Salt and Pepper Chicken - Freezer to the Crock Pot!

I have been like a mad scientist in the kitchen trying out many recipes for the crock pot, more specifically, recipes that can be simply assembled, frozen in gallon size sealed plastic bags and then cooked in the crock pot when needed.

Despite finding recipes that look and smell amazing when assembling, and the reviews on the blogs being positive...yet, some were flops. I came across and adapted this recipe from HERE. Lots of recipes there - great blog! If you are looking for more freezer and crock pot meals, you will find plenty THERE. Its the simplest recipe I found, and yet it was delicious. Great flavor! I made crock pot cheesy mashed potatoes (with hidden cauliflower) in another crock pot (will post that recipe soon, it still needs perfecting).

This recipe is also great if you need to prepare a lot of shredded chicken for other recipes like chicken salad, casseroles etc.

This really cooks fast, this would not be recommended for a situation like making it before going to work for 8 hours and coming home to eat it...even on low it cooks pretty fast and you don't want to come home to mushy or dry chicken.

Salt and Pepper Chicken - Freezer to the Crock Pot

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons montreal steak spice
1/2-1 tsp fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/2-1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp seasoning salt (I prefer Lawrey's)

1 cup chicken broth

To Freeze and store for later: 

Dump all ingredients into freezer bag. Squeeze all air out of bag and seal. Lay flat in freezer.

Crock Pot: Thaw - put in the fridge the night before. Place all ingredients into the Crock Pot and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 3-4 hours. Crock pots can vary in cooking times so keep an eye on this recipe - my chicken took 2 hours on high.

Crock Pot Beef Dip Sandwiches

There have been several recipes going around the blogs lately for slow cooker beef dip sandwiches. I tried them and couldn't get exactly what I wanted....so I had to make my own. My family loves these and they are so easy to make! I wish I could have taken a picture of the finished product, however this is a family favorite and as soon as it was done, it was devoured, leaving me nothing to photograph!

Crock Pot Beef Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. Beef Roast already sliced thin (the beef I buy, sliced thin is labeled Milanesa)

1 packet Beefy Onion Soup Mix

1 packet Au Jus Gravy

1 10.5-oz. can condensed French onion soup 

1 1/2 cans of water or beef broth

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) (I save and use the packets that we get with pizza, its about a half packet for this recipe.)

Slices of mozzarella or Provolone cheese (optional)

Sub rolls (Bolillo Rolls or the bakery made hamburger rolls) 

Additional Optional Variations: 

*Adding 1 half sliced onion and sliced bell pepper to the slow cooker. 

*Sauteing onion and bell pepper on the side to top the sandwiches

Directions:

*Combined the condensed soup, Au Jus gravy packet and water/broth, red pepper flakes - whisk all together. 

*Pour 1/4 cup of the soup mixture into the bottom of the crock pot, 

*Set the remaining mixture aside. 

*Place a thin layer of beef on the bottom of the crock pot. 

*Lightly sprinkle onion soup mix on top of the beef layer.

(This is the first layer)

  

*Place another layer of beef and sprinkle with the soup mix. 

*Repeat layering and sprinkling seasoning until all the beef is into the crock pot. 

*Pour the remaining soup mixture over the top of the beef. 

*Set Crock pot on low for 5-6 hours. 

Assembly: Once the beef is cooked.....

*Slice rolls in half, place on cookie sheet. 

*Place sliced cheese (optional) on one half of each roll. 

*Broil to toast the bread and melt the cheese. It only takes a minute or less!! 

*I like to spoon about 1/2 a Tbsp of Au Jus (meat juices from the crock pot) onto the toasted roll.

*Top with meat and Sandwich up! Slice sandwiches in half for easy dipping! 

*I ladle out the juices from the crock pot into individual bowls for everyone to dip their sandwiches in. Enjoy!

Enchilada Tortilla Soup - From the Freezer to the Crock Pot!

Things are getting so busy at our house lately, and since we weren't completely drowning in things to do, we felt it was our duty to sign up one of our sons for T-ball on top of everything else. No, we aren't one of those "over scheduled families" but even the basics in life (work, church, T-ball, working out, laundry) can make things busy.

Last year I went on a freezer meal making frenzy...which was helpful but required cooking, freezing, and cooking again. Then I discovered the idea of freezer meals that are simply assembled AND THEN cooked in the crock pot....*HEAVEN* People! Heaven! So now I am converting many of my favorite recipes to such a method and here is one of them! ENJOY!

This is a very large recipe - I make the whole recipe, split it in half into 2 gallon-size freezer bags. I freeze one bag and the other I put in the refrigerator to use within a day or two, or directly into the crock pot for dinner that night. 

Enchilada Tortilla Soup

2  15.5 oz cans Great northern white beans (Or pinto, or beans of your choice) rinsed and drained - The beans go in seperately when ready to cook, they are not frozen with the soup - hence, 2 seperate cans of beans.
1  28 oz can diced tomatoes
2  16 oz packages frozen kernel corn -I use a package and a half & save the rest for something else.

1 onion - chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped (I used green for the extra color)
1  28 oz cans enchilada sauce (I prefer Las Palmas-mild)
2  10.75 oz can of condensed cream of chicken soup

4 Tbsp Brown sugar

4 corn tortillas diced (does not go into freezer bag, goes in 30 minutes before serving)
3 cups milk (I used skim)

2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3-4 chicken breasts

3 tsp Salt
*1 packet fajita seasoning
*1  14.5 oz can chicken broth (add when it goes into crock pot) 


***UPDATE**** I made this soup again using a can of great northern white beans, I think that's the best its turned out. They don't have an over powering flavor. I also added 1 can of chicken broth when it was ready to go in the crock pot and half a packet of fajita seasoning - even MORE amazing! (You will need a whole packet of seasoning when making a full recipe) 

Half of this recipe will fit in a 5 quart slow cooker, the whole recipe fits in my 7 quart slow cooker. 

IMPORTANT Directions:Combine the tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, brown sugar, enchilada sauce, soup, fajita seasoning, salt, milk - mix thoroughly. Divide mixture in half into 2 gallon size freezer bags (or one half in the crock pot and the other for the freezer). Add 1.5-2 chicken breasts to each bag/crock pot. Seal, label, and/or place in refrigerator, freezer or crock pot depending on your needs. 

Time to cook:  Place your frozen soup in the refrigerator to thaw the night before you need it. Empty the soup from the freezer bag/bowl into the crock pot. Add 1 can of drained, rinsed beans, 1 can of chicken broth and stir. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. 

30 minutes before serving: Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into the soup. Add 2 diced corn tortillas. Stir. The tortillas are not for crunch, obviously, they are simply for flavor. If you want crunch, add some crushed tortilla chips also. You might think a plain corn tortilla doesn't have much flavor, but it truly does, and its simple addition to the soup - transforms it. Your welcome! :)

Serve: Top with shredded cheddar cheese. If the soup is to thick, add chicken broth or milk until your desired consistency is met. Always, salt and pepper to taste.

Other nice toppings: avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, and tortilla chips. 

Crock Pot Sausage Minestrone Soup

My kids....eat like...Kids. Their dinners usually require being topped with cheese or come with a side of ketchup or ranch dressing and sometimes all of the above if it means they will eat something to relieve my ongoing concern that their only source of nutrition derives from frozen Go-Gurts!

I don't usually make meals that are claimed kid friendly, I make what I want and hope for the best or add cheese, ketchup, or ranch to make it more appealing to their highly trained palates. We are working on adding Guacamole to their list of toppings...

Parmesan seems to be their recent favorite which goes perfectly with this soup. My boys not only ate the soup, they licked the bowls. My husband, who loves minestrone, liked it as well and had seconds which is usually a sign of his seal of approval.

I highly suggest you serve this with garlic bread or my Fast and Simple Focaccia bread

You will also need a 6qt or larger crock pot - if not - half the recipe!

Crock Pot

Sausage Minestrone Inspired Soup

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds Italian ground sausage (mild or spicy - its up to you) - Browned and drained.

1 small red onion, chopped

4 carrots peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks , chopped

2  14.5 oz  cans of diced tomatoes (save the juice!)

2  cans of kidney beans - Drained and rinsed

1 can of white beans - Drained and rinsed

5 cups of beef broth

1 jar (16.5 oz) of marinara sauce (sounds weird right? it totally works - don't worry)

3 tsp oregano

3 cloves of garlic smashed and minced

1 Tbsp Tabasco sauce (I know....Just do it, It adds a good kick, doesn't make it hot)

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup  Dry pasta noodles (elbow, macaroni, penne - whatever you want!)

Parmesan for topping - optional

Half bunch of flat leaf italian parsley, chopped - optional

1. Brown and drain the sausage

2. Add the chopped carrots, celery, onion to the crock pot

3. Add the drained and rinsed beans

4. Add the tomatoes including the juice, and the pasta sauce

5. Add the beef broth, oregano, garlic, Tabasco, salt, pepper

6. Add the meat and stir all contents together

7. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8.

8. Add the dry pasta 1 hour before serving. (It may take less time for pasta to become tender)

Serve and top with parmesan and a sprinkle of flat leaf italian parsley if desired



Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Last year I often made loaded baked potato soup on the stove. I sauteed my carrots and celery, baked my potato's, melted butter, whisked in the cream, cream cheese, and so on - It tasted Fabulous - And it took FOREVER!


As my sons first year of soccer, with practices/games right before dinner time- coming home after and making dinner felt like slave work. I want to come home and eat, not stand another hour over a hot stove. I love cooking but not on soccer days!


I set out to find some worthy crock pot recipes that don't taste like they were made in the crock pot - I found one HERE, (Really great blog) But it still needed some tweaking and so I added my spin and came up with some fabulous options and flavors!

Crock Pot

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

(This is a big recipe - I used my 7 quart crock pot, if you don't have a large one I would half the recipe)

You can pick and choose your toppings and "Stir-ins"
Lots of options = Lots of Awesome Deliciousness!

Ingredients:

1 30oz. Bag of frozen, SHREDDED hash browns

3 14oz. Cans of chicken broth  OR  5 and 1/4 cups of water and 3 crumbled bullion cubes

1 Can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup Onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. Black pepper

1 pkg. Regular cream cheese - Fat free doesn't melt - Considering how much soup this makes one package of cream cheese really isn't that much per serving.

Possible Toppings:

Cooked, Crumbled Bacon

Chopped Green Onion

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Sour Cream

Possible Stir-ins about 1 hour before serving:

1 tiny can of diced green chillies

Cooked, chopped ham

2 baked potatoes, skins removed and diced

1/4 to a 1/2 pound of cooked, drained, Italian or sage ground sausage

Directions:

All ingredients except the cream cheese go into the crock pot.  Stir, to combined all together evenly.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. Cube up the cream cheese and throw in 1 hour before serving (don't forget about any "Stir-ins' you may want to add in as well). ***See Recommendation Below***When serving, top with your desired toppings.

*****I like a smooth potato soup, so I used my immersion stick blender, directly in the crock pot, and blended it for a few seconds before serving it up. If you don't have an immersion blender - no worries - the soup can be served as is and it is good. If you like potato chunks in your soup - I highly recommend adding the diced baked potato an hour before serving.******

ENJOY!