Crock Pot AppleSauce

A week or so ago, I had a crock pot party on my facebook page to celebrate 6,000 facebook fans.

What wonderful recipes were shared!! 

I pinned a bunch of them away on my Pinterest Boards for later, but this one, I couldn't get out of my mind.

I love the ease of throwing everything in the crock pot in the morning, and it being ready after the hustle and bustle of a crazy day!

I have to admit, though, I was really looking forward to my fellow bloggers sharing things you don't usually associate the crock pot with, things like desserts, or APPLE SAUCE!!

 Real Food Outlaws shared this recipe for crock pot applesauce.

I made it the next weekend in one crock pot while a batch of my Beef and Barley Stew Cooked in the other.

It was so good, they gobbled it up and I made it again that following week, while ribs slow cooked away, the apple sauce did the same.

If you click here: Real Food Outlaws

You can see how she cans it, too!!

Crock Pot AppleSauce

adapted from Real Food Outlaws

10-12 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

4 cinnamon sticks

1/4 of a lemon's peel

1 teaspoon lemon juice

The apples I used were pretty big, I used 10 of them, and used 4 cinnamon sticks.  My kids are crazy about cinnamon apples!  If you are using the really small apples that you pick off most home grown trees, you may need to up it some.

Place apples, cinnamon sticks and lemon peel in the crock pot.  Drizzle with the lemon juice.

Set pot to low and cook 5-7 hours.

Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peel.

With your hand blender and  blend apples, or you could do this in a regular blender, too.

I thought it was pretty good warm, my kids preferred it cold.

Very sweet and tasty and No Sugar!! :)

A week or so ago, I had a crock pot party on my facebook page to celebrate 6,000 facebook fans.

What wonderful recipes were shared!! 

I pinned a bunch of them away on my Pinterest Boards for later, but this one, I couldn't get out of my mind.

I love the ease of throwing everything in the crock pot in the morning, and it being ready after the hustle and bustle of a crazy day!

I have to admit, though, I was really looking forward to my fellow bloggers sharing things you don't usually associate the crock pot with, things like desserts, or APPLE SAUCE!!

 Real Food Outlaws shared this recipe for crock pot applesauce.

I made it the next weekend in one crock pot while a batch of my Beef and Barley Stew Cooked in the other.

It was so good, they gobbled it up and I made it again that following week, while ribs slow cooked away, the apple sauce did the same.

If you click here: Real Food Outlaws

You can see how she cans it, too!!

Crock Pot AppleSauce

adapted from Real Food Outlaws

10-12 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

4 cinnamon sticks

1/4 of a lemon's peel

1 teaspoon lemon juice

The apples I used were pretty big, I used 10 of them, and used 4 cinnamon sticks.  My kids are crazy about cinnamon apples!  If you are using the really small apples that you pick off most home grown trees, you may need to up it some.

Place apples, cinnamon sticks and lemon peel in the crock pot.  Drizzle with the lemon juice.

Set pot to low and cook 5-7 hours.

Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peel.

With your hand blender and  blend apples, or you could do this in a regular blender, too.

I thought it was pretty good warm, my kids preferred it cold.

Very sweet and tasty and No Sugar!! :)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Crock Pot Roast and Rice

I love roast beef in the crock pot!

I love how it cooks all day and just falls apart.

Love how it makes your kitchen smell!!

Not to mention walking in after a crazy day and dinner is virtually done!

Sometimes, I tire of potatoes with roast.

My family is a HUGE fan of rice.  

Even better if you mix it with frozen peas.

So, one time I had a roast in the crock pot and instead of making plain old boring minute rice, I made it with the juice the roast and carrots cooked in all day.

They LOVED it.

So, now, more often than not, we have rice with our roast instead of potatoes!

Crock Pot Roast and Rice

Beef Chuck Roast (Mine are always about 3-4 lbs.  Just make whatever suites your family size)

Mushrooms, canned or sliced fresh (optional)

water

1-2 Tablespoons beef bouillon

1/2 cup minced onion

sliced Carrots

Salt and Pepper

Minute Rice (I use brown, you can use white if you wish)

Frozen Peas

Honestly, I cannot give you "measurements" for this recipe to be exact.  It's really based on how big your roast and the family you are feeding is.  Make adjustments accordingly.

Place roast, carrots and onion in your crock pot.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with bouillon.

Pour water into crock pot, fill so there is about 2-3 inches in the bottom of the crock pot.

Cook all day on low until roast is falling apart.

(6-8 hours, depending on roast size)

Remove roast, mushrooms and carrots, shred or slice your roast.

Remove juice from crock pot and drain off fat.

LOVE my Pampered Chef gravy separator!!

Measure out equal amounts of juice and rice.

I usually make like 3 or 4 cups.

Place juice in microwave and bring to a boil.

Add rice to juice, give it a stir, and cover and let sit until rice is cooked. 

(5 minutes or so)

Microwave your frozen peas, and toss with rice.

Enjoy!

I love roast beef in the crock pot!

I love how it cooks all day and just falls apart.

Love how it makes your kitchen smell!!

Not to mention walking in after a crazy day and dinner is virtually done!

Sometimes, I tire of potatoes with roast.

My family is a HUGE fan of rice.  

Even better if you mix it with frozen peas.

So, one time I had a roast in the crock pot and instead of making plain old boring minute rice, I made it with the juice the roast and carrots cooked in all day.

They LOVED it.

So, now, more often than not, we have rice with our roast instead of potatoes!

Crock Pot Roast and Rice

Beef Chuck Roast (Mine are always about 3-4 lbs.  Just make whatever suites your family size)

Mushrooms, canned or sliced fresh (optional)

water

1-2 Tablespoons beef bouillon

1/2 cup minced onion

sliced Carrots

Salt and Pepper

Minute Rice (I use brown, you can use white if you wish)

Frozen Peas

Honestly, I cannot give you "measurements" for this recipe to be exact.  It's really based on how big your roast and the family you are feeding is.  Make adjustments accordingly.

Place roast, carrots and onion in your crock pot.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with bouillon.

Pour water into crock pot, fill so there is about 2-3 inches in the bottom of the crock pot.

Cook all day on low until roast is falling apart.

(6-8 hours, depending on roast size)

Remove roast, mushrooms and carrots, shred or slice your roast.

Remove juice from crock pot and drain off fat.

LOVE my Pampered Chef gravy separator!!

Measure out equal amounts of juice and rice.

I usually make like 3 or 4 cups.

Place juice in microwave and bring to a boil.

Add rice to juice, give it a stir, and cover and let sit until rice is cooked. 

(5 minutes or so)

Microwave your frozen peas, and toss with rice.

Enjoy!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed Peppers

are one of my most favorite dinners.  We eat them quite a bit actually.

They are not only yummy and filling, they are really quite good for you when you make them using brown rice and lean ground beef.

Here is my recipe for STUFFED PEPPERS.

The night I had ingredients out for stuffed peppers a couple of weeks ago, I decided I really wanted soup.

(it was 100+ degrees outside, 

yea... I'm nuts like that)

I have seen tons of recipes for stuffed pepper soup around, and I didn't know which to choose, so like normal, I just started throwing stuff in the pot until it tasted good!! :)

I made a big batch of this, and have some in the freezer.

Yay for me!!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

3 cups brown rice, prepared

2 pounds lean ground beef, browned and drained

1 onion chopped

2 green bell peppers, cut into smaller pieces

6 sweet vine peppers, tri colored, sliced

6 cloves of garlic

4 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce

4 cups low sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon marjoram

salt and pepper

Brown ground beef with a little salt and pepper in your skillet.  Drain.

Add to it the peppers, onion and garlic, and saute for about 5-10 minutes.

In your soup kettle or crock pot, add tomatoes, sauce, marjoram and broth.

Add beef/pepper mixture.

Prepare your rice, and set aside.

Simmer on the stove for about 45 minutes to marry the flavors.

Or cook on low in crock pot all day.

Before serving add rice.

Can be topped with cheese if you like.

Stuffed Peppers

are one of my most favorite dinners.  We eat them quite a bit actually.

They are not only yummy and filling, they are really quite good for you when you make them using brown rice and lean ground beef.

Here is my recipe for STUFFED PEPPERS.

The night I had ingredients out for stuffed peppers a couple of weeks ago, I decided I really wanted soup.

(it was 100+ degrees outside, 

yea... I'm nuts like that)

I have seen tons of recipes for stuffed pepper soup around, and I didn't know which to choose, so like normal, I just started throwing stuff in the pot until it tasted good!! :)

I made a big batch of this, and have some in the freezer.

Yay for me!!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

3 cups brown rice, prepared

2 pounds lean ground beef, browned and drained

1 onion chopped

2 green bell peppers, cut into smaller pieces

6 sweet vine peppers, tri colored, sliced

6 cloves of garlic

4 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce

4 cups low sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon marjoram

salt and pepper

Brown ground beef with a little salt and pepper in your skillet.  Drain.

Add to it the peppers, onion and garlic, and saute for about 5-10 minutes.

In your soup kettle or crock pot, add tomatoes, sauce, marjoram and broth.

Add beef/pepper mixture.

Prepare your rice, and set aside.

Simmer on the stove for about 45 minutes to marry the flavors.

Or cook on low in crock pot all day.

Before serving add rice.

Can be topped with cheese if you like.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Baked Chicken Taquitos

I have seen LOTS of taquitos on Pinterest. 

The baked ones always enticed me because they are healthier for you.

I have been watching what I eat over the last year, and have successfully lost about 40 pounds.

I still have 10 to go.

Summer has been hard on me with the lack of routine, and let's face it... too much food and drink.

My kids went back to school this week, and I have decided it's time to lose this last 10... NOW.

I am ready to maintain my goal number for the next year, not a number that's 10 pounds OVER my goal.

So I decided it was time to concoct some taquitos of my own, and make them fit into my low calorie/high fiber diet.

mmmm....goodness that is filling.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

5-6 chicken breasts, frozen is fine

1 (4 oz) can of green chilies + one can water

1 can Rotel tomatoes ( I used original, you can use the spicy if you want to heat them up some) + one can water

1 teaspoon cumin powder

10-12 taco sized flour tortilla shells (I always buy the Carb Balance Mission brand, they have 120 calories and 13 grams of fiber)

Shredded Cheese (I used fat free)

Place the chicken, chilies and Rotel and water in your crock pot.  Cover and cook for 5-6 hours on high, until the chicken falls apart, and shred with two forks.

Place meat in your strainer and squeeze the excess juice out.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Warm your tortillas in a microwave for about 30-60 seconds so they are soft and easy to work with.

Lay one down and place about 1/3 cup of meat and 1/8 cup of cheese toward the bottom and spread it out in a row like shown.

Roll them up tightly from the bottom, and place them seam side down on your baking dish.

Continue with other tortillas.

I made 11 of them, because that is how many tortillas I had.  I had enough left over to make at least 6 more, but I put it in the refrigerator to use on salads, or in chicken tacos for lunches.

Spray the top of the taquitos with non-stick cooking spray.

Place in oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

Watch them so your edges don't burn!!

Serve them with your favorite toppings: guacamole, sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce etc...

We had ours with the batch of homemade Pico de Gallo I made the day before.

(RECIPE FOR PICO HERE)

Enjoy!!

Ole!

I have seen LOTS of taquitos on Pinterest. 

The baked ones always enticed me because they are healthier for you.

I have been watching what I eat over the last year, and have successfully lost about 40 pounds.

I still have 10 to go.

Summer has been hard on me with the lack of routine, and let's face it... too much food and drink.

My kids went back to school this week, and I have decided it's time to lose this last 10... NOW.

I am ready to maintain my goal number for the next year, not a number that's 10 pounds OVER my goal.

So I decided it was time to concoct some taquitos of my own, and make them fit into my low calorie/high fiber diet.

mmmm....goodness that is filling.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

5-6 chicken breasts, frozen is fine

1 (4 oz) can of green chilies + one can water

1 can Rotel tomatoes ( I used original, you can use the spicy if you want to heat them up some) + one can water

1 teaspoon cumin powder

10-12 taco sized flour tortilla shells (I always buy the Carb Balance Mission brand, they have 120 calories and 13 grams of fiber)

Shredded Cheese (I used fat free)

Place the chicken, chilies and Rotel and water in your crock pot.  Cover and cook for 5-6 hours on high, until the chicken falls apart, and shred with two forks.

Place meat in your strainer and squeeze the excess juice out.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Warm your tortillas in a microwave for about 30-60 seconds so they are soft and easy to work with.

Lay one down and place about 1/3 cup of meat and 1/8 cup of cheese toward the bottom and spread it out in a row like shown.

Roll them up tightly from the bottom, and place them seam side down on your baking dish.

Continue with other tortillas.

I made 11 of them, because that is how many tortillas I had.  I had enough left over to make at least 6 more, but I put it in the refrigerator to use on salads, or in chicken tacos for lunches.

Spray the top of the taquitos with non-stick cooking spray.

Place in oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

Watch them so your edges don't burn!!

Serve them with your favorite toppings: guacamole, sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce etc...

We had ours with the batch of homemade Pico de Gallo I made the day before.

(RECIPE FOR PICO HERE)

Enjoy!!

Ole!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner in the Crock Pot

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Irish Potatoes and Rye Bread

My kids get super excited when I make this meal.  I think I make it once or twice a year.  

I don't know why? It's not like it's hard?

But when March rolls around, I see the Corned Beef front and center in the super market, 

and I know it's time!

There is no mistaking the scent of this cooking in your house!!

Best part...put it in the crock pot and walk away!!

Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock Pot

5.5-6 pounds of Corned Beef

1 1/2  cups water

1 head of green cabbage, quartered

3 cans of Irish Potatoes

Loaf of Rye Bread

Place corned beef, juices and all in crock pot, fat side up.

I always buy the corned beef that has the seasoning packets right in it, place those in the crockpot over meat.

Pour water over the top.

Cook on high for about 6 hours.

Reduce to low.

Pour potatoes in.

Place cabbage on top and recover.

Continue to cook for about 2 hours.

Serve with rye bread.

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Irish Potatoes and Rye Bread

My kids get super excited when I make this meal.  I think I make it once or twice a year.  

I don't know why? It's not like it's hard?

But when March rolls around, I see the Corned Beef front and center in the super market, 

and I know it's time!

There is no mistaking the scent of this cooking in your house!!

Best part...put it in the crock pot and walk away!!

Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock Pot

5.5-6 pounds of Corned Beef

1 1/2  cups water

1 head of green cabbage, quartered

3 cans of Irish Potatoes

Loaf of Rye Bread

Place corned beef, juices and all in crock pot, fat side up.

I always buy the corned beef that has the seasoning packets right in it, place those in the crockpot over meat.

Pour water over the top.

Cook on high for about 6 hours.

Reduce to low.

Pour potatoes in.

Place cabbage on top and recover.

Continue to cook for about 2 hours.

Serve with rye bread.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Beef and Barley Stew

Last weekend we got what a normal Nebraska winter delivers....

LOTS of Snow!!

Mother Nature decided our 69 degree February days needed to stop. 

 She dumped a foot of wet and heavy perfect for making snowmen snow!!

While my kids built a HUGE snowman outside my kitchen window, I sliced and diced and put a big crock pot full of beef and barley stew on for dinner.

frosty was over 7 feet tall!

My kids were excited about snow, but not nearly as excited as they are to be counting down the days until we can go stay with their grandparents on the beach in San Diego!!

My oldest son had an idea to take a picture in the snow with their swimsuits on to 

send to grandpa and grandma.

I told them to pose like they were looking for the beach.

"Which way to the beach??"

Fastest picture I ever snapped!

beef and barley stew

A bowl of this will warm you right up!!

After church, we came home and filled our bowls up with some hot steamy stew.

My niece came down for dinner, and after dinner we played Yahtzee!

Growing up, we used to have major Yahtzee marathons during snowstorms!

Such fun!! 

Beef and Barley Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat

flour

oil

salt and pepper

4 or 5 carrots, sliced

4 or 5 potatoes, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

1/2 cup barley

2 cans tomato soup

4 cans water

1 Tablespoon beef bouillon

Dredge beef in flour, brown in a skillet with hot oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Combine beef and vegetables with all other ingredients in the crock pot.

Cook all day long.  Broth will thicken as barely absorbs and stew cooks.

I hope you enjoy!

Last weekend we got what a normal Nebraska winter delivers....

LOTS of Snow!!

Mother Nature decided our 69 degree February days needed to stop. 

 She dumped a foot of wet and heavy perfect for making snowmen snow!!

While my kids built a HUGE snowman outside my kitchen window, I sliced and diced and put a big crock pot full of beef and barley stew on for dinner.

frosty was over 7 feet tall!

My kids were excited about snow, but not nearly as excited as they are to be counting down the days until we can go stay with their grandparents on the beach in San Diego!!

My oldest son had an idea to take a picture in the snow with their swimsuits on to 

send to grandpa and grandma.

I told them to pose like they were looking for the beach.

"Which way to the beach??"

Fastest picture I ever snapped!

beef and barley stew

A bowl of this will warm you right up!!

After church, we came home and filled our bowls up with some hot steamy stew.

My niece came down for dinner, and after dinner we played Yahtzee!

Growing up, we used to have major Yahtzee marathons during snowstorms!

Such fun!! 

Beef and Barley Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat

flour

oil

salt and pepper

4 or 5 carrots, sliced

4 or 5 potatoes, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

1/2 cup barley

2 cans tomato soup

4 cans water

1 Tablespoon beef bouillon

Dredge beef in flour, brown in a skillet with hot oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Combine beef and vegetables with all other ingredients in the crock pot.

Cook all day long.  Broth will thicken as barely absorbs and stew cooks.

I hope you enjoy!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Lasagna Soup

lasagna soup



My friend Candi, over at The Devilish Dish is an amazing cook!!

Anytime she posts a recipe I know I will like it.

(so far she hasn't posted anything with liver or brussel sprouts....)

When she posted this one back in the Fall, I knew I would have to try it.

My family LOVES Pasta and we LOVE soup, so it was a win-win situation!

Candi and I have been friends for a long time.  Almost 15 years. She and I have so much in common, I swear God knew we needed to be friends and put her in that Scrapbooking class I was teaching back in 1997!

One thing that we have in common, we are both a little bit of a rebel.

It's okay. We were raised on Hair Band 80's music --- so it goes with the territory right?

we love our hair band concerts!! (and on those days...Aqua Net!!)

Well, being the rebel I am, I didn't EXACTLY follow her recipe.

That and the fact that I had already been to the store 3 days in a row and managed to STILL not have everything that I needed.

So, I add-libbed.

And because she's my friend, and I know that's JUST how she cooks... tweaking and making it her own, I know that she will understand.

For her recipe click here:

The Devilish Dish's Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup

2 lbs ground beef

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 - 16 oz jar of spaghetti sauce (I like to use Marinara)

4 tsp chicken bouillon (or 4 cubes)

4 tsp beef bouillon

6 cups of water

2 tsp of Italian spice

1/2 thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 box lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

ricotta (optional)

 shredded mozzarella cheese

In a soup pot over medium heat brown your ground beef with onion and garlic.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

Drain grease.  To the ground beef mixture add the tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, bouillon, water and spices and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.

Stir in broken lasagna noodles and cook until they are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove bay leaf.  Add Parmesan cheese to soup about 5 minutes before serving and stir in.

Ladle into bowls and top with ricotta and mozzarella cheese.

My notes: We are not fans of ricotta cheese at my house.  When I make regular lasagna, I use cottage cheese.  So I added this to the ingredients, but we didn't use it.  It tasted AMAZING with just the shredded cheese. I actually bought shredded Italian blend cheese.

When you make lasagna, there are always a couple of broken noodles in the box it seems. I always have a couple of extra, too. When I do, I throw them in a Ziploc bag and keep adding to them, then I'm ready for a quick batch of lasagna soup!  That's one other thing about this soup, it's one of those that most likely the ingredients are in your pantry right now!  Like most soups, this recipe works well in the crock pot, After browning your meat, dump it all in the crock pot and let it cook on low all day. Add Parmesan cheese about 10 minutes before your serve.

lasagna soup



My friend Candi, over at The Devilish Dish is an amazing cook!!

Anytime she posts a recipe I know I will like it.

(so far she hasn't posted anything with liver or brussel sprouts....)

When she posted this one back in the Fall, I knew I would have to try it.

My family LOVES Pasta and we LOVE soup, so it was a win-win situation!

Candi and I have been friends for a long time.  Almost 15 years. She and I have so much in common, I swear God knew we needed to be friends and put her in that Scrapbooking class I was teaching back in 1997!

One thing that we have in common, we are both a little bit of a rebel.

It's okay. We were raised on Hair Band 80's music --- so it goes with the territory right?

we love our hair band concerts!! (and on those days...Aqua Net!!)

Well, being the rebel I am, I didn't EXACTLY follow her recipe.

That and the fact that I had already been to the store 3 days in a row and managed to STILL not have everything that I needed.

So, I add-libbed.

And because she's my friend, and I know that's JUST how she cooks... tweaking and making it her own, I know that she will understand.

For her recipe click here:

The Devilish Dish's Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup

2 lbs ground beef

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 - 16 oz jar of spaghetti sauce (I like to use Marinara)

4 tsp chicken bouillon (or 4 cubes)

4 tsp beef bouillon

6 cups of water

2 tsp of Italian spice

1/2 thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 box lasagna noodles, broken into pieces

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

ricotta (optional)

 shredded mozzarella cheese

In a soup pot over medium heat brown your ground beef with onion and garlic.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

Drain grease.  To the ground beef mixture add the tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, bouillon, water and spices and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.

Stir in broken lasagna noodles and cook until they are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove bay leaf.  Add Parmesan cheese to soup about 5 minutes before serving and stir in.

Ladle into bowls and top with ricotta and mozzarella cheese.

My notes: We are not fans of ricotta cheese at my house.  When I make regular lasagna, I use cottage cheese.  So I added this to the ingredients, but we didn't use it.  It tasted AMAZING with just the shredded cheese. I actually bought shredded Italian blend cheese.

When you make lasagna, there are always a couple of broken noodles in the box it seems. I always have a couple of extra, too. When I do, I throw them in a Ziploc bag and keep adding to them, then I'm ready for a quick batch of lasagna soup!  That's one other thing about this soup, it's one of those that most likely the ingredients are in your pantry right now!  Like most soups, this recipe works well in the crock pot, After browning your meat, dump it all in the crock pot and let it cook on low all day. Add Parmesan cheese about 10 minutes before your serve.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Buffalo Chicken Chili

buffalo chicken chili

Raise your hand if you LOVE buffalo chicken wings!!

Yesterday I went to the store to do some grocery shopping.  It was a beautiful day, the sun was especially warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. 

 This is quite uncommon to have a 62 degree day in Nebraska in mid-January.

But after listening to the weatherman I knew it wouldn't last.

There's a saying here in Nebraska,

 "If you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait five minutes and it will change!" 

I bought all of the fixings for chili, knowing it was coming, and it DID.

And if the weatherman wasn't right (which he seldom is) my twins are studying clouds in science, and they told me the ones up there are bringing a storm!

The winds are blowing like mad, and I have hunkered down at home in my PJ's for a 

day of laundry and cleaning.  (BOO!)

Last night, I found a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Chili on A Forkful of Comfort's linky party.

I showed it to my oldest son and is statement was "oh, yum."

I decided to forego the usual chili and make this one.

Now I will tell you that when it comes to recipe following, I am a bit of a rebel. 

I can NEVER just "follow" a recipe without tweaking it someway to make it my own.

Her recipe sounded delicious, but if I made it that way I would have to go to the store...again.

I'm in my PJ's, remember?  And I plan to stay in them until I have to go get my twins at school at 3 PM.

(they are getting to the age where I can drop them off in them, 

but they comment when I pick them up in them! ;)

So, I did some tweaking.  Also, my hubby and I are on the WEIGHT-LOSS TRAIN and if I don't want to eat chicken and fish and lettuce daily, I need to TRY to make these soups healthy!

And, people, I LOVE me some soup!

If you click on the link for A Forkful of Comfort up there, it will take you directly to her post, and you can see what changes I have made. Make it however you like, but I say MAKE IT!

I have only taken a nibble of it, as it slow cooks in my crock pot, but I wish you knew just how amazing my house smells right now.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

adapted from A Forkful of Comfort

One Medium Onion, diced

4 Stalks of Celery, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

5 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon of Cumin

2 Tablespoons of flour

1/2 cup of hot wing sauce ( I use Frank's )

2 - 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with juice

1 - 15 ounce can of black beans

1 - 15 ounce can of dark red kidney beans

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups of chicken broth (we like more broth!)

mozzarella cheese, ranch or blue cheese dressing

In a stockpot over medium heat saute your chicken until it's no longer pink. 

I have to tell you that I never decide what's for dinner in advance!! I took my chicken out of the freezer and threw it in the pot frozen, basically defrosted/cooked it at the same time! The original recipe said to cook it in 3 Tablespoons of butter, I omitted that step. 
If your chicken isn't frozen like mine was, you will need it.

Add the onion, celery and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until tender.

(at this point I put it in the crock pot)

Sprinkle with Chili Powder, Cumin and Flour, stirring to coat.  Add hot wing sauce, tomatoes, chicken broth and beans.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

I left mine on low for about 5 hours in the crock pot.

Top with your cheese of choice and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

buffalo chicken chili

Raise your hand if you LOVE buffalo chicken wings!!

Yesterday I went to the store to do some grocery shopping.  It was a beautiful day, the sun was especially warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. 

 This is quite uncommon to have a 62 degree day in Nebraska in mid-January.

But after listening to the weatherman I knew it wouldn't last.

There's a saying here in Nebraska,

 "If you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait five minutes and it will change!" 

I bought all of the fixings for chili, knowing it was coming, and it DID.

And if the weatherman wasn't right (which he seldom is) my twins are studying clouds in science, and they told me the ones up there are bringing a storm!

The winds are blowing like mad, and I have hunkered down at home in my PJ's for a 

day of laundry and cleaning.  (BOO!)

Last night, I found a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Chili on A Forkful of Comfort's linky party.

I showed it to my oldest son and is statement was "oh, yum."

I decided to forego the usual chili and make this one.

Now I will tell you that when it comes to recipe following, I am a bit of a rebel. 

I can NEVER just "follow" a recipe without tweaking it someway to make it my own.

Her recipe sounded delicious, but if I made it that way I would have to go to the store...again.

I'm in my PJ's, remember?  And I plan to stay in them until I have to go get my twins at school at 3 PM.

(they are getting to the age where I can drop them off in them, 

but they comment when I pick them up in them! ;)

So, I did some tweaking.  Also, my hubby and I are on the WEIGHT-LOSS TRAIN and if I don't want to eat chicken and fish and lettuce daily, I need to TRY to make these soups healthy!

And, people, I LOVE me some soup!

If you click on the link for A Forkful of Comfort up there, it will take you directly to her post, and you can see what changes I have made. Make it however you like, but I say MAKE IT!

I have only taken a nibble of it, as it slow cooks in my crock pot, but I wish you knew just how amazing my house smells right now.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

adapted from A Forkful of Comfort

One Medium Onion, diced

4 Stalks of Celery, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

5 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon of Cumin

2 Tablespoons of flour

1/2 cup of hot wing sauce ( I use Frank's )

2 - 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with juice

1 - 15 ounce can of black beans

1 - 15 ounce can of dark red kidney beans

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups of chicken broth (we like more broth!)

mozzarella cheese, ranch or blue cheese dressing

In a stockpot over medium heat saute your chicken until it's no longer pink. 

I have to tell you that I never decide what's for dinner in advance!! I took my chicken out of the freezer and threw it in the pot frozen, basically defrosted/cooked it at the same time! The original recipe said to cook it in 3 Tablespoons of butter, I omitted that step. 
If your chicken isn't frozen like mine was, you will need it.

Add the onion, celery and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until tender.

(at this point I put it in the crock pot)

Sprinkle with Chili Powder, Cumin and Flour, stirring to coat.  Add hot wing sauce, tomatoes, chicken broth and beans.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

I left mine on low for about 5 hours in the crock pot.

Top with your cheese of choice and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Broccoli Cheese Soup

My kids LOVE to go to Panera Bread. 

My oldest daughter loves their broccoli cheese soup and french baguette.

She's a soup eater like her Mom. 

So, one day I decided I was going to create my own recipe for it, and it was so similar, it was a hit!

This is one of the requests I always get for "soup night" on Halloween.

I always make at least two kinds, if not three, and the grandparents come over for dinner, 

and I usually have extra kids here too.  

It's great, because I make all of them in the morning, and line my crock pots up on the counter.

After the parties at school, we rush home to get ready again for trick or treating.  

It's nice to have it all ready so that as people come and go, they can just eat when they want. 

It's also quite nice on those cold trick or treat nights to come home and have another bowl and warm up!

I have mentioned before how difficult I find it to photograph soup, so I hope you just trust me when I say that this is really yummy.

It only becomes better when you have some nice crusty bread to dip in it!

broccoli cheese soup

My Own Broccoli Cheese Soup

3-4 potatoes peeled and cubed

6 stalks of celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 T butter

1 - 32 ounce chicken stock

2 - 16 ounce packages of frozen chopped broccoli

1 - 16 ounce jar cheese whiz

1 can cream of potato soup

2 cans cream of celery soup

1 - 8 ounce container sour cream

(no calories!?!?  yea right.)

Saute your onion and celery in butter until soft.  Add potatoes and chicken stock and simmer covered until potatoes are soft.  (20-30 minutes)

Add broccoli, simmer about 15 minutes more.

With a potato masher, mash vegetables until they are small.  Add to this the rest of the ingredients, 

stir and warm until ready to eat.

In the Crock Pot:

This recipe is also easy in the crock pot. When I make it in the crock pot I cook the veggies until they are soft and mash-able in the chicken stock. (on low all day) 

About 30 minutes before dinner, mash, and add cream based ingredients, warm and serve.

This, was one of three soups I made for Halloween when the Grandparents
came over before trick-or-treating.

the twins with their grandparents

trick-or -treat!

We have a tradition at our house on Halloween.  Ever since my kids were little, when they sorted through their Halloween candy, they got to chose their favorite kinds, and keep that.  The rest goes in our Halloween candy cauldron for the Halloween Witch.

She comes while they are sleeping to take that candy and leave a small toy in it's place.  She needs lots of candy to keep her teeth rotten!

my little 80's girl sorting her candy

you can bet my little WWE Superstar, John Cena, didn't part with that Mountain Dew!

This year, our little Josie lost a tooth at her Halloween party eating a caramel apple.  

So, not only did the Halloween Witch come, so did the tooth fairy!

Josie was very concerned they would come at the same time.  

She was certain they would most likely NOT get along!

Turns out, if their paths crossed, things went well! 

;)

My kids LOVE to go to Panera Bread. 

My oldest daughter loves their broccoli cheese soup and french baguette.

She's a soup eater like her Mom. 

So, one day I decided I was going to create my own recipe for it, and it was so similar, it was a hit!

This is one of the requests I always get for "soup night" on Halloween.

I always make at least two kinds, if not three, and the grandparents come over for dinner, 

and I usually have extra kids here too.  

It's great, because I make all of them in the morning, and line my crock pots up on the counter.

After the parties at school, we rush home to get ready again for trick or treating.  

It's nice to have it all ready so that as people come and go, they can just eat when they want. 

It's also quite nice on those cold trick or treat nights to come home and have another bowl and warm up!

I have mentioned before how difficult I find it to photograph soup, so I hope you just trust me when I say that this is really yummy.

It only becomes better when you have some nice crusty bread to dip in it!

broccoli cheese soup

My Own Broccoli Cheese Soup

3-4 potatoes peeled and cubed

6 stalks of celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 T butter

1 - 32 ounce chicken stock

2 - 16 ounce packages of frozen chopped broccoli

1 - 16 ounce jar cheese whiz

1 can cream of potato soup

2 cans cream of celery soup

1 - 8 ounce container sour cream

(no calories!?!?  yea right.)

Saute your onion and celery in butter until soft.  Add potatoes and chicken stock and simmer covered until potatoes are soft.  (20-30 minutes)

Add broccoli, simmer about 15 minutes more.

With a potato masher, mash vegetables until they are small.  Add to this the rest of the ingredients, 

stir and warm until ready to eat.

In the Crock Pot:

This recipe is also easy in the crock pot. When I make it in the crock pot I cook the veggies until they are soft and mash-able in the chicken stock. (on low all day) 

About 30 minutes before dinner, mash, and add cream based ingredients, warm and serve.

This, was one of three soups I made for Halloween when the Grandparents
came over before trick-or-treating.

the twins with their grandparents

trick-or -treat!

We have a tradition at our house on Halloween.  Ever since my kids were little, when they sorted through their Halloween candy, they got to chose their favorite kinds, and keep that.  The rest goes in our Halloween candy cauldron for the Halloween Witch.

She comes while they are sleeping to take that candy and leave a small toy in it's place.  She needs lots of candy to keep her teeth rotten!

my little 80's girl sorting her candy

you can bet my little WWE Superstar, John Cena, didn't part with that Mountain Dew!

This year, our little Josie lost a tooth at her Halloween party eating a caramel apple.  

So, not only did the Halloween Witch come, so did the tooth fairy!

Josie was very concerned they would come at the same time.  

She was certain they would most likely NOT get along!

Turns out, if their paths crossed, things went well! 

;)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Not your Normal Tortilla Soup

When I was little we had some neighbors that lived across the street.  They were stationed at Offutt Air force base, and had been stationed all over the world. 

One thing I remember about the Mom was that she was a fabulous cook!  

My Mom got this recipe for tortilla soup from her, and this is the tortilla soup that I grew up on.

I thought all tortilla soup tasted like this one, until I grew up and had the more 

creamy based ones with chicken.

This is more of a spicy tomato based soup, seasoned with green chilies, chili powder and cumin.

It'll warm your bones right up!!

Perfect for Halloween, or a blustery Midwest day like today. 

I made this as well as homemade chicken noodle, and broccoli cheese for Halloween night.  

I will be having some leftover tortilla soup for lunch today, who wants to join me?

I am such a soup eater. I never get tired of it!

But the one thing about putting it on a blog, is that the photo never does it justice.

You'll just have to trust me on this, okay?

not your normal tortilla soup

Tortilla Soup

2 small onions, chopped

2 small cans of diced green chilies

4 cloves garlic minced

4 T vegetable oil

2, 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes

3 beef and 3 chicken bouillon cubes

3 cups of water

3 cups of tomato juice

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. chili powder

2 t. salt

1/4 t. white pepper

4 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. bottled steak sauce

6 corn tortillas, cut in strips

shredded cheddar cheese

Saute onion, chilies and garlic in oil until soft. (about 5 minutes)

Add tomatoes, bouillon, water, juice, spices and sauces. 

Bring soup to a boil, lower heat and simmer covered for one hour. 

(or you can make this in your crock pot. After sauteing, add this mixture to others in your crock pot and cook on low all day)

Before serving add corn tortilla strips and 1/2 cup of cheese, simmer 10 minutes more.

Serve topped with cheddar cheese.

When I was little we had some neighbors that lived across the street.  They were stationed at Offutt Air force base, and had been stationed all over the world. 

One thing I remember about the Mom was that she was a fabulous cook!  

My Mom got this recipe for tortilla soup from her, and this is the tortilla soup that I grew up on.

I thought all tortilla soup tasted like this one, until I grew up and had the more 

creamy based ones with chicken.

This is more of a spicy tomato based soup, seasoned with green chilies, chili powder and cumin.

It'll warm your bones right up!!

Perfect for Halloween, or a blustery Midwest day like today. 

I made this as well as homemade chicken noodle, and broccoli cheese for Halloween night.  

I will be having some leftover tortilla soup for lunch today, who wants to join me?

I am such a soup eater. I never get tired of it!

But the one thing about putting it on a blog, is that the photo never does it justice.

You'll just have to trust me on this, okay?

not your normal tortilla soup

Tortilla Soup

2 small onions, chopped

2 small cans of diced green chilies

4 cloves garlic minced

4 T vegetable oil

2, 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes

3 beef and 3 chicken bouillon cubes

3 cups of water

3 cups of tomato juice

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. chili powder

2 t. salt

1/4 t. white pepper

4 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. bottled steak sauce

6 corn tortillas, cut in strips

shredded cheddar cheese

Saute onion, chilies and garlic in oil until soft. (about 5 minutes)

Add tomatoes, bouillon, water, juice, spices and sauces. 

Bring soup to a boil, lower heat and simmer covered for one hour. 

(or you can make this in your crock pot. After sauteing, add this mixture to others in your crock pot and cook on low all day)

Before serving add corn tortilla strips and 1/2 cup of cheese, simmer 10 minutes more.

Serve topped with cheddar cheese.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Crock Pot French Onion French Dip Sandwiches

This is one of those recipes that I got out of some old church cookbook a million years ago.

I am warning you though, you might not look at a french dip the same way again.

I know it looks like a basic 'ol sandwich, but it tastes A-MA-ZING

If you are like me, and love the flavor of french onion soup, you are going to LOVE this sandwich.

Of course, I have never been a sandwich girl.

I was one of those kids that took a thermos of soup to school in my  Snoopy lunch box.

sadly, I don't have my lunchbox anymore, but this one I found on google is pretty darn close.

Yea, I was that kid. 

I know you're jealous.

But when I met this sandwich, it changed my view of sandwiches.

Not to mention my crock pot.

So, fix this in the morning, or throw it together in your crock pot the night before, cook it all day long and ENJOY!

I wish I could give credit to the church lady that submitted this...

But church lady, where ever you are....

THANK YOU!

French Onion French Dip Sandwiches

4 LB Chuck Roast

1 package dry french onion soup mix

1/2 cup soy sauce

5 cups water

1 large onion, sliced in big slices (I usually just 1/8 the onion)

2 cloves garlic minced

mushrooms, canned or fresh (optional)

Hoagie Rolls

cheese (we use provolone or swiss)

Place everything in the crock pot (well not the ROLLS or the cheese, silly) and cook all day long. 

Shred meat and place into *toasted hoagie rolls, top with cheese and serve with the au jus it made all by itself, just for you.

french onion french dip

*If you are lucky enough to live where you can by Rotella Hoagie rolls, toast them in the oven for about 3 minutes on 375 degrees.  It makes them perfectly crusty! Mmmmm.

This is one of those recipes that I got out of some old church cookbook a million years ago.

I am warning you though, you might not look at a french dip the same way again.

I know it looks like a basic 'ol sandwich, but it tastes A-MA-ZING

If you are like me, and love the flavor of french onion soup, you are going to LOVE this sandwich.

Of course, I have never been a sandwich girl.

I was one of those kids that took a thermos of soup to school in my  Snoopy lunch box.

sadly, I don't have my lunchbox anymore, but this one I found on google is pretty darn close.

Yea, I was that kid. 

I know you're jealous.

But when I met this sandwich, it changed my view of sandwiches.

Not to mention my crock pot.

So, fix this in the morning, or throw it together in your crock pot the night before, cook it all day long and ENJOY!

I wish I could give credit to the church lady that submitted this...

But church lady, where ever you are....

THANK YOU!

French Onion French Dip Sandwiches

4 LB Chuck Roast

1 package dry french onion soup mix

1/2 cup soy sauce

5 cups water

1 large onion, sliced in big slices (I usually just 1/8 the onion)

2 cloves garlic minced

mushrooms, canned or fresh (optional)

Hoagie Rolls

cheese (we use provolone or swiss)

Place everything in the crock pot (well not the ROLLS or the cheese, silly) and cook all day long. 

Shred meat and place into *toasted hoagie rolls, top with cheese and serve with the au jus it made all by itself, just for you.

french onion french dip

*If you are lucky enough to live where you can by Rotella Hoagie rolls, toast them in the oven for about 3 minutes on 375 degrees.  It makes them perfectly crusty! Mmmmm.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Burritos

Everyone who loves their crock pot, raise your hand!!

The crock pot makes life so easy on those busy "run-run" kind of days.

This recipe is one of our very favorites.

crock pot shredded beef burritos

I lived in San Diego for a short while years ago.  There's not much to dislike about San Diego!! But one of the things I loved the most?

THE FOOD.

I fell in love with the little taco stands.  To this day when we visit, it's our very first stop, Roberto's in Mission Beach. It doesn't matter what time of the day our flight lands, we stop there first.

Thank goodness they are open 24 hours a day!

My favorite thing has always been the shredded beef burritos. They just have so much flavor.

I attempted to make them, using my crock pot, and they are a pretty close match.

yum. added a little fresh salsa bowl, and chips, perfect.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Burritos

3-4 pound beef rump roast

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can diced green chilies (or use fresh if you have them)

1 large onion sliced

2 T. beef bouillon

flour tortillas for burritos

toppings of choice

Do not drain the Rotel or the chilies.

Dump everything into your crock pot.

 I cook it on high for about 5-6 hours. Basically you want it to get to the "shredded falling apart stage."   Shred meat and put back in the crock pot until ready to eat.

I steam my tortillas so that they are easier to wrap. Place meat inside and wrap burrito style. 

 I prefer mine without other things, but my family chooses between any and all of these:

shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole.

The burritos pictured here were lucky enough to have also have fresh peppers from my uncle's garden!!

Here in Nebraska, we aren't that lucky year 'round.

how gorgeous are these little babies?

So, the only thing that's really missing from this burrito is the atmosphere if Mission Beach...especially the ocean!

Ah.... Roberto's at  Mission Beach... see you soon...but until then I will feed my cravings with these!

Roberto's, Mission Beach, San Diego

Everyone who loves their crock pot, raise your hand!!

The crock pot makes life so easy on those busy "run-run" kind of days.

This recipe is one of our very favorites.

crock pot shredded beef burritos

I lived in San Diego for a short while years ago.  There's not much to dislike about San Diego!! But one of the things I loved the most?

THE FOOD.

I fell in love with the little taco stands.  To this day when we visit, it's our very first stop, Roberto's in Mission Beach. It doesn't matter what time of the day our flight lands, we stop there first.

Thank goodness they are open 24 hours a day!

My favorite thing has always been the shredded beef burritos. They just have so much flavor.

I attempted to make them, using my crock pot, and they are a pretty close match.

yum. added a little fresh salsa bowl, and chips, perfect.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Burritos

3-4 pound beef rump roast

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can diced green chilies (or use fresh if you have them)

1 large onion sliced

2 T. beef bouillon

flour tortillas for burritos

toppings of choice

Do not drain the Rotel or the chilies.

Dump everything into your crock pot.

 I cook it on high for about 5-6 hours. Basically you want it to get to the "shredded falling apart stage."   Shred meat and put back in the crock pot until ready to eat.

I steam my tortillas so that they are easier to wrap. Place meat inside and wrap burrito style. 

 I prefer mine without other things, but my family chooses between any and all of these:

shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole.

The burritos pictured here were lucky enough to have also have fresh peppers from my uncle's garden!!

Here in Nebraska, we aren't that lucky year 'round.

how gorgeous are these little babies?

So, the only thing that's really missing from this burrito is the atmosphere if Mission Beach...especially the ocean!

Ah.... Roberto's at  Mission Beach... see you soon...but until then I will feed my cravings with these!

Roberto's, Mission Beach, San Diego

reade more... Résuméabuiyad