Slow Cooker Recipes

Zesty Italian Crockpot Chicken

• 6-8 chicken breasts
• 4 tsp butter
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese
• 1 pkg dry Italian seasoning mix

Place chicken in slow cooker with butter.  Sprinkle Italian dressing over chicken.  When chicken is cooked, add the cream of chicken soup.  An hour prior to serving, stir and add cream cheese in cubes on top.  Cook on high, 4-6 hours.  Stir before serving.  Serve over rice.

Nutty Apple Streusel Dessert

• 6 cups sliced peeled tart apples
• 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup biscuit/baking mix

Topping:

• 1 cup biscuit/baking mix
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp cold butter
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a large bowl, toss apples with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.  Place in a greased slow cooker.  In a mixing bowl, combine milk, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and baking mix; mix well.  Spoon over apples.
For topping, combine the biscuit mix and brown sugar in a bowl; cut in butter until crumbly.  Add almonds; sprinkle over the apples.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hrs or until the apples are tender.
Serve w/ Ice Cream or Whipping Cream.

Slow Cooker Tips and Tricks

1. If you lift the lid to peek, add 30 min to cooking time
2. Fresh herbs will lose flavor over cooking time = add during last hour of cooking (dried herb flavors intensify)
3. Fill slow cooker only 1/2 - 2/3 full, not to the top
4. Foods on bottom cook faster & will be more moist = place root veggies in first/at bottom
5. 2 hrs on low in slow cooker = 1 hr on high
6. Converting an oven recipe for the slow cooker:

• Slow cooker low = 200* in oven
• Slow cooker high = 300* in oven
• Use 1/3 to 1/2 the liquid called for in oven recipe (liquid will not boil away in slow cooker)

Marilyn's Bookshelf

January 2011

Doig, Ivan, The Whistling Season

            This title was on the reading list for the now-defunct Canyon Readers.  Since there were so few who read it, I decided to add it to the Book Shelf for this year’s reading fare.

            Widower Oliver Milliron, in the small town of Montana’s Marias Cooley, is raising three sons.  To an ad he places in the paper, Rose Morgan responds to act as housekeeper (“Can’t cook but doesn’t bite”), and she comes to far-away Montana. Into the bargain comes Morris Morgan, her scholarly brother.  At the unexpected departure of the local schoolteacher for their one-room schoolhouse, Morris is impressed into service, and what a teacher he is, taking anything and everything as a text for exciting, stimulating, and thought-provoking lessons, to which all eight grades are exposed.  Paul, Oliver’s oldest son is a bookish seventh-grader.  Morris eventually teaches him Latin, either before or after school in order to keep him engaged in learning.  The action of the novel is seen through Paul’s adult eyes as he remembers theses events in contemplation of a movement to close all rural schools.  As he is state school superintendent, we, as the reader, come to realize the value of one-room schooling.  We are introduced to a community of characters, including Brose Turley, the wolf hunter in the community who wreaks terror in the schoolroom and is the embodiment of the animals he hunts.  This book could be used as a textbook course on perfect novel writing.  What a treasure.

Cheers,

Marilyn

Cookie Exchange Recipes

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

• 2 sticks butter - softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 ounces Almond Bark
• Large handful of red or green peppermints

Cream softened butter with powdered sugar.  Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.  Add dry ingredients and mix together until dough comes together.  Place plastic wrap on surface of dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.  In the meantime, unwrap candy and place them in a plastic bag.   Beat with a mallet until finely crushed. leaving large chunks if desired.  Or crush them in a food processor.
Preheat oven to 375*
Roll cookie dough into walnut sized pieces on a cookie sheet.  Gently press balls flat with a plain, smooth surface.  Bake 7-9 min, being careful not to overcook/burn.  Remove from oven and place cookies on a cooling rack.  Allow them to cool completely.
Place crushed candies in a bowl.  Melt almond bark n the microwave.  Dip cooled cookies into almond bark, coating half of the cookie.  Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermints over both sides of the almond bark.  Gently set on a non stick surface and allow to cool before serving.


Chocolate-Marshmallow Pillows

• COOKIES:
• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker double chocolate chunk cookie mix
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 egg
• 23 cup chopped pecans
• 12 large marshmallows, cut in half
• FROSTING:
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp butter or margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 ~ Heat oven to 350*.  In large bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water, egg and pecans until soft dough forms.

2 ~ On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart.
3 ~ Bake 7 min.  Remove from oven; immediately press marshmallow half lightly, cut side down, on top of cookie.  Bake 1 to 2 min longer or just until marshmallows begin to soften.  Cool completely, about 15 min.
4 ~ Meanwhile, in 1-quart nonstick saucepan, melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add whipping cream, butter and vanilla; blend well.  Stir in powdered sugar until smooth.
5 ~ Spread frosting over each cooled cookie, covering marshmallow.  Let stand until frosting is set.

Mexican Wedding Cookies / Swedish Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ~ powdered sugar for dusting

Soften butter.  Add sugar, water and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add flour, mix.  Add pecans, mix.

Roll into 1" balls.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325* for 20 min.  Remove from oven and roll in powdered sugar.  Makes about 36 cookies.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
•  1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups Craisins Dried Cranberries
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375*.  Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, mixing well.  Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl.  Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 min or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.  Makes approximately 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

Peanut Blossoms

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 12 oz chocolate kisses or stars

Cream first 4 ingredients.  Beat eggs, milk & vanilla.  Stir in soda, salt & flour.  Mix it all together.  Shape dough into balls.  Roll in sugar.  Bake at 375* for 10-12 min.  Immediately press chocolate candy into each cookie.

Christmas Dinner Recipes

Salad with Pink Dressing
Salad ingredients:
Spinach
Spring Mix
Pears
Craisins
Feta Cheese
Purple Onion
**Other Ingredients that would be good: Romaine lettuce, pomegranate, apple,
or whatever sounds yummy to you!

Pink Salad Dressing:

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1/3 inch purple onion
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Blend ingredients together in a blender
add:
1 cup oil- add slowly while blending
mix by hand:
1 tsp poppy seeds

Marilyn's Bookshelf

December 2010

Naslund, Sena Jeter, Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

            Sena Jeter Naslund has created an engaging novel about Marie Antoinette who was the daughter of Maria Therese of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and married to the dauphin of France at age 14, he 15.  Thus she is married to create a political liaison while still a girl, transported to France, never to return to her native Austria again, nor ever to see her mother again.  The dauphin, eventually Louis XVI, is also very young, and unfortunately their marriage is not consummated for seven long years.  In the meantime, however, they become good friends.  Marie charms her husband’s grandfather, Louis XV and most of the court, but vicious rumors begin spreading about her profligate lifestyle and questionable liaisons with various members of the court. Thrown into this dangerous political situation, we see the events leading to the French Revolution in 1789 and the guillotine death of both Marie and her husband, the king.  Based on accurate research of historic documents, the novel is told in the first person of Marie.  We are led through her life, her life at court, the birth of her four children (two of whom survived childhood), her friendships, her marriage, and the horror of her prison life at the end.  Marie in this novel becomes a believable and sympathetic figure, a victim of circumstances of her time.  I loved it.

Relief Society Christmas Dinner Party

"Pamper Me"Christmas 
Thursday, December 9th -6:30 pm
Jill McQueen's house
5820 Twin Creek Road
Bring a wrapped gift for the "Pamper Me" 
gift exchange

Orange Rolls & Thanksgiving Side Dishes

  Sharon taught us all how to make her fabulous Orange Rolls and other side Thanksgiving dishes.  Thanks to everyone who participated, shared recipes and even brought food for us to sample.  Attached are most of the recipes that were shared- more will be posted later.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Orange Tea Rolls
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup shortening or butter
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm milk
1 yeast cake (1 Tbsp) softened in 1/4 cup warm water (plus a little sugar)
2 eggs, well beaten
3 1/2 cup flour (about)
1 tsp. salt
Directions:
Bring first three ingredients to boil and pout into mixing bowl.  Let cool.
Add milk, yeast mixture, eggs, salt and then enough flour to make a soft dough.
Let stand until double in bulk (1-2 hours)
Roll out until dough is 1/2 inch thick.  Spread with orange filling. Roll as a jelly roll.
Pinch edge closed.  Cut in 1/2 in.-1 inch slices. Pinch bottom and place in well greased muffin tins.
Let rise 1 hour and then bake. * Put drip pan under muffin tins
Orange filling:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, soft but not melted
3 Tbsp. grated orange rind (grind from one orange)
Cream ingredients together well.


Quick Dinner Rolls
To prepare: Preheat oven to 350.
Ingredients :
2 yeast cakes or 2 pkgs dry yeast
½ c warm water
1 Tbsp sugar
1 c milk
¼ c butter
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
3 ½ to 4 c flour
Directions:
Dissolve dry yeast in warm water for 5 min. Stir in 1 Tbsp
sugar. Scald milk. Stir in butter to melt. Cool. Pour into large
bowl. Mix in sugar, beaten eggs, and salt. Blend in dissolved
yeast. Stir in enough flour until dough leaves sides of bowl
clean. Put in greased bowl. Cover. Let rise 1 hour. Roll into
shapes and place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise until
double in bulk. Bake at 350. for 12-20 min.

Yield: 2-3 dozen rolls

Refrigerator Rolls
To prepare: Preheat oven to 400.
Ingredients:
½ c mashed potatoes
½ c shortening or butter
1/3 c sugar
2 c scalded milk
1 yeast cake in ½ c lukewarm water
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
5-7 c flour
Directions:
Mix in large mixing bowl: mashed potatoes, shortening, and
sugar. Add scalded milk, cool until tepid. Add yeast and water
mixture. Add beaten eggs. Add salt, baking powder, baking
soda, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat thoroughly. Gradually add
remaining flour to make a dough. Knead for 2 min. Grease
top of dough. Cover tightly and place in refrigerator
overnight. Shape and place in pans about 2 hrs before baking.
when rolls are approximately double in size bake at 400. for
10-12 minutes.

Garlic Roasted Mashed Potatoes (Chef Brad)
To prepare: Preheat oven to 375.
Ingredients
Directions
6 lrg potatoes - peeled & quartered
6 garlic cloves, roasted*
1-12 oz can evaporated milk
1 cube butter
Salt & Pepper
Sour cream, if desired

Variations for mashed potatoes:
. Buttermilk = creamier texture
. Blue cheese = adds flavor,
creaminess & richness
. Half & Half = creamy texture
. White quinoa = fiber, flavor &
creamy texture (invisible nutrition!)

In a pressure cooker, place the potatoes in 3 inches of water.
Set pressure cooker on high and salt and pepper potatoes.
Pressure on high for 8 minutes, natural release. Drain off
water and proceed to mash potatoes, adding garlic, milk and
sour cream, if desired. Salt and pepper to taste.
*To roast garlic: Place garlic cloves in a piece of aluminum foil
with 1 tsp olive oil; wrap tightly. Place in 375. oven for 20-25
min. Garlic should be golden brown and tender when done.





Red Quinoa Coconut Yams (Cooking w/ Chef Brad)
Festive and Sweet ~ The perfect compliment for the holiday meal
Ingredients:
3 c cooked red quinoa
3 c sweet potatoes or yams
cooked & mashed
1 c sugar
½ c milk
½ c butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
1 c each: coconut & chopped nuts
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour (wonder flour)
1/3 c melted butter
pinch of nutmeg
Directions:
Mix above ingredients, except red quinoa, in a large bowl and
place in an oven proof pan that has been sprayed with a non
stick spray. Spread until even and then place the red quinoa
on top and spread it over the yam mixture. Mix the second
set of ingredients and place on top of the quinoa.

Melt butter. Stir in flour, sugar, nuts, coconut, and nutmeg.
Mix well. Place on top of yam and quinoa mixture and bake in
a 375. oven for 35 min.

Caramelized Green Beans (Cooking w/ Chef Brad)
Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh green beans
3 Tbsp Olive oil
Xagave or sugar
(perhaps almond flavored)
Balsamic vinegar
Directions:
In large sauté pan heat up 3 Tbsp olive oil. When hot, add
green beans and drizzle with Xagave and balsamic vinegar.
Saute until well coated and caramelized. Be careful not to
overcook.

Brined Turkey
Ingredients:
¾ c Real Salt or Kosher Salt
¾ c peppercorns
½ c pickling spices (about)
2 c brown sugar
water, to cover turkey
Directions:
Soak overnight in a 5 gallon bucket or cooler.
In morning rinse turkey, pat dry, and roast.

Candied Yams or Sweet Potatoes
To prepare: Preheat oven to 350.
Ingredients:
Yams or Sweet Potatoes
cooked, sliced & sprinkled w/
cinnamon & nutmeg
¼ lb butter – melted
1 c brown sugar
¼ c water
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil until dissolved. Add
water, return to a boil and dissolve sugar well. Add vanilla and
boil for 2 min. Pour sauce over prepared potatoes. Heat in


Cranberry Mold
Ingredients:
3 oz pkg cherry or raspberry jello
1 c hot water
¾ c pineapple juice
8 oz can whole cranberry sauce
1 c diced apple or celery
½ c chopped nuts
(If doubling recipe, use only 1 cup
pineapple juice.)
Directions:
Mix first four ingredients. Chill until slightly thickened.
Add last two ingredients and chill until set.

Quick Orange Ring
To prepare: Preheat oven to 400.
Ingredients
2-3 containers Buttermilk biscuits
¾ c sugar
½ c butter – melted
orange rind (grated from 1 orange)
2-4 Tbsp chopped pecans

Directions:
Grease Bundt pan. Line Bundt pan with the buttermilk
biscuits. Combine butter, sugar and orange rind and pour over
the biscuits. Top with the nuts if desired. Bake. Remove from
oven. Set a plate on top and with hot pads invert orange ring
onto the serving plate.

Turkey Stuffing
To prepare: Makes enough stuffing for about a 20 lb turkey
Ingredients
1 ¾ lb ground pork sausage
1 lrg onion – chopped
½ c celery – chopped
1 can sliced water chestnuts –
chopped
salt & pepper to taste
2 ½ tsp sage
2 ½ tsp poultry seasoning
½ tsp thyme
18-20 c soft bread cubes/crumbs
1 c chicken bullion or broth
2 eggs
Directions:
Brown pork, onion, celery, water chestnuts, salt & pepper.
Cool slightly & add 2 eggs, combine. In large bowl place bread
cubes and seasonings, combine.
Combine meat mixture and bread mixture. Add broth and
toss lightly.

Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
3 c fresh cranberries
1 lrg apple or pear – pealed & diced
1 c sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Orange (zest & juice of 1 orange)
Vanilla to taste (optional)
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a pressure cooker and stir well to
blend. Close lid and cook 5 min on low pressure. You want
the cranberries to burst.

*Make the day before and the apples take on a beautiful
cranberry color.

Yam and Apple Casserole
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3 cups orange juice
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 can yams or cooked fresh yams sliced
4 golden delicious apples peeled, sliced
1 Tbsp. butter
Directions:
Alternate layers of yams and apples in a casserole dish; start with yams and finish with apples. Bring to a boil in a sauce pan the first four ingredients.  After it has cooked and thickened add the butter.  Pour orange mixture evenly over apples and yams.  Cover and bake in oven or microwave until hot and bubbly. The temperature of baling isn't important.  It just needs to cook the apples until they are tender about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Sweet Potatoes - Yams
To prepare heat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix and put in a casserole dish. Top with Struesel
Streusel:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 cup flour
1 cup pecans chopped
Bake for 30 minutes

Cranberry Bread
To prepare heat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup butter
1 egg beaten
1 tsp. grated orange peel
3/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cup light raisins
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Directions:
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl/  Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Add eggs, orange peel and orange juice all at once.  Stir just until mixture is crumbly.  Stir until mixture is evenly moist.  Fold in raisins and cranberry.  Spoon into greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour.  Cool on rack.

Stuffed Mushrooms
To prepare heat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
1/2 cup or 4 oz. blue cheese
1 cup or 8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped mushroom stems
16 oz. or 2 pkg. mushrooms or but individual large mushrooms
Directions:
Remove stems from butter and saute in butter. Mix Blue Cheese, cream cheese, and mushroom stems.  Spoon mixture in mushroom caps.
Bake for 10 minutes until cheese melts slightly.

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
5 pounds (about 10 medium) baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
2 oz. cheddar cheese, (about 1/2 cup) grated
4 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.
Add salt.  Place over high heat and bring to a boil.  Cook until fork tender about 20 minutes.
Drain and mash with a potato masher.  Add 4 Tbsp. melted butter and the cheese and continue to mash until well incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stacey's Jello Salad
Ingredients:
2 Large vanilla Pudding mix (cook and serve)
6 cups cold water
Cook until thick
2 Large jello (any flavor)
add dry mix to Pudding mix
Refrigerate overnight
Put mixture in mixer, add 1 jumbo cool whip
Beat until smooth.
You can add fruit (whatever flavor you are making) to the mixture.
Enjoy!