Baked Potato Soup

This morning dawned cool and clear, which inspired me to make something thick and comforting for the family.  But, as always happens, the food budget forces me to be creative within a few limited ingredients.
This is a very cheap and easy soup that makes a great base for your perfect baked potato flavor.  Even though this soup is amazing as written, if you want to add sour cream or chives I will have a note of how to add that at the end of the cook time.  It's a fail-proof soup, so take out or add whatever ingredients you choose.

This will require at least a medium slowcooker.

Ingredients:
2 lbs Russet Potatoes (approximately 6-7 'taters), peeled and diced
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Celery stalks, chopped

2 Tbs Butter
1/2 White or Yellow Onion
2 Tbs flour
1 cup Chicken broth,  OR 1 cup of water + 1 Tbs chicken bouillon granules

2 cups Water
1 Bay Leaf

1 cup Milk

4 slices Bacon
1/2 cup shredded Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream (optional)
approx. 1/4 cup freshly chopped chives (optional)

Directions:
Put all chopped potatoes, carrots and celery in a medium slow cooker.

In a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove, melt butter.  Add finely chopped onion and saute until soft and browning.  When onion is soft, add flour and mix well.  Add chicken broth or water/bouillon mixture.  When heated through, pour over veggies in the slowcooker.  Add 2 cups of water and the bay leaf, don't stir.  Put lid on, and cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

After potatoes and carrots are soft, remove lid, use a slotted spoon or a potato masher and mash the veggies until most of them are completely smooshed, but some lumps remain.

Pour in milk, turn to HIGH and let cook another 30 minutes.

Cook bacon in a skillet until crispy and crumbling.  Crumble bacon into slowcooker.  Shut off slowcooker and stir in cheese, and if you want, stir in the sour cream and chives.

Makes 8 servings, tastes great hot, or slightly cooled.

Hot Fudge Cake

Yes it's true, you can have amazing desserts that you prep after work, and will be ready for you after supper!  Slow cooking brings convenience to desserts as well.  Because the ingredients are usually always at hand, I make this dessert frequently, and the kids love it!  It comes out as a moist soufflé with rich fudgy pudding under it.  Very rich, very moist, and very good!

This works in either a small slow cooker, or a medium one. 

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
1/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cup boiling water

Spray the slow cooker pot with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together until well blended.  Add the milk, melted butter and vanilla and stir until well mixed into a smooth batter.  It will be thick.  Spread evenly in the cooker.

To make the topping, whisk together all ingredients in the medium bowl until smooth.  GENTLY pour over the batter, and DO NOT stir it in.  Just let it sit on top. 

Cover and cook on HIGH until puffed and the top layer is set.  About 2 hours.  Serves 4. 

Slowcooking is for Togetherness! Two Fondue recipes for one great night!

Tonight, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to make Butterscotch Fondue, or Chocolate Marshmallow Fondue.  One of my friends suggested making both, and since I have two slowcookers, I am going to take her suggestion and make both for tonight's Family Night.  The Butterscotch Fondue can also be drizzled over some Kettlecorn Popcorn, which is available in microwaveable bags.

Butterscotch Fondue:
In a 2-quart slowcooker:
Ingredients:

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk

And any sort of food you want to dip into the pot, such as: apple wedges, strawberries, cookies, or brownies.


Directions:
stir together the condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, cornsyrup, and vanilla.  Cover and cook on LOW 1-2 hours.  Whisk in 1/4 cup milk until smooth.  Serve immediately after adding the milk.



Chocolate Marshmallow Fondue:
In a 3-4 qt slowcooker
Ingredients:

15 oz milk chocolate candy bar, chopped
1 10-oz package of mini marshmallows (large can be substituted, if desired)
1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream

And whatever you want to dip in the chocolate, such as: graham crackers, large marshmallows, strawberries, etc.

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together in slowcooker, cover and cook on LOW 1-2 hours, stirring once halfway through.  At the end of cooking time, whisk well until smooth and serve immediately.

Tonight, for my family, we are having a "camp-in" in our living room, in which the whole family makes up beds of sleeping bags, blankets and pillows on the living room floor and we enjoy movies, stories, and homemade treats by lanternlight.  Fondue is a great way to make Family Night even easier and more fun!  All you need is a slowcooker (or two), some skewers, and some treats to dip in the pot.  Let Family Night begin!

Tender Flank Steak Without Marinating!

Ok, so let's face it, steak is great, but some steaks are more naturally tender than others.  Flank steak can be downright "chewy" if it isn't tenderized and marinated in advance.  If you're like me, you have a hard time planning tomorrow's menu a day in advance, and more likely than not, the flank steak is still half-frozen in it's packaging.  ...And Marinating?!?!  Uh, whoops....

So, here is a great recipe that doesn't require tenderizing or hours of marinating, because the steak marinates while it cooks!

This recipe is made for two adults and two children to enjoy, but you can add or subtract any amount you want, from any of the ingredients.  One of my favorite things about slowcooking is it's versatility!

In a small or medium slowcooker combine:

2-3 Flank Steaks
1  8oz can unsalted tomato sauce
1  15oz can Pork N' Beans
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (Spam Alert: I love KC MasterPiece Original)
1/2 medium onion
1/2 tsp salt

Cover and Cook 6-8 hours on Low setting

That's it!  Add your favorite ingredients, or take out any ingredients you don't like.  It's easy, cheap (steak is expensive enough without having to deal with the cost of dressing it up!), and takes about 3 minutes to put together.

About 30-45 minutes before supper, chop up and boil some Yukon Gold Potatoes (again, my favorite!), mash with a dash of milk and butter, and serve alongside steak with a lot of sauce.  Don't forget some peas or a cold fresh salad, and an ice-cold beverage of your choice!  And have your perfect summer steak without the work that usually goes into making the perfect steak!

Faux Chicken Parm and Spaghetti Squash

One of the best things about slowcooking is its versatility. There is virtually no way to screw up a meat dish in the slowcooker.  All you need is, your meat, some sort of liquid to help cook it (it doesn't have to cover the meat, although that is fine, too), and whatever flavorings or additives you want in it.

I love Chicken Parmesan.  I'm not a huge fan of breaded chicken, so this recipe I have developed as a way to have chicken parmesan without the breading, and also on a budget.

In a medium slowcooker, add whatever tomato based sauce you prefer.  Last night I used Artichoke and Tomato pasta sauce (YUM!).  Add your boneless skinless chicken (breast is the best); slowcook on low 6-8 hours.

Two hours before dinner, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scrape out seeds, and place cut-side down on a baking or roasting pan.  Slice up a stick of butter, and surround the squash with pats of butter around and under the cut sides.  Add about 1/4 cup water and bake on center rack of a 375 degree F oven for an hour.  Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees, bake for an additional hour. 

With a standard fork, shred the squash meat into strands, and place in a serving bowl or dish.  Serve the squash shred as you would pasta, cover with the tomato sauce, and chicken breast.  Cover liberally with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!  It is a family favorite, it's is cheap, and practically cooks itself.  I make this recipe about once every two or three months, and even my kids don't object to eating squash if it's served like spaghetti!