Crockpot Lasagna

12 Lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
1 carton (16 ounces) cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Break noodles in half. Place half of the noodles in bottom of greased 4-quart slow cooker. Stir Italian seasoning into meat and spread half over the noodles already in slow cooker. Then layer half of the sauce and water, half of cottage cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layer. Cover and cook on low heat 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours. Makes 6-8 servings.

For mine I used Turkey Sausage instead of the ground beef. Then I took a can of tomato sauce and mixed half a package of spaghetti seasoning in it. I also filled the can with water and mixed that with the tomato sauce. I substituted this for the jar of spaghetti sauce. The kids really liked it along with Ryan.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Thanks everyone for the dinner ideas for the missionaries! I am looking forward to winter coming so I can make soups for them! I love soup but just can't eat it in the summer! But, here is the latest meal I fed the Elders. It was really good! My husband really loved it! It is call the "Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork" from a blog called the Bitten Word. Here is the recipe and the way I did it:

-One 5 to 6 pound boneless Boston butt pork roast or the same weight of boneless country-style pork ribs
-1/4 cup Cheater Basic Rub*
-1/2 cup liquid smoke
-BBQ sauce of your choice

Cut the pork up into 2 to 3 inch cubes. Place in slow cooker and coat meat with Cheater Rub. Pour liquid smoke over meat. Cook on high 5 to 6 hours or 10 to 12 hours on low. When meat is done, take it out of slow cooker and shread with 2 forks. Add a little of the juice from the slow cooker to the meat. Coat with you favorite BBQ sauce and serve on hamberger buns. Makes 12 to 14 servings.

*Cheater Basic Dry Rub:
Makes 2/3 cup

-1/4 c paprika
-2 TBSP kosher salt
-2 TBSP coarsely ground black pepper
-1 TBSP garlic powder
-1 TBSP dry mustard powder

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake to blend.


~Sarah T.

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

I love these 2 books! And from one of these 2 books I got this recipe! Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken. It is really good and I would say, pretty healthy!

Here is how you make it!

2 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 c broth

1 c salsa

1 can (15 oz) corn, drained

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained

1 package taco seasoning

1/2 sour cream

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Place chicken in greased 3 1/2 to 5 qt. slow cooker. Pour broth, salsa, corn, beans and taco seasoning over chicken. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon. Mix in sour cream and cheese into sauce in slow cooker, then pour over chicken.

We put our over brown rice and it is very good!

Here is a few tips for using your slow cooker- 1st, always spray your slow cooker with Pam or some kind of non-stick spray. It really helps when it's time to clean up! 2nd, always make sure you use the size of slow cooker that the recipe calls for. 3rd, never open the lid while the food is cooking! It adds up to 20 mintues of cooking each time you open it!

~Sarah T.