Honey Garlic Chicken

4 chicken breasts
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
3T ketchup
2 cloves crushed garlic
1teaspoon ground ginger
20 oz can pineapple tidbits
2 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

mix honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, juice from pineapple in bowl. pour over chicken in slow cooker. cover, cook 4 hours on high. stir in pineapple before serving. can thicken sauce with cornstarch and water to serve over chicken.

(From AllRecipes)

Crockpot Chicken Tacos (With Leftovers for Tortilla Soup!)

• 1 envelope Taco Seasoning
• 6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 jar Salsa (16 0z)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time).

Here is my own version of our favorite soup at the now-defunct Tia’s Tex Mex.

Tortilla Soup Ingredients:

approximately 1 cup of leftover chicken taco meat
1 32. oz box of chicken broth
1 can of Milder Ro-Tel (tomatoes with chilies)
1 can of corn
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice

Dump everything in a pot and simmer for about 30 minutes. Garnish with crumbled tortilla chips and shredded cheese (Mexican blend).

(from tastykitchen.com)

Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip

Two 14 oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained
8 oz. cream cheese (can use low or non-fat)
1 cup real mayonnaise (can also use low or non-fat here)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
cayenne pepper
dash of salt
freshly ground black pepper

Chop artichoke hearts in food processor, i usually chop one can very fine & leave the other pretty chunky.
Then mix together with cream cheese, mayo, cheese, spinach & spices. Use your discretion on the cayenne pepper, i usually add about half a palm-full, it still has some kick, but isn't unbearable.
Transfer to slow cooker & cook on LOW for 1-2 hours, or just put on "keep warm" *(if you have that setting) prior to serving.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 lb cooked shredded chicken
1 (15 oz) can tomatoes
1 can corn (drained)
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
medium onion
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 teaspoons Cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
7 tortillas

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas

1 beef flank steak (about 1 lb.)
1 med. onion, cut into strips
1/2 cup salsa
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small green pepper, cut into strips
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
flour tortillas, warmed
additional salsa & other fajita toppings as desired

Cut steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into thin strips. Combine onion, salsa, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, cumin & salt in slow cooker.
Cover; cook on LOW 5-6 hours. Add peppers, cover; cook on LOW 1 hour. Serve w/tortillas & additional toppings.

Fiesta Ranch Chicken

5-6 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 blocks cream cheese
1 packet Fiesta Ranch mix
1/2 packet Ranch mix
1 tsp. Italian herbs
fresh ground pepper
1/2 salsa (optional)

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 5 hours or low for 4.  Shred chicken and serve over pasta, rice or potatoes.  I like to top with some fresh parsley or cilantro and chopped tomatoes.  I usually half the recipe and it feeds our small family with leftovers for lunches.

Chicken Stroganoff in the Crock Pot

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1/8 cup butter
1 (0.7oz) pkg Italian dressing mix
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken
1/4 cup white wine (or chicken broth)

Put chicken, butter, dressing mix, and wine in slow cooker on low 5-6 hours. Add cream cheese and soup, shred chicken, and cook for another half hour. Serve over egg noodles or rice (egg noodles are my fave!) This dinner is insanely easy and so yummy and filling!

Beef Burgundy in the Crock Pot

2-3 pounds beef roast or beef stew meat
6 slices bacon--no need to cook
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced in rings
1 cup carrots (chopped or baby, your choice)
4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 tablespoon herbs de provence (I didn't have them all so I used roughly 1/2t each of rosemary, basil, oregano, and cumin)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups red wine


In the bottom of your slow cooker, smear around the olive oil. Then lay down 3 slices of bacon. Add sliced onion and garlic. Put the meat into the pot on top of the onion and garlic, and sprinkle on dried spices and herbs. Toss the meat to distribute the spices to all sides. Add tomato paste. Lay the other 3 slices of bacon on top of the meat, and throw in the carrots. Pour wine over the whole thing.

Cover and let cook on low for 7-8 hours, high for 4-5, or until meat has reached desired tenderness. If you are using a roast, you may want to flip the meat about an hour before serving so more liquid is absorbed into the meat. You can also cut the meat into chunks and return to the pot, if you would like more moisture to absorb.

Serve with mashed potatoes and a ladle full of crock juices. Super yum!

Cafe Rio Copycat Sweet Pork

This is a Utah restaurant and the sweet pork is to die for!  I like it as a salad with pico de gallo, black beans and cilantro lime rice or you can serve it as a burrito too.  Mostly I'm posting it here so I can find it later.

2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork rib meat)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness but any will work)
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Italian Chicken

3-4 Chicken Breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet Dry Italian Seasoning
1 block of cream cheese

Add all ingredients to a crock pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours.  We like to partially shred the chicken before serving.  Tastes great over rice or pasta.