Thrifty Thursday - "It's a Crock . . . Crock pot that is"

Today's dissolving dollar is making the dinner time dilemma even tougher. Luckily, your slow cooker - fabulously frugal and brilliant at budgeting - is ready and willing to come to your aid.

With the cold weather outside, how great would it be to throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to some piping hot and yummy comfort food all ready to go!

Here are 2 crockpot recipes that will feed SIX people for just $10!

Cheeseburger Soup - Total Cost $9.92

• 1 pd ground beef


• 1 medium chopped onion


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 medium potatoes, coarsely chopped


• 1 medium carrot, sliced


• 1/4 cup ketchup


• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard


• Salt and Pepper


• 2 14 ounce cans beef broth


• 1 10 ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup


• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until beef is brown. Drain off fat.


2. In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine beef mixture, potatoes, carrot, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper. Add broth and soup; stir to combine.


3. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 10 -11 hours or on high heat setting for 5 hours. Top each serving with cheese.

Chicken and Biscuits - Total Cost $8.75

• 2 medium potatoes, cubed


• 2 medium carrots, chopped


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 1 large celery stalk, chopped


• 1 cup sliced mushrooms


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and sage, crushed


• Salt and Pepper


• 2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca, crushed


• 1 pound bone in chicken thighs, skinned


• 1 cup chicken broth


• 1 cup frozen peas


• 1 3 ounce package cream cheese, cut up


• Cheesy Biscuits (see recipe below)

1. In a 4 quart slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrot, onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Sprinkle tapioca over the mixture. Top with chicken thighs and pour broth over all.


2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6 - 7 hours or on high heat setting for 3 hours.


3. Remove chicken from slow cooker. When cool enough to handle, remove chicken from bones and coarsely chop; discard bones. Return chicken to slow cooker along with peas and cream cheese. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir well; serve over split Cheesy Biscuits.

Cheesy Biscuits

Preheat oven to 450

• 1 2/3 cup Bisquick mix


• 1/2 cup shredded cheese


• 1/2 cup milk

1. In a medium bowl, combine the bisquick, cheese and milk. Stir well.


2. Drop a spoonful of mixture onto a greased cookie sheet.


3. Bake at 450 for 10 - 12 minutes

From the Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Slow Cooker book - page 34 & 35