Recipes--A few crockpot dinners

Good Morning!  Another week is upon us and I've got a few crock pot dinner recipes for you.  I hope you see one that you like.

Country-Style Pork Ribs
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 to 12 hours (low) or 5 to 6 hours (high) + 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
2-1/2 to 3 pounds country-style pork ribs
1-1/2 cups vegetable juice cocktail
1/2 of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) tomato paste
1/4 cup molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

Directions
1. Place onion in a 3-1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place ribs on top of onion in cooker. In a medium bowl stir together remaining ingredients. Reserve 1 cup juice cocktail mixture for sauce; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining juice cocktail mixture over ribs.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.
3. For sauce, in a small saucepan heat reserved juice cocktail mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Transfer ribs to serving platter; discard cooking liquid. Serve sauce with ribs. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Chicken with Mushroom Stuffing
Prep: 40 minutes
Cook: 4 to 5 hours (high)

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons finely shredded lemon peel
1 tablespoon ground sage
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
8 small chicken legs (drumstick-thigh portion) (about 5 pounds), skinned
1/4 cup butter
4 cups quartered or sliced fresh mushrooms, such as cremini, baby portobello, shiitake, and/or button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 cups sourdough baguette cut into 1-inch pieces (about 10 ounces)
1 cup coarsely shredded carrot (2 medium)
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian parsley

Directions
1. Lightly coat the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the lemon peel. In a small bowl stir together the remaining lemon peel, the sage, seasoned salt, and pepper. Remove three-quarters of the sage mixture and rub onto chicken legs. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook mushrooms and garlic in hot butter over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until just tender. Stir in remaining sage mixture. Transfer mushroom mixture to a large bowl. Add baguette pieces and carrot. Drizzle with broth, tossing gently to combine. Lightly pack stuffing on top of chicken in cooker.
3. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Using a slotted spoon, transfer stuffing and chicken to a serving platter; discard juices in cooker. In a small bowl combine reserved 1 teaspoon lemon peel, the walnuts and parsley. Sprinkle nut mixture over chicken and stuffing before serving. Makes 8 servings

Italian Chicken and Pasta
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 5 to 6 hours (low) or 2 1/2 to 3 hours (high)

Ingredients
1 9-ounce package frozen Italian-style green beans
1 cup fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 14-1/2-ounce can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 6-ounce can Italian-style tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces dried fettuccine, cooked and drained
Finely shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (optional)  

Directions
1. In a 3-1/2- or4-quart slow cooker stir together green beans, mushrooms, and onion. Place chicken on vegetables in cooker.
2. In a small bowl stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Pour over chicken in cooker.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2- 1/2 to 3 hours. Serve chicken mixture over hot cooked fettuccine. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.
4. For a 1-1/2-quart slow cooker: Prepare as above, except use 1 cup green beans, 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1 small onion, 8 ounces chicken thighs, one 8-ounce can tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 clove garlic, and 3 ounces dried fettuccine. Stir 1 chopped Roma tomato into cooker just before serving. Cover and cook as above. If cooker does not have heat settings, cook for 4 to 5 hours. Makes 2 (1-1/4 cup) servings.

Our nephew leaves for Cleveland on the 10th and then for boot camp on the 11th.  I'd like to wish him the best and let him know how proud we all are of him.  We hosted the party that his dad and step mother threw for him on Saturday.  It is so hard to imagine this child becoming a soldier.

His father and Cathy are so proud of him, as we all are.  We wish you the best of luck John Jr.  Grandpa would be so honored to have you following in his footsepts.

Have a great day & hugs to all my friends!

Tags: recipes, Country-Style Pork Ribs, Chicken with Mushroom Stuffing, Italian Chicken and Pasta, crock pot meals, dinner