Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole - Slow Cooker

Have you heard that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach? It is 100% true, in my case. This past week we haven't eaten out once and I've noticed a certain happiness and contentment coming from my husband. Funny how that works :) I made all the meals in an effort to help keep money in our checking account, rather than restaurant chains, but this side effect is always welcome.

Most of the meals have come from the crock pot with massive amounts of leftovers (that's how we roll... well, survive really). This is one I've posted before. It doesn't have a photo because it's really not pretty. Of course, the picture in the book it came from looks fantastic. I'm sure if I was a photographer and actual chef I'd have a nice picture. I'm not, so I don't, and I'm ok with that.

Anyway, here you go. Hope you enjoy.

Here's a favorite from my "Rival Crock Pot Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes" book, and let me tell you, this one is best loved!!

Slow Cooker Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole (with optional sausage!)
1 lb italian sausage, browned and sliced (optional)
2 T olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1 large green pepper, finely diced
8 oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 t dried oregano
1 t paprika
2 T butter
2 T all-purpose flour
1.5 c milk
8 oz pepper jack, Cheddar or Swiss cheese, shredded (I usually use sharp cheddar)
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 c wild rice mix, cooked according to package instructions (I usually use 2 boxes of rice-a-roni long grain wild rice mix)

1. coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. add onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. cook and stir 5-6 minutes until vegetables soften. add garlic, tomatoes, oregano and paprika. continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to large bowl to cool. (add in sausage, if using)
3. Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat; whisk in flour. Cook and stir until smooth and golden, about 4-5 minutes. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Whisk shredded cheese into boiling milk to produce rich, velvety sauce.
4. combine cooked wild rice with vegetables in large bowl. Fold in cheese sauce to combine gently. Pour into prepared slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 4-6 hours or on HIGH 2-3 hours.

Sausage Dip

This is once again a find from allrecipes.com and it's called Kevin's Sausage Dip. I don't know who Kevin is, but the dip is AWESOME. So good that during my test run of it for a Christmas party my husband asked if I was going to make a whole big crock pot full of this goodness. That seemed like a bit much for 6 adults, but it turns out we could have had a whole crock pot full and there would have been no leftovers. WOW. During the party, one of the other husbands said this needs to be at every holiday, Super Bowl and gathering we have... that's gonna be a lot of dip!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kevins-sausage-dip/detail.aspx

Cream Cheese Chicken with Broccoli - Crock Pot

Oh. My. YUM! But may I begin with these disclaimers:
1. Don't try this if you're trying to lose weight or you're watching your cholesterol.
2. Because this is so rich, make sure it's eaten up -in moderation!- in one night... invite friends over!
3. Michelle Obama probably wouldn't approve, but like I said, moderation!!

Ok. Back to business. This is seriously SO GOOD. It smells good. It's easy. It tastes good. It goes in the crock pot. What more could you want? The recipe is from Rival's Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes

RECIPE:
4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 t olive oil
1 pkg (1 oz) Italian salad dressing mix
2 c sliced mushrooms
1 c chopped onion
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed low-fat cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 bag (10 oz) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 pkg (8 oz) low-fat cream cheese, cubed
1/4 c dry sherry
hot cooked pasta (I used fettuccine)

1. Toss chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian salad dressing mix. Place in 5 quart slow cooker. Cover; cook on low 3 hours.

2. Coat large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add mushrooms and onion; cook 5 min over med heat or until onions are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Add soup, broccoli, cream cheese and sherry to skillet; cook until hot. Transfer to slow cooker. Cover; cook on low 1 hour. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

This was a pot of creamy goodness. I wouldn't do anything different (except not have leftovers because it's not an every day meal). I'd follow exactly what the recipe says. I'm sure you could use chicken broth instead of dry sherry, but the sherry adds some zip to the recipe. Seriously. I think it's worth the splurge.

Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala

If you know me, you know I love my slow cooker (a.k.a. crock pot). I actually have 3 of them. In fact, I've nicknamed this winter "the winter of the crock pot" because they've been working overtime. I'm always looking for new things to make in the slow cooker, so you'll probably see many slow cooker recipes in this blog! (Check out the tried and true page for some of my staple recipes - slow cooker and otherwise.)

This recipe comes from Pillsbury.com. It says the prep time is 10 minutes... I guess it may take that long  if you can't find the can opener or something like that. It's more like 2.5 - 5 minutes of prep - does it get better than that???

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-marsala/d00785b5-3bcb-4a19-a752-d175d763441f/ or search pillsbury.com for Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala

Notes: I did exactly what the recipe said (except for the use of parsley) and used Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine not chicken broth. It was served over rice.

A confession: I've had this recipe before, but I didn't make it. My mother-in-law did. So is this a new recipe for this week? I guess that's up to you. But do note, I made another new recipe this week, so my resolution is not broken. :)

The verdict? 3 words: OH YEAH, BABE! I'll be making this again (you need to make it twice to use up all the cooking wine anyway :) ). It smells good. It tastes good. It presents well. The mushrooms soak up all that marsala wine goodness. YUM.

NEXT TIME: I might use more mushrooms. I love mushrooms. And when the mushrooms taste like they've been marinated in wine, well, then I just don't think you can have too many mushrooms! I'd also purchase some fresh parsley and invite people over for dinner... it's that good!

If you end up making this (or any of the recipes on my blog) please comment and let me know how it went for you!