Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (70 page)

Harvest Kielbasa

Christ Kaczynski

Schenectady, NY

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

2 lbs. smoked kielbasa

3 cups unsweetened applesauce

½ cup brown sugar

3 medium onions, sliced

1. Slice kielbasa into ¼” slices. Brown in skillet. Drain off drippings.

2. Combine applesauce and brown sugar in a good-sized mixing bowl.

3. Layer kielbasa, onions, and applesauce mixture in slow cooker.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 4-8 hours.

Note:

The longer it cooks, the better the flavor.

Kielbasa Stew

Fannie Miller

Hutchinson, KS

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 40-45 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

6 strips of bacon

1 onion, chopped

1-1½ lbs. smoked, fully cooked kielbasa, thinly sliced

2 15½-oz. cans great northern beans, drained

2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce

4¼-oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. black pepper

1. Fry bacon in skillet until crisp. Crumble bacon and place in large slow cooker.

2. Add onions and sausage to drippings in skillet. Cook until onions are soft. Drain off drippings.

3. Transfer onions and sausage to slow cooker.

4. Add all remaining ingredients to cooker and stir together well.

5. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours, or until vegetables are as tender as you like them.

Kielbasa and Cabbage

Mary Ann Lefever

Lancaster, PA

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

1 lb. kielbasa cut into 4 chunks

4 large white potatoes, cut into chunks

1-lb. head green cabbage, shredded

1 qt. whole tomatoes (strained if you don’t like seeds)

onion, thinly sliced,
optional

1. Layer kielbasa, then potatoes, and then cabbage into slow cooker.

2. Pour tomatoes over top.

3. Top with sliced onions if you wish.

4. Cover. Cook on High 8 hours, or until meat is cooked through and vegetables are as tender as you like them.

Rice and Beans—and Sausage

Marcia S. Myer

Manheim, PA

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1¾ cups tomato juice

2 16-oz. cans kidney beans, drained

¾ tsp. dried oregano

¾ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. pepper

½ lb. (
or
more) fully cooked smoked turkey sausage,
or
kielbasa, cut into ¼”-thick slices

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve over
rice
. Garnish with
shredded cheese
if you wish.

Election Lunch

Alix Nancy Botsford

Seminole, OK

Makes 6-12 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt., or 2 4-qt. cookers

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb. sausage, cut into thin slices,
or
with casings removed and meat crumbled

1 rib celery, sliced

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1½ tsp. dry mustard

¼ cup honey

10-oz. can tomatoes with green chili peppers

1-lb. can lima,
or
butter, beans, drained, with liquid reserved

1-lb. can red kidney beans, drained, with liquid reserved

1-lb. can garbanzo beans, drained, with liquid reserved

1. Brown onion and sausage in skillet. Stir frequently. Continue cooking until pink disappears from meat. Drain off drippings.

2. Place meat and onions in 6-qt. slow cooker, or divide between 2 4-qt. cookers.

3. Stir in all other ingredients, combining well. Add reserved juice from lima, kidney, and garbanzo beans if there’s enough room in the cooker(s).

4. Cover. Cook on Low 2-4 hours.

Note:

I mixed up this hearty stew the night before an Election Day and took it to the voting site the next morning. I plugged it in, and all day long we could smell the Lunch cooking. I work at a very sparsely populated, country polling place and ended up giving out the recipe in little water-cup samples to many voters!

I have four different sizes of slow cookers. One is very tiny, with only an on and off switch, for keeping cheese sauce hot. One I use for heating gravy. Another I often use to keep mashed potatoes warm.