Caramel Apple Cider!

I am offering something different this week. I think one of the best treats of autumn and the upcoming holiday season is all the wonderful aromas that swirl around our homes, and especially in our kitchens. The scent of something apple cooking away is at the top of that list. Let me tell you, not only will this week's Crock of the week please your palate and warm your belly, it will make your house smell delicious! This is a nice thing to throw in the crock to feed a mass of kids with runny noses who have been playing outside for hours (or adults enjoying the outdoors, too!), and it makes them feel extra special when you top it with some whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel. It also works great for all of those holiday parties coming up in the next few months. It's a nice change of pace from hot chocolate. I used fresh cider from a local orchard, but with those closing up now, the store bought on the shelf will work too. Don't spend 5 bucks on one of these at Starbucks...make it yourself and save some cash!

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. A double batch works well in my 5qt Crock Pot.

Crock Pot Hot Caramel Apple Cider

4 cups apple cider (juice will work too if you can't find cider)
3 T caramel sauce (like ice cream topping)
1/2 T ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
whipped cream and caramel (optional)

Combine all ingredients into a 2 qt Crock Pot. Cook on low for 4 hours to let all the spices simmer together. Serve warm with whipped cream and some caramel drizzled on top.

**Tip: Keep the cider container and pour leftovers back into that to refrigerate. Reheats well!

This week's recipe is something that you may have prepared before in your oven, but honestly, you should make them in your slow cooker! STUFFED PEPPERS! They made our house smell REALLY good! And everybody feels special with their own little pepper on their own little plate :)

This recipe made 5 peppers and they fit well in my 6 quart crock pot (I took one out to cool down for my 3 year old before I remembered to take a photo, oops!). I probably could have fit a 6th one in too if I had to, but I used all the filling in 5 peppers. Look for wide & fat peppers with straight bottoms, as opposed to tall and skinny ones. The fat ones will sit in the crock better.

***TIP!! Traditionally, stuffed pepper recipes call for COOKED rice, but save yourself some time and use uncooked minute rice in the mixture! Works like a charm and saves you a dirty dish/pan too!

SLOW COOKER STUFFED PEPPERS

- 5-6 green peppers (yellow or red work too!)

- 1 lb ground beef

- 1 cup cooked rice or 3/4 cup uncooked minute rice

- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

- 2 T ketchup

- 1 tsp black pepper

- 1 tsp salt

-1/3 cup water

Wash peppers and slice the tops off, save tops. Scrape out the center/seeds. Mix the ground beef, rice, Worcestershire sauce,  ketchup, and salt & pepper together in a medium bowl. Generously fill each pepper with the meat mixture, and place in the crock pot. Set the tops back on each pepper. Pour the water into the bottom of the crock.

Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high. Serve each pepper whole! Yum!

Despite the fact that we had some days last week with near record high temps in the 70's, I am passing along a true chill-in-the-air-yummy-in-your-tummy classic recipe today, Slow Cooker Beef Stew! This goes great with some fresh made baked bread. It is also one of those recipes that you can tweak to your liking, by adding or taking out some veggies and seasonings. I like to throw in some seasoning salt when I make it.

NOTE: I have a 6qt slow cooker, so if yours is smaller, you may want to cut the recipe.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

-2 lbs cubed stew beef

-1T olive oil

-1 large onion, chopped

-3 ribs celery, diced

-4 large carrots, sliced

-potatoes of your choice (I use about 6 yukon golds, unpeeled) diced into bite sized pieces

-one 28oz can crushed tomatoes

-1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend

-3 cups reduced sodium beef broth, divided

-3 bay leaves

-1 cup frozen peas

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-1/2 cup all purpose flour

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then lightly brown the meat in batches. Transfer browned beef to a plate and set aside.

Dump the tomatoes into the slow cooker, then add the onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the vegetables and then add the beef and any drippings. Pour 2 1/2 cups of the beef broth over the meat and veggies. Stir and then add the bay leaves.

Cover and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, add the peas (no need to defrost first), salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth, creating a smooth paste. Stir into the stew. Cover and cook until thickened (about 15-20 minutes). Remove the bay leaves before serving.

The Crock is BACK!! Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches!

Julie's Crock of the Week on 97.7 WGLR is BACK by popular demand! The leaves are falling, the air is getting that chill in it, so that means it's time to pull out that crock pot! The first recipe for this season is one that can be enjoyed as a family meal, or as an awesome appetizer for your next football party! Serve it on large hamburger buns, or mini slider buns.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CAESAR SANDWICHES

-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing (I like the refrigerated kind near the salads in the grocery store)
-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons of dried parsley
-1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
-shredded romaine lettuce
-12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

Place chicken in slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from cooker and shred it up with two forks. Remove any water left in the crock, and then put the shredded chicken back in the crock. Pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until mixture is heated through an the cheese has melted.

Serve on buns with the romaine lettuce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese! YUM!

Crock Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage

Well, here we are! 70's expected this week for temps (yay!), so this will be the last Crock of the Week until the Fall. And since St.Patrick's Day is this Saturday, I am giving you a special crock pot recipe to celebrate the holiday of (some of) my ancestors, Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage! No need to go out for this, you can make it yourself, easily. Now, for some, this dish just isn't appealing no matter how it is prepared, but I made this for the first time last St.Patrick's Day, and I have to say, it turned out pretty well. It was pretty tender, not tough, which corned beef can be. I got the beef at my local meat shop, so check out your local shops, and get yourself a quality piece of beef, it makes all the difference, in my opinion.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

•4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces (I just buy a bag of shredded carrots)
•10 baby red potatoes, quartered
•1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
•4 cups water
•1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet
•6 ounces beer
•1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped
Place carrots, potatoes and onions on the bottom of the crock. Pour in the water, and add the brisket on top of the veggies. Sprinkle the spice packet on top of the meat (mine came pre-seasoned already) and pour the beer over the meat. Cook on high for about 7 hours.

Add cabbage, and cook on high for another hour. ENJOY! Happy St.Patrick's Day!

Now this pic isn't mine, I didn't make this over the weekend like I usually do with the Crock of the Week, because I am saving it to make on St.Patrick's Day!

Italian Chicken

Well folks, we are nearing the end of this weekly feature for the season. Spring is inching in, so I will shelve the Crock of the Week for now, and maybe bring it back in the Fall. Next week will be the last Crock of the Week. But don't cry, because here is another recipe to add to your collection, Italian Chicken. Super easy and tasty! My 2 year-old son gobbled this up like he was never going to get another meal in his life.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

4 to 6 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 envelope dry Zesty Italian Dressing mix

1 8oz brick cream cheese

1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (depending on how much 'sauce' you want

Place chicken breasts in the crockpot (I used frozen, and it worked just fine). Sprinkle the Italian dressing mix over the chicken. In a saucepan, melt the cream cheese on low heat with the cream of chicken soup. Pour mixture over chicken in the crock, and cook on low for at least 4 hours (at least 5 if using frozen chicken), but you can leave it on all day if you need/want to.

When done, you can serve how you want. I shredded the chicken in the crock which made for a good chunky sauce. Serve over pasta or rice. We used rotini pasta this time.

Slow Cooker Corn & Potato Chowder

OK, so no more naughty fudge cake for this week. Back to a good meal! Potato and corn chowder!! This hearty chowder will leave your belly full and your tastebuds happy too. Even my non-corn loving husband ate it. Although I don't think he is having leftovers, but that's his fault, not the chowder's :) And I am plugging an "As Seen on TV" gadget which helps me so much for recipes like this...the Vidalia Chopper. OMG, makes cubing potatoes and dicing veggies for recipes like this a BREEZE!

Slow Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder

-8 ounces (1/2 pound) bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled (I used the packages real bacon bits, I am all for ease in prep)
-2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (approximately 5 medium sized potatoes), NOT peeled, diced in 1/4 inch cubes
-8 cups (about 2 pounds) kernel corn (I used frozen)
-1 medium/large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
-1 cup chopped celery
-6 - 8 garlic cloves, crushed
-1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
-32 ounces (4 cups) chicken stock
-16 ounces (2 cups) half & half or heavy cream
-salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT half & half in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.

Blend about half the soup using an immersion blender or just scoop it into your upright blender then return to slow cooker. (Or if you are like me, and prefer easier ways, I just took a potato masher and mashed up the soup some in the crock pot, I like some potato chunks in my chowder anyway)

Add half & half or heavy cream and continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 15 minutes, until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe from the blog "Mama Loves Food."