lightly with mayonnaise and then top with the shredded beef. Add a slice of provolone cheese and then place under the broiler for 1-3 minutes or until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Makes 12 large sandwiches.

Freezer Instructions: Prepare the meat through the searing stage. Allow it to cool. Place the roast in a gallon-sized freezer bag or a large freezer safe container. Add the pepperoncinis and the garlic. Seal and freeze.
When ready to cook, place in a slow cooker and cook on high for 6-8 hours or on low for 8-10 hours. Serve on toasted crusty rolls with melted Provolone cheese.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Can be Slow Cooker)

Recipe and photo courtesy of allrecipes.com
Modified

Ingredients

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
(Uncooked chicken breasts for slow cooker method)
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
vegetable oil

Directions
1.  Saute onions with vegetable oil in a large pot until translucent.  Add garlic and saute another minute.

2.  Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro.
3.  Simmer on low at least 30 minutes.  It tastes even better if you simmer a long time.

4.  Serve topped with crispy tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream.

Slow Cooker Directions

Place uncooked chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker.  Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken and serve topped with crispy tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream.
 
Serves 8.

Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Allrecipies
Modified

I have come to the realization, as a new mom, that there are some days you just don't have time to make dumplings from scratch.  So I am beginning to compile easy, low-prep dishes.  This one is a great start!

Ingredients

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
Frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, etc)
Chicken broth
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Directions
1.Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of a large slow cooker.  Season well with pepper and onion powder. Top with butter, veggies and soup.  Fill slow cooker with enough chicken broth to cover the mixture.

2.Cover slow cooker, and cook for 4 hours on High or until chicken breasts are done.  Shred chicken and return to pot.

3. Place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Add more chicken broth, if needed (the dumplings will soak up some of the liquid as they expand).  Cook about 2 more hours on high or until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

This is my easy prep Chicken and Dumplings. For an awesome homemade dumpling recipe, click here.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Allrecipes.com
Modified Somewhat

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 package dry onion soup mix
3/4 cup water
3 pounds pot roast
2 pounds red potatoes
Baby carrots
Black Pepper
Cornstarch

Directions
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and sprinkle with pepper. Add red potatoes and baby carrots on top. Sprinkle again with pepper. Cook on High setting for 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Place potatoes, carrots and meat on a serving platter. Strain gravy into saucepan. In a separate cup, make a slurry with some of the gravy and the cornstarch. Wisk into gravy and stir to thicken. Season further if needed. Top potatoes, carrots and meat with gravy and serve.

Mom's Mock Marie's

Tastes similar to Marie Callender's Navy Bean Soup

Recipe Courtesy of MOM

Serves 6 hungry people

INGREDIENTS
1 Sm bag navy beans
1 pound bacon
1 med yellow onion
2 lg carrots
3 lg celery stalks
1 can chopped tomatoes
4 c chicken stock (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Wash, clean and drain navy beans. Place in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil for 10 minutes then place in crockpot.

Slice bacon into small pieces, chop onion into small pieces, dice carrots and celery into tiny pieces. Sauté bacon until crisp, drain, and add onion, carrots and celery. Sauté for several minutes until veggies begin to get tender. Pour mixture over beans in crockpot.

Add canned tomatoes. Cover with water (or chicken stock) one inch above mixture in crockpot. Add one teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Cook on HIGH for 6 hours. Halfway through cooking time, mash some of the soup (or use immersion blender). This helps the soup to be creamy and thick. Add more salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

Note: The longer the beans cook, the better the flavor.

Serve with cornbread or warm tortillas.

Crockpot Beans

Recipe Courtesy of Carla and some of the ladies of the Sanger Ward

INGREDIENTS
1 - 2 pounds dried pinto beans
Water
Salt
Onion or garlic (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Rinse and inspect dried beans. Place into large crockpot. Fill crockpot to the top with water and add a good amount of salt. Add a bit of onion or some garlic cloves (optional). Cover and cook on high for 8 - 10 hours. Stir, taste and add more salt if needed. Serve with slotted spoon. Can also be mashed and refried.

Faux-tisserie Chicken

I don't think I'll ever poach a chicken breast again... Seriously.

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Our Best Bites
Thank you Sara and Kate for letting me borrow your photo for just a bit! I will take my own next time, I promise. And next time will be soon... you can count on that!! :)


INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken, small enough to fit in your slow cooker
Salt-based seasoning (Garlic salt, Seasoning salt, Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper with salt in it, etc. Just make sure salt is one of the first ingredients on the label.)
Whole garlic cloves, peeled
OPTIONAL:
Fresh Herbs

DIRECTIONS
Make 3 balls of aluminum foil and place them in the bottom of your slow cooker. These hold the chicken off the bottom so the hot air can circulate all around the chicken and so it's not stewing in its own juices.

Rinse chicken, including the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken on its back so the breast is facing up and the legs are on the plate. Pull the skin up all around the chicken. Slice a few garlic cloves in half lengthwise and stick them under the skin. You can also arrange a couple sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and/or sage under the skin. This makes a very pretty chicken when it's all cooked and adds a lot of flavor.

Rub salt-based seasoning VERY liberally onto the skin of the chicken. Place chicken breast-up on the foil in the slow cooker, cover, turn heat to low, and leave it alone for 7-8 hours.

The meat will be so tender it will literally fall off the bone. Don't expect the skin to be too crispy. For people like me, who don't eat skin, the skin is just the wrapper for the moistest chicken ever!!

Use for any recipe that calls for cooked chicken.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Recipe from A Year of Crockpotting.

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (I prefer a leaner cut - like a tenderloin)
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Use a 6 quart crockpot. Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in 2 cups of ketchup, warm water, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Tabasco and salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. This is especially yummy piled on a roll with a little BBQ sauce and coleslaw.

Salsa Chicken

Throw the following in the crockpot:

- Chicken breasts (2-3 depending on your preference)
- Black beans (2 cans, rinsed)
- Corn (2 cans, drain most of the liquid, unless your salsa has a lot of moisture. You want a little bit of liquid in the crockpot.)
- Salsa
- A healthy sprinkling of some sort of Mexican seasoning (taco seasoning, cumin, etc)

Cook 6-8 hours on low, or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to pot and stir to mix. Fill tortillas with mixture and top with choice of toppings (avocado, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, etc). It's all about the toppings.