Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

I miss my Chinese restaurant here in town and I am not a fan of buffets so I avoid my only other option.  When I picked up cashews on sale I thought of using some for cashew chicken but I needed a recipe.  I found three but I didn't have all the ingredients from each so I worked out my own recipe which turned out great.

3 chicken breasts, cubed
soy sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
green onions, sliced - optional
cashews

Cut up chicken breasts then sprinkle with soy sauce and let marinade while preparing sauce.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.

In frying pan brown chicken breast cubes for about 2 minutes per side.  Place chicken in crock pot and pour sauce over chicken.  Add chopped green onions if desired.  Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.  Serve over rice and sprinkle with cashews.

Crockpot Ham and Beans

We had leftover ham from Christmas and Steve asked for ham and beans so I went searching for an easy recipe.  Just so you know he loved it!

1 lb dried great northern beans (mixed if desired) or 1 lb other dried beans ( mixed if desired)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 large sweet onions, chopped coarsely
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 lb smoked ham or 1 lb ham hocks
6 cups water or 6 cups broth

Sort beans and place in a saucepan with 2-inches of water to cover.  Bring them to a boil, boil for 3 minutes, then cover and remove from heat.  Allow to sit for one hour after boiling (don't lift the lid).  Rinse and drain the beans before placing them in the crock pot.

Put the rinsed beans, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, parsley, cloves, ham (chopped into large chunks) or ham hocks into the crock pot along with 6 cups water or broth.  Cover crock, and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until beans are tender and creamy.  Skim any excess fat, if necessary, before serving.

Ultimate Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

Out of all of the yumminess of the day this has to be our best find at Budget Savvy Diva.  Steve is my butter and sauce man, everything has to have something on it but not these, he ate them plain!  The other fantastic thing is that we made them in the crock pot which made them so easy.  If they are done early just leave your crockpot on warm and do a little relaxing.  You don't have to soak your potatoes but I read that it helps remove some of the starch.

5 Pounds Russet Potatoes - we used red
1 garlic clove minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes chunks
1 1/4 cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup milk, warmed - we left this out, they just didn't need more liquid
2 ounces of light cream cheese

Peel potatoes, optional, and cube trying to get 12 cubes per potato.  This can be done up to 24 hours in advance and soaking them in water.  You can also cut up your potatoes and soak them for 30 minutes and then drain.



Place potatoes in crock pot along with chicken broth and butter.  We used the 8 hour setting but you could also use the high setting and they should be done in 4 1/2 hours.

Roughly mash potatoes – then add garlic, sour cream, salt, pepper, milk, and cream cheese and finish mashing.

Crockpot Chicken Stew

After two weddings in the family within a week I have been neglecting my house and everything else so I thought I would throw something in the crockpot to help with dinner. I didn't measure anything I just cut up what was in the house and threw it in.

Chicken, boneless breast

Celery

Onion

Carrots

Green Beans

Potatoes

Salt

Pepper

Poultry Seasoning

2 cans Chicken Broth

Cornstarch

Put everything except the cornstarch into the crockpot first thing in the morning and cook on low. One half hour before serving mix cornstarch and water together then stir into stew to thicken.

Tuscan Pork Roast

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic (about 4 medium cloves)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sage
1 boneless pork loin roast (3 to 4 lb)
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons water

Spray inside of 3 ½ to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove from skillet; place in slow cooker.

In small bowl, mix garlic, rosemary, salt and sage. Rub all sides of pork roast with garlic mixture. Add roast to skillet; cook 4 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides.

Remove roast from skillet; place in slow cooker. Pour chicken broth over roast.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

In small bowl, mix flour and water until smooth. Remove roast from slow cooker. Strain juices from slow cooker into 4-cup microwavable measuring cup or medium microwavable bowl. Stir flour mixture into juices until smooth. Microwave on High 3 minutes or until thickened; stir. Cut roast into slices; serve with gravy.