Cafe Zupa's Tomato Basil Copycat Recipe

• 1 1/4 cup Pesto sauce from Costco
• 5 1/2 cups diced/ stewed tomatoes - three 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup diced onion
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 3/4 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp sugar (cuts down on acidity)
• 1 1/3 cup half and half or 1 12-oz. can of evaporated milk
• Orzo pasta

Directions: 

Set crockpot on high so that it can begin warming up while you assemble the soup. If you don't want to use a crockpot, feel free to use a saucepan instead. 

Wash and slice vegetables. 

In a frying pan (or just use the saucepan if you're not using a crockpot) melt butter over medium-high heat. 

Add in onion and celery. Cook until vegetables soften, about 5-8 minutes. 

Transfer to the crockpot and add in all remaining ingredients, except the cream. At this point the soup doesn't look very pretty. Don't worry- it will cook down and all the veggies will meld together. 

Crockpot: Cook on high 6-7 hours total

After soup has cooked for most of the time, I then use an immersion blender to get rid of the remaining chunks of vegetables. 

After it's smooth, return to pot and cook for the remaining time~ I generally blend it about an hour before serving. 

During this last step, cook orzo pasta.

Just before serving add the half and half or milk. 

Add cooked orzo ENJOY!

Shelley's Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 sm. tomato past
1 can tomato soup
2 sm cans tomato sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 qt. Stewed tomatoes
1/3 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp each of the following:
garlic salt
basil
pepper
onion salt
oregano
Italian Seasoning
1 bay leaf

Put all in crock pot and cook on low for 5 hours. During the last 2 hours, add cooked chicken (1 breast) or cooked hamburger (1 pound).

Hawaiian Haystacks

4 chicken breasts
1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing
1 can chicken broth

Combine chicken, dressing and broth in slow cooker. Cook on LOW 3 to 4 hours. Add soup and cream cheese. Break chicken apart (it should shred quite easily). Continue cooking 1 hour or until cream cheese is blended.

Serve over rice and top with any of the following:

Cheese 

Green peas

Diced coconut

Pineapple chunks

Diced green peppers

Diced tomatoes

Chow mein noodles

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Photo by Clair Buys/BYU Magazine

from 365daysofcrockpot.com

Makes about 2 quarts

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

French Dip Sandwiches

from Our Best Bites

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches

courtesy of Rib City Grill
1 small 2-4 lb. pork butt "bone in" or pork collar, or roast bone in or no bone
1 bottle Liquid Smoke
1 blend of Vegetable blend spices (Season Salt, Celery, Salt, Pepper, Montreal BBQ Spices, Garlic powder mixed together
1 bottle Sweet BBQ sauce

Spread all spices on Pork Roast or Butt forming almost a crust, or thick layer.
Tear off 2 big pieces of foil to cover roast.
Pour 1/2 bottle liquid smoke into foil with roast. Wrap the first sheet, then wrap it again with the second sheet so the juices cannot escape when cooking.
Place in a shallow pan or cooking tray. Slow cook at 375 for 4 hours, and then 275 for 4 more hours. (I just place it in my crock pot in the morning and forget about it).
Unwrap and bull bone (if any). Take a fork and make sure that the meat separates easily. Leave cooking juice and put in bowl and pull with forks or gloved hands.
Add BBQ sauce.
Serve on fresh rolls.

Now, to add as a side, I recently discovered these sweet potato fries. I just picked them up at Wal-Mart. They taste just like the ones at one of my favorite restaurants. However, I wish I had the dipping sauce to go with it. So, I made this one -- it is good, too!

Apricot Dipping Sauce
1 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup orange juice
1 T prepared mustard

Melt jam in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in orange juice and mustard. Purée sauce in food processor or with immersible mixer.

Shoyu Chicken (Teriyaki Chicken)

Compliments of my dear friend, Michelle Cryer.

5 lb.chicken (dark meat only)

1 c. soy sauce

1/4. c. water

1 T cornstarch

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. ginger powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 c. ketchup

Place chicken in baking dish and cover with sauce. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or place in a slow cooker for 6 hours. Use hot liquid to serve over rice.