Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:
4 T. butter
1 lb. ground beef
1 c. onion, diced
3/4 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. carrot, diced
1 t. garlic, minced
1 t. dried basil
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
3 c. chicken broth
2 c. russet potatoes, peeled, diced
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
ketchup
mustard
dill pickles, chopped

Directions:
Melt butter in a saute pan. Add hamburger and cook until meat begins to brown. Stir in onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and basil; cook 5 minutes.
Add flour, stirring to coat meat; cook 1 minute. Stir in milk until mixture is smooth. Bring mixture to a boil; cook 2 minutes. Transfer soup to a 3 to 4 qt. slow cooker.
Stir in broth and potatoes. Cover soup; cook until potatoes are tender on low heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Add cheddar just before serving, stirring until cheese melts. Season soup with salt and pepper; garnish each serving with ketchup, mustard, and pickles.

Makes 6 servings. Total time 3-4 hours.

Verdict:
When I got our bowls of this ready I put chopped pickles on top knowing that Blake wouldn't do it on his own. I had mustard on mine and Blake put ketchup on his. This makes such a difference. You really need to put the condiments on the top even though it seems weird. I kid you not. This was good and we both liked it a lot. Blake took leftovers to work and ate it two days in a row. He loves this stuff.

Shrimp Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 T. fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 T. garlic, finely grated

2 t. tomato paste

2 t. garam masala

1/2 t. chili powder

1 c. water

20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 c. plain yogurt

Directions:

Heat oil in a dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Cook onion until golden, about 20 minutes.

Add ginger, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, and chili powder, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add water and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 45 minutes.

Verdict:

I am in search of the best home made tikka masala. I have yet to find it. This one is not good.

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
3 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. provolone, shredded (or chunks if that is easier)
1 1/2 c. whole milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. black pepper
1 t. dry mustard
2 c. elbow macaroni
8 oz. sour cream

Directions:
Combine cheddar, provolone, milk, cream, salt, pepper, and mustard in a 4 to 6 qt. slow cooker.
Cover; cook on low heat setting for 1 hour.
Stir in macaroni and sour cream. Cover; cook on low heat setting for an additional 1 hour.

Makes 6 cups. Total time 2 hours.

Verdict:
DO NOT USE THAT MUCH SALT. It has a really good flavor but the saltiness of it really overshadows this dish. I would make this again but probably only use 1/2 t. at the most if any. I cooked mine on high the whole time and it turned out perfect except for the salt debacle.

Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast, split, pounded thin

1 T. olive oil

3-4 T. butter, separated

1/4 c. shallots, minced

juice of 2 lemons

3/4 c. chicken broth

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T. olive and 1 T. butter in a large skillet until butter foams. Add chicken, and saute on 1 side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Flip and saute chicken until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Raise heat to med-high and repeat with remaining chicken.

Add shallot to skillet, ad cook over medium heat, adding oil or butter as needed, stirring often, until golden about 1 minute. Raise heat to medium high .

Add lemon juice, broth, and any plate juices, and deglaze the pan, scraping brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Simmer until sauce reduces by half, about 3 minutes.

Gradually stir in 2 to 3 T. cold butter until just melted. Season to taste.

Makes 2 to 4 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:

We served this with egg noodles, which I think helped tone down the lemony flavor. I liked it. Blake did not but said that it was good the next day for left overs.

Crockpot Chicken Chili Verde

Ingredients:
3 poblano chile peppers
1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos, chopped
1 c. onion, chopped
1 c. fresh cilantro, chopped, loosely packed
2 T. garlic, minced
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. sugar
1 lb. bone in chicken breasts, skin removed, chicken seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
2 T. lime juice
Crumbled queso fresco cheese

Directions:
Roast poblanos over gas burner until blackened. Transfer poblanos to a bowl; cover in plastic wrap. When poblanos are cool enough to handle, remove skin and seeds. Chop poblanos.
Layer poblanos, tomatillos, onion, 1/2 c. cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt, and sugar in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Place chicken on top, meaty side down; add broth.
Cover; cook until chicken is tender, on low heat setting for 4-5 hours.
Remove chicken from slow cooker; allow it to cool slightly. Shred meat, discarding bones. Add chicken, lime juice, and remaining 1/2 c. cilantro to the slow cooker to high heat setting; cook 10 minutes. Serve chili with crumbled cheese.

Makes 4 servings. Total time: prep- 30 minutes. Cooking time 4-5 hours.

Verdict:
Slow cookers make life so easy. I never cook on low though. I guess I just don't have enough faith in my crockpot. So I cooked this for 3 hours on high. I was a little scared about the bone in chicken however it was really good. We ate this as a soup with tortillas on the side. I think as leftovers this would make some good enchiladas.

Menu

Mon: Crockpot Chicken Chili Verde

Tue: Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce

Wed: Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

Thur: Shrimp Tikka Masala

Fri: Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup

Stuffed Savoy Cabbage

For the tomato sauce:
1 can (28 oz) whole peeled plum tomatoes, with juice
2 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped (1 c.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
coarse salt

For the stuffed cabbage:
coarse salt
1 large head Savoy cabbage (2 to 3 lbs.)
12 oz. ground chuck
12 oz. ground pork
2 c. cooked brown rice (from 1 c. dry)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. fresh flat leaf parsley
1 T. hot paprika

For the sauce:
Pulse tomatoes with juice in a food processor until finely chopped. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally until slightly thick, about 20 minutes. Season with salt. Let cool completely.

For the cabbage:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cabbage head, and cook until outer leaves are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Peel outer layer of leaves, and drain. Return remaining cabbage to water, and repeat until all leaves are cooked and removed.
Pat each leaf dry with a kitchen towel.
Preheat oven to 375.
Gently combine beef, pork, rice, onion, parsley, paprika, and 1 T. salt.
Working with 1 leaf at a time, trim thick part of rib with a paring knife, leaving leaf intact. Arrange about 1/2 c. filling (less for smaller leaves) in center of each leaf. Fold stem end of cabbage over filling. Fold in sides of cabbage. Carefully roll cabbage over to form a package, overlapping ends to seal. Transfer each, seam side down, to a large shallow baking dish.
Spread sauce over stuffed cabbage leaves. Cover with foil and bake until cooked through and cabbage is tender, about 1 hour.

Makes 12 servings. Total time 2 hours + cooling time.

Verdict:
Things wrapped in cabbage seem so fancy. It was a good dinner but it takes a long time. If it didn't take so long I would make them again but because it is so time consuming I probably wont.