Turkey in a Pot

I discovered this recipe in an old Quick Cooking magazine (Taste of Home) many years ago. It's different from plain old turkey breast and has a ton of flavor. Don't be afraid of the seasonings, I have family that don't like cranberry sauce and sweet flavors for dinner and they enjoyed this very much. Add the fact that it's easy and cooks in a crockpot and we have a winner! It makes plenty for my family with enough leftovers for lunch the next day. It's a 5 out of 5 thumbs up for us!

I served it with green beans and baked potatoes, just keeping with the theme of simplicity.

Turkey in a Pot

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless turkey breast (3 to 4 pounds), halved
• 1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup apple juice (I have substituted pineapple juice with no problem)
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon browning sauce, optional

Directions:

• Place the turkey skin side up in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, apple juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, cinnamon, cloves and allspice; pour over turkey. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.
• Remove turkey to a cutting board; keep warm. Strain cooking juices. In a saucepan, combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir in strained juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in browning sauce if desired. Serve with sliced turkey. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Mongolian Beef

I just love Pinterest! I find so many fattening desserts, cookies, and other yummies there. I swear I can feel the pounds packing on just looking at that stuff! I also find ideas for lunch and dinner and I like to try new recipes. I am always careful and check the actual link, read reviews, and look at ingredients first though. And I have made a couple things that did NOT turn out.

Anyway, the Mongolian Beef is a Pinterest find. It got 3 out of 4 thumbs up from my family (#5 was sick so I didn't count her and I don't think she would have liked it). There are a few things I would change next time. The flavor was good, but I think I will leave the green onions out of the slow cooker and use them as a topping only. The biggest complaint was the texture of the sauce. Next time I won't coat the steak in cornstarch. With those changes, I think I will get 4 out of 4! Also, I think mine was done after 4 hours on low, I tasted it at that point and the meat was perfect, but I left it in another hour because hubby wasn't home from work yet. In that extra time, it started to get slightly chewy.

****I want to add that this was even better leftover the next day, definitely a keeper!

Here is the original Six Sisters recipe:


Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak, cut into stir-fry sized strips
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 medium green onions, chopped

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place cornstarch in a bowl. Coat each piece of steak in cornstarch and place in crock pot. Discard any remaining cornstarch. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over beef in crock pot. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice, topped with additional sliced green onions.

Beef and Noodles

Another family recipe, this one is from my mother-in-law. My older kids love it, my younger one prefers just the noodles with a little gravy. I think it's the texture of the meat or something. Anyway. My mother-in-law only uses the soups and meat. I prefer to add carrots and potatoes, that way it's more like a stew. Serve over cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes!

Beef and Noodles

1 can french onion soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can beefy mushroom soup
1.5 to 2lbs stew meat
Carrots and potatoes (optional)
Hot cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Peel and chop the carrots and potatoes into 1" chunks. Or be lazy like me and just use a small bag of baby carrots. Place the vegetables in to bottom of a crockpot. Put the stew meat on top of the carrots and potatoes. Mix the soups together and pour on top of everything. I like to give it a little stir to break up the meat, but it's not really necessary. Set the crockpot on low and let it cook until dinner time (about 8 hours). Or if you forget to start it in the morning and remember around lunch, then it's best to set it on high (4-5 hours). Prepare the noodles or mashed potatoes and serve with the stew on top. Yummy!