Snow, Snow and More Snow...

It's been awhile since I've posted and I've really fallen behind in my cooking and blogging about it these days. We have a lot of snow at home and this picture cracks me up so I thought I'd share. This is my 2 year old's (his birthday is tomorrow) first attempt at helping Daddy shovel. As you can see he got a face full of snow. That pretty much ended his outdoor play for the day!

After we finished the left overs last night I realized I completely forgot to take pictures. So, this recipe is without pictures but is definitely worth making. For Christmas we gave my sister a slow cooker and this recipe is adapted from one she recently tried:

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers:

1lb lean ground beef
4 peppers--tops cut off and seeds removed
Large can of crushed tomatoes in puree
1 can tomato soup
1 cup water
1 package Spanish rice mix (I used Near East)
2 celery stalks chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 egg

Mix beef with rice (excluding the seasoning packet), celery, onion and egg. Fill peppers with this mixture. I find cutting the bottom of the peppers flat helps them stand up easier after being filled. Empty can of crushed tomatoes into crock pot. Arrange stuffed peppers on top. Mix soup with water and rice seasoning packet. Pour this over peppers. Cook in the slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low.

Sorry for lack of pictures but these were really good and made the house smell great!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Last week while reading Prudy's blog Prudence Pennywise (as I'm sure many of you read as well) I was inspired to make her Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Chicken. I have said this before, and I'll say it again, I'm always looking for easy to prep recipes during nap time, that still taste great and aren't cold by the time the husband gets home. After running to soccer then the grocery store I was able to whip this up in no time. Thanks, Prudy! This recipe is a winner.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Chicken (tacos) from Prudence Pennywise. You can find Prudy's exact recipe HERE, as well as check out her mouth watering photos. For my measurements see below:

3lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

Two cans petite diced tomatoes in their juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon (eyeball) crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon (eyeball) cumin

1/2 teaspoon (eyeball) chili powder

Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on bottom and season with pepper. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar and spices. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high4-6 hours.

I served ours taco style with corn tortillas and all the taco fixings. I've made enough chicken to use in several other dishes for the remainder of the week.

So, thanks again Prudy for another fantastic dish. This one will be a keeper at my house!

Slow Cooker Tex Mex Chicken

This has got to be one of the easiest meals to prepare and the results are fantastic. This recipe comes from the Everyday Food Magazine by Martha Stewart and we've made this several times. I am constantly looking for quick meals I can prepare during "nap" time that will hold until the husband gets home at night. This one does the trick.

All you have to do is mix dry beans with a jar of salsa, a few chipotle chiles (I like to add a little extra of the smoky sauce), flour and a cup of water in the bottom of your slow cooker. Then arrange boneless, skinless chicken thighs on top. On top of chicken dump chopped onion, and red pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. That's it! Dinner in a snap! You can find the entire recipe here, in case you didn't like my "mix this", "dump this" version.

I served mine with low fat sour cream on top, but I bet this would made a great nacho topping!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

The most recent issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine is full of great fall recipes. I chose to make the slow cooker pot roast first. This recipe was a cinch. The vegetables (I added potatoes to the veggie list) are layered on the bottom of the crock pot, the meat placed on top, a drizzle of Worcestershire Sauce and that's about it. Let it cook for 6 hours and ta-da, dinner is served. It's done nothing but rain in New England for the last 4 days so this--make your house smell good all day--dinner was perfect. The recipe can be found HERE, and I would highly recommend making this!