Slow Cooker Chops

Another crock pot recipe that's a hit and so easy! You can never have too many you know. 3 ingredients+the meat are all you need for a hearty, home-cooked, low-fuss meal. There's chatter around that using canned cream soups is gross and well I'm not buying it! I'll use them till the day I die and this recipe is all the better for it. The pork falls apart after spending all day in a slightly tangy sauce, thanks to the addition worcestershire and ketchup. Serve it with some buttered egg noodles and a green vegetable and you've got an exceptional week-night meal.

Slow Cooker Chops

4 boneless pork chops, left whole or cut in half

1 regular size can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup ketchup

2 t worcestershire

Garlic salt and pepper for seasoning

Sprinkle chops with garlic salt and pepper. Place in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chops. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 7-8 hours. Serve with buttered egg noodles.

Variation: May add one sliced onion.

Basic Hummus

Remember the whole wheat pita post from 2 days ago? Well this hummus is what I made to go along with them. I've come late to the hummus club, but I'm so glad I'm now a member! In full disclosure I made, tasted, and was undecided about this recipe. But then I put it in the fridge and the next day it was better and the day after that it was somehow even better and I couldn't stop eating it and so I decided it was blog worthy!

Hummus is a lovely middle-eastern dip that is healthy and full of flavor. It's a bit tangy (lemon juice), has an interesting texture, and goes great with pita wedges or chips, carrot sticks, and I'm sure any number of other things I haven't thought of yet. If you have something you love to use it on or dip in it please share...

Restaurant-Style Hummus

{Not sure why it's called that but the original recipe from Annie's Eats called it that so I'll stick with it, my version is only slightly adapted from hers. Also a few ideas: a friend of mine who makes terrific hummus (without a recipe mind you, so she doesn't have amounts to share, darn it) uses a dash of vinegar in hers, she also flavors it with things like green bell pepper or cilantro blended right in as opposed to just used for garnish-it's to die for and I plan to add some of those things when I make this again}

3 T juice from 1-2 lemons

1/4 cup water (I used chicken broth though)

6 T tahini, well-stirred

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 (14oz) can chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t cumin

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 T minced fresh cilantro

Combine lemon juice and water (or chicken broth) in a small bowl. Whisk together tahini and 2 T olive oil in a second small bowl.

Process chickepeas, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne in food processor until almost fully processes, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in lemon juice-water/broth mixture. Scrape down bowl again and continue process for 1 minute. With machine running do the same with oil tahini mixture, and process until hummus is smooth and creamy about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Taste and adjust seaoning if needed. Refigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. And if you can plan ahead and make a day before needed, that much better the next day!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Homemade pita is new to my repertoire but it's here to stay. This bread is puffy, soft, flavorful, and even healthful thanks to the whole wheat flour. Fresh from the oven we (or more correctly, I) couldn't stop tearing off pieces and stuffing them into our mouths. The leftovers we kept in the fridge and re-warmed the next day didn't disappoint either. Will definitely be making them again and again and may not be able to do store bought ever again.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

{Recipe from Annie's Eats. These would be terrific stuffed with all kinds of amazing things like gyros for a start. Not to mention they are so great cut into wedges and dipped in hummus, tzatziki sauce, spinach artichoke dip, and the list goes on}

2 1/4 t active dry yeast

1 T honey

1 1/4 cups warm water, divided

1 1/2 cups bread flour, divided

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, divided

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 t salt

Cornmeal, for sprinkling

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, honey, and 1/2 cup warm water. Stir gently. Whisk 1/4 cup each of bread and whole wheat flour into yeast mixture until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap and return bowl to mixer stand, fitted with dough hook. Add in the remaining 3/4 cup warm water, 1 1/4 cups bread flour, 1 1/2 cups wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and let rise in a warm draft-free place, until doubled, about 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured surface and punch down dough. Divide into 8 equal parts. Form each into a ball. Flatten each ball and use a rolling pin to gently roll into 6 1/2-7 inch circles. Transfer rounds to a baking sheet lightly dusted with corn meal. Loosely cover rounds with plastic wrap or kitchen towels and let stand at room temp for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.

While rounds are raising turn oven onto 500 degrees and place rack in middle position. Place a pizza stone (or cookie sheet) on rack and let heat with oven.

Transfer pitas onto heated cookie sheet or baking stone, about 3 at a time. Bake 2 minutes until puffed and lightly golden and then gently flip and bake for 1 minutes on remaining side. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This here recipe is one of my most frequently made meals. My friend Carolee is the one to thank for it and really we can't thank her enough! I realize that everyone most likely has a tortilla soup recipe they swear by, and if you do I dare you to give this one a try and not make the switch! It really is that good. It's tomato-y, spicy, chock full of flavorful chicken, hearty beans, and sweet corn. But the best part are the crispy fried tortilla strips that grace the top. To. Die. For. Make away my friends!

Carrie's Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t vegetable oil

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 t ground black pepper

2 t dried basil or 2 T fresh basil, chopped

1 t kosher salt

15 oz tomato puree

1 cup frozen corn

2 cups cooked chicken

1 can black breans, drained and rinsed

10 flour tortillas cut into 1/2 inch strips

vegetable oil for frying

Optional garnishes:

avocado slices

cilantro

lime wedges

In a stock pot, saute onion, garlic, and green bell pepper in 2 t veggie oil. When soft add broth, black pepper, basil, salt, and tomato puree. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add chicken, beans, and corn and bring to simmer again. While soup is finishing up, heat vegetable oil in separate pot. When hot enough add tortilla strips in batches and fry until light golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve soup hot, topped with fried tortillas and other garnishes if using.

Crock Pot Lasagna

In case you didn't know by now, the crock pot is my dear friend. I use it religiously especially through the colder months which are unfortunately already here in my neck of the woods. The crock pot helps make that post-school/pre-dinner "witching"hour a little more manageable for me, what with not having to worry about making dinner and homework and piano practice and, and, and...you get the picture.

This lasagna is a great crock pot meal, it might not look all that pretty but its taste more than makes up for its looks and it is one of the easiest meals in a crock pot to assemble, particularly if you opt for jarred spaghetti sauce and I certainly do! If you aren't sold by now, let me share one last tempting tidbit-it's a 4 hour tops cook time (on low). So if you aren't on your game at 9 in morning for an 7-8 hour recipe, you can throw it in around 2 or 3 in the afternoon and it's good to go by dinner time. So great!

Crock Pot Lasagna

{Recipe source: Maren Layton}

6-9 lasagna noodles, uncooked (I use the flat not curly kind)

1 lb ground beef or turkey, browned and seasoned with italian seasonings i.e. basil, oregano, marjoram, garlic powder or salt, onion powder, and red pepper flakes

1 jar (28oz) spaghetti sauce

16 oz cottage cheese

1 cup grated mozzarella

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Be sure to drain the browned meat really well. Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in bottom of crock pot. Layer 2-3 uncooked noodles on top (I use a smaller round crock pot and have to break them them up a bit), then 1/3 meat, 1/3 spaghetti sauce, 1/3 cottage, cheese, and 1/3 grated mozzarella. Repeat layers two more times. I try to save a little bit of the sauce to put on the very top for moisture purposes. Cook on low 3-4 hours, but not longer than 4. Makes a good 6-8 servings.

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Bake

Another Mels Kitchen special. This was tasty. Cheesy, creamy, broccoli filled, flavorful crumb topped goodness. It has a few steps, i.e. cooking the rice, steaming the broccoli, making the sauce but the time spent was worth it because the end result was fabulous! You could add in some chicken and make it a one-dish meal with salad on the side. We had some chicken kebabs with ours making it a side dish, and let me just say it stole the show! It would pair perfectly with roasts of all kinds, grilled meats, and many kinds of fish as well.

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Bake

Recipe from Mels Kitchen Cafe

2 slices sandwich bread

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

6 T butter, 4 melted, 2 chilled

1 clove garlic, minced

2 lbs broccoli chopped, including stems

1 onion, chopped

1 1/4 cup white rice

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cups half-and-half

1 t salt

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/8 t cayenne pepper

Grease 9x13 dish and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse bread, 1/4 cup parm, and 4 T melted butter in food processor. Add minced garlic and set aside.

Microwave chopped broccoli, covered, in a microwave safe bowl until bright green and slightly tender, 2-3 minutes (no need to add water). Melt remaining 2 T butter in large pot over medium heat. Cook onion until softened and translucent. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, half-and-half, and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20-25 minutes. Off the heat, stir in cheddar cheese, cayenne, remaining parmesan and cooked broccoli.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake until sauce is bubbling around edges and top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches {Crock Pot}

I've been making this recipe for years. It was shared with me by my good friend Darla way back when we were going to school and had one baby a piece. Those were the day, right?! Anyhow, it's definitely not a fancy recipe by any means and that's why I love it. 3 ingredients besides the chicken and uses the crock pot for ultimate ease. Doesn't get any better!

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches {Crock Pot}

{Recipe from Rachael H. via Darla}

Use equal parts:

brown sugar

soy sauce

pineapple juice

For 2 chicken breasts:

1 can pineapple juice (6oz.)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

Additional items needed:

Buns

Cheese (optional)

Crushed pineapple (optional)

Greens (optional)

Place chicken breasts in crock pot. Mix together pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low or 3 on high. About 1 hour before serving, remove chicken shred, and place back in juices. When ready to serve, broil buns add chicken, cheese, crushed pineapple, and greens to buns and serve.