What have I cooked?

This blog is where I like to put to recipes that I have tried, know, and haven't tried. Sometimes I try so many new recipes that I can't remember if I've tried them and what they tasted like. Therefore, this blog documents my cooking adventures so that I can keep sane in the kitchen. (If it has a source, then I've linked back to it.)
Showing posts with label Crockpot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crockpot. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients:
6 Italian sausage or chicken sausage
2 green peppers
1 red peppers
1 large red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
2 T. Italian seasoning
bread
noodles
mozzarella cheese

Recipe: 
1. Split between two bags, seal, mix, lay flat, freeze.
2. To cook: add drizzle of olive oil, cook on low 6 hours, serve over hot noodles or fresh French bread with mozzarella cheese.

Rating: 3 of 5
This one was fine, but not great. I felt like it was lacking in taste....as funny as that sounds. We had it on bread, but I think next time we'll serve it on Italian herb and cheese bread or something. I just thought it was a very bland dish. But, it has a ton of potential with some tweaking. 


Source: Ring Around the Rosies, Sausage and Peppers

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

French Dip Sandwiches


Ingredients:
1 2.5-3 lb beef roast (frozen is okay too!)
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-oz. pkg dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth *
6-8 large buns (Try this Quick French Bread recipe!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced

* I just used 2 1/2 large beef bouillon cubes and added 2 c. water (in addition to the 2 c. called for)

Recipe:
1. Heat oil in a large pot oven medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.
2. When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.
3. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.
4. Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. The longer it cooks, the more tender it will be.
5. When meat is ready, shred with a fork. Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. *
6. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

* Rather than put everything under the broiler, I simply buttered the sliced open bread and put them on a griddle until they were golden, like a grilled cheese sandwich, and then placed the meat and cheese between the two pieces of hot bread. It melted the cheese and kept the whole sandwich from getting a little too much heat.

Freezer directions: 
1. Prepare roast through the first 2 steps above. After meat has cooled, place in a plastic freezer-safe container, cover with onion soup mix and bouillon, and freeze.
2. When ready to cook, pop it straight into the crockpot (frozen), add 2 cups of water, and set to high until warm or, even better, simmering. Turn to low; cook for a total of 8-10 hours.

* I used a frozen roast and basically skipped all of the instructions I could! Haha! I just dumped the roast in the pot, and sprinkled and covered according to step 3.

Rating: 4.5 of 5
Loved this! The meat was so extremely tender and juicy and delicious! Can't wait to make these again! I think the original recipe calls for 6-8 loaves, but we demolished the meat in just 4 sandwiches! Easy and delicious. I'm tellin' ya!

Source: Our Best Bites, French Dip Sandwiches

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel, undrained (aka: green chilies and tomatoes)
1 t. cumin
1 T. chili powder *
1 t. onion powder
1 8-oz pkg. light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

* I thought the whole T. was a little too much heat for me, so next time I will only use 1/2 T.

Recipe:
1. Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of slow cooker pot. Pour on can of corn, Rotel, and black beans.
2. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together.
3. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low 6-8 hours.
4. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

Rating: 4.5 of 5
A bit spicy for my taste with the whole tablespoon of chili powder, but that's easily fixed. We really liked this chili. I don't really have much to say about it other than it was a creamy version of the Chicken Tortilla Soup, which is one of our all time favorite soups. And, I do think this soup would be good topped with some chopped cilantro.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:
1 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2-3 T cornstarch *
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. chicken broth
3-4 T. ketchup
1 T soy sauce

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


* I used minute tapioca instead. 

Recipe:
1. In a slow cooker, mix together all ingredients except the cornstarch and chicken. Stir until you have a smooth consistency.
2. Add chicken to slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
3. About 30 minutes before removing chicken and sauce from pot, remove chicken, shred, add tapioca and stir a few times, and replace chicken.
4. Serve over rice or in a tortilla with traditional toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc. *

* I actually ate mine over quinoa.

Rating: 3.5 of 5
So, even though this recipe isn't what the source has it down as, I thought it was pretty good. I wanted something easy, like a crock pot, and I think I got it. Daniel really liked. I'd make this one again.


Source: adapted from (I really wanted to make this, but use a crock pot) Get Off Your Butt and Bake, Sweet and Sour Chicken



Monday, May 14, 2012

Creamy Chipotle Enchiladas

Ingredients:
2-3 lb. pot roast
10 oz. can of diced tomato with green chilies
8 oz. can Ro Tel enchilada sauce
7 oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. oregano
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 -1 c. heavy cream
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 c. cream cheese, somewhere between softened and melted
6 large tortillas
shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese
sour cream
cilantro, chopped

Recipe:
1. In a medium bowl, mix diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and garlic.
2. Place roast in crock pot and cover with tomato-chipotle mixture. Cook on high for 4ish hours.
3. Remove roast from crock pot and shred meat.
4. Using a fine strainer, pour juices from crock pot into a medium bowl. Reserve juices. Remove chipotle peppers from strainer. 
5. Replace tomatoes and green chilies (in strainer) in the crockpot. Pour about 2-4 cups of reserved juices into crockpot. Pour in heavy cream and stir together. Replace meat. Add black beans and corn. Continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes. (The key thing here is to have enough juice/sauce to coat the meat. It's not going to cook that long so it shouldn't dry out.)
6. Mix tomato sauce and cream cheese together in a small bowl.
7. Grease 9x12 baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Lay out a tortilla and scoop meat mixture on to 1/2 of the torilla. Place a handful of shredded cheese on top and then roll the torilla. Place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until dish is full. (I actually ended up with extra meat so there would be enough to almost make 2 full baking dishes of enchiladas.)
9. Cover enchiliadas with tomato/cream cheese mixture. Top with cheese.
10. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheeses are melted.
11. Serve and top with sour cream and cilantro.

Rating: 4 of 5
This was one of those meals that I used whatever I had on hand. It actually turned out really well. I didn't measure anything so the measurements are all my best guess. The chipotle peppers add a pretty good kick, so I used the cream and cream cheese as a way to tone it down a bit. If looking to cut out some of that then you could just remove the chipotle peppers from the adobo sauce before the initial cook time. I really enjoyed this dish and would make it again!

Source: my own

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken



Ingredients:
3 lb. bag of frozen chicken breasts
1 bottle Frank's Wings Buffalo Sauce *
1 packet Ranch Dip mix **
2 T. butter
**my own additions**
hamburger buns
lettuce
tomato, sliced
Ranch dressing
mozzarella, sliced
cilantro

*I made my own buffalo sauce using THIS recipe
** I made my own Ranch dressing mix using THIS recipe

Recipe:
1. Put frozen chicken, wing sauce, and ranch dip mix into crock pot.
2. Cook on low heat at least 6-7 hours.
3. Using two forks, shred chicken and return to crock pot.
4. Add butter.
5. Cook on low for an additional hour.
6. Serve in bread as a sandwich or on rice. Enjoy!

Rating: 4 of 5
K, this was good. My buffalo sauce had a pretty good kick to it, so in an attempt to take it down a notch I added 1-2 c. of shredded cheese. Not that the cheese did anything but add calories. We ate it as a buffalo chicken burger. Complete with lettuce (which you don't need), tomato slices, Ranch dressing, slices of mozzarella, and sprigs of cilantro. The cilantro is definitely the best on this chicken.

Source: My Kitchen Apron, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

Monday, April 23, 2012

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas



Ingredients:
2 lb. beef chuck pot roast
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. Mexican oregano*
1 pinch coarse salt **
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 4-oz can diced green chilies
1 10-oz can hot enchilada sauce***
1 20-oz can mild enchilada sauce
10 6-inch flour tortillas
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
2 c. shredded Monterey jack cheese

*I just used the oregano I had on hand
**I used Kosher salt as my coarse salt
*** Ok, so I didn't have the time to hunt down the cans of green chilies or enchiladas sauces. So, instead I bought 4 8-oz cans of Ro Tel's Zesty Tomato and Green Chili Sauce Original. This combo made for an alteration in preparation, but I think it still turned out fine.

Recipe:
1. Arrange the beef in the slow cooker and toss all the spices in, cover and cook on the lowest setting for 6 hours. *
2. Shred with two forks. Place in a bowl and add the diced chilies. Combine **
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Mix the two enchilada sauces together in a bowl and pour a small amount in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
5. Evenly divide the beef mixture and cilantro at the edge of each tortillas; roll up tightly and layer in the dish seam side down. Continue until the dish is filled.
6. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
7. Place in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
8. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro.

*I, like usual, cut the time in half and cooked on high. I actually, cooked on high with all the spices for 2 hours and then added 2 cans of tomato/chili sauce and cooked for another 1.5 hours.
** This step is skipped because of the sauce situation mentioned earlier.

Rating: 4 of 5
These were pretty good, but they weren't great. Maybe it's because I made some changes in the recipe, but they weren't crazy drastic changes. I think here's my problems with the recipe: I didn't like using pot roast as the meat. It was a little tougher than I anticipated. I loved the cilantro, but I thought the enchiladas were a little skinny. Next time I think I'll add some corn, beans, a little bit of rice, and some others to give it a bigger punch. Also, if you're in a hurry, this dish definitely doesn't need to be in the oven for 40 minutes. I actually only had mine in for 25ish. That happens when this are thrown together hot. I did like the tomato/chili sauce I used. It was the perfect amount of spicy for me.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Chicken Ranch Tacos

Ingredients:*
3 c. cooked chicken, cut up
1 pkt. taco seasoning (chicken or beef)
1/2 c. Ranch dressing
taco shells **

To Garnish:
lettuce, finely shredded
cheese
Ranch dressing
tomatoes, chopped
avocado, chopped
cilantro, chopped
sour cream
salsa

* I went the crockpot way for this recipe. Here's what I did as mentioned by those who commented on this gal's blog. I used a pkg. of taco seasoning, a pkt. of dry ranch dressing mix, and about 3/4 c. chicken broth, 4 chicken breasts(defrosted).

** I went with corn tortillas and soft fried them (aka: fried them in oil but didn't let them get crispy and kept them pliable.)

Recipe:*
1. Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and warm it for a few minutes.
2. Sprinkle on the dry taco seasoning. Do NOT add any water.
3. Heat for 5-7 minutes until all heated through and powder is stuck to the chicken.
4. Add Ranch dressing, heat an additional 2-3 minutes to warm through.
5. Serve in taco shells with all the fixings you love - plus an extra squirt of Ranch.

*Crockpot version: put the chicken breasts in the pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning and ranch mix on top. Pour chicken breasts on top of that. The water is just barely enough to cover the chicken breasts so I rolled mine in the mixture a few times. I turned mine on high(I was in a bit of a time crunch), for 2 hours. At 2 hours I took the chicken out and shredded it. I then put the chicken back in for another hour. When it came time to serve the chicken I drained it of all the juices that collected at the bottom and served it in a new bowl. That amount of chicken fed LaDon, two missionaries, and myself about 16 tacos.

Rating: 4.5 of 5
In all honesty, I couldn't separate the chicken taste from the whole taco. So.....the chicken, plus the shells and everything I put on it was so delicious. I didn't put any ranch on my taco, though. Too much Ranch reminds me of my morning sickness with Ally and then all those sick-y feelings come rushing back. Anyways....I think the boys each averaged about 5 tacos, so it made a pretty good amount. The only thing I would have added is a lime wedge for a few squirts of lime juice. Yum! There is something absolutely delicious about cilantro and lime together. Oh, I'm sure that the way this recipe is supposed to be prepared is great, but it sure is nice being able to do everything in the crockpot. Especially when company is coming over.

Source: Do You Smell That!!?, Chicken Ranch Tacos

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Crockin' Fettucini

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix
2 T. olive oil
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. chicken broth
Fettucini noodles

Recipe:
1. Place chicken in slow cooker and sprinkle Italian dressing over chicken. Drizzle with olive oil.
2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
3. Mix soup, cream cheese, and broth until smooth.
4. Add soup mixture to slow cooker and cook on low for 1 more hour.
5. Serve over hot, cooked noodles.

Rating: 3.75 of 5
I'm relying on LaDon's judgment tonight. I've got a cold and can't taste a thing. But, I do know that Daniel really liked his with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. From what I can tell, it is very similar to zesty chicken, just a lot more runny instead of thick. Although I couldn't taste it, you can't go wrong with a crock pot and small children eating it up!

Source: Crockingirls.com, Crockin' Fettucini

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Easy Barbecued Ribs

Ingredients:
1 1/2 T. sweet paprika
1 T. light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs pork baby back ribs, leave the membranes on the ribs to help hold them together *
1 c. barbecue sauce **
vegetable oil spray

*I used 3 lbs
** I used Hickory and Brown Sugar

Recipe:
1. In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well.
2. Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot.
3. Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low.
4. Once the initial slow cooking is done, very carefully (as they as tender) remove the ribs to a baking pan which you have lined with foil and put a rack on, bone side up. Set to the side.
5. Skim any fat that has rise to the top and strain all of the remaining juices from the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, approximately 15 minutes.
6. Put your oven's broiler on to heat up and make sure that there is an oven rack about 10 inches below the broiler element. When the broiler is preheated, brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3-4 minutes.
7. Take them out and very carefully flip them over, brush with sauce and broil again, meat side up, for approximately 9 minutes, taking them out once or twice to baste with more sauce.
8. Serve any remaining sauce on the side with the ribs.

Rating: 4.25 of 5
...and that's without all of the basting. I'm recovering from the flu, so I really didn't have the energy at the end of the day to finish this dish off. But, with that being said, LaDon really liked the ribs. I ate them, but couldn't take a thing. The meat was really tender which I liked about this recipe. I hate getting shreds of meat stuck in my teeth. So, if you're looking for a really easy rib recipe, then just putting them in the crockpot works out pretty well!

Source: MMM...is for Mommy!, Easy Barbecued Ribs

Friday, February 3, 2012

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

I'm pretty much failing at taking pictures. I just get so excited to taste the food that I forget to snap one!
Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, defrosted *
1 24-oz. jar medium or milk salsa
juice of one lime
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped**
1 package taco seasoning
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)

*which, of course, I just threw in frozen
** we love cilantro so I put in about 1/2 c.

Recipe:
1. In a slow cooker, mix together salsa, lime, cilantro, taco seasoning, peppers.
2. Add chicken and coat with salsa mixture.
3. Cook on low heat for 6 hours.
4. Serve as a whole breast, or shred and serve in tacos.

Rating: 3.5 of 5
This is a pretty average dish. It's not bad, but it didn't blow our socks off like I thought it might. We ate it shredded in tortillas. If you eat it with fresh cilantro, then it begins to rise to the "knock your socks off" levels. It was super easy though. So, you can't really taste the lime or the cilantro, and the taco seasoning taste is low too. Basically, you could really taste the salsa. I think next time I would double the lime and cilantro.

Source: PipandEbby.com, Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken


Sunday, October 16, 2011

Sour Cream Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 c. salsa*
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. sour cream

* I used the generic Wal-Mart brand medium salsa

Recipe:
1. Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken. Top with the salsa.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. *
3. When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the pot. Place about 2 T. cornstarch in a small amount of water and stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture into salsa sauce. **
4. Stir in a 1/4 c. sour cream. Serve over chicken.

* As with most crockpot recipes, you can speed this up by cooking on High for 3-4 hours.
** You can substitute cornstarch with Minute Tapioca(says on the box how much you will need) or all-purpose flour (double the amount of cornstarch you would use).

*** So, I followed the recipe until it came time to remove the chicken. I let it cook for 7ish hours, took the chicken out and shredded it, then put it back in the crockpot for a half hour. After 30 minutes I stirred in the 1/4 c. sour cream. So rather than ending up with chicken and salsa, I just made a creamy/spicy chicken spread. ***

Rating: 4 of 5
We really liked this recipe they way I cooked it. We had it in tortillas and called it a taco night. This is super good with the Texas Caviar/Bean Dip in a tortilla. You can definitely taste the taco seasoning and salsa in this chicken. So...make sure you like taco seasoning and that you put in a salsa that you like! Daniel loved it...of course. I also loved it because it's super easy. Crockpots are my favorite.

Source: Slowandsimple.com, Sour Cream Salsa Chicken

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Roast Beef and Gravy

Ingredients:
1 3-lb boneless beef chuck roast
2 10.75-oz cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted *
1/3 c. sherry, wine, or beef broth **
1 envelope onion soup mix

* I don't like cream of mushroom so I used cream of chicken.
** Seeing as I don't drink alcohol, I usually don't cook with it either. I used beef broth.

Recipe:
1. Cut roast in half; place in a slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat in tender.

Rating: 3.5 of 5
I actually really liked this recipe. Talk about easy. You get the main dish plus gravy at once. Love it! Definitely will be making this again. I liked the flavoring of this recipe too. It wasn't so powerful that I couldn't taste the meat, but not so weak that I felt like it wasn't doing anything. Did that makes sense? I dunno. I liked it!

Source: AllRecipes, iPhone app

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Garlic Chicken with Artichokes

No picture! Sorry!

Ingredients:
12 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 T. olive oil or cooking oil
1 8-9 oz. package frozen artichoke hearts
1 red sweet pepper, cut into strips
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. quick-cooking tapioca
2 t. dried rosemary, crushed
1 t. finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 t. black pepper
1 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or thighs
4 c. hot cooked brown rice

Recipe:
1. In a small skillet cook garlic and onion in hot oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until tender. In a 4-qt crockery cooker combine the garlic mixture, frozen artichoke hearts, sweet pepper, chicken broth, tapioca, rosemary, lemon peel, and black pepper. Add chicken; spoon some of the garlic mixture over chicken.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6-7 hours or 3-3.5 hours on high. Serve with rice.

Rating: 3 of 5
This isn't a terrible recipe at all. I liked it, but I felt there was a certain something missing. Like....it needed more spice or something. Somewhat of a bland dish. Super easy though. I love crockpot meals. This recipe does make the chicken super tender, so I ended up kind of shredding it as a pulled in out of the crockpot. I would probably make this again.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens, p. 239

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

5 Can Taco Soup


Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 pkgs. taco seasoning
1 large can tomato juice
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can kidney/red beans, drained
1 can garbanzo/navy beans, drained
1 can corn, drained

Recipe:
1. Brown ground beef with 1 chopped onion. Drain. Put in crock pot and add the remaining ingredients. *
2. Allow soup to simmer for several hours then serve with grated cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. Feel free to substitute the vegetables with ones you like best.

* Instead of browning the beef before hand, I just threw it in the crock pot and mushed it with a spoon after a few minutes. Worked for me, but if you're going to be gone all day I would brown it before hand.

Rating: 3.75 of 5
We really liked this soup. And talk about easy! I love crock pot meals. If you liked the Chicken Tortilla Soup, then you'll probably like this. It tastes very similar to the Chicken soup, but with beef! We also added sour cream to the garnish list. Cilantro also would have tasted good, but the cilantro in the garden has gone to seed.

Source: Jamie's Cookbook, Recipe by Mickey Pulsipher

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Apricot Glazed Pork Roast

Ingredients:
1 10.5-oz can Campbell's Condensed Chicken Broth*
1 18-oz jar apricot preserves
2 T. Dijon-style mustard
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3.5-4 lb boneless pork loin

* Didn't buy condensed chicken broth? Not a problem, just improvise. 10.5-oz transfers to 1 1/4 c. So, I did 1 1/4 c. water plus 2 1/2 T. of chicken bouillon. I have no idea if that is even a little bit right, but whatever!

Recipe:
1. Stir the broth, preserves, mustard and onion in a 3.5-quart slow cooker. Cut the pork to fit. Add the pork to cooker and turn to coat with the broth mixture.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours* or until the meat is fork-tender.
3. Remove the roast from the cooker to a cutting board and let it stand for 10 minutes. Thinly slice the roast and arrange on a serving platter. Pour the juices from the cooker into a gravy boat and serve with the roast.

*Or HIGH for 4-5 hours. This is what I almost always do with slow cooker recipes.

Rating: 4 of 5
I thought this was divine! LaDon's not such a huge fan of the "citrus-y" taste (although I don't think it tastes like that). For all those non-ham lovers, I think this would be a perfect meat dish for Easter Sunday. Ally also liked it, Daniel thought it was fun to play with.

Source: Campbell's Cooking Companion, pg. 180

Friday, April 29, 2011

Cheesy Italian Tortellini

Ingredients:

½ lb ground beef

½ lb Italian sausage, casings removed

1 16-oz jar marinara sauce

1 14.5-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1 9-oz package refrigerated or fresh cheese tortellini

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

½ c. shredded Cheddar cheese


Recipe:

  1. Crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium-high hear until browned. Drain.

  2. Combine the ground meats, marinara sauce, and tomatoes in a slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

  3. Stir in the tortellini, and sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the top. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes on low, or until the tortellini in tender.


Rating: 3 of 5

This really was a good recipe. We just thought there was too much meat. I also prefer the Italian sausage taste to beef, so I think next time I will double the batch and only use 1 lb. of Italian sausage. I've come to discover that tortellini is not my favorite pasta. I would also try using cheese ravioli next time.

Source: Allrecipes, http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheesy-Italian-Tortellini/Detail.aspx


Monday, March 14, 2011

Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches



Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts *

1 1/2 bottles of barbecue sauce **

bread rolls ***

mozzarella cheese, shredded

* I used frozen chicken.

** I used honey barbecue. It's my favorite.

*** I made homemade rolls found here.


Recipe:

1. Place chicken in crockpot. Pour sauce on top.

2. Place on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8. *

3. Shred chicken, if desired.

4. Place in rolls and top with cheese.

* Because I had put my chicken in frozen I placed it on high for 3ish hours, shredded the chicken, then placed it on low for another 2-3 hours.


Rating: 4 of 5

The chicken was so tender! We really, really liked this recipe. So simple. So good. So cheap. Because the bread was homemade and fresh out of the oven, it added a melt-in-your-mouth goodness to the taste.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Zesty Chicken

Ingredients:
6 skinless boneless chicken breasts *
2 packages zesty Italian seasoning **
2 cups water ***
2 cans cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese
1/8 tsp. parsley
*I usually only use 3-4
**when making a double batch I use 3 packages instead of 4
***I usually cut the water in half to make the sauce thicker
Recipe:
1. In crock pot mix together Italian Seasoning, water, cream of chicken soup, and parsley. Add chicken to mixture.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours *
3. 1 hour before serving cut cream cheese into cubes, add to crock pot. You may need to use a fork to break up the cubes of cream cheese.Serve on pasta or rice. **
*I usually cook it on high for 3-4 hours – perfect for cooking while at church!
**I favor wide egg noodles.
Rating: 5 of 5
We LOVE this recipe. It's not new for us, but I still had to share it. It's so easy that LaDon made it when I was on partial bedrest when pregnant with Daniel. We got this recipe from Kristen (who is the Queen of the tastiest and easiest recipes around). Anyways, the seasoning is perfect, it limits the chicken mess you have to deal with, and Ally loves it! Super tasty.
Source: Kristen Lanshe