This is a great kid-friendly recipe, I like to use when I find the large family packs of chicken on sale. I sometimes even buy the 10 pound bags, use half for the recipe (I have a 6 qt. slow cooker) and freeze the other half for later. This recipe also uses my stock-pile of canned tomatoes, I get on sale with corresponding coupons.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of chopped onion
3-5 lbs of chicken parts (skin removed)
28 oz. diced canned tomatoes
6 oz can of tomato paste
1 bell pepper
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Add onion to slower cooker.
2. Cover with chicken.

3. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl.
4. Pour over chicken.

5. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours.
6. Discard Bay leaf.

Serve over egg noodles or other pasta.

If you’re planning to make Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick’s Day, this is a great recipe to try.  You can make 1 large loaf or cut in half to make 2 smaller loaves which would be great for serving at multiple meals.

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup of oil or a stick butter or margarine (I used butter)
1 c raisins
1 c buttermilk
2 eggs

Directions:

1. Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles course crumbs.
2. Mix egg and buttermilk together and then add to flour mixture.
3. Stir flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Add raisins. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly.
4. Shape into one large round loaf or divide dough in half and shape into two round loaves.

5. Flatten top and brush with oil or buttermilk.
6. With a sharp knife  cut a “x” into the loaf or loaves.
7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

A special thanks to my mother-in-law, Josephine who provided me with this family recipe many years ago.

See our crockpot corned beef and cabbage recipe to go with your meal!

Are you looking for a Greek Moussaka Recipe?  You can use lamb or ground beef for this recipe, whichever you are able to find on sale.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant trimmed and cut in thick slices
2 large potatoes, peeled, sliced thick and precooked to a nearly done state
Olive oil (EVOO)
2 medium onions, sliced
1 lb ground lamb (substitute beef if you must)
1 large can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon dried oregano
4 oz dry red wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bechamel  (Mornay?) Sauce with Parmesan:
3 oz butter
4 level tablespoons flour
1 pint milk warmed
Ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
2 oz grated Parmesan

1. Baste the eggplant slices with olive oil and partially cook, turning once, on a hot gas grill. Alternatively, bake in very hot oven, turning once, or on stove with fry pan. Browning on grill leaves attractive grill marks and is the least messy.
2. In a large saute pan, lace bottom with EVOO and add onions over medium to medium high heat. Soften onions and add ground meat, allowing to brown and using spoon to breakup. Add tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, wine, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 20-30 minutes until liquid is thick and mostly gone.
3. For the sauce, melt butter over low heat. Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter stirring continuously to make a paste. Gradually add warm milk whisking continuously  and let thicken, but not boil, over low to medium heat. Remove from heat. Whisk in beaten eggs and nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until thick, remove from heat again and stir in Parmesan.
4. Build the moussaka by layering in ½  the eggplant, ½ the potatoes, and all the meat sauce in a 9×13 or larger baking dish. Cover the meat sauce with remaining eggplant and potatoes. Cover this with the white sauce, evenly spread out. Bake at 350 deg for 45-55 minutes until top is golden brown.

I like to serve this hot with a contrastingly cool salad such as cucumbers and sweet onion, very thinly sliced, in a dressing of equal parts (tablespoon or 2 each per cucumber) of vegetable oil (not olive) and red wine vinegar plus sugar, oregano, cracked pepper and salt (chilled for several hours before serving).

Many thanks to my Step-Dad for this recipe!