Cheesy Creamy Potatoes in the Crock Pot

This easy side dish is something to assemble in the morning, and then forget about it. Serve this with the big Sunday family dinner. These potatoes make heroes of divas.

Cheesy Creamy Potatoes in the Crock Pot

4-6 large potatoes, sliced

½ large onion, sliced

1 can cream of chicken soup

½ cup milk

Salt & pepper

a few handfuls of grated cheese (I like Vermont Cheddar)

Salt and pepper the potatoes.
Layer the potatoes and the onions in a crock pot.
Add the soup and milk.
Cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3 1/2 – 4 hours on high.
Throw the cheese in for the last 30 minutes.

Options: Use cream of mushroom or celery instead of chicken; add bacon bits and scallions; season with oregano and Cajun spices.

Make it a meal: Serve with a roasted duck or turkey and green beans.

Wine: Chardonnay for the potatoes, big red Cabernet Sauvignon for the duck, or Pinot Noir for the turkey.

Celery Gratin

I adopted this recipe from a Martha recipe. Mine is a little different. Martha makes you peel the celery. I never heard of such a thing. Busy divas don’t have time to peel something that doesn’t even have a peel!

She also makes you take slices of bread and pulse them in a food processor to make bread crumbs. Mine just calls for, well, bread crumbs. You know, the kind that come in a cardboard tube? Love ‘em.

Martha also makes you divide this all up into 6-oz. ramekins. She sure does like a lot of steps. (Photo by EverJean)

Celery Gratin

6-8 celery stalks, sliced crosswise (I like mine thin)

¾ cup shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese

½ cup cream

salt & pepper

¼ cup bread crumbs

1 glug of olive oil

In a large, pretty bowl (mine is pink), mix celery, ½ cup cheese, cream, a bit of salt and a dash of pepper.
Place in casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
In a smaller, pretty bowl (also pink), mix the breadcrumbs and the last ¼ cup of cheese.
Drizzle with olive oil and mix.
When the celery is done, uncover, sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top, and bake for another 10 minutes.

Make it a meal: Serve with roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, and roasted potatoes.

Wine: Chardonnay for the celery, Beaujolais for the turkey

Rice & Artichoke Salad

I make this with dinner as a side dish, and then I bring it to work for lunch. This is for all the divas out there that can’t get enough artichokes. I love them on everything. The man in my life thinks I cook with too many artichokes. I put them on pizza, I put them on chicken with tomatoes and call it a hash, I add them to salads.

What does he know? He thinks everything tastes better with bacon. He won't eat pizza without meat. He thinks a chili-dog, that’s a hot dog topped with hamburger sauce, is the ultimate lunch.

This dish is full of antioxidants. I adopted it from a health article as part of a diet to cleanse your liver.

Rice & Artichoke Salad

6 oz. long-grain rice

1 glug olive oil for sautéing

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 onion\cooked, finely chopped

2 oz. button mushrooms, sliced

14 oz. canned artichoke hearts, drained

2 Tbsps. parsley, chopped

2 Tbsps. lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed (sometimes I use 2)

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. French mustard


Cook rice and set aside.
Pour oil into a pan, add garlic and onion; sauté until golden.
Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir into rice.
Cut artichoke hearts in half and add to rice mixture with parsley.
Put remaining ingredients in jar with tight-fitting lid and shake well.
Pour onto salad and toss.

Make into a meal: It is a meal. This can also be served with grilled chicken and steamed broccoli spears.

Wine: Skip the wine. You’re supposed to be cleansing your liver, dah-ling. Have a glass of Chardonnay tomorrow.

Spicy Bean Salad

When it comes to choosing beans, I opt for pinto because they’re pink, and kidney, because I have always loved the color combination of pink and cranberry. In addition to being gorgeous, this recipe is zesty and feisty. (photo by Ema Yudistira)

This dish is also nice for us divas who need more fiber, fewer calories, and lower cholesterol choices.

Spicy Bean Salad

3 cans of various beans (such as pinto, kidney, and northern)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1/2 red onion, chopped

Juice of 1 lime (or a few capfuls of Rose’s Lime Juice kept nearby for margaritas)

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup champagne vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Cayenne to taste

Mix beans, corn, and onion well.
Add lime juice, oil, and vinegar. Stir to coat.
Season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.
Serve immediately, or set aside for 30 minutes for flavors to intensify.

Options: Northern, Garbanzo, or Cannalini beans are all fine alternatives. Your salad won’t be quite so pink, though.

Make into a meal: Serve with grilled shrimp or salmon with lime sauce and grilled asparagus.

Wine: Chardonnay works best with buttery beans or Chianti to accompany the spices.

Potato & Chive Crusted Salmon

The recipe is easy and quick. Hardly any ingredients. This is wonderful on one of those autumn nights when the weather is just turning a bit cold, you’re bored with BBQ-ing, and want to be cozy in the kitchen with your man. Divas often find their men love helping with the tedious task of getting potatoes paper thin. Divas make it a challenge for them, and they can’t resist. (photo by Crystl)

Potato & Chive Crusted Salmon

1 baking potato, sliced paper thin

a few glugs of olive oil

1 lb. salmon

a few tablespoons of chives, chopped

Drizzle the potatoes with a glug of olive oil and mix.
Place the salmon in a baking dish that has been oiled.
Sprinkle the salmon with chives, salt, and pepper.
Cover the entire fish with potato slices, overlapping is fine.
Bake at 450 degrees until the salmon is opaque, 18-23 minutes.
Do not over bake.

Options: Substitute chives with scallions; add Parmesan cheese to potatoes

Make it a meal: Serve salmon with steamed broccoli. It already has enough starch, especially if, like me, you added extra sliced potatoes around the fish as well as on it.

Wine: Pinot Noir is quite nice, but a buttery Chardonnay will match the potatoes well.

Two Hot Artichoke Dips

Hot artichoke dip is a staple, darling. It is great for an evening soiree and even better for breakfast.

The first is my own which pretends to be healthy because I use light mayonnaise. The second is from a friend, Diva Karen, which is rich decadence in a pretty bowl.(photo by kaitlyn rose)

Artichoke Dip #1

1 can artichoke hearts, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise (I use light)

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Serve with sliced sourdough bread.

Make into a meal: This depends on which meal, of course. For breakfast it stands alone. To make it into dinner, throw some tomatoes on top.

Wine: Chenin Blanc for a crispness or Sangiovese to bring out the Parmesan cheese flavor.

Artichoke Dip #2

8 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except Parmesan cheese.
Place in shallow baking dish and sprinkle Parmesan on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Serve with chips or crackers.

Make into a meal: See above.

Wine: This is so rich, only oaky, buttery Chardonnay will do.