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Who said Christmas dinners are tough work? Preparation for your holiday feast doesn’t always mean hours of hard labour, toiling over a hot oven or stove, not when making use of your trusty crockpot! These recipes are a great way to save on time during the holiday prep, without sacrificing on taste or presentation! Prepare your courses ahead of time and refrigerate them for later use, or simply put your crockpot on the stove on the day of for a Christmas dinner to remember.
Turkey Breast and Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 boneless turkey breast (thawed)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 package stuffing mix (prepared, or about 6 to 8 ounces dry mix)
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
Optional: 1 or 2 jars of prepared gravy
This hassle-free recipe is made using only four ingredients, and requires only 10 minutes of prep to begin the cooking! To begin, place the raw meat in the crockpot or slow cooker with the chicken broth. Add in the stuffing mix, or fresh stuffing, packing it loosely on or around the meat, and drizzle on butter. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, before reducing the setting to low and cooking for about 4 to 6 hours longer, or until turkey is very tender. Alternatively, to speed up the process, continue cooking on high for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. In the event that the stuffing becomes too soggy, remove it and spread it out in a shallow greased pan, and bake at 204° C for about 30 minutes, or until brown and crusty. Your turkey and Stuffing are now read to serve! Drizzle on some gravy for a truly traditional meal.
Pineapple Glazed Ham
Ingredients:
2 cans sliced pineapple
1 cooked boneless ham, cut in half
1 jar maraschino cherries, well drained
1 jar orange marmalade
This tender, moist offering is a perfect quick fix solution to any festive meal to feed the whole family. To prepare, first drain the pineapple from the can, reserving the juice for later use. Place half of the pineapple in an ungreased slow cooker, and top with the ham pieces. Add cherries, remaining pineapple and reserved pineapple juice. Spoon marmalade over the ham, and cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until heated through. Serve on a warm platter with pineapple and cherries for a savoury, tart treat! If you’re on the lookout for an ever quicker fix, check out Kaavo Meat’s catalogue of pre-prepped sustainable pork products!
Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients:
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 cups baby red potatoes, halved
2 cups baby carrots
2 cups green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
This gorgeous one-pot meal is packed with flavour and nutritious veggies. To prepare combine soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper in a large bowl. Next, place the chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots and soy sauce mixture into slow cooker, and cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, basting every hour. Add green beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Serve the chicken immediately with potatoes, carrots and green beans, garnished with parsley.
There you have it! Christmas Dinner never looked easier, or tasted as good!