Quick Crock Pot Meals

It’s getting to be that time of the year. Field work is going to begin, many beef herd and seasonal dairies are calving, school sports are picking up. We are all looking for quick week night dinners! A recipe ranks even higher for me if I can chuck it in the crockpot and forget about it for the day.

I’ve compiled a handful of quick, minimal prep crock pot dinners. Please forgive the lack of pictures, I’ll add them in sometime. But the following are some tried and true quick crock pot go to’s I use.

Grape Jelly Meatballs

• 2 pounds frozen meatballs
• 1 jar chili sauce
• 1 small jar grape jelly

In a bowl combine the jelly and chili sauce. Place the meatballs in crock pot. Pour sauce mixture over top. Cook on low for 5-7 hours.

I like to serve these with cheesy potatoes (some places referred to as funeral potatoes) and coleslaw. They also go great in sub buns when on the run!

Nacho Cheese Chicken

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

Place the chicken in crock pot. Combine the soups and garlic powder. Pour over the chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

We like to serve this over noodles or rice.

Hamburger Stroganoff 

• 2 pounds of browned hamburger
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 envelope of powdered onion soup
• 16 ounces of sour cream

Mix the burger and soups. Cook on low in the crock pot for 4-6 hours. Before you are ready to serve stir in the sour cream.

We like to serve this over noodles, rice, toast, baked potatoes, pretty much anything! AND it’s a must green beans have to be your veggie 😉

Ham and Beans

• 1 pound of ham
• 1 pound of white beans (rinsed and sorted)
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 small onion diced

Put all ingredients in a crock pot on low for 8 hours.

This is great when served with cornbread!

“Taco” Meat

• 3 pounds of meat (I realize this sounds generic but I have used chicken, roast beef, pork roast, venison. All have had great results)
• 1 packet ranch seasoning
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 16 ounce jar of salsa

Place your choice of meat in the crock pot. Sprinkle the seasonings over the meat. Pour the jar of salsa on top. Cook on low for 8 hours (the longer the better if a roast). Shred the meat.

We have served this in tacos, sandwiches, just by itself with sides. I’ve also repurposed the leftovers in to black bean soup!

Just because it’s that time of the year when we’re all running around crazy, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be able to eat a decent meal here and there. Hopefully these recipes can help make your life a little easier this spring!

So You Wanna Buy A Chicken

It’s that time of the year. Signs, flyers and advertisements are every where. Farm supply stores have tubs sectioned off with eager little eyes peering over the edges. Chick time.

Two years ago we made the plunge in to the chicken world. We went to our local Tractor Supply Store and left about $150 poorer and 50 chicks heavier.

You may be going, holy cow 50 chicks, I thought you were a cow person. Well I am, but we intended to eat some of these fluffy nuggets. Fifteen of the chicks were pullets (female). These were going to be our layers. The other thirty five were “straight run”, this means both male and female chicks are in the group. You just get what you get. We assumed the majority would be roosters which we would dine on when the time came. We all know what assuming does…. There were 6 roosters. Long story short we ate some of the hens. They were just as tasty as the roosters.

Fast forward two years, we have a coop full of 23 layers and crazy little blond girl who pampers them.

Emma and one of her Easter Eggers.

So how do you decide if you’re ready to enter the crazy world of chickens?

First thing’s first. If you live in a town or city ordinance, you need to check your local laws. Some places don’t allow chickens at all, some allow hens but no roosters and some only allow a certain number of birds on your property. Nothing would be as disappointing as getting your flock going only to discover that you can’t keep them.

Next you need to decide if you have the time to care for a flock. While chickens are not incredibly labor intensive, they do require some commitment. Chicks can be very intensive, depending on the time of year and age of chicks. As they age the require daily feeding and watering. Winter can be a chore depending on your climate. Do you want to be spending time taking care of your feathered ladies when it’s subzero?

Babies in their coop.

How much room do you have? While chickens don’t require huge spaces they need some room to stretch those wings. Coop, free range, make shift pen, one of those snazzy little houses that are advertised on Facebook all the time? All these options can either limit or expand how many chicks you purchase.

Next come some choices that really shape the dynamic of your flock. Do you want laying hens? Meat birds? Or a nice dual purpose breed that you can either eat or collect eggs from. Our flock is made of layers as well as dual purpose.

A quick glimpse at our flock which is made of Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds, Delawares, Barred Rocks, Easter Eggers and Red Sex Linked (Buffs).

Finally you need to select breeds. This part is by far the most fun, especially with layers. Egg shells and chicken feathers come in all the colors of the rainbow! Have fun, get crazy. Believe me, if you get chickens the crazy comes with them.

A bounty of eggs!

Next blog we’ll get in to choosing breeds that work for you!

Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders

My kids have reached the golden age of chicken nuggets and chicken tenders. I don’t care how many tantalizing things are on the menu at a restaurant, chicken is their go to. I set about making a home made version the other night. I wanted something that would make both young and old taste buds happy. This was our delicious compromise. They flew off the plate in no time!

Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders

• For the chicken tenders: 
• 3-4 large chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• oil to fry in

In one bowl combine flour thru black pepper, stirring to combine. In a second bowl beat eggs, add in milk, garlic and water. Stir to combine. Heat your oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slice the chicken breasts in to thin strips. Allow to soak in the egg mixture for 10-15 minutes. This will let all the garlic flavor go in. I made a batch of tasty hand cut fries during this time.

The chicken strips are double breaded. I soaked the whole batch, then tossed in the flour mixture. After a good shake, re-dip in the egg mixture. Finally give one last toss in the flour. I did the entire batch so I could be done with the breading all at once. I hate gooey fingers from breading!

Fry in small batches. This way your oil stays hot and the coating stays crispy! No one wants soggy chicken tenders. The tenders take about 4-5 minutes to fry. Drain on paper towels and place in a LARGE bowl.

• For the Sauce
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 4 Tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/3 cup water

Combine in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil and reduce in half. This takes about 10 minutes. Once reduced pour over cooked chicken tenders. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken and Baked Potato Casserole

It’s been a crazy, busy weekend and I promise I will get a blog of some substance up in the next few days. However, I was getting stuff together to make this tasty casserole for supper in the next few nights and thought you may enjoy it as well. It’s a HUGE hit at our house, although I don’t make it often because it is a little time consuming for me. I normally don’t make it when it’s hot out either, your oven has to be screaming hot at first and this old farm house has no air conditioning. I try to avoid turning my kitchen in to a sauna. Easier said than done once it starts to warm up!

Buffalo Chicken and Baked Potato Casserole

Pre heat over to 500 degrees (I’m serious), I’m putting this first, before the ingredients because some peoples ovens may take a little while to obtain this crazy temperature. I re-read this temp a few times when I first made it to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. But first thing is first, crank her up to 500 degrees.

• 8-10 Medium Potatoes, I like to use red and leave the peels on, but any potato will do the job
• 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of Paprika
• 2 Tablespoons of Garlic Powder
• 6 Tablespoons of Hot Sauce, we are not a spicy family and I have never used this much. I go with 3 for a nice medium heat

In a large bowl, big enough for all the potatoes, mix together olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce. Cube potatoes (apprx 1/2 inch cubes) and add them to the mix. Stir to coat. Place potatoes in a greased 9×13 pan. It is best to remove potatoes with a slotted spoon to leave the liquid mixture behind. The end goal is crispy potatoes, to much of the oil mix in the pan makes soggy potatoes. Do NOT dump the oil mixture out. Bake in your insanely hot 500 degree oven for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Hey, I said this was kind of a pain in the butt recipe, but it’s worth it.

Now while your tending tirelessly to your potatoes, sweating in your old, hot kitchen you need to bust out the chicken part of this recipe.

• 2 Pounds of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, you could also easily use boneless, skinless thighs

Cube chicken in to 1/2 inch cubes, comparable in size to the potatoes. Marinate the chicken in the left over oil mixture while your potatoes bake. Once potatoes are done cooking, remove the pan from the oven, carefully. Remove chicken from the oil mixture with slotted spoon and add to the potatoes. Turn your poor oven down to 400 degrees. Mix chicken and potatoes together. Put back in the oven for 10 minutes.

Topping (or layer of delicious, gooeyness)

• 2 Cups of Fiesta Blend or Cheddar Cheese, whatever suits your fancy
• 1 Cup of Crumbled Bacon, don’t skimp and use bacon bits, use the real deal
• 1 Cup of Diced Green Onions

Mix this all together. When your chicken’s 10 minutes are up, remove pan from oven and top with this mix of goodies. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is melted in to a gooey mess of goodness.

When your approximately hour and fifteen minutes of cooking is completed, I serve this with a side of ranch dressing or someone has suggested more hot sauce. They must live more on the edge than I do. You may also serve with a beer or other adult beverage, let’s face it, this recipe is a lot of work!

So I apologize for the length of cook time and the heat of the oven, but I promise you will not be disappointed in the final results. I will hopefully have a new blog post up in the next day or two and maybe my next recipe won’t contain chicken? Until then, enjoy!

Hawaiian Chicken

It’s that time of the year where we live out of my crock pot and off of the grill. I normally like quick recipes to begin with, but with the start of spring we start to get busy! Between everything picking up again at the farm and kids activities (Emma’s starting to make me feel like a real “soccer mom”), I don’t want to mess around with long recipes and I’m not that big of a fast food person to grab on the go. Emma wants to live on Wendy’s, I do not.

Here’s a good crock pot recipe, it was originally baked in the oven. I adjusted a little and poof, crock pot!

Hawaiian Chicken

• 3lbs of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar
• 1/2 C Ketchup
• 1/4 C White Vinegar
• 1 Can of Pineapple Chunks with the Juice
• 1 Medium Green Pepper, chopped
• 2 Tbsp Cornstarch

Crock pot method:

Place the chicken breasts in the crock pot. In a medium sized bowl mix together the brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar and pineapple juice. Pour over top of chicken. Place green peppers and pineapple chunks on top of chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. I prefer the low temp because your pineapple and peppers can get a little scorched on high. Remove chicken, add cornstarch. Stir in sauce until thickened.

Oven method:

Place chicken breasts in a 9×13 pan. Mix all ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for an hour and a half. My history with doing this in the oven is it takes closer to an hour and forty five minutes.

I like to serve this with baked potatoes or over rice. The hubby is not a rice fan, so we normally go with potatoes. Enjoy!

 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I want to try something new and post a recipe every now and then. One thing I do enjoy is cooking. I don’t know too many people who don’t like to eat! My recipe blogs are NOT going to be filled with pictures. They are NOT necessarily going to be healthy. One thing is for sure, they WILL be tasty (and fairly quick)! So here’s your first one to enjoy.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

(loosely adapted from Made it. Ate it. Loved it. with a few of my own perk ups!)

• 3-5 Chicken Breasts
• Salt and Pepper
• Powdered Ginger
• Garlic Powder
• 1 Cup of Cornstarch (more if you use more than 5 chicken breasts)
• 2 Eggs Beaten (more if you use more than 5 chicken breast)
• 1/3 Cup Canola oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Begin to heat oil in a large skillet. Cube chicken in to bite size pieces. Beat 2 eggs in a large bowl, big enough to dip chicken pieces in. Mix corn starch, with dashes/generous sprinkles (we don’t get to technical here) salt, pepper, powdered ginger and garlic powder. Put in a bowl large enough to dredge the chicken pieces in. Dip the bite size chicken pieces in to the eggs, followed by the corn starch mixture. Place in to pan of hot oil. Brown and drain. Chicken does not need to be cooked thru. After draining place in a 9×13 pan.

Sauce Mixture:

 

• 3/4 Cup White Sugar
• 4 Tbsp Ketchup
• 1/2 Cup White Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp Powdered Ginger

Whisk until smooth and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for a half hour. Stir part way thru to ensure good sauce coverage. Serve over rice or on its own.

I’ve also made this recipe then put it in the crock pot on low instead of in the oven and have had equally as scrumptious results. I just put it on low for about 3 hours.

Hope you enjoy!!!