Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo

This is seriously the yummiest chicken alfredo recipe I've found. I've even won an award for it at a Ward Cook-Off that was judged by the missionaries. I warn you though, this baby is full of calories!

Ingredients:

3 - 4 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into pieces

1 stick of butter

1 packet of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Mix (this can be found in the salad dressing section)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup of milk or water

1 box cream cheese

Set your crock pot to HIGH. Add chicken, butter and seasoning. Cook for 1 hour. Add soup, milk, and cream cheese. Cook for an additional 2 hours on HIGH. Serve over pasta.

Chicken Breasts With Herb Basting Sauce

I removed the skin and trimmed the fat first, then coated them in the basting sauce. I actually cooked this in my crock pot, on low for about 7 hours. They came out tender and juicy and flavorful, and the meat came right off the bone. Served up with steamed veggies and rolls. Delicious! You can do the same thing with boneless skinless chicken breasts. I used bone-in chicken breasts because they were way cheaper. When Lacey starts eating with us, though, I’ll probably stay away from them since it’s so easy to miss those little bones (not really an issue for the big people, but we don’t want to choke the little ones).

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 clove crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
4 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425 F (350 if you're using boneless skinless).

In a bowl, prepare the basting sauce by combining olive oil, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.
Turn chicken breasts in sauce to coat thoroughly. Place skin side up in a shallow baking dish. Cover.

Roast at 425 (or 350) F, basting occasionally with pan drippings, for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove to warm platter, spoon pan juices over.

Yogurt in the CrockPot!

Yes, I made yogurt in my CrockPot, and I am most excited about it! Lacey and I eat a lot of yogurt, so this is a way to cut costs a little bit. I found the instructions here, but I thought I'd consolidate the information.

The process takes a while, but most of it is just waiting. It's really very very easy.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon milk (homogenized and pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized)
1/2 cup live/active culture yogurt, as a starter
You will also need a thick bath towel and, of course, a slow cooker

Instructions:
1. Pour 1/2 gallon milk in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours
2. Unplug slow cooker, and let it sit covered for 3 hours.
3. After 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of milk, whisk in the live culture yogurt, and stir it back into the slow cooker.
4. Put the lid back on, keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel around for insulation.
5. Go to bed (or let it sit for 8 -12 hours). In the morning, it should have thickened (not as thick as what you buy at the store, but significantly thicker than the milk you started with).
6. Stir in whatever fruit and/or sweetener you like. Just keep in mind that as you stir, you may break down the proteins that make it thick, and it won't thicken up again.
7. It will be good in your refrigerator for about 7 days.

Some tips that were in the comments on the web site:

--The lower the fat content in your milk, the thinner your yogurt will be.

--Ways to thicken your yogurt. 1) Add a packet of non-flavored gelatin along with the live culture yogurt. 2) Add some NOT instant powdered milk (amounts between 2 tablespoons and 1/2 cup were all suggested). I assume that you either add it at the beginning or with the the live culture yogurt. I don't know, I haven't tried it. 3) Line a strainer with a double thickness of cheese cloth. Add the yogurt you just made and let the liquid drip out of it (I used a coffee filter, and it worked, but it was just a mess trying to get the yogurt off the filter, and I'm pretty sure that there were pieces of filter left over in my yogurt. I assume cheese cloth would still be messy but hopefully it won't leave pieces behind). This can take a couple hours or all day and night, depending on how much yogurt you use and how thick you want it.

--You can use 1/2 cup of the yogurt that you made as a starter 5 or 6 times until the cultures die. Then you'll probably need to start over again. One person said that the cultures in Yoplait are pretty weak and would die after maybe 2 batches.

Double Thick Baked Potato-Cheese Soup

Simple, delicious, and cheesy!

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cans (10 1/2 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green onions, divided
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp, ground red pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup milk
Black pepper

Combine potatoes, soup, 1 c. green onions, garlic powder and red pepper in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours. (I've found that it doesn't take this long.)

Add cheese, sour cream and milk; stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover; cook on HIGH 10 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Garnish with remaining green onions. Makes 7 servings.

Tangy Pork Chops

My picky husband loves this one. Add any other vegetables you like, too. I like to add carrots and celery.

4 thick cut boneless pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 medium chopped onions
1 large sliced green pepper
14-1/2 ounces stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper and add to crockpot. Add the chopped onions, green pepper, and stewed tomatoes. Mix ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and bouillon. Pour over vegetables. Cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours. Mix cornstarch and water and stir into liquid on high and cook another 30 minutes.