Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops With New Potatoes

This is from one of my mom's slow cooker cookbooks.  I adapted it a little bit.

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*6 - 8 boneless, skinless pork loin chops (3/4" thick)
*1 packet (1.3 oz.) dry Ranch salad dressing mix
*1/2 teaspoon black pepper
*2 cans (10.5 oz. each) new potatoes, drained, the big ones quartered, and the medium ones halved
*1 can (10 oz.) Campbell's French onion soup
*1/8 cup water

Directions:
Spray a crock pot with cooking spray.  Place pork chops on the bottom of the crock pot.

Sprinkle pork chops with half the black pepper and half the Ranch seasoning.  Flip pork chops.  Sprinkle with the rest of the black pepper and Ranch seasoning.

Place potatoes around and on top of pork chops.  Pour French onion soup and water over potatoes and pork chops.

Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

*Note:  I serve this with steamed veggies.

Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie

I got this recipe from one of my mom's cookbooks, Slow Cooker Favorites.

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:
*1 1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
*1 pkg. (.87 oz.) chicken gravy mix
*1 cup carrots, cut in half lengthwise and into 1 inch strips
*1 jar (4.5 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
*1 cup fat-free chicken broth
*1/4 cup dry white wine or cooking white wine
*2 cups frozen southern-style cubed hash browns, thawed
*1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
*1/8 teaspoon black pepper
*8 flaky layers buttermilk biscuits
*2 teaspoons fat-free milk + 1/3 cup
*1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
*1 1/2 Tablespoons flour

Directions:
Rinse chicken with water and pat dry.  Cut into 1-inch pieces.  Place chicken in a 3 1/2-4 quart slow cooker.

Sprinkle with gravy mix, and stir lightly to coat.  Top with carrots and mushrooms.  Pour broth and wine over top.  Add salt.

Cover, and cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Mix very cold milk (1/3 cup) with flour, adding the flour gradually and whisking it together.  Store in the fridge.

About 30 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 375.  Add the potatoes, peas, and black pepper to the crock pot.  Stir gently to mix.  Increase heat to high.  Cover and cook 30 minutes longer or until peas are tender.

Place biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Brush tops with the 2 teaspoons of milk.  Sprinkle with thyme.  Bake as directed on the can.

While the biscuits are baking, take milk/flour mixture out of the fridge and whisk.  Slowly stir into the crock pot to thicken the mixture.

To serve, put the bottom half of a biscuit on a plate or in the bottom of a bowl.  Scoop some chicken and vegetable mixture onto the biscuit.  Place the top part of the biscuit over the chicken and vegetable mixture.

Note:  To thaw the hash browns and peas, microwave each in their packaging in one minute intervals on power level 4.

Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

This is my best friend Stef's recipe.  I have tried many different recipes for this, and I always come back to this one.  It's the best.  Her recipes are usually the best versions of the things out there.  Even my two and a half year old son cannot get enough of this dish.  I normally do not care for pepperocinis, but once cooked down into this dish, they add an interesting zippy flavor.

Makes 8 sandwiches



Ingredients:
*3 1/2 lb. boneless beef chuck roast (chuck roast shreds really easily)
*1 cup pepperocini pepper juice from a jar of pepperocinis
*1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix (She uses Good Seasonings brand, but I recently tried an HEB store brand, and it tasted the same.)
*1 pkg. dry brown gravy mix
*jarred sliced pepperocinis to taste
*garlic powder
*wheat hoagie rolls
*8 slices low-fat mozzarella cheese or provolone cheese

Directions:
Place roast in a crock pot.  Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder and rub all over.  Turn it over, and repeat.

In a small bowl whisk pepperocini juice with the Italian dressing mix.  Pour over the beef.  Add sliced pepperocini peppers to taste.  Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Preheat oven to broil.

Just before serving, uncover the crock pot, and shred the meat with two forks inside the crock pot.  Mix in gravy mix, cover, and cook for about 5-10 minutes more.

Meanwhile, split hoagie rolls with a knife lengthwise down the middle.  Place hoagie rolls on a cookie sheet.  Place a slice of cheese on one side of each of the hoagie rolls.  Broil hoagie rolls just until the cheese is melted and the bread is lightly toasted.  Watch carefully because this will happen quickly.

Spoon Italian beef mixture on one side of the hoagie roll to eat.