Salsa Chicken

A lot of you are always looking for and asking about good crock pot recipes and unfortunately, I don't have a lot here in my blog. Granted, I've only been at this for a short time but there may only be a couple (or one) that I know of! I'm working on that, so please bear with me!

I actually don't even use my crock pot that often and I have no valid reason as to why not! They're so convenient and easy to use and it takes a lot of the work of slaving over a stove, oven or grill out of the process!

Salsa Chicken is probably one of the easiest and best recipes you can make with a crock pot! I don't know what it is, but I have this "thing" with shredded meat - chicken, beef or pork - I love it! Kind of weird, huh? I know. What can I say? Nothing...I've got nothing.

This is a great go-to and no-fail recipe and it can be used in a variety of ways. I prefer it shredded and served over rice (as pictured) but you could also use it for tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, taco salad, tostadas, burritos, taquitos.....shall I go on? I can if you like! You can also just take the chicken breasts out whole after they've cooked all day in the sauce and eat them that way; however if you do, I would warn you to not cook it as long because I find that it tends to fall apart on it's own, assisting with the shredding process. It's so super tender and literally just falls apart when you touch it!

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients
5 Lg. Chicken Breasts
1- 10 3/4oz. can Cheddar Cheese Soup
1- 24oz. jar Salsa
Taco Seasoning

Directions
Place the chicken in a large crock pot. Top with cheese soup, salsa and taco seasoning. Stir to combine.

Turn on low and cook for 8 hours. When done, begin shredding the chicken right in the pot until there are no large chunks left. Serve immediately.

Note: I use my own blend of Taco Seasoning; however, you can use whatever blend you like or buy a packet of seasoning from the store. Also, if you prefer to eat the chicken breasts whole as opposed to shredding, do not cook it as long (depending on the settings of your crock pot, I would suggest cooking them for 4-6 hours instead).

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: Adapted from Lemons & Love

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Italian Beef Sandwiches

I may be little but boy do I love food! I especially love meat...there is absolutely NO WAY that I could ever become vegetarian. I have nothing against it; it's just not possible for me, especially given the fact that the cheeseburger is my all-time favorite thing to eat. Ever.

One of my other favorite things....Italian Beef. I drool just thinking about it! I'm a sucker for a good sandwich covered with beef, cheese and peppers....what's not to love?! One of my favorite places to get a good Italian Beef Sandwich is in Chicago: Portillo's. It's nothin' fancy and it's more like a fast-food type of service (I think they even have a drive-through), but I always sit down, inside, to enjoy my wonderful Italian treat! Seriously. It's not fancy, but it's oh, so good! If you're ever in the neighborhood, you have to go there and order the Italian Beef Sandwich with sweet peppers and cheese. You can also get it dipped, which is even better, but much more messy than the original version! For me, it's a must to go there when I head to Chi-town to visit my best friend, Sonya!

While I could probably never come close to re-creating Portillo's delightful sandwich, I can at least dream! And dream I did while stuffing my face with this scrumptious recipe I found from, Ree, The Pioneer Woman! I enjoy reading her recipes and drooling over the pictures on my computer. Some people I know can take her or leave her (like Rachael Ray) and some will tell you that there is more to be desired with her recipes, but I, on the other hand, can tell you that I have never been disappointed with her food. Normally, I like to adapt a recipe to suit my taste but this one...this one I didn't touch one bit and I'll tell you why. Because it was heaven! That's why!

The beef was cooked slowly all day long and it was tender and juicy and succulent. The juice from the peppers gave it a little tang and the melted cheese laid over the beef like a cozy blanket, keeping everything underneath warm and tasty! The Au Jus formed at the bottom of the dish was the perfect little accessory for this pretty little sandwich to be dipped in. It was glorious and I have a feeling it's going to be making appearances in our household on a regular (probably monthly) basis.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients
1 Beef Chuck Roast, 2.5-4 lbs.
1 can Beef Consomme
3 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup Water
1 - 12oz. jar Pepperoncini Peppers
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Lg. Onion, sliced (optional)
Kaiser Rolls
Butter
Mozzarella Cheese, deli-sliced

Directions
In a large crock pot, place the whole chuck roast in and cover with beef consomme, Italian seasoning, water, peppers (including the juice), salt and onion.

Turn on Low and let cook for 5-6 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the rolls in half and spread out on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Place a little butter in a microwave-safe dish and heat on high until melted (how much butter you will need is dependent on how many rolls you use). Using a pastry brush, brush the butter on each roll and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly crisp. Remove when done and turn the broiler on.

Meanwhile, using 2 forks, begin shredding the beef in the crock pot until no large chunks are left. Using tongs, place a large amount of beef on the bottom portion of rolls and cover with a slice of cheese. Place under broiler to melt the cheese slightly (about 2 minutes). Serve immediately with juice from the crock pot as Au Jus to dip sandwich in. - Note: Any type of cheese would work such as Provolone, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss, Muenster, etc. Be careful and watch the sandwich under the broiler as they tend to cook up quickly!  You can also cook this in the oven, instead, at 275 degrees for 5-6 hours.

Yield: 10 Servings
Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

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Roasted Pork Loin

Since I've revamped my blog, I have had a few things in mind that I wanted to incorporate not only into the blog, itself, but also my weekly menu planning.  But, I have to remember to do one thing at a time and not get ahead of myself (which is easy for me to do when my mind is going a million miles a minute)!  One of the new things I have added into my weekly menu planning and posting is Fake-Out Take-Out Friday, where I (on most Fridays) plan my own take on our favorite take-out foods!  Another new feature I have started to incorporate starting this past week is Sunday Suppers at Home, highlighting a home cooked dinner that is reminiscent of my childhood, where we had sit-down dinners together as a family every Sunday!

This week, as I am pulling things out of the freezer to use up, I decided to make a Roasted Pork Loin and let it cook all day long in the crockpot!  Dinners seem to taste the best when you can throw everything into a big pot and let it cook all day long!  This recipe was one of those that, literally, had less than 5 minutes of prep time and just did it's thing in the crockpot while I ran errands and tackled some chores around the house!  When it was time to pull the pork out and we were ready to eat, I barely had to use a knife to cut it - it was so juicy and tender; it literally just melted in our mouths! 

Roasted Pork Loin
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Ingredients
3-4 lb. Pork Loin
2 packets Dry Onion Soup Mix
3 cups Chicken Broth
6 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
6 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
Pepper

Directions
Place the pork loin in a crock-pot, adding in the onion soup mix, chicken broth and soy sauce.  Add in the garlic, leaving as much as possible on top of the pork loin.  Season with pepper and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with cooking liquid on the side as Au jus. 

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

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