Fix-It and Forget-It Holiday Main Dishes and Sides (9 page)

40-oz. can yams,
or
sweet potatoes, drained

2 apples, peeled if you wish and thinly sliced

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. orange zest

1 cup orange juice

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

dash of ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg

1. Place yams and apples in slow cooker.
   
2. Stir in butter and orange zest.
   
3. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl. Pour over yams and apples.
   
4. Cover. Cook on High 1 hour and on Low 2 hours, or until apples are tender.
   

Variation:

Substitute 6-8 medium-sized cooked sweet potatoes, or approximately 4 cups cubed butternut squash, for yams.

Barbecued Black Beans with Sweet Potatoes

Barbara Jean Fabel

Wausau, WI

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 chunks each

15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium onion, diced

2 ribs celery, sliced

9 oz. Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce

1. Place sweet potatoes in slow cooker.
   
2. Stir in additional ingredients.
   
3. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours, or on Low 4 hours.
   

Potatoes Perfect

Naomi Ressler

Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

¼ lb. bacon, diced and browned in a skillet until crisp,
divided

2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced,
divided

6-8 medium-sized potatoes, thinly sliced,
divided

½ lb. cheddar cheese, thinly sliced,
divided

salt to taste

pepper to taste

¼-½ stick (2-4 Tbsp.) butter

1. Layer half of bacon, onions, potatoes, and cheese in greased slow cooker. Season to taste.
   
2. Dot with butter. Repeat layers.
   
3. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours or on High 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are soft.
   

Herbed Potatoes

Jo Haberkamp

Fairbank, IA

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 2½-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

1½ lbs. small new potatoes

¼ cup water

half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1 Tbsp. dill weed

¼-½ tsp. salt, according to your taste preference

⅛-¼ tsp. pepper, according to your taste preference

1. Wash potatoes. Peel a strip around the middle of each potato. Place prepared potatoes in slow cooker.
   
2. Add water.
   
3. Cover. Cook on High 2½-3 hours. Drain well.
   
4. In saucepan, heat butter, parsley, lemon juice, chives, dill, salt, and pepper.
   
5. Pour over potatoes.
   

Serve with
ham
or any
meat dish
that does not make its own gravy.

Holiday Wild Rice

Susan Kasting
, Jenks, OK

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 2½-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1½ cups wild rice, uncooked

3 cups chicken stock

3 Tbsp. orange zest

2 Tbsp. orange juice

½ cup raisins (I like golden raisins)

1½ tsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. butter, softened

½ cup fresh parsley

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup chopped green onion

1. Mix rice, chicken stock, orange zest, orange juice, raisins, curry powder, and butter in slow cooker.
   
2. Cover and cook on High 2½-3 hours, or until rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, but is not dry.
   
3. Stir in parsley, pecans, and green onion just before serving.
   

Mushroom Stuffing

Laverne Stoner

Scottdale, PA

Makes 7-8 cups stuffing

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 cup finely chopped celery

8-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

¼ cup chopped parsley

1½-2 tsp. poultry seasoning

½ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. pepper

12 cups toasted bread cubes*

2 eggs, well beaten

1½ cups chicken broth

1. Sauté onions and celery in butter in skillet until cooked. Stir in mushrooms and parsley.
   
2. Combine seasonings and sprinkle over bread cubes in large mixing bowl.
   
3. Gently add remaining ingredients. Spoon lightly into slow cooker.
   
4. Cover. Cook on High 1 hour, and then reduce to Low and cook 1-2 hours.
   

*
Lay 18-22 slices of bread on baking sheets. Toast in oven for 15 minutes at 300°.

Tip:

This is not as much a time-saver as it is a space-saver. If your oven is full, make your stuffing in your slow cooker.

Variations:

1. Add extra flavor to your stuffing by adding 1 tsp. dried sage, ¾ tsp. dried thyme, and ¼ tsp. dried marjoram to Step 2.
   

   Mary H. Nolt
   , East Earl, PA
   

   Jean Turner
   , Williams Lake, BC
   

   Mary Rogers
   , Waseca, MN
   

   Kristi See
   , Weskan, KS
   

2. Add 1 lb. loose sausage, browned and drained, to Step 3.
   

   Dede Peterson
   

   Rapid City, SD
   

Old-Fashioned Stuffing

Elaine Rineer

Lancaster, PA

Rhonda Freed

Croghan, NY

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 20-30 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.