A Crock of Hoo Ha

My fruity and frugal friend, Nurse Hoo Ha, received a crock pot for Christmas and put in her request for some recipes to put in it. This fit right in line with my New Years resolution to post more of my favorite recipes. This vow is much easier to keep than some of my others since I am much more likely to be inspired to blog about food than to cut back on how much I'm putting in my mouth.
This recipe is one that I have been making for a very long time. It is adapted from a cookbook called "Sweet Aromas: A Collection of Cherished Family Recipes From the Kitchen of Audrey Brann Hamlin" written by Audreys' daughter, Tracey Hamlin-Landry. I can find no mention of it online and I am doubtful you will find a copy as it was written by a woman that my husband worked with when we first got married. In fact, it was one of my Christmas gifts our first year together. I still use it all the time and it's stained pages let you know how loved the recipes are in my kitchen. David has always been an amazing gift giver. It's kind of nauseating, actually.
The "Crock Pot Chicken" recipe in the book isn't quite the same as mine, but it was definitely my jumping off point and I surely needed it back then as a very "green" (and not in a good, environmental way) cook. This is a simple, hearty meal that will give you a very full belly on a cold winter's night.

Crock Pot Chicken over Mashed Pots

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, cut 1/2" thick
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3/4 can of water
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (like Bell's)

For Mashed Pots:
about 4-6 med. potatoes of your choice, peeled and diced
a bit of milk
1/2 stick of butter
2 big spoonfuls of sour cream
salt and pepper

Place all the cut vegetables into the crock pot and then add the salt and pepper. Put the chicken strips on top and then add the garlic powder and the poultry seasoning. Add the soup and water. Cook on high for 4 hours of 6 hours on low stirring occasionally. The low is better, but the high will work fine. I like it to be sort of soupy so when you put it over your masked potatoes it has it's own gravy.
To make your mashed pots, put the pots in a saucepan and cover with water. Put the cover on and cook on high until the water is boiling, then turn the heat down a bit and take off the cover. Cook until the pots are fork tender, then drain. Once the pots are drained, but still in the pan, add the butter and scoop some pots over it to help it melt. Wait a few minutes and then add the milk (not too much, you can always add more later), sour cream and salt and pepper. Mash using a potato masher until everything comes together, but there a still a few lumps here and there. Add more milk if it doesn't seem creamy enough. Taste and add more s&p if needed.
To serve, scoop pots onto a plate and then ladle some of the Crock Pot Chicken over it making an indent in the middle of your pots so it becomes like a bowl for the gravy. Makes awesome leftovers, too. Let me know how it turns out  Hooey.