Easy Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff

I'm usually not a fan of "open and dump recipes", but they do have a certain level of comfort on a blustery cold day that you don't want to go out and get fresh ingredients. I needed to make something with what I had to avoid going out in sub-zero temperatures. This turned out very well.

6 potatoes, scrubbed and thickly sliced (leave the skins on)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c dijon mustard
1 c sour cream
1 T dried dill
1/3 c dried shallots or french fried onions (you can buy large containers of dried shallots in an Asian grocery store very inexpensively)
Tajn Classico seasoning, about 1 tsp
salt, about 1 tsp
black pepper, about 1 tsp

Put sliced potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Tajin seasoning. Put chicken breasts on top and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Tajin seasoning. Mix the soups and mustard together in a separate bowl and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. In the last hour add dried shallots, dill, and sour cream. Cook for one more hour.

Prepare one 16 oz package of egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain and add a few pats of butter so they don't stick together.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and slice. Put sliced chicken back in the slow cooker and mix into the sauce.  Serve chicken over egg noodles with a green salad.

Note: IF there are not sub-zero temperatures, go out and get some fresh mushrooms, 2 shallots to throw in there, too.

Lamb Shanks/Chops in the Crock Pot

I just made some Majorcan Eggplant and the recipe suggested that it would be tasty with lamb. I had two lamb shanks in the freezer, so I put them in the crock pot thinking that I could go to the store and get some more to add to it, but there were no lamb shanks anywhere! Apparently they are strictly a fall item.  I added some lamb chops to the crock pot instead. My house smells so good. mmmm.

4 lamb shanks (or 2 lamb shanks and 3 lamb chops; or two lamb shanks and a 2.5 lb boneless leg roast)
2 lg onions cut into rings
10 cloves of garlic
1 lb sliced mushrooms
1-2 tsp or a couple of glugs of Worcestershire sauce
salt
Trader Joe's South African Smoked Pepper
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
4-5 smallish tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c double-strength beef broth
1/2 c red wine
1 T Herbes de Provence
1 bay leaf

Place the sliced onions on the bottom of the crock pot. Salt and pepper the lamb generously and place on top of the onions. Add the garlic, mushrooms and bay leaf. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce.

Mix the tomatoes, beef broth, wine, herbs, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Add to the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with Majorcan Eggplant and rice.

Note: You can convert the leftovers into an easy cassoulet. I shredded the remaining meat in the sauce and put it in a casserole dish. I added some broth, white beans and sprinkled the top with bread crumbs. and baked in a 350 oven until everything was nice and bubbly. It was amazing.