Easy Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

Classic split pea soup is good any time of the year.  If you prefer all vegetables, omit the ham hock and replace it with vegetable stock.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb ham hocks
• 1 c diced celery
• 1 1/2 c diced carrots
• 2 c diced onions
• 1 lb dried green split peas
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• healthy dash black pepper
• 2 tsp minced garlic

1. Preheat slow cooker.  Heat 7 cups of water to simmering but not boiling and carefully pour into warming cooker.
2. Add all ingredients. 
3. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or low for 10 – 12 hours until pease are very soft and break down.
4. Remove ham, when cool enough to touch, cut meat off the bone and dice, returning to hot soup.

Serve the split pea soup with hot buttered cornbread, or break cornbread up into soup bowls.

Easy Slow Cooker Corn Casserole

YUM, add these ingredients to your slow cooker and enjoy a wonderful side dish tonight to any meat and salad.

Ingredients

• 3   1lb packages of frozen corn
• 12 ounces of cream cheese, chunked for best results
• 1/4 c stick margarine, chunked
• 6-7 slices American cheese, chunked
• 3 tbsp milk or 3 tbsp half and half
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp Splenda

Hint:  Add 1/4 c fiber powder for extra nutrition!!  You won’t taste it, and your colon and weight loss efforts will thank you! 

Combine all ingredients stirring to blend and pour into slow cooker that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

This compliments a baked chicken meal, salad, and bread of your choice.

Easy Chicken and Biscuits

Keep your slow cooker on the counter and in plain view.  Soon, you will be using it for nearly every meal.  The convenience of letting dinner cook all day while you do other things is a wonderful habit!  Enjoy the Slow Cooker!

Use refrigerator biscuits, or let your homemade ones sit in the refrigerator until they are sticky/doughy like store-bought.  Otherwise, they will fall apart in cooking.  Leftover chicken makes this dish so economical!

This dish is NOT chicken and dumplings; this gravy is richer and there are fewer ingredients, concentrating on the flavor of mushrooms and chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits – 8 count
• 1/2 tsp pepper, coarse ground
• 2 tsp chicken boullion granules
• 2 soup cans water
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 c diced cooked, chicken (leftover is perfect)

Procedure:

1. Combine cooked chicken, canned soups, water, boullion, and pepper in slow cooker that has been treated lightly with a oil spray.
2. Cut biscuits into quarters and stir into mixture.
3. Cover, and cook on low 4 – 6 hours, sirring occasionally or until biscuits are cooked.  Do not overcook.

Variations:  Cook 1/2 c chopped onion, and 1/2 c chopped celery, fine, in a skillet until transparent and add to mixture in slow cooker.  This is excellent served in a bowl, or over rice or noodles.

Salad and a light dessert will fill you up!