Beefy Crock Pot Stew

Most of the items for this stew/soup came from my dehydrated/freeze-dried food storage, but I did add other items from my pantry. My goal is to learn to use my food storage so that in an emergency I'm not caught off guard trying to figure out what to do with what I have.

1 pound ground beef, cooked (stew meat or leftover roast would work, too)
1/2 cup dehydrated carrots
1 1/2 cup dehydrated, cubed potatoes
1/4 cup (or less) dehydrated celery
1/4 cup (or less) dehydrated onion
3 Tablespoons dehydrated garlic
1/2 cup freeze-dried corn
3 cubes beef bouillon
1 small jar of mild or medium salsa (I used mild)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Seasonings of your choice (I added chili powder, red pepper flakes, basil)
5-7 cups of water (less for a stew, more for a soup)

Dump it all in a Crock-Pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. This could also be cooked on the stove top, but I'm lazy and don't want to have to watch it.

Slow Cooker Enchilada Chicken

In the slow cooker:

2-4 chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 (14.5 oz) can of red enchilada sauce
salsa (approx 1/2 of a large jar)
1 small can sliced black olives (or more if you prefer)
1 small can of diced mild green chilis
small amount of cumin if you like

Cook on low 8-10 hours. Shred chicken in slow cooker.

Serve on top of brown rice or flour tortillas with shredded cheese and sour cream.

(even more fantastic with salad on the side topped with Heidi's tomatillo dressing!!)

Slow-Cooker Mexican Pozole

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 (2 pound) boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 (14.5 ounce) cans red enchilada sauce
2 (15.5 ounce) cans white hominy, drained
1 onion, sliced
small can of diced green chilis
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 (14.0z) chicken broth/stock
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)


Heat the canola oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the pork; cook and stir just until meat is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Place the meat in a 4 quart slow cooker. Pour the enchilada sauce over the meat. Top with the hominy, onion, chilies, garlic, cayenne pepper, cumin and oregano. Pour in chicken broth (if a 'soupier' texture is wanted, add enough water to fill the slow cooker).
Cover, and cook on Low for 8-10 hours. Stir in the cilantro and salt (optional). Cook on Low for 30 minutes more.

Serve with refried beans and sour cream. (I personally pour the soup over the beans and then add sour cream and grated cheese.....gotta love the cheese!!)

CROCK POT CHOCOLATE CAKE

This is from Nie Nie's sister, Jane. Nie Nie and her husband were the ones in the terrible plane crash in Arizona.

Jane--"And now I present the Crockpot Cake Recipe. Only, promise me you'll douse it with real cream. Not that fake stuff all whipped up ready for consumption, I mean straight from-the-udder cream."

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 container of sour cream (8 oz)
1 cup chocolate morsels
1 cup water
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix

Spray crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Mix cake mix, sour cream, chocolate morsels, water, egss, oil and pudding mix in a bowl by hand. Pour into crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Makes about 12 servings.