Bewitchin' in the Kitchen

Slow Cooker Maple Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup is my favorite soup in the world. I've already found the best recipe possible, but there is always that drive to try new ones just in case. This recipe caught my eye, and with the cooler temperatures and only one batch still frozen from the last time I made it, it was time to make some more.  

 Ingredients

8 cups cubed, peeled, seeded, butternut squash  (Be smart. Roast the squash first for easier preparation)

1 large green apple, peeled, chopped  

1 large onion, diced

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg  

½  teaspoon salt  

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 cups chicken broth

½ cup half-and-half

¾ cup real maple syrup  

1 cup sour cream  

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

 

 Directions

1.     Vent the squash for roasting.

Butternut squash is next to impossible to work with until it's roasted. This batch broke my vegetable peeler.

Roast at 400* for about an hour. The peel will fall off and the meat will spread like butter.

Slice the squash to let it cool, then remove the seeds and stringy pulp.

Save the seeds, pulp, apple peeling, onions skins, and other organic materials for composting.

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray or add plastic liner. In cooker, mix squash, apple, onion, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pour broth over vegetable mixture.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours (or on High heat setting 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours).

You've got all day for the soup to cook. So clean the house, decorate for Halloween, go buy lots of Candy and add bandanas to the puppies.

Pour about 3 cups of the soup mixture into blender. Cover; blend until smooth. Continue until the entire batch is pureed. Pour pureed soup back into slow cooker.

Stir in half-and-half and syrup.

If needed, increase heat setting to High; cover and cook about 15 minutes longer or unto hot. Top each serving with sour cream; sprinkle with chives.

Makes 8 servings

 

*Freeze leftovers in single serving containers.

Taco Soup for the Slow Cooker

Taco Soup for the Slow Cooker

1 can of kindey beans

2 cans of pinto beans

2 cans of corn

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can Rotel-tomatoes and chiles

1 packet taco seasoning or 3 tbsp chili powder 

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

Shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped scallions and sour cream for garnish

Add ingredients to crockpot and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5. The longer it cooks the better! Top with shredded cheese and sour cream. Serve with corn chips or tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Adapted from In the Kitchen class at the Brentwood Library, Maria Sochor, instructor

3 24-28 ounce jars of your favorite pasta sauce (I love Bertolli Olive Oil & Garlic)

 

16 ounces ricotta 

1 tsp. dried parsley 

1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan 

12 ounces dry lasagna noodles (use regular lasagna noodles, not the "no-boil" kind)

5 oz. bag prewashed spinach (can use up to 10 oz. or omit entirely)

12 oz. mozzarella, grated

 

*optional extras: portabella mushrooms, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, browned and drained ground beef…

 

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oil, and spices.

In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, and ½ cup Parmesan.

Spoon 1 cup of the tomato mixture into the bowl of a slow cooker. Top with a single layer of noodles, breaking them to fit as necessary. Add a third the spinach and any extra goodies.

Dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture and a third of the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles and repeat with the other ingredients. Add yet another layer of noodles and repeat with other ingredients. Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with 3 T. Parmesan.

Cover the slow cooker and set to low until the noodles are tender, about 3-4 hours. 

Pinto Beans

Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound dried pinto beans, sorted and washed and soaked over night in 6 cups water

3-4 cups water

1 large onion, chopped

4 to 8 ounces cooked ham, chopped

include hambone, too, if you have it

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Cover beans with water and soak overnight; drain. Fill bowl with water again and swirl to loosen any remaing dirt; drain again.

Place beans in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker with water and remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. You may want to dice green pepper or even hot peppers, optional. If you choose to add diced tomatoes, wait until the last hour or so of cooking. Acid items added can toughen the beans if added too soon.

Cover cooker and cook on low setting for 9 to 11 hours, OR on high setting for 5-6 hours.

Stir a couple of times during cooking and add more water if necessary.

Season with salt and pepper right before serving. If you add the salt too early, it will toughen the beans. Consider other seasonings, too: cumin, chili powder, oregano, it's your beans.

Serve with cornbread, or over rice, or with ham and biscuits.