Common Cuisine |

• 2 ½ to 4 lb chuck roast, cut into 1″ squares
• 1 pkt dry brown gravy mix
• 4 potatoes, cut into chunks
• 6 carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 onion, cut into thick slivers
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup water

Place meat pieces in slow cooker. Sprinkle gravy powder over meat and stir.

Add vegetables to pot. Stir gently.

Mix water and wine. Pour over contents of pot.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Serves 4 to 6.

• 16 oz apricot preserves
• 1/3 cup yellow mustard
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 2 lbs precooked mini smoked sausage

Mix together apricot preserves and mustard. Stir in green onions and sausages. Cover and cook on low 4½ to 5 hours.

• 1 2½ to 3 pound beef roast (round, shoulder or brisket)
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 can beer
• 1 envelope dried onion soup mix

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients. Place roast in crock-pot. Pour sauce over roast and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

Meat is done when it is so tender it can be pulled apart with a fork into shreds or pieces.

Serve on buns with barbecue sauce. Serves 4 to 6.

Perfect to start on a chilly morning, along with the bread machine, for a hearty late lunch or supper.

• 1 2½ to 3 pound beef roast (round, shoulder or brisket)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp coarsely cracked pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 envelope dried onion soup mix
• ¼ cup water
• 4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 cups cubed fresh zucchini
• 1 whole onion, cut into wedges
• 1 cup baby carrots (optional)

Season roast with salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour oil into large saucepan, and brown roast on all sides. Place browned roast in crock-pot.

In a small bowl, combine soup mix with water. Pour mixture over the roast and cook on low for 4 to 4½ hours. During last ½ hour of cooking, place vegetables in crock-pot.

At end of cooking time, remove roast to cutting board and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Use sauce in crock-pot to make gravy, if desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

You can use any kind of cream soup here, for a variety of results. You can also add vegetables in the last 30-60 minutes, such as fresh mushrooms with mushroom soup, asparagus tips with asparagus soup, etc.

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 onion, cut into slivers

Place chicken bites into slow cooker, then onion.

Stir together cream cheese and soup. Pour over top of chicken and onions, then mix gently.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. High setting not recommended.

Serves 6.

Here is about the easiest way I’ve ever seen to make French Dip. It’s very tasty, too! You can also thicken the sauce with cornstarch and call it Roast Beef with Gravy. Serve with the kind of refrigerator biscuits that peel into thin layers.

• 2.5 to 4 pound chuck roast
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 can beef consomme
• 1 can french onion soup

Simply put the roast into your slow cooker, pour the three cans of soup over, cover and cook for 8 hours on low. The longer you cook it the more tender it becomes.

This is a fun dish to make during Thanksgiving week, when everyone is looking for something besides turkey dinner.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2″ pieces
• ¾ cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ginger
• 1 tsp grated orange rind
• ½ cup orange juice
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)

Layer chicken pieces in bottom of slow cooker. Top with (in order) onion, cranberries, salt, cinnamon, ginger, orange rind, and orange juice. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Remove chicken pieces to a platter.

Melt butter in saucepan. Pour sauce from chicken into pan, reserving ½ cup. Add sugar to saucepan, if using. Heat to boil. Combine reserved sauce with cornstarch until smooth; add to sauce. Return to boil. Boil and stir one minute, until thickened. Serve over chicken.

Serves 4.