Broccoli Beef

adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

1 lb thin beef

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 T apple juice

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 T brown sugar

2 tsp sesame oil

2 cloves smashed and chopped garlic

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

dash of ginger

broccoli

--add the liquid to the crockpot

--chop up your garlic, add to mixture

--stir in spices

--slice meat into thin strips

--toss in the liquid and spice mixture to coat thoroughly

--cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on the cut of meat. Thicker pieces will take longer to tenderize.  (Mine only took a few hours).

--an hour before serving, add entire bag of broccoli, cover and cook on high for another hour or so.  (I used fresh broccoli, and steamed it separately instead of adding it to the crockpot).

--stir gingerly to coat broccoli

serve over steamed rice.

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes (with juices)
1 can black beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 package taco seasoning

Brown beef and onions in skillet.  Drain.  (I usually use leftover taco meat from a previous dinner instead).  Combine all ingredients in crock-pot.  Cover.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  This makes too much for my family, so I freeze the leftovers.

Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, shredded

1 zucchini, shredded
1/2-1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
½ tsp salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Combine all ingredients in greased 3 ½- 5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Stir well. Makes 8-10 servings.  OR saute onion, garlic, pepper, and zucchini in oil for a few minutes.  Add all other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.  My kids don't like chunks, so I blend it up before serving.

To Freeze:
Make in large batches, and freeze in family size portions.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

This wasn't our favorite chicken, but I think it was my first attempt at a whole chicken (pathetic I know- I've been married over 6 years!), it was easy, it's a crockpot recipe, and I can use the leftovers for other recipes. We thought it was on the dry side (Adam being the worst critic when it comes to dry chicken) but it was nice to throw it in the crockpot in the morning, forget about it, then put rice in the rice cooker, head off to run errands, and come home to a finished dinner (minus veggies). Next time I'll just decrease the cook time (which I would have done this time if I was home). That being said, when I tried to take the chicken out of the crockpot, it totally fell off the bone... that's a good sign right?

Lemon Roasted Chicken

3-4 lb chicken
½ cup onion, chopped
2 TB butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1 TB fresh parsley
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp paprika

Rinse the chicken well and pat dry; remove any excess fat. Place the onion in the cavity of the chicken and rub the skin with the butter. Place the chicken in the Crock-Pot. Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken and sprinkle with remaining seasonings. (Just a side note: I attempted to remove the seeds from the lemon, and squeeze the juice directly from the lemon onto the chicken, and discovred I missed about 20 seeds!) Cover and cook on Low for 10 hours or on High for 6 hours.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Crockpot BBQ Chicken
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 oz BBQ sauce
¼ cup Italian Dressing
2 TB brown sugar
1 TB Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in crockpot. Mix BBQ sauce, dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce together. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 3 hours, or until ready to shred. Shred chicken and return to crockpot. Cook an additional hour.
click here for original recipe from allrecipes

Apricot Chicken

Apricot Chicken

4 chicken breasts
6 oz. Russian salad dressing (looks like French dressing)
1/2 package Lipton onion soup
1/2 cup apricot jam

Mix all ingredients. Bake at 350* for 1 hour. Serve over rice.

Similar Recipe that I haven't tried:

Crockpot Apricot Chicken
3 lbs chicken
1/2 cup French dressing
1/2 cup apricot jam
1 package dry onion soup mix

Mix dressing, jam, and soup mix. Brush each piece of chicken with sauce and place in slow cooker; cover chicken with remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Spare Ribs

Crockpot Spare Ribs

Boneless pork ribs
½ cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp chili powder
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup Worchester sauce
1 cup tomato soup, catsup, or tomato sauce

Salt & pepper ribs. Combine everything in crockpot. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

Crock Pot Chicken

Mix together & put in crock pot, on low for 3 hours:
4 raw chicken breasts, cut up
½ cup butter melted
1 package Italian dressing mix (dry)

Add & cook 1 more hour on low:
8oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup

Serve with rice.