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.