"Grown Up" Green Bean Casserole and Savory Sweet Potato Bake slow cooker recipes

I went to New York for 22 hours this week, and got to cook with Rachael Ray! We talked Thanksgiving in the slow cooker, and how slow cooking is the best thing ever when in comes to Thanksgiving (or any Holiday, really) because the cookers do all the work while you get to enjoy your guests.

I'm so happy I got to go --- it was a great experience, and Rachael couldn't have been any nicer. And! I didn't cry!

It'll air on Monday, November 18th, right in time for you to plan your Thanksgiving dinner. Oh! and Whoopie Goldberg was in the dressing room next to mine and I saw her in the hall but I didn't want to be the freak who hunts down celebrities so I just did a little nod like a cool, calm, collected person would.

I want to share the recipes with you that I made on the show. I came up with them last Saturday after talking with their culinary crew --- they wanted something a bit different. I think you're going to love these, but I must admit that I never took any pictures at all when I recipe-tested. I was too pumped up on adrenaline and our house is in absolute chaos right now because we are moving.

Tomorrow.

(more on that later, but it's a house that is 5 houses away and it doesn't have a kitchen except for one from 1947 and that doesn't count because there is no dishwasher or even a garbage disposal. BUT! It's bigger than this one and I get to have an office for the first time ever and now I have a picture of me and Rachael to hang in it!)

"Grown Up" Green Bean Casserole
serves 8-10

3 tablespoons salted butter
1 1/2 pounds sliced white button mushrooms
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp of each)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup chicken broth
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces 
1 cup French’s onion topping, optional (to add before serving, optional, NOT gluten free)
[just learned on Facebook that a good GF alternative are FunYuns! :-) ]

Heat butter in a large skillet until it has just begun to brown. Add mushrooms and stir. Cover, and cook on medium heat for a good ten minutes, stirring every so often, until mushrooms have shrunk in size and have wilted. Add 2 turns of the pepper grinder to the pan. This will take longer than you think it should – but don’t rush the mushrooms!
Add the onion to the mushrooms, along with a few more turns of the pepper grinder and a light sprinkling of kosher salt. Stir. Cook on med-high heat until the onions are translucent. Drop in the cream cheese and chicken broth. Cover the skillet again, and cook on medium heat until the cheese has melted fully. Turn off the stove.
Put the trimmed and rinsed green beans into an empty 6-quart slow cooker insert, and pour the mushroom mixture evenly over the top. Stir to disperse ingredients. Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours, or on high for about 2 hours. Stir again, and serve as-is, or top with a cup of French Fried onions or the smashed FunYuns.

Savory Sweet Potato Bake
serves 8 to 10

1 tablespoon salted butter
5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, and sliced in 2-inch rounds that are about 1/4-inch thick.
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
14 to 16 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
2 cups heavy cream

Smear the  butter all over the 6-quart insert of your slow cooker. Put 1/3 of the sweet potato rounds into your slow cooker, and sprinkle on 1/3 teaspoon of chipotle chile powder and a 1/3 teaspoon of kosher salt. Add 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers until you have run out of ingredients. Pour heavy cream evenly over the top.
Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours, or on high for about 2 hours.

 The Verdict.

They are both so tasty!! I know there's some work to do with the green beans in that you've got to brown the mushrooms and then the onion, but the end effect is amazing. Don't put the onions into the pan until the mushrooms are brown, though, because evidently the mushrooms won't brown because of some reason I can't remember. And I'm kind of jet-lagged and may have had an $8 bottle of Sutter Home wine on the plane.

Anyway. VERY GOOD. The sweet potatoes have a mellow heat that sneaks up the back of your tongue and the salty flavor of the gruyere is to die for. But, Adam didn't really like them. He sort of wants his sweet potatoes to remain sweet. But that's okay because I can make them that way, too!

Have a wonderful day!

Here are some more Thanksgiving Recipes if you need them!:
Round up 1 
Round up 2
Holiday Food

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Fiesta Chicken Casserole in the Slow Cooker

Happy January 15th! Research shows that most people have given up on their New Year's Resolution by now. I can see that, since I'm eating spoonfuls of frozen cookie dough while I type, right now... (the calories disappear when frozen, right?)

What about you? Did you have a resolution to cook more at home this year? Meal plan? Make the switch from white to brown rice?

or just cut back a bit on the cookie dough?

This dinner will help with all of those things. It's a spoof on the brown rice and chicken casserole and salsa chicken --- two of my absolute favorite dinners. We ate it for 3 days straight --- this is a lot of food!

The Ingredients.

serves 6, easily

1 1/2 cups raw brown rice, rinsed
1/2 cup broth or water (I used  beef broth, because I already had an open carton in the fridge)
1 cup prepared salsa
1 (15.25-ounce) can corn (with juice!!)
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 to 4 chicken breast halves (frozen ok)
8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. You might want to spray the inside of your stoneware, first. No need if you're using the Ninja. Place the rinsed rice into  the bottom of your pot (the rinsing isn't necessarily to wash the rice, but to get it wet so there's added moisture).
Stir in the water or broth, salsa, the entire can of corn, and the drained black beans.
Place the chicken breast halves on top, and layer on sliced cheese.

 
Cover, and cook on low for about 7 hours, or on high for 4 hours. If the rice is still hard after this time, cook longer (check every 30 minutes or so).

 I cooked ours for 1 hour on high, then 6.5 hours on low. Your meal is done when the rice is cooked, and the chicken is no longer pink. If you are out of the house all day, set it to cook on low for 7 hours, and then let the pot stay on the "warm" setting until you return home.

 

The Verdict.

I was worried about this dish. I was concerned that I had too many different components in the pot and that the rice would either turn to mush, or never cook. That didn't happen ---- instead the rice cooked beautifully in the broth, salsa, and corn liquid and had a fantastic flavor without needing any additional seasoning. I used a mild salsa, and it was perfect for our family.
The cheese was thick and coated the chicken beautifully. My kids liked scooping the rice and cheese up with tortilla chips.

Wonderful!!

I wanted to share with you that my friend Crystal has just released her first EBook, and it's on meal planning. If you have never meal planned, or are looking for meal plan inspiration, this is the resource for you. It's only $0.99 right now, and you should snatch it up, because I'm going to advise Crystal to raise her price. :-)

Happy Tuesday to you!

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Tangy Black Bean Soup Slow Cooker Recipe

I can't believe I hardly posted during Crocktober. Someone should really take away my internet license. If you are joining me from the east coast, please know that I'm thinking of you and hope that you are reading this somewhere in a safe, well-lit, cozy, and dry place. 

If you are able to do so, here is the information to donate to The Red Cross to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.  Every little bit helps. Thank you. 


I've got a beautiful, velvety black bean soup for you today. The tang comes from three kinds of citrus-- lemon, lime, and orange. You can prepare this completely and totally vegan by using veggie broth, and steer clear from the liquified chicken that I used  (I already had it in the pantry).

We share the leftovers with my friend Jenny, and she reported back that the lemon twist at the end was a nice surprise and a great flavor combo.

The Ingredients.

serves 8

1 pound black beans, soaked overnight and drained

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1 orange, juiced

1 lime, juiced

4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable!!)

1 lemon, sliced in wedges for serving (not pictured in the ingredients, and the one pictured in the final shot looks like a lime because I plunked it right off the tree and it wasn't ripe yet! oops.)

The Directions. 

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the soaked and drained black beans into your slow cooker.

for a quick soak method: place dried beans into a large saucepan on the stovetop with a bunch of fresh water. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and cover the pot. Let the beans sit for at least one hour before draining.

 Add the tomatoes, garlic, bell pepper, and all dried spices. Now add the orange and lime juices, and stir in the broth until the spices and broth are completely distributed. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans are completely soft. Blend with a hand-held stick blender (I use this one, but mine is white) or carefully scoop the soup into a traditional blender and pulse until the soup is fully blended.

Serve each bowl with a lemon wedge, to use at the table for an even more pronounced burst of citrus.

The Verdict.

This soup feels like a vacation in a bowl. The bit of heat from the chipotle chile powder is washed away by the fresh citrusy tang. My whole family loved this soup, as did our neighbors! I kept my soup pretty light, but Adam and the kids added cheese, sour cream, and avocado slices to their bowls (and Tostitos scoop chips....).

I hope you had a very happy and safe Halloween. My kids all went out, although the baby (now 2 1/2) really just wanted to stay home and eat loads of candy. I somehow scheduled orthodontist appointments for my big kids later today, so they really did a top-notch job of flossing and brushing last night --- which makes me wonder if I should just make this a standing appointment? Hmmmmm.

In honor of NINJEMBER (it's okay to groan and roll your eyes....), click on over to the review page---- I've got a Ninja Cooking System giveaway up, just for you. Good luck to all, and happy slow cooking!!

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Slow Cooker Mexican Black Beans Recipe

I've perfected black beans. Which is a good thing, since Safeway had a buy-one-get-one-free deal and I still have 5 unopened bags in the cupboard.

side note: the kids and I are *fascinated* by that Extreme Couponing show--- holy cow! What are they going to do with 84 boxes of Captain Crunch?

anyhow. 

It's summer, and I have fully embraced the "I don't want to do anything" vibe that summer gives off. We're staying up too late, sleeping in, watching mindless television, (Wipe Out? really? who comes up with these things?) and sometimes forgetting personal hygiene. 

you know, typical summer time stuff....

but yesterday I wanted to have something to show for myself, so I got up early and plugged in the crockpot. 

and then went back to bed. 

The Ingredients.

serves 8-10 as a side dish

1 pound black beans, soaked overnight, then drained

(if you don't have time to soak overnight, no problem. Put them in a large pot, and cover completely with water. Bring to a rapid boil for 10 minutes, then turn off stove and cover pot. Let your beans sit for 1 hour, then drain water and put beans into crockpot)

6 cups chicken broth (if vegetarian, use veggie broth; I'm concerned water won't provide enough flavor)

6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, or 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Soak your beans overnight and drain (or use quick soaking method described above). 

I've heard that you should water your outside plants with the bean water, but I've never done so--- I really should give that a try.

Put the drained beans into your slow cooker, then add the chopped garlic, broth, tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder. Stir well to combine.

I used bouillon cubes for my broth. If you're on a low-sodium diet, you may want to use low-sodium broth, or only use 5 cups and then 1 cup of water--- I've been cutting out salt and these beans tasted salty to me, but Adam and the kids thought they just tasted "good"--- 

cover and cook on low for 8 hours. If you live in a high altitude area, you may need to cook for longer. We're at sea level and my beans were perfect at 8 hours.

The Verdict.

Everyone in my house loved these--- I ate them alone, but Adam and the kids had them alongside quesadillas and rice. The baby had 3 servings (small plastic bowls) and then painted the highchair with bean goop.

The seasoning is fantastic--- the cumin and chili powder complement each other nicely and I liked the bits of tomato and garlic. If you want some heat, opt for a can of tomatoes and chiles (Rotel)-- there is no heat here, just flavor.

This morning, the beans have soaked in more of the liquid, but taste marvelous, even cold. If you'd like to freeze in batches, be aware that the beans will break down a bit-- no biggie, unless you'd like them picture-perfect.

would pair well with:

carnitas

fajitas

tacos

creamy tacos

vegetarian tortilla soup

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Slow Cooker Creamy Tacos Recipe

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

This is a compensated post by BlogHer and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and is part of the Real Women of Philadelphia project. This is the first out of four recipes.  

Raise your hand if you're a pretty lazy cook.

Raise your hand if you don't really like to cook.

ME! I'm raising two hands! pick ME! ME! ME!  

Whenever I speak to groups of people, the audience acts surprised when I admit that I don't really like cooking. 

Don't get me wrong--- I cook daily, read cookbooks faithfully, watch Food TV constantly, and enjoy exploring new recipes and flavor combinations.  

But the actual act of cooking? The dicing, slicing, preparing, and handling?

not my favorite.  *

This is why I like love my slow cookers so much. I love that I can toss food in, push a button and walk away.  

And when you pair PHILADELPHIA's new Cooking Creme with the slow cooker, you've got the ultimate in lazy cooking.

Life just couldn't be better.  

* much of this probably stems from the fact that I've got a toddler firmly attached to my leg while I'm trying to chop, and can usually overhear the other two arguing in the living room.
Zen Cooking? it just doesn't happen in our house.


The Ingredients.
serves 4-6 2 pounds chicken breast pieces (mine were frozen solid)  
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes (you can use garlic-seasoned, or plain in a pinch. I wouldn't do tomatoes with chiles if feeding kids)  
1 (10-ounce) container PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme--- Santa Fe flavor
taco shells or corn tortillas

optional fixins': sour cream, avocado slices  
optional add-ins to stretch the meal to feed more people: 1 cup frozen corn, or 1 can corn, drained, 1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed  


The Directions.  

Use a 4-quart slow cooker (if adding the optional add-ins, a 6-quart might be a better fit). 

Put the chicken into your cooker. Add the entire can of tomatoes. Scrape out all the Cooking Creme (lick the container. It's GOOD!)  
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Stir well and serve in taco shells or corn tortillas with your favorite toppings.  

The Verdict.  

Okay. These are delicious. I love, love, love that I can get dinner done within 6-and-a-half minutes in the early morning without needing to put on my contacts. 

This seriously couldn't be easier to throw together and I love not dirtying up a cutting board. The kids ate everything on their plate and my nine-year-old had seconds (Adam had thirds).

The Santa Fe Cooking Creme has a fantastic flavor--there is no need to add any additional seasoning. There's definitely a kick, but not enough to bother kid tongues. I do think it would be too much for us with added chiles (if you wanted to use tomatoes and chiles).
 

I will make this again. Happily.  

Here's a snaphsot of the ingredient label (click on the photo to make it larger). 

Have you heard of the Real Women of Philadelphia? It's a play on the Real Housewives tv show franchise (I got sucked into the Beverly Hills and the DC Housewives, but then canceled the extended cable and now no longer get that channel. probably a good thing.)

Anyway--it is/was a cooking contest sponsored by PHILADELPHIA and the finalists have been selected. the winner will be announced during a Streaming Online Live Event on June 30th hosted by Paula Deen.


All of the finalist recipes are available to peruse/test out online at the Real Women of Philadelphia's Recipe Page. 

Which looks good to you?

Want to read more? Visit the Promotions & Prizes section of BlogHer.com for more PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and Cooking Creme recipes and reviews.

also, over on Totally Together I wrote a bit about starting a family game night. It's not all sunshine and roses (in fact, last night's Apples to Apples ended up in crumpled cards and an early bedtime...) but lots of great life lessons can be learned through card/board games. 

Have a fantastic day!

Bean and Cheese Burrito Casserole Slow Cooker Recipe

 

If you didn't get enough of a Mexican food fix yesterday for Cinco de Mayo, here's an easy recipe that will make everyone in the house happy.

and since today's Friday, it's probably more appropriate to have your celebratory margarita today, anyway. 

Right?

or another.

it's okay. I don't judge.

The Ingredients.

serves 8

1 small onion, peeled and diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (4-ounce) can roasted green chiles, undrained

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

8 flour or brown rice tortillas (brown rice tortillas are GF; read packing carefully)

4 cups cooked pinto beans (three 15-ounce cans, drained)

4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

optional garnishes: sour cream, sliced avocado, etc.

If you're going to use dry beans instead of canned, this is how you do it.

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. If you only have a large one, that's okay--but reduce cooking time a few hours.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, chiles, and spices. 

(hey steph, can I just use Rotel instead of the tomatoes and chiles? Yup. The volume will be slightly different, but I really don't think that this will be a big deal while it's cooking.)

Put a layer of tortillas into the bottom of your cooker---you may need to tear them a bit to get good coverage. Add a scoop of the onion/tomato mixture and layer on a healthy spoonful of beans and then a layer of cheese. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients. Top with a healthy dose of cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours (if using a 6-quart, do 3 to 4 hours on low, then let it click over to warm--there's nothing really to cook--you're just heating thoroughly and getting the cheese to get that yummy crust).

Top with desired fixens'.

The Verdict.

I chose to keep this vegetarian because that's how the kids like it, but you can certainly add some shredded chicken or beef to the mix. I like making casseroles like this near the end of the week, because we can use the leftovers for lunch when we're all home. We tend to grab lunch on the run during the weekend (Costco hotdogs, anyone...?) and I'm trying hard to continue my meal planning---even on my "days off."

Have a wonderful weekend! Happy Mother's Day!

need brunch ideas? here you go!

more Cinco de Mayo fun:

fajitas

easy chicken tacos
tamales (impress your friends!)
tamale pie
enchilada casserole
enchilada chili
carnitas
taco dip
chimichangas (so much fun!)
albondigas soup
rotel and sausage dip
Mexican Breakfast casserole
tortilla soup

carnitas

chile verde

and then for your leftover drink mix:
margarita chicken

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Vegetarian Tortilla Soup Slow Cooker Recipe

Soup! for vegetarians! I get an email (or six) daily telling me that I need to make more vegetarian dishes. I know. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to exclude you, I promise. I just sometimes forget that dinner isn't synonymous with meat.

I really like this soup. I like that the dried beans add protein and fiber, and I like the smoky flavor from the paprika and chipotle chile powder. There's some heat here, but if you use the floating pepper trick instead of cutting, the heat doesn't burn but instead nicely warms.

also? totally vegan-friendly if you skip the cheese I sprinkled on top.

The Ingredients.

serves 8

1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight

1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups vegetable broth

4 cups water

4 whole serrano chiles
baby spinach (to add later, optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the presoaked beans into your slow cooker. If you don't have time to soak the beans overnight, you can quick soak them by boiling rapidly on the stove for 10 minutes, and then letting the beans sit in the closed pot of hot water for 1 hour. Drain and then put into the cooker.

Add the entire can of tomatoes, the onion, and the garlic. Follow with all the spices and then pour in the broth and water. Wash and float the uncut peppers on top.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5. Remove the chiles before serving. If desired, drop in a few handfuls of baby spinach into the pot and stir. The spinach will wilt quickly! If you'd like, garnish with shredded cheese or sour cream (or both!)

The Verdict.

My girls found this soup too spicy, but Adam and I both really liked it. Your sinuses will clear, but it's not offensively hot. If you're worried, tone down by not adding all 4 chiles.

I ended up adding the end of a bag of Tostitos to the kid servings but the kids really weren't that impressed. If you'd like to stretch the leftovers, try stirring in some already cooked rice or pasta when reheating. It freezes quite well!

day 3 of Crocktober!

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Slow Cooker Cheese Enchilada Stack Recipe

How is it May already? Someone has been screwing with the calendar and been pressing the fast forward button.

I made a well-received dinner the other night, and figured out how to make enchilada sauce using pantry staples that tastes like enchilada sauce instead of watered down tomatoey water.

All by myself.

except for the part where I got a little help from the Internet.

I love the Internet.

The Ingredients
serves 6

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (the whole can)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion (or 1 small onion, finely diced)
8 corn tortillas (check labels for hidden gluten)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4-ounce) can sliced olives, drained
6 tablespoons sour cream

The Directions

First off, this is vegetarian (well, except that I used chicken broth because I always have chicken broth in the house, and I think vegetable broth kind of smells like compost).

If you want to add meat, you should use already cooked pork, beef or chicken (great use for shredded chicken!).
This is NOT because the meat won't cook---it definitely will, but while it cooks, it will give off so much liquid that your enchilada stack will be soggy and gross.

And nobody wants that.

Anyhow. Use a 4-quart slow cooker. In a large mixing bowl, make enchilada sauce by combining:
broth
tomatoes
spices
onion
Stir well and set aside. Put a layer of tortillas into the bottom of your slow cooker (you may need to tear a few). Add a handful of cheese, and some sliced olives. Scoop a large spoonful of sauce on top. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until cheese has melted, is brown and bubbly, and the top layer has begun to pull away from the sides. Let it sit unplugged for about 15 minutes before serving with a dollop of sour cream.

The Verdict

We all cleaned our plates. It's a bit messy, but this tastes fantastic and was super easy to throw together.
You could make this on Wednesday, which happens to be Cinco de Mayo!
Already.
how is it May? what is going on?
I must be getting old. or something.

other stuff you should make for Cinco de Mayo and then invite me over because we've got nothing planned:

fajitas
easy chicken tacos
tamales (impress your friends!)
tamale pie
enchilada casserole
enchilada chili
carnitas
taco dip
chimichangas (so much fun!)
albondigas soup
rotel and sausage dip
Mexican Breakfast casserole
tortilla soup

and then for your leftover drink mix:
margarita chicken

also, I thought I'd post a review and give away today on Totally Together Reviews, but it's not quite ready to go yet.
Instead, you can get your give-away fix over on my friend Shirley's blog!

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Chicken Enchilada Chili

It is officially chili weather.

It's been raining an awful lot here, and since I'm in California, and part of living in California means complaining every time it dips below 60, I've been making a lot of hearty comfort food.

I'm very happy that we've never lost power, so my slow cookers could continue to bubble away unattended while I watched the gutter outside overflow onto the sidewalk and lawn.

I may have even taken some video.

This is a fun twist on traditional chili, and I finished off the last little plastic container this morning. Like many soups, stews, and chilis, the leftovers are even better than the original!

The Ingredients.
serves 6

1 1/2 pounds chicken (boneless & skinless, OR fish out the bones and skin after about 4 hours)
1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce (read labels carefully if avoiding gluten)
2 chopped celery stalks
2 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes with seasoning (your choice: I had garlic and olive oil on hand)
2 (15 oz) cans pinto or kidney beans, undrained (or 1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight)
1 onion, diced (or 1 tablespoon dried, minced onion flakes)
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin

The Directions.

Pour enchilada sauce and canned tomatoes into the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Add beans, celery, onion and spices. Stir to combine. Place chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until flavors have combined. If you are using dried beans, you may need to cook longer to fully soften the beans. Since I was using the chicken quarters I got on sale, I fished out the chicken after about 4 hours, and removed the bones. I then stirred the chicken back into the pot.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

The Verdict.

Oh I LOVED this chili. And I loved it even more that Adam and the kids loved it, and that the baby doesn't seem to mind when I eat beans. I made an afternoon snack of nachos with some of the leftovers yesterday. Divine.

There is definitely a bit of heat in the sauce. I used a mild enchilada sauce, but it still has a kick. If your family doesn't like much heat, start with 1 teaspoon of chili powder. You can always add more later to taste.

Gluten Free Progressive Dinner
and a Make it Fast, Cook it Slow give-away!

This month's Gluten Free Dinner theme is "Winter Warmers," and here's a listing of all the participants:

Creamy Potato Leek Soup
Roasted Cauliflower Soup with GF Croutons
Fire Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Prosciutto
Mexican Seafood Soup
Vegan Un-Chicken Roasted Vegetable Soup
Wassail (this is my recipe! and Shirley is giving away a signed copy of my Make it Fast, Cook it Slow cookbook. Click over and leave a comment under her post for entry by January 27th)

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Slow Cooker Green Pepper Chicken Recipe

I've been inspired lately by reading $5 Dinner Mom and Family Feasts for $75, and have started to trim down our grocery bills. Meat is definitely the biggest expense on the shopping list, and I'm realizing that our family of four doesn't need to be eating quite as much as we do. I usually plop 4 chicken breast halves into the slow cooker without thinking, but for this dish I used 3.

Guess what? We still were full, and there was still some leftover for Adam to take to work the next day for lunch. Go figure. We ate our chicken tucked into corn tortillas and had a side of basmati rice to soak up the yummy juices.

The Ingredients.
serves 4.


3 chicken breast halves
2 large green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 (7-ounce) can whole or diced green chiles (mine were mild)
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon dried minced onion, or 1 large yellow onion, diced finely
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream (to add before serving)
corn tortillas, optional

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of the cooker, and add the bell peppers and the whole can of chiles. Add basil, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir a bit to combine. Pour in the 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for 3-4.

Before serving, use tongs to remove the chicken, and set aside. Using an immersible blender, blend the peppers and sauce left at the bottom of the slow cooker. If you don't have an immersible blender, carefully(!) pour the slow cooker contents into a traditional stand blender and pulse until fully combined. Pour back into the cooker.

Stir in sour cream until melted. If you don't have sour cream in the house, plain yogurt or cream cheese would work just fine---this is only to thicken the sauce a bit and to mellow out the peppers and chile flavor.

Slice chicken, and return to the cooker. Set to high for 20-30 minutes, or until your dinner is fully hot. Serve the meat in corn tortillas, or over rice.

Or both!

The Verdict.

I've gone on the record saying I don't like green peppers. I really don't---they remind me of soggy cafeteria pizza. But they are MUCH less expensive than red, yellow, or orange peppers, and since the flavor is so pronounced a little goes a long way. Adam and the kids don't seem to mind the flavor, and the kids actually eat raw green pepper dipped in ranch, something I would never do. So I took one for the team.

I'm happy to report that I really liked the flavor when cooked like this, and when paired with the chiles. The chicken turned green, which the kids thought was neat. They happily ate their chicken over rice with a ladle full of sauce, but ate their corn tortilla as a quesadilla.

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Slow Cooker Mexican Breakfast Casserole

We went to a museum opening last weekend, and my brother's mother-in-law, Shari (hi Shari!) told me that she had a breakfast casserole with green chiles that I should really make. She said she'd email me the recipe.
This isn't her recipe. She hasn't had the opportunity to email hers, and I didn't have the patience to wait, or the perseverance to bug her.
so I made this up.

I think she'd like it.

The Ingredients.
serves 8, easily.

corn tortillas (I didn't count them. Maybe I used 8? 7?)
8 eggs
2 cups fat free milk
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (7-ounce) can green chiles, drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tiny onion, diced
1 cup corn (I had leftover fresh corn from the weekend, but frozen would totally work)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round slow cooker. Butter or Pam the inside of your stoneware. Put a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom---you may have to tear some to make them fit nicely.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients, and whisk together. Pour about 1/2 of the mixture into the slow cooker, on top of the tortillas. Put in another layer of tortillas, and top with the remaining egg/milk/cheese/other stuff mixture. Top with another layer of corn tortillas.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. If your cooker seals well (my 4-quart has a plastic lid, and a lot of condensation builds up), uncover 15-20 minutes before serving and cook on high to release condensation and to firm up the top a bit. You know your breakfast is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges have begun to brown and the cheese gets a bit crispy on the sides.
Adam really likes crispy cheese---the kids do not.

The Verdict.

I loved this. LOVED it. The chiles were not spicy in the slightest, and Adam added salsa to his bowl. The kids picked out the "green stuff" but ate the rest just fine. I served this for dinner a few days ago, and have been eating leftovers for breakfast and lunch the past 2 days.

If you don't have corn tortillas in the house, or would prefer to go another way, you can pour the egg mixture on top of a bag of frozen hashbrowns, just like I did in this recipe.

If you have sausage or other meat you'd like to add, go for it, but take out the salt, and season to taste at the table.

other great slow cooked breakfasts:

hashbrown casserole
overnight breakfast casserole
overnight breakfast sausage and potatoes
egg, feta, and mushroom casserole
overnight grits
pancakes
granola

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CrockPot Chile Verde Recipe

Good morning! I swear I haven't fallen from the face of the planet. I'm here. I took a week off from all things crockpot.
But now I'm back!

and better than ever!

or just back.

I had a really neat conversation last week with a mom at the softball field, and she was telling me about her husband's hunting trips and how he likes to make chile verde with wild boar. It sounded wonderful. Except for the wild boar part. She mentioned that he once put in some homemade sausage that had a lot of sage in it, and it really made the dish "pop"---so now they always toss in a lot of sage. After some googling, I learned that a lot of verde recipes use sage.

I don't really have a way to end this thought.

You can do what I did, and make the Chile Verde by scratch, or you can totally go the lazy way, and get a bottle of salsa verde from the store and pour it on top of a hunk of meat. That is perfectly okay.

The Ingredients.

4 pound chuck roast, or pork shoulder/butt (I used a chuck roast)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 (4 ounce) can diced chile (mine were mild, your choice)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
10 tomatillos, diced (peel off the outer wrapper, if they have one)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sage
1 Tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart. Trim any visible fat from the meat, and plop into your slow cooker stoneware. Add diced bell pepper and onion. If your tomatillos have the leafy-outer skin left on them, take the skin and stem off, and dice finely (I used the pampered chef chopper thingy. You can pulse in a food processor, instead, if you'd like). Pour in the contents of the diced chile can and the tomato can. Add spices. Stir a bit to get the spices down the sides of the meat. Add chopped cilantro to the top.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, high for 6, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. After 7 hours on low, my meat was still pretty tough, so I chopped it into large chunks, and put it back in the pot for another 2 hours. By then, it had shredded nicely for me.

Serve with rice, corn tortillas, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. oh! and refried beans.

The Verdict.

Delicious. 3 out of the 4 of us ate this happily, and the other had a quesadilla. The meat was super tender, and had a good flavor. Ours was not spicy *at all.* If you'd like more heat, you can add more red pepper or top with some jalapeno slices at the table. Adam and I had the meat the next day for lunch, and it had even more flavor.
If I was going to make this for company, I'd maybe cook it over night, shred the meat, then keep it on low during the day to soak up the sauce flavor throughout the day.
If your slow cooker releases a lot of steam through a vent hole, put a layer of foil over the stoneware, then put the lid on. You want a lot of moisture to tenderize the meat. Be super careful when removing the foil----the steam will be quite hot.

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