Crock Pot Wild Rice Soup

This.meal.is.delicious.

That's all.

Really though, it turned out great. :) It is the perfect Fall evening meal. And it is super super easy!

Ingredients

1/2 cup Brown Rice
1/2 cup Wild Rice [I used Trader Joe's Rice Medley]
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 [32oz] Chicken broth
1 [14.5oz] can Chicken broth
1 tsp dried Thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 small garlic, minced
4 chicken tenders, shredded after cooked

1. Stir rice and oil in crock pot, cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.

 3. Carefully pull chicken out about 30 minutes before serving.

Shred chicken, then place back in the crock pot for about 30 minutes.

3. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

A few posts back I made Pizzadillas with a Marinara sauce for dipping. Well, I sure didn't want to waste the sauce since we only used a tiny bit of it. So, I decided to make some chicken cacciatore. I had fun with this meal because I used whatever I had in the home. :) It turned out great and Taylor really liked it!

[Johnny, this dish is easy! Sense a theme? I think you could put this on before you leave for work and all you'd have to do once you're home from work is cook the pasta. Worth a try right?! Let me know what you think. Ps. This dish is even better the next day- big plus!]

Crock pot Chicken Cacciatore 

Ingredients

4-5 chicken tenders [You can use breasts, tenders is what I had]
Rest of Marinara Sauce [1 jar of Marinara Sauce]
1 [14.5 oz] can of diced tomatoes Italian seasoned
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2-3 small garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
dash of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Kickin' Chicken Seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
Spaghetti
Parmesan Cheese, topping
Dried Parsley, garnish

How to:

 Add frozen chicken to your crock pot.

 Add Marinara sauce.

 Add diced tomatoes and cooking wine.

Add minced garlic, onion, and spices.

[Sorry I didn't take pictures after adding the garlic... Oops!]


Cook in crock pot on LOW for 6-8 hours. 


After it's cooked, shred the chicken with 2 forks before serving. 

 Plate w/ cheese and dried parsley.


ENJOY!!

Broccoli Casserole

Our meatless meal this week was a Broccoli Casserole dish. I have to confess though, I was seriously nervous on how this was going to turn out and already had Chinese take out planned for when it didn't taste good. . . . But! It was delicious :) and the husband loved it! [He liked it so much he went back for seconds & decided he wanted it for lunch the next day]! Surprise to me! I honestly just got nervous because it was a new recipe and well... you never know until you try it. Right? I was so happy it turned out well and we both really liked it. *Thank you Lord!*

You will need:

2 packages [10 oz] frozen broccoli spears
1 can [10.5 oz] cream of celery soup
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, separated
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 cup [or a few handfuls ;) ] potato chips

1. Grease your crock pot. Add the broccoli, celery soup, 1 cup cheese, & onions. Mix lightly.

2. Crush a handful of chips on top.


3. Cover & cook on Low 5 to 6 hours or on High 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

4. Once it's cooked, take another handful of chips and crush over top & add rest of cheese. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

5. Serve & Enjoy!!

My apologies, I forgot to take a finished picture. It turned out really well. I added a little bit of pepper once it was in the bowl. You won't need any salt, the chips and soup has enough.

This made a great meal, but would also make a great side dish. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Chicken Cacciatore

I am all about making cooking in the kitchen quick & simple during this season. I go to work at 2 in the afternoon and usually don't get home until 6:30, right around the same time Taylor gets home. So, eating dinner at a reasonable time is, well... unlikely! It usually happens around 7 or later. This brings me to my crock pot. I love my crock pot! My lovely sister gave me a beautiful blue one that gets a lot of attention. :) [If you don't have a crock pot, no worries, you can cook this on the stove too]. This chicken cacciatore meal is super simple! A big thank you to my MIL, Gisele, for the recipe. 

Chicken Cacciatore 

You will need:

1 Garlic Rotisserie Chicken [already cooked]

1/2 cup or so of Red Cooking Wine

2 Jars of Garlic & Onion Spaghetti sauce

Spaghetti Pasta [or your choice of pasta]

Parmesan Cheese

[Now, you don't have to use that flavor rotisserie chicken or spaghetti sauce, that is just what I use].

1. Empty Spaghetti sauce into crock pot.

2. Pour some wine into each jar, swish around to clean out the jar and pour into sauce.

3. Cut or shred chicken into bite size pieces, add to sauce.

4. I cook ours on low for a few hours, though you don't need too. 

5. Before serving, cook pasta. Follow directions on the box.

6. Plate your food then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve with your choice of greens! ;)

Enjoy!! 

Broccoli and Chicken Pasta

This recipe is from one of my Slow Cooker recipe books. It originally calls for Beef, but Taylor is not a huge beef fan, so I used Chicken. This turned out great, and Taylor liked it! :-D

You will need:

2 cups of broccoli florets

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 can [14.5 oz] Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 can [14.5 oz] chicken broth

2 large boneless chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs tomato paste

2 cups of rotini pasta

3 oz shredded Cheddar cheese

** If you want to use Beef instead of Chicken use 3/4 cup of beef broth and 1 pound of ground beef.

If cooking with Chicken: 

1. Layer broccoli, onion, spices, tomatoes and chicken broth in crock pot. 

2. Place the chicken and garlic on top of the vegetables. Then cook on High for 4-6 hours. Or until chicken is cooked all the way through. 

*Cooking raw chicken in a crock pot takes longer. Make sure to let it cook thoroughly. 

3. When the chicken is cooked, begin to shred the chicken. 

Then stir in tomato paste, pasta and cheese. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes. 

4. When serving, add more cheddar cheese and salt & pepper to taste. 

Enjoy! 

*If you don't have all day to let the chicken cook through, cook the chicken first, baking it for 30 minutes on a baking sheet with oil, garlic, salt & pepper, while the vegetables cook in the crock pot. Then, using the beef directions, place the [cooked] chicken in the crock pot and let it cook for 2 hours. 

If cooking with Beef:

1. Layer vegetables, spices, tomatoes and beef broth in crock pot. Cook and cover on LOW 2 1/2 hours.

2. Cook beef and garlic in a large skillet on the stove, until meet is no longer pink. Pour off the drippings/grease. Then add beef to the crock pot and cook, covered, for 2 hours.

3. Stir in tomato paste, pasta and cheese. Cook, covered, for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and everything is heated all the way through. 

Enjoy!

Fix it & Forget it

Quick & easy dinners are a goal of mine. Here is a quick meal. A fix it and forget it, Stephanie style :) with only 3 ingredients! And it was GOOD! 

You will need:

2 or 3 Boneless Chicken Breasts

1 [14.5 oz] can of Chicken Broth

1 Italian Seasoning packet 

1. Place your chicken in your crock pot. 

2. Add the chicken broth & seasoning packet. *The broth wasn't enough liquid, so I also filled the can up with water and dumped it in.

3. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. [Or until the chicken is fully cooked through].

4. Carefully remove the chicken from the crock pot, serve & enjoy!!

I served this over rice with a side of broccoli. It was delicious and the chicken fell right apart!

[Sorry I don't have a finished picture]