Adventures in Cooking: Cake and Casserole

You know, I think it is important to remember that there was a time that I couldn't cook anything.  Okay, I could cook tacos and spaghetti and a few other easy things.  But I was not doing any real cooking.  Sometimes when I am talking and mention a dish or a dessert that I am making, people say things that make me think they personally don't think they could ever cook what I am talking about.  That could not be further from the truth.  If I can make it, so can you.  Keep in mind that I am the person who served my husband under-cooked chicken.

Moving on.

I won't lie and tell you that this cake was the easiest thing ever to prepare.  But, it wasn't impossible.  I did learn that I don't know how to beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  For some reason, I could not accomplish it despite much time on google and youtube (and almost a whole carton of eggs) trying to figure it out.  Luckily, the cake turned out great without stiff peaked egg whites!

Here is the link.

I made this for my mother in law's birthday a couple of weeks ago.  It was very, very, yummy.  I did end up buying a spring form pan which I didn't think I would need, but actually is crucial to the recipe.  Also, I learned a whole lot more about hazelnuts than I ever thought possible.  If you want to make this, you should know that hazelnuts don't come skinned, toasted and chopped.  That is a job you will do yourself.  You will buy whole hazelnuts, toast them, remove the skins and then chop.  I found toasting them and then removing the skin by rubbing them together in a dishtowel while they are still warm was the best way for me.  Just don't use a towel you care about because it will likely be stained.  Then chop, chop, chop.  And, in case you are like me and are hazelnut ignorant...they are not cheap.  So don't go into this cake thinking cheap and easy because you will be wrong!

Also, if you are like me and can't get the stupid egg whites to cooperate, don't worry, it didn't affect the cake or the marshmallow swirl really at all.

Lastly, I would reserve some of the marshmallow swirl (not fold it all in) and make just a layer of swirl on the top.  The recipe doesn't say to do this, but the picture in the magazine sure makes it look like that's what they did and after tasting it I think that would make the cake even better.

Overall, this cake was a winner and one that I will probably make again now that I have an idea of what I am doing (and leftover hazelnuts).  Everyone loved it, including Molly and Isabelle.  I think my mother in law was pretty happy also!

Next up, Bean Tortilla Casserole. Another Martha recipe.

Since we are trying to eat more meatless meals around here, I was pretty excited when I saw this in Everyday Food this month.  It is similar to another recipe I have but Jason liked this one much better.  The pureed tomatoes and cilantro did add a great flavor to this dish that the other recipe is missing.  If you are looking for a pretty simple and yummy vegetarian meal this would be a great one to try.

There you go, one easy dinner and one not so easy, but totally worth it dessert.  Happy cooking!

Adventures in Cooking: Bread, Frosting, Ravioli and PW

One of the first meals I ever tried to cook for Jason (aside from tacos or spaghetti) was orange chicken with wild rice and a green vegetable (can't remember the veggie!).  I was so excited to cook something new and even better it was from a new cookbook I had gotten from my mother in law.  I can still remember the feelings of pride I had cooking for Jason.  I can also still remember the look on his face when he cut into his massively undercooked, basically still raw, orange chicken.  It was a disaster.  Sometimes it is hard to believe that I am that same person who couldn't even cook chicken all the way.  I mean, don't most new cooks burn things?

Anyway, here are a few new things I have made recently.

First, Magical Frosting.

I love Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I have found great recipes there.  My broccoli cheese soup recipe is from her also.  So, when Jason requested I not make buttercream for Isabelle's birthday cake, I looked at her site for frosting ideas.  At first glance, this recipe does not seem worth all the work required, but trust me it is.  This was seriously the best frosting I have ever had.  My only recommendation is to follow the recipe EXACTLY.  Don't try to cut corners with this one or you may be disappointed.  Also, if you like super sweet frosting, you might as well just stick with a can.  This one will not be for you!

Next up, Baked Ravioli.

This is a great and easy to prepare meal for the whole family.  Everyone in my family loves it.  It doesn't take long, has simple ingredients and works great for our meatless nights!

You didn't think I would start off the new year and forget to mention PW did you???

Her Chicken and Noodles recipe is divine.

I did a few things different.  I did not use a whole chicken because I only had breasts.  So, I used two chicken breasts.  I also did not use the water from boiling my chicken for the base of the soup because, well, I did not boil a whole chicken!  So, instead I used chicken broth from my pantry.  I also did not use near the amount of onion she did because I am an onion hater.  I did not have white pepper so I used black, and did not have turmeric either so just left it out.  With all the changes it still turned out absolutely delicious!!!  My kids were only slightly impressed, but they ate it so I consider it a win.  Jason and I loved it.

Lastly, a recipe I think you need to go make NOW.  

Bread.  As in homemade bread.  

This recipe comes from probably my all time favorite blogger, Jami Nato.  Haven't heard of her?  Go read her entire blog then come back and make bread.  Or, make the bread and eat it while reading her whole blog.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love her, you'll get a great bread recipe.  And if you're anything like me you will wish that somehow, someday, you might get to meet Mrs. Nato in person.

Okay, back to the bread.  You will need a bread maker, but you won't cook the bread in the bread maker.  You will only use it for the dough cycle.  You will also need a loaf pan to bake your bread.  I won't lie.  After reading about hair in bread (don't believe me, google it) I was compelled to at least try to make my own.  I was pretty sure I was on the right track after the second rise.  The dough was so BIG and looked so promising.  After baking it and having the smell of fresh bread fill my house I could hardly wait to taste it.  After waiting the five minutes after taking it out of the oven I cut myself a slice.  WOW.  Like, WOW.  It. was. so. so. so. good.  I honestly could not believe that I made bread that tasted that good.  Now, I can't stop making bread.  Easy, cheap, delicious.  I think I might make more today.  

There you go, four great recipes that seriously, you should make.  No excuses.  They are all so tasty.  And if you think that maybe you don't have the skills to make some of this food, just look back at the beginning where I mentioned the chicken debacle.  If I can do it, so can you!

Adventures in Cooking: Enchiladas and Cookies

You know what?  Vegetarian eating isn't that difficult.  And it is yummy.  I won't lie and say I haven't eaten meat recently, but I will tell you that most nights at our house you will find our dinner table meat free.  I am liking the change, and the challenge that comes with finding and making new recipes. 

Here's two recipes I have made recently that I think you should know about!

First, Stacked Enchilada Bake.

This is a very easy, very tasty dish.  It will take you like five minutes to put together and stick in the oven.  And while I feel I should tell you that it might be a little spicy for kiddos (due to the enchilada sauce), I will also tell you that the husband loved it.  On nights where I make this I just have the kids eat leftovers or I make them something different.  I am trying hard to get away from the two dinner thing, but truthfully, sometimes J and I want spicy and so I know those nights I will be fixing two things. 

Next up, Citrus Butter Cookies from none other than PW!

I made these yesterday for a friend that had a baby.  I felt slightly embarrassed to take them to her since my cookie icing skills are sorely lacking.  Mine looked nothing like what you see pictured above.  Think massive blobs of icing and you will get a more accurate idea of what the ones I made looked like.  I also ran out of zest so I didn't have any to decorate the tops of the cookies with...oops. 

If you like butter cookies, you will love these.  If you like citrus, you will love these.  If you like chocolate cookies, you probably will not love these, but you may like them.  I don't know that I've ever hated a cookie.  Well, maybe pecan sandies, but other than that I don't think so.  I liked them, Jason said they were great.  Perhaps a little more work than your regular chocolate chip, but great for a new mom or a baby shower or really any lunch type event.  You should know that the recipe makes more cookies than it says in the cookbook, like twice as many.  I find that is usually true of PW's recipes.  It will say, makes 12 muffins and I get 30, or serves 8 and is closer to 12.  Maybe those cowboys eat twice as big of servings...who knows?????

So there you go, two great recipes.  What have you been cooking?

Friday Five-Recipes

In response to your burning question....No, I am not going vegan.  At least not yet.  I am however, going to try and eat less meat and dairy.  For a multitude of reasons.  But, you should know that none of the reasons for going vegetarian or vegan include a love of animals.  I firmly believe that God put chickens and cows on the earth for us to eat.  I am just not convinced that it is healthy to consume as much meat and animal products as we do in our culture.  And frankly, I think I have been pretty open about how I feel about conventional vs. organic meat so you can assume I still don't really care for how we treat cattle or chicken on conventional farms or the health consequences of that treatment.

Anyshways,  now that we have that straightened out.  I am trying some new recipes.  I am hopeful they will be delicious.  Once I know, I will let you know!  If you try them first, be sure to leave me a comment telling me what you thought.

1.  Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Marinated Garbanzo Beans, Feta and Herbs.

Looks yummy, doesn't it.  Not vegan obvi, since it has cheese, but vegetarian for sure.

2.  Healthy Mexican Sweet Potato Skins.

Again, yum.  We love pretty much anything that includes black beans and cheese.

3.  Rainbow Stuffed Bell Peppers.

Recipe from a good friend, Susan H.

4 small to medium size bell peppers
 1 color each, red, green, yellow, orange
½ lb. ground turkey
 For vegetarian substitute can of pinto beans
1/3 cup diced red onions
1 (16oz) can refried beans
1 (8 ½ oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
¾ cup chunky salsa
¾ cup cooked rice
1/8 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. cumin
Salt to taste
8 oz. Colby jack cheese, shredded

Cut bell peppers in half from top of stem to bottom; discard seeds and membranes.  In a large pot of boiling water, blanch peppers for 3 minutes; invert to drain.
In medium, skillet brown turkey with onions.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer until mixture is hot and bubbly.  Place peppers in 13x9 pan sprayed with nonstick coating.  Stuff peppers with bean mixture.  Top peppers with cheese.
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

4.  Avacado and Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinegrette.

This recipe had me at avacado.  I could eat those things by the bucket full.

5.  Spinach Lasagna. 

I have made this before, but I think I added differnt veggies last time.  I am too lazy to type out the recipe, but if you google spinach lasagna you will get a TON of results.  I am going to make it just according to the recipe this time.  Thanks to Elaine for the recipe!

So there you go, some vegetarian, not vegan, recipes.  I can't vouch for any of them yet, but will for sure let you know as I make them.  If you have any delish recipes I should try send them my way.

Friday Five-Adventures in Cooking

Today, for Friday Five, I have five new recipes that I have made recently.  Hope you enjoy!

As a side note, the first recipe I did not make so it doesn't actually count as one of my adventures in cooking, but still, you should know about it because it is seriously yummy!

First, Tequila Lime Chicken.

While I am hesitant to post a recipe that involves alcohol, the fact is, we (and by we, I mean Jason) made this and it was so very delicious.  It is, of course, a Pioneer Woman recipe and as usual she did not disappoint.  We did not marinate for the full time the recipe called for and it still turned out very flavorful.  In addition to the chicken we made black beans and rice and served it all with a tortilla, some avocado slices and a little monterey jack cheese.  Super delicious and great for a night when you want to grill and want mexican!  Can't wait for Jason to make this again! 

Second, Blueberry Gems from Paula Deen. 

I may have mentioned that my bff, Rochelle, sent me two Paula Deen cookbooks for my birthday.  She has a love affair with Paula Deen like I do with Pioneer Woman.  And since I have a ton of blueberries from our recent berry farm outings I decided to find a great Paula Deen recipe to make.  These were so scrumptious.  They were also very easy to make and involved no mixer!  I did not have self rising flour, so I made do with all purpose and added the baking powder and salt.  I think that they would have turned out even better if I had used the correct flour.  The only weird thing about these was that they got a little mushy overnight.  I always put leftover muffins in a ziploc to store them, but these did not do well with that method.  Who knows?  I will be making these again.

Next, Pot Pie Cups.

I actually found these on pinterest and decided to try them.  We had them last night and they were pretty good.  Would have them again if I needed something fast and easy.  I thought for sure the girls would love them given the fact that they made of biscuits...but not so much.  Turns out my kids are kind of picky eaters.  I do think that next time I would change the recipe a bit and not use as much cheese or as much onion powder, but that is just me.  Also, the recipe calls for small biscuits (that come in a pkg of 10), but I only had large ones that came in a package of 8.  They may have been a little big which resulted in me having left over filling.  No biggie since I can just buy another can of biscuits, but next time I will look harder for smaller ones.

Fourth, the Homemade Chicken Nuggets I mentioned.

My girls love getting chicken from Chick-fil-A, so I thought making healthy nuggets would win them over for sure.  Boy was I wrong.  These are tasty and I was glad to be able to try out panko bread crumbs in a recipe, but they do have more of an Italian flare.  The recipe uses oregano, parmesan and basil in addition to bread crumbs.  So while Jason and I thought they tasted good (and also were crunchy, not soggy like some other baked nuggets)  I doubt I make them again.  I have another baked nugget recipe I will try and then if they don't like those I guess I will give up!

Last for today Foil Pack Taco Chicken.

I wanted to love this, I really did.  I am constantly looking for good baked chicken recipes because 1.)  I hate cooking chicken on the stove and 2.) I don't know how to grill.  So when I saw this I thought it was perfect.  WRONG.  I am not going to waste anymore time on this recipe except to say that while the chicken was bland and not flavorful at all, the potatoes were delish.  In fact, I may try cooking more veggies the same way.  Will not be making again.


Every time I post a new Adventures in Cooking I am reminded how different life used to be before I would cook.  Jason and I ate out a lot before we had kids and didn't always eat very healthy.  Now, I am not saying that all of the things we make are healthy, but I believe that when you cook at home it has got to be better than going out to eat.  I am also reminded that I used to be a terrible cook.  Sure, I could make some things like tacos or spaghetti, but that was about it.  I am glad that I have overcome that and actually have some confidence in the kitchen.  Not only that, but doing this series has forced me to continue to try new recipes and find new things for my family to eat.  That has been so great since now we have more variety in our weekly meal plans! 

What are you eating?  What are your favorites?  I would love to find some more delicious dinners!

Adventures in Cooking

Have I mentioned how much I love Pioneer Woman lately?  Oh, okay.  Sorry. 

Moving on......

I have some delicious recipes to share today.  They are from a great woman who I love and adore.  You may have heard of her....Pioneer Woman.  Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  If it weren't for PW, I don't know that I would be as into cooking as I have been the past couple of years.  And while her recipes aren't always the healthiest, they are always delicious.

First up, Chicken Pot Pie.

The recipe can't be found online, so here ya go.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie
from The Pioneer Woman Cooks (her first cookbook)

3 celery stalks
3 medium carrots, peeled
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 large yellow onion (I hate onions so only used about half this amount...maybe less)
4 tbsp butter
2 cups chicken, cooked, diced or shredded (I used only breasts, but PW says to use both white and dark)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 cup white wine (optional)-I did not use this
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

Begin by finely dicing the fresh vegetables, celery, carrots and onions. Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery and peas. Saute until the vegetables start to soften, a few minutes. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.

Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Stir in the bouillon cube and wine, if using. The flour will combine with the chicken to create a delicious gravy. Pour in the cream and stir. Allow mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with the thyme, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Be sure it's adequately salted!

Pour the chicken mixture into a deep pie pan. (I used an nine by nine casserole pan because I knew my pie pans were not deep enough).  
Roll out the crust so that it's one inch larger than the pan.  Place the crust on top of the chicken mixture and cut small slits in the top.  Press the crust gently into the sides of the dish to seal.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling in bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

A note on the crust...I used the recipe from the newest PW cookbook called, Pam's Pie Crust.  If you want it, go get the book for crying out loud!  Otherwise, I think any crust recipe would work.  Also, some of you may want to use crust on the bottom and top.  I didn't because I follow recipes pretty much exactly how they are written (except for onions...yuck) and also because I didn't think I would like crust.  Of course the crust I used was delicious, but given that I know how much butter was in it, I still think I would only do it on top.

This pot pie was A-MAZ-ING.  Jason and I were in heaven.  The girls...eh, they were okay with it.  It was seriously so, so, so good.  And for the record, up until the day I made this, I would have said that I hated pot pie.  Now I love it.

Next,  Strawberry Shortcake Cake.

picture from PW

I was a tad disappointed in the cake, but mainly it was my fault.  For starters, I think I may have mixed my cake batter too long, making my cake pretty dense.  My brother who went to culinary school also suggested I use some cake flour instead of regular flour in the recipe.  Second, my frosting didn't turn out "light and fluffy" as the recipe suggested it would.  My cookbook doesn't show the picture or suggest using the whisk attachment on the mixer which I am guessing would have made a major difference.  I feel like such a dork for not thinking of that when I was making it.  Oh, and I think next time I will use double the amount of strawberries!

Despite all of that my father in law still said it was the best strawberry cake he had ever had, so I guess my work was worth it!  It was pretty tasty despite the problems I mentioned, and I think it was waaaay better the second day when all of the strawberry juice had soaked down a little into the cake.  I will for sure make this again.

There you go, two delicious recipes you should make very soon, if not today.  Especially the cake since strawberries are in season!  And, if you don't have PW's cookbooks, I would suggest you go get them!  You won't regret it!

Adventures in Cooking

Hello, Monday!  I can't believe how fast this weekend went by!  Saturday was a busy day for me with the OSU Scrub Run, three Mary Kay classes, and church.  Sunday was a lazy day, and now it is Monday again.  The one thing we did do yesterday was cook dinner.  Yummy, yummy dinner.  From PW (of course).  So, I thought I would share.

White Chicken Enchiladas

I must tell you, however, that the link to these on her blog are not exactly how they appear in the cookbook.  So, maybe you should just go buy the darn cookbook.  You will not regret it.  Okay, so maybe your waistline will regret it, but your taste buds won't. 

These enchiladas were so good.  Not too difficult to make, but there are lots of steps involved so it was pretty time consuming.  It was totally worth it.  You must try these, but for your sanity, try them on a day when you have lots of time to be in the kitchen.  For us, that was yesterday.

Now since I don't want to just leave you with one new recipe, I will also share something I recently made for the second time, Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pie. (this link takes you to another blog with the recipe.....I am too lazy to type it out!)

I am in agreement with that blog on how good this is.  And it is easy to make if you have chicken already prepared.  We had bought a rotisserie chicken the day before and had leftovers that I used to make my Pie.  This was a great meal for us because we always have leftover chicken and because I almost always have the rest of the ingredients on hand.  The girls loved it and so did Jason!

Lastly, a Mexican Rice that will go great with both.  Also a PW recipe as you will see if you click the link!

This rice was yummy in terms of flavor, but mine was not cooked enough.  I think I needed more broth.  Her recipe calls for equal amounts of broth and rice and I have found that I almost always need close to twice as much liquid as rice when I am cooking with long grain rice.  I will try making this again because the rice that was done was delicious!

What are you making that is yummy?  Have a recipe that I should try?

Adventures in Cooking

I think I may have mentioned the new Pioneer Woman cookbook and how excited I was to get started cooking my way through her delicious recipes a few days ago.  Well, we have already had three of her recipes and I am excited to tell you about them.

First up, Lemon Blueberry Pancakes.

To be honest, Jason made these bad boys, not me.  I just ate them.  They were so yummy.  Jason made them exactly according to the recipe and for some reason ours turned out much thinner than they appear in the picture.  They were still very good.  Jason did say that they were quite a lot of work for just pancakes and that he preferred her sour cream pancakes better.

Next, Knock You Naked Brownies.

You must make these.  Like now.  Seriously.  Go to the store, buy the stuff, and make them.  Today.  They are delicious. 

Easy to make.  Easy to eat.  I would only change a couple of things if I made them again.  First, being that I would use slightly less caramel.  Second, I would use more chocolate chips.  But, if you are a mega caramel lover and don't want extra chocolate, don't listen to me.  I just found that the bags of caramel at the store contain 50 not 60 (like the recipe calls for) caramels and I don't think it would have made that big of a deal to have 10 less.

Lastly, BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas.

We had these last night for dinner and I was in love.  The kids, not so much.  Jason liked them, but I don't think he was in love like I was.  I did leave out the jalapenos because we were making them for the girls also, but who knows, maybe next time I will add them in and see what I think.  I normally do not like anything quite that spicy, but I would be willing to try.  I think that perhaps this meal would be better to make after we have had bbq chicken for dinner and use leftover chicken rather than grilling a chicken breast just for these quesadillas.  All that to say, I loved them and would eat them over and over again.

I love PW and I love the new cookbook.  In the next couple of weeks I will be making her sloppy joes, beef and bean burritos, and her mexican rice.  Can't wait!

ps. all photos are pw's from her website.  if you click on them you should go right to the recipe!

Adventures in Cooking

I know today is Friday, but I don't have five related pieces of information that are worth sharing.  Instead, I am sharing a recipe I came across and made last night.

Have you ever had one of those days?  You know, the kind of days where everything that could go wrong, did?  That was my day yesterday.  I could tell you all about it, but I am pretty sure it would just come across as me complaining.  Let's just say that I am glad today is a new day.  Hopefully my kids realize it is a new day also.

Despite how horrible yesterday was and the fact that I spent about 85% of the day crying (hormonal much?) I still was able to make this delicious soup.  That should tell you how easy it was.  If a hormonal, crying, crazy, pregnant lady can make this while her children are losing their minds, you can too!  It was so easy and so delicious. 

Here is it.

Broccoli Cheese Soup. 

Now I have not ever had Panera's broccoli cheese soup, but my sister is a huge fan and I am anxious for her to try this and tell me how it compares.  Jason and I both LOVED it.  Seriously, it was pretty yummy.  And I think we were both a little surprised at how much we loved it.  Especially considering I was cooking it while in the middle of a pretty crappy day.

You should try this soup....now.  For reals, go make this soup.  You won't regret it.

Couple of side notes.....I don't like onions, so I never, ever, ever use as much onion as a recipe calls for.  Second, I found I didn't have to cook the butter/flour/salt/pepper/milk mixture very long for it to thicken up.  Perhaps I had the heat up too high???  Whatever the reason, it was pretty thick in under five minutes.  Lastly, the tip for the broccoli at the very beginning is exactly how I cooked my broccoli.  I know that microwaving veggies takes a lot of nutrients out, but yesterday was the microwave your veggies kind of day.  Oh, one more thing (even though I just said lastly)...it really doesn't make much more than four servings, so if you want more, double it.

Let me know if you try it, and if you like it.  It will make a regular appearance on our dinner table.  Happy cooking!

Adventures in Cooking-Crockpot Edition

Since I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had not been trying new recipes, things have taken quite a turn around our house.  I have actually been cooking new recipes and trying to find new (and economical) things for the fam to eat.  I know there has been a big crockpot movement on facebook, and if you haven't visited the crockpot girls, you should.  They have a ton of great recipes and who doesn't like an easy dinner once and awhile?

These are two recipes for crockpot dinners that we have had recently.  Both yummy.  Both easy.

First up,

Holiday Bean Casserole.

I found this recipe while searching for a vegetarian meal to make for dinner.  I was thinking more beans and cornbread, or red beans and rice type of meal, but it is so hard to find a bean recipe that doesn't involve PORK.  And in case you didn't know it before, I don't eat pork.  So this recipe looked perfect.  It also looked different, which I liked.  It is easy to prepare, and delicious.  As far as the kids go, Molly refused to even try it and spent her time squishing the beans on the table.  Belle, on the other hand, picked out all the "pink beans" or kidney beans and ate just them, but at least she was eating!

Next,

Creamy Ranch Chicken.

There is no link, you will just have to copy it down!  I honestly don't know where I got this recipe.  I copied and pasted it into a word document and saved it.  It is from someone else, not me, and the poor person isn't getting any credit for it.  Sorry.  It is too yummy not to share even if I can't say whose recipe it was originally.

3-4 Boneless chicken breasts


4 Tbsp melted butter (divided)

1 packet Ranch dressing mix (divided)

1 package cream cheese (8 oz.), cubed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth -or- 1 bouillon cube and 1.5 cups water

Wash and dry chicken and place evenly in crock pot. Sprinkle about 1/2 of ranch packet over chicken. Drizzle with half of melted butter. Combine remaining of ingredients in bowl. Mix well and pour over chicken. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Stir occasionally. Serve over noodles or rice.

We had this served over jasmine rice and it was very, very good.  Kids ate it up.  One of few dinners both kids will eat and ask for more.

What are your favorite crockpot meals?

More Adventures in Cooking

Cooler weather means I am in more of a mood to actually use the stove and oven in my house.  Therefore, I have been cooking more new meals to try out on my family.  Sometimes I feel a little sorry for them, and then every once and awhile I make something dee-lish and it is all worth it.  I think.

Recently I made some pretty tasty chicken and I hope you get the chance to make it also.  My girls ate it like it was going out of style.  Do people say that anymore?  Anyway, they ate it.  Fast.  And then they asked for more, which NEVER happens.  We eat a lot of chicken at our house and it is nice to find some different ways to present the same food over and over again.

Unfried Chicken.

To be clear, I did not use a whole chicken, just the breasts.  Jas was a big fan also.  I served this with potato wedges and maybe green beans....I haven't been on much of a vegetable kick lately.  The thought of salads has been grossing me out.  So, we have been a little green veggie deficient around here.  I am working on it.

Next up, Chicken and Biscuits. 

Sounded good, was not good.  The girls took one bite, spit it out and would not attempt another bite.  Jason ate it.  Perhaps he was very hungry.  Seriously, it was edible, not horrific.  It contained veggies, and since we have been short on veggies around here, I ate it also.  I will not be eating the leftovers.  Jason hasn't eaten them either.  I will not be making it again. 

So there you go, one successful dinner, one not so much.  At least I am still trying, right?  My next big adventure will be cooking a whole chicken.  I was going to do it tonight, but seriously underestimated the time it would take a whole chicken to thaw out, so perhaps another night when the chicken is not totally frozen!  What new recipes are you making? 

Adventures in Cooking

I realize it has been awhile since I posted any of my newest kitchen experiments.  Truthfully I have not been as faithful to make something new every week.  I have made some new things, and since they are husband tested and approved, I thought I would share.  As for my kiddos, well they are a little harder to please, but don't let that stop you from making these yummy dishes!

First up is a great crock pot recipe. 

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff. 

I will admit that I was a little skeptical at first.  But this turned out to be the best Stroganoff I have had in a VERY long time.  It was so yummy.  Jason loved it, I loved it and I can't wait to make it again.

Next is what we had for dinner this evening.  Again, the kids weren't huge fans, but they really haven't been fans of anything other than mac n cheese, grilled cheese, or grapes lately.

Chinese Takeout Lemon Chicken

Mine did not look like the picture, but was still great.  I also did not find snow peas so I used sugar snap peas instead.  Pretty easy to prepare if you look at the recipe beforehand, which I never do so I always end up a little stressed.  Also approved by the hubs. 

So there you go, two of my newest kitchen creations.  Up next is rosemary chicken and potatoes, un-fried chicken and chicken pot pie!  I will keep you posted. 

thank you fellow bloggers

i would like to take a moment to say thank you to a couple of bloggers who i read regularly. 

first up, jami nato. 

jami recently posted an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe.  i knew i had to make them.  i am so glad i did.  they are yummy. 

from jami nato

side note, for awhile i thought i had somehow forgotten how to make cookies.  every time i tried the cookies turned out horrible.  they would cook on the edges, but never in the middle.  i was going crazy.  i finally decided i should not ever make cookies again.  and then....j suggested maybe it was the cookie sheet (air bake) and so i tried making cookies with a different cookie sheet and BINGO.  i have defective cookie sheets.  i was so relieved.  so now i am back making cookies again! whoo hoo.

second, sarah. 

sarah posted a to die for brownie recipe.  click on the link above.  read the recipe, and then immediately make the brownies.  you won't regret it.  my entire fam raved over them.

happy dessert eating!