Crocking Fun Friday-It came in!

Yes, my new Crock Pot arrived!  With a little bonus crock called the Little Dipper!  And programmable to boot!  (Can you tell I am a little excited?)

So because of my excitement you get two recipes, one for each!

The first is simple and comes from The Crockin Girls' Slow Cookin Companion cookbook.

Idaho Dip
1 pkg. sausage
2 pkgs. cream cheese
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

Cook sausage and drain.  Place in cooker with cream cheese and tomatoes.  Cook on low for 2 hours or until heated through. 
Serve with chips or crackers.


The second, not so hard either, and one I do on a regular basis.



The name-
 Whole Fryer Chicken (aren't I original?)

I add one fryer chicken to the slow cooker.  Usually it is frozen solid!  Yes, I know there is "extra stuff" in the cavity.  It gets cooked as well and discarded later, but since it is a good source of nutrients, it stays in for now.

Sprinkle over the top-
sage,
garlic powder,
salt
and pepper.
Or anything else you feel like throwing in.
Add 2-3 cups of water.

I turn my Crock Pot on right before we go to bed and set it on low for 10 hours.  By the time we wake up, the cooker has switched to warm and the house smells good!

 

Sorry, this is a HORRIBLE picture, but funny story!  We were half way through eating dinner, and yelled stop!  (scared everyone to death!)  I realized I had not gotten a pretty, before picture, so you get the half eaten one!

 

Anyway, once the chicken is done cooking here's the plan-

We either:

1- eat chicken that night for dinner and freeze the leftovers for later use in a casserole or similar meal

or

2- I debone the whole chicken, freeze 2 cups portions and save some for homemade soup for our lunch.

Regardless, we always get several meals out of that chicken which saves money, we have cooked chicken ready to pull out of the freezer for easier and quicker meal prep, and I always have plenty of homemade chicken broth to freeze.  Haven't bought a can of chicken broth in a LONG time!

Happy Cooking!

Sweet or Salty?

When you crave food, what kind is it?  Sweet?  Salty?  Both?!

We love salt in this house!  (OK, we like chocolate too, just not quite as much.)  Granted, it may not be great for your health, but there is just something about salt!  There was a time when I kept Lipton Onion Soup Mix in business!  'Ya know, add it to sour cream and munch away!  It was a staple item in our house.  There never seemed to be enough though when I was craving chips and dip, which is pretty much every Family Night.

I was very happy when I found this recipe for homemade Onion Soup Mix!  Erin, over at 5 Dollar Dinners, always has great recipes!  Trust me!  It does taste slightly different from the old standby but once you have it a time or two you'll be hooked.  We triple or more the recipe, store it in a little jar and pull it out often.  The Walgreens here has there spices on sale frequently and we pickup cheap jars of minced onion to have on hand!  Saves money too!

Grab some chips and enjoy!

Homemade Onion Soup Mix

Yield- One packet worth

Ingredients-
 4 tsp. beef bouillon granules (we use cubes usually and grind them up)
 3 Tbsp. dried onion flakes
 2 tsp. onion powder
 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
 1/4 tsp. pepper

Sir ingredients together.  Store in airtight container.  When ready to serve, mix with sour cream!  (Or use in soup, with a roast, whatever you would normally use it for)

Got chips?

So what are you  watching for Family Movie night at your house?