Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (20 page)

15-oz. can whole-kernel corn, undrained

2 cups frozen peas

16-oz. can kidney beans, undrained

14½-oz. can diced tomatoes with juice

15-oz. can tomato sauce

½ lb. baby carrots, halved lengthwise

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. dried marjoram

1 tsp. dried basil

1. Put all ingredients into slow cooker. Stir well.

2. Cover. Cook on High 1-2 hours. Then cook on Low 8-9 hours, or until carrots and onions are as tender as you like them.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Nanci Keatley

Salem, OR

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 large onion, diced fine

32-oz. box vegetable stock

16-oz. can solid-pack pumpkin

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

⅛ tsp. ground ginger

⅛ tsp. ground cloves

⅛ tsp. ground cardamom

¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1½ cups half-and-half

1 cup heavy cream

chopped chives

1. Mix butter and onion in slow cooker.

2. Add stock, pumpkin, salt, and other seasonings. Mix well.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 2-3 hours.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Soup

Carol L. Miller
, Lockport, NY

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes
*
• Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter

4 cups canned pumpkin

2 cups cooked puréed sweet potatoes,
or
butternut squash

1 cup smooth peanut butter

6 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

croutons for garnish,
optional

crumbled cooked bacon for garnish,
optional

1. Place butter, pumpkin, sweet potatoes or squash, peanut butter, broth, pepper, and salt in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours, stirring well after first 2 hours.

3. Serve with croutons or crumbled bacon as garnishes if you wish.

*
If you have to make your own puréed sweet potatoes or squash, add another hour to the Prep Time. Use 2 large sweet potatoes, or a medium-sized butternut squash, in order to get the 2 cups mashed.

4. Add half-and-half and cream.

5. Cover. Cook on Low 1 hour, or until heated through.

6. Garnish individual serving bowls with chives.

Savory Cheese Soup

Diane Eby

Holtwood, PA

Dorothy Lingerfelt

Stonyford, CA

Makes 4-5 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-9 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

3 14½-oz. cans chicken broth

1 small onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

¼ cup chopped sweet red bell pepper

¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

⅓ cup flour

⅓ cup cold water

8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened and cubed

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

croutons, popcorn, crumpled bacon, sliced green onions,
optional

1. In a slow cooker, combine chicken broth, onion, carrot, celery, sweet pepper, butter, salt, and pepper.

2. Cover and cook on Low 7-8 hours.

3. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine flour and water. Put on lid and shake vigorously until mixture is smooth and without lumps. Stir into soup.

4. Cover. Cook on High 30 minutes, or until soup has thickened. Stir every 10 minutes or so to prevent lumps from forming.

5. Stir in cream cheese and cheddar cheese until blended.

6. Cover. Cook on Low until cheeses melt and Soup is heated through.

7. Serve with the toppings that you wish.

I have made fabric bags for my friends. They each know which one is theirs (the bags are all different). I get them back every year at the end of the holiday season, ready to use again the next year. It sure saves on wrapping paper.

Sharon Easter, Yuba City, CA

Easy Cheese Soup

Nancy Wagner Graves

Manhattan, KS

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

2 10¾-oz. cans cream of mushroom,
or
cream of chicken, soup

1 cup beer,
or
milk

1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp. paprika

croutons

1. Combine all ingredients except croutons in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.

3. Stir thoroughly 1 hour before serving to make sure cheese is well distributed and melted.

4. Serve topped with croutons or in bread bowls.

Aunt Thelma’s Homemade Soup

Janice Muller

Derwood, MD

Makes 10-12 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 4½-6½ hours