Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Let's face it. Crock pot cooking is the simplest way to get a great, home-cooked meal without much effort. Sometimes we don't have time in the morning to toss everything in the pot, so what can we do? You can still use the crock pot, just take some short cuts. This Monday was an example of how my day became so crazy, I totally forgot to set up the crock pot in the morning to get our meal going. Fortunately, this particular recipe from cooks.com was able to be made on low or high. I also found this recipe in a search for my friend Jen R., who loves cacciatore but wanted to avoid making it with a whole chicken. So here's the secret to my short cut: Perdue Perfect Portions. They sell them in the meat/poultry aisle, by the chicken cutlets and come individually sealed and marinated (I used the white wine garlic).  The cutlets are pretty thin, so cooking time is faster. The dish was done with in two hours, cooked alternately on high and low.

Crock Pot Cacciatore from Cooks.com
3-4 lbs. boneless/skinless thighs and breasts ( I used about 4 portions of White Wine Garlic Perdue Perfect Portions)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 large red or green bell peppers, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon each basil and oregano
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 (8 oz.) can stewed tomatoes with chiles
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups burgundy wine( I used about 1 cup of Merlot and the wine did not clash with the 'white wine' taste of the cutlets)
Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling before serving

Directions 
Place sliced onions on bottom of crock pot. Add chicken.
Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.
Cook on low 7-9 hours or high 3-4 hours.(I alternated between high and low for 2 hours, checking the consistency/doneness of the chicken) Serve over pasta, with a salad on the side.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Cranberries

In case you couldn't tell, I love to make meals in the slow cooker. It's a genius invention. I can easily rummage through whatever I have in the fridge,freezer or pantry and come up with a meal. Then, I just throw it all in the pot and leave it. I wanted to make this recipe for sometime, but other projects(ahem,cookies) took priority in using my cranberries. Well today, I decided, was the day. I had to make some changes, as I didn't have every ingredient in the house. The dish came out pretty good, but cooked up quicker than I had expected. Over all, it's a very healthy meal and tasty, but personally, I'd rather make oatmeal raisin-cranberry cookies to use up the fruit!
Chicken-wild Rice Casserole with Dried Cranberries(8 servings)Betty Crocker- More Slow Cooked Recipes

1 1/2 cups of uncooked wild rice
1/3 cup of dried cranberries or cherries
1 TBSP onion powder
1 cup cut up baby carrots
2 medium stalks of celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup chunky applesauce
1/2 TSP of salt
8 chicken drumsticks(skin removed)
8 chicken thighs (skin removed)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) beefy mushroom soup
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
2 TSP thyme leaves 
Instructions
Add all ingredients, except chicken,broth,soup and thyme. Arrange chicken on top. Add soup, then broth and sprinkle thyme on chicken. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Check it at the 4 hour mark to make sure the rice doesn't burn.

 

BBQ Pork Chops in the Crock Pot with Baked Pumpkin Pie Spice Apples

In case you haven't noticed, I have busted out the crock pot and started cooking away. I started with the tacos and finished with tonight's meal, BBQ Pork Chops. I needed a yummy side to go with my lovely, spicy sauced babies, and what would be a better way to finish off my apple picking conquests? The whole dinner was simple really; the crock meal took about 5-6 hours on low. The baked apples took about 16 minutes.  This is a great side dish for babies, since it is soft and easy for them to chew. My daughter went to town on them! I rounded the meal off with some good old fashioned Fried Rice A Roni and a glass of Ten Lakes Chardonnay. For your eating pleasure, here is a recipe for a great fall dish.

Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Chops (From Betty Crocker's More Slow Cooked Meals)


4 Boneless loin chops, about 1 inch thick (3/4 pound)
4 Slices of onion
1 clove of garlic
3/4 cup of apple sauce
1 TBSP of water
2 TSP cornstarch


Directions
Place chops in 3 1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker. Top each with 1 slice of onion and a sprinkle of garlic. Pour BBQ sauce over chops.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  5 minutes prior to serving, remove the pork from cooker and place on serving platter, covered for warmth. Mix water and cornstarch  in a microwaveable bowl and add juices from cooker to mixture. Heat uncovered on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until mixtures boils and thickens slightly. Serve sauce over pork.


Baked Pumpkin Spice Apples
2 Macintosh apples, medium, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup of water
1/4 stick of unsalted butter(small sliced pats)

1 TBSP of pumpkin spice


Preheat oven to 350. Place sliced apples in baking dish. Add water. Sprinkle pumpkin spice evenly over apples, then add butter pats over apple slices. Cook for around 16-20 minutes, checking in between to make sure they are softening. Remove and cover until ready to serve.