Crockpot Angel Chicken

6 stars out of 5
...it's that good!

(photo courtesy What's For Dinner?)

Ingredients:
6 boneless chicken breasts (I used 4)
1 pkg dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/2 cup white wine or 1/2 c. chicken broth
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1 pkg angel hair pasta, cooked according to box directions

Directions:
Place chicken in crock pot. In sauce pan mix Italian salad dressing mix, soup, cream cheese, green onions, and wine. Stir until cheese is melted. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Pour over cooked pasta.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

(photo courtesy of All Recipes)

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded

1 (4.5 oz) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

2 cups heavy cream

1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.
2. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.
3. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

 Yields:  8 servings


*I added chopped carrots, celery and onion and some minced garlic and replaced the heavy cream with 1% milk.
*You can use rotisserie chicken in place of the chicken breasts.

pork chops and potatoes

Last night I made a couple of Pioneer Woman's recipes and both were a big hit with the family!

I made 
 

Pan Fried Pork Chops

and 

Crash Hot Potatoes

My pork chops were a bit thicker than hers so I fried them 5 minutes per side.

I love her recipes because they are so simple and are foods that we eat.

Check out her website for many delicious recipes:  ThePioneerWoman

(Photos courtesy of Pioneer Woman)

Pepperoni & Cheese Crescents

(photo & recipe courtesy All Recipes)

1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
24 slices pepperoni

2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese 
1 cup tomato pasta or pizza sauce, heated

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Separate dough into 8 triangles; pat out each triangle slightly.
2. Place 3 slices pepperoni, slightly overlapping, on center of each triangle. Top each with about 1 tablespoon cheese.
3. Roll up, starting at shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point. Place rolls, point side down, on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm crescents with warm pasta sauce for dipping.
5. YUM!!!

Creamy Berry Goodness

 

Frozen mixed berries 
1 tub Cool Whip
1 large container of vanilla yogurt
1 small package of cheesecake pudding mix

Pour berries into a large bowl.  Add the Cool Whip and yogurt and then sprinkle on the pudding mix.  Stir together really well until it's all combined and looks pretty.  Chill before serving.

macaroni and cheese

We are very picky about macaroni and cheese.


Our favorite is Kraft.  You just can't beat the taste...and don't try to convince me/us.
We've tried them all.  I tried and disregarded many many recipes because they just weren't up to our standards.

Not that we have high standards if our favorite comes out of a box.

But I want a homemade recipe that I can use when there is no Kraft in the cupboard.

So I went online to find a copycat recipe for Kraft.  And made it last night.
It got 3* out of 4.  Meaning 3 of us liked it, 1 didn't.
I felt it needed more cheese so I added that to the Cheez Whiz amount.


KRAFT MACARONI & CHEESE COPYCAT

8 cups water
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2-2/3 cup Cheez Whiz
2 Tbsp whole milk
1/4-1/2 tsp salt

Bring water to a boil, add macaroni and cook until done; drain.
Prepare sauce by combining cheeses and milk in a small saucepan over med/low heat.
Stir often as it heats so it doesn't burn.  Add salt.
Drain macaroni and combine with sauce. 



BUT, there is also another recipe that I like and have used but I thought it was too cheesy/rich.  But I still keep it in my stash.  It's a good one for anyone who likes Velveeta.  I cut the cheese in half.  This one also got 3* out of 4.


VELVEETA ULTIMATE MACARONI & CHEESE

2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked

3/4 lb. (12 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/3 cup milk

1/8 tsp. pepper

Cook macaroni in large saucepan as directed on package; drain well. Return to pan.
Stir in remaining ingredients; cook on low heat until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently.

Abuelo’s Papas con Chile™

3 lbs. red potatoes
3 oz cream cheese – cut into 2" squares
½ cup heavy cream
10 oz Velveeta – cut into 2 " squares
½ TBS salt
¾ tsp granulated garlic
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup diced red bell peppers
½ cup diced green bell peppers
2 cans chopped green chiles
½ cup chopped green onion tops
2 TBS of finely chopped jalapeño – seeds removed


1.Wash and scrub potatoes until clean
2.Place potatoes in a pot covered with water and boil until soft.
3.Drain potatoes
4.Add the rest of ingredients and mash. Be sure all ingredients are incorporated

homemade Bisquick

• 8 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1/4 cup baking powder
• 1 TB salt
• 2 cups shortening

1. Combine flour, dry milk, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  
2. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse cornmeal.  
3. Store in tightly closed covered container in a cook place.

To make pancakes:
2 cups bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Stir all ingredients until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I did my part for Valentine's Day....I made these suckers.

By the time I got done, I felt like I had been suckered!

DO NOT make 60+ at one time! Gah!! I was very overwhelmed. But they did turn out really cute.

I didn't take a picture of them so I nabbed this one from Family Fun.

(photo courtesy Family Fun)

• 12 mini candy canes
• 6 (6-inch) paper lollipop sticks
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• Red, white, and pink nonpareils or sugar sprinkles

1. Heat the oven to 235°. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange the candy canes as hearts and bake them for 10 minutes.

2. Quickly pinch each heart onto a lollipop stick as shown below (an adult's job).

3. In the microwave, melt together the chocolate chips and the oil in 10-second intervals, stirring between heatings.

4. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the center of each heart, then top with nonpareils or sugar sprinkles. Cool the pops before serving or wrapping them.

TIPS:
~ I found that 235* was too hot for 10 minutes. Start with 7 minutes and then check the candy canes. You don't want them to get too flat; which happened to me a couple of times.
~ I would suggest NOT making 60+ of them at one time! If you do, have someone help you...it can get overwhelming trying to keep an eye on the oven and filling suckers with chocolate

Cream of "something" Soup Recipe

(photo courtesy of One Orange Giraffe)

• 1 cup non-fat dried milk
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup bouillon (if you have cubes you have to smash them up)
• 4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon pepper

1. Blend together in the blender is you wish.
   
2. For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook until thick.

**This is SO MUCH BETTER than the canned soups! I used it in a dish tonight and the family raved about it!

'tis the season to.....eat!

CANDY CANE FUDGE

(allrecipes.com)

• 2 (10 ounce) packages vanilla baking chips
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups crushed candy canes
• 1 dash red or green food coloring

1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, and grease the foil.
2. Combine the vanilla chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until almost melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. When chips are completely melted, stir in the peppermint extract, food coloring, and candy canes.
3. Spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Chill for 2 hours, then cut into squares.

ya just gotta love Betty Crocker

she did it again...made a soup that my family loved!

Chili-Mac Soup

• 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 5 cups hot water
• 1 box Hamburger Helper® chili macaroni
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 cups diced tomatoes (from 28-oz can)
• 1 can (11 oz) Green Giant® Mexicorn® whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
• 2 tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives
• shredded cheddar cheese (opt)*
  

• In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef, onion and bell pepper over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.
• 2 Stir in hot water, sauce mix (from Hamburger Helper box), chili powder, garlic salt and tomatoes. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
• 3 Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in uncooked pasta (from Hamburger Helper box), corn, olives and cheese (opt). Cover; cook 10 minutes longer.

*I added cheese to thicken up the soup a little

Beefy Nacho Soup

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 pkg taco seasoning mix
• 1/2-1 tsp cumin
  
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed nacho cheese soup
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• 1 can corn
  
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup crushed corn tortilla chips

1. In a 2-qt saucepan, cook ground beef over medium-high heat; drain.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in remaining ingredients except shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Cook 8-12 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Top individual servings with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Yield: 4 servings

Mini Muffin Pizzas

• 1 whole wheat English muffin, split, toasted
• pepperoni or any type of meat
  
• 2 Tbsp spaghetti sauce (I used pizza sauce)
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• dash of dried oregano leaves (opt)
  

1. Spread muffin halves with sauce; top with meat, cheese and oregano.
2. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes of until cheese is browned.
   

Chili Enchiladas

• 18 Tortilla shells - soft, medium size*
• 1/2 large Bermuda onion, chopped and separated
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 cans (15 oz) chili without beans
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper seeds
• 1 lb. colby or cheddar cheese, grated

1. Saute 2 Tbsp onions and the ground beef. Add chili and salt and pepper (to taste) and pepper seeds. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Brush both sides of tortilla shells with butter or oil. In center of tortilla, place 1 Tbsp meat sauce, a sprinkle of onion and 1 Tbsp grated cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a 9x12 inch pan. (step 2 uses half of the meat sauce, half of the cheese, and half of the onion.
3. Spoon remaining sauce over tortillas. Top with remaining onions and cheese. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

*I only used 9 tortillas and added more meat sauce and cheese to them

Cinnamon Bun Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned), uncooked
• 1/4 cup + 2 TB granulated sugar
• 1 TB baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 TB (1 stick) butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup whole or 2% milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans, optional
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

GLAZE:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3-4 tsp orange juice or milk

1. Heat oven to 425*. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray
2. In large bowl, combine flour, oats, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt; mix well. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In small bowl, combine milk, egg and vanilla; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir with fork or rubber spatula until dry ingredients are moistened. In small bowl, combine remaining 2 TB sugar with pecans and cinnamon; mix well. Sprinkle evenly over dough in bowl; gently stir batter to swirl in cinnamon mixture (do not blend completely). Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
3. Bake 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack; cook 5 minutes. In small bowl, combine powdered sugar and enough juice/milk for desired consistency; mix until smooth. Drizzle over top of warm scones. Serve warm.
   

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

(photo courtesy of TOH)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners' sugar

Directions

• In a bowl, beat the sugar, egg, oil, chocolate and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill for at least 2 hours.
• Shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in confectioners' sugar. Place 2 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks. Yield: about 1 dozen.

Editor’s Note: Dough will be sticky. Dip hands in confectioners' sugar when shaping dough into balls.

Play-do

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup salt

2 tbsp cream of tartar

1/4 cup oil

2 cup water with choice of food coloring


Mix dry ingredients together.
Mix liquid ingredients together.
Mix all together in a pan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until a ball forms and comes away from side.
Now you've got Play-do

Apple Cranberry Bread

You have to try this. It is so good!

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups tart apples, peeled and diced
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 325°;grease a 9"x5"x3" loaf pan.
2. Beat oil, eggs, and vanilla; combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, cloves,salt, baking soda and baking powder; beat into the egg mixture; stir in apples, cranberries and nuts.
3. Pour into loaf pan and bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean; cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove loaf from pan and cool on wire rack.
   

another recipe - these are really yummy

Granola Bars Recipe

1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup granola cereal
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and add sugar. Mix in egg, flavorings and orange juice. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon barely blending. Stir in raisins, cereal and nuts. Bake in a greased 9x9" pan for 30-35 minutes. Recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9x13" pan for 35-40 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.