Broccoli Salad

This salad is great because it uses fresh broccoli, and it appeals to kids because it also has bacon.  It's quick to put together and it's great to make ahead of time.  In fact you don't want to eat it right after you put it together.  You want to let the dressing merry with the salad.  I've seen similar recipes, but I like this dressing better than others that have more sugar or Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise.  

Dressing:
Mix and let stand:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar

Salad:
2 bunches broccoli, wash and cut off flowerets
1/2 cup red onion
1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

Mix together and let stand and hour or more.

Crockpot Soft Tacos

One of my quick go-to-recipes is Taco's.  I wanted something quick, but that could make ahead and cook in the crockpot for a few hours, so I came up with this recipe.  It's great!  I made it at 4 pm, stuck it in the crockpot, ran to my son's basketball game and it was ready to eat when we got home!

I was going to use refried beans but I didn't have any in my pantry, so I just used kidney beans and mashed them up.  Use whatever you've got!  It's a little bit spicy, but wasn't too spicy for most of my kids (2 year old was the exception.)  If you want to make it really mild, just substitute a can of diced tomatoes for the can of diced tomatoes and green chilis.

I've found that corn tortillas are delicious if they are heated in a pan on the stove.  I'm not a fan of cold or microwaved corn tortillas - yuck!  Anyway, heat up the tortilla's and assemble your taco with your favorite toppings!  We love it topped with our favorite Guacamole recipe!

1 lb hamburger
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomatoes with green chili's
1/4 cup or 1 package taco seasoning  (I prefer McCormick)

Corn tortillas
lettuce
cheese
guacamole
tomatoes
slice olives

Brown hamburger and season with salt and pepper.  While cooking the meat, drain and rinse kidney beans and put in crockpot.  Smash kidney beans with a potato masher.  Add the following ingredients to the beans in the crockpot:  cooked hamburger, drained & rinsed black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with green chili's and taco seasoning.  Stir together.  Cook on low for 2 - 3 hours.  Serve with your favorite taco toppings!

Chicken Tikka Masala

I don't know about you, but dinner time at our house is always the busiest!  Talk about craziness!  There's scouts, baseball practice, basketball games, Young Men activities at our church, meetings at the school, not to mention trying to keep the boys on task with homework and chores!  The crockpot has become a tried and true friend!

When I found this recipe from the Table for Two blog I was excited to try it!  It's nice because there's not a lot of prep and it tastes like you've spent hours in the kitchen1  It's also great to find an Indian crockpot recipe!

I used chicken tenders and just left them whole.  If you use chicken breasts, cut them into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  It is a little spicy, but not too much.  If you like it mild just add a dash of cayenne pepper or leave it out completely.  This makes a huge batch!

20 - 24 chicken tenders or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 3 lbs)
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 (29 oz) can of tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)

Place chicken in the crockpot.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients from onion down through the cayenne pepper.  Pour on top of the chicken.  Place the bay leaves on top.  Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.  I used frozen chicken tenders and cooked it on high for 1 hour and low for 7 hours.  When it's done take out the bay leaves.  Whisk the cream and cornstarch in a small bowl then stir into the chicken mixture.  Let it cook for 20 more minutes to thicken.

Serve over rice.  You can top it with parsley or cilantro.