Day 309: Barley Mushroom Lentil Soup

Serves 8

9 cups water

5 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes

4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup uncooked barley

3/4 cup dried lentils

1/4 cup dried onion flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp sage

3 bay leaves

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp pepper

salt to taste

Dissolve the bouillon cubes in the water. Then mix all the ingredients in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (until barley is tender). Remove bay leaves and serve.

Review:

I loved this soup. It was good the night I ate it and then for my subsequent lunches the next few days. The barley gave it a chewy texture. This is a very healthy recipe and it keeps you full too. 4 stars.

Salt Lake Tribune

There is going to be an article about my slow cooking project on Wednesday December 2nd in the Salt Lake Tribune food section. So make sure to buy a paper and check it out!

Day 308: Cranberry Rice Pudding

Serves 6

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 cup hot cooked rice

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Pour mixture into greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (see picture above). Cover with foil. Place rack in bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour in one cup of water. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Remove dish from slow cooker. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Review:

While I was visiting my parents this past week I decided I would make this rice pudding dessert for my dad. I don't enjoy this sort of dessert but I know that he does. He actually loved it and thought it was at least 4 stars. He ate most all of it and had the rest for breakfast the next day. I had a couple of bites and thought it was much better than the other rice pudding that I did a while back. It had a custard-type layer on the top and the almond extract added an interesting flavor. I give this 2 stars, but if you're a rice pudding type of person it's 4 stars.

Recipe source: adapted from Crockpot The Original Slow Cooker

Last call for cookbook orders...

I'm getting the cookbooks printed tomorrow and need a final count. If you'd like to order please email me by Monday morning! Thanks!!

Day 307: Italian-seasoned Roast Beef

Serves 3-5

1 lb roast
1 cup beef broth
1 (0.7 oz) pouch of dry Italian dressing mix

Place roast in slow cooker. Rub with Italian dressing mix. Pour beef broth into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove roast and make gravy out of the drippings and liquid.

Review:
This was a little bit different from other roasts with the use of the Italian dressing mix. It had good flavor and the gravy was yummy too. This would be a good Sunday dinner. 3 stars
Recipe Source: my own recipe

Day 306: Mushroom Potatoes

Serves 8-10

7 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8 oz) can mushrooms stems and pieces, drained
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

In slow cooker, layer half of the potatoes, onion, garlic, mushrooms, flour, salt, pepper and butter. Repeat layers. Pour soup over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese with the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Review:
These potatoes sounded good to me, but were way too salty. Besides being too salty they weren't that great anyway. I'd prefer to eat the cheesy potatoes or the creamy red potatoes. 2 stars

Day 305: Reese's Fondue

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

13 ounces evaporated milk

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup chunky peanut butter

Combine chocolate, milk, sugar, and peanut butter in crockpot. Cover; cook on high for 30-60 minutes, stirring well to mix. Dip fruit, cake, or marshmallows in hot chocolate mixture.

Review:

We had a fondue night and I loved it so much. What is better than dipping yummy things in chocolate? Nothing. I liked this recipe...it was very very chocolately. Next time I think I will add an extra 1/2 cup of peanut butter. Serve the leftovers over ice cream...so good! 4 stars

Day 304: Cranberry Orange Cake

12 oz. package cranberries
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
zest from 1 orange
Glaze: 2 Tbsp. orange juice and 1 cup powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, vanilla and orange zest. Sift together 2 3/4 cups of the flour, Baking powder, and salt. Blend with creamed mixture. Mix remaining 1/4 cup flour with the cranberries. Fold in. Place waxed paper in the bottom of slow cooker (cut out in an oval) Pour into 6 quart oval slow cooker and cover. Cook on high for about 3 hours, until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When cool, place large oval plate on top of slow cooker insert. Flip over slow cooker so that the cake comes out onto the plate. Remove waxed paper. Glaze with orange juice mixed with powdered sugar.

Review:
This is adapted from a bundt cake that my mom makes that I just love. It worked just fine in the slow cooker and was gobbled up. If you want to cook it in a bundt pan, bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours.

Day 303: Cheese Fondue

2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed cheese soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 T dired chopped chives (I used dried chives)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Stir with a whisk. Serve with bread and veggies.

Review:
This tasted kind of like melted cheese whiz...or what I remember cheese whiz tasting like. I haven't had it in a really, really long time. So I guess if you love cheese whiz, you'll love this fondue. We used our leftovers and served it over steamed broccoli...a great way to get your kids to eat broccoli. You could also serve it over baked potatoes. 3 stars
Recipe Source: adapted from: http://dinneronadime.blogspot.com/2007/11/easy-cheese-fondue-crockpot.html

Day 302: Alfredo Tomato Chicken

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (frozen is fine)
2 (8 oz) cans of tomato sauce
1/2 cup your favorite Alfredo sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 (4 oz can) mushrooms, drained
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp tapioca

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 5 hours if chicken is thawed and longer (8 hours) if frozen. Serve over bowtie pasta. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Review:
Easy, excellent pasta dish with good flavor that all the family enjoyed. Some other that are similar and very good also are: Uncle Gary's Italian Chicken, Chicken Parmigian, and the Italiano chicken. The difference with this particular dish is that it has Alfredo in it making it a bit creamier. 3 1/2 stars
Recipe Source: my own recipe

Tip: Get to know your slow cooker

I've been visiting my mom and dad in Montana for the past week and, therfore, have been using different slow cookers than I usually do. I'm amazed at how different it feels to be cooking in a round slow cooker that is a different size than mine. I feel all out of place. I feel like all my self-confidence in cooking is gone. Then I remembered that I felt this way at the very beginning of the year. It just took me some time to get to know my slow cooker(s) and how quickly they cook. So if you're struggling with recipes not turning out, cooking too quickly/slowly, etc. don't give up. Just keep cooking and you'll get to know how to adjust recipes for your indivdual slow cooker's needs.

Butternut Squash

Earlier I cooked a butternut squash in my slow cooker and quite enjoyed it, even if no one else in my family did. I was reading the USA Weekend section of the paper on Sunday and it had a fun little article about butternut squash and how it is very healthy. I'll sum it up for you:

• 1 cup of butternut squash provides nearly 5 times the daily recommendation of beta-carotene...your body converts this to Vitamin A
• Eating foods rich in Vitamin A can reduce your chances of developing the smoking-related disease, emphysema
• 1 cup of the squash has 3 grams of fiber and 10% of your daily potassium...and it is a good source of folate

So eat up folks!

Day 301: Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of long grain and wild rice rice-a-roni
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup diced celery

Combine broth, water, carrots, celery, chicken and rice (along with seasoning packet) in a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Take out chicken and shred with two forks and then add back into slow cooker. In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, and flour. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour mixture by tablespoon to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Stir cream mixture into slow cooker and then let cook on low for 15 more minutes.

Review:
This soup is excellent. It is very rich and creamy so if want you could substitute whole milk for the half and half or even use half evaporated milk and half skim milk. My whole family ate it and loved it. 4 1/2 stars.

Day 300: Easy Cordon Bleu

Serves 6

6 chicken breast, thawed (I used chicken thighs)
6 slices of ham
6 slices of mozzarella or Swiss
garlic salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
Crushed corn flakes

Mix soup and sour cream. Slice chicken almost in half and place cheese, ham and a sprinkle of garlic salt inside. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Pour soup mixture over the top. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (until chicken is cooked through). Top with cornflakes and serve with rice.

Review:
This was a very easy cordon bleu and had a good flavor. I preferred day 89 to this recipe, but still enjoyed this dinner. 3 1/2 stars

Recipe Source: adapted from Woodward Family Cookbook