Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (32 page)

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

shredded Italian cheese blend,
optional

1. In large skillet, cook sausage in oil over medium heat. Stir frequently to break up clumps. Cook until no longer pink. Drain off drippings.

2. Transfer sausage to slow cooker. Stir in chicken, crushed and diced tomatoes, beans, celery, onion, red bell pepper, broth, chili powder, oregano, garlic, and thyme.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours.

4. Stir in zucchini and mushrooms.

5. Cover. Cook on High 45 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with parsley.

7. Serve individual bowls of soup with shredded Italian cheese blend, if you wish.

Chicken Sausage Fennel Soup

Jean Harris Robinson

Pemberton, NJ

Makes 12-14 cups

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter

¾ cup flour

2 fennel bulbs cut into large strips (plus some fennel fronds, chopped)

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

8 cups chicken stock

½ lb. loose mild turkey sausage

3 cups cooked and diced chicken breast

salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a small skillet. Blend in flour. Cook over medium heat just until roux turns golden. Stir frequently so mixture doesn’t stick. Set aside.

2. In a larger skillet, sauté fennel, celery, and onion in olive oil for 10 minutes. Spoon vegetables into slow cooker.

3. Stir chicken stock into slow cooker. Turn cooker on High.

4. Sauté sausage in skillet, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, just until cooked through. Drain off drippings. Add meat to cooker.

5. Stir in chopped chicken. Cover cooker.

6. When Soup begins to bubble, add roux, stirring constantly until it dissolves into the Soup.

7. Cover cooker. Turn back to Low and cook 4 hours.

Apple Chicken Stew

Lorraine Pflederer

Goshen, IN

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 30-40 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

4 medium potatoes, cubed

4 medium carrots, cut ¼”-thick slices

1 medium red onion, halved and sliced

1 celery rib, thinly sliced

1½ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. pepper

¼-½ tsp. caraway seeds

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 Tbsp. olive,
or
vegetable, oil

1 large tart apple, peeled and cubed

1¼ cups apple cider,
or
juice

1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 bay leaf

minced fresh parsley

1. Layer potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery into slow cooker.

2. In a small bowl, combine salt, thyme, pepper, and caraway seeds. Sprinkle half over vegetables.

3. In a skillet, sauté chicken in oil just until lightly browned. Drain off drippings.

4. Transfer chicken to slow cooker. Top with cubed apple.

5. In another small bowl, combine apple cider and vinegar. Pour over chicken and apple.

6. Sprinkle with remaining salt mixture. Lay bay leaf on top.

7. Cover. Cook on High 4-5 hours, or until vegetables are tender and chicken juices run clear.

8. Discard bay leaf. Stir before serving.

9. Sprinkle individual serving bowls with parsley.

If you’ve made a thick slow-cooker stew or chili, you can serve it in individual hard rolls. Cut the top off each roll. Hollow out the bottom, leaving a half inch of bread inside. Spoon about a cup of the stew or chili into each roll, just before serving.

Jean M. Butzer, Batavia, NY

Santa Fe Chicken Soup

Sherry Conyers

McPherson, KS

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes if using cooked chicken, or 4½-5½ hours if using uncooked chicken

Cooking Time: 3-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.

4 whole chicken breasts, cooked
*
and shredded

1 small onion, diced

15¼-oz. can whole-kernel corn, undrained

24-oz. can pinto beans, undrained

14½-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed

¼ cup milk

1. Place chicken and onions in slow cooker.

2. Add corn, beans, tomatoes, cubed cheese, and milk. Stir together well.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours, or until cheese is melted. Try not to let soup boil.

*
To prepare cooked chicken in a slow cooker for this recipe, see “White Chicken Chili,” on
page 65
of this cookbook. Follow Steps 1-3 of the instructions, but increase water to 8 cups and cooking time to 4-5 hours on Low, or until chicken is tender but not dry.

Pixie’s Chicken Stew

Janice Muller

Derwood, MD

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 5-6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5- to 6-qt.

2-3-lb. chicken

2 qts. water

1 pkg. dry chicken noodle soup

2 chicken bouillon cubes

15-oz. can whole-kernel corn, undrained

1 Tbsp. onion flakes

½ tsp. dried thyme,
or
according to your taste preference

1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Add water.

2. Cover. Cook on High 3-4 hours. Cool.

3. Strain broth into container and reserve.

4. When chicken is cool enough to handle, debone. Return cut-up meat and strained broth to slow cooker.

5. Stir in all remaining ingredients.

6. Cover. Cook on High 2 hours.

Tip:

I’ve found that if I make this a day ahead so that it can sit overnight in the refrigerator, it’s easy to skim the fat off the top.

Note:

Pixie invited friends in for soup after long walks in the snow. She always served this with fresh bread in front of a roaring fire. Pixie finished these meals by offering us a plate of chocolate fudge. Life couldn’t get any better.