Crock Pot Lemon Herb Chicken

whole chicken
packet Italian salad dressing mix
juice of one lemon
3 T butter

1. Place butter in the bottom of the Crock Pot.
2. Place chicken on top.
3. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top.
4. Squeeze lemon over the top.
5. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

In my opinion: The chicken was so moist, it just fell right off the bone. There was only a hint of lemon, so I might add 2 lemons next time.

We had this with Couscous and Lemon Herb Green Beans.

For more lemon recipes, click here.

Paula Deen's Banana Pudding

It's Paula Deen's. Need I say more?

This is all you need to make this all-time favorite dessert!

Don't forget your adorable helper.

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 c cold water
3.4 oz box instant French vanilla pudding mix
12 oz frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed
8 medium-ripe bananas, sliced
Garnish: whipped topping, vanilla wafers

1. In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, water, and pudding. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; chill for 5 minutes. Fold in whipped topping.

2. In a serving dish, pour just enough pudding mixture to cover the bottom. Place a layer of vanilla wafers over pudding, followed by half of the bananas.

3. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients, beginning and ending with pudding mix.

4. Garnish with whipped topping and vanilla wafers, if desired. Serve immediately.

In my opinion: This is a wonderfully rich dessert. It was a huge hit with the kids. We can't wait to have it again...and again...and again!

BBQ Potatoes

by McCormick   grill time 30-35 minutes

4 medium red potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 T vegetable oil
2 T McCormick Grill Mates BBQ Seasoning or 2 T McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning


1. Toss potatoes with oil in large bowl. Add Seasoning; toss to coat evenly.
2. Place potatoes and onions on large wide sheet of heavy duty foil. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to tightly seal packet.
3. Grill over medium-high heat 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender, turning packet over halfway through cook time.

In my opinion: These were good, but not as good as I'd expected. We had this with Pat Neely's BBQ Glazed Corn-super good!

Lemon Herb Green Beans

by McCormick

1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed
2 T butter
1 t basil leaves
1/2 t oregano leaves
1/2 t finely shredded lemon peel

1. Cook beans, uncovered, in large saucepan in boiling salted water on medium-high heat 7 minutes or until tender-crisp.
2. Drain well. Return beans to saucepan.
3. Toss with melted butter, basil, oregano, and lemon peel. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.

In my opinion: These were delicious. I am trying a recipe for Crock Pot Lemon Chicken and I plan on making these with that meal.

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It turned out to be a good one!

12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
2 t olive oil
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 t garlic powder
1 1/2 T shredded parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Lay green beans on the sheet and drizzle oil over them.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and toss to coat.
4. Roast 10 minutes. Toss and bake another 5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with salt and cheese.

In my opinion: Lately I've been trying to incorporate more veggies into our meals. I have tried several new recipes and this one is a favorite. To find some roasted chicken or potatoes recipes to serve these with, click here.

Bacon Ranch Crock Pot Chicken

found on Pinterest, posted by healthifiedkitchen.blogspot.com

2 butterball turkey bacon strips, cooked and shredded (I used regular bacon)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
1 cup fat-free sour cream
16 oz. chicken breasts, frozen or defrosted/raw
8 oz. pasta (I used rigatoni), cooked

1. Combine the first five ingredients.
2. Place frozen or defrosted/raw chicken in slowcooker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and pour sauce over the top (do NOT include water like the can mentions).
3. Cook on high for 3.5 hours.
4. Shred chicken with two forks.
5. Cook pasta per package instructions on stove. Serve chicken over pasta.

In my opinion: This was a good Crock Pot meal. I love these kinds of CP meals the best, the kind you just dump in and go.

Roasted Spicy Mayonnaise Chicken by The Deen Brothers

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 lemons, zest finely grated

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon salt, plus additional for seasoning

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional for seasoning

Pinch cayenne pepper

4 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon zest, paprika, celery seeds, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Season the chicken with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Slather the mayonnaise mixture over the chicken. Bake until the juices run clear when the chicken is pricked with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve hot.

This was so good! We had it with Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Veggies.

Very Cherry Almond Muffins

by Sandra Lee Food Network

Ingredients

Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Muffins:

• 1 box vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup cherry preserves

Directions

In a medium bowl combine all topping ingredients except almonds. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, combine ingredients to a course consistency. Once combined, fold in the almonds.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with paper liners for 18 muffins.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, extract and preserves. Batter will be somewhat lumpy.
Use an ice cream scoop to evenly fill each muffin pan with the batter (no more than half full). Sprinkle tops of muffins with 2 teaspoons of almond topping. Bake 17 to 21 minutes.

In my opinion: These muffins were delicious! My kids loved them. We will have them again and again.

Arby's Grilled Chicken and Pecan Salad

2 1/2 c grilled chicken breast cut into small pieces
1 c sliced red grapes
1 c diced red apple
1 c chopped pecans
1/2 c chopped celery*  (we don't use)
1/2 to 3/4 c mayonnaise
1 T lemon juice (juice of one lemon)

1. In a medium sized bowl add diced apple and 1 T lemon juice. Stir lemon juice into apples, coating them well. This will help keep the apples from turning brown.
2. Add chicken through pecans. Mix well.
3. Add mayonnaise. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Allow flavors to marry in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before serving.

In my opinion: Oh, I loved this. We put it on onion roll buns and served it with salad. This one goes on my favorites list.

Mario Batali's Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Tarragon

1 3-pound whole chicken (broken down into 8 pieces)

Coarse Salt

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

8 cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)

2 Cups Water

1 pound Halved Red Bliss or New Potatoes

1 tablespoon Dried Tarragon

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 red onion (sliced)

Preheat oven to 450.

1. Break down chicken into 8 pieces and season chicken with salt. Heat a large, heavy ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Swirl in oil. Cook chicken, skin side down, until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken, and push to side of skillet.

2. Add garlic and onion and sauté till golden. Add potatoes, tomato paste and season with salt. Add water to pan. Bring to a boil. Add tarragon to liquid. Return to a boil, then lower heat to a high simmer.     

3. Cook until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

In my opinon: This was really good. I hope you have a BIG skillet, this was hard to squeeze in. Also, the directions never say to put it in the oven so we didn't. I guess you could assume that step 3 is to place this in the oven.

Crock Pot Cube Steak and Gravy

found on Pinterest

Family pack of cube steak
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
3/4 c water
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in CP. Cook on low all day. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

In my opinon: This was as easy as they come to make, you just dump it all in. My kind of prep! The flavor wasn't bad, just not anything I'm dying to make again. A friend of mine said her niece loved it and makes it often. Different taste buds, I guess.

Campfire Banana Boats from Pioneer Woman

8 bananas

1 bag caramel bits or caramels cut into bits (note bite-sized did not melt well)
1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag mini marshmallows (do not use large)
1 package original graham crackers, crushed into crumbs (make sure you use crumbs, I didn't and I regret it)

 1. Split the bananas lengthwise, but don't cut all the way through. The goal is to create a boat to hold the ingredients.

 2. Load the bananas 1/4 cup each of the caramel bits, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Crumble 1 whole graham cracker onto each loaded banana.

3. Wrap individually in 8-by-10-inch squares of foil, and then place near the campfire to melt the candies. Open up and eat with a spoon.

In my opinion: These were pretty good, but after awhile, the warmth of the banana seemed gooey and distasteful to me. It was fun to try!


Repeated directions for printing ease.
1. Split the bananas lengthwise, but don't cut all the way through. The goal is to create a boat to hold the ingredients.
2. Load the bananas 1/4 cup each of the caramel bits, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Crumble 1 whole graham cracker onto each loaded banana.
3. Wrap individually in 8-by-10-inch squares of foil, and then place near the campfire to melt the candies. Open up and eat with a spoon.

Paula Deen's Cream Biscuits

The first time I have ever made biscuits!

2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and cream until the dough forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted with additional flour. Fold the dough in 1/2 and knead 5 to 7 times, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to your hands. Gently roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness.
3. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter coated with flour, cut dough into biscuits. Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray, leaving at least 1-inch between each biscuit.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

In my opinion: These were so very simple to make, I just can't believe I hadn't tried to make biscuits sooner.

Served with mashed potatoes, my fried chicken, and sweet corn.

Chicken Ranch Mac & Cheese

I found this recipe on Pinterest

16 oz. dried pasta
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 package of bacon
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 c. milk, any fat content
1 pkg. Italian blend shredded cheese; divided
1 c. Monterey Jack shredded cheese or Colby-Jack blend, divided
1 tsp. onion powder *
1 tsp. garlic powder *
1 tsp. dill *
1 tsp. salt *
pepper, to taste

*I used 2 T Ranch seasoning

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan, leaving some drippings in the pan.  Drain bacon on a paper towel.  Add chicken to drippings, increase heat to medium-high and saute until no longer pink.  Set aside.
3. Melt butter in the same pot you made the pasta in.  Whisk in flour.  Cook and stir 2 minutes.  Add milk to saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Boil for 2 minutes. 
4. Stir in most of the cheese.  (Reserve a handful of each cheese blend to sprinkle on top of casserole.)  Add spices and chicken and stir to combine.
5. Spray 9×13″ baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Transfer pasta to baking pan.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and reserved cheeses.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until thoroughly heated.
In my opinion: This was good and I think I'll make it again one day, but not with 4 little ones who need my attention. This requires many steps and dirties many dishes.

Bacon Chicken Ranch Pizza

recipe from onecrazycookie.blogspot.com found on Pinterest

1 recipe pizza dough (I used a can of Pillsbury)
2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced
7-8 slices cooked bacon, broken into pieces
1/4 cup onions, diced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza Sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing (I used Ranch and sour cream dip)
1 Tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Roll out pizza dough into a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
 Meanwhile prepare sauce:
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook until volume is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
*Optional: Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic to the butter and saute for a minute.
3. Spread sauce over the pizza.
4. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the sauce then add chicken, bacon and onions.
5. Drizzle the ranch on top.  Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and bake for 15- 20 minutes or until crust appears done.

I started the recipe before realizing I had no Ranch salad dressing, but I did have Ranch dip so I spread this on the crust. Then I sprinkled some mozzarella and added the chicken, bacon, and onions. I drizzled the sauce over and topped with the rest of the mozzarella.

In my opinion: This was a delicious pizza. You could add fresh mushrooms or even artichokes. Yum yum!!