Triple Chocolate-Covered Peanut Clusters

Cookbook page 189

15 min prep time,   2 hours cooking time

Candies in the crock-pot??  They are delicious.  This is not something I would normally make;  I'm not much of a candy person.  But hey... if I'm going to complete my project (see first post) I have to make ALL the recipes in the book, right??   These have cashews and dry roasted peanuts and 3 kinds of chocolate. Yum.  The recipe says to use a 3 1/2 -4 quart crock-pot.  Mine is 6 quarts and it was almost full.  I don't think you could used much smaller than a 5 quart.

Haha.  This recipe made so many nut clusters (120!!) we are giving them to friends.  The recipe says it makes 60 but we got twice that many.  So, if you are going to a party, great...otherwise I would cut the recipe in half.

What you will need:

1 (16-ounce) jar dry-roasted peanuts

1 (16-ounce) jar unsalted dry-roasted  peanuts

18 (2-ounce) chocolate bark coating squares, cut in half

2 cups (12-ounce package) semisweet chocolate morsels

1 (4-ounce) package German chocolate baking squares, broken into pieces.

1 (9.75-ounce) can salted whole cashews

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a 3½ or 4-quart slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on LOW 2 hours or until melted.  Stir chocolate mixture.  Add cashews and vanilla, stirring well to coat cashews.
• Drop nut mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls onto wax paper.  Let stand until firm.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes 5 pounds or about 60 clusters.

Baked Potato Soup

 Cookbook page 66

(30 min. prep time,  4-8 hours cooking time IF made in a slow cooker)

This is the best potato soup I have ever had.  And I've tried many.  Make it!  You will not regret it!   I confess, I often make it on my stove-top instead of in the crock-pot.  Sometimes at 4pm I’m in my kitchen trying to think of something for supper.  I don’t have 4-8 hours but, if done on the stove-top, I can have this on the table in 1½ hours or sooner.

I combine the first 6 ingredients as instructed, put them in a medium sized pot, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.  Then I put the half and half in a blender with 1/3 of the soup and give it a whirl.  This makes a creamy base for the soup but leaves the rest chunky.  (We like it somewhat chunky but you may prefer it all smooth.  Just put as much through the blender as you want).  Then, I pour it all back in the pot and add the cheddar and chives.  Heat through and serve with a dollop of sour cream and bacon bits.
 

I started out using fresh chives but couldn’t figure out how to keep them from getting slimy after about a day so now I use freeze-dried.  I keep a bag of Real Bacon Bits in my freezer so I am ready to make this at a moment’s notice.

What you will need:

6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 3 ¾ pounds)

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)

3 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth with roasted garlic

¼ cup butter

2 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ¼ teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 cup whipping cream or half-and-half

1 cup (4 ounces) sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream (optional)

4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Shredded Cheddar cheese

What to do:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on HIGH 4 hours or on LOW 8 hours or until potato is tender.
• Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened; stir in cream, cheese, and chives.  Top with sour cream, if desired, and sprinkle with bacon and Cheddar cheese before serving.  Makes 12 cups.

Creamy Beef and Spinach over Noodles

Cookbook page105

20 min prep,  cooking time: 4 hours

I really like Beef Stroganoff so this was a hit with me.  I like to call it a "glorified beef stroganoff" because of the mushrooms and spinach and pepper jack.  I did not use low-sodium, fat-free broth; I used the regular variety.  I did not have any sour cream on hand so I used plain yogurt. It was very good.  A warning, though.  It has a lot of mushrooms.  If you're not that into them, use fewer.

What you will need:

1 pound ground chuck

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium, fat-free beef broth

1 (10 ¾ -ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 (8-ounce) block Monterey Jack Cheese with peppers, shredded

Hot cooked egg noodles

 What to do:

• Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.
• Drain spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Combine beef mixture, spinach, broth, and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 4-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Serve over egg noodles. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Tomato Florentine Soup

Cookbook Page 65

(15 min. prep time,  6 hours total cooking time)

This soup is very, very good.  It calls for “diced canned tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic”.  I use plain canned tomatoes and add 1 t each: basil, oregano, and minced garlic.  I have made it with fresh Parmesan and with the shaker kind.  It is wonderful either way.  I like to add a little more tortellini because I love it!  I used the 3-cheese variety.

3  cups chicken broth

2  (14 1/2  oz) cans diced tomatoes with basil,           oregano, and garlic, undrained

1  (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1  (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed  and well drained

1  cup chopped onion

1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1  (9 oz) package cheese-filled tortellini

Garnish: shredded Parmesan cheese 

  Combine first 8 ingredients in a 4-qt slow cooker.

  Cover and cook on LOW 5 1/2 hours;  add pasta, and cook on LOW for 30 min. more.

  Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.  Makes 10 cups.

Mocha Pudding Cake

Cookbook page 174

(10 min. prep time,  2-2½ hours cooking time,  30 min. set time)

     I’ve never done a cake in the slow cooker before but this turned out beautifully.  The recipe suggests using a 3-quart slow cooker but I don’t have one.  Mine is 6 qts.  I didn’t let that stop me!  I just figured I would cut the cooking time and keep an eye on it.  I checked it after an hour then after 2 hours and it was finally done after 2 hours 20 min. Just like the recipe said.  

     This is a very rich dessert, a choc-o-holic would die for this!  We all loved this but wondered how it would be without the cinnamon.  I’ll try it that way next time.  I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.                                          

 

 It was pudding-like and fudgy in the middle, brownie-like and crusty on the edges.  Perfect!

What you will need:

1 1/3 cups  sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream (if desired)

What to do:

• Stir together all ingredients except ice cream in a large bowl.  Pour into a lightly greased 3-quart slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on LOW 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until set around the edges but still soft in the center.  Let stand, covered, 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.  Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

Note: If you would like a simple chocolate pudding cake, you can leave out the cinnamon and coffee.