Side Dish

This isn't a full dinner recipe, just a side dish. I figured most everyone knows how to throw a roast in a crock pot, but I didn't know if every one knew how to make those boring orange sticks taste delicious!

All you gotta do is bring some water to boil and then add as many carrots as you'd like. I end up adding the whole bag, because we end up eating them all! Let them cook until you can just barely stick your fork in them. You do not want them mushy, or maybe you do, I don't know. But once they have reached your desired level of mushiness, drain them and put them back in your pan. Add 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon brown sugar...okay, okay, who am I kidding I usually add close to 3 tablespoons! Stir until the brown sugar and butter are melted, serve and ENJOY!

Italian Chicken and Vegetable Pasta

This is a super cheap and easy meal. We figured it out the other night when we had this and, to feed the three of us,it is cost $3.70! Not to bad! I got my bag of veggies on sale for a dollar, my Italian dressing was free, my noodles were .50 cents and we used half of our fresh chicken so it was $2.20!


INGREDIENTS:

1- bag of fresh vegetables (I find mine by the bags of lettuce)
1- bag of angel hair pasta
3- chicken breasts
1 cup (divided)- Italian dressing (we use zesty)


Cut your chicken in to pieces and place in frying pan. Add 1/2 cup Italian dressing, stir, and cover. When chicken is thoroughly cooked, add veggies and another 1/2 cup dressing, recover. When I'm making it for our family, I end up using another 1/2 cup of dressing, we really like the flavor, but you can add as little or as much as you'd like. Once the veggies are covered, cook your pasta. Remember angel hair cooks super fast, so make sure your veggies are to your desired level of softness, before you boil them!
Guess what we had to go with this dish, yup that's right, some of those yummy bread sticks! See what I mean, they are a great side dish with almost every meal! Just scroll down and get that recipe too! And if you noticed in the picture, I, of course, topped mine with cheese! ENJOY!

Yummy Bread Sticks!

I can't tell you how many times we eat these a month! They go with spaghetti, fettuccine, pizza, soups, well you get the picture! You want to know why I make them so much, because they are EASY! and FAST! And I'm not joking! You have to try them out!

INGREDIENTS:

1 and 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbs. sugar
3 cups flour
1 Tbs yeast
1/2 tsp. salt

Yes, that is it! 5 whopping ingredients!

Now all you gotta do is combing ingredients in order and knead for 3 minutes (if it gets too sticky add some more flour). Cover bowl with a hot wet dish towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
While they are rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and melt one cube of butter in a large cookie sheet. (make sure to watch the butter so it doesn't burn!) Roll out dough and cut with pizza cutter and lay it on the cookie sheet, then flip it over so both sides are buttered. Now, I'm kind of a cheese freak...I love it, so I sprinkle some grated cheese on half the bread stick and sprinkle the other half with garlic for my hubs! But any herb would be great or maybe some parmesan cheese! Bake for 12-15 minutes, then ENJOY!

Summer Jell-O Pudding Cake

If you want a cake that will be the hit of any BBQ or family gathering, this is the cake for you! Kyle asks me to make this cake at least 2 a month. It is so good, with so many varieties to try! I promise you, if you love pudding and a lite moist cake, you have found your match made in cake heaven!

INGREDIENTS:
1- box of cake mix (see below)
1- small box jell-o
1- 8 oz tub of whip cream
1/4 cup - powdered sugar
1-small box instant pudding
milk
water

Bake cake as directed. Cool at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare small jello by using 3/4 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup cold water. After cake has cooled, poke LOTS of holes all over the cake, I usually take a butter knife and stab and twist it. Then slowly pour the jello over the cake. Refrigerate. Then to prepare the topping mix whip cream and powdered sugar. Prepare small pudding using 1/2 cup LESS of the milk that is suggested on package. Mix whip cream mixture and pudding together. Spread on cake. Refrigerate 4 hours or until topping is set up. ENJOY!

Here are some great combinations to try!

CAKE ... JELLO ... PUDDING
Lemon ..........Lime .................. Lemon
Vanilla .........Cherry ............... Vanilla
White .......... Orange............... Vanilla
Banana .... Straw/Banana ........ Banana
Chocolate .... Cherry ...............Chocolate


We really enjoy the lemon cake combination, very refreshing!

Delicious Root Beer Cookies

My friend, Amber, was kind enough to share her recipe with me. Honestly my first thought was that they didn't sound very appealing, but since root beer is my most favorite drink, and the only carbonated beverage I drink, I decided to give them a try! Boy, I was sure glad I did! They were surprisingly wonderful! My new favorite cookie-and sure to be yours too! These will not and did not last long!



INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
2 Tbl. root beer extract
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt



Combine sugars and butter, cream until smooth. Add eggs, root beer extract, vanilla and buttermilk. Mix until all combined. Add flour, soda and salt. Drop by spoonfuls on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes (I baked mine 9 minutes and they were great!)



Frost when completely cooled.

3 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl. root beer extract
3 Tbl. milk

Beat 1 cup of sugar with butter; alternating in the rest.
ENJOY!

White Bread

I have always made our bread in our bread machine. But I figured if something ever happened and I couldn't use my trusted machine I better have a back up! So I was on a hunt, and I finally found and made a bread that was absolutely wonderful! We ate one whole loaf for dinner! YES one whole loaf! This is a more time consuming recipe, but worth every butter coated slice of bread! :)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

2/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 Tbs. yeast

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup veg. oil

6 cups bread flour (I used all purpose and it turned out great)

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. This takes about 30 minutes.

Then mix in salt and oil. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch dough down to get air pockets out. Knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until dough has risen 1 inch about pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. ENJOY!

Eggless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I was having a major pregnant lady craving for something sweet (NO! I am not pregnant, that is just how intense this craving was!). And unfortunately I didn't have eggs. Not really wanting to go to the store I decided on making a batch of eggless cookies. They turned out great! My hubby, I swear, ate 3/4 a batch to himself! These will definitely be a crowd pleaser!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup butter

1 cup + 2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup milk

Cream butter and sugar. Min in vanilla, cocoa powder and peanut butter. Gradually mix in flour, soda and powder, and salt. Let it mix until moistened and smooth. Then add your milk. These are the moistest cookies you'll ever consume! Even after a couple of days, they are still so soft! You can cook as is or you can add some chips. I added milk and carmel swirl chips, but peanut butter, milk, even white chocolate chips would be delicious! Bake at 375 for 11 - 13 minutes! Enjoy!

Sarah's Strawberry Crepes

My friend Sarah posted on her blog the best crepe recipe ever! I had no idea crepes would be so easy to make! This is definitely one you're going to want to try and to keep in your recipe file!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups milk

4 eggs

1 Tbs. veg. oil

1 1/2 cup flour

3 Tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients together. Pour 1/4 cup batter in to a 8 inch greased skillet. Lift and tilt so batter is spread evenly across bottom of pan. Cook until top appears dry, flip it, and cook 15 seconds longer.

FILLING:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

strawberries

whip cream

Cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Slice your strawberries and you can leave them separate or you can mix them in your cream cheese mixture. Spread about 2 tablespoons of mixture in the middle of a crepe add some strawberries and whip cream. Roll them up and enjoy!

Crock Pot Spare Ribs

I love ribs. It's no secret! If I had to choose one meal for the rest of my life; I'd choose ribs! BUT only if I can have them slow cooked to perfection in the best BBQ sauce ever! We use this recipe for chicken too! It really is the best! Trust me!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup catsup

1 cups water

1 onion, sliced

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp celery salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together in separate bowl. Pour mixture over ribs. Cook in crock pot 8-10 hours on low. Have alone or serve over rice. We had this same sauce over chicken legs just last night. For that we put our chicken in a 9 x 13 pan and poured the sauce over them, covered with tinfoil and cooked for about 1 and a half hours at 350. So yummy!!!

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

This is another one of my mom's recipes. What can I say...she is a great cook! This dish has become one of my families favorites! I guess we are suckers for homestyle cookin'!

INGREDIENTS:
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 slices of cheese (my mom uses swiss, I use whatever is in the fridge)
1 can cream of chicken soup, family size
Onion salt or Celery salt
3/4 cup butter
3 cups dry stove top stuffing

Place chicken in 9 x 13 pan then sprinkle with onion salt. Place one slice of cheese on top of each chicken breast. Spread undiluted soup over cheese. Melt butter and mix with stuffing. Put stuffing on top of soup. Cover with tin foil and bake 90 minutes at 325 degrees.

This is such an easy recipe! From start to finish is like a total of 5 minutes! I usually let my chicken thaw out before I cook it. Just stick them in the fridge before you head to work. If you put frozen chicken in add about 30 extra minutes to cook time.

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

I love banana bread! It's one of my guilty pleasures! I could easily eat a whole loaf all to myself! After many years of using a recipe that my mom had, I discovered one that I wanted to try. Besides it being amazingly fantastic it was super easy too!!! In fact, it's now my mom's new banana bread recipe!


INGREDIENTS:

1 Pkg. Cream Cheese (8 oz.)
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Margarine
1 Cup Mashed Ripe Banana (about 2 whole bananas)
2 Eggs
2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Cup Chopped Nuts or Chocolate Chips, Optional


Comnine cream cheese, sugar and margarine; mix well. Add banana and eggs to cream cheese mixture. Combine dry ingredients in a different bowl; slowly add to cream cheese mixture and mix until moistened. Bake in a greased and floured 9 x 5 inch bread pan for 65-70 minutes at 350 degrees. I seperated my dough into two smaller loaves and, of course, added chocolate chips Enjoy!

Fruit Pizza

I made this for breakfast the other day...my husband thought I was crazy when I told him I was making pizza for breakfast. He sure was excited when he saw the finished product and even more excited to eat it! This is such a yummy treat for breakfast, a brunch, or even a pot luck dish! It's sure to be a hit!

CRUST:

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Shortening

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

2 2/3 Cup Flour

2 Tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 Tsp. Soda

1/4 Tsp. Salt

FROSTING:

2 Cups Posdered Sugar

2 Boxes Cream Cheese (8 oz each)

3 Tbs. Pinapple Juice

CRUST: Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add dry ingredients. Press into 2 round pizza pans. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. I put mine in a cookie sheet and it fit perfect!

FROSTING: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and pineapple juice. Beat until smooth. Spread on cooled crust. Top with fruit...I put pineapple on mine (since I need the juice anyways), strawberries, rasberries, kiwi, and oranges. I bought grapes and bananas to put on there too, but ran out of room! But you obiviously don't have to make a patern....just throw it all on there! Make sure to serve cold and KEEP REFRIDGEATED!!! Enjoy!

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

Who doesn't love a meal that you get full after just 2 biscuits? This recipe is a little more time consuming because we are making our own biscuits, but if you want you can use the refrigerated ones....but they aren't near as tasty!

MOM'S BISCUITS:

3 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
4 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Cream of Tartar
3/4 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Shortening
1 Egg
1 1/2 Cups Milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.Combine all your dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening. Add egg and milk. Knead until combined very well....you might have to add some more flour. Dump on to floured surface and roll out...you are going to want to leave them kind of thick. Cut with large cup or glass and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Let them set for about 10 minutes before sticking them in the oven. Bake 10-12 minutes.

MOM'S GRAVY:

1 Package *Sage Flavored Sausage
1 Package Country Style Gravy Mix
Flour
Milk
Salt and Pepper

Brown sausage like you would hamburger meat. Once it is cooked completely get fork and scoop sausage into a bowl. LEAVE grease in frying pan....there usually isn't very much, but we are going to use it! Add just enough flour to the grease to brown it. Then add your milk. Now I add a TON of milk because I like my gravy runny, so you can determine how much you are going to want to add. Next add your gravy mix and salt and pepper. Keep adding milk if you'd like. Then add your sausage back to the gravy and let simmer until biscuits are done. Open biscuits in half and pour on some gravy! This is such a filling meal! You'll definitely have left overs! Enjoy!

*If you don't have sage flavored sausage, you can add spices when you are browning it!

Chicken Quesadillas

This is the meal you are going to want to keep in your recipe file. It is super fast, yummy and cheap! I make this on nights when we don't have very much time to sit down to a big dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Chicken
1 Tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
This is the part I LOVE you use canned chicken!
2 *Cans Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water
6-8 Flour Tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix soup chili powder, cheese and chicken together. And guess what else! YOU can add whatever else your heart desires! Now that you have the basic mixture together fill free to add anything from olives, to corn to beans! The possibilites are endless!

Spread about 1/4 cup of mixture on one half of each tortilla. Fold tortilla over so you have a half a circle. Place on 2 baking sheets. Moisten the edges of your tortillas with water....this will keep the edges from getting burnt and crispy.

Bake for 10 minutes. Have plain or top with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa...again ANYTHING you want! How easy is this?! Enjoy!

*Of course if you don't want to use canned chicken you can boil chicken and shred it after it is cooked.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is one of our families favorite meals! It it really easy and it makes 2 full cake pans...sometimes more. So that means you can stick a pan in the freezer to eat another night! Who doesn't love that?!

INGREDIENTS:

4 Chicken Breasts
8 oz Sour Cream
2 Cans Cream of Chicken
2 Soup Cans Milk
1 Can Diced Green Chilies
Diced Green Onions

We like it hot so we also add
1 Can Chopped Jalapenos
12 Flour Tortillas
Shredded Cheddar Cheese


Boil your chicken until completely cooked. I then put my chicken in a big mixing bowl and let it cool down for a little bit, Then I start to shred it after it's cool enough that it doesn't give me 2nd degree burns on my hands! Once all the chicken is shredded add sour cream, 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can full milk, chilies, onions, cheese and jalapenos. Place mixture in tortilla and roll up and place in a GREASED 9x13 cake pan. In a seperate bowl combine last can cream of chicken and milk, you can add more milk to make it spread further. Pour this over your rolled up enchiladas. Top with cheese. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Eat it like it is or top with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, guacamole...ANYTHING you might like. Enjoy!

Brownie Bottoms

Ok...I love Chili's Molten Lava Cake. Even typing it makes my mouth water! But what I don't love so much is the price and loading up the diaper bag and the family to drive 40 minutes to the nearest restaurant. So I made a recipe which in my eyes tastes VERY similar! In fact my husband compared the two before I could even mention it! The best part is...you just throw ingredients in your crock pot and let it cook while you go about your day and waaa-laaa....a very impressive dessert! Serves 6

SAUCE:
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
2 Tbs cocoa powder

BROWNIE BOTTOM:
2 1/2 cups packaged brownie mix
1 package (2 3/4 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
2 eggs, beaten
3 Tbs butter or margarine, melted

Lightly grease the inside of your crock pot with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, water and cocoa powder; bring to a boil.

Combine brownie mix, pudding mix, chocolate chips, eggs and butter in bowl. Spread
batter into crock pot; then pour boiling sugar mixture over batter.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes.

Top with homemade whip cream or ice cream! ENJOY!