Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Rice Corn Casserole

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped (I use Vidalia)
1 -8 ounce box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
1 -15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

Instructions
1.Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Scatter chopped onion over top.
3. Spoon cream soup over top of that.
4. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
5. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

In my opinion: Oh my goodness, this was ooey, gooey, cheesy goodness. Maybe that's because my husband grated lots and lots of cheese over the top...it doesn't matter why. I definitely recommend it!

Smothered Chile Colorado Burritos

 

1 1/2 lbs. stew meat
1 (19 oz) can red enchilada sauce I use El Paso Mild brand
2 beef bullion cubes
refried beans either from a can or the recipe I provided you with
5-7 burrito size tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese more or less depend ending on personal preference

1.Put beef pieces into crock pot. Top with crushed bouillon cubes and enchilada sauce. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until meat is very tender.
2.When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired.
3.Make sure beans are warmed through. You can use canned refried beans or the recipe I provided you with.
4.Smear about 2 heaping spoons worth of beans on to the center of each tortilla.

 

Add about 1/2 cup of beef, give or take, and roll into a burrito.

 

5.Place burritos into a greased 9x13 baking pan until it fills the pan. Pour some of extra sauce over the tops of the burritos to smother them.

 

Place cheese on top.

 

6.Broil until cheese becomes bubbly, approx. 2-4 minutes.


 

This recipe makes about 5-7 burritos depending on how big you make them.

In my opinion: These were really good burritos. They were good the next day, too. We served ours with a dollop of sour cream and I made sure I had chips, salsa, and guacamole. We'll definitely have this again.

Peppermint Petites

 by Land O'Lakes

1 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t peppermint extract
3-4 drops red food color
2 c flour

frosting:
1 c powdered sugar
1 T butter, softened
1 oz square unsweetened baking choc, melted
1-2 T milk crushed peppermints extract

1. Heat oven to 375. Combine all cookie ingredients except flour in a large bowl. Beat at medium, scraping often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, beat until well mixed.
2. Shape into 1" balls. Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. Meanwhile..
3. Combine powdered sugar through chocolate in a small bowl. Beat at low adding enough milk for desired spreading consistency.
4. Frost cookies. Sprinkle with crushed mints.

This is another recipe that was lost and just found. My notes say these cookies are delicious, but they need a little help in the presesntation department.

Irish Cream Truffle Cookies

 by Better Homes and Gardens
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 c sugar
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1/4 c cooking oil
1 t baking powder
1 t vanilla
1 c flour
sifted powder sugar
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 c sifted powder sugar
1 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
1 T Irish Cream Liqueur

1. In a med. bowl, stir together egg through vanilla. Stir in the flour. Cover and chill dough 1-2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375. Shape chilled dough into 1/2" balls. Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 6-7 minutes or until edges are set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Sprinkle cooled cookies with powdered sugar.
3. For cream filling, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese through liqueur. Beat with electric mixer on medium until combined.
4. To assemble, spread 1/2 t of cream filling onto the flat side of half the cookies; top with second cookie.
5. Drizzle cookies, cover and store in fridge up to 3 days. For drizzle I combine 3 oz morsels and 1 t shortening. Heat until melted.

I haven't made these cookies since 2004. The recipe was lost and recently found. I know these cookies were delicious so I need to make them again really soon.

White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Cookies

 by Spirit of Christmas (book)

1 c butter, softened
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 c macadamia nuts, chopped
2 c white chocolate or almond bark (chopped) I used Wilton's candy melts

1. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
3. Stir in macadamia nuts and chocolate. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 oven 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheets. 6 dozen

These cookies were fabulous. They are my husband's favorite cookies so I'll need to make them more often to offset all the chocolate we make (hubby doesn't like chocoalte).

Sparkling Butter Toffee Cookies

1 c sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 c English or almond toffee bits
sugar

1. Heat oven to 350. Combine sugar through vanilla in large mixer bowl. Beat at a medium speed, scraping bowl, until creamy (1-2 minutes).
2. Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda; reduce speed to low. Beat until well mixed. Stir in toffee bits by hand.
3. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1 1/4" balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2" apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each with bottom of glass into 2 1/4" circles. If glass sticks, dip glass into sugar.
4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Do not overbake. Let cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar while still warm.

Bubble Up Enchiladas

1 pound ground turkey
1 10 ounce can enchilada sauce
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
1 1/4 cups shredded low fat mexican cheese..                                  
Optional:  1 can red beans and 1 can corn (drain both)
.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Brown turkey and drain fat.

 

 

 

 2. Cut biscuits into fourths and mix in with meat and all other ingredients.

 

 

 

3. Then you just dump it all in a greased casserole and bake for 25 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. YUMMY!!!!!

 

 In my opinion: I really liked this casserole. My family did, too. We will have it again.

Pumpkin Chex

9 cups rice chex cereal
1 bag of pumpkin Hershey Kisses                                                                              
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

 

1. First, prep your powdered sugar and cereal.

 

2. Second, using a double broiler method, melt your Hershey Kisses, stirring constantly. The kisses will reach a nice creamy consistency.

 

3. Pour your melted kisses over your cereal in a bowl and mix and stir.

 

4. Once you feel your chex are covered, dump into a bag with your powdered sugar and shake. I just stirred.

In my opinion: These were good, but would have been better with more kisses or less Chex.

Crock Pot Red Beans & Rice

 

*   1 pound dried red beans

3/4 pound smoked turkey sausage, thinly sliced

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced $

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

Hot cooked long-grain rice $

Hot sauce (optional)

Garnish: finely chopped green onions, finely chopped red onion

Preparation

1. 1. Combine first 8 ingredients and 7 cups water in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 7 hours or until beans are tender.
2. 2. Serve red bean mixture with hot cooked rice, and, if desired, hot sauce. Garnish, if desired.

In my opinion: Yummy, it was a hit in our house.

Crock Pot King Ranch Chicken

 

The wonderful taste of King Ranch Chicken that cooks while you get other stuff done.

 

 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped *we didn't use
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained a little
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder  *we didn't use
12 (6-inch) fajita-size corn tortillas
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Stir together first 8 ingredients. Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces;

 

 

layer one-third of tortilla pieces in a lightly greased 6-qt. slow cooker.

2. Top with one-third of chicken mixture and 2/3 cup cheese.

 

3. Repeat layers twice.
4. Cover and cook on LOW 3 1/2 hours or until bubbly and edges are golden brown. Uncover and cook on LOW 30 minutes.

This was really good and comparable to the oven version.

King Ranch Chicken

This recipe is pretty easy. I make it even easier because from time-to-time I pre-cook and chop tons of chicken and freeze it by the pound. It definitely cuts about 15 minutes off my prep time. I wonder if this would be good made ahead and frozen.

4 chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
10-12 6" corn tortillas, quartered
2 c shredded cheddar

sauce:
1 can cream mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
*mix all ingredients in a bowl

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Add chicken and onions to the sauce
3. Layer 3 times:  tortillas, sauce, cheese.
4. Bake 35-40 minutes.

In my opinion: Many years ago, a co-worker brought this to work. I asked him for the recipe and so this is what he gave me off the top of his head. It has become one of my favorite recipes.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Don't throw out those pumpkin seeds! They make a great and memorable snack!

All you need is your pumpkin seeds, oil, and some seasonings.

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Clean seeds as much as possible, it's okay to have a little bit of string.
3. Line baking pan with foil. Toss seeds on and coat in butter or oil.
4. Sprinkle with your favorite seasonings. My mom only used salt, but be creative, try garlic powder, cayenne, Cajun seasoning, etc....
5. Bake for about 45 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.

Caramel Apple Dipping Bar

Ingredients:
apples
melted caramel (I buy a bag of caramels, unwrap, and place in a slow cooker with a little water on low. Stir every 10 minutes until melted)
sprinkles
other items such as chopped nuts, crushed Oreos, etc....
sticks for apples

Directions:
1. Dip apples in caramel
2. Roll in sprinkles
3. Eat!

Ghost, Frankenstein, and Jack O Lantern Pudding

Well, this didn't go as planned, but they turned out cute anyway. I've been dying to make some Frankenstein pudding cups and I had this great idea that I'd divide the pudding into three bowls and make ghosts and Jack O Lanterns. Well, one BIG box of Jello only made 4 small cups. Another lesson I learned was: DO NOT pour the pudding into the cups until it is cooled!!! The cups will start to change shape.

Instructions:
1. Buy several big boxes of vanilla pudding (pistachio for green if your guests don't have nut allergies).
2. Follow package directions.
3. Let cool and then pour into cups you've decorated with a black Sharpie.

Mummy Face Pizzas

 

 

We had our 3rd annual Halloween get-together with The Duhons last night. I LOVE planning for this special night. I have such fond memories of Halloween as a kid. We had the best neighborhood ever. All the girls were the same age and our brothers were the same age, too. Our parents dressed up and the teenage kids put together little haunted houses for us. Good times!

 

Anyway, I want my kids to have extra special memories, too. I have tons of fun food recipes that I really enjoy preparing for our annual fun night. Here's how easy it is:

 

All you need is:

bagels or a can of biscuits

pizza sauce

favorite toppings

string cheese

 



You can use bagels if your kids can bite through them. We have some younger kids so I rolled out biscuits in advance. Then just spread some pizza sauce on. Let the kids add their toppings before putting on some string cheese that has been peeled. Then bake according to biscuit directions!

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

                                                                                                    
 •14 slices whole wheat sandwich bread ($1.50)
 •3 eggs ($.30)
 •1/2 cup milk ($.05)
 •3/4 cup canned pumpkin ($.75ish)
 •1 tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice ($.05)
 •Butter and syrup for serving ($.50)

1•Set out the bread for dipping.
2•In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin and pie spice until smooth.
3•Dip each side of the bread and cook on a hot, greased griddle or skillet. Flip after 1 – 2 minutes.
4•Once all are cooked, serve with butter and maple. And a side of fresh fruit.
5•If freezing, let cool completely to reduce freezer burn.

In my opinion: This was a great fall breakfast. I think there was really only a hint of pumpkin flavor,  next time I'll add more pumpkin pie spice. Also, the mixture soaked into 10 pieces of bread for me, not 14 as stated in the recipe.

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater!

Oh my goodness, I can't wait to try lots of new pumpkin recipes I've been collecting lately. I have some sweet memories of my mom cutting and boiling pumpkins to make pumpkin pie, but that was it. I have no idea when this big pumpkin recipe craze hit, but I'm so glad it did. 10 years ago my sister-in-law gave me a recipe for Pumpkin Pie Crunch and she told me how wonderful it was. The next year I made it and fell in love. It was my favorite pumpkin recipe for sure. About 8 years ago I found a recipe for Pumpkin Fudge. I made some for co-workers and they asked for the recipe. I've tried a Pumpkin Bread recipe from my friend, Julia.

Last year I found this recipe for Pumpkin Muffins and they were a huge hit at home. I also tried a Pumpkin Cookie recipe another friend, Laura,  recommended and knew I had found my new favorite cookie. I also made Pumpkin Dip, pancakes, and 4-layer cake. Now I have tons of new recipes I can't wait to try:
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
Pumpkin French Toast
Pumpkin Frappe
Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
Pumpkin Bread in Crock Pot

To find all 21 pumpkin recipes I've tried, including Pumpkin Pasta, click here.


Do you have a favorite Pumpkin Recipe to share?

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

recipe from my friend, Julia

15 oz can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 c vegetable oil
2/3 c water
3 c sugar
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 3 7x2" loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin through sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour through ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

In my opinion: This bread was so moist and delicious. I only wish I had made it sooner.

Crock Pot Brunswick Stew by Paula Deen

2 c new potatoes
2 c (16 oz) frozen lima beans (thaw)
2 c (16 oz) frozen corn (thaw)
1 onion, chopped
3 lb boneless beef roast, trimmed
28 oz crushed tomatoes
28 oz BBQ sauce
1 1/2 c beef broth

This calls for a 4 quart cooker. I used a 5 quart, as you'll see in the pictures, and it was not big enough. Also, I'm not sure why it calls for thawed veggies as they'll be in the pot for 9 hours. Mine just sat out on the drive home from the store and also while I chopped the potatoes and onions.

1. In a 6 quart cooker, combine potatoes through onion.

2. Place roast on veggies.

3. Pour sauces over. Cover & cook on high 1 hour.

4. Reduce heat to low and cook 8 hours.
5. Using 2 forks, shred meat.

Serve with bread.

Quick & EASY Chicken Stir Fry by Minute Rice

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 t garlic, minced
1 T oil
1 1/2 c water
1/4 c lite soy sauce
1 T sugar
16 oz pkg frozen stir-fry vegetables
2 c white rice, UNCOOKED

1. Cook and stir chicken and garlic in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
2. Add water, soy sauce, sugar, and vegetables; stir. Bring to boil.
3. Stir in rice; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

In my opinion: Wow, this was so easy and delicious! I have seen this recipe on the rice box for years and now I'm beating myself up for not trying it sooner.

Chili-Lime Southwest Wraps by Paula

This is what went inside the tortillas. I didn't think a picture of the wrap all rolled up would really capture the colorful ingredients. I did find a great pic on Paula's site:

                                                  

1. ½ cup mayonnaise
2. 1 tablespoon lime juice
3. 1 teaspoon chili powder
4. 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
5. 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
6. 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
7. 1 (15.25-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained
8. ½ cup chopped cilantro
9. 7 (10-inch) flour tortillas
10. Raffia, optional

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, lime juice, and chili powder. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and green chiles, beans, corn, and cilantro. Spoon mixture into each
2. tortilla. Roll up tortillas, and cut in half. Secure with raffia,
3. if desired.

In my opinion: I just loved these wraps! My mixture turned out quite runny so next time I will definitely drain the cans much better, even the tomatoes and chiles.

Chicken in Gravy by Kraft

 I'm not sure the picture does this recipe justice, this is a good meal!

4 slices bacon, chopped
4 sm. boneless, skinless breast halves (1 lb)
4 lg carrots (1 lb, thinly sliced)
1 lg onion, ch
1 c fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
2 oz cream cheese, cubed
3 c hot cooked brown rice (I used white)

1. Cook & stir bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard drippings from skillet.
2. Add chicken to skillet; cook 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown and done.
3. Transfer chicken to plate; cover to keep warm. Add veggies and 1/2 c broth to skillet; cover & simmer 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.
4. Stir in remaining broth & cream cheese; cook, uncovered, 2 minutes or until cream cheese is melted & sauce is thickened, stirring frequently. Return chicken to skillet; cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Spoon rice onto serving plate. Serve chicken and gravy over rice.

In my opinion, this is surprisingly good. The carrots were sweet and a nice addition to this meal. It was quick and easy. We will have it again.

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.