Double recipe fun this week! Chicken and Dumplings and more!

This week I am sharing another great comfort food...chicken and dumplings! This is an EASY recipe, which makes it even better! Not to mention how delicious it is. There is just something about tender chicken made in a crock pot, I love it. Feel free to make it your own by adding peas, carrots, mushrooms, whatever you would like!

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about a pound and a half)
2 Tbsp butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
4 refrigerated biscuits (I used the flaky layer type)
Place chicken in crock pot, and add the butter. Pour in the chicken soup and broth. Dice up the onion, and add to the pot, along with the parsley.

Cook on high 4-6 hours. When chicken is tender, break it up into pieces (I removed each breast and shredded it on a plate, then put it back in the crock). Now it is dumpling time! Cut each biscuit up into 9 pieces, and stir them into the pot. Cook for another half hour on high. You can also add additional chicken broth at this point to get the thickness you desire with this dish. Enjoy!




This week, we have a bonus recipe!!! Congratulations to Kevin Honahan, winner of Rural Route 1 Popcorn's Wild Game Recipe Contest! Way to go!

THAT'S A CROCK OF BUCK!

2 pounds of venison steak or roast

1 Can Golden Mushroom Soup

1 Small can of mushrooms

3 Carrots Sliced

1 Large Onion Chopped

1 Cup water

4 Small Potatoes Skinned and Quartered

¼ Teaspoon of Pepper

Put all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high 5 to 6 hours.

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

With Thanksgiving this week, and Christmas just a month after that, I thought I would share a crock pot recipe that will help you if you have to feed breakfast to some company staying with you during the holidays. That's right, breakfast! In the crock pot! Amazing! Or this would also work for a holiday brunch you may be having or attending. Now, the recipe in itself isn't anything mind-blowing, it is pretty basic ingredients, but the fact that it is ready when you wake up, and that people can help themselves on their own (sometime hectic) holiday morning schedule, is the great thing about it. Be warned that you will smell this in the middle of the night whenever you wake in bed, if you choose to cook on low overnight. It smells great, but I think it made my body wake up earlier than I wanted to on a weekend morning! Haha!

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

Cooking spray
1 - 30oz package frozen shredded hashbrowns
12 eggs, whisked
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp seasoning salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. COOKED sausages, cut up or ground up (I used ground turkey breakfast sausage, or you can use traditional sausage links or patties) OR leftover ham, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. Spray the inside of the stoneware with cooking spray (don't forget to do that!). Dump in the whole package of shredded hash browns, breaking up any clumps. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, then add seasonings, meat, cheese and veggies. Pour everything on top of the hasbrowns in the pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4. The casserole is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges start to brown a bit.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

This week, I decided to bring a beef recipe into the mix! One of the best things I like about using a slow cooker, is the great comfort foods you can create. Beef Stroganoff is one of those dishes to me. Nothing better than meat and cream cheese combined together, right? This recipe has just a few ingredients too, which is also a plus! This can be served over noodles (which is my favorite), rice, or even mashed potatoes. Leftovers heat up well too.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

2 cans Golden Mushroom Soup

1 large onion, diced

1/2 cup water

3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

2 pounds cubed stew meat

1 - 8oz brick cream cheese

In the slow cooker, combine all the ingredients, except the meat AND the cream cheese. Then add the meat and mix together.

Cook on Low for 8 hours. Cut up the cream cheese into cubes just before serving and turn crockpot on high. Stir the cream cheese in until all combined. You might have to put the lid back on and leave for 10 minutes. Serve over egg noodles, or whatever else you think it would be tasty on top of!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Penne

This week's recipe is not one of my tried and true recipes, this is a new one! I got it last week from a friend on Facebook, and thought that it sounded so delicious, that I simply had to try it ASAP. So I threw it in my pot this weekend, and it is so tasty. My husband LOVED it. It is a bit of an untraditional crock pot recipe, and it does have a bit of a kick to it. But there is enough "cooling" ingredients to bring the kick down a bit. And you can control the hotness of it by what wing sauce you choose to use. I used Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce. To cut some fat, I used light sour cream and light ranch dressing, worked fine. I also didn't put any salt in. My 2 year old gobbled it up, so if he can handle the heat, you know it isn't THAT bad! This one is great for football Sundays.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Penne

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb, thawed and chopped bite size)
1 medium onion (chopped finely)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
3/4 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
1 cup Sour Cream
1/8 tsp of Salt
1/2 to 1 tsp of Black Pepper (to taste)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 lb. Penne Pasta (cooked)

Use a 5-quart slow cooker. I used my 7 quart, and I shouldn't have, things got a bit burned along the edges. Place in the chopped up chicken and diced onion. Mix together the cream of chicken soup, buffalo wing sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over chicken and onion. Stir. Cook on low for 7 hours.

Once 7 hours is up... start to boil water for the pasta. At this point add the sour cream, cheese and ranch dressing to the slow cooker. Mix well. Continue to cook on low while the pasta cooks.

When the pasta is al dente. Drain. Mix into the buffalo chicken sauce. Let stand 5 minutes. Enjoy on it's own or with a few slices of garlic bread!

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.

Hashbrown Potato Soup

This week, I am giving you one of the easiest cream of potato recipes ever. I love this soup, and make it often in colder months. We top it with shredded cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits, so it tastes just like a loaded baked potato. It is filling enough to use alone as a meal, or it also works as a nice side dish or first course. And by using frozen hash browns, you don't have to spend time cutting up potatoes! I have also thought that chopped up ham would work well in this recipe, but haven't tried it. So if you try that, let me know how it tastes! Also, if you are looking to make a healthier version, I use the 98% fat free soups and low sodium chicken broth. It still tastes great!

Hasbrown Potato Soup

1 bag frozen shredded hash browns (30 oz)

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

32oz chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in your crock pot (use at least a 5 quart size pot). Cook on low for about 6 hours.

before serving, top with some shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or bacon bits.

Slow Cooker Autumn Applesauce

Here is Julie's Crock of the Week from the week of October 10, 2011:

Slow Cooker Autumn Applesauce

14 medium apples, peeled, cored & cut into chunks (I used Jonamac apples)

1/3 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Place the apples in the crock pot. Sprinkle brown sugar and spices on top, and stir to get the spices on all the apples. Pour cider in. Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Makes about 6 cups.

I am not a fan of really chunky applesauce. I take a whisk to the mixture when it is done to make it smoother. But it still has a pretty substantial consistency to it. Whatever you prefer!