Crock Pot Italian Sausage with Potatoes, Onions, and Peppers

I love my Crock Pot. But really, who doesn't? I'm a big fan of it for a lot of different reasons but the stand-out is giving me good food with little effort. And on a busy work day when there is soccer practice after school, nothing sounds better.

Crock Pot Chicken Breasts with Potatoes, Onions and a Rosemary Herb Sauce

Man, I just love my crock pot. I don't love when I go to make something only to discover I have everything but one key ingredient. (We'll just call that a tiny bit of poor planning on my part.) That poor planning did lead to this impromptu chicken though. And since it was really tasty, I'm not too distraught over my initial meal not happening.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore - the Healthier Way!

Here's a little secret: I have never made chicken cacciatore before. My dad used to make the dish quite often when I was younger, but it just wasn't one of those things that I'd go running for. It was good, but just not my thing.

Ever since I started whipping up my crock pot meals though, I've found myself trying new things and reinventing some old classics. One of them happens to be this chicken cacciatore. There were a couple tests and versions before I was finally happy with the results, but the last one turned out so well that my quest for an amazing chicken cacciatore is over. I wouldn't change a thing with this one! I don't think I've ever said that before. Scary.

Crock Pot Zesty BBQ Meatloaf

Oh, meatloaf. The ultimate in family dinner foods...

Well, it didn't used to be around here but I think this one might become a trend. This meatloaf is actually the first 'traditional' meatloaf I've ever made. I used to make these Mini Mexican Meatloaves, but I never did the standard loaf one. I hated it when I was little so the idea just didn't appeal to me. My husband was the same way.

Since I started this whole blog thing though, I've tried to become more open to new (and some old) ideas. I've been doing the crock pot series so I thought I'd make up my own version of the 'classic' to see if it was what I remembered. Well, it wasn't. This one was actually good. So good, in fact, that my husband said I could make it every week for the rest of his life and he'd be happy. Let me tell you, for the seven and a half years we've been married, I've wanted nothing more than to make up a meal/food/dish/whatever that would make this non-foodie man I married say, "Wow." He just doesn't care much about food in general and I made it my goal a long time ago to make something that would spark his interest enough to evoke emotion about the food he was eating. It took awhile, but I finally did it with this meatloaf. Yes, he's 'liked' food I've made (if he didn't, he wouldn't eat it), but I wanted him to love it. And, boy did he love this meatloaf!

Crock Pot Meatless Lasagna

Lasagna in the crock pot? You better believe it!

I was a little leery at first, but as I was assembling everything, my confidence grew. I had no idea how it was going to turn out because this idea was completely foreign to me for a long time, but since I started doing the crock pot series, I've had to try out new ideas. And it's all been for the better!

Crock Pot Brown Sugar Ham

I've been on this crock pot kick lately so I'm pretty much just cooking whatever I can in there these days. The latest was a ham. I love ham. Seriously. It's so good and really easy to make - easy in an oven and even easier in a crock pot!

Crock Pot Semi-Candied Sweet Potatoes

You know those sweet potatoes you have every Thanksgiving? Yeah, those. They're swimming in buttery sugar and are good, but they can sometimes be too sweet and make your teeth hurt. Or maybe that's just me... Anyways, those smothered potatoes are okay, but I'm over it. Maybe my tastes are changing as I grow older, but the idea of eating a vegetable dish that tastes like something I can buy at a candy store just isn't my thing anymore.

Crock Pot Mexican Black Bean Chili

There's just something about chili in the fall. It's not quite winter, but the cold air is definitely on it's way so sometimes you just need that comforting warm up to remind you of the previous months. And when that warm up is in chili form, well, it just makes it that much better. And when it's a healthy chili it's like a double bonus!

Crock Pot Apple Pie Pork Chops

I think this has to be, quite possibly, the easiest meal I've ever made. It was easy as pie! (Sorry, I just couldn't resist. I promise I'll try really hard not to do that again...but no guarantees.)

I got the idea for this when I glanced up at my pantry shelf one day. I made and canned some apple pie filling last year and really needed to use it up because the shelf life is only about a year. I'm always looking for ways to cook non-dried out pork chops and the crock pot seemed like the perfect tool for that. In my opinion, applesauce is a pork chop's best friend so why not go with that idea but throw some pie spices into the mix! The spices infused the pork chops and left them with the subtle hint of cinnamon and nutmeg while the apples were the perfect compliment. I felt like it needed a little something else though so I added the onion to offset some of the sweetness of the pie filling. They brought about a nice subtle flavor.

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken Breasts

I tried out my first non-saucy crock pot meal and I'm happy to say that it turned out pretty darn well. I used to be under the impression that cooking in the crock pot meant you had to smother the meat you were cooking in order for it to cook properly, but let me tell you - that is not the case. I have discovered, however, that you do need to have a little bit of moisture in there if you don't want dried out food. But you only need a tiny bit in order to have yummy meat that doesn't taste like you're eating cardboard.

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

You may not know, but when I write recipes, I tend to write in phases. My phase of the moment is creating crock pot meals that can be made fresh or from the frozen state. Crock pots are wonderful things and I have to admit that I haven't used mine nearly enough. Well, that's all about to change for the purpose of this blog. I currently have about seven or eight recipes written (I haven't tested them all yet) and I just can't wait to try them out and share them with you all!

Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken in Cornbread Cups

The idea for this dish just literally popped into my head one day. I was just sitting there and I thought of pulled chicken and cornbread. And what's better than combining the two into one?