Day 21: Black Bean Soup

After the week of heavy-on-the-meat meals, I was ready yesterday for something meatless.  This soup was easy to make, smelled delicious while cooking all day, and was nice to serve in a variety of ways at the same table!

Yesterday was a chilly day by Texas standards, but our cozy little house was warm, and it was lovely to smell the yummy comforting aroma of this soup cooking throughout the day.  I was free in the afternoon to snuggle on the couch with my younger children and read books--dinner was already done!  We read a book about manners, and in the book was a section on how to set the table properly.  So my 5-year-old helper, Simeon, wanted to help me set the table once we were finished reading.  That's all there was to last night's meal prep after the 20 minutes of getting it into the pot in the morning!  This is why I've been lovin' the 30 day crockpot challenge!!

The photo above is the soup in my "old-faithful" crockpot I've had almost 18 years (wedding gift).  See how colorful it looks!

Black Bean Soup 

Serves 6

(I doubled the recipe and froze a large container's worth of leftovers)

1 lb. bag dry black beans

2 10-oz. cans Rotel tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (I used 1 red and 1 orange bell pepper--colorful!)

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

14 1/2 oz. can chicken of vegetable broth

Water (to cover beans)

Cajun seasoning to taste (I used cumin instead, and it turned out well)

1.  Night before cooking:  Cover beans with water and soak for 8 hours or overnight.  OR: use quick-soak method--cover beans with 2-3 inches of water, bring to a boil for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, covered for 1 hour (I usually do this method and things turn out perfect). Drain well.  Place beans in slow cooker.

2.  Add tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, and chicken or vegetable broth.  Add water just to cover beans.  Add Cajun or other seasoning to taste.

3. Cover.  Cook on high 8 hours.  Mash some of the beans before serving for a thicker consistency.  

4. Serving suggestions:  

*over rice  

*on tortillas like tacos

*with tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole and cheese like a taco soup

Today is Nina's 11th birthday, and she has requested a family favorite: Poppy Seed Chicken, which I don't make in the crockpot.  So my crocking for the day is a breakfast casserole: Western Omelet Casserole.  We will soon see how everyone likes it, and I will post about it, along with the recipe, tomorrow morning.

Life on the farm: Cookin' up Sunshine

Day 20: Whole Chicken with Vegetables in the crockpot

Life on the farm can be wonderful, even though it does add tons of extra work to an already busy life.  I love having the space, the land, the freedom for my children to run and play outside on acres of land.  I enjoy watching the horses gallop around in the pasture.  I love petting the adorable miniature donkeys and feeling the soft fur of our newest baby donkey.  We are raising turkeys right now for 4-H.  We have playful goats and soft silky Holland Lop bunnies.  I especially enjoy having chickens.  I love the fresh eggs we get every day.  I have chosen different breeds of hens that lay multi-colored eggs so my egg basket is beautiful!  God's creativity is so awesome!!

I would love to keep a rooster sometime.  The problem is that we have one neighbor who does not like the noises of the farm.  We live in a rural area, but the neighborhood that borders us on one side has homes that have smaller acreage and no farm animals.  This neighbor has complained numerous times about the sounds coming from our birds in particular, and roosters are at the top of his list as being a "nuisance."  My husband would rather not step on his toes over something he sees as unnecessary (hens will lay with or without a rooster).  So any time we have had a rooster in the past (when we hatch chicks, we can end up with as many as half being roosters), we have given them away, or as a last resort, Todd has killed them.  He always killed and disposed of the roosters before I could do anything with them!  What a waste!  So last week when he noticed the rooster, which the kids had named (sadly) "Sunshine," he told me to get ready this time if I wanted to make a meal out of this one.  So on Saturday, I was prepared with a huge pot of boiling water when Todd brought me the crowing culprit.  De-feathering and cleaning it out weren't as bad as you might think.  It was pretty easy once I dunked the chicken in the boiling water, to pluck off the feathers.  Then we singed off the remaining downy feathers and I cleaned out the inside of the chicken.  It took me a little while, which I think could improve with more experience.  Overall, I was pleased and felt quitema sense of accomplishment when I put our next dinner in the fridge to be prepared the next morning for our Sunday dinner.  

Here is the recipe I used for the chicken in the crock pot--I adapted it from one I had found online to accommodate the vegetables I wanted to use and also for cooking in the slow cooker versus the conventional oven.  I added onions to the bottom of the pot, quartered enough potatoes for our family, and peeled and sliced several carrots to place in the pot around the chicken as well.  This is a complete meal all in one pot!  Add a salad, if desired, and that's it!  I put this in the pot in the morning before church, and just let it cook all day until we were ready for dinner.  This was an easy and delicious meal (especially if you don't butcher your own chicken!).  We have enough leftover to make a nice chicken soup or at least broth.

Roasted Whole Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 (4 to 5 pound) large chicken for roasting

Chicken Rub (see recipe below)

carrots, cut into chunks

potatoes, cut into chunks

1 medium onion, cut into chunks

1/4 cup olive oil

1. Place about 1/2 of the onions in the bottom of the pot (use a large crockpot for this).

2. Remove gizzards and cut off any excess fat from chicken. Place chicken on top of the onions, tucking the legs or tying them together if desired (this isn't necessary).

3. In a small bowl, make Chicken Rub by blending curry, sage, rosemary, coriander, thyme, and garlic together; then vigorously rub all over the outside skin of the chicken (saving a bit to mix with the olive oil).  Place prepared vegetables around chicken.

4.  Blend the remaining Chicken Rub with 1/4 cup of olive oil to make a baste and pour over the top.

5.  Cover.  Cook on high for 6 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours.

"The Lord will give you prosperity in the land....blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops."  Deuteronomy 28:11

Day 19: Breakfast Skillet

There is something just absolutely wonderful about having breakfast already made when I awake in the morning.  I love to go running and exercise in the mornings, and sometimes if I get a later start, it can be stressful to get something going after I exercise and before the children all wake up and begin to troop downstairs asking, "What's for breakfast?" (Or "what's for dinner?," as my 3-year-old always asks instead!)

I really prefer to cook a hot breakfast to just serving cold cereal for many reasons.  Here are a few of my reasons for preferring to cook a nice hot breakfast.  First of all, I love serving my family in this way.  It is a way I can show them my love for them.  Second, cold cereal tends to be expensive and full of ingredients I would rather avoid (sugar, for one).  Third, I can add variety to our breakfasts.  There are lots of recipes out there!  

Lately, I have been cooking oatmeal in the crockpot overnight a couple of times per week.  I have some recipes that make it flavorful, and it's pretty simple to prepare the night before, turn the pot on low and go to bed.  When we wake up in the morning, the lovely smell of yummy oatmeal greets us!

My son planned last week's menu, and he found this recipe for a breakfast casserole that looked good. It was simple to make, tasty, and filling.  Of course, for my large crew, I doubled this one.  We had enough left over that a few of the children actually ate it for lunch.  My oldest daughter told me that this was "seriously the best breakfast casserole I've ever tasted."  I guess that's pretty good!  This one is a keeper!  

By the way, if you have really big eaters, this recipe could even be tripled and still fit in a 6-quart pot.  I had plenty of room for one more recipe-worth.  Another tip, I used the pre-cooked bacon, which made this even more simple to make!  No bacon grease mess to clean up!  Also, I skipped the mushrooms--my kids really don't like mushrooms.  You could add other ingredients like diced sautéed onions and/or green bell peppers (sauté first) for added flavor.  I didn't just because my children don't really like onions and green bell peppers either. But if I were making this for guests, I would make one crockpot full without the onions, etc. and one with.

Breakfast Skillet (Fix it and Forget it)

Makes 4 to 5 servings

3 cups milk

5.5 oz. package au gratin potatoes (the box, not frozen)

1 tsp. hot sauce

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

4-oz. can sliced mushrooms

8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1.  Combine milk, au gratin sauce packet, hot sauce, eggs, and mustard in greased crockpot.

2. Stir in dried potatoes, mushrooms, and bacon.  

3. Cover.  Cook on high 2 1/2 to 3 hours or on low 5-6 hours.  

4. About 20 minutes before serving, sprinkle cheese over the top.  Cover and cook until cheese melts (doesn't take too long).

Serving suggestion:  serve along with toast or muffins!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Next up: adventures on the ranch!  Yesterday we butchered and cleaned our first chicken (rooster) which will be our next slow-cooker meal!! 

Day 18: Beef Dumpling Soup

We had another busy day yesterday--I guess you could say with 9 children whom we homeschool and run around with, I always have busy days, even when we do "nothing!"  :) 

I was able to get this in the crockpot very quickly in the morning.  I doubled the recipe, and we had a decent amount of leftovers, but not enough for another dinner.  This will make a good lunch for "Mr. President," who didn't get to sample it last night because he was at a friend's house for dinner.

Everyone loved this one!  Dumplings are such fun things to make!  And they add an element of filling to a meal that stretches it farther.  Next time I make this one, I am going to have my younger kids help me drop the dumplings in 1/2 hour before serving.  They would love that!  

Beef Dumpling Soup 

(Makes 5-6 servings)

1 lb. beef stewing meat, cubed

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

6 cups hot water

2 carrots, peeled and shredded (I simply used a bag of shredded carrots I had on hand)

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 tomato, peeled and chopped (hint: drop fresh tomatoes into boiling water and skins come right off very easily)

 

For dumplings:

1 cup buttermilk biscuit mix

1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

6 Tbsp. milk

1. Place meat in slow cooker.  Sprinkle with onion soup mix.  Pour water over the meat.  If desired, add more flavor to the broth by adding a couple of garlic cloves (minced) and about 1 tsp. of dill weed.

2. Add carrots, celery, and tomato.

3. Cover. Cook on low, 4-6 hours, or until meat is tender.

4. 1/2 hour before serving, combine biscuit mix and parsley.  Stir in milk with fork until moistened.  Drop dumplings by teaspoonfuls into the pot.

5. Cover.  Cook on high for 30 more minutes.

Have a blessed Saturday!!

Stay tuned for my next post: Breakfast Skillet in the Crockpot!!  As I write this, my children are eating this meal and raving about it. Breakfast in the crockpot is so wonderful, especially on busy mornings when we are going somewhere or when I go on a long morning run and don't have as much time to cook breakfast.

Day 17: Homemade Vegetable Soup

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Bastrop State Park to take an educational hike with a park ranger who helped the children to see the fire damage but also the way that nature is coming back and new life is returning to the area.  We needed to leave pretty early to get there, so I worked fast and got the soup ready before we left.  It was in the crockpot by 8:30 and we ae around 6:30 in the evening.  This is a pretty simple yet tasty meal.  We ate more than half of what was in the pot, but I'm still freezing the leftovers to have sometime either for lunch or on an evening when the whole family isn't eating together for some reason.  I'm thinking more and more that I want to bring out the large roaster oven and start trying out some of these recipes in there tripled or quadrupled.  This was another of David's choices.  So far, everything he has chosen has been well received by everyone!  I did double this recipe and it filled my 6-quart crockpot to the brim.

Homemade Vegetable Soup (from Fix it and Forget It Recipes for Entertaining)

1 lb. stewing meat, cut into pieces

1 bay leaf

1 small onion, diced

3 carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, sliced

3 potatoes, diced

14 1/2 ounce can stewed tomatoes, cut up

8-oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup frozen green beans

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped cabbage

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1. Season meat if desired (again, I used a Cuban cook's favorite go-to seasoning--Adobo) and place in bottom of slow cooker.  Add all other ingredients and stir to combine.  

2. Add water to fill pot or cover vegetables to desired amount.

3. Cover.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or more.

Today we will be making beef and dumplings!  Lots of beef dishes chosen by my boy!  Also, this evening I will be preparing a breakfast dish to be slow-cooked overnight for us to eat in the morning.  I LOVE doing that as well!

Enjoy your day, and find something for which to be thankful!  Yesterday was a good reminder for me--even in the midst of destruction and devastation as horrible as the damage caused by the Bastrop fires last year, God is the one who is making ALL THINGS NEW!!

 "Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'"

Revelation 21:5

Day 16: New Mexico Stew; an unusual meal, but quite popular with my family!

Following the Presidential election, my children decided that they wanted to have a little election in the Erdner household for President of our household.  The President would have certain responsibilities as well as some privileges.  One of the responsibilities would be to help plan the meals for the week. We held our election, and I decided to let the winner be president for 2 weeks, 2nd place would do it for 1 week, 3rd place would do it for 1 week as well.  

My 12-year-old son, David, wrote a convincing speech which included such promises as "more date nights for mom and dad while the children stay homeland watch family friendly films or play games."  So cute.  David (and his running-mate, Nina) won 1st place, and this is the first week of his term.  David helped me plan this week's menu.  I asked him to pick at least one crockpot recipe for every day.  His menu has been in place so far since Sunday.  The choice he wrote on the menu for last night was called "New Mexico Stew."  It's a very meat-and-potatoes kind of meal, whichTodd and I have been avoiding since going almost completely vegan a few months ago.  However, Todd said we should let the president plan, and he and I can always eat salad or makes green smoothie if desired.  We aren't really strict about the eating plan, but follow the principles in general.  This New Mexico Stew definitely did not fit in with the "Eat to Live" plan, but the kids have been missing meat-based meals.  This meal hit the spot for them!!  They DEVOURED it, and want me to make it again. 

The recipe is rather unusual, and as I placed the ingredients in the pot yesterday, I wasn't so sure about it...raw pork sausage crumbled on top of each layer of meat and potatoes...hmmm???  Well, everything cooked through well, and the flavors mixed in well.  The results were a HUGE hit with my family. Next time, I will definitely double this one.  I could even slow cook this one in my giant roaster oven (22-quart) and make a really large quantity of it if I want to have leftovers to freeze.  

New Mexico Stew

Makes 8 servings 

(there was room to double this in my 7-quart crockpot, so next time I will)

2 lbs. stewing meat or steak, cubed

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. oil

5-6 potatoes, cubed

6-8 carrots, diced

2 (4.25-oz.) cans chopped green chilies

1 1/2 lbs. raw pork sausage, crumbled (I only used 1 lb., and it was fine)

1. Salt and pepper stewing meat (I'm Cuban, so I did what I like to do with meat--seasoned it with Adobo instead of salt and pepper).  Brown in oil skillet.  (I omitted the oil--I think it's unnecessary.)

2.  Place half the stewing meat in the bottom of slow cooker.

3.  Layer half the vegetables and chilies over the beef.  Crumble half the sausage on top (yes, raw).  Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste (I sprinkled McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning--just a *little*).

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3, layering meat and vegetables and sausage once more to use up all ingredients.  Sprinkle salt and pepper or seasoning on that layer too).

5.  Cover.  Cook on high until ingredients begin to boil. Then turn cooker to low for 8-10 hours.  Do not lift lid, and do not stir during cooking.  (I put a little sign on the crockpot to warn everyone not to open lid--the children sometimes do that while something is cooking in the crockpot).

6.  Serve with a green salad and fresh bread.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Advent so far!  We love the traditions and warmth of this time of year!  Be blessed!!

Day 15: Easy Taco Soup

Today, I made a delicious EASY Taco Soup for dinner.  This was simple to make, and I had everything in the crockpot before lunch.  I LOVE that feeling!  My family loves Taco Soup, especially if it contains hominy!  We serve over thin tortilla chips with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and guacamole.  

I made one recipe of this, and there were leftovers.  It's enough to freeze, and we can stretch it farther by making cornbread casserole on the side the day we eat the leftover portion from the freezer--easy!

Taco Soup 

(Serves 8)

1 lb. ground beef (I substitute turkey meat, and that works well)!

1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix

1 envelope dry taco seasoning mix

3 (10-oz.) cans Ro-tel tomatoes, undrained

2 (21-oz.) cans pinto beans, undrained

1 (21-oz.) can hominy, undrained

1 (14.5-oz.) can stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 onion, chopped

2 cups water

1. Brown meat in skillet. Pour into slow cooker.

2. Add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  

3. Cover.  Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Serve over tortilla chips, with sour cream, guacamole, and cheese, if desired.

Note: Increase or decrease the amount of water you add to make the dish either stew-like or soup-like.