January Freezer Swap!

January Freezer Swap

We are starting off 2014 with full freezers!  We had our January freezer swap and walked away with some very yummy food!  It was a last minute decision to swap, so we didn’t have a theme this month.  We also continued our tradition of helping out the newest momma stock her freezer!  Even though Angela didn’t participate in our swap, we still made meals for her and Ryan to enjoy because we all know how little time new mommies have!

 On our menu this month:

*Pizza Turn Overs

*Ranch Chicken Tacos

*Creole Shrimp (Crock Pot)

*Vegetable Lasagna

*Chicken Parm Meatloaf

Did anyone set a New Year’s Resolution to do more freezer cooking? Or start a freezer swap with your friends? We’d love to know!

Stay warm and full!

You can find the Pizza Turn Over recipe here and the Creole Shrimp Crock Pot here!

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf

1 lb ground chicken

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 large egg

½ cup bread crumbs,

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup marinara sauce

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp salt

1.       Preheat oven to 375.

2.       Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

3.       Place mixture into greased loaf tin, being sure to fill.

4.       Bake for 50 minutes.

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Combine all ingredients and fill tin as directed. 

2.       Wrap tightly and label.

To Eat:

1.       Thaw over night in fridge.

2.       Bake as directed above & enjoy.

3.       Optional: serve with marinara sauce on side for dipping.

**Also makes great toddler finger foods if cooked in mini muffin tins.**

Adapted from www.weelicious.com

Crock Pot Ranch Chicken Tacos

2 lbs Uncooked Chicken , cut into chunks

1 Package Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

1 Package Taco Seasoning Mix

1 Can Chicken Broth

1 can of Black Beans

1 Can of corn, drained.

1.       Add ingredients to crock-pot.

2.       Stir well.

3.       Cook on High for 3 hours or low for 6 hours (longer if chicken is frozen)

4.       Once chicken is fully cooked, drain off extra liquid.

5.       Using a fork shred the chicken meat.

6.       Serve

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Add ingredients to a freezer bag. Label.

To EAT:

1.       Dump into crock pot and cook as directed.

Recipe adapted from www.crockpotladies.com

Creole Crock Pot

Our cooking club met again this week and I have already enjoyed half of the meals! Our menu included: creole crock pot shrimp & chicken, chicken parm meatloaf, veggie lasagna, Stromboli and chicken fajitas.  The very first thing I made was creole crock pot shrimp, from Michelle.  It was so yummy!!  I can't wait to share the rest of the recipes with you, but first here is a super easy crock pot wonder!

Creole Crock Pot Shrimp & Chicken

1lb chicken thighs

1 lb shrimp

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 celery stalk, diced

1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Cajun seasoning 

Optional for serving: fresh lime and/or rice

To eat: 

1. Place all ingredients except for shrimp in crock pot and cook on low 7-9 hours.

2. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add shrimp

3. Serve over rice and enjoy!

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.  Add all ingredients except for chicken into gallon freezer bag.

2. Place shrimp in smaller freezer bag.

3. Place both bags in a larger bag, labeled with date and contents.

4. Cook as directed above (can be placed in crock pot still frozen).

{Original recipe adapted from: Crock pot, the Original Slow Cooker Book}

Stay full,

Angela's Baby Shower!

Ahoy! It's a boy!

We are so excited to celebrate the anticipated arrival of Angela's little boy!  Two weeks ago we threw her a very nautical baby shower.  A great time was had by all.  It just warms my heart to see Angela's belly grow so big! Her little man is due at the beginning of next year and I just can't wait to snuggle and spoil him!  Here are some pictures and recipes from the shower.  We hope you enjoy!

{Angela's amazing cake!}

{Nautical Center Pieces & Favors}

{Her invitations}

{Mom & Dad's special chairs}

{Beautiful Mommy-to-be sipping some water}

{The new parents arrive}

Mom-Mom's Grand kid Approved Chicken Fingers
1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips
4 cups Corn Flakes, crushed
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of flour
salt and pepper
dipping sauces of your choice!

Preheat oven to 350
1. Cut chicken into strips, season with S & P.
2. Smash corn flakes.
3. Set up breading station: one tray of flour, one of egg and one of corn flakes.
4. Bread the chicken strips: flour, egg, corn flakes and place onto a plate.
5. Arrange strips onto a baking rack over a baking sheet.
6. Cook for about 8-10 minutes a side, depending on the size, flipping half way through.
7. Dip, dunk and eat!

To FREEZE: Complete up to step four.  Flash freeze strips and then place into bag or container.

To EAT: Thaw.  Bake as directed OR fry for extra crispiness!



The Real Deal Mac & Cheese
2 lbs macaroni, cooked and drained
2 eggs, whisked
4 TBSP butter, sliced
24 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
(the more cheese, the better)
whole milk

Preheat oven to 400
1. Cook pasta to al dente; drain and rinse with cool water.
2. Mix pasta with eggs and butter.
3. Mix shredded cheese together in a separate bowl.
4. Assemble the mac & cheese:  a thin layer of pasta, a thick layer of cheese and repeat.
5. Add whole milk (just slightly less than covering the pasta).
6. Bake, keeping an eye on the top layer.  Once that has browned, cover with foil and bake until milk evaporates.
7. Enjoy while HOT!

Stay full!

Warming Up with Chicken Soup

We have been so busy these past few weeks…my dad was up from Florida, my cousins were up from North Carolina (who we haven’t seen in years), and we are trying to fill our days with fun Fall activities like pumpkin picking, hayrides and parades!

Today we decided to take Harper to our town’s Oktoberfest at the local park.  Hayrides, games, food and Harper’s personal favorite: pumpkin painting!  She carries her pumpkins and gourds around the house like a prize! I made a yummy breakfast and knew I didn't want to cook for the rest of the day—just family fun time, so I took out my crock pot and some leftover chicken soup from the freezer.  I put the soup in my crock pot (using a liner, of course!) on high and at the last minute I added some dumplings and let them cook up.  DELISH.  My family would eat chicken pot pies until they were blue in the face, but my loyalty is to chicken and dumplings (right, dad?).  

This recipe is different than the other recipes we've used in the past.  While the other recipe is super quick and delish, it uses canned soup, broth and biscuits.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that easy convenience and it’s certainly yummy to eat, but once in a while you just need a home cooked meal from scratch.   This recipe certainly delivers there!  I made the stock from chicken and veggies from our local Amish Market and the dumplings are an easy mixture of pantry staples.   Don’t be scared of making stock…it’s time consuming for sure, but SO SIMPLE.  And really cost effective.  Plus, you get to control the ingredients and seasonings to fit your family’s needs--I go low salt for Joe’s high blood pressure.  I don’t use the chicken from my stock making in my soup.  I find that it just gets way too dry and chalky.  I prefer to bake bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts in the oven (seasoned with a little salt and pepper) and dice that when cooled.  It may seem wasteful, but no one wants to eat dry chicken! But to be a bit more frugal, I will save my chicken bones from oven roasters and make stock using two of them.

Homemade Chicken Stock

1 whole chicken

2 onions, halved

4 stalks of celery

3 carrots (or 1c small carrots)

A few cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

Pot herbs (rosemary, parsley, thyme, sage)

1 tbsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp whole peppercorns

Salt & pepper to taste

1.       Add all ingredients into a large stock pot.  (I add the insides of the chicken, just make sure to remove them from any bags or wrapping they may be in).

2.       Cover the ingredients by 1 inch with cold water. (No more or it will dilute the flavor.)

3.       Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 6 hours.

4.       Drain stock into a large bowl or pot using cheese cloth (or a clean dish towel works, too).

5.       **Now the stock is ready to be used in a soup OR can be cooled and frozen at this point.**

      To FREEZE: Allow to cool and store in containers.

To EAT: Thaw, reheat slowly over low heat in saucepan. 

Homemade Chicken Soup

Chicken Stock (about 2 quarts*)

3 stalks of celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 cup pasta, uncooked

Salt and pepper to taste

1.       Heat oil in a large pot.  Add diced carrots, followed by diced celery and onion.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.  

2.       Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

3.       Add pasta and cook according to package. *Add more stock if the pasta absorbs more broth than you’d like.

4.       Add diced chicken. 

5.       Serve and enjoy!

To FREEZE: Allow to cool and store in containers.

To EAT: Thaw, reheat slowly over low heat in saucepan. 

**Special note: When I make a large batch of soup and plan to use some for Chicken and Dumplings I will cook the pasta in a separate pot of water.  I will add the pasta to my bowl and then ladle the soup on top.  I prefer my chicken and dumplings to not have pasta. You can also do this to prevent the pasta from absorbing the chicken broth in the soup. **

 

 

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken Soup (without the pasta)

2 c. Flour

1 tsp parsley

Salt & pepper

¼ c Ice water + more as needed

1.       Heat the soup until simmering.

2.       In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper and parsley.  Add water a bit at a time and stir.  Should be sticky. (Add more water or don’t as needed.)

3.       Drop spoonfuls of dough into simmering soup.  Allow to simmer for 25 minutes until cooked through. 

4.       Serve warm and enjoy!

{I think it gets better on the second day after the dumplings have more time to soak up the broth!}

To FREEZE: Allow to cool and store in containers.

To EAT: Thaw, reheat slowly over low heat in saucepan. 

What keeps you warm on a cold day?

Stay full!

Tuesday Night Dinner at the Tank's!

I have a few items that I keep in my pantry no matter what. They're a little different than the normal pantry staples, but you just never know when you'll be inspired to create something new for dinner.  I'm back on a cooking kick (somewhere my husband is doing his happy dance) and I looked to my two most favorite pantry items for tonight's dinner:

Chipotle in Adobo

Ranch dip mix packets

Some of my favorite recipes with these babies:
Veggie Dip
Spicy Beef
Chipotle Pork Chops
Ranch Potatoes

I decided to combine the two and create baked Chipotle Ranch Chicken.  I'll also be using these two ingredients to make Chipotle Ranch chicken taquitos for my October freezer meal ;), so stay tuned!

Chipotle Ranch Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
2 tbsp ranch dip mix
1-2 canned chipotles in adobo, diced with their sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 -2 tsp olive oil

For the topping:
1 tbsp chipotle seasoning mix (I use this version that I found at my local supermarket)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded cheese - I used a reduced fat Mexican blend

Combine dip mix, chipotles, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Drizzle mixture over chicken breasts and cover well.  Lay chicken on a baking sheet (I sprayed it with cooking spray to prevent it from sticking).  In a small bowl mix ingredients for the topping.  Using your hands press breadcrumb mixture on top of each breast.  Bake in the oven at 350 until chicken is cooked through and topping is browned lightly.  I served my chicken with buffalo flavored rice and green beans!

Ready for the oven! 

To freeze:
Coat chicken breasts in chipotle ranch mixture and place into freezer safe bags.  You could also chunk the chicken and freeze, instead of using cutlets.  I would use the chunked chicken to serve over rice with black beans and corn!

To reheat:
Thaw chicken overnight in the fridge and follow recipe above for cooking instructions.  If using chunked chicken, pan saute or grill.   

Stay healthy!

On a Mission: Meal Planning Day 3

Today we had friends over to visit lil Ben. I knew I wanted to cook dinner when they left because, frankly, I wouldn't feel like leaving the house! My RU girlie, Elaine, brought me a few beautiful heirloom tomatoes from her garden. So, I decided to make my Italian style bangers and beans!

In this pic I used grape tomatoes, but you can use whatever tomatoes you have on hand - I had gorgeous green zebra tomatoes!

Italian Bangers and Beans

4-5 sweet or hot chicken sausages

1 pint grape tomatoes or 3-4 diced tomatoes, pulp included

1 zucchini, diced (you can also use summer squash, eggplant or a mix of all three)

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup fresh basil, torn into pieces 

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 

Sauté chicken sausages in a pan with 1 tbsp oil until browned, but not cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add zucchini to pan and cook until slightly soft. Add tomatoes, red pepper, and garlic, sauté until fragrant. Add water and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage is cooked through, ~20 minutes. Add fresh basil before serving with crusty bread and a salad. 

To make freezer friendly:

Follow recipe above (leave sausage whole or sliced into thick rounds). Once cooked, place sausages at the bottom of a freezer safe plastic container. Top with the bean and veggie sauce and secure with lid. 

To reheat: 

Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Microwave contents until hot and bubbly, 165 degrees. 

Stay tuned for my next meal planning on a mission recipe! 

Meg Loc :)

Crock Pot Wonders

Crock Pot Wonders

I know a few of my last posts have been crock pot meals, but I just can’t help myself.  They are so easy and such a great go-to for those lazy (or super busy) days!  I find myself using up a few crock pot meals in the days right after I do a big cooking day.  I’m usually tired from all that cooking, but more so I just don’t want to do any more dishes! My husband laughs, but I’m serious…when we remodel our kitchen I told him most people go for the double oven.  Well, I’m starting a new trend: double dishwashers!  I’m telling ya, I’m gonna make it happen!

But anyway, back to the topic at hand: crock pot meals.  I also think crock pot freezer meals are great because if you do a large cooking day and prep all at once, you’re not actually cooking! Plus, the crock pot makes the house smell yummy AND you can use a liner so little to no clean up.  Prepping crock pot meals is a great way to get started and boost your confidence in freezer cooking.   I've come up with a list of our favorites that are super easy to prepare and super easy to eat!  We also have a Crock PotWonder pin board for you to follow!  All of these dinners we have tried (or created) ourselves and enjoyed.  Below are the recipes with our adaptations and freezing instructions!  We hope you enjoy and let us know what your favorite crock pot recipe is!

Stay full!

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

1 whole oven roaster (size depends on your crock pot)

Butter

2-4 Large Baking potatoes

Onion, celery & carrots

Fresh herbs of your choice

1.        Rinse and dry your chicken, removing any giblets inside

2.       Rub your chicken liberally with softened butter.  Season with salt and pepper and fresh herbs.

3.       Place carrots, celery and onion (large chop) in the cavity of the chicken.

4.       Cover potatoes tightly in foil.

5.       Place covered potatoes on the bottom of your crock pot and then place the chicken on top.

6.       Cover and cook on low about 6 hours. Juices should run clear, not pink, when the chicken is done.

At this point, your chicken and potatoes are cooked and are ready to enjoy!  If you’d like to crisp up the skin, place your chicken in a roasting pan and place under the broiler until crispy.  The potatoes will stay warm fairly long as long as you keep them wrapped.  If you are broiling your chicken, you could use this time to add a slurry (equal parts water and corn starch—I’d use ¼ c of each) to the juice in your crock pot and turn it on high.  This should create nice brown gravy to complete your meal!  {You may want to skim some of the fat off of the juice prior to adding your slurry.}

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Chop veggies and place in freezer bag and freeze.

2.       Thaw oven roaster in refrigerator for 24 hours prior to cooking.

3.       Follow directions above and enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplin’s

1 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

1 small onion, diced {I use about a cup of frozen diced onion)

2 cans cream of celery soup

1 can of chicken broth

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough

Fresh parsley, chopped

1.       Place chicken breasts into crock pot, along with onion, cream of celery soup and broth.  Cook on low about 6 hours. 

2.       Remove chicken and using a fork shred the chicken and return it back to the crock pot.

3.       Break raw biscuits into pieces and place in crock pot until top layer is covered. Crank that bad boy up to high and cook biscuits for 30 minutes or until done. 

4.       Sprinkle on fresh parsley and enjoy!

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Place all ingredients except for biscuit dough into a labeled freezer bag and freeze.

2.        Place contents of bag into crock pot and follow cooking directions as stated. Enjoy!

(adapted from: http://www.bubblecrumb.com/2010/02/14/crock-pot-chicken-and-dumplings-recipe/)

Beef Stew with Dumplings

2lbs stew beef, cut in chunks
4 ribs celery, cut into chunks
4 carrots, cut into chunks
2 onions, sliced
shrooms, if you like 'em
1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp ground mustard
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3/4 c red wine (or be boring and use beef broth)
6 oz can tomato sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
salt to taste

to thicken later:
1/4 c water
1/4 c flour

dumplings:
1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c bisquick mix
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp oregano

1.       Sear the beef on all sides and remove from pan.

2.       Add beef, veggies, spices, wine, tomato sauce & bullion into crock pot.

3.       Cook it on low for 8-10 hours

4.       Combine water & flour; add to stew.

5.       Combine dumpling ingredients; drop by spoonful into stew.  Cover and turn on high for 30 minutes.

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Combine all ingredients except for slurry and dumplings into freezer bag and freeze.

2.       Follow directions from 3-5 and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti

1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

24 ounces spaghetti sauce

8 ounces (uncooked) spaghetti, about 2/3 of a 13.25 oz box, break into small pieces before adding to meat mixture

2 cups low fat ricotta cheese

1 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Kosher or sea Salt to taste

1.       Sauté onion and garlic until softened, about 2-3 minutes. 

2.       Add beef and cook in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking into small pieces while cooking. Ensure the beef loses its pink color before removing from heat. Drain, discard any fat and set aside.

3.       Combine meat with marinara and broken spaghetti pieces.

4.       In a medium bowl combine cooked meat with the remaining ingredients

5.       Add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 2-3 hours or until spaghetti is al dente and cheese is bubbly.

6.       Serve and sprinkle with parmesan if desired.

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Follow directions up to and including numer 4. 

2.       Allow all cooked mixtures to cool before mixing with other ingredients. 

3.       Place cooled ingredients in labeled freezer bag and freeze.

4.       Cook as stated and enjoy!

 (adapted from: http://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-cheesy-spaghetti-with-turkey-sausag/)

Easy Peasy Pulled BBQ Chicken

1.5 lbs chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Thousand Island dressing

1 bottle of BBQ Sauce

1.       Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low 4-6 hours

2.       Shred chicken and enjoy on buns!

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Combine all ingredients into freezer bag and freeze.

2.       Pour contents into crock pot and cook as directed.  Enjoy

(recipe from: http://www.stayathomesusie.com/easy-freezer-meal-pulled-bbq-chicken/)

Angela’s Slow Cooker Chili

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

2 small onions,  diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cans (14.5 oz) kidney beans, drained

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (no salt added) tomato sauce

1 cup low sodium chicken or beef stock

3 TBSP chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

1.       Combine beef, onions, pepper, garlic, beans, tomatoes, sauce, broth 2 TBSP chili powder, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp oregano in crock pot.

2.       Cover and cook on High for 4 hours (or low for 6).

3.       Stir in remaining spices and salt

4.       Serve warm and enjoy!

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Combine all ingredients into gallon freezer bag and freeze.

2.       Pour contents into crock pot and cook as directed.  Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can rotel chili with tomatoes

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1 bag of frozen corn

3 cups cooked rice

11.      Add all ingredients into crock pot,

22.     cook on low for 7 hours

33.   serve over rice. Enjoy

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

11. Combine all ingredients except rice into freezer bag and freeze.

22.       Pour into crock pot and cook as directed.

33.       Serve over rice.

General Tso Chicken

1lb chicken breast, cubed

4 tsp garlic, minced

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp minced ginger

4 tbsp soy sauce

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1 frozen package of stir fry veggies

Slurry (¼ c water mixed with ¼ c flour)

1.       Place first 6 ingredients into crock pot and turn on low.  Cook 5-6 hours

2.       Mix together slurry and add to crock put during the last half hour of cooking.

3.       Turn on high and add veggies after adding slurry.

4.       Serve over rice and enjoy!

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Combine first 6 ingredients into freezer bag and seal.  Place this freezer bag into a larger one and place the bag of frozen stir fry veggies along with it, so they are kept together.

2.       To cook, place contents of the chicken bag into crock pot and then cook as directed. Enjoy!

(adapted from: http://joyandpassion.blogspot.ca/2012/12/general-taos-crock-pot-chicken.html?m=0)

Steak Fajitas

2 lbs flank steak (or London broil…that’s what I got on sale)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 ½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 (7oz) can of green chilies
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 bell peppers, any color, cut into slices
1 large onion, cut into slices

1.       Mix together spices and rub on steak.

2.       Slice veggies and place in crock pot.

3.       Place steak on top of veggies and sprinkle with garlic and soy sauce.

4.       Cook on high 5-6 hours until steak can be shredded easily.

5.       Serve on warm tortillas and enjoy!

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Rub spices on meat and slice veggies. 

2.       Place ingredients into freezer bag and freeze.

3.       Pour contents into slow cooker and cook according to directions. Enjoy!

(adapted from: http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/04/crockpot-fajitas.html)

Balsamic Pork

2lb pork tenderloin

½ tsp ground sage

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ c water

For the glaze:

½ c brown sugar

¼ c balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ c water

1 tbsp corn starch

1.       Rub spices on tenderloin and place in slow cooker with water.

2.       Cook on low 6-8 hours.

3.       About an hour prior to end time, combine glaze ingredients in small pan and heat on low until mixture thickens. 

4.       Baste roast several times during the last hour of cooking.  Drizzle remaining glaze on roast before serving.

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Rub spices onto pork loin and place in bag labeled with “add ½ cup water” and freeze.

2.       Cook as directed, making glaze the day of. Enjoy!

 (adapted from: http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/angela-pietrantonio/brown-sugar-and-balsamic-glazed-pork-loin/pork)

Loaded Potato Soup

4 lbs of potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 chicken bouillon cube

8 cups water

1 16oz package of cream cheese, cubed

Toppings:

Cheese

Bacon

Green onion

Dollop of sour cream

1.       Add all ingredients except for the cream cheese and toppings into crock pot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

2.       Half hour prior to end time, add cream cheese and cook for an additional 30 minutes

3.       Use an immersion blender to get desired consistency (this is an optional step).

4.       Give it a good stir and serve using toppings of your choice!

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

1.       Cook completely according to directions. 

2.       Allow soup to cool and put into containers. Freeze.

3.       Thaw and reheat over low heat.  Stir frequently.  Enjoy!

(Adapted from: http://www.penzeys.com)

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

2lb boneless pork tenderloin

1 1/2 cups ketchup

4oz tomato sauce

2 TBPS brown sugar

1 TBSP molasses

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP BBQ sauce

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Kaiser rolls

(Rub)

1tsp garlic powder

1TBS onion powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp black pepper

11.       Mix the rub ingredients together and rub into pork.  

22.       Allow to sit over night. 

33.       Place in crock pot for 1 hour on high.

44.       Reduce heat to low and allow to cook for four hours.

55.       Cut pork into chucks, pour in remaining ingredients.

66.       Cook on low for 1 hour then shred pork and serve on Kaiser rolls.

                                                           

To make FREEZER FRIENDLY:

11.       Make rub and apply to pork.

22.       Wrap tightly and freeze

33.       Place in crock pot and follow cooking directions. Enjoy!