Cleaning up the Holiday's ~ Week 3, Day 3 & 4 - Crock Pot Meals

Yesterday was horrible for m, I barely got off the couch all day. I had to deal with a debilitating tension headache, but I did think long and hard about my post. And since they both deal with meals I decided to combine for ease of use.
  

      Day 3 is all about using your Crock Pot to make meals that work for your family as well as guests that take minimal prep so you can join in all the fun.I have several websites as well as books I love to use for this purpose.

My #1 go to for crockpot meals is non other than the Crock Pot Queen Phyllis Pellman Good from Fix it and Forget it. Though I only have 2 of her wonderful cook books I tend to over use when I need a meal plan with less prep work.

This book gets the least use for me. But even so, one my favorite dip recipe comes from here.  

                                                          Big hit over nachos in my house.

Next up is the one cook book I look to regularly, So much so that halfway though putting page tabs on recipes to try I gave up and just said the whole book. 

With this cook book there are so many variations for just one recipe you are bound to find one that uses your on hand stock. Soup and chili are our main staples doing the colder months and I can say their are enough recipes you never truly have the same meal twice. 

My # 2 go to is Pinterest. you can find so many websites and blogs all at your finger tips. I like to utilize most Crock Pot meals by turning them into freezer meals either as pre cooked or pre prepped and just throw them in the pot or oven.

My #3 Go to is the good ol internet. A quick search and I've found 100's of recipes faster than my Mom can answer the phone.

      Day 4 came to me after Mr Mechanic said he wanted soup for dinner Wednesday night and with how cold it is outside right now I don't blame him. This morning was in the teens with the wind chill making the temp feel like 7 degrees. Where did Fall go? So for today I will share my Crock Pot chicken soup recipe. it's not anything special, just a base recipe I use when I don't have all of a recipe ingredients.

• Chicken - Bone in is best for a good stock base if you will be home all day to check your progress. Boneless if you plan on not being around.  I use whatever I have in the freezer so tonight is bone-in thigh pieces.
• Water - cover your chicken in your crock pot to 1-2 inches above.
• Soup base or bouillon - I use a little to start so that the stock isn't overly salted
• Spices - use what sounds good to you. Salt and Pepper are a must but the rest is up to you.
• Vegetables - What every you have on hand to toss in and cook. Tonight I have onions and frozen mixed veggies. 
• Noodles - Homemade, store bought it doesn't matter.

• Place chicken and raw veggies in your Crock Pot (bone-in don't worry for now). Add your seasonings and cover with water. 
• Cook low heat for a few hours. 
• When you can smell the meat cooking it's time to take the bones out. Carefully remove just the chicken and set down to cool. Once cooled enough to your liking pull the meat off the bone and place back in your pot. If you are using boneless skip this step.
• Continue to cook on low for a total of 6 hours. Or until meat is cooked through.
• Add pasta directly to crock pot and cook till noodles are tender. Adding more soup base if taste isn't to your liking. 
• Serve with warm bread and crackers.

There you have it. Crock Pot Meals that will last you months to come.