Rosemary Mushroom Chicken

***This recipe was found in Taste of Home magazine, submitted by Genny Monchamp of Redding, CA***

Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 7 hours
Yield: 6 servings

6 chicken leg quarters, skin removed
2 C. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cans (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 C. white wine or chicken broth
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. pepper
Hot cooked egg noodles, optional

Place chicken in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray; top with mushrooms. Combine the soup, wine, garlic salt, rosemary, paprika and pepper; pour over top. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve with noodles, if desired.

I used a mild sauvignon blanc for the wine portion of this recipe. It was quick and easy to throw in the crock pot in the morning and I let it cook for 7 hours. HOWEVER, the meat was completely falling off the bone (almost too done in this case) so next time I am only going to let it cook for 6 hours. Also, my family of four devoured all six leg quarters. Since the package I bought came with eight, I think I'll make all eight next time. Very yummy and convenient dish!!

Family Chef's Grade: B+

Mushroom-Swiss Lamb Chops

***This recipe was found in "Best Simple Recipes" magazine***

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

4 lamb loin chops (2 inches thick and about 8 ounces each)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 C sliced fresh mushrooms
2 T butter
1/4 C Russian salad dressing
1/2 C shredded swiss cheese

Sprinkle both sides of lamb chops with salt and pepper. Place on a broiler pan. Broil 4-6 inches away from heat for 10-15 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness. (For medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145*, medium 160*, well-done 170*)

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms in butter for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Stir in salad dressing. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Sprinkle cheese over lamb chops; broil 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve with mushroom mixture.


My family has never had lamb chops before so this was a new experience. I also had never heard of Russian salad dressing so that was new, too! Turns out, this recipe is not only easy, but it's yummy, too. My 5-year old LOVED the lamb chops and my husband LOVED the mushroom mixture. Not to mention, he's a big fan of anything "mushroom and swiss", so this recipe is a keeper. He also suggested that we marinate steaks in the salad dressing next time we have them because it just had a really great flavor.

Family Chef's Grade: Recipe = A-, Sauce = A+

Chicken in Wine Sauce

***This recipe was found in Taste of Home magazine, submitted by Kathleen Valle of Philadelphia, PA***

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 oz each)
1 egg
1 T. water
3/4 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 lbs. sliced fresh mushrooms
2/3 C. plum wine

Flatten chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and water. In another shallow bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat with flour mixture.

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute mushrooms until tender. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Serve with chicken.


I had a hard time getting the chicken to cook without there still being white flour on it, so I did add a little oil to the pan to soak it up on the chicken. Otherwise, this was a really straight-forward recipe. My husband even asked what was in it when he came home from buying the plum wine and I said, "plum wine and mushrooms---that's it!" The man at the liquor store warned that the plum wine is VERY sweet, but in the end this whole thing wasn't too sweet for my pallet. In fact, it was less sweet than the Cider Pork Chops.

Family Chef's Grade: B

Herbed Chicken with Wild Rice

***This recipe was found in Taste of Home magazine, submitted by Becky Gifford of Conway, AR***

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 4 hours

1 pkg. (6 oz) of long grain and wild rice mix
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves (5 oz each)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp butter
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup water
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried tarragon

Place rice in 5-quart slow cooker; set aside seasoning packet. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil and butter. Add to slow cooker. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms until tender; place over chicken.

In a small bowl, combine the soup, water, bacon, herbs, and seasoning packet. Pour over top. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken juices run clear. Yield: 6 servings.

This recipe was SO easy and SO GOOD! The rice made the whole meal and my husband even went as far as saying that it was the best rice he's ever had. He gave this two thumbs up and a very energetic A+, and I have to agree. (Plus, my kids ate the rice, too, so this one was a home-run with the whole clan.)

Family Chef's Grade: A+

Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Soup

**Recipe found in Taste of Home magazine, submitted by Tammy Landry of Saucier, MS.**

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 8 hours

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 bottle (12 oz.) beer or non-alcoholic beer
1 can (10-1/2 oz) condensed beef broth, undiluted
1-1/2 cups sliced fresh carrots
1-1/4 cups water
1 cup chopped peeled turnips
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Family Chef's substitutions: Of course, I was still out of bay leaf, so I did not add that. I added 1/2 cup extra carrots, and 8 oz. of fresh sliced mushrooms instead of the canned mushrooms. For the beer, I used a bottle of Fat Tire beer. I also threw in a couple shakes of dried thyme.

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Transfer to 5-quart slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until heated through. Discard bay leaf.
Yield: 6 servings

This was the perfect cold weather dinner! Our temperature outside was -10 degrees when I woke up this morning, so I knew it was going to be soup day. It was my first time trying a turnip and I have to admit that like the parsnips the other night, the turnips were delicious! My husband got a little antsy waiting for the yummy-smelling soup to be done, so he had a little taste when it had been cooking for only about 7 hours. As it turns out, the veggies were just perfect then so we had an early dinner. My husband made a great comment, "Even the broth tastes good!" It's true--the soup was VERY flavorful and hearty. We both give this two thumbs up!!

Family Chef's Grade: A