Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

I'm not entirely sure how to introduce this recipe.  I've never had Swedish meatballs nor have I had someone tell me how good they are.  I can't even remember where I first saw the recipe for them, but I do know when I saw this recipe and the good reviews, I had to try it.  I love dishes that I can throw in the Crockpot with little effort and come home to a delicious meal. 

The case:
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients

• 1 (38 ounce) packages frozen meatballs
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup ( you can mix and match the soups, like cream of celery, cream of chicken, golden mushroom soup, etc) 
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a crock pot.
2. Cook on low for at least 5 hours

The ruling:
This was good, not great.  It couldn't have been simpler and for that, I am thankful, but I'm not sure if I'll ever make it again.

Crockpot Potato Soup

My new obsession, Pinterest, is supplying a lot of my new recipes these days. This potato soup is no exception.  I'm a little apprehensive about using frozen hashbrowns in a soup, but never know till you try.  This could be an economical meal for a family. 

The case:

Ingredients:

1 30oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash brown

3 14oz. cans of chicken broth

1 can of cream of mushroom

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1 pkg. cream cheese (I used low fat)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (freshly shredded please)

Directions:

In a crockpot, dump everything except the cream cheese and cheddar cheese.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat.  About 1 hour before serving, add cream cheese and cheddar.  Cook about 30 more minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve with extra sprinkling of cheddar and sour cream if desired.

The ruling:
So the truth is, I've already made this a couple of times, which already shows you how much I like it.  I've included my additions/modifications in the recipe above.  It's perfect for warming you up on a chilly day!  Modifications can be easily made to this base to suit your own taste buds.  I think I'm going to try it with some Rotel and pepperjack cheese next time.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff #11

Since we'll have a new addition to out family in April, I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have to cook, so I'm going to go ahead and work on my slow cooker recipes this month as well.

There are many versions of this recipe at AllRecipes.com.  They have many different titles and there are several ways to make it, but each one has lots of great reviews!  The ingredients sound a bit strange to me, but I have to trust thousands of people.

The case:

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1/8 cup margarine
• 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions

1. Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
2. Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm.
3. Serve over your favorite rice or noodles.

The ruling:
I only used 3 chicken breasts and used butter instead of margarine, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly.  I thought the chicken to sauce ratio was perfect!  I served it over egg noodles, but any kind of pasta or rice would do.  This is so easy to make low fat- just use fat free or low fat ingredients.  I know some reviews said they throw everything in their Crock Pot in the morning, but if you do that you're going to lose the great flavor and consistency of the chicken.  Cubing the chicken and putting so little liquid in the Crock Pot not only makes it flavorful, but browns it just a bit like it was cooked on the stove or grilled.  30 minutes was the perfect amount of time for the cream of chicken and the cream cheese to become a perfect consistency.  I will be making this again and again!