Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (35 page)

1. In medium skillet, sauté onion, celery, and red bell pepper in butter until soft.

2. Mix sautéed vegetables, cooked potatoes, chicken broth, creamed corn, frozen corn, salt if you wish, pepper, dill, and smoked salmon in slow cooker.

3. Cover. Cook on High 1 hour.

4. Reduce heat to Low and cook 3-4 hours.

5. One half hour prior to serving, add milk and cheese, and hot pepper sauce and sour cream if you wish, to Chowder in slow cooker.

6. Cover and continue cooking 25-30 minutes, or until cheese has melted and chowder is fully heated.

Note:

Our family always goes to Christmas Eve Services, and we enjoy corn chowder on our return home. During a trip to Alaska, I was served a delicious corn chowder with smoked salmon. Now I’ve added that to our favorite recipe.

The rest of the menu for our Christmas Eve Buffet: cold steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce, cocktail meatballs in a small slow cooker, fresh vegetables with Ranch dip, assorted cheeses and crackers. Plus hot mulled cider or wine in a large slow cooker. And, of course, coconut cake, fruit, and cookies.

Corn and Shrimp Chowder

Naomi E. Fast
, Hesston, KS

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes • Cooking Time: 3-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

4 slices bacon, diced

1 cup chopped onions

2 cups diced, unpeeled red potatoes

2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen corn

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. pepper

2 6-oz. cans shrimp

2 cups water

¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter

12-oz. can evaporated milk

chopped chives

1. Fry bacon in skillet until lightly crisp. Add onions to drippings and sauté until transparent. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon and onions to slow cooker.

2. Add remaining ingredients to cooker, except milk and chives. Stir together well.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.

4. Add milk and chives 30 minutes before end of cooking time.

Serving suggestion: Serve with
broccoli salad
.

Note:

I learned to make this recipe in a 7
^th
-grade home economics class. It made an impression on my father who liked seafood very much. The recipe calls for canned shrimp, but I often increase the taste appeal with extra cooked shrimp.

Variation:

I frequently use frozen hash brown potatoes for speedy preparation. There is no difference in the taste.

Wonderful Clam Chowder

Carlene Horne

Bedford, NH

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

2 12-oz. cans evaporated milk

1 evaporated milk can of water

1 small onion, chopped

2 small potatoes, diced

2 6-oz. cans whole clams, undrained

6-oz. can minced clams, undrained

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

¼ cup water

1. Combine all ingredients except clams, cornstarch, and ¼ cup water in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours, or until vegetables are tender, or nearly so.

3. One hour before end of cooking time, stir clams with their juice into slow cooker.

4. Immediately following that, mix cornstarch and ¼ cup water together in small bowl. When smooth, stir into soup. Stir until soup thickens.

5. Cover and continue cooking another 50 minutes or so.

Clam Chowder

Ruth Shank

Gridley, IL

Makes 8-12 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

2 10¾-oz. cans cream of potato soup

10¾-oz. can cream of celery soup

2 6½-oz. cans minced clams, drained

3 slices bacon, diced and fried

1 soup can of water

1 small onion, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh parsley

dash of dried marjoram

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

pepper to taste

2 soup cans of milk

1. Combine all ingredients, except 2 soup cans of milk, in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 2-3 hours.

3. Twenty minutes before end of cooking time, stir in milk. Continue cooking until heated through.

One night during December the children like to sleep by the Christmas tree.

Karen Sauder, Adamstown, PA

Oyster Stew

Nadine Martinitz

Salina, KS

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 cup celery, chopped

3 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 8-oz. cans whole stewing oysters with their juices

4 cups hot milk,
or
2 cups milk and 2 cups light cream

salt & pepper

sherry,
optional

paprika

1. In a large skillet, simmer celery in butter until tender.

2. Add Worcestershire sauce and oysters with their juices. Heat just until oysters begin to curl.

3. Place oyster mixture in slow cooker. Add milk and salt and pepper to taste. Season with sherry if you wish.

4. Keep hot in slow cooker turned on Low until time to serve.

5. Serve steaming in bowls, garnished with a sprinkling of paprika.

Beef Main Dishes