Homemade Apple Butter

Here is a recipe I want to try:

Ingredients

• apples -enough to fill your crock pot very full.
• 1 -2 cups sugar (to taste)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt

Procedure

Peel, core and slice your apples. This is where the apple, peeler, corer, slicer comes in handy. It will cut your time in half.

If you are planning on canning apple butter, apple sauce or just plain apples. It really is handy. If you use one, see instructions that came with it.

If you do not have one of these, just prepare your apples the old-fashioned way, with a knife. If you do this with a knife, chop your apples up small.

Put your apples into your crock pot. Fill it up to the brim. The apples will settle quite a bit as they cook and soften.

In a bowl mix sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour this mixture over the apples.
Cover and cook approximately 10 hours. Stir occasionally.

As the apples cook you will be able to go from stirring with a spoon to a whisk. They will whisk up nice and smooth.

The color will get darker and darker as the apple butter thickens as well. I love to let them cook good and long. It makes the apple butter so yummy.

Tip: Start these in the evening. Cook on high for an hour just before going to bed. Turn down to low and give them a good stir. In the morning whisk them up.

Let the apple butter cook down to your desired consistency. It will end up with a nice scrumptious browned color. You can leave the lid off for the last hour or two to get a thicker consistency. Fill your jars leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims clean, remove any air bubbles and place your lids.

Read more: http://www.simplycanning.com/canning-apple-butter.html#ixzz1isVDSWNn

Slow Cooker Asian Tomato Beef

from Campbell's Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 7 hr. 15 min.  


Ingredients:

• 2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 boneless beef round steak (3 to 3 1/2 pounds), cut into strips
• Hot cooked rice

Directions:

Stir the soup, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper and beef in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Stir in the broccoli. Increase the heat to HIGH. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender-crisp.  Serve the beef mixture with the rice. Time-Saving: This recipe may also be cooked on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. Serving Suggestion: Serve with steamed diced carrots. For dessert serve oatmeal raisin cookies. Makes: 8 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each).

Crockpot Ratatouille

Ingredients:

• 1- 19 oz. can tomatoes, with juice, broken up
• 1 small eggplant, with peel, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 medium green or red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup chili sauce or ketchup
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 cups sliced zucchini, with peel, 1/4" thick
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

How to Prepare:
Measure all ingredients into crock pot. Stir, and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4- 4 1/2 hours. I serve this over rice.

Crockpot Cranberry Applesauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 8 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick, halved
• 6 whole cloves
• fresh ground nutmeg

How to Prepare:
Combine cranberries, apples and sugar in a slow cooker. Place cinnamon and cloves in center of 6" square piece of cheesecloth. Pull up around sides, and tie to form pouch. Place in pot. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours or until cranberries and apples are very soft.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

• 2 cups onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 15oz. cans tomato sauce
• 1 14oz. can Italian style peeled, chopped tomatoes, drained
• 2 Tbsp. red wine (optional)
• 1 6oz. can tomato paste
• 2 lbs. chicken breast, boned and skinned
• 1-2 1/2oz. pkgs. dried portobello mushrooms, reconstituted
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp.dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

How to Prepare:
In a 2-3 qt. microwaveable casserole dish, microwave first 3 ingredients for 10 mins. at 100% until onions are transparent. Preheat 4-5qt. crockpot to low heat. Scrape onions into pot and add remaining ingredients. Cook in crock pot on low for 4 1/2 hours. Serve over your favorite pasta with steamed veggies. Can be frozen up to one month.