Italian Crock Pot Chicken and Potatoes

If someone asks "Hey, what's for dinner!"  and your answer is "Italian crock pot chicken and potatoes", you will have a happy person!  This easy recipe is absolutely delicious!

• 10  boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1cup Italian salad dressing
• ½ teas marjoram
• ½  teas rosemary
• ½ teas basil
• ½ teas oregano
• ½ teas dehydrated garlic
• 2 teas garlic pepper
• 1 ½  cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (I used a pkg. of shredded Parmesan, mozzarella and provolone
• 6 large red  potatoes, (scrub and cut out the eyes) cut into wedges
• ½ C water
• 2 T cornstarch

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle with half of the Italian dressing, half of the spices and half of the grated cheese. Put the potatoes on top or around the chicken. Sprinkle with the rest of the dressing, spices and cheese. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  (When I made it, it was done in about 6 ½ hours.)  Remove chicken & potatoes.  To thicken sauce:  Dissolve the cornstarch into ½ cup water and stir into the sauce in crock pot.  Cook on high for 15 minutes to thicken - stirring occasionally.  Pour over the top of chicken & potatoes or serve separately.  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Lasagna or Not?

This Lasagna is easy and versatile!  Not just a crock pot recipe!  I had no idea!  The other Mrs. C fixed it in a 2 quart casserole in her convection oven.  Our daughter Mrs. K fixed it in a 9 x 13 dish in her oven.  Live and learn!!!  See NOTE. 

HINT:  You may assemble the lasagna 24 hrs. ahead and refrigerate it until cooking time. No need to cook the the lasagna noodles before assembling the recipe!  They cook while in the crock pot or oven!

CROCK POT LASAGNA or Not – serves 6-8   Any leftovers are delicious!

1 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium garlic clove, minced OR ½tsp Dehydrated garlic

1 tsp garlic pepper

28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 ½ 15 oz. canned tomato sauce

1/2 tsp table salt

1 tsp dried oregano  

1/2 tsp dried basil 

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 ½ cups nonfat cottage cheese

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese, divided

6 dry lasagna noodles, no-cook   

3 cups fresh chopped spinach (chopped coarsely)

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with non stick cooking spray.  Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil.  Add onion and garlic and sauté until slightly translucent, then Add ground beef; sprinkle with garlic pepper; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together cottage cheese and 1 cup of parmesan cheese.
• Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of cottage cheese mixture, then Add 1 ½ cups of chopped spinach. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of  beef mixture.
• Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 2 ½ hours. Remove cover; turn off heat.
• Sprinkle 1cup  cheese over lasagna. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.

NOTE:  If you need to cook the lasagna quicker, spray a 9 x 13 pan with non stick spray.  Fill with ingredients, following the recipe directions.   Cover and bake in 375 degree oven for 1 hr.  Sprinkle 1 cup parmesan cheese over the top and put under the broiler until cheese melts.  Let set for 10 minutes to let lasagna firm up.

OR IN CONVECTION OVEN:   Spray a 2 quart casserole with non stick spray.  Fill with ingredients, following the recipe directions.  Cover and bake in 350 degree convection oven for 45 minutes. Sprinkle 1 cup parmesan cheese over the top and put under the broiler until cheese melts.  Let set for 10 minutes to let lasagna firm up.  Picture below.

Roast Chicken - yum! While it is cooking you will enjoy the aroma!

Roast Chicken with Gravy

After seeing a recipe for roast chicken in a cookbook, I had to roast a chicken!!!  I told Mr. G that I had to go to the store and get a whole chicken to roast for our dinner!  It must have sounded good to him too, as we were on on our way within minutes!

This will become a dinner favorite; it was delicious.

Following is the recipe:

1 5 1/2 lb. chicken

½ onion cut in quarters

1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves (crushed)

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (crushed)

6 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups low sodium chicken broth (divided)

Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Spray roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Remove the giblets and neck from body cavity.  Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

Crush the dried rosemary in your hands by rubbing them together and then rub them inside the chicken cavity. 

Fill the cavity of the chicken with 6 cloves of garlic and onion.  Place the chicken in the roasting pan breast side up -  roast uncovered.  Place a meat thermometer into thickest part of thigh before you put the chicken in the oven.  Sprinkle garlic pepper liberally over top of chicken.  Roast the chicken for 30 minutes; pour the broth and juice from lemon over the chicken.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Cook about 1 to 1 1/2  hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees.

When done - Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, remove garlic and onion. Let stand for 15 minutes.

GRAVY
Pour drippings from chicken into a medium saucepan.   Dissolve 3 tablespoons of cornstarch into one cup low sodium chicken broth.  (Stir briskly with wire whisk until dissolved.) then Add to drippings in pan and stir with a wire whisk until gravy thickens.  If it is too thick, add more broth.

Carve the chicken and serve with gravy.  This is good served with rice.  Enjoy!

Does a chilly day mean Chili? Or does it mean Chilly Day Chili?

When we get a fall day that has a chill in the air, I begin to think of making chili for dinner!
This is a chili that is very easy to make.

Chili made my way – my recipe. Serves 8-10
Easy Chilly Day Chili:
Saute ½ chopped onion in 1T of olive oil
ADD and Brown 1 and ½ lbs. of lean ground beef or ground turkey.
Sprinkle garlic pepper liberally over meat along with *2 t chili powder.
*(or to your taste)

Put in slow cooker (crock pot) and add the following:

(3) 25 oz. cans of organic kidney beans
(drain liquid from 1 can)
(1) 14.7 can if medium organic chili
(1) 16 oz. jar of mild salsa
(1) 14.5 can of green beans
(Sometimes I add 1 small package of frozen corn.)
Cook on Low for 5 hrs.

• If you want to serve it quicker, you may prepare this in a large skillet: After you have browned the meat, ADD the rest of the ingredients, stir to mix and heat on medium until heated through..

4 servings
• To make fewer servings, sauté 1/2 onion in 1T olive oil, ADD and brown ¾ lb. of meat, sprinkle with garlic pepper and *1 t chili powder, 3 small cans of beans (drain liquid from 1 can), 1 can of medium chili, ¾ jar of salsa and possibly leave out the green beans. No matter how I make it – it always tastes good!
*(or to your taste)

Mr. C eats his chili with the juice, but I like to take it out of the crock pot/skillet with a slotted spoon and eat it without the juice. And I always have cottage cheese with it, and of course a green salad.