Crock Pot Ranch Corn Chips

I had a bag of Fritos that were headed toward expiration.  I bought them for the winter and the snow day that never was where I was going to sleep in and then make frito pie.  But....summer is almost here, so I'll get over the lack of snow now and look forward to the sun.  I saw this recipe via recipesthatcrock and decided to give it a go to jazz up these little corn chips.  

Ingredients:  9.75 oz bag of corn chips, 1/2 c butter (melted), 1 pkg dry ranch dip mix

Instructions:  Pour corn chips into a 6 qt crock pot.  Mix the melted butter and ranch dip.  Pour over the chips and stir as you pour (until well coated).  Cook UNCOVERED for 2 hrs, stirring every 20 minutes or so.  Spread them on wax paper or foil to cool.  Store in airtight container.  

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

One of the gals I work with brought this to a pot luck recently (from frugalginger).  It was a big hit.  I've actually tried a lot of mac and cheese recipes, and this goes towards the top!  Technically, I didn't use macaroni noodles because I was using up some noodles in the pantry, but the results were the same.
Ingredients:  cooking spray, 20 oz of macaroni (cooked), 12 oz of evaporated milk, 1 1/2 c. whole milk, 1/4 c. melted butter, 1 t. salt, 2 eggs (beaten), dash of pepper, 20 oz of sharp cheddar cheese (grated), Paprika (to taste)
Instructions:  
1.  Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray.
2.  Mix the cooled macaroni, milks, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and eggs.
3.  Pour into slow cooker and top with the rest of the cheese and sprinkle with Paprika.
4.  Cook for 3 hours on low.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

I have not yet entered the world of Instapots.  I think I've hesitated b/c....well, space, I have a tiny house and it's bulging at the seams.  There is also the 'not quite instant' aspect, but the reason I've clung to my crockpot up through this date is b/c I put together the ingredients the evening before, put the crock in the fridge, then pop it in the pot in the morning and hit low.  That way it's just ready to go when I get home.  Perhaps this is something you can do with the instapot, and I figured I'll get there someday, but for now, here's another recipe I really enjoyed via my (increasingly) vintage crockpot.  

Ingredients:  2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 c. bbq sauce, 1/4 c. Italian dressing, 1/4 c. brown sugar, 1 T Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 t. salt

Instructions: 

1.  Put chicken in the bottom of your bottom.  

2.  Mix all the other ingredients and pour them over the chicken.  

3.  Cook for 3-4 hours on high.  Shred and let it cook another 10-15 minutes in the sauce.  

4.  Serve on buns (or the original recipe at FamilyFreshMeals recommends serving it over rice or in a wrap).  Regardless, you have some well seasoned chicken!

Crockpot Butter Ranch Chicken

In the summer, it is my life's ambition to not turn on my oven.  I don't have a convection oven, so the last thing I want it to add any heat to this house in the Texas Summer.  I saw this recipe awhile back and it was so easy I had set it aside not really trusting the outcome.  I was sooooo wrong.  This was so yummy I created a new "keeper" label below so I won't forget to make it again....and again.  I house most of my recipes on this blog and not on paper form anymore (though I may work on that), BUT this turned out to be so easy and tasty I didn't want it to get lost on the web.
Basically-throw 4 pieces of chicken in a crockpot.  Sprinkled a pkt of dry ranch seasoning on top and a cut up stick of butter (1/2 c) (it melts as the chicken heats up).  Set on low for 8 hours.  Mine took less time.  It was falling apart and had so much flavor.

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken is one of my favorite recipes.  I have made it several different ways, but I recently saw this recipe via crockpot over at the recipe critic.  This easily feeds 4 people.  I didn't take a great picture b/c I at it swiftly and forgot to grab a snap of the left overs until they were boxed up.  There is only one 'cooking' step before the crockpot.  I did drop a few ingredients (green onions), only because I didn't have them.

Ingredients:  2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces, 3 T cornstarch, 1/2 t. black pepper, 1 T oil, 1/2 c. soy sauce, 4 T rice wine vinegar, 4 T ketchup, 2 T sweet chili sauce, 2 T. brown sugar, 2 garlic cloves (minced), 1 t. grated fresh ginger, 1/4 t. red pepper flakes, 1 c. cashew

Instructions:  
1.  Combine cornstarch and pepper in a ziplock.  Add chicken and shake to coat with cornstarch mix.  2.  Heat oil over medium and brown chicken for 2 min on each side.  Place in crockpot.
3.  Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and cashew in a bowl.  Stir and toss over chicken.
4.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2 hours.  Serve over rice.
*the original recipe says you can wait to add cashew until the end to prevent them from getting too soft

Crockpot Cornbread Dressing

     This photo isn't a beauty, but the dressing was delicious.  I brought this to a potluck last week at work.  There is a group of us that spends the ENTIRE day outside working the turkey trot for each grade level, so last year I started a little friendsgiving for the workers who are ready to gorge by 2 pm.
     I wanted to bring a Thanksgiving dish, but I've been sooooo busy all month, so I looked for something easy to throw together and came up with this dressing.  I combined a few different online dressings, so feel free to add and subtract.

Crockpot Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:  8 c. of corn bread (I cooked 2 boxes of Jiffy according to directions and then crumbled it up, I also added about 4 pieces of day old white bread), 1 can cream of chicken, 1/2 t. pepper, 11/2 t. sage, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 3 c. chicken broth, 1/4 c. melted butter, 4 eggs, 1 med onion chopped, 1 c. celery (chopped).  

Instructions:  Mix all ingredients.  Place in a crockpot and cook for 4-5 hours on low.  Top should be browning.  

Crockpot Mexican Dish

I made this really simple side dish to serve at a Mexican themed meal recently.  I was looking for something easy to toss together to go along with everything I was monitoring on the stove, and this was perfect because it cooks itself.  You can add any veggies or spices according to your taste.

Crockpot Spanish Rice

Ingredients:  1 c. long grain rice (uncooked), 1 c. water, 1 14.5 once can of diced tomatoes (included the juice), 1/2 c. chopped onions, 1/2 c. chopped green peppers, 1/2 t. salt, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 T. ground cumin, 1 T. chili powder
Instructions:  Place all the ingredients in a crockpot.  Stir together.  Cook for 2-3 hours on low until all the water has evaporated out of the rice.

Crockpot Meat Balls

I recently hosted a party at my house and one of the things on the menu were meatballs...or....canon balls (it was a Mermaid/Pirate themed party).  I've done a lot of different versions with jellys and sauces, but I decided to try something new, so I went to the internet.  These were commented on and well received at the shower.  It'll definitely stay on the rotation for future parties.  The original recipe (from familyfreshmeals) even suggested serving them over rice for regular ol' weeknight meals.
So, if you are in need of some canon balls....try this one out.

Honey Garlic Crockpot Meatballs

Ingredient:  1/4 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. honey, 1/2 c. ketchup, 2 T soy sauce, 3 cloves garlic (minced), 1 (28 oz) bag fully cooked, frozen meatballs (I used some from Trader Joe's b/c I read they were the best...and the internet never lies).  

Instructions:  

1.  In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic.  

2.  Place frozen meatballs in a 3-4 qt crockpot and pour sauce over the meatballs, stir until all the meatballs are coated evenly.  

3.  Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.  

(I actually put them in the crockpot the night before and put the ceramic inside in my fridge and then just lowered the time by about 30 minutes the day of the shower since the meatballs had thawed some, but it saved me a few minutes and a sink of dirty dishes during the shower).  

Root Beer Pulled Pork

I'm always looking for easy recipes....and during the heat of a Texas summer I search, in particular, for recipes that don't require an oven.  I recently found this recipe via MomonTimeout.  It's simple (just a few ingredients), and tasty.  Your meat will basically be as good as your BBQ sauce, so...don't skimp on this...and now....back to lazy summer days and staying cool....

Crockpot Pulled Pork

Ingredients:  2 lbs pork loin roast, 12 oz root beer (your fav), 18 oz bbq sauce (your fav), 8 hamburger buns, coleslaw (for topping)
Instructions:  
1.  Place pork in crockpot and cover with rootbeer.
2.  Cook for 6 hours on low.  Drain out liquid, shred meat with fork.  Cover with bbq sauce.
3. Cook for an additional 30 minutes on low.
4.  Serve on buns with coleslaw on the bun (or on the side).

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken

This was a really easy recipe to throw together in the crockpot.  It's not too sweet (which I find a lot of these chicken recipes end up being), and...it goes good with rice...and anything that makes friends with a carb is a friend of mine.

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken

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Ingredients:  4 chicken breast (about 2 lbs-boneless and skinless), 1 c. packed brown sugar, 2/3 c. vinegar, 1/4 c. lemon-lime soda, 3 T minced garlic, 2 T soy sauce, 1 t. fresh ground pepper, 1 T corn starch, 2 T water

Instructions:  

1.  Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray (or use a liner)

2.  Place chicken (frozen or thawed) into crockpot.  

3.  Mix all the other ingredients (except the cornstarch and water) together and pour over the chicken.  

4.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours (frozen chicken needs longer).  

5.  Remove chicken, it should be falling apart.  

6.  Place the sauce in a pan and add the water and corn starch to the pan.  Heat, let it come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes (should start to thickin and turn into a glaze).  

7.  Remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes.  Pour over chicken and serve.  I shredded mine over rice....because...carbs.  

The original recipe came from six sister stuff.  

BBQ Chicken

I found this recipe at Natasha'sKitchen and it was so simple, delicious, and it makes enough for an army.  I'm an army of one, so I froze part of it for later.  I put this together a few months back.
During the busy holidays the crockpot is about as big of a commitment as I make to most dinners..mostly because my oven is busy, but seriously, busy or not, this one is staying in my rotation.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

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Ingredients:  3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, 1 1/2 c. bbq sauce, 1/2 medium onion (grated with juice), 1 T olive oil, 1 T. Worcestershire sauce, 2 T. brown sugar

Instructions:  Stir all ingredients together (except chicken).  Add chicken and turn to coat.  Cover and cook 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low.  Take a fork and shred and stir with juices.  

Crockpot Warm Chicken Salad Sandwich

I recently ran across this recipe at Aunt Bees.  I love a good Chicken Salad, and the fascinating thing about this one is it's served warm...and it required a whole lot less chopping than the usual take, so....for an easy chicken recipe than can be served on bread or crackers....here's a good one!  It's really creamy, but it's a great mix of relatively mild ingredients that marry well!

Slow Cooker Chicken Salad

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Ingredients:  4 chicken breast, 1 pkg ranch dressing mix pkt, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 c. mayonnaise, 3 oz pkg bacon crumbles, 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 1/4 c. (or to taste) chopped green onions
Instructions:  
Place chicken in crockpot.  Sprinkle with ranch seasoning and place cream cheese on top.  Cook on low for 6 hours.
Shred chicken with 2 forks and then add the mayonnaise, bacon, and cheese.  Cook for an additional 15 minutes (cheese should be melted).  Toss in green onions and serve on rolls or crackers.

Chicken Spaghetti

 A coworker shared this recipe, and what I love about it is you can make two meals out of the same crockpot.  As a single, it's nice to be able to mix things up so I'm not eating the same thing 8 nights in a row.  It doesn't hurt that most of the cooking happens in a crockpot while I'm at work.  I cooked up the chicken, and then I made a casserole dish and a chicken spaghetti dish out of the chicken.

Chicken Spaghetti/Chicken Casserole

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Ingredients:  4 chicken breast, 1 block of Velveeta cheese (the larger block), 1 can of rotel (with the juice), 1 can cream of mushroom, 1/2 pkt taco seasoning.  Tortilla chips and 8 oz cheese AND/OR one pkg of spaghetti

Instructions:  

1.  Place chicken, rotel, Velveeta (chopped into cubes), 1/2 pkg of taco seasoning, can of soap, and rotel (with juice) into crockpot.  Heat for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.  

2.  Take a fork and shred your chicken.  

For the casserole:  Layer crushed tortilla chips, chicken and cheese mix, cheese.  Repeat and add one last layer of crushed tortilla chips to the top.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  

For the Spaghetti:  Boil spaghetti.  Mix chicken and spaghetti together.  

*I made the casserole in a 9x9 dish (enough for 4 hungry people)  and used the other half to mix with a package of boiled spaghetti so I could have two dishes.  

*You can freeze either of these once they are put together.  Thaw overnight and bake each at 350 for 30 minutes (until heated through)

Crockpot Fajitas

I recently read different variations on crockpot fajitas.  I took the easiest of them all.  I cut up a large onion into slices, a green pepper, and a red pepper into strips and I dumped them in the bottom of a crockpot.  I then took two large, uncooked pieces of boneless chicken and dropped them on top of the veggies.  Last, I took a taco seasoning packet and sprinkled it over the whole thing.  I set it on low to cook for 6-8 hours (or high for 3-4).  You just want to make sure the chicken is cooked through and the veggies have softened.  Mine was fork ready to shred.  I tossed it all into flour tortillas and topped it with all the calories good stuff.  Seriously, so delicious.  Feel free to add more chicken and more veggies.  The skies the limit, but the key is, a packet of taco seasoning did all the work of a lot of fancy slicing, dicing, seasoning, and sauteing.  (OK...not really sauteing, but it went so well with my list).

Easy Sausage Appetizer

I needed a last minute appetizer recently when one more person was added to something I was hosting....I always have that fear of 'is it enough' when it comes to meal prep?  Incidentally-it's always enough, but...I pretend it's because I plan so well.  Anyway, I had some polish sausage in the fridge.  I cut it into 1/2 inch (or so) pieces and I tossed about 3/4 c brown sugar on top in a crockpot.  I tossed it around a bit and then set it to cook for 2 hours on high (you can also do 5 hours on low).  I tossed it every once in awhile, and the finished results is a really delicious sweet coated meat as the brown sugar caramelizes.  

Crockpot Roast

It's supposed to be 107 this weekend...not to be confused with the 105 it's supposed to be every other day this week.  The last thing I'm planning on doing is turning on my oven.  I had a roast in my freezer I bought awhile back after some of the gals at work were discussing recipes and one of them shared the following recipe, promising it was the best roast she had ever made.  I've tried out roast with quite a few different seasonings, and I totally agree-I love this version-it has great spices, it's easy, and...there are no ovens required!  Win.  So, if you are experiencing this heat wave, or just want an easy dish...I'm extending this lunch room conversation talk to you...and me...when I'm hunting down old crock pot recipes NEXT summer.  Texas, it's gonna happen.

Crock Pot Roast

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Ingredients:  Roast (2 lbs-ish), 1 pkt ranch dressing (dry), 1 pkt onion soup mix, 8 jarred banana peppers, 1 stick of butter.
Instructions:  Place all the ingredients in your crockpot.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Crockpot Lasagna

It's July.  I live in Texas.  This means that my soul purpose in life is to keep the house as cool as possible.  I dream of a convection oven, but alas, it's still but a dream.  This means I spend as much time away from the oven as possible.  I really, really wanted lasagna this week, but it conflicted with my life's mission.  I found this recipe on allrecipes and I made a few changes, and I am seriously obsessed.  As in, my mouth is watering while I'm writing this right now and I'm trying to calculate how many miles I'll have to run if I go get another scoop, and the conclusion is...I just don't care.
So, if you want an easy dish, a delicious dish, or to never turn the dial on you oven on again, might I recommend-crockpot lasagna.

Crockpot Lasagna

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Ingredients: 1 lb beef (you could also do a mix of Italian sausage and beef), 1 onion (chopped), 2 t garlic, 29 oz tomato sauce (I like to get the kind with onions and other spices), 6 oz tomato paste, 1 t. oregano, 12 oz of oven ready lasagna noodles, 12 oz of ricotta cheese, 1/2 c. Parmesan, 16 oz mozzarella cheese.
Instructions:  
1.  Brown mean, onions, and garlic.  Once it is browned, add the tomato sauce, paste, and oregano.  Cook until heated through.
2.  In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella (I reserved a little mozzarella to sprinkle on top).
3.  Spray your crockpot with pam to save dish washing time later.
4.  Layer sauce, noodles (break them up to fit into crockpot-I did two layers of noodles on each layer), and then cheese.  Repeat until you run out of ingredients (I had about 5 layers).  The noodles will cook as the crockpot heats.  I sprinkled a little mozzarella cheese on the top.
5.  Cook for about 4 hours on low (until sides are just starting to brown.

French Dip Done Right

During the summer I will do anything to avoid turning the oven on for long periods of time.  It doesn't hurt when the results are delicious....and more than that-easy!  I found the recipe for this sandwich at joyfulmommaskitchen and I gave it a go.  The results?  Yum!

French Dip

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Ingredients:  3-5 lb boneless chuck roast, 1 c. water, 1/3 c. brown gravy mix, 1/4 c. worchestersire sauce, 1 t garlic powder, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1/2 c hot water, 1 T brown or yellow mustard, 4-6 hoaggie rolls or baguettes, slice provolone cheese, 1/2 c butter (softened)
Instructions:
1.  Place the roast in a crockpot.  Stir together 1 c. water, 1 pkg brown gravy mix, 1/4 c worschestersire sauce, 1 t garlic powder, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper.  Pour over the roast and cook 6-8 hours (should be falling apart).  Pull out of crockpot and shred with a fork, but keep the juice in the crockpot.
2.  Skim the grease off the top of your dish when it's ready. Add 1/2 c hot water and 1 T mustard to your slow cooker drippings.  Stir together and turn cooker to high and let it heat together until you are ready to serve.
3.  Cut the bread in half and butter both sides.  Brown on a skillet until golden brown.
4.  Put together beef, cheese, and pour Au Ju over the whole thing.

Cinnamon Almonds....and Print on a Tag Instructions

 Here's a  two in one tutorial....cinnamon almond nuts...and...how to print on tags.  First up, the nuts.  Seriously, this is what heaven smells like.  So....if you need a little heaven in your house...and mouth....this is an super easy recipe for incredbily delicious almonds. I got the original recipe from richestoragsbydori.

Cinnamon Almond Nuts

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Ingredients:  3 cups of almonds (salted or unsalted), 1 1/2 c. sugar, 1 1/2 c. brown sugar, 3 T cinnamon, 1/8 t. salt, 1 egg white, 2 t. vanilla, 1/4 c. water

Instructions:  Mix the sugars, cinnamon, and salt.  

In a separate bowl whisk the egg white and vanilla until it's froth.  Add the almonds and coat completely.  

Add the cinnamon mix and toss to coat.  

Spray a crock pot with cooking spray and add your almond mix.  

Cook on low 3-4 hours (stirring every 20 minutes).  In the last hour, add 1/4 c. of water and stir well.  (This makes it crunchy).  Cook at least 45 minute after adding the water.  Spread the almonds on parchment paper to cool.  Separate them a little (they will stick to the nuts near them, so avoid large mounds of nuts.  

Once you've got your nuts, add a tag.  I created a little video you can watch here for how you can print on tags/envelopoes, cards etc.

Chicken Philly Sandwich

I saw this recipe a few months back via foodfamilyfinds and I decided to try it out.  I didn't have a lot of hopes b/c it just seemed too easy.  It wasn't nearly complicated enough, but I was feeling lazy.  I.  Loved.  It. This is such a simple recipe, so delicious, and not too shabby on the calorie count...until you add the whole carbo boat you serve it in, but let's not judge.

Chicken Philly Sandwich

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*makes 4 sandwiches
Ingredients:  2 T butter, 1 large yellow onion (sliced), 2 green bell peppers (sliced), 2 T. Dale's Steak Seasoning (this is actually a liquid found near the steak sauces), slices of mozzarella cheese, hoagie buns.
Instructions:  Place the  onion and bell pepper slices at the bottom of your crockpot.  Place butter on top.  Toss the three chicken breast in the seasoning and a little salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over the vegetables.  Cook for 5 hours on low.  Serve on hoagie buns, melt cheese on top.