Garlic Chicken Farfelle

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt (I do a spoonful of crushed garlic)
1 Tbsp. pepper*
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled**
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

*Seems like a lot of pepper, but it has a wonderful flavor when everything mixes together. If you’re apprehensive, do less pepper. You can always add more.

**We like to cook our bacon in the oven (400 degrees, convection). Way less messy. And it’s crispy every time. Time varies, so you just have to watch it. I think it’s usually around 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then crumple.

Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh tenders or chicken breast tenders

1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cashews

Directions:
Combine flour and pepper in large Ziploc bag.  Add chicken.  Shake to coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side.  Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in a small bowl; pour over chicken.  Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews and stir.  Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

4 chicken breast
1/2 a bottle of Italian dressing
1 block of cream cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
Crock pot on low for 4-6 hours. Serve over spaghetti.
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Slow cooker Honey Chipotle Pulled Pork

The Rub:
½ tsp powdered ginger
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dry thyme
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika (I prefer smoked)
1-2 tsp chipotle powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tbsp sea salt (optional or to taste)
1-2 Tbsp honey (to taste) *Use only if you are NOT making sauce below
Combine the above dry ingredients. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork. *If you are not making the sauce, drizzle the honey over the pork after applying spices. If you are going to make the sauce, skip the honey at this point. Let sit while you prepare the base.
The Base:
1 medium sized onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
4 medium sized firm apples peeled and chunked
1/2 to 1 tsp ground chipotle powder according to taste
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or coconut aminos
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry thyme)
1 1/2 cups chicken bone broth (stock) or water
1/4 cup honey
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
Place the onions, garlic and apples in an even layer in the slow cooker. Combine chipotle powder, vinegar (or aminos) thyme, honey and sea salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together. Pour over the onion mixture, followed by the stock or water.
Place the rubbed roast in the slow cooker, cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
While the pork is cooking you can make the optional Honey Chipotle Sauce**I think this sauce is amazing, but if you are not into the extra work, you can use the juices from the cooking process to make an equally tasty serving sauce. Please see directions below)
Honey Chipotle Barbeque Sauce** (optional – see note below)
In a small saucepan, cook slowly over medium low heat until well softened and beginning to caramelize:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 medium red onion, chopped
Add:
2 cups plain tomato sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or coconut aminos
1 tsp ground chipotle powder (to taste)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground dry thyme
1 tsp sea salt
Simmer slowly for about 20-30 minutes or until reduced by about 1/4 , stirring often. When cool, puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer, retain the solids and set the strained liquid aside.
Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker and here you have a choice:
If using the above sauce, add the sauce, and mix to combine and serve.
If you’re not using the sauce, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, reduce the liquid until it slightly thickens. Add in some of the cooked onions and apples and puree the sauce with an immersion blender or in a food processor to smooth it out. Mix into the pulled pork and serve.
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Avocado Chicken Casserole

¼ c. butter

¼ c. flour

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. each – garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, marjoram, and thyme

1 1/2  c. milk

1 c. half-and-half cream

8 oz. medium egg noodles, cooked and drained

3 medium ripe avocados, peeled, and sliced

3 c. cubed cooked chicken

2 cps. Shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and seasonings until smooth.  Gradually add milk and cream.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  In a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish, layer half of the noodles , avocados, chicken, white sauce, and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until bubbly.

Also, works good in a crock pot!

Crock Pot Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
1 (25 oz.) jar pasta sauce
10 dry lasagna noodles (traditional)
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves (optional)
8 slices mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Italian-style cheese
¼ cup water

Use a 6 qt. slow cooker.  Brown the ground beef and drain well.  Add the jar of pasta sauce to the meat. Save the jar, you’ll need it later. 

Spoon some of the meat and sauce mixture into the bottom of your slow cooker. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles.  Smear some ricotta cheese on the noodles, and add some spinach.  Put a few slices of mozzarella on top and ½ cup of the shredded cheese.  Continue layers. 

Put the ¼ c. water into pasta jar and pour over assembled ingredients.  Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours, or on high for 3 – 4 hours.  Check about an hour before serving and push down the top noodles into the liquid, if they are getting too brown and crispy.