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“Creamy” Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
January has been a busy month. The College Football Championship, the Grammys, NFL playoffs, my birthday… Lots to do and see. And on top of that, slow cookers and baking get a special highlight this month. However, I didn’t spend much time on one other month — National Soup Month! Today is the last day of the month. I need to include something for that theme right? And it fits in with the slow cooker theme too! Another Two-fer! Today’s dish is a vegetarian rice soup. This satisfying, earthy soup is so warm and comforting. The wild rice is filling, while the finely minced and chopped vegetables give the soup…
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Slow Cooker Month: Louisiana Hot Sauce Pork Chops
I remember I didn’t like hot sauce when I was a child. But my tastes have evolved and hot sauces can add a twang to all kinds of dishes. Like Mac and Cheese (Thanks Emeril!) Here we have tender pork chops with a “hot sauce”-based sauce! Yum! If you want more of a kick, switch to a different hot sauce like Tabasco or something else that you enjoy. Experiment and make it your own! If you want the recipes from this month in your mailbox, sign up here: Slow Cooker Challenge, We have made it to the end of the slow cooker challenge. I hope you have enjoyed the recipes. I…
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Using Your Slow Cooker Year Around
Once you start digging out your slow cooker and using it to cook delicious homemade meals, you quickly become a fan. Many of us start to think about soups, stews, chilis, and all sorts of other delicious dishes that lend themselves to slow cooking when fall and cooler temperatures come around. We love our slow cookers during the cooler months of the year, but come spring, this amazing little kitchen appliance goes back in the cabinet. That’s a mistake. Slow cookers are wonderful appliances year around. Yes, they are perfect for those hearty winter dishes that we used to cook at the back of the stove in the darker months.…
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Slow Cooker Month: Best Slowcooker Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and Cheese! One of my favorite things on earth! And not the instant kind — that’s for my kids… LOL No, I love macaroni and cheese. As I have noted before, I have been known to pick a restaurant based on the availability of cheesy dishes! The goal of holiday meals is to find good stuff to go with the mac N cheese. My mother made great macaroni and cheese — without a recipe. I could never quite imitate her dish — and I tried! So, I found a couple of recipes that may not have been just like hers but were exceptional! My usual go-to recipe has FOUR…
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Healthy Slow Cooker Vegetarian Meal Ideas
My slow cooker challenge has been very meat-heavy. There have been some meatless recipes but not a lot. So we are going to give you a few more options! Slow cookers make it so easy to prep and plan your meals, not to mention cooking when you aren’t even home. When you are switching to a brand new diet, such as going meatless, it can be helpful to make the cooking process as simple as possible. So here are some healthy and delicious slow cooker vegetarian meals to try out. Lentil Chili Chili is often associated with being a meaty dish, but it doesn’t need to be. You can use…
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Slow Cooker Month: Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage in Tomato Sauce
At my home as a kid, cabbage was common but not in a cabbage roll. If I had tried it some other way, I might have grown up as more of a cabbage fan! This recipe allows for the substitution of many different types of ground meat — beef, turkey, chicken, or pork. However, you may be able to tweak the filling if you don’t want to include meat. If you do, let me know how that goes! If you want the recipes from this month in your mailbox, sign up here: Slow Cooker Challenge
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Slow Cooker Month: Smoked Sausage & Bean Cassoulet
One of the cool things about using a slow cooker — besides the dump and go aspect — is that the cost per person is significantly less than fast food. How often have you gotten a meal at a restaurant for less than $3 per person? And if so, was it good? If so, where? LOL Seriously, this smoked sausage and bean cassoulet is an inexpensive filling meal that’s easy to make. What’s not to like? If you want the recipes from this month in your mailbox, sign up here: Slow Cooker Challenge,
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Slow Cooker Month: Stuffed Apples
This recipe is geared towards the fall when apples are truly in season. But although the height of apple season has passed, it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a lush stuffed apple dessert from your slow cooker. It’s always fun to have the house smell of apples and maple syrup. Is there anything better? Just pop this recipe of stuffed apples in your slow cooker and your house will smell amazing all day long…. and the apples are really tasty too. If you want the recipes from this month in your mailbox, sign up here: Slow Cooker Challenge
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Slow Cooker Month: Creamy Crockpot Mushroom Beef
Although it rarely gets really cold in my part of Texas, we still appreciate good old comfort food when the weather takes a downward cooler turn. A day when you stay in if you can…Wrapped up in a blanket. We all have those days, don’t we, where we just want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over our heads. This recipe is perfect for those days. Just add everything to the crockpot and snuggle back in your blanket. I recognize the difference in Texas “cold” and cold elsewhere but the love of a good warming meal from the crockpot is the same everywhere… LOL. Of course, it doesn’t…
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Slow Cooker Month: Slow Cooker Corn On The Cob
One of the great things about summer is the abundance of corn on the cob. We grill some almost every time that we grill in the backyard. But in the winter, I don’t think about corn as much because we aren’t grilling as much. But you can still have tasty corn during the winter months using your slow cooker. Like a prelude to warmer winter, right? If you want the recipes from this month in your mailbox, sign up here: Slow Cooker Challenge