Slow Cooker Pamegranat Beef

What do you say we revive this thing?! :D 

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 pounds beef roast (I used a chuck roast)
4 garlic cloves (whole is fine, or you can chop them)
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup golden raisins

DIRECTIONS
Use at least a 6-quart slow cooker. Swirl the olive oil into the bottom of the stoneware. Add the onion. Rub the spices on all sides of meat and add to the stoneware with the garlic, the whole can of tomatoes, pomegranate juice, vinegar, and syrup. Sprinkle the raisins on top.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 5. The meat is done when it has reached desired tenderness. Serve with mashed potatoes, and drizzle with the sauce.

This was one of the best things to ever come out of my slow cooker! A must try!

Slow Cooker Pudding Cake

I had a busy day on Saturday. I'm talking, leave the house at 8:30 and don't get home until late at night busy. One of my engagements was a BBQ at a friend's house where I volunteered to bring dessert. On Saturday morning it hit me that I wasn't going to be home to make anything....that's where my trusty slow cooker came in! This recipe is out of my Official Crock Pot Cookbook. The only reason I chose it was because I happened to have all the ingredients. It was HUGE hit at the BBQ. People I didn't know where asking me for the recipe. And what could be easier than cake in a crock pot?!

Slow Cooker Pudding Cake
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 Cup Flour
1/8 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 1/3 Cup sugar
1 Cup (2 sticks) melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 Cup whipping cream
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Directions:
Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray and preheat to LOW.
Blend cocoa, flour, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Beat eggs with an electric mixer on medium-high until thickened. Graudually add sugar, beat 5 minutes until mixture becomes very thick and pale yellow.
Mix in butter and vanilla. Once incorporated, add the cocoa mixture and blend well. Add cream. and mix until blended.
Pour in crock pot and cover opening with a paper towel to catch the condensation (unless you like soggy cake). Put lid on and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Serve warm with ice cream.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I came across this recipe when my office threw me a wonderful pot luck bridal shower. One of the ladies brought this dish and literally everyone there asked for the recipe. Including me. (that's like 30 people!) When she emailed it to me, I couldn't believe the ingredients! Two things you would never think go together but so so so delicious- and it's easy peasy too!

Ingredients:
1 14oz bag of Armour Original Meatballs (about 28 meatballs per bag), they can go right in the slow cooker from the freezer!
1 cup bbq sauce (my co-worker recommends using Famous Dave's Original Flavor)
1 12oz. jar of currant or grape jelly (I think the currant gives the best flavor but both are good)

Directions:
Put all ingredients in the slow cooker and heat on low for 5 hours or high for 2.

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

I remember on Sundays coming home from church to a house filled with the smells of my mother's pot roast cooking in the crock pot. It makes my mouth water just to think of it! I am not sure what her sumptuous recipe was, but this one is almost as tasty!

The meat in this will melt in your mouth and the veggies make a nice compliment and side dish. Again, slow-cookers are a great companion on a busy day. Just prep it and walk away. So simple! So delicious!


Ingredients:

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
2 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 medium onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces (optional)
4-6 potatoes, cubed (I leave the skin on; I feel it serves as a nice "anchor" and adds some texture)
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 cups water
Approx. 4- 5 pounds pot roast (I have used this with a roast as small as 3 pounds and it turned out just fine)


Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
2. Cook on low for 3 hours, then add vegetables. Cover veggies with liquid (as much as possible). Replace lid and cook for another 5-6 hours on low or until the meat is done and the veggies are tender.

Note: You can cook this on high, just add meat and veggies all at once and cook for 4-5 hours or until the meat is done and the veggies are tender.

Sumptuous, Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup

The first time I ever had French onion soup was my senior year in high school. My now husband was my boyfriend at the time and had secretly made a romantic, 5 course meal for me. After a fresh green salad, he brought out piping hot, homemade French onion soup.

I was a bit apprehensive, I mean, it's a soup that tastes like onion, for heavens sake! One bite, however and the food angels sang, confirming that, not only was it a soup made from onions, it was a delicious soup made from onions!

This isn't the recipe that my husband used that night, but it is fabulously tasty and is a snap to make! Even though this is a slow-cooker recipe, it can be ready in as little as four hours (which is pretty fast for a slow-cooker). The onions come out so tender and the broth is so flavorful, you'll have to have a second helping!


Ingredients:

5 small onions, thinly sliced (be sure to use white or yellow onions, not red onions for this recipe)
2 cans (14 oz) beef broth (I mush prefer to use a low sodium variety so I can control the amount of salt that goes into my soup)
2 cans (10 oz) beef consomme
1/2 water
1 packet of dry onion soup mix
8-10 slices French bread, cut about 1 inch thick
1 cup grated Gruyere (if you can't find Gruyere cheese, you can substitute Provolone or Mozzarella)


Directions:
1. In a slow-cooker, stir together broth, consomme, water, and soup mix. Mix until combined.
2. Add onions to broth mixture. Give a quick stir to coat onions.
3. Cook on HIGH setting for 4 hours or LOW setting for 8 hours.
4. Portion soup into oven safe bowls. Place a slice of French bread on top of each bowl and sprinkle bread with shredded cheese.
5. Put soup bowls under the broiler in the oven until cheese is melted, about 30-60 seconds.
6. Serve warm.

NOTE: If you don't have oven safe bowls or don't want to be transporting soup to and from the oven (with my episodes of clumsiness, this is often a recipe for steaming hot disaster), you can place the bread slices on a cookie sheet, top with cheese, broil, and then move a slice to each bowl of soup once cheese is melted.

Slow-Cooker Chicken in a Creamy Italian Sauce

Whipped this up for dinner last night and both the husband and kiddo loved it. Plus, it's a slow cooker meal so you know it's easy to boot!


Ingredients:

3- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 package (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/3 cup sour cream
Rice or noodles, cooked according to package directions.

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breast halves in a slow cooker.

2. Combine salad dressing mix and water; pour over chicken.

3. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours.

4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese and soup until blended.

5. Pour cream cheese mixture over chicken.

6. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours more, until chicken juices run clear.

7. When chicken has 30 minutes of cook time left, stir in sour cream. Allow chicken to finish cooking.
8. Serve Italian Chicken over hot rice or noodles.