Crockpot Stoup. . .

I am posting twice today trying to get caught up.   I decided since our garden is getting ready to take hold I would use some of my items I had frozen from last year and make some vegetable soup.  The hubby and I went to our local meat market and picked up some tip meat and I decided I would throw that in my soup, now a vegetable beef soup.  
I had some peas and some tomato sauce from last years garden in the freezer so I somewhat thawed my tomato sauce to use as my base for my soup.  I also had some beef broth left over from my roast I had made over the weekend and that went in the pot too.  You could call this a cleaning out the freezer and cabinets soup, which means throw everything in that you have.
Here is how it all went in:
tomato sauce from the freezer, about 2 quarts
3-4 cups of left over beef broth
2 cups of frozen green peas from the garden
1 bag of frozen peas and snaps (store)
1 bag of frozen corn(store)
1 bag of frozen okra (store)
1 can of pinto beans (store)
tomato paste, V8 juice, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, thyme, dry mustard.
I added the tip meat last and this cooked about 8 hours on high.    We have eaten some of it but I am freezing a good portion of it for later.
I try very hard to make soup but inevitably it always ends up much thicker than just soup so my hubbs has nicknamed it stoup.  Too think to be soup and a little thin to be stew.  

Looking forward to our garden this year and we are so very thankful that the hubbs brother came and plowed and planted for us.   The hubbs has been out to check things out and yesterday he was out watering and making sure everything was doing well.  Thank you to my sweet brother-in-law.

Kung Pao Chicken. . . In the Pot

I missed my techno Tuesday, sorry about that.  That is my life though, sometimes there are bumps in the road.  I will catch up next week. 
On to the spicy Kung Pao chicken cooking.  I found this on Pinterest and it was a huge hit with my hubby and the oldest.  Big T did not care for it.   I may have spiced it up a wee to much.  True to my routine I did not follow the recipe specifically.   Here is the link if you want to check it out,  www.thefrugalgirls.com
I will tell you what it originally called for and what I used instead.
It called for cooking your 4-6 chicken breast in the crock pot for 3 hours on high and then removing and draining the juice.  I decided that was too much work.   I boiled my chicken in 15 minutes and cut it up then put it in my crock pot.  Next you mixed up pineapple preserves and Kung Pao sauce.  I did not have pineapple preserves,  I did have pineapple juice and some molasses.   Yes, I subbed in the pineapple juice and molasses.  I added 4 oz of pineapple juice and 2 tbsp of molasses to a bottle of the Kung Pao sauce and mixed it up.  I poured that over my chicken cut up in the crock pot.  The recipe called for red and green peppers to be chopped and added.  I used some of our own hot peppers and I added them whole.   I cooked my recipe on low for most of the day and then dropped it to warm.  I served it over rice, it was very spicy and very good.   It would clear out your sinuses quickly.  This will go into the list to use again.  

Chicken Taco Stew is in the Pot. . .

On these cold,  cold days I love some stew or chili.   Today it is chicken taco stew.  This has taco and tomato and chicken flavors and is so good and low calorie.
This is an easy yummy recipe for the crock pot.  I do not remember where I found this recipe for the first time but I have been making it way before Pinterest was in the picture.   As always I adapted the original recipe so this one is my own.
Here is what you will need:
4 chicken breast (frozen or thawed)add last.
1 can rotel tomatoes
14oz can tomato sauce
2 cup V8 juice
Packet of taco seasoning or your own spices for taco flavor.  I use 3tbsp pampered chef southwest seasoning.
1tbsp garlic powder
1tbsp cilantro
1tbsp cumin
2 cans black beans rinsed
16 oz frozen kernel corn
1 cup chicken broth
Stir all of this up then
I added a couple fresh peppers whole
Then lay your chicken on top.  They do not have to be covered with the sauce.  Do not stir!
Cook on high for 6 hours then pull the chicken out and shred it with a fork and add it back to the pot continue cooking for an hour on low.   This is the best chicken stew ever.  I serve mine with shredded cheese and sour cream with tortilla chips or crackers. 

My Infamous Chilli. . .

Chilli was one of the first things I learned to cook when my dear hubby and I were dating.   After 21 years I do believe I have perfected it.   Starting out I did not have a crock pot so I cooked mine in a big stock pot on the stove.  I joke about my dear hubby marrying me because I could cook. He was always hungry.
I use a crock pot now and it makes things so much easier.  I don't have to babysit my recipes so they don't burn or bubble over.  Today I am making a big pot of chilli.  My chilli changes based on what I have on hand to throw in.   Here is my recipe for today:  ground beef (browned), 2 cans dark red kidney beans, 2 cans great northern beans, 1 can diced green chilies,  2-3 tsp ground mustard, 2-3 tsp cilantro,  1tbsp cumin, 3 branches of my fresh thyme(leaves), 2qts fresh tomato juice (from our garden), a splash of vinegar, I also added 2 jalapeno peppers from our garden (whole),  3tsp garlic powder, and 2 tsp onion powder.
I brown my beef in white wine and Worcestershire sauce then add to the crock pot along with everything else.   I am cooking mine on high for at least 5 hours maybe longer.  I serve mine with cheese,  sour cream,  and crackers or tortilla chips.  Yummmmm

BBQ Beer Chicken

Ok, so I have been using my crock pot more and we are trying to stay away from red meat so here comes the chicken.  I found this recipe on pinterest and of course I tweaked it just a bit.  I used 4 frozen chicken breast, a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce (because that is what I had on hand) and two bottles of dark beer.  Now, the recipe on pinterest called for two bottles of BBQ sauce and one bottle of beer.  I covered my chicken with the BBQ sauce and sprinkled some paprika and garlic powder over my concoction, then I poured the two bottles of beer.  It needed more liquid that is why I did the two bottles of beer.  I don't drink beer so I took a recommendation from my local grocery store beer guy on the bottles I used.
This cooked 8 hours on low, then you shred the chicken and add it back to your pot for another 30 minutes or so on low.  I fixed some whole wheat Orzo and we put our shredded chicken over top of the Orzo.  I must say this was so very good.  Everybody liked it except Big T, he is my picky eater and he hates anything drenched in sauce.   He is a lot like I was at his age so I try not to fuss at him to much about it.  I do feel a constant need to apologize to my mother though, for what I put her through when I was growing up.  When we had spaghetti I only ate noodles and no sauce.
Of course I grew out of that picky stage and I eat a broader selection of food now.   I still don't like a lot of red meat but we do have it occasionally.   I prefer chicken or pork personally.
This was a great meal and we had no leftovers.  I always have leftovers.
I really like using my crock pot so stay tuned I have a few more recipes I am going to try.  

Crock pot Monday. . .

Tonight we will be able to have a  nice quiet family dinner.   Nobody has practice, I am on Fall break, and hubby does not have to work late.  Yayyy!!!!  I had to get myself in gear this morning and do my Wal-Mart run to get things started. 
Today I am trying a new crock pot chicken recipe I found on pinterest.  You cut 4 chicken breast into 1 inch cubes and layer in your crock pot; tater tots,  shredded cheese,  chicken.  Repeat and end with cheese on top.  Then pour 3/4 cup milk over the top.  Cook 4-6 hours.  Those that know me, know that I never go 100% by a recipe.   There is always something I change, either because I don't have an item or I substitute an item or I just out right forget to put something in.  So this time I had either Almond milk or heavy cream to use in my recipe.  I used the heavy cream and I probably used almost a cup.  I will let you  know how it turns out.  We will also be having field peas and snaps and some krispy baked kale.  The kale is my sister's recipe; kale, Olive oil, sea salt, and parmesan cheese.  Toss and bake spread out on a pan in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.  I have never had kale so I will let you  know about that one too.   Sis says it gets crispy like a chip.   What is everyone else fixing for dinner?  

Crockpot Mountain Stew

We have had a big, well what I consider big, temperature drop today.  With the temperature a little cooler it makes me hungry for my mama's Mountain Stew.  Our garden was a big success this year and we had lots of potatoes and a couple heads of cabbage and those two just scream Mountain Stew. 
Mom always made this on those cool days and it sure was good.   I only ate cabbage if it was in  her stew.  Since our garden did so well I cooked up a lot of extra recipes and froze them.   I have thawed my stew and put it in the crock pot for tonight.  Yummm
Here is moms recipe: 
1-2 lbs ground beef browned
2cans tomato sauce
3-4 potatoes cut up
1/2 head of cabbage
4 carrots cut up in bite size pieces
1 can tomato paste
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbs oregano
2tbsp basil
Chili powder
Thyme
3tbsp cumin

Throw it all in the crock pot for 6-8 hours.  If you need more liquid add a little V8 juice.  Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, crackers, or tortilla chips.
If you want to speed the process up you can boil your potatoes and cabbage before you add them.  Also cook the carrots.  Add your seasonings for your taste. 
We will be enjoying this tonight after football practice.