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Slow Cooker Lasagna

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce ( I would just make my own spaghetti sauce and not add the extra basil and salt in this recipe)
  • 2 tsp dried basil leaves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
  • 1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 15 uncooked lasagna noodles
  1. Cook sausage and onion in skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil, and salt.
  2. Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)
  3. Spoon 1/4 of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with 1/2 of the cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noddles and the remaining sausage mixture.
  4. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.
  5. Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  6. Makes 8 servings.
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Southern-Style Smothered Pork Chops

  • 2 Tbs. Seasoned salt
  • 1 Tbs. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 4 (8 to 10 ounce) bone-in pork chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, quartered through root end and sliced thin crosswise
  • 1-3/4 cups water
  • 1 Tbs. cider vinegar
  1. Combine seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper in bowl. Cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through fat on edge of each chop. Pat chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle each chop with 1 tsp. spice mixture (1/2 tsp per side)
  2. Combine 1/2 cup flour and 4 tsp. spice mixture in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 side of chops lightly in seasoned flour, shake off excess, and transfer to a plate.
  3. Using highest saute or browning function, heat oil in multicooker for 5 minutes (or just until smoking). Place half of chops floured side down into multicooker and cook until well-browned on 1 side, 3 to 5 minutes, return to plate. Repeat with remaining chops, transfer to plate.
  4. Stir remaining 1/4 cup flour into fat left in multicooker. Cook, stirring constantly, until roux is color of peanut butter, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onions and remaining spice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until onions begin to soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in water, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Nestle pork chops into multicooker, adding any accumulated juices.
  5. To pressure cook: Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off mutlicooker and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
  6. To slow cook: Lock lid in place and open pressure release valve. Select low slow cook function and cook until meat is tender, 2 to 3 hours. (If using Instant Pot, select high slow cook function and increase cooking range to 4 to 5 hours) Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
  7. Transfer chops to serving dish, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing sauce. Cook sauce using highest saute or browning function until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off multicooker. Let sauce settle, then skim excess fat from surface using large spoon. Stir in vinegar and season with pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chops and serve.
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Steak ‘n’ Gravy

  • 1 pound round steak, trimmed
  • 1 Tbs vegetable oil
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • Hot cooked rice or mashed potatoes

Cut the beef into bite-size pieces; brown in oil in a skillet. Transfer to slow cooker. Cover with water; add tomato sauce and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and cold water to make a paste; stir into liquid in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 30 minutes longer or until the gravy is thickened. Serve over rice or potatoes. Yield: 4 servings

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Stuffed Artichokes

  • 4 artichokes
  • 1 lb ground sausage
  • red and yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • onion, chopped
  • seasonings maybe salt, pepper, season salt, garlic, Parmesan cheese
  • I saw Tiffany Haddish do this recipe, but she didn’t give amounts of anything.
  1. Cut about an inch off the tops of the artichokes and cut off the stems to make a flat bottom. Use kitchen shears to trim the sharp tips off the leaves.
  2. Bring a large pot of salt water to a boil. Add the artichokes and place a heat-safe dish on top of them to keep them submerged in the water. Boil for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside upside down to drain and cool.
  3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  4. In a large bowl, mix together the Italian sausage,peppers, onion, seasonings, until just combined. Do not over-mix. (Or I saw you can cook the sausage then add the peppers and onions to saute. Then add the seasonings. This way you can taste test since we don’t have a recipe)
  5. Once the artichokes are cool enough to handle, dry them with paper towels, gently pry open the center leaves, and use a spoon with a twisting motion to scoop out the fuzzy choke inside. Place the artichokes into a baking dish, facing up.
  6. Stuff each artichoke with the sausage mixture, making sure you get some between all the leaves and in the center. Sprinkle the artichokes with Parmesan cheese.
  7. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the sausage is cooked through (to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C)) and the outer leaves are easy to remove.
  8. Remove the foil. Set the oven to broil and place the stuffed artichokes under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese. I think adding some mozzarella would be good at this point too.
  9. Pull leaves off with sausage mixture on them and eat.

Let me know if you try this and how it works. I combined recipes I found online.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Pot Roast Dinner

  • 1 lb small potatoes (6-8), unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)
  • 2 cups ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots
  • 1 cup frozen small whole onions (from 1-lb bag), thawed
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 1/4 lb)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 1 jar (12 oz) chicken gravy
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen sweet peas, thawed

Spray 3 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, place potatoes, carrots and thawed onions. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; place over vegetables in cooker. Pour gravy over top.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8- 10 hours.

Stir in thawed peas. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook about 15 minutes longer or until peas are tender.

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Pulled Pork

  • 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Tbs packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 Tbs chili powder
  • 1 Tbs kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 (4-5 pound) boneless or bone in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), twine or netting removed
  • 2 cups barbecue sauce (optional)

Mix brown sugar, chili powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon in a bowl and dry the pork with a paper towel. Rub the pork with the rub. Add onions and garlic to the crock pot then add the pork. Cook on low for 6 hours.

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Stuffed Hamburgers

  • Stove top stuffing chicken flavor
  • ground beef
  • 1 can beef broth

Make stuffing according to package. We don’t add the butter.

Form ground beef into hamburger patties. Make as thin as you can. Add a very large spoonful of stuffing. (Be sure to not cross contaminate the stuffing if you are not going to use it in the hamburgers.) Place another hamburger patty on top. Seal the two together as best as you can. Fry on both sides. Place in baking sheet. When all the hamburgers are done pour a can of beef broth over the top in the pan. Bake until the hamburger is done. How long depends on how done they were when you fried them. Usually 15-40 minutes.

If desired drain the beef broth into a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk to remove lumps. Strain if necessary. Heat to thicken to make gravy for mashed potatoes and on top of hamburgers.

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Stuffed Green Peppers

  • 6 large green peppers
  • 1 pound hamburger
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped onions
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut thin slice from the stem end of each pepper. Remove seeds and membrane, rinse.

Place pepper cut side up in an ungreased 9 or 10 inch glass pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap; microwave until hot 3-3 1/2 minutes.

Mix cooked rice, uncooked hamburger, onion, salt, garlic salt, and 1 cup of tomato sauce. Stuff each pepper with about 1/2 cup hamburger mixture. Pour remaining sauce over peppers.

Cover with plastic wrap; microwave 6 minutes. Turn plate 1/4 turn; microwave until mixture is done, 6-7 minutes longer. Is your microwave has a turn table microwave 12-13 minutes until hamburger is done. Sprinkle with cheese.

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Chimichangas – Becky

  • Steak (cheep stuff is fine) (we have also used pork and chicken)
  • Italian Dressing about 1/4 of the amount of salsa used
  • Salsa cover the meat with the salsa

Cut meat in thin strips cover in salsa and add about 1/4 of the amount of Italian Dressing as you did salsa. So if you do 1 cup of salsa add about 1/4 cup dressing. Soak in dressing and salsa overnight in the fridge. Cook in crock pot all day.

Put in flour tortillas with cheese and deep fry. Serve with lettuce and sour cream.

Or just serve with flour tortillas not fried as a burrito.

Also good served on potatoes, rice, or pasta.