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.

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.

Chicken and Dumplings

PHOTO CREDIT

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
4 T unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped carrots
6 T all-purpose flour
6 - 8 c vegetable broth
1/2 c lowfat milk
1 c frozen peas
1 - 2 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
2 T minced fresh chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings
2 c all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/4 c minced fresh chives
2 T unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c lowfat milk

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery sauté, about 8-10 minutes. Whisk in the flour, scraping any brown bits of the bottom of the pan. Add the vegetable broth, milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Season to taste.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and chives. Gently mix in melted butter and milk, until mixture just comes together (DO NOT over-mix or dumplings will be dense).

Drop dumpling batter into the simmering stew by heaping teaspoonfuls. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes (DO NOT uncover while the dumplings are cooking, as steam will escape). Add peas, chicken and chives. Taste for seasoning one more time.

Easy Veggie Pot Pie

Recipe Courtesy of allrecipes.com (Modified)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large carrots, diced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch wide
1/2 cup peas
1/2 - 1 cup edamame (optional)
1 cup fresh green beans, snapped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. If using a bottom crust, roll out 1/2 of the dough to line an 11x7 inch baking dish.** Cook the bottom crust alone for 8 - 10 minutes.

2.Heat oil in a pot. Cook onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in all other veggies and broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are barely tender. Season with salt and pepper.

3.In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir into vegetables, and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

4.Pour the filling into the pastry lined dish. Roll out remaining dough, arrange over the filling, and seal and flute the edges.**

5.Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown.

**Alternatively, bake 1/2 the filling with the crust in an 8x8 size dish, and freeze the other half for next time.

Chicken Pot Pie

Recipe Courtesy of Dani
Modified

INGREDIENTS
2 pie crusts (store bought or homemade)
1/2 - 1 lb chicken (depending on preference), cooked and diced
5 red potatoes, diced
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (or make your own!)
1 bag frozen peas and carrots - thawed
1 sweet onion - diced
butter
milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of water (salt optional) to a boil. When ready, add potatoes and boil until tender.

Meanwhile, heat about 1 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet. When the butter is bubbly, saute the onion until it's translucent and fragrant. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, chicken, vegetables, onion, and potatoes. Add milk as needed to get the consistency you prefer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Either build the pie traditionally (crust on top and bottom), or ladle into individual (oven-safe) bowls, mugs, or large ramekins and place crust on top only. Cook 40 - 45 minutes, or until crust is done and pie is golden-brown.

Chicken Noodle Soup

When you are sick, there is nothing like Chicken Noodle Soup. Sometimes, I choose to make my own. In the time it takes you to open a can, you can have homemade soup.

Okay, I lied. It takes longer to make homemade soup (obviously). BUT, it doesn't take as long as you think and it is SO much better. You can change up the ingredients according to what you like, in the portions you prefer!

When I am sick, if I have enough energy, I whip up a huge pot of this stuff and eat off it for several days. Warm, comforting, and just how I like it! Thank you to my mom, who taught me that there is nothing like homemade soup to make you feel better. Someday, I'll make it for my kids, just like she made it for me!

PHOTO CREDIT

INGREDIENTS
1 chicken breast, already cooked (or poach the chicken while you complete the rest of the soup)
3 stalks of celery
2 full size carrots
several green onions
chicken broth
egg noodles, or homemade noodles

DIRECTIONS
Chop celery, carrots, and onions. Bring a few cups of chicken broth to boil in a large pot. Add celery and carrots. Cook until almost tender. Add more broth to fill pot, and cook noodles until tender. Stir in onions and chicken and heat through.

When storing, make sure there is sufficient broth, as the noodles will absorb some broth in the fridge.

'Say What?' Meatballs

Recipe Courtesy of Janet Wynn

Upon reading this recipe, I wondered who in their right mind would have chosen to put this list of ingredients together. But, one of my best friends said it was a family favorite, so I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised.

Later, I learned this is actually a well-known recipe. Who knew?

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs:
2 lb. ground beef
1 c. bread crumbs
3 eggs
1 pkg. onion soup mix

Sauce:
12 oz. Heinz chili sauce
16 oz. can whole cranberries
(I couldn't find these at my grocery store, so I reconstituted dried cranberries)
16 oz. sauerkraut (drain well)
1 c. brown sugar
12 oz. water

DIRECTIONS

Put the sauce together and let simmer while you assemble meatballs. Mix meatballs together, form, brown in skillet, put in Pyrex, pour sauce on top and bake 325 for 1 1/2 hours, uncovered. Expect it to look a little weird.

The recipe suggests serving over rice or noodles, however I prefer to serve it with mashed potatoes. I also tend to serve the meatballs without all the goop on top. This way I can taste all the yummy flavor without experiencing the weird texture of the cranberries and sauerkraut.

A very comforting meal indeed!

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.