Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from Pillsbury.com

These are the delicious potatoes we ate at our Christmas Barbecue!

5 lb baking potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup butter or margarine, cut into chunks
1 cup onion dip
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup or more milk, warmed, added until you reach desired consistency - I have never needed it.

1. In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, place potatoes, chicken broth and butter.
2. Cover; cook on High heat setting 4 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Add remaining ingredients except milk. Mash potatoes with a potato smasher in crock pot (although they usually mash with just stirring). Stir in enough milk for desired creamy consistency. Cover and keep warm on Low or Warm heat setting until serving time, up to 2 hours. Stir before serving.

*You can make more traditional mashed potatoes (to go with gravy) by using sour cream instead of onion dip (and maybe leaving out the garlic powder and onion powder, depending on the flavor you want.)

Creamy White Chili

Creamy White Chili
serves 7

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 1/2 oz ) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, sauté chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until
chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to
boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in
sour cream and cream. Serve immediately.

Potato and Kale Soup

So we keep getting kale in our produce delivery box.  Kale is one of those trendy leafy-green superfoods. The only downside is it tastes like dirt.  We've tried a lot of recipes to eat kale, and this is the first one that was actually edible--and surprisingly delicious.

*Adapted from the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook - we liked this version, but you can change what you want.  The original called for chorizo, not kielbasa, and chickpeas instead of white beans.

1 T canola oil
14 oz. turkey kielbasa, halved & sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch red pepper flakes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1 (15 oz) can great northern white beans
12 ounces kale, stemmed and leaves sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 tsp dried oregano

Heat the oil in a large pot.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant (30 seconds).

Stir in the broth and potatoes, and bring to a simmer.  Cover, reduce heat, and cook until potatoes are almost tender (10 to15 min)

Stir in the kielbasa, kale, and oregano, and simmer until the kale is tender (10 to 15 min).  Take it from Daniel- there is nothing worse than under-cooked kale.


Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the soup slightly. Serve and enjoy.

Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls

12 leaves cabbage

1 cup cooked white rice

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup minced onion

1 pound extra-lean ground beef (we use 99% fat free ground turkey)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage leaves 2 minutes; drain.

2. In large bowl, combine 1 cup cooked rice, egg, milk, onion, ground beef, salt, and pepper.

3. Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and roll up, tucking in ends. Place rolls in slow cooker.

4. In a small bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls.

5. Cover, and cook on Low 8 to 9 hours. 

*The extra sauce is also good over some extra rice.

Grilled Pineapple

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 pineapple, trimmed and cut into 1.2-inch thick slices

In a ziplock bag, combine lime juice and brown sugar. Mix well. Add pineapple, stir to coat; cover and marinate 30 minutes or more.

Brush grill with oil. Place fruit on grill rack, and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Chile-Lime Salmon

We found this recipe a few weeks ago, and have made it several times since. It's an absolutely incredible way to eat salmon. From the America's Test Kitchen Best Recipes Cookbook.

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 shallot, minced

1 tsp minced fresh cilantro

¼ tsp salt

Pepper & Salt to taste

1 side of salmon (3-4 pounds)

2 limes, sliced thin

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Fold a sheet of foil so that it is 1 inch wider and 2 foot longer than the fish. Center it diagonally in a rimmed baking sheet, and spray with cooking spray.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add salt, chili, garlic, cayenne, and shallot. Cook until softened, about 1 minute. Off the heat, add the cilantro.

3. Place salmon in baking sheet, pat dry with paper towels, and salt & pepper.

4. Brush salmon with butter mixture, then lay the lime slices attractively over the fish.

5. Roast until all but the very center of the fish has turned from translucent to opaque, 12 to 17 minutes.

6. Run a spatula underneath the salmon to loosen. Using the foil as a sling, transfer salmon to serving platter, then gently pull foil out from under salmon

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Roasted Ratatouille

This recipe is from the America's Test Kitchen Best Recipes Cookbook.

1 globe eggplant (1 lb), peeled and cut into ¾ in cubes

2 medium zucchini or summer squash (1 lb), cut into ½ in cubes

1 red onion, halved and sliced ¼ in thick

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, with ½ cup juice reserved

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1 tsp minced fresh thyme, or ¼ t. dried

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 ½ Tbsp red wine vinegar

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375.

2. Combine all ingredients except vinegar and mix well. Spread the mixture into a 9x13 pan.

3. Roast until the vegetables have softened and are browned in spots, about 1 hour, stirring thoroughly halfway through the cooking time.

4. Sprinkle with vinegar before serving

*Makes a great side dish, or entrée with rice or noodles.