Dump it and Run

Recently our family experienced something that every family has to deal with at one time or another, the passing of a family member. While this causes much stress in the house, this is often a time where families are pulling together, having to prepare meals in advance for large numbers of grieving friends and family, even colleagues.

With so much happening in the home, people coming and going, the last thing I wanted to do was spend my time in the kitchen. In addition, this unexpected passing wasn’t exactly figured into our grocery budget. How do you deal with such an experience? I suggest having several “dump and run” recipes on file.

What is a dump & run recipe? It’s a recipe that consists of just a few ingredients. You simply dump them all into the crockpot, turn it on to low and in a couple of hours, you have a perfect, ready to serve meal with minimal effort. In the meantime, your budget is still intact, you’ve had a chance to spend time with other family members, and your kitchen isn’t trashed.

Apricot Chicken

You’ll Need:
* 1 pkg. onion soup mix
* 1 Bottle Russian Dressing
* 1 sm. Jar apricot preserves
* 1-2 pounds of chicken (raw, cut into small chunks)

Simply pour all the ingredients into a crock-pot, stir once, turn on low/med & simmer for a few hours. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, as needed.

Sweet-n-Sour Kielbasa

You’ll Need:
* 1 bottle LaChoy Sweet-n-Sour Sauce
* 1 can pineapple chunks, un-drained
* 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
* 1 kielbasa, cut into chunks

Simply dump all the ingredients into a crock-pot, turn on low/med & simmer 1-2 hrs. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, as needed.

Sweet-n-Sour Meatballs

You’ll Need:
* 2 lbs Frozen Meatballs
* 1 c. Grape Jelly
* 2 c. Chili Sauce (or) Cocktail Sauce

Simply dump all the ingredients into a crock-pot, turn on low/med & simmer 1-2 hrs. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, as needed.