Crockpot Meatballs

Okay so apparently I'm not adventurous and trying new recipes. July? Really? no posts for a month? ah well... it's coming to be my favorite time of the year. Football season! And along with that crisp weather, light sweaters, tailgating, and homey, warm, comforting, foods.

I'll start this glorious Football Saturday off with one of my most requested tailgate/party recipes. We are headed to a party at noon and I was requested to bring the Buffalo Chicken Dip by the wife, and then told NO WAY! I had to bring my meatballs by the husband. Well, to appease both (and compensate for the fact they are having KEGS! at their party and we don't have to BYOB- I feel like I'm in college again :) ) I made both. I have already shared the Buffalo Chicken Recipe with you. Go ahead, check it out. I'll wait.

But now I'll share the meatballs with you. It's a no-fail recipe. Easiest thing ever, and only uses 3 ingredients! Do I have your attention? Good. Let's get started.

Ingredients (this is for a large batch, if not going to a party or for a smaller group just adjust)

64 oz Frozen Meatballs. I've used original and italian and our fav and go to now is Farm Rich Original Meatballs. I large bag or 2 small. I've even done 2 small- 1 original and 1 italian.

Bottle of Ketchup

Bag of Light Brown Sugar

Optional: Slow Cooker Liners. These save my life for parties since I know the crock will be on all day long and I don't have to dred cleaning the stoneware when I get home.

Directions

I use a 6qt. Crockpot for most batches- it may look like a lot but they are gobbled up before I know it and everyone is asking for more!

Line slow cooker with liner if you are using it, if not you could lightly spray cooking spray around to help with cleanup as well.

Place half of the meatballs in the crockpot and get ready to make your sauce.

The sauce is open for interpretation but I've found around 1:1 ratio of ketchup to brown sugar works well. Fresh brown sugar is best to avoid the clumps of rock hard sugar. Mix the ingredients in a bowl and taste. I use about 3/4 bottle of ketchup to about 3/4+ of brown sugar. We like ours a little bit sweeter because when it cooks and cooks the flavor just melts together and it's delightful and not so ketchup-y. It should turn a dark red color once mixed thoroughly. Try to get out as many lumps as you can. Using the back of a spoon helps. Just mix a little and taste, add a little more, and keep going till you have enough sauce and are happy :)

Pour half the mixture over the meatballs, repeat by adding the rest of the meatballs and topping with the remaining sauce.

Cook on high for about 4 hours or until cooked through. I usually start on high for about 3 hours and then switch to warm for a few more hours if I have time before the party. The longer it cooks the better the sauce gets.

Here we are all starting to cook. I'll try and get a picture of the finished product... if they aren't all gone first!

Enjoy!

GO BUCKEYES!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

So back to Rachel

She posted this recipe for Pulled Pork Sandwiches back in March.

I found it on Friday and immediately sent it to the husband and demanded I make this for dinner one night. A man to turn away BBQ Pork sammiches? Marinated in Beer? Yeah right so of course he was already hungry for it.

Decided to make these yesterday (prep on Monday night) and invited the family over since there was no way I'd fit into my dress this weekend had I eaten 2 of the 4 lbs of Pork Shoulder I was about to make.

Prep work was minimal, took maybe 15 minutes... only because I trimmed some of the fat and the bone from the pork. And I'm squeemish with raw meat. Gives me the heebie jeebies.

I'll not post the whole recipe here since I really really want you to go check out the southern hospitality over here.

I made 1 obvious change. Instead of Miller Lite (eeew in our household) I substituted Budweiser Select since it is what I had in the house.

5 simple ingredients, 1 delicious outcome.


6 people ate this last night (everyone agreed it was delicious!) and we had enough for a couple more sandwiches as leftovers.

The pork smelled awesome when I put it in the crock after marinating all night. When she says "Resist the urge to dive face first into the crockpot." She isn't kidding. Seriously. It was so moist and tender after cooking all day that it shredded easily and was ready and waiting for the BBQ sauce. I may get the bigger bottle next time for a little extra BBQ flavor. But this recipe will be repeated again I'm sure. Probably pretty soon.

And now that I've discovered Mouth Watering Mondays hopefully I'll be able to post here more than once a month with some new recipes that we've tried!!!

Find the Recipe Here.

Enjoy!

A little bit of Texas

So I read blogs... a lot. All kinds of blogs. Pretty much if you are snarky, witty, take lots of pictures, make good food, I'll read your blog and then dream about being just as talented as you are.

I found Rachel's blog recently and have become wrapped up in reading the archives... in particular the Mouthwatering Monday posts. I'm already anticipating my next trip to the grocery store!

Rachel has a Simple Seasoning. And boy is it good. and simple! go figure. You probably already have everything in your cabinet. Just go grab a little container and make this.

Now.

I put it on my steak on Sunday night and oh man it was fantastic. Not overpowering like some marinades I've used. She says you can use it for everything. I can just think of how great it would be on chicken... and french fries! I used it yesterday for her pulled pork sandwich recipe.

Those are up next. Is your mouth watering yet?

Pasta Primavera

So I decided it was high time to start eating better and with the hubs being out of town its the perfect time to experiment with some recipes including veggies!

I found this recipe at Woof Nanny and thought it sounded like a good and healthy dinner and she portioned it for 2 so that definitely helps when you are only cooking for 1 or 2.

The sauce wasn't creamy which I was unsure about since I love cream sauces- yet my thighs do not- but the end result was slightly citrusy and light and refreshing while at the same time filling me up to where I almost couldn't finish! I loved chopping up my own veggies and felt like a real grown-up in the grocery store since I was stocking up on the "good for you" stuff. I definitely be starting a mini-herb garden in my kitchen so that I can have fresh basil all the time!

I brought the second portion in today for lunch and at 6 WW Pts it was well worth it!

(Re-posted from Woof Nanny with my adjustments in Red)

2 teaspoons olive oil or vegetable oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1 cup broccoli florets (About 1.5-2 cups... I love broccoli)

2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (1 large, not peeled- probably should have)

1/2 cup sliced yellow squash

1/2 cup sliced carrots (baby carrots cut in half)

2 garlic cloves, minced (1 monster large bulb that was slightly intimidating)

1/2 cup canned ready-to-serve low-sodium chicken broth

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley (eyeballed it)

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil (eyeballed it)

2 cups cooked penne pasta (Barilla Piccolini mini farfalle)

1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (Oops forgot this)

fresh basil for garnish (just a little bit)

In 10-inch non-stick skillet, heat oilAdd broccoli, tomatoes, squash, carrot, and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until squash is softened, 1 to 2 minutes.Add broth, parsley, and basil and stir to combine.

Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until broccoli and carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.Add pasta to vegetable mixture, stir to combine. To serve, transfer pasta mixture to serving bowl, sprinkle with cheese, and garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired. Two servings. Each serving provides: 4V, 1FA, 2B, 20C

Enjoy!

Trifle- AKA The Best Dessert Ever

So my former coworker used to spoil us rotten by making this phenomenal dessert. It is amazingly rich and chocolatey yet so light that it's almost sinful. Don't get me wrong, it isn't light on calories I'm sure but I choose to ignore that fact.

I made this (condensed version) for Easter and it was a huge hit. I unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) didn't have any leftovers to bring home.

The full version is double of everything and you need a VERY BIG bowl. The half version that I'm posting fit nicely (with room to spare) in the Pampered Chef Trifle Bowl.

Okay okay, now on to the good stuff.

Ingredients:

1 box of chocolate cake (whatever kind you would like)
1/2 bag of peanut butter chips
1 box of chocolate pudding (I used Fat Free, Sugar Free)
2 cups of cold milk (to mix with the pudding)
1 tub of Cool Whip (I used Cool Whip Light)
a few bars of butterfingers, crushed, chopped, whatever you want


Directions:
Bake the cake according to the directions, I made 2 9'' round cakes and only used about 3/4 of 1 for the trifle. Let cool completely. While this is baking/cooling, make your pudding and keep in fridge, also crush, chop, whatever the butterfingers and set aside till you need them. Tear up the cake and make a layer in the bottom of dish. Melt peanut butter chips in microwave or on stovetop. Pour over cake. Layer 1/2 of the chocolate pudding over the peanut butter. Layer 1/2 of the Cool Whip over that. Top with 1/2 of the butterfinger yummies. Repeat Pudding, Cool Whip, Butterfinger layers 1 more time. Now step back and try to control the overwhelming desire to put your face right in the bowl and start nomming.

A large spoon is reccomended for serving and eating. Preferably 1 with a long handle so that it takes less time from bowl to mouth.



Enjoy!

Pasta with Shrimp, Zuccini, and Yellow Squash

So I was feeling adventurous the other night and whipped this up on my own. I was pleasantly surprised that the flavors came together for me and yet I was missing sauce. I suppose I could have tweaked it by adding additional liquids to simmer down and thicken up but this worked well for me as a first try at whipping up something I'd never done before, sans recipe.

1/3 lb seasoned shrimp (I purchased a garlic and herb blend from my seafood counter but you could use and blend that you would like. I think a citrus would possibly have worked better)
1/2 zuccini cut into chunks
1/2 yellow squash cut into chunks
olive oil
clove of garlic minced
white wine
1/2 lime
salt
pepper

I started by heating the garlic in a small amount of oil until I could smell it. I tossed the zuccini and yellow squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper to coat and then added that to the pot. Cooked for about 8 minutes (but I could be wrong, our power went out twice at this point and I was cooking blind by the light of the flames) I added the shrimp and cooked until opaque. Power went out again but I was able to locate my wine bottle and half lime by the time it came back on. I added the juice of 1/2 lime and some white wine. (should have used more than i did) cooked together until the veggies were browned and the shrimp was completely cooked.
- While I was doing this I had thin spaghetti boiling in some water (wish I had angel hair)

I drained the spaghetti and added to the pain. drizzled just a little bit more olive oil on and cooked together for a few more minutes.

I may have killed the zuccini and squash as they were a bit too cooked but overall I got the concept. I liked the flavors together. the lime gave a little bit of zing!

Enjoy!

Crockpot- Pot Roast

So everyone has their own pot roast recipe. And everyone likes theirs best. I'm constantly trying to update mine and figure out one recipe that I just can't live without. I made this during the snow storm on Wednesday and it was pretty close to being the best!

Ingredients:
2-3 lb pot roast
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
italian seasoning
7-8 potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)
2 portions of baby carrots (mine were individual size but 1 small bag would be fine)
1/2-3/4 sweet onion (i diced 1/2 of that into teenytiny pieces and just cut the others into chunks)
1 can beef broth

Directions:
Brown pot roast on the stove with 2 cloves of minced garlic and the olive oil. (When I get my garlic press from pampered chef they will be pressed!) Season both sides with salt and pepper (and italian seasoning though next time I'll probably omit that) place in crockpot. Pour half of broth over it. Throw the potatoes, carrots, and onion on top. Pour rest of broth over vegetables.

Cook on High for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. I cooked ours on high for 2 and switched to low for about 4. Vegetables will be tender and meat will fall apart.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Soup

I made Buffalo Wing Soup last week.

P ate it too though he did say it looked gross. Which yes, I will admit it did a little bit, but the taste was great! (I'm not sure if it was the buffalo sauce or not, but it did separate a little bit while cooking... there was a layer on top but when stirred together it was fine. You can see it a little bit in the left of the picture)

We used Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce. I may try another kind next time. The onions and the celery were not overpowering and I used my Pampered Chef Chopper to make them super small. The literally melted into the soup. No crunch and they were virtually undetectable other than the green of the celery. I also doubled the chicken broth and used 1% milk. It did not curdle. Oh and I used Garlic and Onion Powder since I didn't have salt. I added a little bit of cheddar cheese to the top before serving and it was YUM!This was a good soup. Find the recipe here

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Potatoes

This was the perfect side dish to the Crockpot Roast Chicken last night! I improvised with what I had and it turned out great. I'm sure there are lots of versions floating around there but this is what I came up with.




Ingredients:

5-6 larger Red Potatoes (or the smaller ones too, I made enough for 2 plus leftovers)
1.5 T Minced Garlic or 2-3 cloves of garlic
2 T Rosemary
Kosher Salt
Ground Pepper
2 T Olive Oil

Directions:

I washed off the potatoes and cut into 6ths and 8ths because they were so big. If you have smaller ones quarter or halves are fine. I tossed them in a bowl with the oil and seasonings and mixed them all together to coat everything evenly. Lay them out on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 450*-500* depending on your oven, flipping at least once. I actually cooked ours for 20 min at 450*, flipped, and then another 10 minutes at 500*. They were crispy and golden on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. Plus, the house smelled excellent while they were roasting away!

Enjoy!

Crockpot Roast Chicken

So I'm sure everyone knows that Crockpot cooking is simple, delicious, easy, and pretty darn near impossible to screw up. This recipe proves all 4 to be true.

1 Whole Chicken (my 6lb chicken fit well into the 6qt. crockpot)

Salt

Pepper

Herbs/Seasoning to taste (I used Rosemary)

1 Onion

Carrots

So the carrots didn't really add anything for this but I had in mind that we would be eating them so they can be (and will be for us) excluded in the future.

I skinned the chicken after reading Stephanie's post about globs of chicken fat simmering all day. UGH I think I just dry heaved thinking about it. Anyways, I got as much of the fat/skin as I could and just today relized that using my Chicken Shears would have made things much easier than my chefs knife. I'll know for next time.

I bought a Tyson chicken that luckily didn't have the neck and giblets waiting for me inside. If yours does, remove that stuff and try not to gag. I cut the onion in pieces and stuffed about 1/3 of it into the cavity after sprinkling with salt and pepper. Season the rest of the chicken with the salt, pepper, and herbs as desired. I tossed the remaining onion and the carrot slices in the crockpot and placed the chicken on top. No liquid necessary. This made plenty on it's own. I cooked it on low for about 9 hours and then switched to warm until dinner. (Cook 8-10 hours on low or 6-8 on high depending on the size of your bird)

Enjoy!

This was a fantastic and tasty chicken that stayed unbelievably moist, plus it just fell away from the bones it was so tender. I was pleasantly surprised since I had removed the skin and it wasn't greasy like it usually is. I will continue to use this recipe as a base for lots of other things.

Now, what to do with the leftovers?

Menu Planning Monday

Well, I missed last week so I guess this isn't a habit yet, but I remembered today! The menu is still in process though.

Monday: Crockpot Roast Chicken (if a success will post recipe!)

Red Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

Tuesday- Pork Chops

Wednesday-Crockpot Pizza Soup

Thursday- Taco Thursday!

Friday-Pot Roast? Something Halloween-y?

I'll also be making Stephanie's Chicken Broth on Tuesday with the leftover chicken stuff!

Crockpot- Beef Tips and Noodles

Now that I've got my new 4qt crockpot (on clearance at Target thankyouverymuch!) I am wanting to use it every day! I made this recipe once before but misplaced it. I couldn't find it this morning so I improvised.

2 lbs. Beef Tips
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom
1 can Golden Mushroom
1/2 can Beef Broth mixed with 1/2 packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix (or 1 can French Onion Soup)

Mix soups together in crockpot, add beef tips, stir a bit to coat the meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4-6 depending on your crockpot.

Serve over wide egg noodles. You could probably add them uncooked to the crock about 30 minutes before serving or cook on the stovetop (thats what I do).

Enjoy!

Menu Pan Monday... on Tuesday

So in an effort to keep myself organized and update on more than a monthly basis, I have decided to start participating in Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura.

P and I tend to eat the same things in rotation but we are trying to find new and fun recipes that are both super easy and super tasty! We plan for the week but leave weekends open. I usually end up scribbling it down on a notebook before heading to the grocery store on Sundays. Now I will be able to refer to Panini Monday instead!

Monday- Italian Panini's

Tuesday- Beef Tips and Noodles

Wednesday- Crockpot Barbeque Chicken

Thursday- Taco Thursday!

Friday- Crockpot Pizza Soup

Crockpot- Cream Cheese Chicken

Okay so first of all this woman is amazing! She made a resolution to use her crockpot every day in 2008. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! and she has done it successfully for 262 days so far. Now I always used to tease my mom about using her crockpot and how it was a cop-out for cooking a real dinner. (Sorry Mom!) But honestly, it's amazing- and so easy! (though I would never admit that out loud) Anyways, I have only used mine a couple of times but every time we have a delicious meal that seems like I spent all day cooking. Well, after finding Stephanie's amazing website I figure I should pull the crock down from the cupboard and give it a proper place on the counter for the season.

Our inaugural meal was the Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken last week. Now I shant remind you of the pickiness of tastes and textures in our household so I had to be sneaky. He was told I used "Campbells Cream Soup" and "Italian Seasoning" along with some other good stuff, it was actually Cream of Mushroom and Italian Dressing Mix hehehe. And I used frozen chicken tenderloins, throw them in and forget about them! We served it over egg noodles that we cooked on the stove. Easy peasy!

We both ate it, it was a bit too garlicky for us (I used 2 pretty big cloves) but the chicken just fell apart with a wooden spoon! It was so creamy and wonderful that we will be having it again in the future. Probably omiting the garlic since the Italian Dressing has a bunch in it already :)

Panini- Italian

Okay so if one thing is consisent in our house, it's that on (most) Monday's we have Panini's. Thus the name, Panini Monday! When we first got married we wanted to settle into some routines that would hopefully make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Plus, I wanted to play Suzie Homemaker and make all sorts of delicious meals for my husband and I to enjoy. Well- not so much. In fact, there was more days of trying to decide what to have for dinner that by the time it was all said and done it was neither easy nor delicious. One week we tried panini's (thanks to the WONDERFUL bonus gift that we got with our stylish calphalon one cookware) and we were hooked. This is the first recipe we made and it has stuck. It is our go-to meal on Monday's and couldn't be easier. It's hard to screw up a sandwich, I haven't met one I didn't like!

It's all about the bread! (We favor Italian)













Then we fill it:

Provolone Cheese
Hard Salami
Sliced Pepperoni (Hormel Sandwich is our fav)
Hot Capiocola

(I add italian dressing and Pepperoncini's to mine)

Brush the bread with a bit of olive oil

Place on the pan (I preheat my panini pan on medium while I am assembling the sandwichs)

Press with the weight (or use a pan with a canned good on top)

Flip after 4-5 minutes when the bread gets browned and crispy.

Cook another 4-5 minutes on the other side

Cut in half (on an angle if you'd like) and Enjoy!















Be careful they're hot!

Chicken Enchiladas

So given that I live with one of the pickiest eaters I've ever met in my life over the age of 3, I have to omit and adjust lots of recipes in order to accomodate. (It keeps me creative) One of my coveted wedding presents was the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, Bridal edition. (with high hopes that I would be the next Julia Child) It has some of my favorite recipes from growing up and I'm trying to incorporate them into our lives as well, of course without burning down the house and ending up with takeout. We had this for dinner on Monday and it still needs to be tweaked but I got an "it's good" from P so I would assume I'm on the right track. Plus he ate it for lunch yesterday so that's even better that he choked it down a second time involuntarily!














Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 40 minutes

Ingredients
(My ommissions are highlighted in Red)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers, drained
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)
12 7-inch flour tortillas or 6-inch corn tortillas
(I use 6, 8-inch flour tortillas)
1 10.75-ounce can reduced-fat condensed cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom soup)
1 8-ounce carton light dairy sour cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Directions

1. In a medium skillet cook the 1/4 cup almonds and the onion in hot butter over medium heat until onion is tender and nuts are lightly toasted. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the canned green chile peppers; reserve remaining peppers for sauce.

2. In a medium bowl stir together cream cheese, the 1 tablespoon milk, and the cumin; add nut mixture and chicken. Stir until combined. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla near an edge; roll up. Place filled tortillas, seam side down, in a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Set aside.

3. For sauce, in a medium bowl combine the reserved chile peppers, the soup, sour cream, and the 1 cup milk. Pour evenly over the tortillas in the baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven about 35 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil. Sprinkle enchiladas with cheese and the 2 tablespoons almonds. Return to oven; bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. Makes 6 servings- supposedly.

Enjoy!

Pasta Salad

So of course there are 16 million and 1 ways to make this and of course everyone thinks that theirs is the best so naturally- since I'm the one doing the posting- here is the best pasta salad recipe ever. I mean seriously- who is going to argue with chunks of pepperoni and cheese?!?!

1 box of Tri Color Rotini (you can use plain but then you wouldn't be any fun)
1 stick of pepperoni
- cut to chunks. (slices work but aren't as good IMO)
1 block of mild cheddar cheese
- cut to chunks. I want to TASTE the cheese!
1 bottle of Italian Dressing (I use the light stuff- honest I do!)
If you are feeling healthy you can add some diced tomato (Fresh Please, NO Seeds!)

Cook pasta according to directions
Strain and splash some cold water on them to cool them off,
Add the goods and mix it up
Put spoonful after spoonful on your plate and leave little to no room for anything else.

Enjoy! (with or without fork, spoon, stick, or spork)

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of black beans (drained)
1/4 cup mayonaise (I use Light)
juice from 1 lime
1 tomatoes
1 small red onion or half of a medium (chopped)

Combine mayonaise and lime juice in bowl
Add the rest of the ingredients
Mix together

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

As requested by Britt, who had her first taste this weekend and has been craving it ever since!













2 big cans of cooked chicken, drained
-shred it with a fork first to make it easier to mix

2 packs of cream cheese
-I prefer Philadelphia Light- warmed a bit in the microwave to make it easier to mix

Your favorite buffalo sauce (I use BW3’s Medium)
-Use as much or as little as you like!

Handful or so of shredded cheddar cheese

Few Shakes of onion powder to taste

Few Shakes of garlic powder to taste

-Option-, can add diced jalepeno's and/or chipotle's for an extra bite of hot!

Mix it all together, heat, stir, serve with chips or soft tortilla shells or eat it straight from the bowl!

Enjoy!

(This makes a big bowl size but adjust accordingly for however much you need- usually about 1 pack of cream cheese to 1 can of chicken, but you can adjust if you want it more chicken-y or creamy)

Introduction

Okay so I'm definitely not a Martha Stewart, or a Julia Child, or even a Rachel Ray. But I try.

This will be an effort to document my successful recipes (however few and far between) to remind myself that I can cook- sometimes- and not end up with yucky mush, or a blown-up kitchen. But you better believe there will still be a giant mess either way!

This is to everyone who has ever tried to make a delectible smore brownie dessert and ended with an oven full of flames (Trust, I've never yelled FIRE! louder, or seen my husband move faster in all my life!) and an inedible dissapointment.

Welcome to Panini Monday!