New and Improved Ranch Chicken

I've modified this recipe, and it's so much better now!

I combine the chicken in the crock pot with a can of cream of chicken soup and an envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix. I add a small amount of butter - maybe 2 tablespoons. We still serve it over rice.

Yum! Much better! :)

Pot Roast & Veggies

I put this in the crock pot this morning before heading out the door to work!

I cut up carrots, onion, and red potatoes this time, but you can do it with any combination of veggies. I put the veggies in the bottom of the crock pot and added 1.5 cups of beef broth. I sprinkled some garlic and wine seasoning over the veggies (I got the seasoning at The Melting Pot in our NYE gift bag). I put the chuck roast on top and sprinkled more seasoning, along with salt & pepper.

It cooks on low for about 8 hours. I have to get someone to run by the house and turn it down to the "keep warm" setting around 2-ish to avoid it getting overcooked. (Thank you, Dad, for doing this for us today!!)

It's so great to come home to a great smelling house and delicious meal, already cooked and ready to eat! :) This is also a relatively cheap meal for a whole family. You can buy chuck roast at a really great price at Sam's (package of 2 for only $11 - cook one now and freeze one for later). We had enough food to feed all 3 of us, plus Grandma & Pa Pa, and there are leftovers for sandwiches tomorrow. :)

Ranch Chicken

This is probably the easiest thing in the world to make. It comes in a close 2nd to the chicken spaghetti in Jamie's book. The prep time is literally 5 minutes or less.

I use boneless, skinless chicken tenders, but you can really use any part of the chicken. Put the chicken in the crock pot. Then add one stick of butter (I cut it up into smaller pieces and spread evenly over the chicken). Combine one envelope of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix with one cup of milk. I mix that with a wire whisk. Then pour over the chicken. That's it! I let it cook on low for around 4 hours. Cooking time will vary depending on your crock pot, though, so keep an eye on it until you figure out how it's going to cook. Also, if you use larger chicken pieces, such as whole breasts, it will need to cook a bit longer.

I serve it over rice, but it would also be good alone with veggies or over noodles. I love it with rice, because the melted butter, milk, and juices from the chicken make a really yummy broth. We cut up the chicken into small pieces (it practically falls apart) and mix with the rice and broth for a yummy chicken & rice type dish.

We had it for dinner tonight, and I think it was one of the better batches I've made so far. And now we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. :)

Elise doesn't appreciate the greatness of ranch chicken yet, so she had mac & cheese and yogurt. Go figure!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Here is what we had last night. It was really good!! This is also from Mommy's Online.

1 package of chicken tenders
1 jar salsa (I used Central Market organic salsa in mild)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (condensed)
1 package taco seasoning

The recipe also calls for a jar of black beans, but we are not a big fan so I left it out.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours, then bump up to high for the last hour (3 hours total). Alternatively, you could probably cook it on low for 4-6 hours (depending on how quickly your crock pot cooks). I never have the time, though!

I served this with Mexican rice, which my co-worker taught me how to make. We also warmed up some refried beans (but those were just canned). I had sour cream (for Jamie) and shredded cheddar cheese on the side.

I recommend having tortialls or tortilla chips on hand also. We really wished we had tortillas last night so we could make burritos. I went out and bought some and Jamie had the leftovers for lunch today. I think he liked it better in the tortilla, but he said he liked it without as well.

I've also heard that the chicken is good when drained, shredded, and served over chips to make chicken nachos.

Elise would not touch this, so she had PB&J. What a surprise!