Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (77 page)

Super-Bowl Little Smokies

Mary Sommerfeld

Lancaster, PA

Alicia Denlinger

Lancaster, PA

Makes 9-10 main-dish servings, or 15-20 appetizer servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

3 1-lb. pkgs. Little Smokies

8-oz. bottle Catalina dressing

splash of liquid smoke

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 2 hours.

3. Use toothpicks to serve. Or pile into sandwich rolls for a lunch or supper.

Note:

These are always a hit at parties, whether it’s Christmas, New Year’s, or the Super Bowl. They are good any time that you’d like to serve food beyond dessert, but you don’t want to have a formal sit-down meal.

I have a few antique Christmas ornaments, but they tend to get lost on the tree with everything else. So I put them in a glass bowl with evergreens, and they are noticed and appreciated much more.

Carol L. Miller, Lockport, NY

Cranberry Franks

Loretta Krahn

Mountain Lake, MN

Makes 15-20 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 1-2 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

2 pkgs. cocktail wieners,
or
little smoked sausages

16-oz. can jellied cranberry sauce

1 cup ketchup

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on High 1-2 hours.

Note:

Great picnic, potluck, or buffet food.

Chicken Main Dishes

Sunday Roast Chicken

Ruth A. Feister
, Narvon, PA

Makes 4-5 servings

Prep. Time: 30-35 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6- to 7-qt.

Seasoning Mix:

1 Tbsp. salt

2 tsp. paprika

1½ tsp. onion powder

1½ tsp. garlic powder

1½ tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. pepper

½ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. savory

¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 roasting chicken

¼ cup flour

1-2 cups chicken stock

1. Combine Seasoning Mix ingredients in small bowl.

2. Melt butter over high heat in skillet. When butter starts to sizzle, add chopped onions and peppers, and 3 Tbsp. seasoning mix.

3. Cook until onions are golden brown. Cool.

4. Stuff cavity of chicken with cooled vegetables.

5. Sprinkle outside of chicken with 1 Tbsp. seasoning mix. Rub in well so it sticks.

6. Place chicken in large slow cooker.

7. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours.

8. Empty vegetable stuffing and juices into saucepan. Whisk in flour and 1 cup stock from slow cooker.

9. Cook over high heat until thickened. Add more stock if you prefer a thinner gravy.

Note:

The first time I served this dish was when we had family visiting us from Mississippi. We had a wonderful time sitting around a large table, sharing many laughs and catching up on the years since our last visit.

Old-Fashioned Stewed Chicken

Bonnie Goering

Bridgewater, VA

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 8¼ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

3-4-lb. chicken, cut up

1 small onion, cut into wedges

1 rib celery, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley,
or
1 tsp. dried parsley

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme,
or
1 tsp. dried thyme

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary,
or
1 tsp. dried rosemary

3 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

3-4 cups hot water

⅓ cup flour

1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Scatter vegetables, herbs, and seasonings around it and over top. Pour water down along interior wall of cooker so as not to disturb the other ingredients.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 8 hours.

3. Remove chicken from cooker. When cool enough to handle, debone. Set aside and keep warm.

4. In small bowl, stir ⅓ cup flour into 1 cup chicken broth from slow cooker.

5. When smooth, stir back into slow cooker. Continue cooking on Low until broth thickens, stirring occasionally to prevent lumps from forming.

6. When gravy is bubbly and thickened, stir in chicken pieces.

Serving suggestion: Serve with
mashed potatoes
or
noodles
and
creamed peas
.

Note:

I cook every Thursday afternoon for a 93-year-old woman who lives by herself. She taught me how to cook with fresh herbs from her garden. I’ve found they make food taste so much better that I’ve started an herb garden. And I dry some herbs to use during the winter.

One-Pot Easy Chicken

Jean Robinson

Cinnaminson, NJ

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 25-30 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.

6-8 potatoes, quartered

1-2 large onions, sliced

3-5 carrots, cubed

5-lbs. chicken, skin removed (quarters, or legs and thighs work well)