Slow Cooker Potato Soup

SERVES 8  |  PREP TIME 10 Min  |  COOK TIME 4 Hours 30 Min

10 slices cooked bacon, diced
3 cups chicken broth
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk or half-and-half or heavy cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
optional toppings: chives, extra shredded cheddar cheese and bacon

Add diced potatoes, diced onion, minced garlic, bacon, parsley and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 6-8 hours on low or on high for 3-4 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Once the soup has cooked, add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt. Whisk in the flour until completely combined and gradually add in the evaporated milk or heavy cream, depends which one you are using. Whisk the flour mixture until smooth. With the heat on the lowest stove setting, let the mixture cook until it starts to simmer and is getting thicker, stir occasionally.

Immediately add the milk-flour mixture to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

Using a potato masher, mash about 3/4 of the potatoes.

Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Stir well, until fully combined and creamy. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking the soup on low for 30 minutes or on high for 15 minutes.

COOK'S NOTES:  If the soup is too thick, add more chicken broth.

Serve warm, garnished with bacon, cheese and sour cream.

The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Recipe developed by Catalina Castavet for The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Slow Cooker Triple Cheesy Mac and Cheese

from The Simple Kitchen Cookbook by Chad and Donna Elick

SERVES 8  |  ACTIVE TIME 5 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 2 Hours 15 Min

1 pound cellentani pasta (also known as cavatappi), uncooked
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into 1-tbsp pieces
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1-oz pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh shredded pepper Jack cheese

Pour the uncooked pasta onto the bottom of your slow cooker. I love my 6-quart for this recipe. Scatter the butter and cream cheese pieces over the pasta. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper over the top and pour the milk and cream into the slow cooker. Stir to combine everything and smooth the pasta into one even layer coated in sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 1 to 2 hours, until the pasta is chewy (not quite crunchy, but very al dente). Your cook time will vary if you use a different pasta, so start with 1 hour and adjust from there. Stir once halfway through the cook time and be sure to smooth the pasta into one layer so it is well coated with the sauce. Once the pasta is ready, sprinkle on the cheddar and pepper Jack cheeses and stir to combine. The cheese will melt into the sauce to create the most luxurious creamy cheese sauce. Cover the mac and cheese and cook for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and it comes together. Stir before serving.

DONNA’S SIMPLE KITCHEN TIP: The cheese sauce will thicken as it cools. If you plan to hold the mac and cheese in the slow cooker on warm, add extra milk as needed to keep the sauce nice and creamy. Also, if you are going to refrigerate it to eat later, add enough milk to the pasta to thin out the sauce before refrigerating. That way when you pull it out, it will scoop easily and the mac and cheese will warm up perfectly in the microwave or on the stove top. We do this every week and portion it out for easy lunches.
Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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One-Pot Cheesy Greek Pasta with Chicken

from The Simple Kitchen Cookbook by Chad and Donna Elick

SERVES 6  |  ACTIVE TIME 15 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 30 Min

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and Italian herbs, drained
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (cut into ½" pieces)
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 lb linguine pasta, uncooked
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
8 cups baby spinach leaves, divided
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup Chardonnay
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Combine the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, olives, linguine, oregano, pepper and salt with 4 cups of the spinach in a 12-inch braising pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour the chicken stock and the wine over the top.

Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, until the pasta is al dente (has a bite to it). Toss the pasta with tongs occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You will still have some liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking; this is going to make the base for our delicious cheese sauce.

Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Toss the pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. Toss in the remaining 4 cups of spinach.

DONNA’S SIMPLE KITCHEN TIP: Grab two lids of the same size. You can use plasticware or lids from your fridge. Place one lid with the lip facing up, so you have an edge that will hold your food. Fill the lid with pitted kalamata olives. Place the second lid on top of the olives with the lip facing down. Firmly press down on the top lid. The two lips will hold the olives in place, so they do not roll off the lid. Slide your serrated knife between the lids and carefully slice through them. Watch your fingers. Now you have halved olives in the blink of an eye!

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

SERVES 12-24  |  ACTIVE TIME 15 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 1 Hour 15 Min

 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups honey roasted crunchy peanut butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup International Delight French Vanilla (liquid) Creamer

Add butter to a large microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat in the microwave until the butter is completely melted. Stir in the peanut butter. Once combined add the graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Stir until everything is completely incorporated.

Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking pan and spread evenly. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the ganache topping.

Heat creamer in the microwave until hot and steamy, about 1-2 minutes. Watch it carefully so it does not boil over. I use my 1 cup glass measuring cup.

Meawhile add the chocolate chips to a medium bowl. Pour the hot creamer over the chips and cover the bowl. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. You may have to heat the mixture in the microwave again if the cream was not hot enough. I do 30 seconds at a time and stir between intervals.

Pour the ganache over the peanut butter layer. Smooth into an even layer. 

Refrigerate 1-2 hours. Cut and serve. Store bars in the refrigerator.

DONNA'S NOTES: These bars freeze great!

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Cheesy Monte Cristo Bombs

SERVES 12  |  ACTIVE TIME 20 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 35 Minutes

1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 frozen white dinner roll dough balls
6 ounces greyere (or swiss) cheese, cut into 24 pieces
6 ounces medium cheddar cheese, cut into 24 pieces
1 (7 ounce) package Jones Dairy Farm Fully Cooked Ham Steak, diced
1/4 pound turkey, diced
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

berry jam, for serivng

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly flour the counter top.

In a small bowl beat the egg and heavy cream together, set aside.

Place 12 dinner rolls on a microwave safe plate and microwave on defrost for about 2 minutes (or until dough is no longer frozen, but not cooked).

Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Toss 1 dough ball in the flour and flatten and stretch it like you are making a mini pizza. Stretch the dough to about 3” across. Add 2 chunks of each cheese and about 1 tablespoon of diced ham and 1 scant tablespoon turkey to the center of the dough. Pull the edges of the dough together to create a ball. If the ball won’t seal, tap your finger tips into the flour and crimp the seal together.

Place the bombs on the baking sheet, crimped side down. Repeat until they are all on the baking sheet. Brush the bombs with the egg wash.

Bake the bombs for 12-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the bombs are no longer doughy. Brush with melted butter and allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then dust the bombs with powdered sugar.

Place them on a serving tray. Serve with berry jam. Enjoy!

DONNA'S NOTE: The ooey gooey cheese may escape some of your Monte Cristo bombs.  That is a beautiful thing!  Scoop all that cheesy goodness up onto the plate and serve.  Your guests will go crazy over them.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Buttercream

MAKES 3 Cups | ACTIVE TIME 10 Min | TOTAL TIME 10 Min

1 teaspoon espresso coffee powder
1 tablespoon International Delight French Vanilla Liquid Creamer
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, combine espresso powder and creamer. Stir until the espresso powder dissolves. Set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, cream the butter for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add pumpkin puree. Mix until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt and espresso mixture and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more creamer as needed until desired consistency is reached.

Enjoy on your favorite dessert, or with a spoon! We especially love it on our Pumpkin Spice Cake and Easy Chocolate Cake.

DONNA'S NOTES: This recipe will fill and frost a 2 layer, 9 inch cake or 24 cupcakes (12 with a stacked swirl).

It is tempting to use a pre-blended pumpkin pie spice. I would avoid that in this recipe, as the allspice would not work very well with the espresso.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Chocolate Lovers Brownie Biscotti

SERVES 24 | ACTIVE TIME 20 Min | TOTAL TIME 1 Hour

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons Medaglia D’Oro Espresso Instant Coffee
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks, divided
1 cup white chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare large baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in separate large mixing bowl using an electric mixer) cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. If you are using a large stand mixer you will need to scrape down the bowl a lot as this is a small recipe. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined.

Reserve 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Set aside.

Fold in the remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chunks, 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips. Divide the dough in half and place both halves on the prepared baking sheet.

Use your hands to form each dough half into a 12 inches long, 4 inches wide log (about 1 inch tall). If the dough is sticky, lightly dust hands with flour and then try forming again. Make sure that the logs are not touching each other or touching the sides

Bake for 30-35, or until the dough is slightly firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the biscotti logs to a cutting board and cut loaf diagonally into slices (about 1" thick) using a serrated knife. My bread knife worked wonderfully for this.

Put the slices on their sides on the baking sheet, separated so they are not touching, and bake for 10-15 minutes,or until crisp. Place on a cooling rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile microwave the remaining 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, in separate bowls, until melted. Put biscotti back together into a log shape, where the bottoms are back on the bottom and you have 2 logs of biscotti.

Drizzle the top of the biscotti logs with the white chocolate, in a zigzag pattern across the top of both logs. Then drizzle the semi-sweet across the tops in a zigzag pattern, starting at a the opposite corner so the you have a crisscross of the chocolates. Leave biscotti in log shape and refrigerate until the chocolate is firm.

Put the biscotti apart and store in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also store them in a freezer zip top bag for up to 3 weeks.

Serve with a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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