Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup

1lb.  Sausage browned
1 medium onion diced
3 large carrots diced
3 stalks celery diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbl Italian seasoning
7 chicken bouillon cubes
7 cups water
Cook in crock pot on high for 4-6 hours or until veggies are tender.

Add:
1 12 oz. pkg. 3 cheese tortellini (I had gnocchi so that is what I used and it was delicious!)
Cook about 30-45 minutes or until tortellini is cooked.

Add:
1/3-1/2 c cornstarch dissolved in
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4-5 cups fresh spinach

Cover and cook until soup thickens and spinach is wilted.
Serve with crusty bread.
This soup is delicious!

Pressure cooker instructions...
Cook first 8 ingredients in pressure cooker on high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release. Turn cooker to sauté and add tortellini it gnocchi. Cook until they float to the top. Stir in cornstarch/whipping cream mixture and spinach. Cook until thickened and spinach is wilted.

Taco Soup

1lb. Hamburger browned
1/2 c diced onion
2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 pkg taco seasoning
Cook for 2 hours in crock pot.
Then add:
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn (or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn)
Let cook for 1 more hour

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

Beef Tips & Mushrooms

Stew meat - browned and seasoned as desired (I sauteed the mushrooms with the meat.)

In crockpot:
Meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. water
1 can beef gravy
1 pkg. dry gravy mix
1 can mushrooms (drained) or fresh mushrooms
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix (see note below**)

Cook in crockpot on low for 4 to 6 hours. Add 1/2 carton of sour cream when ready to serve.
**We added a packet of dry onion soup mix. Next time, we are only going to add 1/4 of a packet.)
Serve over cooked noodles, etc.

French Dip au Jus

3-4 lb sirloin roast
2 c. beef broth
2/3 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 t. seasoning salt
1 t. liquid smoke
1/3 c. soy sauce
Cook in 5 quart slow cooker for 1 hour on high, then 9 hours on low. Shred and serve on bun with swiss or provolone cheese. Use broth for dipping.

*This is the meat we had for Peyton's Blessing. A few people asked me for the recipe, so here it is. :)

Chicken Tacos

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen chicken tenders work well too)
1 16 oz. jar of salsa
flour tortillas
sour cream
cheese

Put chicken and salsa into crock pot. Cook on High 4-6 hours until chicken is tender. In a flour tortilla, layer chicken with a little salsa, cheese and sour cream. Roll up and enjoy!

Note: I usually double this using 1 jar of mild salsa and 1 jar of med. salsa. I blend the salsa in the blender for just a couple of seconds. It seems to distribute the flavor better.

Grandma's Corn Chowder

1/2 c. diced ham
4 medium potatoes peeled and diced
1 medium onion diced
2 c. water
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cans cream style corn
1/2 bag frozen corn (approx 1-1/2 cups)
black pepper to taste
2 c. half and half
1-2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Put all ingredients into crock pot except for cheese and half & half. Cook on high for approx. 4 hours or on low for up to 8 hours until potatoes are tender. Stir in the half & half and the cheese. Stir a little to melt the cheese and serve.

Tips: I never peel my potatoes and I usually put a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in with the ham first. You can also use the southern style hash brown potatoes in place of the 4 med. potatoes and substitute dried minced onion for the medium diced onion. Enjoy!

Pressure cooker: add all ingredients to pot except for 1/2 & 1/2 and cheese. Cook on high for 5 minutes. Natural release for 5 more minutes then quick release. Add 1/2 & 1/2 and cheese.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (you can leave them whole or cut them into pieces... chicken tenders work well also)
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 c. water
1 pkg. cream cheese, cut into pieces
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 (4 oz.) can mushroom stems and pieces
Hot cooked pasta, rice or potatoes

Place all ingredients, except for pasta etc... into crock pot or slow cooker. Give it a quick stir and cook on medium for up to 8 hours. You may have to adjust the temp 1/2 way through. Stir well just before serving. Serve over rice, pasta or baked or mashed potatoes. Note: I always use frozen chicken tenders and then omit the water. I also double the recipe.

Berlin Boy's Favorite Chili

5 cans of white pinto beans
2 cans tomato soup
1/2 cup milk
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 pound hamburger (cooked)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 chili seasoning packet
salt and pepper

put ingredients in crockpot and gently stir. Cook on high setting for 6 hrs.
I always set out a package of Rhoades roll dough and make scones with this chili. This is one of our favorite fall meals! It really warms you up inside.

Sunday Pot Roast

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 c. water
1 - 5 pound roast beef

In a mixing bowl, mix water, soup, and soup mix together, put roast in crock pot and pour soup mixture on top. cook for 8 hrs. this time depends on whether or not your roast is frozen, which mine always is. We love to have this meal after church. Very easy and almost NO Cleanup.