Pumpkin Pie Cake

recipe found at http://www.mygratitudeattitudes.blogspot.com/

My results don't look anything as nice as hers but I say probably just as delicious!

Bottom Layer:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine

1 egg

Mix well and set aside 1 cup to use for the topping later.

Press the rest into a 9x13 pan.

Filling:

1- 1lb13 oz can of pumpkin

1 cup sugar

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or buy the pumpkin pie filling)

Mix well and add

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

Mix until smooth and pour over crust

Topping:

1 cup of the cake mixture

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup softened or melted butter

Mix well. Break into small pieces and add all over the top of the cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

Cool and serve with Cool Whip.

Store leftovers in the fridge.

Pop pot roast

I HAD to try this recipe, only because it had pop in it! This was another recipe that was supposed to be cooked in a dutch oven, but I made in the crockpot instead. It was really tender, and WAY easier than dealing with a dutch oven, so if/when we make this again, I'll totally make it in the crockpot.


1 14.5 oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 can pop (I used diet coke)
1 pkg dry spaghetti sauce mix
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery (I omitted)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 lbs. beef chuck roast

Break up tomatoes in a large bowl, in their juices. Stir in pop, spaghetti sauce mix, onion, salt, and garlic salt. In a dutch oven on medium high heat, brown meat in oil for 10 minutes on each side. Drain off all fat. Pour tomato mixture over meat. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 2 1/2 hrs or until meat is tender. Serve over mashed potatoes.
OR MY CROCKPOT VERSION:
Put chuck roast in crock pot (I did NOT brown it first). Combine all remaining ingredients and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 10+ hours or until tender. (See now isn't that easier?!)

WW BBQ Meatloaf

I found this recipe in my Weight Watchers 5 Ingredient, 15 Minute Cookbook. Since we made meatloaf in the crockpot last week and liked how it turned out I figured I'd try making this one in the crockpot as well. It was so soft and juicy, and the BBQ sauce really thinned out and almost made a sauce for it. The edges stuck to the pan and got a little over done, but personally I like the ends, so I thought that was the best part. I made this on my last freezer cooking day, and froze it in a silicone pan then popped it out when I was ready to cook it. I let it begin to defrost overnight in the fridge, but it was still mainly frozen when I turned the crockpot on in the morning. I let it cook all day, and it was ready when we got home from school!


1 pound ground round (I used ground turkey)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, divided (I used about 1 1/4 c divided instead)
1/4 cup frozen chopped onion, pressed dry
1/4 cup Italian-Seasoned dry breadcrumbs
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine meat, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, onion, breadcrumbs, egg whites, and pepper in a large bowl; stir well. Shape mixture into a 7x5" loaf on a rack in a roasting pan. Spread remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce over loaf. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or to desired dfegree of doneness. Yeild: 4 servings.

Points: 5

MY VERSION:
Combine meat, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, onion, breadcrumbs, egg whites, and pepper in a large bowl; stir well. Shape mixture into a 7x5" loaf. Place in crockpot. Spread remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce over loaf. (I used about 3/4 - 1 c) I would assume if it was not frozen it would cook on low for 4 hours or until cooked through. For me, it was frozen, and I cooked on low 10 hours. Yeild: 4 servings.

Slow Cook Meatloaf

Sorry for the bad picture!

This recipe came from my TOH Slow Cooker Favorites cookbook. Brian and Allison LOVED this. Brian even gave this one 5 stars. : ) I however, thought it was just okay. I have to put a slight disclaimer on this though...I'm not a huge meatloaf fan. So try it and judge for yourself. This was SUPER moist and broke into small pieces really easily. You definitely did not need a knife to cut this one (well you did to cut it into appropriate serving sizes. The carrots were good and soft, but the potatoes lacked seasoning! Honestly, next time I would probably just cook w/carrots and serve with a side of mashed potatoes instead.


Ingredients
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 slices day-old bread, cubed (I used 3)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I sauteed first)
2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper (I diced mine VERY fine and Brian didn't even notice!)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean) (I used ground turkey)
1/4 cup ketchup (I misread this and used more like 1 1/4 cups...I think it needed it though!)
8 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks (I used baby carrots)
8 small red potatoes (I used 5 large red poatoes cut into quarters)

Directions
In a bowl, beat egg and milk. Stir in the bread cubes, onion, green pepper, salt and pepper. Add the beef and mix well. Shape into a round loaf. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Spread ketchup on top of loaf. Arrange carrots around loaf. Peel a strip around the center of each potato; place potatoes over carrots. (I cut my potatoes into quarters...I was not taking the time to peel a strip!)

Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 7-8 hours longer or until no pink remains in the meat and the vegetables are tender. Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken Crunch

This recipe should just be called "Delicious!" We ALL loved this one! SUPER easy too! Definitely, definitely making this one again.

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (I used the 98% FF)
1/2 cup milk
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Seasoned Stuffing, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

(Either I used WAY more chicken, or the recipe below doesn't call for enough, but I used almost the entire can of soup, about 1 c milk, and the entire box of stuffing).

1.Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir 1/3 cup soup and 1/4 cup milk in a shallow dish. Coat the chicken with the flour. Dip the chicken in the soup mixture. Coat the chicken with the stuffing. Place the chicken onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with the butter. (Want to save some calories? I don't think the butter made much of a difference)

2.Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
3.Heat the remaining soup and milk in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve the soup mixture with the chicken. (I skipped this step and served with BBQ sauce instead)

Ritz Chicken

I decided to make this recipe for three reasons: 1. It only required 5 ingredients. 2. I was looking for a new chicken recipe. 3. I had all but one ingredient on hand!


This is a huge keeper for us! We ALL loved this one!!! Very, very good and extremely easy!

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 egg
little bit of milk
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
Parmesan cheese

Mix egg and milk in shallow dish. Crush crackers in ziploc bag then add cheese to crackers. Dip chicken in egg mixture to coat then in cracker mixture to coat. Place in 9x13 pan. Top each chicken breast with a dollup of butter. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until chicken is done.

Easiest Tamales

The family wasn't a big fan of this, but I sure was!! These were a tad bland, but I still loved them! They were a pain in the butt to make at first but that's only because: 1. My food processor is too small. 2. I had no idea how to wrap these. 3. I didn't have steamer basket for my pot!




Once I figured out the ins and outs of this recipe, it was much easier. For wrapping these, just cut the parchment paper so it's about 12 inches wide. Flatten the masa mixture into a circle or rectangle-ish shape and when you wrap it, just fold the masa over so it seals itself. Then wrap and roll like you would a tortilla. When the parchment is totally wrapped up, fold the bottom up to the top and tie with string. (I'm sure that didn't help but next time I'll take pictures of it...or if I think of it before I eat it for lunch tomorrow, I'll take another picture of it wrapped).

1 cup masa harina (this was in the Mexican food aisle in a bag that looks like a sack of flour)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. water
1/4 cup lard or solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/4 cup shredded chicken, (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup cheddar or jack cheese grated
4 scallions, minced

1. Add the masa harina, baking powder, salt, water, lard, and stock to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the dough into a large mixing bowl, and fold in the chicken, cheese and scallions.

2. Cut 6 squares of plastic wrap about 12 inches wide. Place a heaping 1/3 cup tamale mixture in the center, and pat with a spatula into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the plastic over the long sides of the tamale, and twist the packet closed on one short side, leaving the other end of the packet open to let the tamale expand.

3. Bring an inch of water to a boil in a pot with a tight-fitting lid, arrange the tamales in a steamer basket and lower them into the pot. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Let steam for 25 minutes.

4. Remove the tamales from the pot, and let cool for 8 minutes. Very gently unwrap the plastic and slide or flip them onto a plate, being careful to keep them intact. Top with your favorite salsa, and serve.

Enchilada Lasagna

YUM! That's what the title of this recipe should be. I LOVED this one! (Although I personally would add black beans and corn next time but the family will protest!) This is another recipe that has cottage cheese in it and my family has NO idea!


1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 1 lb ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can stewed tomatoes (14 oz.) (I used tomato sauce instead)
1 can red enchilada sauce (10 oz.)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
3 cups shredded cheese
4 flour tortillas, cut in half

Brown beef with onion and garlic. Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese. In a 9X13 pan, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce. Layer with 1/2 of cheese, 1/2 of tortillas and 1/2 of cottage cheese. Repeat layers and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes covered with foil and 15 minutes uncovered.

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Buns

In an effort to use my crockpot as often as possible, I stumbled upon this recipe and decided to try it.  We however, did not want to eat these open faced and of course, no mushrooms or tomatoes on it for us. We ate this on toasted loaf bread and it was quite yummy! This one we'll definitely make again!


Ingredients:
Beef flank steak (1 lb.)
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
1 tomato, chopped (I omitted)
1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 sandwich buns, split


Place steak in slow cooker; top with next 3 ingredients. Pour combined barbecue sauce and seasoning over ingredients in slow cooker. Cover with lid.


Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours). Remove steak from slow cooker; shred with fork. (Or, cut across the grain into thin strips.) Return meat to slow cooker; stir to coat with sauce.
Top each bun half with meat mixture.


***I made this and froze on my freezer cooking day: Place flank stead, onion, bbq sauce and italian seasoning in a ziplock bag. Squish the bag to combine. Seal and freeze. Thaw overnight in fridge.

Honey Mustard Kielbasa and Potatoes

I've been posting so many recipes on my own blog, I've been neglecting to add them here as well.  I'll post several that we've really enjoyed...

I LOVED this one!  Brian and Chloe didn't enjoy it as much as Allison and I did!  Did I mention I LOVED this one??  This was ridiculously easy to make, so I highly recommend this recipe!!


3/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth--which I used)
1/4 cup Honey Mustard
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 lb. kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/4 lb. red potatoes (about 4), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, sliced

Heat oven to 400°F. Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended. Combine remaining ingredients in shallow pan. Drizzle with wine mixture; toss to coat. (I mixed/tossed all ingredients in a large bowl and then placed and cooked in a 9x13 pan).  Bake 55 min. or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Quick Chicken a la King

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com but it looks like it originally came from Cambell's Kitchen.  I had some diced chicken in the freezer from a rotisserie chicken and really wanted to find a good recipe to use it up.  My mom suggested chicken a la king, so I started searching the internet for one that my family would eat.  This looked like one they might enjoy (minus the peppers of course!).  After reading the comments from people who tried it, I decided to add in a few extra spices to jazz it up.  Below is the recipe I made.

Allison ate two HUGE servings of this (5 stars); Chloe kept spitting it out and handing it back to me piece by piece (0 stars); Brian said he'd eat it again but wasn't overly excited by it (2 stars); I liked it and would eat it again but with waterchestnuts added for crunch (3.5 stars).  So if you average that all out, we gave this recipe 2.6 stars.  : ) 

1 tablespoon margarine or butter

1/4 cup chopped green pepper or red pepper
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken or ham
4 cups hot cooked regular long-grain white rice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tbsp minced onion
pepper to taste

Directions
1.Heat margarine in saucepan. Add pepper and cook until tender.
2.Add soup, milk and chicken. Heat through. Season with spices.  Serve over rice.

Enchilada Lasagna

YUM! That's what the title of this recipe from Becoming Betty should be. I LOVED this one! (Although I personally would add black beans and corn next time but the family will protest!) This is another recipe that has cottage cheese in it and my family has NO idea!

Photo is coming soon...I accidentally deleted the photo so I have to wait until Brian heats up the leftovers....

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 1 lb ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can stewed tomatoes (14 oz.) (I used tomato sauce instead)
1 can red enchilada sauce (10 oz.)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
3 cups shredded cheese
4 flour tortillas, cut in half

Brown beef with onion and garlic. Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese. In a 9X13 pan, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce. Layer with 1/2 of cheese, 1/2 of tortillas and 1/2 of cottage cheese. Repeat layers and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes covered with foil and 15 minutes uncovered.

Sauteed Artichokes and Peppers

I found this recipe in one of my Real Simple Magazines, and although I had no interest in the flank steak, this side dish really caught my attenion. I made this simpler than the original recipe, so the top is the original way to make it...and the 2nd recipe is my simplified version!


Kosher salt and black pepper
2 cups torn bread (1-inch pieces)
1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and halved
1/2 cup sweet red cherry peppers (such as Peppadews), sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Here is the real recipe:
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread and cook, tossing, until golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a second skillet. Add the artichokes and cook, cut-side down, until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, peppers, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bread and toss to combine. Serve with the steak.

MY MUCH EASIER VERSION:
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the artichokes, and peppers (I used orange and yellow bell peppers) and cook about 5 minutes, or until the peppers start to soften to desired texture. Add a handful of croutons (no toasting of bread for me!), garlic, thyme (I used dried), salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Cowboy Kabobs

We really liked this one (another kraftfoods.com recipe)! I was too lazy to attempt making them into kabobs, so I cut them in thin, but wide strips so we could just lay them on the grill and so they wouldn't fall through the grates. The girls didn't like it, but Brian and I ate it all. This is another recipe keeper.  I also made this recipe on my freezer cooking day, and just combined all of the ingredients we used and basically marinated it in a ziplock bag and froze until we were ready to eat it. (Thaw in fridge overnight)

1/3 cup A.1. Original Steak Sauce
1/3 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
2 tsp. KRAFT Prepared Horseradish (I substituted 2 tsp of yellow mustard)
1 beef top round steak (1-1/2 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
9 pearl onions (We omitted)
1 large red pepper, cut into 9 strips

Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended.

(We skipped this step!) Thread meat onto 18 skewers; place onion or pepper strip at end of each skewer. Place kabobs in shallow glass dish. Pour steak sauce mixture over kabobs. Refrigerate 1 hour to marinate, turning occasionally.

Heat grill to medium heat. Remove kabobs from marinade; discard marinade. Grill kabobs 4 to 6 min. or until meat is done, turning occasionally.

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Buns

In an effort to use my crockpot as often as possible, I stumbled upon this recipe at kraftfoods.com and decided to try it.  We however, did not want to eat these open faced and of course, no mushrooms or tomatoes on it for us. We ate this on toasted loaf bread and it was quite yummy! This one we'll definitely make again!

Ingredients:
Beef flank steak (1 lb.)
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 sandwich buns, split

Place steak in slow cooker; top with next 3 ingredients. Pour combined barbecue sauce and seasoning over ingredients in slow cooker. Cover with lid.

Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours). Remove steak from slow cooker; shred with fork. (Or, cut across the grain into thin strips.) Return meat to slow cooker; stir to coat with sauce.

Top each bun half with meat mixture.

Honey Mustard Kielbasa and red potatoes

This is one of my new favorite recipes!  I cooked it the night before so when we got home from work we just had to heat it up and eat.  The girls liked it but Brian wasn't a fan because "mustard" was one of the ingredients...big baby!  I even took this for lunch the next day and ate it cold.  It was that good.  This was ridiculously easy to make, so I highly recommend this recipe!!


3/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth--which I used)
1/4 cup Honey Mustard
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 lb. kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/4 lb. red potatoes (about 4), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, sliced

Heat oven to 400°F. Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended. Combine remaining ingredients in shallow pan. Drizzle with wine mixture; toss to coat. (I mixed/tossed all ingredients in a large bowl and then placed and cooked in a 9x13 pan).  Bake 55 min. or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Curt's Favorite So Far

Marie's Easy Slow Cooker Recipe

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/maries-easy-slow-cooker-pot-roast/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:

4 lb chuck roast

salt and pepper to taste

1 package dry onion mix

1 cup water

3 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 potatoes, peeled and cubes

1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

1. Place the roast in the slow cooker. Add remainder of the ingredients.

2. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Cornflake Chicken

Originally I was looking for a sweet, dessert recipe that used cornflakes. Then I stumbled across this one and figured we had to try it. Brian was a little reluctant, but I have to give him credit for being brave enough for me to expirament in the kitchen.


I'm happy to report that both Brian and Allison LOVED this dinner! Although I prefer my chicken grilled, I did enjoy this one too! The cornflakes gave the chicken a nice little crunch and gave it a nice sweet bite to it too. This is going on our list of "make again" meals.

Next time I will use a little less butter because I felt it make the cornflakes a bit soggy. I also used chicken breasts cut into thinner pieces and baked this for about 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.



2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
2 1/2 c. crushed cornflakes
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 chicken, cut up
5 tbsp. butter

Beat eggs. Add milk, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in mixture, then in crushed cornflakes. Place in 9 x 13 inch pan. Dribble butter over all bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Can use crushed Ritz crackers.

Edamame Succotash

Ironically I found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine while I was working out on the eliptical machine at the gym one day.  It looked easy and a great way to get a lot of different vegetables in one meal; and since I love edamame I couldn't resist trying it. 

I thought this was really yummy!  I ate it with string cheese as my lunch today and am eating it along side the cornflake chicken I made for dinner tonight.  It will probably also be in my lunch a couple of days this week!!  I omitted the mint because I didn't have any on hand.  Also, I was going to omit the butter to make it healthier, but you can totally taste it in the recipe so I would suggest keeping it in!

 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium-size orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium-size red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium-size yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (16-oz.) package frozen edamame, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 3 minutes or until tender. Add bell peppers and corn, and cook 5 more minutes or until tender.

2. Stir in chicken broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Stir in edamame; cook 3 minutes. Stir in butter until melted. Remove from heat, and stir in mint and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

This is another recipe from 30 Day Gourmet. Seriously, if you have not gotten one of their books yet and you like to pre-make and freeze meals, YOU NEED TO GET ONE. This recipe book has saved so much time in my life, and we have really enjoyed almost all of the recipes we've tried.


This one was so simple, and we all enjoyed it (Brian and Allison both had seconds...and although you can see the cottage cheese, they thought it was ricotta and ate it!) I will definitely make this one again!!

8 oz Small Shell Macaroni
1 sloppy joe mix envelope
1 1/2 c cooked ground beef or turkey
8 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
1 c water
16 oz small curd cottage cheese
1 c shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)

Cook macaroni half the recommended time. Drain. Combine seasoning mix with the ground beef or turkey, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 1 cup water. In sprayed 2-1/2 quart casserole dish or 8x8” baking dish, layer half the macaroni, half the cottage cheese and half the meat sauce; repeat. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
Freezing Directions:
Wrap dish in foil or place in 2-gallon freezer bag. If using freezer bags, freeze the combined pasta and meat sauce and keep the cottage cheese and cheddar cheese on hand to layer the casserole just before baking. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw (layer in casserole if necessary) and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until bubbling or place frozen casserole in oven and bake 1 hour 20 minutes.

Lasagna Roll Ups

This recipe came from the discussions page on Facebook from 30 Day gourmet. I basically took our regular lasagna recipe and put the filling into a precooked lasagna noodle and rolled it up. I baked it basically the same was as we do the lasagna too. We used to buy lasagna roll ups from Market Day but these are just as good and definitely less expensive! Brian liked these just as much as he does the lasagna, I enjoyed it too, but for somereason I like the pan of lasagna better (more noodles maybe?)

For the cheese filling:
In a large bowl mix first 7 ingredients until well blended. Set aside

For the meat/sauce filling:
In a medium bowl mix spaghetti sauce and cooked ground beef.

Cook a box of lasagna noodles according to the directions. When cooked and just slightly cooled (enough that you can handle them), lay the noodles out on a cutting board (or just use your counter, but it'll be a bit messy). Put a large spoonful of cheese mixture on a noodle and spread it out. Top w/meat sauce and spread over the cheese. Sprinkle some mozzarella ontop of the sauce and roll up the noodle starting at one end. Place all roll ups on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Flash freeze then bag meal size portions in a ziplock bag. (I individually wrapped all of mine in wax paper so they wouldn't stick).

When ready to bake, remove from freezer. Pour extra spaghetti sauce on the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x13 pan (we ended up using 2 meat loaf pans and put 3 roll ups in each). Layer rollups on top of sauce and top with more sauce. Cover and bake (yes they are still frozen at this point!) for 45 min. Uncover, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake an additional 15 min. Let stand 5 min before serving.

Little League Tostadas

If you haven't checked out Becoming Betty's Blog yet, you are missing out! She must be my kindered spirit and we must cook a lot of the same foods because everything she posts looks so fabulous to me! I came across several tostada recipes lately and planned on making chicken tostadas but we have taco meat on hand so this one sparked my interest.


I am the only one who at this this way...Brian and Allison just ate tostada shell w/meat and cheese. These were FABULOUS! YUM. I had a little bit of everything left over so I'm taking this tomorrow for lunch too. I won't be the cleanest eater though as these are a bit messy. Doesn't matter though, they are worth the mess. I was leary of the cabbage on this but loved it way more that I do lettuce!!!

1 lb. lean ground beef
taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
1 can green chilies
shredded cheese
tostada shells
shredded cabbage
cilantro
lime juice

Cook ground beef and add taco seasoning and a little water. (I also added some refried beans and picante sauce to our meat). In a separate saucepan, heat up beans and add green chilies and a little milk. Combine shredded cabbage with chopped cilantro (as much as you like) and some lime juice to taste (I also added a little salt). Layer on tostada shell: beans, meat, cheese, shredded cabbage mix. Top with favorite taco sauce. (I omitted)

Crockpot Sticky Chicken

I should have taken a picture of this still in the crockpot because then it still looked like an intact chicken. When I took it out of the crockpot it completely fell off the bones...ALL of the bones. This was the best shot I could get of it.

I've never cooked a whole chicken in a crockpot before but some of my friends (ahem, Paula!) cooks 4 crockpots full of chickens at one time! This was very easy! And I don't love rotisserie chickens because I think they dry out, but this one was very moist. I will definitely make this one again!!

Thanks to Andi for turning me on to this recipe! http://www.cookingcache.com/crockpotroaststickychicken.shtml?rdid=rc1

4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used 1/2 tsp and that was plenty spicy for us...and that wasn't even eating any of the skin!)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper (I omitted)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight. (Time saving tip: I first put this in a slow cook liner and then put in the ziplock bag over night. Then in the morning, I just had to stick the liner in the crockpot....no morning mess!)

When ready to cook chicken put the onions into the cavity (I put mine in when I cleaned it), put the bird into the crockpot and do not add any liquid (I added 1/4 c water). As the cooking process goes on it will produce it's own juices. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours and it will be falling off the bone tender.

Tangy BBQ Sandwiches

This recipe came from my Taste of Home Slow Cooker Favorites Cookbook. In the picture in the cookbook, this is served on a hamburger bun, but we toasted our french bread and I think it was a good idea! A hamburger bun would have ended up very soggy with this recipe.

Brian and I both gave this 4+ stars....super easy and yummy!

I made this at my last freezer cooking day so freezer directions are at the very bottom.


3 cups chopped celery (we omitted)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 to 4 pounds), trimmed and cut in half (mine was 2.5 lbs so I didn't cut in half)
14 to 18 hamburger buns, split (Use toasted french bread instead!!)

Directions
In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients. Add roast. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook 7-8 hours longer or until meat is tender.
Remove roast; cool. Shred meat and return to sauce; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, fill each bun with about 1/2 cup of meat mixture. Yield: 14-18 servings.

Tracy's Freezer Suggestions:
In a large ziplock bag I combine all of the ingredients except the roast and the hamburger buns (obviously!). I squished and shook the bag to combine all of the ingredients. Then I added the roast to the bag and froze. I took it out of the freezer 2 days before serving and let it thaw in the fridge. This morning I dumped the whole thing in the crockpot and cooked on low for 10 hours.

Quick and Easy Chicken and Rice

I was looking for an easy chicken recipe to make for dinner and came across this one on All Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-and-Easy-Chicken-and-Rice/Detail.aspx


The worst part of this recipe is that the chicken and rice both need to be precooked...but if you buy a rotisserie chicken, that would make this recipe so much simpler. I chose to poach some chicken tenders in chicken broth since I had extras in the freezer.

I LOVED this recipe. 4+ stars from me!! I sauteed the mushrooms separately since Brian is allergic to them and then just added them on top of mine. YUM! Allison took one look at it and quickly procliamed that it was "bisgusting." After much coaxing she eventually did eat it. She didn't love it, but she ate it. Brian was very leary of trying this one too. He thought it was going to have big chicken breasts/tenders on top instead of chopped up and mixed in. He said he'd eat it again though, so that's positive.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 chicken bouillon cubes, crumbled
2 cups milk
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (we omitted)
3 cups cooked Texmati® White or Brown Rice (I used Basmati rice since it was much cheaper!)
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Blend in flour and chicken bouillon cubes. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and mushrooms. Spread cooked Texmati Rice in buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish; spoon chicken mixture over rice. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, covered at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbly.

OK, made the cake balls...

I made the cakes balls today for part of Curt's birthday treats. I used yellow cake and 4/5 of the can of milk chocolate frosting. I dipped them in chocolate then. They were a hit...despite how terrible they look! I give it 5 stars regardless of the appearance...they are going to work with Curt tomorrow so I don't eat them all!

Potato Chip Chicken

I am always looking for variations for chicken recipes. I came across this one on the Betty Crocker website (http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/quick-n-crunchy-potato-chip-chicken/703fe479-0743-4db4-b1e9-c5d33ad8a1e2)



I wanted to make this healthier (how can you do that when it's coated in potato chips right?) so I baked it instead of frying it in oil. I don't think it made much of a difference. Next time I will also try baked chips.  My family loved this! Brian gave it 4 1/2 stars, I gave it 4 stars, and Allison gave it 5 stars.
 4 cups sour cream and onion-flavored potato chips, crushed (1 cup)
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 large egg (next time I would use 2 egg whites instead.)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if you are frying it)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)

1. In shallow bowl, mix crushed potato chips and parsley. In another shallow bowl, beat egg and Worcestershire sauce.
2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with potato chip mixture.
3. If frying: Cook chicken in oil 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F)
If baking: Bake 25 minutes in a 370 degree oven (or until cooked all the way through)

Watermelon and Feta Salad

It looks odd right??? Yet a little intriguing?? That's what I thought too, so when I came across this recipe I knew I just had to try it. I found this in my Family Fun magazine (http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/try-a-surprising-salad-907310/) and immediately ripped it out.

It's weird. But it's surprisingly very good. I had it for breakfast and lunch, and I'll probably have it again for dinner! I'd give this a low 4 stars. I didn't have any fresh basil or mint so I just used a pinch of dried basil. I think the fresh basil would definitely make it a lot better...and prettier!!

Ingredients:
8 cups cubed watermelon
2 to 4 ounces cubed or crumbled feta
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil or mint

Instructions
Mix the watermelon and feta. Toss with a dressing made from the lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with slivered fresh basil or mint. Serves 8.

Cornmeal crusted chicken

I found a recipe in my TOH Dinner on a Dime Cookbook called "Oven-Fried Chicken" which mixes cornmeal and breadcrumbs (along with several other ingredients).  Well it called for tarragon and ground ginger, both of which I did not have on hand.  So I substituted some other spices and recreated this dish to fit our needs/taste/budget. 

This is what it ended up looking like!  Brian gave it 3 1/2 stars because he didn't like the extra crunch of the cornmeal.  I, however LOVE crunch so I loved the cornmeal!!  I gave this 4 stars!  Brian also wishes I had more of one of my spices but we can't figure out which one he liked the best.  : )

1/2 C cornmeal

1/2 c dry bread crumbs

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper (to taste...I don't measure this ever!)

Combine above ingredients and put in a shallow bowl.

In another bowl combine 3 egg whites and 2 tbsp skim milk.

In a third bowl put 1/2 c flour (I used whole wheat).

Coat chicken (I used chicken breast tenders) in flour.  Then dip in egg white mixture.  Finally roll in cornmeal breadcrumb mix. 

Place on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (or until cooked through), turning once.

Not a WW recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I'm sure CAKE COOKIES is not a new recipe to most people.  I've made them twice in the last couple of weeks and let me tell you why these are one of my new favorite, go-to recipes...
1.  You use any flavor of cake mix as the base (we always have something on hand)
2.  You can add anything you have in the house to these!

The first time I made this I used a yellow cake mix with chocolate chips.  This last time I used devil's food cake mix with german chocolate squares that I chopped up into "chunks."  I would really like to do a devil's food cake with chopped maraschino cherries and chocolate chips (and maybe walnuts!), but I'd be the only one in the house who ate these and I'd eat the entire batch myself. 

Of course we ate all of these before I even thought to take a picture so the photo is courtesy of http://gimmesomeoven.com/chocolate-chocolate-chip-cookies-double-chocolate-chip-cookies/
as it looks just like the ones I made.  (THAT IS NOT THE RECIPE THOUGH).

I lightened up this recipe by using applesauce in it too...

1 box cake mix (any kind/flavor)
2 eggs
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c any add in (choc chips, chopped chocolate, nuts, etc)

Mix all ingredients together and drop by rounded tablespoon on to a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes.  (I find 9 is best).  Let cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes.  Then transfer to cookie sheet to finish cooling.  Good luck not finishing these off right away!  : )  Let me know what kinds of cake mix/add in you make!!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Yum, Yum, Yum!!  I found this recipe on Becoming Betty, but it was originonally a Rachel Ray recipe.  http://becomingbetty.blogspot.com/2010/03/pepperoni-pizza-puffs.html

These were ridiculously easy to make and delicious!!  Double the recipe though!

3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup whole milk (I used 2%)

1 egg

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 cup diced up pepperoni

pizza sauce for dipping

fresh basil, finely chopped

Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Then whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in mozzarella and pepperoni. Let sit for 10 minutes. Stir again and then divide batter into a greased mini-muffin pan (24 muffins). Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until golden. Heat up pizza sauce and add 1 Tbs. basil to it and stir. Sprinkle puffs with basil. Dip and eat!

Fairly Healthy Fruit Pie

I got this recipe out of the Family Circle Magazine.  It's called Millie's August Pie.  http://www.familycircle.com/recipes/comfortfood/reader-recipes/?page=1  It looked yummy, summery and I couldn't wait to bring it to book club.  I really enjoyed it!  It isn't a "typical" pie in my opinion, but I thought it was fairly healthy and even had a piece (or two!) for breakfast.  : )
Above is a picture of a cut piece of the pie, minus the edge crust because I sort of ate it off.  : )  The recipe says to use peaches and raspberries.  I used blackberries as well, but any other fruit really would work fine.  Also, I put all the peaches at the bottom and layered the berries on top.  Next time I would mix all the fruit together so it wasn't separated and maybe the pie itself would look "prettier."
1⁄2 package of 15 ounces of refrigerated rolled piecrusts
2 cups sliced peaches
2 cups Raspberries
1 cup Half and Half  (I used fat free)
1 Egg
1⁄4 cup Flour
2⁄3 cup Sugar (next time I'd use 1/2 sugar / 1/2 splenda)
1⁄2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon Salt 

Heat oven to 400'

Fit piecrust into a 9" pie dish. Place fruit in pie crust and spread evenly.
In small bowl,combine hak and half,egg,sugar,flour,cinnamon and salt;stir till well blended. Pour over fruit.
Place pie in oven and bake for 50 mins or till center is set. Cool completely on wire rack before serving.

Skinny Minnie Chickie Enchilada Casserole....not really

I found this recipe on the message boards of 30 Day Gourmet Freezer Cooking Website.  The name was catchy and there were not a lot ingredients needed to make this recipe.  Even better, it was a crockpot recipe so I was anxious to try this. 

Unfortunately Brian's first reaction to is was, "Is it supposed to be that color?"  Not a good sign!  I knew he would never eat this.  But as a trooper, he tried it and said that he didn't have to chew it, as there was no texture.  Obviously he gave it 1star. 

I however, did not enjoy this as a "casserole" but if you've ever had buffalo chicken dip...this is just like it and WAY easier to make.  So I happily ate this with tortilla chips.  It would also be good eaten with celery stalks.  As a casserole, I gave it 2 stars, as an appetizer eaten with tortilla chips, I gave it a 4.

Here is this super easy recipe:
2 - 10oz. cans mild enchilada sauce
2 - 10 oz. cans chicken breasts in water, drained
1 c. fat-free sour cream
1 - 8 oz. pkg. fat-free shredded Cheddar cheese
1 - 11 oz. pkg fat-free flour tortillas
Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the sauce, chicken, and sour cream together until all of the chunks of chicken are shredded and the sauce is well blended. Place 1/4 of each of the following layers in the crockpot: sauce, cheese, and tortillas. Some of the tortillas will have to be torn to fill in the gaps between the whole tortillas and the edge of the crockpot. End with the sauce on top. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Parsley Parmesan Chicken Tenders

YUM!  This chicken recipe is good!  All four of us liked this one!

1/4 c Italian Salad Dressing (I used reduced fat)
2 lb fresh fryer parts (I used 10 chicken breast tenders)
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Pour salad dressing into a bowl and add the chicken, coating well.  Cover and chill about 4 hours or overnight.  Turn the chicken in the dressing occassionally. (I did this in a ziplock bag and it made the turning/mixing AND cleanup really easy!)

Combine the parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl (or another ziplock bag as I did).  Roll chicken in the crumbs then place on a greased cookie sheet.  Spoon the excess dressing over the chicken.  (I cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag and drizzled a little on each piece).  Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour (if using fryer parts) or until chicken is cooked through. (I cooked mine for about 25 min).

I got this recipe from 30 Day Gourmet Cookbook.

Another yummy shredded beef

Brian and I tried a recipe from the 30 Day Gourmet Cookbook tonight called Crock-Pot Beef Sandwiches.  It was super easy and very yummy!!  No picture this time...we started eating it too quickly.  : )  Needless to say we gave it 4 1/2 stars. 

2 1/2 lbs beef roast, chuck roast or thick chuck steak (fat trimmed and discarded)

2 packets of ranch salad dressing mix

1 c water

Hamburger buns or french bread (strongly suggest the french bread, or at least toast the buns so they aren't so soggy)

In a cold crockpot place the beef roast.  Mix the salad dressing packets and water, then pour over the roast.  Cover and cook on low 8-10+ hours or until fork tender (or on high for 6 hours).  Shred roast with a fork.  We put it in a bowl and poured the "juice" over it so it stayed moist.   Mmmm.....