Corn Chowder

1 can cream corn
1 lb. bacon
6 potatoes
1 lb. carrots
12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 onion (optional)

Cube potatoes and carrots. Steam until tender, not mushy. Cook bacon until crisp, then cut into bite-size pieces. Mix all ingredients into crockpot, and heat for 1 hour. Serves 4-6.

Notes: I chopped up an onion and cooked it with the bacon. I used maple flavored bacon, and it turned out rather well. I had more bacon than corn, so it was almost more of a bacon chowder than a corn chowder, but everyone really liked it. I cooked everything on high for about an hour and a half, but I doubled several of the ingredients so there was more to warm up.

Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
ketchup or barbecue sauce
bread crumbs or oatmeal
onions, green bell peppers, or whatever else you feel like adding

Put hamburger in mixing bowl. Mix in other ingredients, including ketchup or barbecue sauce. Put hamburger mixture in bread pan and pat down with spoon or hand. Cover with more ketchup, spreading ketchup evenly around. Cook on 350 degrees for 45 min. to 1 hour. Serves about 4.

Notes: If using bread, toast bread first to get better crumbs. Include about 1 slice worth of bread. Good with baked potatoes, which can be in the oven cooking at the same time. You can add your choice of seasonings to the hamburger before cooking. Really hard to mess this one up.

Tijuana Pie

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated
1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 (16 oz.) cans chili seasoned beans
1 (16 oz.) can corn, drained
1 (6 oz.) pitted olives
6 corn tortillas

Brown beef, onion, garlic in skillet. Pour off excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Wipe inside of crockpot with oil. Place a tortilla in the bottom of the pot and spoon some of the meat mixture onto it with a little sauce and cheese. Top with another tortilla and layer on a bean, cheese, and corn section. Drop in a few olives. Continue layers of filling, sauce and cheese and olives, finishing with cheese and olives on top. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours. Serves 6-8.

Notes: We had this a second time so that we could get a picture, and I actually liked it a lot more than the first time. I used green enchilada sauce the 2nd time and red the 1st, so that might be why. I'm not sure how big each layer is supposed to be, but with the ingredients listed here, I had to make my meat layers thinner than the bean/corn layers.

Chicken Taco Bake

2 cans chicken breast (or about 2 chicken breasts, cooked)
1 can 10-12 oz. tomato soup
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided into 2 half cups)
1/2 cup milk
6 flour tortillas cut into one inch pieces
taco seasoning to taste - I used about 1/4 package

In baking dish, shred chicken, mix with other ingredients and 1/2 of cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, cook another 5 minutes to let cheese melt. Serves about 4.

Notes: I got this recipe from my sister, Karen. I used chicken breasts instead of the canned stuff, and I only used 3 large tortillas instead of 6. Easy and tasty.

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Swiss cheese slices, halved
3 ham slices, halved
2 tablespoons margarine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper

Flatten chicken breasts with a wooden mallet. Cover each half breast with a slice of cheese and ham (thinly sliced ham). Secure with toothpicks. In skillet, brown chicken in hot margarine. Arrange in crock pot. Combine soup and remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover pot and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.

Notes: I used 2.5 lbs. of chicken and tripled all the other ingredients to feed 8 people. I used lemon pepper, and I used more than the recipe called for. I didn't have any toothpicks, but there were a couple of chicken breasts that stayed rolled up in the crockpot, and I think those turned out the best.

Summer Vegetable Penne

2 cups uncooked penne pasta

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 small yellow summer squash, sliced

1 small zucchini, sliced

1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onion, summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic in butter until tender. In a bowl, whisk the flour, seasonings, and cream until smooth; add to skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Drain pasta and add to vegetable mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Serves 6.

Notes: I added some chopped tomatoes and chicken to the recipe, and it still tasted good. Could have used more seasoning. I found this recipe online somewhere a couple of years ago, but I didn't keep the link and I don't remember where I found it. I changed the name from Vegetarian Penne since I added chicken. I also thought that "Summer Vegetable" sounded more appetizing than "Vegetarian."

Chiliquiles (Chicken or Beef)

1 20 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 onion, sliced
1-2 c. grated cheese
1 lb. browned hamburger or 3 to 4 cooked chicken breasts (shredded)
1/2 lb. corn chips, broken up

In frying pan, put onions and cooked meat. Saute until onions are 1/2 cooked. Add enchilada sauce and enough corn chips to soak up sauce. Take off burner. Add 1 cup grated cheese. Stir well. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream, shredded lettuce, jalapenos, or salsa. Eat with corn chips. Serves 6-8.

Notes: I got this recipe from my sister, Jill. Photo is from 2nd time we made this. We have no idea if that is what it is supposed to look like. The first time I made this, I used red enchilada sauce and corn chips; the second time we used green sauce and tortilla chips. I liked it the second time more than I did the first.

Sweet and Sour Chicken (1)

Ingredients
1/2 cup French (or Catalina) dressing
1/2 cup apricot or peach jam/preserves
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
6 chicken breasts, cut into large pieces

Directions
Rinse chicken with cold water. Place in crockpot. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low, 8 to 10 hours. Serve with rice. Serves 6 to 8.

Notes: I only cooked it for 6 1/2 hours, and the chicken was a bit overdone. Between 5 and 6 would probably be better. I found this recipe online somewhere a long time ago, but I don't remember where.

Beef Stroganoff Sub

2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 C. onion
1/2-1 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper (optional)
1 loaf French bread
2 C. sour cream
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1-2 lg. green peppers
3 C. cheddar cheese

Brown meat and onion. Drain. Add salt, garlic, and pepper. Cut bread in half length-wise on baking sheet. Take meat off heat and stir in sour cream. Spread meat mixture on open slices of bread, covering entire surface. Sprinkle tomatoes, peppers, and cheese on top of meat. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 6 to 8.

Notes: I got this recipe through an email recipe exchange. As Jill said in her comment, this makes a lot of topping. I failed to mention that before. When I made it, both slices of bread were super overloaded with topping. This probably makes enough for 2 loaves of bread, or the recipe can be halved for 1 loaf.

Santa Fe Chicken Soup

4 chicken breasts (cut up) or 2 cans chicken
1 small onion diced
15 oz. can corn, not drained
24 oz. can pinto beans, not drained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb Velveeta cheese (cubed) (I used half this amount, and I used the "Mexican" Velveeta)
¼ c. milk

Mix all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.

Notes: This can also be cooked on the stove top. Pre-cook chicken and onions, then throw in pot with everything else and heat up. Double this recipe for 8 people. I got this recipe from my mom.

Continental Chicken

1 (2 1/4 oz.) pkg. dried beef, rinsed
3 - 4 chicken breasts, halved and boned
6 - 8 slices smoked, lean bacon
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. sour cream mixed with 1/4 c. flour

Arrange dried beef on bottom of greased crockpot. Wrap each piece of chicken with a strip of bacon and place on top of the dried beef. Mix soup, sour cream and flour together. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours (or on high for 3 to 4 hours). Serve over hot buttered noodles or with rice. Serves 6 to 8.

Notes: The picture is from when I made this a 2nd time, on 3/16/08, and doesn't really do this justice. Yummy! I found this recipe online somewhere a long time ago, but I don't remember where. See Chicken/Beef Surprise for a similar recipe.

Crockpot Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

6 to 8 slices of ham
8 to 10 med. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 c. grated Cheddar or American cheese
1 can cream of celery or mushroom soup

Put half of ham, potatoes and onions in crockpot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grated cheese. Repeat with remaining half. Spoon undiluted soup over top. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours in crockpot or high 4 hours. Variations: sausage instead of ham and omit the cheese. Serves 6-8.

Notes: I have left the potatoes unpeeled, used red onions instead of regular onions, added green or red bell peppers, and used a different kind of cheese and it has still turned out well. I found this recipe online somewhere a long time ago, but I don't remember where.

Tangy Chicken (or Pork)

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or equivalent amount of pork spare ribs)
2 (18oz each) bottles barbecue sauce
1 20 oz can pineapple chunk, undrained
1 med green bell pepper chopped (we've also had it with red and yellow peppers - see photo)
1 med onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Hot cooked rice

Place 4 chicken breasts in a 5 qt slow cooker. Combine barbecue sauce, pineapple, green pepper, onion and garlic; pour half over the chicken. Top with remaining chicken and sauce. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until chicken is tender. Thicken sauce if desired. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice. Serves 6-8.

Notes: We tried this again, except we used pork spare ribs instead of chicken. It was still very tasty. I found this recipe online somewhere a long time ago, but I don't remember where.

Deluxe Cheeseburger Melt

1 1/3 cups Bisquick
¼ cup water
2 eggs
1 ½ cup shredded cheese
1 lb. ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup frozen veggies

Mix Bisquick, water, eggs, and 1 cup cheese. Spread in 9x13 pan (should probably grease pan). Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown beef. Stir in soup and veggies. Pour over batter. Bake 23-25 minutes. Top with remaining cheese. (Double for 8 people. Might be interesting to put Bisquick on top.)

Notes: The photo is from the 2nd time I made this. I decided to try putting the Bisquick on top, and I felt like it turned out better. The biscuit portion certainly cooked better. The hamburger portion was a little dry, though. Perhaps adding a second can of cream soup and some additional frozen veggies would have helped. I got this recipe from my sister, Jill.

Chicken in a Pot

1 chicken, whole or in pieces
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup ketchup
carrots and onions or other veggies (see note)

Put chicken in 9x13 pan. Chop veggies into chunks and stuff into spaces around chicken. Mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, and ketchup. Pour over chicken and veggies. Cover with aluminum foil. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until chicken is done.

Notes: We've found that celery soaks up the sauce more, and thus can be a bit strong. Less porous vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and water chestnuts result in a better taste. Vegetables such as celery and broccoli are still great, but probably taste better if cooked separately and added at the end. I found this recipe on the 100 Hour Board.

Tostada Casserole

1 lb. Hamburger
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce (divided) (or two 8 oz. cans)
1 package taco seasoning
2.5 cups corn chips, coarsely crushed and divided
1 can (15 oz.) Pinto beans – rinse and drain
½ cup shredded cheese

Brown hamburger, drain. Add ½ tomato sauce and taco mix. Blend well. Line bottom of greased 8 in. square baking dish with 2 cups of corn chips. Combine remaining tomato sauce and beans. Spread meat mixture over the chips. Spoon bean mixture over the meat. Bake at 350 to 375 for 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle cheese and remaining corn chips on top, then bake 5 more minutes (melt cheese). 4-6 servings.

Note: I enjoyed this more when I topped it with a bit of sour cream before eating. I got this recipe from one of my sisters.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
4 T butter
½ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove – chopped
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
pinch sugar
1/3 tsp curry powder (optional)
½ tsp pepper
1 cup light cream
Plenty of chopped veggies – carrots, celery, etc.

Directions
Sauté carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in butter about 5 minutes. Add other ingredients, EXCEPT cream. Cook about 30 minutes. Add cream just before serving. May also be made in a crock pot.


Notes: I got this recipe from my Aunt Kristen. This was really good served in soup bowls. And I swear it tasted much better the next day as leftovers.

Picante Chicken

1 cup salsa
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 cups minute rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 cup shredded cheese

Bring chicken, salsa, taco mix, and water to boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Return to boil. Stir in rice and beans. Cover and cook on low 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 8 servings.

Notes: This recipe makes more food than it might seem. It fed 8 people easily, if I remember right. You can also use regular rice in place of minute rice: just cook the rice separately and add it at the end, and reduce the amount of water used to simmer the chicken (maybe to a half cup or so). This is another recipe I got from my sister, Jill.

Creamy Chicken Italiano

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in strips or chunks
1 envelope of dry Italian salad dressing mix
¼ cup of water
8 oz. pkg of cream cheese, softened
2 cans (10 ¾ oz.) cream of chicken or mushroom soup

Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on low for 3 hours. Combine cheese and soup until blended. Pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on low 1 hour or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over rice or noodles.

Notes: Makes 4-6 servings. If I remember correctly, I got this recipe from one of my sisters.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole w/ Onion Rings

I didn't really follow a recipe for this one, but this is what I think I remember using:

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 bag frozen broccoli (fresh broccoli would also work fine, of course)
1 or 2 cans cream of chicken or mushroom soup
A little bit of milk - maybe 1/4 cup
1 can of water chestnuts (I don't remember the exact size, but it was the smaller one)
1 bag of onion rings

I cut up the chicken into chunks and put it in a baking dish (9x13 or whatever they are). Then I mixed everything but the onion rings and poured it on top of the chicken, trying to spread it out evenly. I placed the onion rings on top. After consulting with my mom, I believe that I may have cooked it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Just make sure the chicken is done before you eat it.

Double this recipe to feed 8 people.

Lasagna Toss

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
dash of minced garlic (or garlic salt/powder 1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
6 oz spiral noodles
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan

Brown beef w/ onion and garlic and salt. (Add garlic and salt after draining hamburger for more flavor.) Stir in spaghetti sauce. Simmer until heated. Remove 1 cup meat sauce and set aside. Stir noodles into remaining sauce. Place half of noodle mixture in greased 2 qt. casserole dish. Cover with cottage cheese and 1 cup Mozzarella cheese. Add remaining noodle mixture; top with reserved meat sauce and remaining Mozzarella. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, covered with tin foil, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Optional - add Parmesan after cooking. (4-6 servings)

Notes: The recipe doesn't specify, but I believe the noodles need to be cooked before they are added. Also, 2 cups of shredded Mozzarella might be a bit too much - start with a cup and go from there. I got this recipe from my sister, Jill.

Aussie Chicken

Ingredients
4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
½ pkg cooked bacon (crumbled)
Cajun spice
½ tsp. onion powder (or sliced red onions)
½ cup mustard
½ cup honey
¼ cup karo syrup
1 pkg. sliced button mushrooms (can be replaced with green peppers)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Flatten chicken (pound it). Sprinkle both sides with Cajun spice and fry in pan until almost done. Combine mustard, onion powder, honey, karo syrup, and mix well. Move chicken to baking dish. Top with bacon, onions, and mushrooms/peppers. Pour honey mixture over top. Top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes about 4 servings.

Notes: I got this recipe from my mom.  Updated the photo in March 2011, but still don't think it makes the recipe look nearly as good as it tastes.

Velveeta Salsa Mac

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
2 c. elbow macaroni
12 oz. velveeta cheese
16 oz. salsa
2 c. water*
Serve with tortilla chips or on soft taco shells

Directions
Brown beef and strain. Add salsa and water to beef. Let boil. Next add macaroni. Let simmer until macaroni is tender. Add cheese. Stir until melted.

*If more water is needed, add about ½ c. more.

Notes from Jill: We fed 7 adults and 3 children and had leftovers with this amount. Just to be safe, you can add a little more macaroni and water if you want to feed 8 adults.

Cider Pork Stew

2 pounds Pork
3 tablespoons Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
6 Carrots
4 Potatoes
2 Onions
1 Apple
2 cups Apple cider
1 tablespoon Vinegar
1/2 cup Cold water
1/4 cup Flour

Cube boneless pork, slice onion and carrot, quarter potato, chop apple. Combine 3 tbsp flour, salt, thyme and pepper, toss with meat. Put carrots, potatoes, onion and apple in cooker. Top with meat cubes. Combine apple cider and vinegar, pour over meat. Cover, cook on low for 10-12 hours. Turn cooker to high. Blend 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup cold water, blend well. Stir into liquid in crockpot. Cover, cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Season to taste. Makes about 8 servings.

Notes: From Better Homes & Gardens: Crockery Cooking. This is really tasty! The first time I made it, I couldn’t fit all of the ingredients into the crock pot, which I believe was 5 quarts. The second time, we halved the recipe and fit it into a 3 quart crock pot without any problems.

Santa Fe Chicken

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15 1/4 oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup bottled thick and chunky salsa
5 or 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a 3 and a half or 4 quart electric crockpot mix together the beans, corn and half cup salsa. Top with chicken breasts then pour the remaining cup of salsa over the chicken. Cover and cook on the high heat setting for 2 and a half to 3 hours or until the chicken is tender and white throughout. Do not overcook or the chicken will toughen. Sprinkle the cheese on top and cover and cook just until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Serve with chopped scallions, tomatoes and tortilla chips on the side. Serves 5 or 6

Notes: We usually reduce the amount of corn we use. 2 cans is a lot of corn.