If You Give a Kid a Crockpot: Crockpot Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken in the crockpot is the perfect "set it and forget it meal." It's sweet and savory and makes the perfect busy weeknight meal when served with rice and a side of steamed broccoli or on Hawaiian buns as sliders.

Crockpot Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 Tbsp salt

1/2 Tbsp pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained with juice reserved for sauce

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp cold water

Garnishes (optional)

sesame seeds

green onions, chopped

1. In a small bowl, whisk together, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), and 3 Tbsp of reserved pineapple juice. 
2. Place chicken in crockpot and evenly pour the sauce over top.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2.5-3 hours, until chicken is tender and easily shredded.
4. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp cold water to make a slurry. 
5. Stir cornstarch slurry into sauce along with drained pineapple chunks.
6. Turn the crockpot to high and cook 15-30 minutes until sauce is thickened.
7. Shred the chicken and stir back into sauce. Serve over rice or on slider buns.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Recipe Substitutions):

• Substitute boneless chicken thighs for the boneless chicken breasts.
• Substitute apple cider vinegar for rice vinegar.
• Substitute olive oil for the sesame oil. 
• Substitute garlic powder or jarred minced garlic for fresh minced garlic.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Reading and following a recipe
• Setting a timer
• Shredding chicken
• Using a crockpot

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

Make sure to visit the main post to see all of the recipes in the series.

If You Give a Kid a Crockpot: Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

This dump and go crockpot BBQ chicken recipe will provide an easy weeknight meal when paired with steamed veggies and a packet of quick cook rice. Or shred this chicken and serve it pulled-pork-style on buns alongside coleslaw and corn on the cob. With just 5 minutes prep time, what's simpler than that? 

 

 

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

1 18-20 oz. bottle barbecue sauce of choice

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 can Dr. Pepper

4-6 boneless chicken breasts, thawed

 

1. In a small bowl, mix together the first 6 ingredients to make the sauce.
2. Place the chicken into the crockpot. Pour sauce mixture over chicken.
3. Cook on low heat for 4-5 hours.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Ingredient Substitutions):

• Substitute 1 can of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or root beer for the Dr. Pepper in this recipe

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Measuring ingredients
• Reading a recipe
• Setting a timer
• Using a crockpot

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

Make sure to visit the main post to see all of the recipes in the series.

If You Give a Kid a Crockpot: 15 Bean Soup

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

There’s nothing more cozy than a bowl of hearty soup, and this 15 Bean Soup fits the bill. Easy to make in your crock pot, this simple dump and go recipe makes the perfect meal for a chilly day. Make sure to save this recipe for later - it's sure to hit the spot!

Crockpot 15 Bean Soup

20 oz. bag 15 bean blend, sorted and rinsed, seasoning packet discarded

1 medium onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, sliced into rounds (approx. 2 cups)

4 stalks celery, chopped (approx. 1 cup)

1 tsp cracked pepper coarsely ground

2 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup soy sauce

6 cups vegetable broth

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

meat of choice (optional)

1. Wash the sorted dry beans. Place them into a pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Let them soak 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine beans, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves, soy sauce, vegetable broth, and diced tomatoes in slow cooker. 
3. Mix well and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
4. Remove bay leaves from soup and discard. 
5. Serve soup with a side of bread or cornbread.

How to Quick Soak Beans

If you don’t have time to soak the beans in advance, you can rinse them, place them in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil the beans uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and then let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hour. Drain the beans in a colander, rinse them under cold water, and proceed with steps 2-4 of the recipe.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Ingredient Substitutions):

As written, the 15 Bean Soup recipe is gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan, but this recipe is easy to change to suit your needs. If you don't want to make this as a vegetarian soup, you can add these types of meat to this recipe with the ingredients in step 2:

• 1 pound cooked and drained ground beef or turkey
• 1 pound cooked and drained sausage or kielbasa
• 2 cups cooked and diced ham 
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken or turkey

Since you only need a small amount of meat to add to the soup, this recipe is a good way to use up  leftover turkey or ham around holidays like Easter or Thanksgiving. If you're adding extra meat to the soup, you may want to add an extra 2 cups of broth.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Browning ground meat (optional)
• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Reading and following a recipe
• Setting a timer
• Soaking beans
• Using a crockpot
• Washing and sorting dry beans

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

Make sure to visit the main post to see all of the recipes in the series.

If You Give a Kid a Crockpot: Pizza Fondue

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

This crockpot Pizza Fondue recipe will provide an easy weeknight meal when paired fresh chopped veggies, pepperoni, and cubed Italian bread dippers. And, really, what's not to like? It's a pizza in a crockpot (or fondue pot if you have one)!

Pizza Fondue

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

24 oz. jar of marinara sauce

1 tsp dried basil

3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp cornstarch

For serving:

Cubed Italian or French bread 

Fresh veggies (broccoli, carrots, sliced mushrooms)

Pepperoni

1. Add olive oil, garlic, marinara sauce, and basil to a crockpot.
2. Add mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cornstarch to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, seal, and shake. Add cheese mixture to the marinara sauce in several batches and stir to incorporate.
3. Set heat on high, and cover for 30 minutes. Turn down to low and cook for another 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Set heat to warm when ready to serve.
4. While the fondue is cooking, cut fresh bread and vegetables for serving. 

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Recipe Substitutions):

• Substitute garlic powder or jarred minced garlic for fresh minced garlic.
• If you do not have a fondue set, use regular forks instead of fondue forks for dippers. 
• If you have a fondue pot, make steps 1 and 2 in a pot on the stove. Once cheese has completely melted, transfer to a fondue pot to keep warm and serve.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Reading and following a recipe
• Setting a timer
• Using a crockpot

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

Make sure to visit the main post to see all of the recipes in the series.

Crockpot BBQ Sriracha Meatballs

If you have a potluck or a party coming up, and you're in need of an easy appetizer recipe, look no further than this crockpot BBQ meatball recipe. With just four ingredients (many of which you may already have in your pantry), this recipe will come together in no time at all.

These marinated meatballs have just a bit of a kick from Sriracha sauce but the secret ingredient is grape jelly!

Crockpot BBQ Sriracha Meatballs

28 oz. fully cooked frozen meatballs

18 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce 

½ cup grape jelly

1 Tbsp. Sriracha

Chopped green onions or chives for garnish (optional)

1. Add frozen meatballs to a slow cooker.
2. Pour remaining ingredients on top of meatballs and stir until evenly coated.
3. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3-4 hours, or until meatballs are heated through.
4. Turn the slow cooker to warm until ready to serve.
5. When ready to serve, garnish with chopped green onions or chives if desired.

Other Favorite Appetizer Recipes to Try

Round out your party table with these tried and true Harris Sisters' recipes:

• Pineapple Marmalade Brie
• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe is a classic appetizer that you'll only need 5 ingredients to make. So easy! The combination of hot sauce, chicken, cheese, and ranch flavors mix together in a dip that's served hot and makes the perfect party food for a crowd.

You can make this simple recipe in your oven or in the crock pot (we've included instructions for both ways). It's the best game day appetizer!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2, 12.5 oz. cans shredded cooked chicken, drained

1, 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into 1-quart baking dish.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through. Serve warm.

Notes:

If you would like to make this recipe in the crock pot instead, mix together all ingredients and cook on low in the crock pot for 2 hours, stirring a few times while cooking. (Unless doubling the recipe, this would work best with a 1.5 quart crock pot.)

If you are not a fan of blue cheese, you can substitute shredded cheddar cheese or shredded colby jack cheese instead. 

You can sprinkle the finished dip with green onions, if desired. 

What to Serve Buffalo Chicken Dip With:

• Tortilla chips
• Fritos Scoops
• Potato chips
• Pita chips
• Pretzels
• Crackers
• Toasted baguette slices
• Breadsticks
• Celery sticks
• Carrot sticks
• Bell pepper strips

Other Favorite Appetizer Recipes:

• Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Pineapple Marmalade Brie
• Queso Dip
• Sweet Corn Salsa
• Mexican Street Corn Dip

Crockpot Marinara Sauce

I haven't shared a recipe with you guys in a while, and this one is perfect for summertime. Why? Well, it's an awesome way to use up a bounty of fresh garden tomatoes and basil, for one. But, even better than that, is that you can put all the ingredients into your crockpot first thing in the morning,  head out for your Summer adventures for the day, check back in on it again once in the afternoon, and your dinner is basically done!

So fresh from the garden marinara sauce with little to no effort? Yes, please!

Crockpot Marinara Sauce

5-6 pounds tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

6-10 cloves garlic crushed

1 medium onion roughly chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

6 leaves fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teapoon pepper

sugar to taste

1. Add olive oil to crock pot and fill with tomatoes. Roughly chop onion and add on top of tomatoes. Add garlic and spices on top. 
2. Cover and cook in crockpot on low for 4 hours.
3. After the sauce has simmered and tomatoes are soft, process the tomatoes through a food mill over the crockpot to remove seeds and skins.
4. Taste test the sauce and add sugar to cut the acidity if needed (usually between 1-3 teaspoons).
5. Continue cooking in crockpot on low for an additional 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally. Make sure to vent the top so that excess moisture can evaporate and the sauce can cook down and thicken.
6. Serve when desired thickness is achieved.

Notes:

I use a 6 quart crockpot and just fill it to the top with tomatoes. It usually takes about 20-25 medium sized tomatoes.

Roma tomatoes are an excellent choice for making sauce because they don't have as much water content, however any tomatoes that you have available (especially if they are homegrown or fresh from your local farmers market) will work great! You just might have to cook them a little longer to get the sauce to thicken.

If you want to forego using the food mill and peel and de-seed the tomatoes on the front end, you can. But, cooking the tomatoes with the skins and the seeds helps to thicken the sauce with the natural pectin in the tomatoes. You can use an immersion blender instead of a food mill to smooth out your sauce if you've already removed peels and seeds before cooking.

If you are pressed for time and can't cook the sauce for a full 8 hours, you can opt to add a small can of tomato paste to the recipe.

Some Recipes You Might Want to Try This Sauce With

This marinara sauce would be fantastic with any Italian recipe that you make. Here's a list of some of our recipes that you might want to try with this sauce:

• Spinach Stuffed Shells
• Baked Ziti
• Pizza Fondue
• Veggie Lasagna

This post contains affiliate links.

Crockpot Spiced Apple Cider

This recipe was perfect to take the chill off our bones this weekend. The temperatures dropped drastically with all of the rain that came in, and I thought what better way to warm up AND celebrate fall than to "brew" up a batch of spiced apple cider.

Because you make this in your crockpot, it couldn't be easier.

Crockpot Spiced Apple Cider

64 oz Apple Cider

1 sliced apple

1 sliced orange

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp whole cloves

1 tsp whole allspice

3 cinnamon sticks

Small square of cheesecloth*

1. Add apple cider, apple, orange, and brown sugar to crockpot.
2. Place the whole cloves, allspice and cinnamon sticks into the square of cheesecloth and tie closed. Add to crockpot.
3. Simmer for 2-3 hours on low heat.
4. Discard cheesecloth and use a ladle to serve.

Notes:

If you do not have a square of cheesecloth on hand (I did not), try substituting a good old-fashioned coffee filter. Of course, these are also getting harder to come by with most people using Keurigs nowadays, but I happened to still have a stash of these and it worked great for this recipe.

Since this recipe makes an entire crockpot (cauldron) of cider, it's perfect to serve up at your next Halloween party. Just switch out your serving glasses to Halloween mugs, call it Witch's Brew, and you're all set!

And wouldn't you know we're always brewing up good things on the blog? Make sure to check out our Witch's Brew: Crockpot Potpourri recipe to cast a delicious smell over your whole house throughout the fall season!

Crockpot Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Now that Fall is right around the corner, we're breaking out the crockpot for some down home recipes that you can simmer all day for a tasty dinner (with not much effort).

This one turned out pretty tasty and even had my meat-eating husband going back for seconds. We're definitely adding this one into the rotation. With such a small amount of prep time, there was a definitely a big payoff with these sloppy joes.

Crockpot Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

1 1/3 cups dried black eyed peas

1 cup minced carrots

2/3 cup quinoa

2 Tbsp minced bell pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1//2 tsp liquid smoke

6 cups water

1 cup minced greens of choice

6 oz can tomato paste

1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce

salt and pepper to taste
buns for serving

1. Wash the dry beans. Place them into a pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Let them soak 8 hours or overnight.
2. Drain water and place the drained beans in a crockpot. Add minced carrots, quinoa, minced bell pepper, garlic, Cajun seasoning, liquid smoke, and water. Cover and cook on low setting for 7 to 9 hours.
3. About 1 hour before you wish to serve, add minced greens, tomato paste, and barbecue sauce. Cover and cook on low for an additional hour.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving on buns.

Notes:

For those of you unfamiliar with cooking with dried beans, please do not dump the opened pack directly into the pot! Sort through the beans a handful at a time and remove any discolored or misshapen beans (or anything that looks suspiciously like rocks). Place them in a colander and rinse them before placing in a pot and cooking.

Keep in mind that if you've had a bag of beans sitting in your pantry for a while (or even if you just bought them but they've been sitting on the grocery shelf for a while), they might take even longer to cook. So it's always best to leave yourself a little wiggle room with the timing of a dry bean recipe. Always make sure to give it a taste before serving! ;-)

If you're looking for a tried and true traditional Sloppy Joe recipe, give this one a try. It's a staple in Harris Sister Deanna's home for Halloween night.

Crockpot Vegan Chili

Spring is ALMOST here but we've still run into a few rough patches of cold and rainy days. And that has given me the opportunity to fire up the crockpot to make chili one more time until it gets cool again in the Fall.

And now that I'm thinking about it, even if it were to turn to full-Spring tomorrow (here's hoping), this is the perfect recipe to Pin now and revisit at the end of Summer when you've got all those garden fresh veggies piling up on you! It will certainly carry you straight into Fall and use up those veggies with ease.

This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Crockpot Vegan Chili

1 medium onion, minced

1 green bell pepper, minced

2 zucchini, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 15 oz cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz can Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz can corn, drained

1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles

1 28 oz can pureed tomatoes

3 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cumin

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Add all ingredients to crockpot.
2. Stir to incorporate.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours or overnight.

Notes:

Use a food processor to mince the fresh vegetables. They will cook down and provide a similar texture as regular chili.

Add more cayenne pepper if you prefer a spicier chili.

We chose to serve our vegan chili over pasta and topped with sour cream and shredded cheese (because we're not vegans and we like sour cream and shredded cheese.) However, the recipe as written without these additions is a vegan recipe, and you could easily swap those out for vegan cheese and sour cream if you're serving to vegan guests.

If you prefer a traditional chili, check out our Kicking Butt and Taking Names Chili recipe.

If you'd like to serve this up with some cornbread, check out these recipes:

Sweet Honey Cornbread

Cornbread Waffles

Cheesy Cowboy Cornbread

Enjoy!

Crockpot Mexican Enchilada Orzo

This was a really tasty recipe and super easy to make. Love sitting down to dinner at the end of the day when the crock pot has done all of the work!

And, a bonus with this recipe is that the leftovers make a really tasty burrito filling. Just pile it into a tortilla with all the fixin's and it was equally as delicious served that way!

Crockpot Mexican Enchilada Orzo

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can corn, drained

1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles

12 oz enchilada sauce

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried cilantro

½ tsp cumin

4 oz cream cheese, cubed

salt and pepper, to taste

16 oz dried orzo pasta, uncooked

1. Place black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, green chiles, enchilada sauce, vegetable broth, and spices into a crockpot. 
2. Stir until well combined. Top with cubed cream cheese.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
4. Stir to combine cream cheese. Add orzo and stir to incorporate. 
5. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 15-30 minutes. Add more vegetable broth as needed until the desired consistency is reached.

Hankering for other tried and true Mexican recipes? Give these Harris Sisters favorites a try:

• Mexican Street Corn Dip
• Best Ever Margaritas
• Black Bean and Salsa Soup
• Healthier Queso Dip
• Black Bean Enchiladas
• Super Simple Salsa
• Black Bean Salsa

Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup

THIS soup is a winner. Make sure you give it a try on a cold and blustery day like today. It doesn't disappoint. It's tasty and it takes almost no time to put together. Plus, it's a favorite for kids. (Cheese? Yes! Broccoli? Yes!) What's not to like?

Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup

4 Tbsp butter

5 Tbsp flour

3 cups half and half

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 onion, diced

3-4 cups chopped broccoli florets 

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Italian seasoning

2 oz cream cheese

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

extra shredded cheese for topping

1. In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. 
2. When melted, stir in the flour until mixture begins to clump. 
3. Whisk in the half and half in very gradually until it all has been added and a thick white sauce forms.
4. Add onions, broccoli, garlic, Italian seasoning, and cream cheese to your crockpot. Add the white sauce and the vegetable broth. Stir to combine. 
5. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 4-6 hours.
6. Add the sharp cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts into the soup. 
7. Serve warm topped with additional shredded cheese if desired.

This post contains affiliate links.

Crockpot Potato Leek Soup

Looking for a new crockpot recipe to try? Well, temperatures are dropping rapidly in these parts, so soup is on heavy rotation on the menu. This recipe was quick and easy to make and was quite tasty. Give it a try; it does not disappoint!

Crockpot Potato Leek Soup

3-4 leeks, sliced  - white and very light green part only (about 4 cups)

4 medium-sized baking potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cups vegetable broth

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

2/3 cup half-and-half

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

sour cream and sliced green onions for serving

1. Put the leeks and potatoes in the crockpot. 
2. Add vegetable broth (should cover the leeks and potatoes). 
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. One hour before soup is finished cooking, puree with an immersion blender. 
5. Add chopped spinach and continue cooking.
6. Before serving, add half and half and salt and mix thoroughly.
7. Serve with sour cream and sliced green onions.

FAQ:

"But I don't know what the heck a leek is! I've never cooked with one before!" It's very similar to a large green onion. It just gives a little oomph to the soup. Don't be intimidated. :-)

"But I don't like spinach!" Then, leave it out altogether, let the soup cook for a full 6 hours straight then after pureeing the soup, just skip directly from step 4 to step 6.

"Where's the bacon? I usually put that in my potato soup." I don't generally include directions for adding bacon in my vegetarian recipes, but you do whatever floats your boat. ;-)

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

We've recently had a few sickies in our midst. (Note: sickies are sick people and are QUITE different from sickos). Anyhoot, to make sure that they were up and at 'em as quickly as they could be, I broke down and made RBW's tried and true chicken noodle soup for them. (You see, RBW was one of the sick ones. Otherwise, I would have had him make it.)

Armed with some very large tongs in hand, I managed to wrangle the chicken into the crockpot just fine. The soup got rave reviews, and everyone is better now. I'd like to think the soup made a difference . . . 

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

2 1/2 to 3 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast

4 cups water

4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp seasoned salt

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 Tbsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp basil

1 bay leaf

8 oz egg noodles

1. Place all ingredients except noodles in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 3.5 hours.
2. Remove chicken and bay leaf from pot. Dice chicken and return to pot.
3. During the last few minutes of cooking, cook noodles according to package directions until al dente (about 7 minutes) and add to soup.

Notes:

I did not have 2 stalks of celery on hand, so rather than using only carrots as the other main vegetable, I used a half bag of frozen mixed vegetables with the chopped onion.

Crockpot Wassail

As the weather dips ever so briefly into cooler temperatures, this Christmassy beverage seems to be one that's a keeper. 

Crockpot Wassail

2 qt apple cider

2 c orange juice

1/2 c lemon juice

12 whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

pinch ginger

pinch nutmeg

1. Combine ingredients in crockpot. 
2. Simmer for 4 hours on high heat or 8 hours on low heat.

In addition to the spiced cider drink, you may also be familiar with the English traditional Christmas carol "Here We Come a Wassailing" - Love and joy come to you . . . .

Enjoy!

Crockpot Apple Butter

If you enjoyed our Crockpot Baked Apples, then you'll definitely love this recipe too. This just might be one of the simplest things I've ever made, and you know me and simple recipes!

Crockpot Apple Butter

12 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed

1/4 cup apple juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1. Add ingredients to crockpot. Stir to incorporate.
2. Cook on high for 10 hours, stirring occasionally and removing the lid for the last three hours of cooking. (Cook for additional time on low if apples are still watery.)
3. Blend with an immersion blender.
4. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Freeze the rest to enjoy later.

Notes:

Water can be substituted for apple juice. Makes about 3, 1/2 pint jars of Apple Butter.

And you might be wondering "now that I have this schmancy apple butter (that I made with this super-easy recipe), what in the world can I eat with it?" Here are some ideas:

You Can Eat Apple Butter:

• on toast
• as a dip with graham crackers
• mixed into oatmeal
• as a topping for waffles, pancakes, or French toast
• as a filling for layer cakes
• as the topping for your favorite brie recipe
• as a topping for baked sweet potatoes
• as a topping for vanilla ice cream
• mixed into your favorite BBQ sauce
• with oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper - to create a vinaigrette
• mixed with cottage cheese or vanilla yogurt
• as a topping for leftover ham or turkey sandwiches

If you're in the mood for other Fall Favorite Recipes, give these tried and true Harris Sisters recipes a try:

• Crockpot Baked Apples
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread
• Sweet Potato Pecan Bread
• Roasted Pumpkin Puree

This post contains affiliate links.

Crockpot Beans and Rice

This recipe is comfort food at its best. And feel free to adjust the heat in the recipe to suit your own tastes. (I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to spicy foods!)

Crockpot Beans and Rice

1 bell pepper, minced

1 onion, minced

3, 15.5 oz cans beans, rinsed and drained

1, 4.5 oz can diced green chiles

1 cup rice

1, 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp butter, cubed

1 Tbsp cumin

9 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

2 tsp hot sauce

2 cups water

1. Spray crockpot with cooking spray.
2. Combine rice and butter in the crockpot.
3. Put remaining ingredients into the crockpot. Stir well.
4. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours.
5. During last 30 minutes of cooking, you can use an immersion blender to blend some of the remaining sauce into the rice and beans. This will thicken the sauce. Or, you can cook for this amount of time with the lid off the crockpot. This will evaporate some of the liquid.

Notes

I used kidney beans blended with an immersion blender for this first photo shown and a mixture of black beans and kidney beans cooked with the lid off for the last 30 minutes for the second picture shown.


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Crockpot Baked Apples

In honor of Johnny Appleseed's birthday today and the recent changing of the seasons, I thought I'd share with you this simple recipe that screams Fall.

Crockpot Baked Apple Slices

5 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup apple juice

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp butter, cubed

1. Peel, core, and slice the apples.
2. Add apples, sugars, apple juice, cornstarch, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla to crockpot, stirring to incorporate.
3. Place butter on top of apples
4. Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Stir mixture halfway through cooking.

Notes:

I used Fuji apples, but choose your favorite baking apple.

You can substitute water for the apple juice in the recipe.

These apples are delicious as a side dish (on their own), but you can also try them mixed into oatmeal, over pancakes or waffles, as filling for crepes, served over vanilla ice cream as dessert, or in these Harris Sisters recipes:

• Glazed Apple Coffee Cake  
• Apple Pie French Toast Casserole

The possibilities are endless!

If you're in the mood for other Fall Favorite Recipes, give these tried and true Harris Sisters recipes a try:

• Crockpot Apple Butter
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread
• Sweet Potato Pecan Bread
• Roasted Pumpkin Puree

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Witch's Brew: Crockpot Potpourri

This simple recipe is sure to cast a delicious smell over your whole house.  Best enjoyed throughout the fall season, or even better- on a dark and stormy night. 

Witches Brew

1 apple

1 orange

1 lemon

2 T whole allspice

2 T whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

Slice fruit into rings. Don't worry about peels, seed, cores, etc. Place all ingredients into a crockpot. Fill with water. Simmer on low. Refill with water as needed, being careful to not let the water get too low. This potpourri recipe could also be done on the stovetop, if you don't have a crockpot handy.  But again make sure to keep the heat on low, and keep a check on your water levels. 

Enjoy!

Crockpot Black Beans

Not to be confused with our Crockpot Black Bean Soup, THIS recipe is a super-simple way to cook dry black beans. And they are seasoned to perfection if I do say so myself (and I do say so).

Crockpot Black Beans

1 16 oz. bag dry black beans

3 cups water

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

 

1. Wash the dry beans. Place them into a pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Let them soak 8 hours or overnight.
2. Drain water and place the drained beans in a crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Notes: Serve topped with salsa, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, or truthfully ALL BY THEMSELVES (they are that good).