{The Best} French Dip Sandwiches

Holy juicy and delicious. And slow cooker? Yes please.

Photo Credit to Oh Sweet Basil

{The Best} French Dip Sandwiches
3 lb tri tip
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 can beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Remove and discard the fat from the roast. Place the trimmed roast in a crockpot on low.
In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, beef broth, bay leaf, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over the roast. Cover, and cook on low heat for 8 hours. Pull the meat out and shred it and then let it cook 1-2 hours more, or until meat is very tender.
Remove meat from broth, reserving the broth. distribute the meat on hoagies and top with swiss cheese. Place under a broiler until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Use reserved broth for dipping!

Note: I mixed the sauce the night before and just poured it over the beef in the morning. Worked great!

Recipe Source: Oh Sweet Basil

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

Very simple, hearty, yummy soup. Scott loved it.

Photo Credit to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/2 pounds sirloin tips, flap meat or chuck roast, cubed
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup 1/4-inch sliced carrots, about 3-4 medium carrots peeled
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean and diced
1 cup chopped onion, about 1 medium yellow or white onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2/3 cup pearled barley (not quick-cooking) {I added quick cooking barley at the very end}

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil until rippling and hot over medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add to the skillet in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches), cooking for 1-2 minutes, browning on all sides. Repeat with the remaining meat if needed.
Scoop the meat into the slow cooker, leaving as much oil/liquid behind in the skillet as possible. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the carrots, mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the carrots and mushrooms start to soften. Stir in the tomato paste and thyme and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Whisk in the chicken broth and simmer for a minute or so. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Add the beef broth, soy sauce and barley. Give the soup a good stir and then cover the slow cooker and cook on low 7-9 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed, before serving.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Loved these. Very flavorful, super tender, and easy!

Photo Credit to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef Enchiladas
1 (2-3 pound) chuck or sirloin beef roast
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup (8 ounces) salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
10 6- or 7-inch flour or corn tortillas {ish}
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Fresh cilantro (optional)

In a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker, add the beef roast. Whisk together the broth, vinegar, salsa, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour over the roast, cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for 8-10 hours until the beef is tender and shreds easily.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place in a large bowl or shallow pan (like a 9X13).
Pour the mixture from the slow cooker into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch (or flour) with about 2-3 tablespoons water (a bit more water if using flour). Whisk the slurry into the simmering liquid and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened slightly, 4-5 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Pour about 1/2 cup sauce in with the beef and toss. Spread another 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9X13-inch pan. Toss the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses together.
Fill each tortilla with some of the beef mixture and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll up and place in the pan. I usually try and fit ten enchiladas in a 9X13-inch pan (if the pan is lengthwise, two rows of five).
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas (you may not need to use all the sauce if you feel like it will drown the enchiladas or you may need to reserve some for an additional pan if you made more enchiladas due to a larger roast, etc.).{I think I'll dump all the sauce on next time.
Top with any remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and hot. Let the enchiladas rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, if desired, and serve.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Creamy Italian Chicken & Artichokes

This is a find from Lesa Swenson and her cooking class that I took with my mom for awhile. She had some great "home cooked" meal ideas and this is one of them. Super creamy and delicious and very quick. Got to love it!

Creamy Italian Chicken & Artichokes

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 envelope Italian dressing mix

1/4 cup water

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 4 ounce can mushrooms, drained

1 can artichokes, drained {and I like to chop mine up}

Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Combine the dressing mix and water until smooth, pour over chicken. Cover; cook on low for 4 hours. Combine cream cheese and soup until smooth and blended. Stir in mushrooms and artichokes. Pour mixture over chicken and cook for one more hour. Serve with cooked rice/pasta and asparagus. {Or whatever}

Recipe Source: Lesa Swenson

BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken

I got this from a friend that I used to work with. It's one of those "doesn't really have a recipe" recipes, so she just wrote some ingredients down on a sticky note and that's what I've worked with. I'll give you my "measurements" but it's all up to you!

Photo Credit to Chef in Training

BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken
2 big squirts Italian dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
3/4 small bottle Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce
3-4 breasts of chicken

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook for 4-5 hours on low.

Slow Cooker Corn & Crab Chowder

Another Family Circle find, this is delicious, and a slow cooker one…which I LOVE. It was very easy and delicious. I substituted canned corn for fresh corn on the cob. I assume it would be better with corn on the cob, but I made this in the winter and corn on the cob isn't worth it then! But this chowder is!!

Photo Credit to Family Circle

Slow Cooker Corn & Crab Chowder
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup baby carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium-size onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
pinch of dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
5 ears corn on the cob, husks removed {or two cans of corn}
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 8 ounce container pasteurized crab claw meat

Combine chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, thyme and Old Bay in a large oval slow cooker. Place corn on the cob on top of vegetables. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours.

In a bowl, stir together red pepper, evaporated milk, cornstarch and salt.

Uncover slow cooker and remove corn to a cutting board. Stir red pepper mixture into slow cooker, replace cover and cook on either HIGH or LOW for 1 hour. {This is where I added the canned corn}

Meanwhile, when cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs. Stir corn kernels {unless you're using canned} and crabmeat into soup and heat through. Serve warm.

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Family Circle

Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili

Super healthy, super delicious, super slow cooker-y. The perfect combination, yo.

Photo Credit to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs {I used leftover turkey}
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 poblano pepper or large green pepper, diced {I used diced green chiles}
32 ounces low-sodium chicken {I used turkey} broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (15-ounces each) white beans (like Great Northern), rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Garnishes:
Sour cream
Avocado, diced
Chopped cilantro
Shredded cheese
Tortilla chips

Place the chicken in the bottom of a round, 5-quart slow cooker. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until rippling and hot. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker.
Add the chicken broth and stir in the cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, and chili powder.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Remove the chicken and shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir in the rinsed and drained beans. Cook on high for 30 minutes until beans/soup are heated through. Stir in the lime and cilantro and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with garnishes

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

{Copycat} Zupas Tomato Basil Soup

Holy cow, it was freaking delicious and really tasted like Zupas! It was wonderful. Especially for a Halloween party. My mom actually made it and I was super duper proud of her. I halved the original recipe here because it made a ton!

Photo Credit to It's the Life

{Cafe Zupas} Tomato Basil Soup

Pesto:

1 cup {or 2 oz} container of basil, washed and dried
1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2.5 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt
Remainder of soup:
1 medium onion, diced

3-4 stalks of celery, diced

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 quarts bottled tomatoes

small amount of sugar

1 teaspoon salt, optional

1 pint heavy cream

Add pesto ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend together into a delicious beautiful pesto. Set this aside for now.

Saute butter, onions, celery, and oregano in saucepan. 

Place that mixture in a slow cooker with the pesto mixture and the tomatoes, sugar and salt {if you chose to use}. It will look green with tomatoes, but that just means its going to taste awesome. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. {You can cook in a pressure cooker for 4 minutes…hello time saver…but I don't have one}. At the end, your soup with be orangish-red like the stuff at Zupas.

Once your soup has finished cooking, add 1 quart of heavy cream, stir and eat.

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from It's the Life

Sweet Potato Tacos

My good friend, Laurel, not so lightly urged me to try these tacos. I'm SO GLAD I did!! They are awesome! Take tacos, add a little sweet, but awesomely healthy. These tacos. Saweet.

Photo Credit to the Blanchard Bistro

Sweet Potato Tacos
½ pound ground beef or turkey {I used a full pound, but will use 1/2 next time}
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning {I used one packet}
½ cup tomato sauce {I used a whole can}
1 can (15 oz.) black, kidney, or pinto beans, drained
5-6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups chopped fresh spinach
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
tortillas, sour cream, salsa, fresh cilantro, and/or guacamole for garnish

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Brown ground meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and beans. Set aside.

Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. Place sweet potato cubes in the pan and top with the butter and a sprinkle of salt. This is where you'd add the spinach if you had it, but if you don't, it's still darn yummy. Then add the taco meat and bean mixture and the cheese {I added the cheese when I assembled the tacos}. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Serve in a tortilla with sour cream, salsa and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. And guacamole if you have some.

Makes 6 servings.

Notes {from Kimma, where I found the recipe}:
This may be my fastest turnaround from seeing a recipe to saving it (on Pinterest, of course) to making and eating it to photographing and blogging it. All done in just about a day and a half! And that's saying something. I'm really on a sweet potato kick at the moment, so whenever I see a recipe doing something creative with them, I get really excited. And this one was really, really great. A keeper, for sure. Especially with homemade tortillas, as seen in the photo above (only because we didn't have any from the store, but now I wonder if I'll ever go back!).

I've made this multiple times now - we LOVE it! I even tried it in the slow cooker recently and it worked like a charm. I did up the sweet potatoes to 3 medium sized (probably closer to that 6 cups of cubed sweet potato that the original recipe calls for, but I'm not totally sure because I didn't actually measure). I also added a whole can (1 cup) of tomato sauce to the meat/bean mixture just because I didn't want to have a half can sitting in my fridge and then going moldy (that's what happened last time). It was perfect. Still haven't tried it with spinach, but I think it would be wonderful. Black or kidney beans are my usual choices. And I don't add cheese in the oven/slow cooker (I did the first time, but ever since nope) - I just sprinkle some on top as garnish in my taco shell.

Recipe Source: The Blanchard Bistro

Creamy White Chicken Chili

This is one of my favorite soup/stews. It is divine. Creamy, delicious, a little kick, and chunky. Holy cow, Mel outdid herself on this one. We've been making it for years! Try it if you want to kick your soup up a notch this winter.

Photo Credit to melskitchencafe.com

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Serves about 61 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder (or fresh garlic, if using) in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Option: In a medium round slow cooker, place 1 pound chicken breasts (fresh or frozen) without cubing them. Add the chopped onion, garlic powder, beans, green chiles and all of the spices. Do not add the sour cream or whipping cream yet! Reduce the chicken broth to 12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour in over the other ingredients. Stir the mixture around a bit to incorporate the dry spices. Cook on low for 5-7 hours (if using frozen chicken you’ll cook on the longer end of that spectrum, fresh chicken will cook in less time). Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred in bite-size pieces. Stir back into the slow cooker. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream until smooth. Whisk the cream mixture into the crockpot with the other ingredients. Let the soup cook until heated through. Serve.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Sunday Roast

Remember how I said my Grandma Schwartz only made a handful of things? This is that roast. It is delicious and moist, and pretty basic, but that's what I love about it! So easy, but yummy. And its a crock pot recipe. Slow Cooker + Delicous = my best friend!

Photo Credit to tasteofhome.com

Sunday Roast

1 can cream of mushroom

1 package aujus gravy mix

1 3-5 lb beef roast

Onions

Potatoes, quartered {at least}

Carrots

Peas

Any other veggie you want

Place all in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Recipe Source: Grandma Schwartz

Smothered Pork Chops

I never thought this day would come. My mother-in-law is an amazing cook/baker/person. From the beginning of my marriage, I secretly want to be just as good as she is, although I knew it would take some time. Well...that day came last week when I made these. Quote from Scott "These are the best pork chops I've EVER had." That means better than any that his mom has made. No offense to his mom at all, only big compliments for being so hard to equal! So...thank you Mel for making me feel a little equal to my awesome mother-in-law.

Photo Credit to melskitchencafe.com ... obviously

Smothered Pork Chops

Makes 6-12 pork chops
5 slices bacon, chopped
6 bone-in pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick {I did 6, but would do more next time because there was a TON of gravy leftover that I didn't know what to do with}
Salt and Pepper
2 yellow onions, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/2-inch thick half moons
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pan. If you have more than 2 tablespoons drippings, drain the excess. If you don’t have quite that much, supplement with canola oil. When the bacon is cool, transfer to a small bag or tupperware and refrigerate until later.

Heat the skillet with the drippings over medium or medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, cooking them in batches in the skillet if your skillet isn’t big enough to hold all six at a time in a single layer. When golden on each side, transfer the chops to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.
Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet; add onions, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to empty skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour onion mixture over chops in the slow cooker. Add broth, soy sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar to skillet, bring to a boil and add bay leaves. Pour mixture over onions in slow cooker.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours).

When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, reserving the solids. Transfer solids to a food processor or blender with 1 cup liquid and blend until smooth. Stir the blended mixture back into remaining liquid in the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl and stir into sauce. (I ended up doing a couple more tablespoons of cornstarch because I like my gravy thick) Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, season with salt and pepper, pour over chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley. Serve.

I served with mashed potatoes...delicious and a wonderful "homecooked" meal.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable Stew

Photo Credit to eatbetteramerica.com

Because I love free things, I requested this free calendar from eatbetteramerica.com that has a recipe for every month. I have been determined to make the recipe for that month, in that month. I almost made it for January...I made it on the first of February. It was very delicious and very healthy...especially paired with grilled cheese (made with wheat bread, and Tillamook cheese, mmm...Tillamook).

Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable Stew

8 servings

2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
4 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 medium stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
2 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium leeks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 can (14 oz) vegetable broth or 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, place all ingredients except cornstarch and water.
Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Mix cornstarch and water; gradually stir into stew until blended. Increase heat setting to High; cover and cook about 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

PS I may or may not have forgotten to add the broth...so it might have been a little thick. But still delicious.

Recipe Source: Eat Better America