Cranberry Roast

-Heather Jordan

2-3 pounds beef or pork roast or stew chunks
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes, or 1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 (16-ounce) whole berry cranberry sauce

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Plop in the meat (frozen is fine), and add the onion and soy sauce. Pour in the entire can of cranberry sauce over the top. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 5-6. If you are cooking on high, you may need to "help" the meat break apart by taking it out an hour or so before serving by cutting it into chunks, then returning to the sauce. I like it when the meat is tender and the juice has fully soaked in.

Serve over mashed potatoes, and with a green salad.

Sweet Mustard Roast (beef or pork)

-Heather Jordan

3 pounds beef or pork roast (mine was still frozen when I put it in)
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons white vinegar (apple cider vinegar would work well, too)


Use a 4 quart slow cooker. If you have a larger model, that's fine, but you won't need to cook it as long---I'd check after 5 hours on low.

Dump meat into cooker. Top with molasses, dijon, and vinegar. Toss in the garlic powder. Using tongs, flip the meat over a few times to coat it nicely with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for about 4.
The meat will be more tender if you cook it on low for a longish time.

Great Gowiths: mashed potatoes and green beans

Chicken Enchilada Chili

-Heather Jordan


1 1/2 pounds chicken (boneless & skinless)
1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce
2 chopped celery stalks
2 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes with seasoning
2 (15 oz) cans pinto or kidney beans, undrained (or 1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight)
1 onion, diced (or 1 tablespoon dried, minced onion flakes)
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin


Pour enchilada sauce and canned tomatoes into the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Add beans, celery, onion and spices. Stir to combine. Place chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until flavors have combined. If you are using dried beans, you may need to cook longer to fully soften the beans. Since I was using the chicken quarters I got on sale, I fished out the chicken after about 4 hours, and removed the bones. I then stirred the chicken back into the pot.

Spiced Braised Beef & Sweet Potatoes

-Heather Jordan

1 1/2 lbs beef chuck, cut into chunks
2 sweet potatoes (abt 1 lb), cut into 1/2 moons
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 lg red onion, cut into wedges
1/2 C dried apricots
2 t cumin
1/2 t cinnamon
2 t ginger
1/2 t cayenne
1 10 oz box couscous
1 15 oz can chick peas, rinse
2 C fresh baby spinach
1/2 C roasted almonds

In a 4-6 quart slow cooker combine; beef, potatoes, tomatoes (and their juices), onion, apricots, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, 3/4 t salt and 1/2 C water. Cook covered until the meat is tender on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Ten minutes before serving prepare couscous. Add chick peas to cooker and cook until heated 2-3 minutes. Stir in spinach. Serve with couscous and sprinkle with almonds.

Mango Pork

-Heather Jordan

4 lb boneless pork roast
2 C mango salsa
2 C brown sugar

Place pork in greased slow cooker. (I never grease mine) Mix salsa and sugar and pour over pork. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Shred before serving. Can serve over rice or on a bun/roll.
(I use the juice from the crock pot to ladle over the meat and rice. Extra fresh mango salsa is also nice to serve it with.)

Summer Harvest Soup

-Heather Jordan

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup prepared pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 zucchini, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 yellow summer squash, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup dry white Cannellini beans (this doesn't sound like a lot, but they swell!)
1/2 cup pasta (to add 20 minutes before serving)
salt and pepper to taste
garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses

The Directions.

I used a 6-quart slow cooker. Wash squashes well, and slice in rounds. Place into slow cooker, with diced onion and tomato wedges. Rinse your beans in hot water, and add to cooker. Add broth, pasta sauce, and water. Stir in Italian seasoning.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans have reached desired tenderness. 20 minutes before serving, stir in raw pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.

Brown Sugar Chicken

-Heather Jordan

-6 boneless, skinless breast halves
-1 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
-2/3 cup vinegar
-3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
-2 T soy sauce
-1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Use a 5-6 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.