Slow-Cooked Parmesan Chicken ***

This is an old recipe from my 2009 files.  I needed something quick to make (due to having to grocery shop and cook dinner on my lunch break, lol) that I could have ready when we all got home from baseball.  Obviously, I needed something with a long cook time.  Anyway, we loved it this time around too.  The kids devoured theirs.  I used brown rice, which works pretty well in this, considering that it cooks for so long.  I think it would be excellent with wild rice, though.  I'm thinking of trying that next time.  Instead of using six breast halves, I used three full breasts.  I really think that worked in my favor, since it kept the chicken from drying out.  It was amazingly tender.  I also hated the idea of dirtying an extra dish, so I just mixed everything in the crock, put in the chicken, put a dab of butter on each, and then spooned the topping over it.  I let it cook about 8 hours, which seemed perfect.  When we were ready to eat, I just shredded the chicken and stirred it all up.  Easy peasy.  :)

SLOW-COOKED PARMESAN CHICKEN
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1-1/2 cups milk
2 cans (10-3/4 oz each) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom
1 cup converted long-grain white rice
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 tsp butter OR margarine
Pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix the dry onion soup, milk, mushroom soup, and rice in a medium bowl.
Put chicken in bottom of greased slow cooker. Place 1 tsp of butter on each breast. Pour soup mixture over all. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

Creamy Vegetarian Lentil-Mushroom Soup ***

Oh man, I love this one.  There are so many yummy veggies in it, and my kids don't hardly even notice that they're eating them!  I always double the recipe, but that means it has a longer cook time too.  It would do fine with the 10-12 on low, but when I do it on high (which is what I did today), I have to do about 7 hours.  If possible, I add leftover shredded Boston Butt, which was divine.  We ordered one from a fundraiser over the weekend, and my first thought was that I had to make this again.  One time, I just added some cubed ham.  It wasn't as good as the BB, but it was still pretty yummy.  The biggest bonus is that my kids always lick their bowls clean!  I normally just add 8-12 oz of sour cream directly to the crockpot at the end, instead of putting it on each serving.

CREAMY VEGETARIAN LENTIL-MUSHROOM SOUP
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

1/2 lb dry lentils (1 1/4 cups)
2 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mushroom, sliced
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup snipped parsley
4 cups water
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons instant vegetable bouillon granules (or 2 cubes)
sour cream

In a saucepan, saute onions, mushrooms, garlic, and celery till just slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart crockpot, combine the lentils, carrots, onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery and parsley.
Stir in water, mushroom soup, and bouillon.
Cover; cook on low 10 to 12 hours or high 5 to 6 hours.
Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.
4 servings.
*I always double the recipe and add 8-12 oz of sour cream directly to crockpot at the end of cooking.  When doubled, it can go 10-12 hours on low or 7 hours on high.

Grape Salad ***

I got this recipe from a coworker years ago, and I'm still crazy about it.  I crave grapes all summer long anyway, so it's a perfect way to curb the cravings.  The kids love this one too.  The first time I made it, I worried that it would be too sweet, but the cream cheese and sour cream really tamper down the sweetness.  I've also subbed low-fat and fat-free sour cream and cream cheese, and it's still delicious.  This is one of my favorite things about summer!

GRAPE SALAD
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

3 lbs grapes (any color or mixture)
½ cup sugar
1 (8-oz) Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1 (8-oz) sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup walnuts or pecans

Mix sugar, cream cheese, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth. Fold the grapes into mixture. Mix brown sugar and nuts in separate bowl – put on top of grape salad and refrigerate for at least one hour.