Welcome to my kitchen! All this cool weather has me dreaming of soups and chilis as of late. I love putting a great soup, stew, or chili in my crockpot just before we walk out the door in the morning. The smell when we get home from work and school is just amazing. It is also wonderful not to have to actually cook anything once I get home. My family's favorite slow cooker soup has to be Chicken Tortilla Soup. I love this basic "base" recipe. I can easily change up an ingredient or two and have a completely different soup. I can make it spicier or I can add more veggies. It is simple to customize to your family's likings. Slow-Cooked Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients: 3 chicken tights, skin removed (you could use breasts too) 1- 10 oz.
can diced tomatoes with green chilies 1 1/2 cups cooked beans ( we love black beans but any bean is fine) 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 cups water 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (add more if you like) 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. chili powder juice from 1/2 lemon 20 tortilla chips 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese Directions: Place the chicken, tomatoes with juices, beans, broth, water, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and chili powder in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Uncover and use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot. Once cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred. Then return the meat to the pot. Stir in the lemon juice. Crumble a few tortilla chips into each bowl and cover with some soup. Serve with cilantro and cheese. Serves 4. As I've said before I am a fan of pork, so when I make stew, pork is the meat I go for. This combination of pork and apples is just amazing. It smells heavenly when you walk in the door after a long day of work on a cool fall day. I really love Woodchuck Granny Smith Hard Apple cider in this recipe. Slow Cooker Pork and Cider Stew Ingredients: 4 leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced (you can use 2 cups thinly slice green onions or white onions) 2 pounds pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes 3 apples, peeled and sliced 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup hard cider or non-alcoholic apple cider 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained Directions: Layer leeks, pork, apples and garlic in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in cider and vinegar. Cover and cook on low until pork is very tender, about 8 hours. Uncover cooker, stir in beans, and cook on high until heated through, about 30 minutes. Serves 6 This last recipe is in honor of my amazing husband, Rion. You see, having roots in Texas, I don't think a chili should EVER have beans in it. My Colorado born husband thinks it isn't chili without beans. This is one of the only chilis we can agree on! It satisfies my love of pork and his love of spice. This is another great "base" recipe. You can spice it up a lot by choosing hotter green chilies. Crockpot Green Chili Ingredients: 2 lbs. pork shoulder or loin; trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 cups tomatillos (husks removed and washed) 5 garlic cloves, crushed 3 cups green chilies (whatever you like) 1 small jalapeno, chopped 1 bunch cilantro, cleaned and chopped 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 tsp. dried oregano 2 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 or 2 Tbsp. honey, to taste 1 or 2 pinches ground cinnamon ,to taste salt and pepper, to taste Directions: Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown pork until all the pink is gone, then add the onions, tomatillos, and garlic. Brown and stir another 5 mines. Puree the green chilies in a blender along with a cup of the chicken broth, then put into a crockpot.  Add the pork mixture and remaining ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours. Season to taste. Serves 6-8 Do you want some more crockpot meal ideas? Send me an e-mail at CookinwithCrys@gmail.com and I'll see if I can help!