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.