Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 1-19-15**

One of the meats I cook with most in my crock pot is chicken. We love chicken in our house, and it’s so versatile with how you can cook it and what you can put it in, like soups. I came across this week’s recipe online as a healthy crock pot recipe. It is only 200 calories per serving, and this recipe makes 4 servings. It’s easy to throw together, and I had most ingredients in my house already actually. Now, I am generally not a fan of mustard, but this is delicious. The honey balances out the mustard nicely, along with the other spices and ingredients. The original recipe says to cut the chicken in strips, but I chose to shred it up and serve it over mashed baby red potatoes, SO GOOD! The sauce from this is pretty tasty, which is why I chose to serve it over potatoes, but you can just serve it on it’s own if you would like with a side of your choice.  I did thicken the sauce up to make it a bit more gravy-like (2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp cold water, then added to the crock pot), and it was really delicious.

Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon country-style (coarse-grain) mustard
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper

Place chicken in the crock pot, and add sliced onions on top. In a small bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients, and then pour over the chicken & onions in the crock. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Serve on it’s own or shred up to serve over potatoes or rice. If you want a thicker sauce, add in 2tsp corn starch dissolved in 1 Tbsp cold water at the end.

Crock Pot Beer Cheese Soup

Well, this is it, folks! The last recipe of Season 3! Thanks for another fun season, I so enjoy chatting with you all about crock pots and recipes :) This week's recipe is from the GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the Crock of the Week contest! Congratulations to Bernadine Mezera from Boscobel! You all need to make her recipe, it's delicious! Crock Pot Beer Cheese Soup! When this recipe was randomly chosen as the winner, I admit that I was a bit afraid because I wasn't confident that a great beer cheese soup could be made by me, but I was so wrong! This is restaurant quality beer cheese soup! Now, neither my husband or I are beer drinkers, but he does like the occasional Blue Moon, which is a wheat beer. So I went with that, since I knew there would be extra to drink up. It worked well, but you can use any beer of your choice, but I suggest not getting a cheap one or using a light beer.  Also, get a block of cheddar and shred it up instead of buying the already shredded stuff, which is more dry and has a chemical on it to keep it from sticking together. Go for the block cheese here. 

CROCK POT BEER CHEESE SOUP

(FROM BERNADINE MEZERA)

32 OUNCES CHICKEN BROTH

16 OUNCES BEER

1/2 CUP CORNSTARCH

1/4 cup BUTTER, MELTED

1 CUP CARROT, DICED VERY THIN

1 CUP WHITE ONION DICED VERY FINE

4 OUNCES CREAM CHEESE

8 OUNCES SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE, GRATED

SEA SALT, ABOUT 1 TEASPOON

BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE

ADD CHICKEN BROTH AND BEER TO SLOW COOKER, AND WHISK IN CORNSTARCH AND BUTTER UNTIL SMOOTH.

ADD CARROTS AND ONIONS TO SLOW COOKER.

COOK ON LOW FOR 8 HOURS.

ADD CREAM CHEESE AND SHREDDED CHEDDAR, AND SEASON WITH SALT, ABOUT A TEASPOON IS WHAT I USED, ADD GRADUALLY TO YOUR TASTE.  ADD PEPPER TO TASTE.

LADLE INTO BOWLS, AND SERVE IMMEDIATELY.

Crock Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe

Last week, Mr.Jacobs was my guest “Crocker,” kicking off the new year with a low-cal healthy recipe. I must point out that he has lost 110 pounds in the last year, in large part to the healthy and delicious recipes I whipped up in my crock pot for us. So proud of him! So, if your New Year’s resolution is to get healthier, have your slow cooker help you!

Another New Year resolution that many make, is to save some money, and groceries are a good chunk of everybody’s budget. Slow cookers can help you stretch your pennies, too! So, this week’s recipe helps with that resolution, Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe’s! This recipe is made with ground beef, and was honestly REALLY good! Better than I was expecting it to be. Depending on how lean your beef is, this recipe costs about $10 total to feed your whole family, and that includes the buns to serve it on. Now, I realize this isn’t an “authentic” Philly Cheesesteak, but get over that. It tastes darn delicious anyway!

Crock Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 large onion, slivered
• 1 large green pepper, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (optional…I didn’t use)
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 can condensed french onion soup (or beef broth)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella or provolone (or a combination of both)

Brown the beef in a pan with the garlic. Don’t break it up too much, you want some good sized chunks. Drain fat and place into slow cooker with onion, green pepper, and mushrooms (if using). Toss with the flour and black pepper. Pour soup and Worcestershire sauce over the mixture and cook on low for 4-5 hours.  Sprinkle the cheese on top and replace the lid for a few minutes to let it melt.  Serve on buns/rolls. I think it would be tasty over pasta or rice, too!

German Dinner in the Crock Pot

**originally posted on WGLR.com on 12-23-13

This week’s recipe is a unique one! I came across this recipe a year or so ago, and having a lot of German heritage in me, thought I should make it! Don’t dismiss it before trying it, it really was delicious. And there is beer in it, so that can’t be bad! Although, if you are one of those people who absolutely cannot stand sauerkraut, then this recipe isn’t for you, haha!

German Dinner in the Crock Pot

2 rings smoked sausage, sliced into 3 inch pieces
2 pounds sauerkraut
8 to 12 red potatoes, washed and halved or quartered depending on the size
1 onion sliced
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 apples, cored and sliced
2 bottles (12 ounces) beer
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

Lay the potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then add onion, apples, bacon, and sauerkraut. Place sausage on top. pour in beer, brown sugar, and caraway seeds.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3.

Slow Cooker Ham Tot Breakfast Casserole

**originally posted on WGLR.com on 12-9-13

‘Tis the season for overnight holiday guests! Or just for more hearty breakfasts to warm your belly and carry you through the day. This dish is perfect if you have some family or friends staying at your home for the holidays, for a holiday brunch, or for Christmas morning, especially since opening presents may come before breakfast that day, if you have kids in the house! Eliminate the need to prep breakfast, and enjoy the time with your loved ones with this week’s “Julie’s Crock of the Week,” Crockpot Ham Tot Breakfast Casserole! I did a similar recipe back in season one of Julie’s Crock of the week that used shredded potatoes, but this one uses tater tots (which are their own food group, right? ha!).

Now, this would work best if you have one of those fancy programmable crock pots (I have asked Santa for one this year), because you can make it go to a “warm” setting at 4 or 5 am so it doesn’t scorch at all. I just cook it overnight, but my crock has a hot spot that does make some crispy edges. BUT, I just scoop that part off, and the rest is fine to eat  Just a heads up! You know your own crockpot the best. Also, another “hazard” of this is that the delicious smell of breakfast may wake you in the middle of the night and confuse your mind and body, LOL!

Also, the tater tots WILL NOT HOLD THEIR SHAPE. So, don’t expect that to happen. If you overcook, it may become too mushy for some, but I liked the consistency. My husband said he really enjoyed it, too. This original recipe is called “bacon tot casserole” but that is with Canadian bacon, which I think is more like ham. So I changed the name 

Slow Cooker Ham Tot Breakfast Casserole

• 1 lb. frozen tater tots
• 1/2 lb diced Canadian bacon or ham
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 6 eggs (or 1.5 cups egg substitute)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• salt & pepper

Use a 4-5 quart crock pot for this. Layer ingredients in order: one third of the tater tots, bacon, onions, green peppers, and cheeses. Repeat layers two more times, ending with cheeses. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, and flour and beat with whisk or egg beater until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture over layers in crock pot.

Cook on low for about 6 hours. Could be less, could be more, depending on your crock pot. If you have a programmable one, I’d set it on low for 4 to 5 hours, then switch it to warm until you wake up to eat it.