Slow-Cooker Kielbsa and Kraut

Ingredients

1 (24-ounce) can sauerkraut
1 (8-ounce) jar applesauce
2 pounds kielbasa, cut into serving-size pieces
1 (12-ounce) can or bottle beer

Directions

Combine the sauerkraut and applesauce in a slow cooker. Arrange the kielbasa on top. Pour the beer over all. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Serve as a main dish with mashed potatoes or as a sandwich on hard rolls.

Makes 8 to 12 servings

**Thoughts~Drain the sauerkraut! I didn't do this, and there was too much liquid. It was still very tasty though. I give this quick and easy meals two thumbs up!**

*This recipe comes from The Red Hat Society Cookbook.*

Super Crockpot Roast

Ingredients

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1 package Italian Dressing Mix
1 package brown gravy mix
1 roast of choice

Directions

Place roast in the bottom of a crockpot. Empty contents of the three
packages on top of roast. Pour a little water into the bottom of the
crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 or 7 hours.

You can cook some whole potatoes and carrots with the roast if you want a one pot meal.

**This recipe comes from Kandyblossom's blog.**

Don't Watch Me Minestrone

Ingredients

1 lb. stew meat, cubed
6 cups water
28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, undrained
2 cubes beef bouillon
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons dried vegetable flakes
2 cups cabbage, finely sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
16-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a slow cooker, combined meat, water, tomatoes, bouillon, onion, vegetable flakes and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or until the meat is tender. Add zucchini, beans and macaroni. Cook on high for 30 to 40 minutes or until vegetables and noodles are tender. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over individual servings.

Makes 8 servings

**This recipe comes out of Gooseberry Patch's Recipes For Comfort cookbook.**

Crockpot Cordon Blue

Ingredients

6 chicken breast halves--skinless, boneless
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
4 oz. ham sliced
4 oz. Swiss cheese-sliced
1 package herbed dry bread stuffing mix
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions

Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour enough of the soup into a crockpot to cover the bottom. Leyer chicken breasts over the sauce. Cover with slices of ham and then Swiss cheese. Pour the remaining soup over the layers. Sprinkle stuffing on top, and drizzle butter over stuffing. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours.

Serves 6

Italian Beef

Ingredients

3 to 4 lbs. Tip Roast~Sliced
1 envelope Au Jus
1 pkg. Dry Italian Seasoning Mix
1 onion, sliced
1 can beer
1 can beef broth
Pepperoncini...about 4 plus add some of the juice half way through cooking

Directions

Combine all above ingredients. Cook slow in crockpot on low about 6 hours, or cook slow in oven at 275 for several hours.

Burgundy Beef

I recently saw this in my Simple & Delicious magazine (Sept/Oct 2008), and I hope to try it soon. It looks, well, simple and delicious! ;-) It also feeds a good amount of people, so it would be great for a get together.

Ingredients

4 pounds beef sirloin tips, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 large onions, sliced
1 cup water
1 cup burgundy wine or beef broth
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground mustard
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Hot cooked egg noodles

Directions

In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pan juices. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until gravy is thickened. Serve with noodles.

Yields 10 servings

Butter Beef

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds cubed beef stew meat
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• egg noodles
  

DIRECTIONS

Place the beef and butter into a slow cooker. Sprinkle the onion soup mix over. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours, or High for 4 to 5 hours. Stir once or twice. Serve over egg noodles.

**Thoughts~Okay, I can honestly say that I might not make this again. It had great flavor, but I just didn't enjoy it. Maybe if I put it over rice instead of noodles.**

Italian Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
20 ounce raw potatoes, sliced
frozen bag (16 ounce) of green beans or green bean mix
1 (8 ounce) bottle Fat-Free Italian Dressing

Directions

Spray inside of Crockpot with cooking spray. Lay chicken on bottom. Pour 1/2 of dressing over chicken. Layer potatoes and green beans. Pour remaining dressing over all. Cover, cook on low 8 to 10 hours.

Weight Watchers~1 chicken breast with 1/4 of the potatoes=6 points
if you add 1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, you need to add 1 point

Pot Roast

I don't have an actual recipe for pot roast. I stick it in the crockpot in the morning with 1 package Au Jus gravy, 1 package Brown gravy, and between 1 & 2 cups of water. Then I let this cook all day. Usually a couple hours before serving I throw in some carrots and onions, and then I make mashed potatoes to serve on the side. So easy and so yummy!

Slow Cooker Stuffing

Ingredients

• 12 cups toasted bread crumbs, or dressing mix
• 1 lb. bulk sausage, browned and drained
• 1/4 –1 cup butter, or margarine (enough to flavor bread)
• 1 cup or more finely chopped onions
• 1 cup or more finely chopped celery
• 8-oz. can sliced mushrooms, with liquid
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp. poultry seasoning (omit if using dressing mix)
• dash of pepper
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups chicken stock

Directions

1. Combine bread crumbs and sausage. 2. Melt butter in skillet. Add onions and celery and sauté until tender. Stir in mushrooms and parsley. Add seasonings. Pour over bread crumbs and mix well. 3. Stir in eggs and chicken stock. 4. Pour into slow cooker and bake on High 1 hour, and on Low an additional 3 hours.

Serves 10

Variations: 1. For a drier stuffing, reduce the chicken stock to 1 ½ cups (or 14 oz. can chicken broth) and eliminate the sausage. 2. For a less spicy stuffing, reduce the poultry seasoning to ½ tsp. 3. Substitute 3 ½ – 4 ½ cups cooked and diced giblets in place of sausage. Add another can mushrooms and 2 tsp. sage in Step 2.

**Thoughts~Everyone seemed to like this at Thanksgiving.**

Extra Good Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 5 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cooked, and mashed
• 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 ½ cups sour cream
• 3 tsp. onion, or garlic, salt
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• ¼-½ tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions

Combine all ingredients. Pour into slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours. Serves 12

**Note~These potatoes may be prepared 3-4 days in advance of serving and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.**

Variations: 1. Add 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese. 2. Sprinkle with paprika before cooking.

**Thoughts~Make sure to get these really creamy. Great flavor!**

Slow-Cooker Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients

32-oz. pkg. frozen shredded hashbrowns
1 lb. ground pork sausage, browned & drained (can also use ham or bacon)
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 dozen eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place one-third each of hashbrowns, sausage, onion, green pepper and cheese in a lightly greased slow cooker. Repeat layering 2 more times, ending with cheese. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together in a large bowl; pour over top. Cover and cook on low setting for 10 hours.

Serves 8.

I got this recipe from Gooseberry Patch's Christmas In The Country cookbook.

**Thoughts~This recipe was okay. I think I would prefer to cook it in the oven, but it was convenient to wake up and have breakfast already made on Christmas morning.**

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

4 cups cubed beef (stew meat)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1-2 jars mushrooms
1 cup sour cream

Directions

Place beef in slow cooker. Cover with mushroom soup and mushrooms.

Place cover on slow cooker. Cook on low 8 hour, or on high 4-5 hours.

Before serving, stir in sour cream.

Serve over cooked rice, pasta or baked potatoes.