(originally posted on WGLR.com on 11-25-13)

Well, the holiday food rush is here! Let your slow cooker help you get through all the holiday gatherings at your home over the next weeks. Here is an easy recipe that you can impress everybody with, Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce! Forget the “sauce” in the can that comes out with the ridges from the can on it (although I do love that stuff, haha!)! Throw this in your crock, and you’ll have a delicious, homemade cranberry sauce for all to enjoy. Plus, it makes your house smell divine! I think I love the smells created by crock pot cooking as much as eating the delicious creations that come out of the crock!

Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce

• 12 oz cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Put all ingredients into the crock. It will look like a lot of liquid, but don’t worry, it will cook down to a nice sauce. Cook on high for 3 hours, stirring every hour. After a few hours once the skins on the cranberries are soft, you can smash them against the side to “pop” them. It’s fun! Do it!

After 3 hours, remove the lid and cook another 45 minutes or so, until the sauce is a good, thicker consistency. It will thicken upon cooling and refrigerating, too. You can make this a few days ahead of time and store in the fridge!  It also freezes well. I made this the Saturday before Thanksgiving, froze it until Wednesday, then moved it to the fridge again, and it was perfect on Thursday for Thanksgiving!

Bell Pepper Stew with Ground Turkey

(originally posted on WGLR.com on 3-18-13)

Hard to believe this is my last Crock of the Week for the season (You’ll still get one next week, BUT it will be the winning recipe from “The Crock of the Week Crock Pot Giveaway!”).

So, remember, I told you at the New Year that you would be getting some healthier crock pot recipes because the Jacobs’ household was making an effort to get healthy? I am happy to say we have stuck to the resolution, haha! This soup is one I have made a few times for us in the last few months. It is delicious AND healthy, and works great for The Husband and I to take to work for lunches. Make a double batch, and you’ll have lunch at work for a week for you and another person.

So now, let’s talk ground turkey. Some love it, some hate it. It is a healthier option than ground beef, BUT I have to say I am not a fan of a regular old boring turkey burger. However, I am a HUGE fan of it in combination recipes. It works awesome for Mexican dishes like tacos, and also in Italian dishes like lasagna. So, if you aren’t usually a fan of ground turkey, give it a chance in this recipe. You won’t be disappointed. Don’t let the recipe name scare you away! This tastes like stuffed peppers in a soup, it really does! And a 1 cup serving is only 140 calories!!! For real!

GROUND TURKEY BELL PEPPER STEW

1.5 lbs lean ground turkey

1 onion, diced

salt & pepper

paprika

1 tsp minced garlic

30 oz canned diced tomatoes (you can use no-salt if you’d like)

32 oz chicken or turkey broth (I use low-sodium)

Two bell peppers, diced (you can use green, red or yellow. I use one green and one red)

4 oz uncooked brown rice

curry

Brown the turkey in a skillet with the onion, garlic, some dashes of salt & pepper and paprika. transfer mixture to the crock pot and add all the remaining ingredients. You can throw in some more salt & pepper and curry to taste if you would like once everything is mixed together.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.5 hours. Serve with some shredded mozzarella cheese if you would like.

Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

So far, I have only done soup meals, so this week, I am changing it up a bit! I LOVE chicken breasts AND stuffing. This easy crock pot recipe combines 2 of those loves wonderfully! The chicken gets so tender, and the cream soup mixed with the chicken juices makes a bit of a gravy for the dish. The spices and herbs in the stuffing infuse into the chicken, so no need to add salt and pepper or anything, in my opinion! Delicous! I also did this once with turkey breast cutlets, and that was good too, the turkey didn't dry out at all.




Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (about 4), fresh or frozen (I use frozen usually)

1 can cream of mushroom OR cream of chicken soup, whichever you prefer

1/3 cup milk

1 box stuffing (I use Stove Top cornbread stuffing, but you can use any flavor you like)


Lay the chicken on the bottom of the crockpot. Lay them as flat as you can, try not to stack (although that will still work, don't panic!). Mix the soup and milk together, and pour over the chicken. Prepare the stuffing per directions on the box (usually just adding water and melted butter), and then layer that on top of the chicken.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.