White Chicken Chili

My crock pot has been working overtime lately. I actually have two of them, and I can barely keep one clean to use it between cooking meals. My work schedule has made it harder for me to cook as much, something I absolutely love to do, so I am so thankful that we are still able to eat really great meals that my husband can throw together during the day, or I can prepare on the weekend to be enjoyed when I come home from work.

This recipe was actually a combination of a few versions I found on Pinterest, and it turned out really good. It will definitely go into our rotation of favorites, especially in the fall and winter.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts (about a pound of chicken)- I used frozen and threw them right in the crockpot

 3 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or great Northern beans, drained (or a mix of both kinds of beans)

1 large onion, chopped,

1 teaspoon cumin

1 packet ranch dressing mix (dry)

1 can Rotel tomotoes, undrained

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth

8 oz light cream cheese

2 cans corn (I used frozen)

Directions:

Put chicken breasts in crock pot and add all other ingredients. Stir often. When it is cooked, shred chicken breasts with two forks and mix in completely with all other ingredients.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. 

Potato and Double-Corn Chowder

I was really skeptical about this recipe. If I am going to make soup, I want it to be truly homemade. The frozen potatoes worried me, but the end result put my worries to rest. Now that I don't work from home every day, I am open to shortcuts as long as it turns out as delicious as this. I did make some additions and changes, which I have included in the recipe below. You can find the original recipe here.

Whatever you do, do NOT skip the french fried onions when serving. I added these last minute as I had some leftover from Thanksgiving cooking. I think they MAKE this soup.

Ingredients:

• One 32 ounce bag frozen diced southern-style potatoes, thawed (I used Ore-Ida Hashbrowns diced Southern-Style Potatoes)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (15.25 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 can (14.75 ounces) cream-style corn
• 1 medium onion 
• 8 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or more to taste)
• French's french fried onions for serving
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

 Directions:

• Spray 3 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all ingredients except evaporated milk and french fried onions.
• Cover; cook on low heat setting 6-8 hours until potatoes are tender. Just before serving, increase heat to high setting. Stir in milk; cover and cook for 5 minutes or until chowder is hot.
• Serve with french fried onions sprinkled on top.

Vegetable Beef Soup (Crockpot)

I LOVE vegetable beef soup, especially in the fall and winter. I have tried countless recipes, but hadn't felt like I had found THE go-to recipe. Until now. This soup resulted in what I consider the perfect fall soup, and my husband has said several times now, "Don't mess with this recipe- this is the one!" You can't argue with that.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs stew beef chunks
• 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1 lb baby carrot*
• 2 stalkscelery, with tops Sliced
• 2 onions, Diced
• 4 red potatoes, Diced*
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 beef bouillon cubes
• 15 ounces corn*
• 2 cups fresh green beans, snapped and cut into 1 inch pieces (frozen is ok)*
• 10 ounces tomato soup
• 10 ounces water (soup can)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a 6 quart crock pot and stir well.
2. Cover and cook on high for 6-8 hours. If you cook on low, you need a minimum of 12 hours.
3. *One note, I used frozen veggies for the carrots, celery, potatoes, corn, and green beans. Turned out perfect!