Cream of Broccoli Soup

As everyone knows, it's the season for soup....and I've got one of my favorite cream soup recipes to share with you today.  It is absolutely wonderful.  Especially if you serve it in a bread bowl...that's a perfect fall dinner right there!

I got this recipe from my best friend & neighbors Mom years ago.  It's a true test of a fabulous recipe if it gets made year after year after year.  And this is one of those!

There are just so many things to love about this recipe!  I love that it is so easy to make.  That it is super inexpensive (but doesn't taste like it!).  And that you can keep it in the crock pot until ready to serve!  The only thing that would make it better is if I had a maid to clean up after dinner for me!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

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2-3 heads and stalks of broccoli, cut up

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

1 can water

3 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

Bring water, broth, and bouillon to a boil. Add vegetables and simmer until tender.

 Melt butter/margarine in the microwave.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth.  Slowly add the evaporated milk while whisking until smooth & combined.  Stir mixture into the vegetables and broth.

Simmer on low 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, being careful not to scorch.

Or you can warm in crock pot on LOW after you have combined all ingredients.

Serve in bowls or bread bowls (my personal preference).  Take a serrated knife and cut a "lid" off of the bread bowl (or large roll).  Scoop out the "guts" of the bread bowl and place them to the side.

Use the "lid" and "guts" of the bread bowl to dunk into soup.  Yummmmmmy!

  Serves approximately 8.

Beef & Broccoli for the Crockpot

My Crockpot has become my best friend lately.  It's so dang nice to already have dinner ready when it's dinner time...just throw everything on the table & it's ready to go!

And this recipe was really really good!  The beef was so tender it was falling apart on me.  When I stirred in the broccoli the meat just started shredding, so just be careful when stirring.

You can serve this over a pile of white rice or you can serve it with some Fried Rice.  Either way it is delicious!

Enjoy!

Beef & Broccoli for the Crockpot

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1 pound thin beef (whatever kind you'd like)
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons oil (you can use whatever flavor...if you like sesame oil that would work great, but I don't really like the taste so I always just use Olive oil.)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 bag (10 oz.) thawed broccoli florets

Add the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic and crushed red peppers to your crockpot; stir to combine.

Slice meat into thin pieces (if not already) and place in crockpot.  Toss the meat with the liquid to coat.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

An hour before serving add the thawed broccoli.  Cover and cook for another hour.

Stir together (remember to stir carefully or you'll have shredded beef & broccoli!)

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

I love being a busy Mom.  And I love that my crock pot can help me be a busy Mom and still have dinner with the family in that 1/2 hour of free time we have in the evenings!  I think we'd get pretty sick of fast food as would my pocket book without my dear sweet crock pot.

This is one of my favorite crock pot meals.  I'm not really a traditional spaghetti fan.  I like baked spaghetti's & crock pot spaghetti, but just the sauce over cooked noodles...not so much.  I am also a lover of all things cream cheese.  It makes all the difference in this recipe, but even my "I hate cream cheese" son loves this it.

Try it out, you won't be disappointed!

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

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1 pound ground beef or turkey
salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 jars (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 pound spaghetti noodles
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

Brown meat over the stove with the garlic.  Salt & pepper to season.

Pour one can of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of your crock pot.  Break the spaghetti noodles in half and put them on top of  the sauce.

Spread the ground meat over top the spaghetti noodles.

Grate the Parmesan cheese.  I love freshly grated Parmesan, not a big fan of the pre-shredded stuff.

Put chunks of the cream cheese on top of the meat and then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.  (you can use the powdered Parmesan cheese here too...about 1/2 cup.)

Pour can 2 of your sauce over the cheeses.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.  After the 3 hours give it a good stir.  It will be thick!  Add the last jar of sauce & the can of chicken broth and stir to combine.  Let cook for 1 hour longer.  Serve or turn to warm/low until ready to serve.

Oh, and it makes quite a bit.  About 10-12 servings, but I think it's just as good if not better the next day warmed up in the microwave...perfect for lunch!:)

Chicken Enchilada Chili

IT'S SOUP & CHILI SEASON!!

 

Yes, I just yelled that at you. 

 

I'm so excited (in case you couldn't tell from all the yelling!).  I love soups & chilies.  That's my one top reason why I like the Fall season so much.  This recipe is so easy to throw together...literally, just dump everything into the crockpot and 4-8 hours later you've got yourself an awesome dinner!

 

Chicken Enchilada Chili

Budget Dinner Total: $9.00 (without toppings) that's about .75 cents per serving!
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2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (28 oz.) prepared enchilada sauce (or 1 recipe of my homemade stuff)
2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted...yum!)
2 cans (15 oz.) pinto beans, undrained
1/4 cup dried onion peices (or 1 raw onion, diced)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
monterey jack cheese, for topping
sour cream, for topping
cilantro, for topping

Pour enchilada sauce, tomatoes, beans, onion and spices together in a 6 quart crockpot.  Place chicken on top of soup (yes raw!).  Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.

Pull out the chicken and shred.  Return shredded chicken to chili and stir to combine. 

Serve with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro.  Divine! 



Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Is it unbearably warm in anyone else's part of the country right now?  We've had a couple of days of really warm weather.  (I realize some of you may have way hotter weather than I do, so I'm sorry to complain, but I'm a wimp when it comes to heat!) 

We broke down and installed our swamp cooler on Saturday, and boy am I glad we did!  (A little less sweat dripping down my back is a good thing!)

Which brings me to this recipe.  It's a crockpot recipe which allows you to not have to heat up your oven & consequetnly your kitchen. 

Yeah for the crockpot during the hot months!

Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

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4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup Caesar dressing (use your favorite brand...low fat works too)

1 cup cup freshly grated Paremesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon pepper

lettuce (iceberg, leaf, or romaine)

6 hamburger buns

butter or cooking spray

Place chicken in crockpot along with 2 cups of water.  Cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

Remove the chicken to a plate and then drain the water from the crockpot.  Shred chicken, discarding any fat.

Place the chicken back in the crockpot and add the dressing, 3/4 cup of the parmesan, parsley, and pepper.  Stir until combined.  Cook for an additional 30 minutes on high heat, or until mixture is hot.

When the chicken is about finished, spread butter on both sides of each hamburger bun.  (You can also just spray them with cooking spray to cut on some calories if you'd like)  Place on a cookie sheet and put in your oven with the broiler on.  Mine only took about 1 minutes to brown nicely, so you just need to keep an eye on them so that they don't turn black (yes, I have done that before!). 

Spoon chicken onto toasted buns, top with leftover Parmesan and the lettuce of your choice.

Sweet Pork

Sweet pork calls my name pretty regularly.  I don't make it near as often as I should.  And lately I've been a last minute cooker, as in "what's in the fridge that we can hurry and throw together" at 8:30 at night!  And since this is a slow cooker recipe...it just hasn't worked out this spring.

...YET...

I'm going to change that this week!  It is on the menu & I couldn't be more excited.  This is probably one of my most talked about recipes.  Whenever I see someone around town and they bring up the blog...this is the recipe they always seem to mention.  It really is that good!

The meat can be used in Burritos or you can throw it on top of a salad, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make all of the sides that go with it!  You've got to throw on some Cilantro Lime Rice, black beans, and you absolutely cannot have this without the Tomatillo Ranch Dressing!!  You can also make some Tortilla strips, but they are not as essential as the other 3.

Click here for the whole post on the Sweet Pork Burritos

Hope you enjoy these A LOT during the rest of the spring and throughout all the summer months!

Sweet Pork

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2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies

1 can (8 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup)

1 boneless pork loin roast (2-2 1/2 pounds)

Place roast and all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Shred meat with a fork. Return to slow cooker for 30 minutes.

Wrap in a burrito with Lime Cilantro Rice, black beans, & cheese.  Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and Tomatilla Ranch Dressing.

OR
Make a salad & top the salad with some black bean, Lime Cilantro Rice, and Tomatilla Ranch Dressing.

Either way you WILL make this again!!



Cajun Pulled Pork (for Crockpot)

Yummy.  That's how I would describe this dish.  That's how I describe a lot of things lately.  I even caught myself saying it last night when talking about something that wasn't even food related!  I don't think she noticed or just decided to dismiss it as "Jana's losing her mind!"  (I think I probably get that a lot...cause it's true most days!) 

Anyway, this is a wonderful dish to throw in the crockpot on a busy night, and serve with a salad!  Yummy!!:)

Cajun Pulled Pork

Recipe from 365 Crockpot

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4 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt (I used pork tenderloin)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspon garlic powder

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 tablespoon butter
1-2 tablespoons liquid smoke

2 cups water

Put the meat into a large plastic zipper bag with brown sugar and all spices.  Seal well and shake to coat.  Pour the contents of the bag into the crockpot.  (You can also just put the meat in the crockpot and rub the seasoning all over it). 

Top with the chopped onion, butter and liquid smoke.  Pour in the water.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. 

To make the pulled pork sandwich you will need:
Hamburger buns

butter

cheese (your choice...we used provolone...Yummy!)

Butter one half of the hamburger bun and place it buttered side up on a large cookie sheet.  Place a slice of cheese on the other half and put it cheese side up on the pan.  Place under the broiler in your oven and watch carefully.  Once they start to brown it goes quick and you may end up eating black buns if you're not watching!

Place pork on toasted buns and top with some bbq sauce (or it it plain...I like the bbq sauce though).  Hope you enjoy!  Yummy!

Crockpot Italian Chicken

It's a known fact here at my home that I like to sleep!  It has been such a great week (so far...it's only Tuesday too!!), I haven't gotten out of bed until at least 9:00 both yesterday and today!  It's so nice that we have the entire week off school (hubby too since he's a teacher!) and that the kids are older and can handle themselves in the morning so I don't have to get up with them. 

My little Rhett also likes to sleep in...he's a major night owl, but he can sleep in until 10:00 or so if he stays up late.  It's kind of a problem when he has to be to school at 7:45 (honestly...that's what time his preschool starts...CrAzY!)  I'm lucky to even be dressed and ready to get him there! 

Anyway, I'm lovin' this little bit a time off to catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation (kind of), we still have a pretty busy week.  Kyla turns 12 on Saturday!!  How in the world does time fly that fast?  We've got an awesome birthday cake and cupcakes for her friend party that we can't wait to make and share with you!  But until then, enjoy this easy throw in the crockpot meal that was a big hit with the fam!

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

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4 chicken breasts

1 packet dry Zesty Italian dressing

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Pasta of your choice (we chose angel hair), or rice

Place the chicken in a crockpot and sprinkle Italian dressing over it. Combine cream cheese and cream of chicken soup in a microwave safe bowl and heat a few minutes at a time, making sure to stir in between until cream cheese is melted and they are mixed together and smooth.  Pour over the chicken.  Cook on low for at least 4 hours. Once chicken is done you can leave the chicken breasts whole, cube it, or even shred it. I ended up shredding it, that was just the easiest solution!:)

If you feel the sauce is too thick you can thin it to your preferred consistency with a little milk. Serve over pasta or rice.

Black-eyed Pea Soup (for crockpot!)

I wish I used my crockpot more...I always feel so good when I've got dinner ready and cooking by noon! Nothing better than being asked at 5:30 what's for dinner and actually having a response...takes my hubby and kids by surprise every time I don't say "I don't know!" So with that here's an AWESOME recipe that even my kids enjoyed.

Black-eyed Pea Soup

 (by 365 Crockpot!)

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1 pound dried black eyed peas

1 pound spicy sausage (I used some kielbasa sausage)

6 cups chicken broth

1 yellow onion, diced

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

4 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Tabasco sauce (to taste...or omit!)

Soak your beans overnight. (This is the hardest part for me to remember...don't forget!:)) Drain in the morning.

Dice the veggies, and put them into your crockpot with the beans. Add your sliced sausage and then pour in the broth, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6.

Ladle into bowls, and add Tabasco sauce to taste...or if you're a wimp like me, just don't even go there!:)

Crock Pot Pork or Beef Roast

I have a recipe for a 24 hour Italian Beef that we absolutely LOVE. (I'll be sharing that recipe eventually!:)) But this sunday I had a pork roast and I figured it would be just as good as the beef, but when I went to make it I didn't have one of the ingredients so I had to find a substitute. Sometimes that doesn't work out, but this time it did. The roast was so yummy and tender!

Crock Pot Pork or Beef Roast

(photo is of a pork roast)

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1 (3-5 pound) pork roast

2 cups water

1 package onion soup mix

1 package Italian dressing mix

Mix together the water, onion soup mix, and dressing mix. Pour over the roast in your crock pot. Cook on high for about 6-7 hours. Break up the roast and then continue to cook it for about another hour. Serve!!

I think I cooked a 5 pounder on Sunday and so we had a lot of leftovers! So yesterday I made some of THESE ENCHILADA'S with the leftover meat. The pork was so good in these!!