Last week I was swamped and didn’t get a Slow Cooking Thursday post up.   So here’s one that I’m going to be making this weekend……it will be going in my goody trays for my friends, family, neighbors and bread customers.   I put these types of things into little goody bags, and set on top of the goody trays.

This recipe is from Taste of Home

Slow Cooker Party Mix

• 4 cups Wheat Chex
• 4 cups Cheerios
• 3 cups pretzel sticks
• 1 can (12 ounces) salted peanuts
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 to 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine cereals, pretzels and peanuts. Combine butter, Parmesan cheese, celery salt and seasoned salt; drizzle over cereal mixture and mix well. Cover and cook on low for up to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: about 3 quarts.

 If you’d like to participate and share your favorite slow cooker recipes or check out all of the great recipes posted each week, please stop by Sandra’s blog by clicking on the SCT banner above.

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving!   I thought that I’d share my favorite stuffing recipe….it can be used in the slow cooker if you are wanting to save on oven space, or in the oven in a casserole dish.

(I am actually preparing this post several days ahead of time, so I’m not even sure if Sandra is going to have her Slow Cooker Thursday meme today, but if she is, you can click on the banner above to share your own recipe or to see other crockpot recipes)

 Here is the recipe that I have made the past couple of years.

Homemade Stuffing

8 cups stale bread (I use 3-4 different types….I use 1 cup of rye, and then the rest of it is a mixture of sourdough french bread, whole wheat bread, cornbread)
2 stalks celery diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large apple, diced (I prefer to use a tart apple)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp sage (I usually use just a little more, because I LOVE sage)
1 tsp thyme or marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
enough chicken or vegetable stock (this year I will use my homemade vegetable stock) to make the mixture moist.

Saute onion and celery in a little bit of water or oil or butter until translucent and softened.

In a very large bowl combine all ingredients.

 Cook in a large crockpot on high for 3-4 hours.

Variations: You could use sausage and/or nuts in this also if you like. I occasionally use toasted pecans….YUMMY!!!!!!

Oven Variation:

Stuff into bird (or bake separately in casserole for 45 minutes at 350 degrees).

Since Thanksgiving is next week, and I was looking for something to make for an appetizer that I already have the ingredients for, I thought I’d post this recipe.    Our family was first introduced to this recipe a few years ago by my D’s wonderful Step-Mom.  When I asked her for the recipe, she told me that it is from her daughter.    I have adapted it a bit, the original recipe called for it to be baked in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, and it called for 2 cups mayo (the real stuff, not lowfat or nonfat), but I have adjusted it not only in ingredients (you will see my changes in the actual recipe), but also to go into the crockpot for 2 hours on low (in MY crockpot….my crockpot runs hot, I think…..you might want to start it on  high, and if it starts getting toasty around the outside edges, turn it down to low).   I adapted it for the crockpot to save me on precious oven space on holidays.   PLUS it stays warm on the warm setting on my crockpot.

Artichoke Dip from Marci’s Kitchen

13 3/4 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped (these are packed in water, not marinade, and come in a can, not a jar)

7 oz. can mild diced green chiles

2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I do use Kraft 2% Sharp Cheddar for this)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup light (not fat free!) sourcream)

Spray your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray, or lightly oil it with your favorite oil.   Mix ingredients together in a bowl, then transfer to your crockpot and bake on LOW (your crockpot may vary, you may want to start it on high, then turn it down…my crockpot runs on the hot side) for 2 hours before serving.   OR Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Serve with bread or crackers (we like wheat thins with this).

Enjoy!

To see more crockpot recipes or to share your own, please hop on over to Sandra’s blog by clicking on the banner above.    And THANK YOU Sandra for hosting this each week!

Well, it is that time of the week again! It’s Thursday, which means I get to post my favorite crockpot recipe of the week This week it is what will actually be cooking in MY crockpot today for tonight’s dinner. I’m very excited about tonight’s dinner….I’ve been looking forward to it all week Is that crazy or what? This recipe is from Menus4Moms and I know it will be delish! So far, we have not been disappointed in any of the recipes from there! We don’t use all of their recipes, I usually will pick a couple from each week’s menu, then look back in the archives to see what they had on the same week’s menu from last year, and then fill in the rest of the week’s menu plans with family favorites, or other recipes that I’m wanting to give a try. If you’d like to also participate in the Slow Cooking Thursday, click on the banner above and check out Sandra’s blog for other great crockpot recipes posted by others all over bloggy land, or to submit your own recipe! Thanks Sandra for hosting this each week! And I hope you get to feeling better soon

Carne Guisada

• 3 lbs beef stew meat

• 2 cans diced Rotel tomatoes with green chiles* or plain diced tomatoes

• salt and pepper to taste

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 3 T. flour

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 diced bell pepper

Place stew meat, 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper in slow cooker. Turn heat to high and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Drain juice from the Rotel tomatoes into measuring cup. Add Rotel, garlic, bell pepper, and onions to crock pot. Stir and let simmer on high for 30 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, and chili powder to crock pot and stir. Blend the Rotel juice and enough water to equal 1 1/2 cups liquid. Add flour to the liquid & stir into meat/veggie mixture. Let cook on low for 3-4 hours until sauce is nice and thick. (If you like runnier gravy three hours is good.)

 Today my slow cooking thursday entry has been inspired by my trying to put together a menu plan for this next couple of weeks.    I wanted to do a Mexican themed meal for my son’s birthday, and so I dug out one of my cookbooks that is mostly mexican foods.   I saw a lot of recipes for tamale pie, and remembered a recipe that I used to make a lot in my crockpot.   I haven’t made it in a while, but it is definitely going on the menu board soon!    I vary this recipe a little by adding diced green and red pepper and onion.    I like to serve this with a dollop of sour cream and shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. YUMMMYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     To see more crockpot recipes, or to enter your own, please click on the banner above and hop on over to Sandra’s blog for more Slow Cooking Thursday entries!

Crockpot Tamale Pie

From About.com Southern US Cuisine

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 pound lean ground beef - ground round, sirloin, etc.
* 3/4 cup yellow corn meal
* 1 1/2 cup of milk
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 envelope of chili seasoning mix
* 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 1 (14.5 ounces) can tomatoes, cut up
* 1 (12 to 16 ounces) can whole kernel corn, drained
* 1 small can sliced ripe olives, drained
* 1 1/2 cups grated Mexican blend of cheeses

PREPARATION:
In skillet, cook ground beef until crumbly; drain well. In large bowl mix corn meal, milk, egg. Add drained ground beef, dry chili seasoning mix, seasoned salt and tomatoes, corn, and olives. Pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Serves 6.

I am thrilled to be able to share one of our favorite crockpot soup recipes with all of Bloggyland through Slow Cooker Thursday….and you too can share your favorite crockpot recipes with all of Bloggyland!   Just click on the picture above and head on over to Sandra from Diary of a Stay at Home Mom’s blog and share the link to your post with your favorite slow cooker recipe, or just go and gather some fantastic recipes!

Today’s recipe has been a favorite of our family’s for more than 14 years now.  This recipe used to cost me a total of $3 to make and it would serve a  “whole army” of people.    The prices have gone up considerably since that cost estimation was first made, but it is still an economical way to feed a group :)    I always serve it with homemade whole grain bread or rolls, and a green salad and usually cookies for dessert.

Super Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

Original Recipe from Lori4squaremom

http://lori.scottdomain.com

• 1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained (Season with salt and pepper while browning)
• 1 16 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 46 oz. can tomato juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and drain.   Add all ingredients to 5 quart crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 6-9 hours.  If desired, you can precook alphabet pasta and add to the crockpot during the last hour of cooking.

Serve with  whole grain bread and salad.

Garnish ideas:  grated cheese, sour cream, oyster crackers

Here’s my entry for today’s Slow Cooking Thursday over at Diary of a SAHM’s blog. Go and visit Sandra’s blog for more slow cooker recipes, as well as to enter your own!

My recipe today is from Taste of Home’s website.

Slow Cooker Berry Cobbler
From Light & Tasty

Karen Jarocki of Yuma, Arizona adapted her mom’s yummy cobbler recipe for slow cooking. “With the hot summers here in Arizona, we can still enjoy this comforting dessert, and I don’t have to turn on the oven,” she says.

INGREDIENTS

* 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
* 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar, divided
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup fat-free milk
* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups unsweetened raspberries
* 2 cups unsweetened blueberries
* 2 cups reduced-fat frozen vanilla yogurt, optional

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. In another bowl, combine the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thick). Spread batter evenly onto the bottom of a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with nonstick cooking spray.
In a bowl, combine salt and remaining flour and sugar; add berries and toss to coat. Spread over batter. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into cobbler comes out without crumbs. Top each serving with 1/4 cup frozen yogurt if desired. Yield: 8 servings.
NUTRITIONAL INFO

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (calculated without frozen yogurt) equals 250 calories, 4 g fat (trace saturated fat), 27 mg cholesterol, 142 mg sodium, 51 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein.

I haven’t participated in the Slow Cooking Thursday for a while…..I’m looking forward to using my crockpot more often again as the temps outside continue to drop and I’m making more crockpot type foods…..less salads and sandwiches and quick cooking type meals.   To see lots more crockpot meals please visit Sandra’s blog by clicking on the beautiful picture above!

Today’s recipe is in honor of our veggie daughter.   Something that she would enjoy that isn’t stirfry or pasta, and that would pass the meat eater’s palates without missing the meat!

This recipe is from familyfun.com (I just LOVE that website! )

 Meatless Stuffed Peppers

These rice and vegetable stuffed peppers are versatile: Whole peppers can be presented as a colorful main dish, halves as a vegetable accompaniment to grilled meats or fish.

2 large green bell peppers
2 large red bell peppers
1/2 cup converted white rice  (I use partially cooked long grain brown rice)
1 15 1/4-oz. can whole kernel corn, drained  (I use 1 1/2 cups frozen corn with no salt added)
1 2 1/4-oz. can sliced ripe olives, drained
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. garlic pepper
1 14 1/2 oz. can cut-up peeled tomatoes
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 6-oz. can tomato paste

Step 1
Slice the tops off the green and red bell peppers and carefully remove the seeds and inner ribs. Remove the stems from the tops and chop the remaining pepper pieces. Stand the peppers upright in a 5-quart electric slow cooker.

Step 2
In a medium bowl, combine the chopped pepper tops, rice, corn, olives, scallions, seasoned salt, garlic pepper and 1/2 cup of the tomatoes with their liquid. Mix well. Stuff the peppers with the corn mixture, dividing evenly and packing lightly. Mix the remaining tomatoes and their liquid with the wine and tomato paste until well blended. Pour over and around the peppers in the slow cooker.

Step 3
Cover and cook on the Low heat setting 6 1/2 to 7 hours, or until the rice is cooked and the peppers are tender but still hold their shape.

Good Thursday morning everyone!   Today for the Slow Cooker Thursday meme I wanted to share a recipe that I got from one of the ladies in my local Flylady group.   We LOVE this recipe, and have adjusted it to meet our needs, but here is the original recipe.  I have found that I don’t need to add the additional water…..it comes out just fine without it!  For more slow cooking recipes please click on the picture above to visit Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom .  

I adjust this to fit my large crockpot.

CROCKPOT LASAGNA

8 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef (or substitute w/ ground turkey)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
28-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup water
4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, optional
15 oz. low-fat ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain. Stir in Italian seasoning.

Break noodles into thirds. Place half in bottom of greased crockpot. Spread half of ground beef mixture over noodles in crockpot.

On top of beef, layer 1/2 of sauce, 1/2 of water, 1/2 of mushrooms (opt.), 1/2 of ricotta, and 1/2 of mozerella cheese. Repeat all layers.

Cover. Cook for 5 hours on low. Enjoy this yummy dish! - York County, Pennsylvania

I am SOOOO enjoying participating in the different cooking memes each week….they are all a lot of fun! And I get so many great recipes from them. Today’s recipe is one that I haven’t made in a long while, but it is definitely a family favorite, and is going to have to go back into our regular repertoire….it is SOOOO delicious and super easy to make! For more Slow Cooker Thursday entries, go visit Sandra’s blog or click on the icon above.

Teriyaki Sandwiches from Taste of Home

The meat for these sandwiches comes out of the slow cooker tender and flavorful. Living as we do in the foothills of the Cascades, we frequently have deer and elk in the freezer. I sometimes substitute that in this recipe, and it never tastes like game. -Bernice Muilenburg, Molalla, Oregon

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

8 French rolls, split

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted