Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

Sorry about the small blogging hiatus but we're back in full force with some amazing fall recipes. First up...Apple Crisp. Who doesn't love apple crisp? Who especially doesn't love another reason to break out their crock-pot??
Ingredients:
Topping
3/4 cup flour ( I used whole wheat flour)
1/4 cup quick cook oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup butter cut into tiny cubes
1 cup chopped pecans
Filling
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 apples peeled, cored and chopped ( I love using Granny Smith and Honey Crisp, but you can use whatever you like. I also slice my apples instead of chop, but once again its just preference.)
1tablespoon lemon juice
Mix filing in large bowl and pour into your slow cooker. In another bowl mix together the topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly and pour over filling mixture. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or low for 4 hours. Partially uncover the lid to allow the topping to harden, about 1 hour.

Greek-Style Beef Pasta

My kids (and myself included) love greek and greek inspired foods. They would (and probably have) eaten feta cheese straight out of the container. I found this recipe a couple years ago, and the kids love it and thats always a plus in our house!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta (8oz)

2 slices of bacon chopped

1 small onion chopped

1lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, drained

1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup crumbled feta

Directions:

 Cook and drain pasta as directed on package; Cover to keep warm.  Meanwhile in a skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp. Add ground beef. Cook 8-10 min or until beef is thoroughly cooked;drain. Stir in olives, tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Reduce heat to med-low. Simmer for 10 min stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked pasta; sprinkle cheese over top.

State Fair Sugar Cookies

Now I know everyone has a favorite sugar cookie recipe. This is one of my favorites. Its not a sugar cookie that you would make to decorate. No, this cookie is a light, chewy cookie that just melts in your mouth. Now if you bake this cookie too long it will be crispy, I think crispy cookies are of the devil so don't over bake.

 Ingredients:

1 cup butter (the real stuff)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil

2 eggs

4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Cream together butter and sugars. Add remaining ingredients and mix until blended. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Now my mother takes the bottom of a crystal glass and presses a design into each one, but this isn't necessary. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake.

Poblano Chicken

I love anything with poblano peppers. Every time we go to a Mexican restaurant I almost always order Chile Rellenos. So I had a recipe that was similar to this but, I changed the red salsa to green and added a wedge of poblano, and it turned out delicious! We serve it with the recipe for Qdoba rice, or Mexican rice. I hope you enjoy! -Nikmo

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
• 1-1/2 cups verde (green) salsa
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
• 3 poblano peppers( cut off stems,slice in half, and clean out seeds)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
2. Place chicken breasts in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides of chicken breasts,place a halved poblano pepper on top of each chicken breast,  and pour salsa over all.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is tender and juicy and its juices run clear.
4. Sprinkle chicken evenly with cheese, and continue baking for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sour cream if desired, and serve. Serves 6

Creamy Watermelon Pie

In my opinion, you can never have too much watermelon! This came from an old  "Taste of Home" magazine I found

Ingredients

• 1pkg (3oz) Watermelon Jell-o
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 carton (12oz) thawed cool whip
• 2 C seedless watermelon, cubed
• 1 graham cracker crust

Get Started

• In large bowl, disolve gelatin in boiling water, cool to room temperature
• Whisk in cool whip
• Fold in watermelon
• Spoon into crust
• Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set

Enjoy!

Country Style Ribs

This is mouth-watering delicious!   I use boneless rib tips because I have a weird problem with things on the bone but it would probably work just fine for "real" ribs.

Ingredients

• 1 lb rib tips
• 1 C Brown Sugar (packed)
• 1 28oz bottle Catsup
• 1 empty Catsup bottle filled with water
• 1 Tbl Mustard
• 1 Onion browned with butter
• 1 Tbl Salt
• lemon squeezed from a real lemon
• 1/4 C oil

get started!

•  Brown Rib tips in oil
•  Pour the remaining ingredients over top
•  Let simmer for 4-5 hours

Enjoy!

side note: You could eat it as soon as the meat is cooked, but the simmer makes the sauce thick and and the meat very tender. This would also work well throwing it all in the Slow-Cooker!!!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

The title of these cookies says it all!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Porcupine Meatballs (not real porcupine!)

Hi guys!  Jaymes here!  A shout out to Nikmo for getting this whole thing set up and going!  We've got some SCRUMPTIOUS recipes going and tons more to go so tune in often!

I had never heard of this meal, much less eaten it, until I moved to Utah, but I've had it at 3 different places and it was delicious every time!! It is probably one of the easiest meals you will ever make, but so good! I make double what our family of 2 and an infant can eat, because it's so good I always want leftovers...

Ingredients:
-1 & 1/2 lbs ground beef (or turkey if you prefer)
-1 box of beef rice-a-roni
-8 small cubes of cheddar cheese the size of dice. (Ive used pepperjack and mozzarella before too-both good!)
 -Brown gravy (we have economy sizes of all of the McCormick gravies so we use that)

get started!
In a large mixing bowl, mush ground beef to soften it up. Add the box of dry rice-a-roni AND the packet of beef flavoring. Mix really well using your hands or the back of a large spoon. Once mixed, roll into large balls (about the size of a pool ball), making sure to put a cube of cheese in the center of each one. This makes about 8 meatballs.

Now, set the meatballs side-by-side (not touching) in a skillet or the bottom of a pot. DO NOT LAYER THEM! You want to use something that has a lid. Next, add warm water to surround the meatballs, enough so it comes up about 3/4 the way of the meatballs. Put the lid on and cook them on medium high heat for about 10 minutes or until the water is almost cooked out. Do not stir or turn them. You can add more water if it cooks out before they are done. I always cut one up and sample before serving to make sure they are just right! The rice is meant to be cooked, but a little chewy to create a different texture.

Serve with brown gravy and your choice or sides. We use mashed potatoes and salad. ENJOY!

BBQ Chicken and Ranch Spaghetti

I came across this recipe on the Picky Palate blog and immediately thought it looked super yummy. I tweaked it a bit by using store bought BBQ sauce and cooking the chicken breasts in the slow-cooker. Now we are the queens of time-saving, delicious meals...and this one is truly both of those things.

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts

2 cups of BBQ sauce (Just use you family's favorite. I used Head Country BBQ sauce.)

1 lb thin spaghetti noodles

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 Tablespoons dry Ranch Dressing Mix

1/2  Cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (it orginially called for 3/4 a cup but I'm a baby when it comes to cilantro)

Directions:

-Place chicken breasts in slow-cooker with BBQ sauce and cook for ~3 hours or until fork tender.

-Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.  -Place olive oil into a large pot over medium heat. 

-Saute red onions until softened and golden.  Add cooked spaghetti to onions; mix and add dry Ranch Dressing seasoning and cilantro leaves.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.  Place noodles onto serving plates and top with warm shredded BBQ chicken.  Garnish with cilantro leaf and serve.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Ingredients

• 6 fresh poblano chile peppers
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cups mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups salsa

Directions

1. Preheat oven on broiler setting. Roast chiles under broiler on cookie sheet until skin is brown and charred on all sides. Cool until you are able to touch peppers, then peel off skin. Make a slit down one side of the pepper, and remove stem and seeds. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Line the bottom of an 11 inch square baking dish with chiles. Layer Monterey Jack cheese and Cheddar cheese evenly over chilies. Spread cooked chicken over cheese. In a medium bowl, using a wire whisk, mix flour with a small amount of evaporated milk until it forms a smooth paste, then whisk in remaining milk and sour cream. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour evenly over chicken.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until center of pie becomes firm. Spread salsa over top, and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Quick Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 pkg. rapid rise dry yeast

1 c. lukewarm water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. honey
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (no salt)
1/2 tsp. onion powder (no salt)

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp italian seasoning (more or less according to pref.)

 

Directions:

Mix yeast in water in glass bowl. Add other ingredients. Mix well by hand. Let sit in bowl 5-10 minutes, covered by hot damp towel. Flatten on greased pan. Add your own topping.

 

Bake at 450°F. for about 12 minutes.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
2. Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes.

Alternate Directions:

If you would like to brown the cheese, bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 minutes.

Apricot Chicken

Ingredients:

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

• 1  (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

• 1 cup Russian-style salad dressing

• 1 cup apricot preserves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the chicken pieces in a 4 quart casserole dish. Mix the soup mix, dressing and jam together, and pour over the chicken. 
3.  Bake for 50 min-1 hour in preheated oven

Strawberry Frosting

This frosting is amazing. I have made it so many times, and it has never failed. Try it! You will never...never go back to frosting from a can.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Place thawed strawberries in food processor and puree. Set aside.   In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduse speed and slowly add sugar, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of the pureed strawberries. Mix until smooth.

 Make enough for 12 cupcakes or a 9x13 size cake.

Anniversary (We called it Birthday) Chicken

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup teriyaki basting sauce (make sure its basting or glaze)
• 1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 (3 ounce) can bacon bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
3. Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Alternate Directions: Place all of your ingredients in the crock-pot and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for about 3 hours. This is how we cooked it and it was super easy and turned out delicious.