We stayed in Dallas through Tuesday night, which was my mother-in-law’s birthday.  We had so much food, I decided to make a wonderful hot spiced drink I have made in the past.  My children always loved Wassail, and we have had it most years during the chilly days around Christmas.  This new recipe was a big hit!  Most of the people who tried it loved this, and we heated up the leftovers yesterday, and finished it off.  One recipe fills a 6-qt. crock pot.

Christmas Wassail
Ingredients:
1 gallon cider
6-oz. container frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
6-oz. container frozen lemonade concentrate
1/2-1 cup brown sugar, depending on how sweet you want it
1 tsp. whole nutmeg (I used about 3-4 pieces–they are large)
1 Tbsp. whole cloves
1 Tbsp. whole allspice
orange slices (optional)
cinnamon sticks

Instructions:
1. Combine cider, orange juice and lemonade concentrates, and brown sugar in slow cooker.  Mix well.
2.  Place nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in a piece of cheese cloth.  Tie shut with string (may sound funny, but I always use plain unwaxed dental floss to tie off).  Add to juice in slow cooker.
3.  Cover.  Cook on low 2-8 hours, until the wassail is as hot as you like it.  I think it needs to simmer longer rather than shorter in order for the spices to seep into the juices well.  I always just simmer it all day.
4.  Float orange slices, if desired, and cinnamon sticks in the wassail, once it is ready to be served.  Ladle from slow cooker to serve.

Day 29:  Gingerbread Pudding Cake
We needed a little extra dessert for the birthday festivities, so I made a spice cake that cooks right in the crock pot.  This was well-received by everyone who tried it.  Definitely one I will make again.  This is best made in a smaller crock pot.

Ingredients:
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp.  baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp.  ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp.  ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used more like 1/4 cup)
6 Tbsp. brown sugar

Instructions:
1. Spray interior of slow cooker with cooking spray.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, cream 4 Tbsp. butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg white and vanilla.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine molasses and water until blended.
4.  In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and spices.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beating well after each addition.
5.  Fold in pecans.  Spoon into slow cooker.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.
6.  In a small bowl, combine hot water and 5 2/3 Tbsp. butter. Pour over batter.  Do not stir.
7.  Cover.  Cook on High 2 – 2 1/2 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.  There will be a pool of buttery sauce in the center.
8.  Turn off slow cooker.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Serve cake warm.

Still in Dallas, so I made a side dish that would compliment any meat main dish well.  It calls for French-fried onions, which are supposed to be divided and layered into the casserole.  Next time I make this, I will use only 1/4 of the onions per layer, and then put the remaining 1/2 of the French-fied onions into the pot towards the end of cooking so that they stay crunchy.  I found them a bit soggy layered into the dish.  Otherwise, this was a good side dish.  People enjoyed this addition to our main dish of pork loin.  I doubled this, and actually used two 6-oz. bags of the french fried onions for my double recipe

Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
14 1/2-oz. can green beans, drained, divided
3 1/2-oz. can French-fried onions, divided
8-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained, divided
10 3/4-oz. can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions:
1.  Alternate layers of half beans, 1/4 of the onions, half the cheese, and half the water chestnuts in slow cooker.  Repeat.
2.  Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Pour over vegetables in slow cooker.
3.  Cover and cook on Low 3-4 hours.
4.  A few minutes before serving, sprinkle remaining French-fried onions over the top of the casserole.

I love trying new recipes, but I am also a bit cautious, because of course, I am feeding the masses with my cuisine.  But every now and then I will just try something to see what happens.  We had some leftovers in the fridge as backup in case.  I only made one batch of this instead of doubling because I just didn’t know what the family would think of it, and I really don’t like wasting food.  This actually made a decent amount, but since EVERYONE LOVED IT, it was gone in a flash!  I barely eked out a bowlful for myself after everyone else had their share (and a few people got seconds).  I don’t even remember why I didn’t get a serving when everyone else was.  Maybe I was washing extra bowls for everyone since we had run out.  Whatever the reason, this meal went quickly enough that I almost didn’t get any while I was doing whatever I was doing in a pretty short period of time!  Next time I make this, I will definitely double it to feed my family of 12.  My 7-quart crock pot had room for a lot more.  For the average family, this amount should be perfect.  So, all that to say–this was surprisingly good and you should try this on your crew!

Sauerkraut-Sausage Bean Soup
Ingredients:
3 15-oz. cans white beans, undrained
16-oz. can sauerkraut, drained and rinsed well (I didn’t get the kind with caraway seeds)
1 lb. link sausage, cooked and thinly sliced (I used 20 oz., and it was perfect)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
Water and/or tomato juice to thin soup, if desired

Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2.  Use water and/or tomato juice to thin soup to desired consistency.  I used about 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 cups tomato juice to thin the soup.  I didn’t want it as thick as it would have been otherwise.  I think it turned out great with those added amounts of both water and tomato juice.  But if you like your soup thicker or more stew-like, skip adding the water and juice.
3.  Cover.  Cook on high 2-3 hours.

Serve with cornbread muffins on the side.

I have been trying to avoid too much meat in our menu for various reasons.  Chicken is healthy, but isn’t always affordable when you are trying to feed a large family on a fixed budget.  Lots of the recipes I have been using are bean-based with some meat mixed in.  I decided that this week, we would bring in a little chicken.  I really do love having chicken for dinner, so this was a good thing.  I found a great price for boneless, skinless chicken breasts at HEB, so I stocked up a little for future recipes as well.

Day 16: Brunswick Stew
This is a very interesting dish.  I was looking for something different, because it’s easy to get into a rut with cooking.  The challenge, of course, is finding something most of the children will like as well.  I don’t even say all of the children, of course.  Very rarely does a recipe really appeal to ALL of the children.  This meal is really good!  It has a warm, smokey flavor, and it was wonderful served over brown rice.  Everyone did enjoy it, and it makes a LOT, so I froze enough for a future meal!  I didn’t double this recipe, and I still had to use my large crock pot and put the overflow into my 4-qt. pot as well.  I really need at least an 8-qt. crock pot.  This recipe would fit perfectly into a true 8-qt. crock pot.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Reserved chicken broth (from cooking chicken)
2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used lean ground turkey, and it was great)
2 cans creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups ketchup
1 cup mild barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 large sweet onions, chopped
15-oz. can sweet peas
1 qt. stewed tomatoes (I used 4 cans sliced stewed tomatoes, undrained)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. In a good-sized stock pot, cook chicken in 2″ of water.  Cover and cook slowly, just until meat is tender, but not at all dry.
2.  Remove chicken to a platter and allow to cool, reserving broth.  When cool enough to handle, cut chicken into small chunks.
3.  Meanwhile, brown ground beef (or ground turkey) in a large skillet.  Stir occasionally to break up clumps.  Brown until meat is no longer pink.
4.  Place 1 cup chicken broth in slow cooker, reserving the rest of the broth for later use if necessary).
5.  Drain drippings off browned ground beef (or turkey).  Add to slow cooker.
6.  Stir all other ingredients into slow cooker, mixing with meats.
7.  Cover.  Cook on low 4 hours.

Notes:
1.  Add more broth if the stew gets thicker than you like.  Use canned broth, if needed.
2.  Serve over rice or noodles, if desired.  We served with brown rice, and it was perfect.

Day 17: Simple Chicken and Rice
Todd’s mother used to make a meal like this in the oven.  When we were first dating, Todd wanted me to get the recipe from her to make this.  It was the first time I ever talked on the phone with my future mother-in-law!  This slow cooker meal reminds me a lot of that recipe.  This quantity perfectly fed my family, and everyone got as much as they wanted.  There was even a little left over for Todd to take to work today for lunch!

Ingredients:
2 cups dry instant rice (they do have an instant brown rice, which we used–probably not as healthy as the real thing, but it was good)
10 1/4-oz. can cream of chicken soup
10 1/4-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
10 1/4-oz. can cream of celery soup
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, melted
1 soup can water
10 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, or 1 large chicken, cut into 10-12 pieces.  ( I prefer boneless, but some people really like the flavor using bone-in chicken gives the meal.)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Instructions:
1.  Place rice in large slow cooker.  I used my 7-qt. cooker, and there was only a little room to spare)
2.  Combine soups, butter, and water in a large bowl.  Pour half over rice, spreading with a spoon to cover the rice.
3.  Lay chicken over rice.  Pour remaining soup mixture over chicken.
4.  Sprinkle with dry onion soup mix.
5.  Cover.  Cook on Low 4-5 hours, or until chicken is done but not dry, and rice is tender but not mushy.

Serve with steamed broccoli or other steamed vegetable and a salad for a nice meal.

Yesterday was my daughter’s 14th birthday.  For birthdays, I always allow the birthday child to choose what they would like for dinner.  With rare exceptions, my children usually choose a family favorite we call “Poppy Seed Chicken.”  So, Nina chose this family favorite as well.  I still wanted to make something in the crock pot, of course, so I made broccoli cornbread (recipe from day 7), and a new recipe–Bread pudding.  This stuff was so good, and it was a nice alternative to cake for the adults present  at the birthday dinner.  I doubled this recipe, and it turned out beautifully in my 7-quart crock pot.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients: 
8 slices bread (raisin bread is especially good), cubed
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar1/4 cup melted butter, or margarine
1/2 cup raisins (use only 1/4 cup if using raisin bread)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter, or margarine
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions: 
1. Place bread cubes in greased slow cooker.  I recommend using a crock pot liner for this recipe.
2. Beat together eggs and milk.  Stir in  butter, sugar, raisins, and cinnamon.  Pour over bread and stir.
3. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour.  Reduce heat to Low and cook for 3-4 hours, or until thermometer reaches 160 degrees.
4.  Make sauce just before pudding is done baking.  Begin by melting butter in saucepan.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually add water, sugar, and vanilla.  Bring to a boil.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until thickened.
5. Serve warm sauce over pudding.

Variations:

1.  Use dried cherries instead of raisins.  Use cherry flavoring instead of vanilla.
2. Use 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg, instead of 1/2 tsp. ground in pudding.
3. Use 8 cups day-old unfrosted cinnamon rolls instead of the bread.
4. Use 1/4 tsp. vanilla and 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg instead of 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.