Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 3/4 cups Butter
• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
• 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.
Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.
Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.
Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin in Slow Cooker

Pork tenderloin

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup soy sauce

1 box Swanson chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

 

Directions:

 

Place pork in bottom of crock pot.

Pour syrup and soy sauce over pork.

Add tomatoes.

Add chicken broth.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

 

Meat falls apart- great for sandwiches.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

Ingredients

½ large onion, cut into large dice

1 lb white potatoes (2 small or 1 large), scrubbed clean and cut into 1 inch pieces with the skin left on

1½ lbs sweet potatoes (3 small or 2 large), scrubbed clean and cut into 1 inch pieces with the skin left on

2 apples, cut into 1 inch pieces with the skin left on

3 cloves garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon salt

4 cups chicken broth/stock

4 tablespoons butter, divided

 cup fresh sage leaves, cut into strips (using culinary scissors or a knife)

Instructions

2. In the bottom of a slow cooker put in the onion, potatoes, apples, garlic, and salt. Pour the chicken broth/stock (or vegetable broth/stock) over top.
4. Turn the slow cooker onto high and cook for 5 hours.
5. Puree the hot soup either in batches in a countertop blender or by just sticking a hand immersion blender right into your slow cooker (recommended).
6. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter.
7. In a medium sized pan over medium heat melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sage leaves and cook while stirring until butter browns and leaves are crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Top soup with brown buttered sage and serve immediately.

Fast Easy Stew

Ingredients
2 pounds frozen solid and maybe even frostbitten stew meat
1/3 cup soy sauce (LaChoy is gluten free)
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes (or 1 large onion, peeled and diced. We didn't have any.... gah.)
2/3 cup beef broth

Directions
Dump everything into the pot. Because my meat was frozen, I didn't have the opportunity to stir it. No worries.
Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for about 5 or 6 hours. If you are home during the day and can stir it once to disperse the ingredients, go ahead and do so after a few hours. If you are not home, don't worry about it. Just stir well before serving.

Your meat is finished when it can break apart with a spoon. Serve with mashed potatoes and/or roasted vegetables.

Enjoy!

Simple Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin

Ingredients: 

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 slices bacon, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 (12 ounce) package white or baby bella mushrooms, quartered
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 large sprigs fresh thyme

( You can use chicken breasts if you want)

Method: 

Arrange chicken on a large sheet of waxed paper. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly coat chicken all over with flour and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until golden and just crisp, 3 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside. Discard drippings and wipe out skillet. Melt 2 tablespoons butter (or heat oil, if using) in same skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large plate as done and set aside.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter or oil in same skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until edges begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, onions, garlic and salt and cook until vegetables just begin to soften. Transfer vegetables and broth to crock pot. Arrange chicken on top. Sprinkle bacon over chicken. Add wine and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Enjoy!

The Ultimate Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 medium carrot, finely grated
• 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled, whole tomatoes, crushed by hand, juices reserved
• Salt and pepper
• 3 large eggplant
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, sliced (optional; I left it out b/c basil’s not in season)
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1/2 cup (or more) freshly grated Parmesan (for something like this, I use the store-ground stuff—not the kind from a can, but the kind in the refrigerated section; make sure it’s real Parm and it will save you a step)
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, lightly toasted under a broiler or in a skillet

Instructions

1. Start by making the tomato sauce. In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion (and a pinch of salt) and cook for a few minutes until it softens; then add the garlic and wait for both to turn a light golden brown.
2. Add the thyme and carrot and cook five minutes more; then add the tomatoes and juice, a pinch of salt, bring to a boil–stirring often–and then lower to a simmer. Cook like this for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce looks thick and tastes terrific (adjust with more salt, as necessary). Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
4. Oil a baking sheet with olive oil.
5. Slice each eggplant into 6 pieces about 1 to 1/2-inches thick; place as many slices as you can on to the baking sheet (you’ll have to do this in batches), drizzle them with a little more olive oil, salt and pepper. Pop into the hot oven and bake until they’re deep brown on top, about 15 minutes. Remove the eggplant slices to a plate to cool and roast the remaining eggplant.
6. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a large baking pan, begin your layering. Start with the largest pieces of eggplant on the bottom, then a layer of tomato sauce, basil (if using), one slice of mozzarella for each eggplant slice, and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Top with a layer of smaller eggplant slices, more sauce, more basil, more mozzarella and more Parmesan. If you have more eggplant and cheese to work with, you can do another layer, but I stopped here. Finish by topping the whole baking pan with the breadcrumbs.
7. Place in the oven and bake until the bread crumbs are golden on top and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Serve it up hot!

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Ingredients

For the base:
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 8 cups low sodium beef broth*
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
For serving:
• 4 to 5 cups cubed crusty bread (I use a multi-grain loaf)
• freshly shredded gruyere cheese

Instructions

1. Turn on your crockpot and set it to high. Add in the butter chunks and then put on the cover. Once the butter is melted, add in the onions. Mix to combine. Put on the cover and let cook for about 1 hour.
2. After the first hour, give the onions a good stir. Place a double layer of paper towels under the lid (which will help to absorb some of the moisture - you’ll want to replace this layer about 2 to 3 times during the cooking process). Continue to cook on high for about 5 to 6 additional hours, stirring the onions about every 35 to 45 minutes.** You want the onions to be a caramel color. Toward the end of the cooking time, keep a closer eye on the onions (you don’t want to let them burn and may need to stir them more often).
3. Discard the paper towels. Turn down the crockpot to low. Add in the broth, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Discard the bay leaf and then taste and adjust with additional salt/pepper if needed.
4. Preheat your broiler. Place oven-safe bowls or crocks on a baking sheet. Spoon the soup into the bowls. Place a handful of bread cubes in each bowl and then sprinkle the top with some of the cheese. Broil for about 2 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

Notes

*Depending on your broth, you’ll need to adjust the amount of salt to your taste. I’ve found that different brands of low sodium broth will vary in how salty they are - so just taste and adjust as needed. You can always add more salt later, so start with a lower amount and go from there.

Enjoy!