Crock Pot Recipes

I think that the Crock Pot (or slow cooker) is one of the best things ever invented. It can make life SO much easier. For me, it seems I have time to think about dinner early in the day but by the time it's time to make dinner, there is no time! So, this useful little tool solves my dilemma. There are so many YUMMY! recipes for them. One of my favorite recipe books is the "Fix It and Forget It, Lightly" book. I found mine at Sam's club for less than $10. I thought I would share a couple recipes that are super, super easy and just as yummy!

Swedish Meatballs (lower fat)

Meatballs (I use the ones from Sam's club they're about $12/bag)
fill the crock pot about 1/2 full with meatballs

2 cans of chicken broth (I use low sodium)

2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

Cook on low for 4+ hours.

About 15 minutes before serving, remove all meatballs and mix in 2 Tablespoons of corn starch and mix until lumps are gone.

Return meatballs to crock pot and let cook for 15 minutes or until sauce is thick. Serve over rice or noodles.

I got the original recipe from "Fix It and Forget It, Lightly" they made turkey meatballs it would be lower fat, but that was too much work for me! ;)

French Dip

2-4 pounds Sliced Roast Beef (frozen or from Deli)

2 cans beef broth

1 Au Jus seasoning pack

1 Italian Dressing packet (dry)

Put in crock pot and let cook until warmed all the way through. This can cook as long as you want it to.

Serve on rolls. Yummy!!!

I hope you like them. If you try them be sure to let me know if you and your family enjoyed them.

Rocky Road Popcorn

I just wanted to share this recipe with all of you. I've taken it to the church Christmas Party and served it at our Polar Express movie party in our theater room. And it was a hit!!! After some fine tuning I think we've got it where we really like it. I don't put the almonds in mine because I am allergic to nuts so I just call it Triple Chocolate Popcorn for me. If you need a higher resolution copy let me know. And you might take some copies of the recipe with you to hand out because you just might get asked...


fonts: American Typewriter and CK Becky - I made the popcorn elements and the background paper too.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Quinoa

In our Enrichment Food Group this week, a couple of our sisters taught us how to cook using Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah). Have you heard of it? It is an amazing little "Super Grain". The Incas called it the "Mother Grain"

Our information says it is "packed full of protein (9 amino acids - making it a complete protein), calcium (more than milk), Omega 3 Fatty acids, a good source of manganese (necessary for metabolizing calcium), Vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and copper and Fiber (1/4 cup has between 5-6.5 grams of fiber).

The sisters bore their testimonies about following the Word of Wisdom more fully and the blessings that come by eating meat sparingly and adding more grains into our diets.

"Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

"And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

"All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth" (Doctrine and Covenants 89:12-14)

You can use Quinoa for substitutes... meat substitute in ground meat recipes, grains in rice recipes, and for beans in Mexican recipes. You can add it to soups, salads, salsas, breads, cookies, pilafs, and more. Cook it at a 1:2 ratio Quinoa:Water..(like rice) but it cooks a little faster.

She showed us how to cook it and let us taste test a bunch of different dishes. I am sharing a recipe that she gave us. I made it for dinner last night and my husband LOVED it!

Thai-Style Lettuce Wraps

1 chopped onion
3 chicken thighs, or 2 large breasts finely sliced
1 TB oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

In a large saute pan, combine all ingredients and cook over med-high heat until chicken is no longer pink. Add into the pan:

1 C water
2 TB soy sauce
2 square inches worth of grated fresh ginger root
1 chicken bullion cube
1/4 tsp Thai red curry paste (to taste)
1 tsp. curry powder
3 TB peanut butter (+/-)
1 tsp basil
Dash of nutmeg

Bring all ingredients to a boil, stirring continuously. Cook until a thick consistency is reached. If it gets too thick, just add more water. Now add in:

1 C cooked white quinoa

Stir to combine, remove from heat. Serve in lettuce leaves with lime juice.
Great toppings:
shredded:cucumber, carrots, red cabbage
Flaked coconut
Chopped peanuts
Cilantro, sweet peppers
Anything that you think would be great

You can also choose to leave out the chicken and just do a vegetarian wrap!
Enjoy!

My favorite fall pleasure is....

Baking!!

I enjoy baking so much in the fall. I don't know what it is. I even enjoy cooking more. Many of my posts over the next few months will probably be food related, just because that is what I find myself doing this time of year. A few of you asked for my Cinnamon Roll recipe from my Traditions post, so here is is:

Sweet Dough

2 C. Hot Milk
1 Cube margarine
1/2 C. sugar
2 1. salt

Combine and let the margarine cool.

Add:
2 T. yeast
4 eggs
7 C. of flour and NO MORE!!! (dough will be sticky, add more flour when you roll them out, as needed)

Let it rise until double in size then roll them out. If I am making them for just my family, I split the dough in half. I make one half cinnamon rolls, and the other half yeast rolls. They are delicious both ways. For the cinnamon rolls:

Roll the dough out in a square shape about 1/2 inch thick. Spread with melted butter, and then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top. Then roll it up from the long side. Once you have it all rolled up nicely, then I use a piece of string to cut them. Slide the string under the roll about an
1 1/4 inches in then cross the string and pull it down. It cuts the dough so nicely. Lay down on a greased cookie sheet, and let them rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 14-18 minutes, until starting to brown on the edges.

Glaze: You want this to be runny.
milk, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix together to the consistency of a runny glaze. Spread on the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.

For the Yeast Rolls:

I roll the dough out in to a big circle about 1/4 of an inch thick. Then spread with melted butter. Cut the dough like a pizza, into 16 slices. Roll the dough up from the biggest. side. They will look like crescent rolls. Lay down on a greased cookie sheet, and let them rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

A whole batch of Cinnamon rolls will make about 24.
A whole batch of rolls will make about 30.
Half and half will be 12 cinnamon rolls, and 16 yeast rolls.

ENJOY!!

This is my other fall favorite:

The summer that we moved home from Saba, we stayed with Jonathan's parents for about a month. Jonathan's mom had made homemade granola, and I couldn't wait to get up in the morning and eat it. Since that time, she taught me how, and I make my own.

I love to make it in the fall. It seems like such a fall food. The smell of it baking is such a pleasure to the senses. I enjoy eating this plain, just like a bowl of cereal. It is also great on yogurt, or on your favorite cereal to give it a little crunch. I want to share this favorite with you.

Nutty Berry Granola
4 C. regular rolled oats
2 Cups puffed brown rice
3/4 C. Bran Flakes
3/4 C. wheat germ
3 Tbs. raw sunflower seeds
3 Tbs. chopped nuts
1/4 C. dry milk
Combine this together in a big bowl, and stir well.
Heat:
3/4 C. honey
1/3 C. olive oil
together and stir until well-blended. Do not boil; stir in:
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla

Spread onto a large non-stick baking sheet. Bake 1 hour @ 225. Stir every 20 minutes.
Add: 1/2 C. dried cranberries
1/2 C. dried blueberries the last 10 minutes, and toss gently.I double this recipe, and then store it the #10 cans that food storage comes in. It is so delicious. I hope you enjoy it too.

Christmas Traditions

Christmas is such a fun time of year. I love the feeling in the air, the caroling of the bells, the hustle and bustle of people in the stores. It's a time to make memories, a time to remember, and a time for traditions.

My husband and I have been married a little over two years, so this will be our 3rd Christmas together. Thus far, we have spent Christmas with our families, but one day we will want to wake up in our own beds for Christmas morning and have our children experience being in their own home for the holidays. Combining Family traditions has been fun, and it will be interesting to see what of those traditions we will want to carry into our family. Some are to help us remember the true meaning of Christmas, some are goofy games, but all are cherished memories. We have a few traditions, it's hard to just pick one to share, so I will broaden it a little and tell you about what we eat!

* Christmas Eve we have Fish and Chips (Fish and French Fries) for dinner because that is what the Savior ate. My dad has always been a big fisherman, so we have a good fish fry! It's an easier dinner so we can get to bed earlier.

*For breakfast we have Homemade Cinnamon Rolls that I make the night before from an amazing cookbook I got from one of the Arlington, VA. Ward...here's the recipe:

Cinnamon Rolls

2 1/4 C. hot water
1/2 C. butter
3/4 C. evaporated milk
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. dry potato flakes
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. yeast
4 C. flour
4-5 (more) C. flour

~Combine hot water, evaporated milk, and butter. Add to the above the sugar, salt, and dry potatoes. Add one at a time and mix the (4 C.)flour, eggs, and yeast. Mix for about 4 minutes. ~Add remaining flour (4-5 C) until it pulls away from the side of the bowl. Place in bowl and allow to rise until double (about 1 hour).
~Divide dough in half (or thirds, depending on pan sizes). Roll out; spread with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture (1/2 C. sugar and 2 Tbsp. cinnamon). Roll up and cut with a string in 1 inch slices. Place in pan and allow to rise about 1 hour.
~Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes. Frost while still warm.

Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp butter
4 1/2- 4 3/4 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

~In a small mixer bowl, beat butter till light and fluffy. Gradually add about 1/2 of the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in the milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in remaining powdered sugar, then additional milk, if necessary, to make frosting of spreading consistency.

A Christmas Treat

For my Christmas post (better late than never), I have a fantastic recipe which makes an excellent and a not-so-ordinary replacement for a typical plate of Christmas cookies to give out to friends and neighbors. Last year I gathered all necessary ingredients, assembled them in layers in cute decorated Christmas bags (you could of course use jars or whatever), printed off directions sized to fit on a business card and tied them to the bags. I even made extras to have handy when carolers and unannounced visitors came to our door. Here goes:

Cranberry Waffle Mix

1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. dried orange peel
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries (coarsely chopped)
Layer ingredients in order listed.

DIRECTIONS
1 recipe Cranberry Waffle Mix
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk or orange juice
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 TBSP. butter, melted

Preheat waffle iron. Place contents of the waffle mix in a bowl. Stir until well blended. Whisk together buttermilk, milk (or o.j.), egg, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Stir in melted butter. Add addtional milk (or juice) 1 Tbsp. at a time if batter is too thick. Cook in waffle iron as directed.


They make very yummy waffles!! Enjoy!

Go To Dinner

I'm all about doing what I can to make my crazy life simpler. So, I get pretty excited when I find a recipe for a fast, easy, budget friendly dinner that is healthy for my family. AND as an added bonus, my kids did not barter with me to be excused from the dinner table prematurely when I made this. I should note that I discovered this recipe from one of my Weight Watchers cookbooks called Winner's Circle. If you are a watcher of weight, this recipe is 5 points per serving.

Bean Burrito Soup

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (16 oz) can fat-free refried beans
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 tbsp. canned chopped green chiles
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 (6-inch) fat-free flour tortilla, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
6 tbsp. shredded red. fat cheddar cheese
6 tbsp. fat free sour cream (I didn't even use this, but it would be good)
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro (I omitted this also, but yum!)

Bring the broth and beans to a boil in a large saucepan over med. high heat. Add the mixed vegetables, chiles, garlic, and chili powder; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended and the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.

Divide the soup evenly among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with about 2 tbsp. tortilla strips, cheese and sour cream, then the cilantro.

I usually like to have at least one vegetarian meal a week and this is a great recipe for that reason. If you truely wanted to make it vegetarian, you could use vegetable broth.

Enjoy!