Crockpot Chicken & Gravy

2 lbs chicken
14 oz can chicken broth
2 pkgs chicken gravy mix

Put chicken in crockpot. Pour in broth adn cook on low 3-4 hours. Pour 2 c. broth from pot into a pan. Add gravy packets and whisk until thick.

Hot & Spicy Italian Drip Beef Sandwiches

http://fromaway.com/cooking/todays-sandwich-hot-spicy-italian-drip-beef-homemade

Crockpot Creamy Chicken Stew

https://thecozycook.com/crock-pot-creamy-chicken-stew/

2 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, diced
4 small red potatoes, cut into quarters
1 cup baby carrots, cut in half
¾ cup green beans
½ cup celery, diced
1 (10 ¾ oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup whole milk*
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (1 oz.) packet dry ranch dressing mix
Salt/pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Parsley flakes
5 slices Cooked, Crumbled bacon to garnish the top (optional)

Directions:

Melt the butter on the bottom of the crock pot.
Add all of the vegetables on top and stir to coat with the butter.
Salt/Pepper the diced chicken as desired and add to the crock pot.
Mix together the soup, milk, sour cream and ranch dressing mix.  Temper the mixture by heating it for 40 seconds in the microwave.
Pour on top of the chicken.
Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Low and slow is the best with milk and dairy products.
Sprinkle with parsley and crumbled bacon and serve, (preferably with biscuits!)

Honey Mustard Chicken Avocado Bacon Salad

https://cafedelites.com/honey-mustard-chicken-avocado-bacon-salad/

Dressing / Marinade:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons smooth and mild Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar), (OPTIONAL -- to cut through the sweetness)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt to season
• 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts

For Salad:

• 1/4 cup diced bacon , trimmed of rind and fat
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves , washed
• 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 large avocado , pitted and sliced
• 1/4 cup corn kernels
• 1/4 of a red onion , sliced

Instructions

1. Whisk marinade / dressing ingredients together to combine. Pour half the marinade into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken fillets for two hours if time allows. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat a nonstick pan (or grill pan or skillet) over medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil and sear / grill chicken fillets on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water being released.) Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Wipe pan over with paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry the bacon until crispy.
4. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, tomatoes, avocado slices, corn, onion strips and chicken.
5. Whisk 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining untouched marinade / dressing and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and season with a little extra salt and cracked pepper (optional).

Crockpot Chicken Teryiaki

This is better when served the next day. I serve it over rice.

https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/crockpot-chicken-terriyaki.html

• ·

  1lb chicken (sliced, cubed or however)
• ·

  1c chicken broth
• ·

  1/2c terriyaki or soy sauce
• ·

  1/3c brown sugar
• ·

  3minced garlic cloves

   

  Combine everything in a crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over rice. 

Pork Carnitas

These are SO good! I love cooking the meat this way. It gives it that nice crunch to it. I have started searing a lot of my meat before serving it, such as pulled pork. It just makes it amazing!

https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/

Ingredients

• 5 lb / 2.5 kg pork shoulder (pork butt), skinless, bone-in (4lb/2kg without bone) (Note 3)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded, chopped
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 oranges, juice only (or sub with 3/4 cup fresh orange juice)

Rub

• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub in salt and pepper.
2. Combine the rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
3. Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the orange.
4. Slow Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 6 hours (or 1h 30 m in an electric pressure cooker on high. If using stovetop pressure cooker, please see notes).
5. The meat should be tender and falling off the bone. Remove from the slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred the pork using two forks.
6. Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard the fat. Then if you are left with a lot more than 1 1/2 to 2 cups of juice, then reduce it (either in the slow cooker on the sauté setting with the lid off, or in a saucepan). The liquid will be SALTY, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set aside.

To Serve

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan over high heat. Place shredded pork into the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.
2. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan.
3. Remove pork from skillet. Drizzle over more juices and serve immediately (if you are using defrosted carnitas, this is not applicable as the juices are already on the meat - see Note 4c).
4. If you are reheating the carnitas (Note 4), then flip and cook the other side briefly just to warm through. I really recommend only making one side crusty and leaving the other side juicy and moist.

Recipe Notes

1. If you are using a piece of pork that is not the size I use, you MUST reduce the salt accordingly. If your pork is more than 1 lb / 0.5 kg larger or smaller than the prescribed size, ensure you adjust the other ingredients accordingly as well, not just the salt.

2. To make this in the oven, add 1 cup of water to the braising liquid. Place in 325F/160C oven for 2 hours, covered, then roast for a further 1 to 1.5 hours uncovered. Add more water if the liquid dries out too much. You should end up with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid when it finishes cooking.

If you make this recipe in the oven, you could skip the pan frying step because you will get a nice brown crust on your pork.

3. Use pork with the skin removed but leaving some of the fat cap on. The fat adds juiciness to the carnitas!

4. Taco Fixing suggestions: Diced avocado or make a real proper Guacamole, Pico de Gallo or Restaurant Style Salsa or even just sliced tomato, grated cheese, sour cream. Sliced lettuce or pickled cabbage / red onions would also be great, but unlike other tacos, you don't need it for the texture because the carnitas have the crispy bits!

5. MAKE AHEAD:
a) For overnight or up to 3 days, the best option is to shred the meat without pan frying, keep the juices separate, refrigerate, then pan fry to make it golden and reheat the meat, pouring juices over while it is browning per recipe.

b) To brown the meat ahead, the meat actually holds up pretty well in terms of staying crispy. It's even pretty good refrigerated overnight - but a) is definitely better. Keep the juices separate and pour it over just before reheating the pork. You can reheat in the microwave, quickly reheat in the pan or if you have loads, in a foil covered roasting pan in the oven at 180C/350F for around 8 - 10 minutes.

c) To FREEZE: This holds up great in the freezer. Pour the juices over the pulled pork (pre browning) and store in ziplock bags or airtight containers. Freeze in small batches for convenience. To use, defrost completely before following the recipe to brown the pork.

6. STOVETOP PRESSURE COOKER - use a rack to elevate it from the base OR add 3/4 cup of water. Then once the pork is cooked, remove it then simmer to reduce to around 2 cups of liquid.

7. Nutrition per serving, pork only, assuming 12 servings. This is overstated because it does not take into account the fat that is discarded. Also most pork shoulders purchased from the supermarket and butchers have been trimmed i.e. they don't have a super thick layer of fat on the surface.

Pineapple Spinach Salad

https://thefoodcharlatan.com/pineapple-spinach-salad-recipe/

This was a super simple salad but so yummy!

For the dressing

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (optional--taste it first)

For the pecans

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the salad

• 10-13 ounces spinach
• 1 pineapple, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 6 ounces feta

Instructions

1. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a mason jar or tupperware. Shake vigorously and set aside.
2. In a small pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. When hot, add the pecans and stir to coat. Add the brown sugar and stir again. Stir occasionally until the sugar starts to caramelize, about 2-5 minutes. Remove to a wax paper lined cookie sheet and let cool.
3. In a large bowl add the spinach, pineapple, and feta. Toss to combine. Sprinkle the top with pecans and serve with the salad dressing (you might not use all of it).