Hello

I know I haven't been posting a lot of recipes lately and I am going to try harder after the new year.  I have so many recipes I want to try and I need to enter all of my old recipes back on my computer. 

I thought I would start with a basic fudge recipe that my Mother used for one of our Christmas parties.  It is easy to make and you can change it to your likes.  I wish I had taken a picture of it.  Maybe next time.

Basic Fudge

16 oz Chocolate Chips
10 oz Sweetened Milk

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Once chips are melted, added milk.  Pour into a lined with wax paper 8" square pan.  Let harden.

Note:  You can add nuts, marshmallows, etc after the milk.  You could also use peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, etc.  Easy to change to your favorite.

Also  place a glass in the middle of an 8" cake pan and pour around the glass.  Makes a good wreath for the holidays.

Asian Honey BBQ Chicken Drummettes

I found this recipe in the Kraft Food & Family magazine.  When I started buying the ingredients,  I couldn't find drummettes any where so I went with chicken wings.

Asian Honey BBQ Chicken Drummettes

1 cup Kraft Honey BBQ Sauce
4 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 lb chicken drummettes

HEAT greased grill to medium heat.
MIX all ingredients except chicken.
GRILL chicken 15 min. or until done, turning and brushing occasionally with barbecue sauce mixture.

Firecracker Chicken

My family is a huge fan of spicy food.  So I am always looking for some thing new.  I love the recipes on The Recipe Critic, so when this one showed up, I just had to try it.  It is an amazing recipe and easy and quick.  It will be a repeat, over and over.

Firecracker Chicken

1/4 cup canola oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten

Sauce:
1/3 cup buffalo sauce (if you like more heat use hot sauce)
1 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp water
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 325.  Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.

In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs.  Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat and cook chicken until browned.  Place the chicken in a 9X13 greased baking dish.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix buffalo sauce, apple cider vinegar, water, salt and red pepper flakes.  Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

I found this recipe over at The Recipe Critic.  I have made it twice.  I really liked it and so did the rest of the family.

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.  In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs.  Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat and cook chicken until browned.  Place the chicken in a 9X13 greased baking dish.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic salt.  Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

A friend of mine sent me this recipe.  I am not sure where it came from but I tried it tonight and it was a really good recipe.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken
4 large chicken breast (about 2 lbs)
2 sleeves Ritz Crackers
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup milk
3 cups cheddar cheese; grated
1 tsp dried parsley

Sauce:
10 oz Cream of Chicken Soup
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp butter

Crush crackers.  Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans.  Toss the salt and pepper in to the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.  Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and then the cheese.  Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers.  Then press the cheesy coated chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan.  Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.  Cover the pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.  Remove the foil, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

In a medium sized sauce pan, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk.  Stir over medium heat until sauce is nice and hot.  Serve over the chicken.

Busy

It has been insane around here and I haven't been making a menu.  I am going to try really hard to start back next week.  Since we haven't had a menu I have been trying to use up some of the things in the freezer.  I really want to use up a few things and then spend a few weeks restocking.  I will let you know how it goes.

Tomorrow for dinner we are having tacos.  I am going to use basic taco meat and then bake the tacos in the oven.  I tried this several months ago and I really liked it.  The shells don't crack so quickly.  Less messing that way.

I hope everyone has a good day tomorrow.

Menu Planner Monday

Well, I didn't get a lot done last week, but it is what is it.

 This week's menu.....

Taco Lasagna - I actually cooked this tonight.  It was a great meal and I will be making more of these and freezing them.

Hot Dogs
French Fries

Shrimp Trash
Rice





General Tso Chicken

Alice Spring Chicken

Fajitas

Cube Steak
Gravy & Biscuits

Menu Planner Monday

Since I was off last week, I got a lot of my menu cooked.  So this week, we have a lot of different items on it.

I managed to get 8 lbs of chicken nuggets cut up, cooked and frozen.  It will be nice to have them ready to cook.

This week's menu.....

Taco Lasagna

Pepperoni Stromboli - I had this for dinner tonight....

Hot Dogs
French Fries

Shrimp Trash
Rice

Skillets

Pork Tenderloin
Mac N Cheese

General Tso Chicken

Alice Spring Chicken

Confetti Pasta

I don't remember where I got this recipe, but it is a favorite.  I change the meat up from Italian sausage, keilbasa,  shrimp, chicken, just whatever I have available.







Confetti Pasta

16 oz linguine
1 cup red pepper; chopped
1 cup green pepper; chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs shrimp
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Cook linguine.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute the peppers, and seasonings in oil until vegetables are tender.

Add the shrimp; cook and stir 2-3 minutes longer or until heated through.  Drain linguine; toss with shrimp mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Menu Planner Monday

I am off this week.  It is sunny today and I hope it stays this way.  If so, I plan to spend some time outside.  Hopefully spring is here.

So on to the menu for the week,  I still have some repeats on here.  Hopefully I will get time this week to make some of them.

Chimchangas - one of my easy meals for the week.  These are already made and in the freezer.
 

Stromboli - Pepperoni

Taco Lasagna - I am planning this late in the week.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken - I love fettuccine and this looks delicious.


Catfish & Rice (maybe french fries instead of rice)

Fondue

Confetti Pasta

Skillets (these are more of a breakfast item but I love them for dinner)

Extras
Cake in a Jar - I want to try these because I really want to make them for some military friends.
Strawberries and Cream Puppy Chow - My son will be getting this in his Valentine's box.
Spicy Party Mix
Ice Cream Cupcakes
Slow Cooked White Chocolate Strawberry and Cream Cake - recipe is for raspberry but I am using strawberries.
Avalanche Bark
Party Mix - this is my husband's favorite snack so I am going to make some for him this week.

Saucy Italian Drunken Noodles

I haven't posted anything in a while and when I saw this recipe on Brown Eyed Baker's Weekend Dish list, I thought I would post it here. It is for Saucy Italian Drunken Noodles.  It will probably go on next week's menu.  It looks great.

I will let you know how it comes out.

Have a great Easter.

Sounds Good

I haven't been on alot lately.  I am going to try and get back on here at least twice a week.  Toward that goal, I found this recipe and I decided I would post it.  I think I am going to add it to the menu either this week or next.

It is called Man-Pleasing Chicken.  I have a feeling I will like it more than my husband, but that is just because I like dijon mustard more than he does.

I will let you know how it comes out.

Have a great day.

Monday Menu Plan - 3/11/13

I can't believe another whole week as come and gone.  I didn't get much cooked last week.  So my menu is similar.

Cube Steak & Gravy - got a great price on the steaks

Chimchangas - one of my easy meals for the week.  These are already made and in the freezer.

Crabmeat Soup - for some unknown reason, we only eat this during the winter so I want to get it on the meal a few more times but the weather gets warm.

Chicken Patty Sandwiches

Stromboli - Pepperoni

Taco Lasagna - I am planning this late in the week.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken - I love fettuccine and this looks delicious.

Tacos - ground beef is already cooked and seasoned in the freezer

Cheddar Bake Chicken
Potato Skins by Brown Eyed Baker
Avalanche Bark

Extras
Cake in a Jar - I want to try these because I really want to make them for some military friends.
Strawberries and Cream Puppy Chow - My son will be getting this in his Valentine's box.
Spicy Party Mix
Ice Cream Cupcakes
Slow Cooked White Chocolate Strawberry and Cream Cake - recipe is for raspberry but I am using strawberries. 

Menu Planner Monday - 3/4/2013

Here is my menu for the week.  I hope it will be a good week. 

Cube Steak & Gravy - got a great price on the steaks

Lasagna - already made and in the freezer

Chimchangas - one of my easy meals for the week.  These are already made and in the freezer.

Crabmeat Soup - for some unknown reason, we only eat this during the winter so I want to get it on the meal a few more times but the weather gets warm.

Taco Lasagna - I am planning this late in the week.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken - I love fettuccine and this looks delicious.

Tacos - ground beef is already cooked and seasoned in the freezer

Cheddar Bake Chicken
Potato Skins by Brown Eyed Baker
Avalanche Bark

Kick A$$ Chicken
Mac 'n Cheese

Extras
Cake in a Jar - I want to try these because I really want to make them for some military friends.
Strawberries and Cream Puppy Chow - My son will be getting this in his Valentine's box.
Spicy Party Mix
Ice Cream Cupcakes
Slow Cooked White Chocolate Strawberry and Cream Cake - recipe is for raspberry but I am using strawberries. 

Menu Planner Monday - 2/25/2013

Taco Lasagna - I am planning this late in the week.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken - I love fettuccine and this looks delicious.

Tacos - ground beef is already cooked and seasoned in the freezer

Crockpot Spaghetti - I want to cooked several batches and freeze.
Salad with Outback Steak House Ranch Dressing


Cheddar Bake Chicken
Potato Skins by Brown Eyed Baker
Avalanche Bark

Kick A$$ Chicken
Mac 'n Cheese

Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas - Already made, it will just need to be warmed up

Chicken Fajitas - already soaking in Dale's Sauce




Extras
Cake in a Jar - I want to try these because I really want to make them for some military friends.
Strawberries and Cream Puppy Chow - My son will be getting this in his Valentine's box.
Spicy Party Mix
Ice Cream Cupcakes
Slow Cooked White Chocolate Strawberry and Cream Cake - recipe is for raspberry but I am using strawberries.

Molten Butterscotch Cakes

I have been wanting to try this recipe for a couple of months now.  I finally tried it last night.

I really like it, my husband said it was okay but it wasn't going to be a favorite.  But it really isn't some thing he would like a lot.  I will fix it again.

I found the recipe in Betty Crocker's Top-Rated Recipes.  You can also find it on the Betty Crocker page.

If you make it, please leave a comment on what you think.

Molten Butterscotch Cakes

6 teaspoon graham cracker crumbs
1 cup butterscotch chips
2/3 cup butter
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup brown sugar; packed
1/2 cup all purpose flour

• Heat oven to 450°F. Spray bottoms and sides of 6 (6-ounce) custard cups with baking spray with flour. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon cracker crumbs onto bottom and around side of each cup. 
• In 1-quart saucepan, melt butterscotch chips and butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat whole eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk or egg beater until well blended. Beat in brown sugar. Beat in melted butterscotch mixture and flour until well blended. Divide batter evenly among custard cups. Place cups on cookie sheet with sides.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until sides are set and centers are still soft (tops will be puffed and cracked). Let stand 3 minutes. Run small knife or metal spatula along sides of cakes to loosen. Immediately place individual dessert plate upside down over top of each cup; turn plate and cup over. Remove cup. Serve warm.

 

Tips

This luscious dessert tastes even better when served with a big scoop of praline pecan ice cream.

 If the centers of the baked cakes are not of a pudding like consistency, next time bake them a few minutes less.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup

This recipe has been on my menu for several weeks.  I found it on Allrecipes.  My husband and I love Mexican so I was looking forward to trying the recipe.   My mother has a ground beef recipe, she likes for Taco soup.  I thought the chicken would be healthier.  It was delicious.  It will definitely be a repeat recipe.

Instead of using tomato sauce, I used salsa.



Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans 1 (15 ounce) can black beans 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with

green chilies, undrained 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts shredded Cheddar cheese (optional) sour cream (optional) crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:

1.	Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2.	Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Fondues

Do you have a fondue or a chocolate fountain?  Then you must check on this site.  I didn't go through the whole site because I am still a little out of it from my nerve block today.  But I will be checking it out later in the week.  I have a fondue but not a fountain.  I may have to consider picking one up after seeing this site.

I hope you find something useful.

Best Fondue

Refrigerator and Freezer Safety Chart

I ran across this chart over on pinterest and I thought I would share it with you. 

Crockpot Spaghetti

I found this recipe over on Savingyoudinero.  I was looking for some new meals to have in the freezer and I think this is going to be a bad cook week for me so I am going to make this up.  I want to have 3-4 servings to go in the freezer.

I am going to change the recipe to fit my needs.  I am going to use my own homemade spaghetti sauce and I can't decided whether I am going to use regular spaghetti noodles or corkscrew pasta.  Maybe even egg noodles.  Maybe I should check the pantry and see what I have.

When I put some thing like this in the freezer, I like to put the pasta and any other needed ingredients aside so it doesn't get used for something else. 

When I make this up, I will try to take some pictures.  I really need to start taking more pictures of our meals.  I will try to get better at it.


Casserole Spaghetti
Serves 6-8

• 1 ½ lb ground beef
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ cup celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes or sauce
• 2 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoon salt (I add more after it’s cooked)
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 12 oz spaghetti or other pasta
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I use a Mexican mix)

Instructions

1. Cook ground beef. Drain and cool completely. (Or you can cook it the morning you prepare the meal and add it to the crock pot.)
2. Add it to the ziploc bag with the  green pepper, onion, celery,  garlic cloves, tomatoes, chili pepper, salt, and pepper.

Write in the bag

1. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 5-6 hours on low.
2. When it’s almost done, cook spaghetti according to package and drain.
3. Add cooked spaghetti and about 1 cup of cheese to the crock pot and mix well.
4. Add more cheese to the top and serve!

Menu Planner Monday

Here is my menu for the week.  I have too many ideas on here but I like to have a couple of extras in case I don't feel like cooking one of them.

Buffalo Chicken Roll-ups

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup  - This has been on the menu for three weeks.  I may start it tonight for tomorrow.
Potato Skins by Brown Eyed Baker
Avalanche Bark


Cheddar Bake Chicken
Salad with Outback Steak House Ranch Dressing

Beef Mozzarella Roll-ups - Already made and in the freezer
Green Beans and Potatoes

Potato Soup

Cheesy Chicken
Baked Potatoes - cooking these in the crockpot

Tacos

Cheesy Ranch Pasta



 

Menu Possibilities

Brown Eyed Baker had a list this week of possible Super Bowl ideas.  I snagged several of them.  Maybe you will find something you like.

Taco Dip - This sounds really good.  I think I am going to mix some up to clean in the refrig for chips.

Hot Corn Dip - It will probably be summer before I try this one, but it is definitely going on my to try list.  I wonder how I can put the list on here for everyone to see.

Pizza Dip - Wow, I could eat this as a meal.

Loaded Baked Potato Dip - Another great sounding one.  I just don't know which one to fix first.

Chile Con Queso - We love chips and dip around here and we have been looking for good Chili Con Queso, so I can't wait to try this one.

I found another great site.  You will find a link on the link page.  It is called Life, Love and Sugar.

Strawberries and Cream Puppy Chow -  My son loves strawberries and regular puppy chow, so I will be making this for Valentine's Day and mailing it to him at college.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Bars

Cake in a Jar - We have several friends who are in the military.  I think these would be wonderful.  I may have to make some up this week.

Taco Lasagna - I love regular lasagna but every one here also loves Mexican food so this might be the best of both worlds.

Looking at this, next week might be Mexican week.  This will be my last recipe for the week.  This list is longer than I meant for it to be.

Oven Tacos - I love tacos and this might be the answer to the shells cracking.  I will let you know if it works.

New Look

I wanted to change the template.  I don't normally like purple so I don't know how long this one will stay up. 

Menu Planner Monday

My husband worked a lot of overtime last week, so I didn't cook as much as usual.  This week, I had another nerve block.  The doctor seems to think that I will be in pain a few days, so I am combining last week's menu with some easy recipes.

Blackened Flounder
Shrimp Scampi
Rice

Pork Chops with Fresh Take
Bacon Pepper Mac N Cheese - Recipe will be posted later

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
Potato Skins by Brown Eyed Baker
Avalanche Bark

Chicken Noodle Soup

Hamburgers
French Fries

Chicken Patty Sandwiches
Potato Chips
Taco Dip

Pizza

Cheddar Bake Chicken
Salad with Outback Steak House Ranch Dressing

Menu Possibilities

I haven't had a lot of time to surf the web this week.  I did find a few recipes I want to try.

1)  Buttermilk Ranch Dressing - I love making my own dressings.

2) Peppermint Meringues - I really meant to make these at Christmas, but I never had the time.  Maybe for Valentine's Day.

3)  Cheddar Baked Chicken - This will be on my menu next week.

4)  Easy Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

Dinner and Marshmallows

I had meant to take a picture of the Pizza Casserole but I forgot to snap it before my husband got to it.  I did however make Marshmallow pops without the sticks.

My husband loves marshmallows.  So I thought I would make him a small treat.  I knew he wouldn't like the sticks so I just made the marshmallows with the chocolate and sprinkles.  They were fun to make and he enjoyed them.

We were suppose to have Butterscotch molten cakes and ice cream but I didn't get them made.  Maybe another day.  I also didn't get any cookies made.  I plan on working on them later in the week.

The marshmallows were real easy to make.  I just melted the chocolate wafer.  Dip the marshmallows in the melted wafers and then in the sprinkles.

If you have some one who likes marshmallows you should give these a try.

Menu Planner Monday

I am going to start posting my weekly menu every Monday.  When I make out my menu I don't assign a day that way if I don't feel like cooking one day I can choice some thing easy or if I want a bigger meal I can do it.

If I am using a recipe from the web, I will link so you can have the recipe.  I will group main meals with side dishes and/or desserts.  I also usually like to have 7-10 menus on the list so I can have a bigger selection.  I never know when my husband will be working late, or I will have a migraine, or not want to cook, etc.

Pizza Casserole

Molten Butterscotch Cakes - I will post the recipe once I try it

Vanilla Ice Cream

Steak, Gravy & Rice - This is a favorite.  Just a diced up steak with cream of mushroom soup and rice

Flounder
Shrimp Scrampi
Rice

Pork Chops with Fresh Take
Bacon Pepper Mac N Cheese - Recipe will be posted later

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
Potato Skins by Brown Eyed Baker
Avalanche Bark

Chicken Patty Sandwiches

Mozzarella Beef Roll-ups - These are ready made and frozen in my freezer.

Cookies

I am off Monday and I think it is going to be a baking day.  I have a bunch of cookies I want to try.  I think I am going to make several different batches and then freeze them.  I will only bake 6-12 cookies from each batch.  That way I can have several different favors and also have some for later.

Here are some of the cookies I want to try.  I don't know if I will make all of them.  We will just have to wait and see how I feel and what kind of time I have.

The pictures for the cookies came from the websites where I found the recipes. When I bake the cookies, I will take pictures to share.

Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies










Rolo Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft Baked Peanut Butter Lover Cookies

Soft Baked Monster Cookies












Salted Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cake Batter Sugar Cookies







Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies

Menu Possibilities

Here are the websites for this week.  I am still looking at ice cream recipes so there will be a few new ones today.  I hope you find something that you like.

I started looking on Paula Deen's site so there will be several recipes from her site.

1)  Vanilla Ice Cream - Paula Deen has some great recipes.

2) Sunny's Butter Pecan Ice Cream

3) Butter Pecan Ice Cream

4)  Mexican Chicken - I had this for dinner on Tuesday.  It was really good.  I think next time, I will make layers so there are more tortilla shells.  I put the casserole into two dishes and I froze the other one.  Another meal in the freezer.  I just love have meals in the freezer.

5)  Mouth Watering Stuffed Mushrooms - I love stuffed mushrooms so these may be on my menu for next week.

6) Two Ingredient Ice Cream - I wonder if I can do this in my ice cream maker instead of the freezer.  I will let you know.

7) Outback Steak House Ranch Dressing - I am definitely trying this one.

8)  Three Cheese Mac N Cheese - I love mac n cheese.  I have some many recipes.  I love to make a big patch in individual bowls and then freeze it.  I don't know how this one will freeze but it does sound good.

9)  Honey Mustard Glazed Chicks In A Blanket 

10) Reese's Brownies with Peanut Butter

This is for now.  I hope you find something you like.

Have a great weekend.

Kitchen Gadgets - Crockpots

Let me start by saying, I am not looking to buy a new crockpot.  I have two that I really like.  But every where you look there is a new crockpot.  They have some new features.  And they come in all sizes.

I just adore the little Crock-pot Lunch Warmers.  They come in three colors.  If I had seen these before Christmas, I might have considered picking one up for my husband's work truck.  Who knows he might get one next year.

Here are some of the features:

• 20 ounce capacity
• Removable food vessel to easily transport food to and from home and for easier cleaning
• Easy-travel lid for portability
• Dishwasher-safe removable vessel and lid
• Cool to the touch
• Cord management

I also like the Double Dipper Warmer.  This would be great for tailgating.  But it would only be good for warming things up so I can't see me using it often.  I wish I could just get the bowl to fit my current slow cooker.

Here are the features:

• Two 16 ounce compartments
• Removable oval stoneware
• Warms dips and sauces

If I was considering a new crockpot, I would have to look seriously at the Hamilton Beach Set N Forget.  I love the probe option and the timer, plus it has the clip-down lid for traveling.






I am not recommending any of these crock-pots.  I just saw them and thought I would post what I found out there on the world wide web.  It is amazing how many different crock-pots there are out now.

I have some recipes to share with you.  I haven't tried most of these, but they do have some possibilities.

Breakfast
Good Morning Oatmeal

Poultry
Jalapeno Chicken Breasts
Thai Chicken Wings with Peanut Sauce

Desserts
Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake
Triple Berry Cobbler

Slow Cooked Beef Fajitas

Here is a new recipe for you.  I got it out of the Better Homes and Gardens "Skinny Slower Cooker" magazine.  This is definitely a keeper and I will make it again.

You will be seeing more recipes from this magazine.  It had lots of good looking recipes.



Slow-Cooked Beef Fajitas

1 1/2 lb beef flank steak
1 large green pepper; seeded and cut into strips
1 large red pepper; seeded and cut into strips
16 oz salsa

Flour tortillas
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese

Trim fat from meat.  Place peppers in cooker.  Top with meat.  Pour salsa over meat.

Cover and cook on low-heat seating for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.  Transfer meat to a cutting board.  Using two forks, pull meat apart into shreds.

Spoon some of the meat and vegetables onto one side of each warmed tortilla; top with sour cream and cheese.  Fold tortilla in half over filling.

Menu Possibilities

Time for the first Menu Possibilities.  Every Friday, I will post links I have found while surfing the web for recipes I want to try.  I will try to keep the list down to under 10, but I am not making any promising.

1)  Avalanche Bark from Brown Eyed Baker....I will be trying these this weekend.  I will let you know how they came out.

2)  Billion Dollar Candy Bars .... Wow, these look delicious.

3)  Cracker Candy .... I will be making these this coming week.  Looks easy and quick to make.

4)  Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies....I love snickerdoodles so I am really looking forward to trying these.

5)  Homemade Eggnog....I know it is past Christmas but I have been looking for good eggnog recipes.  I may have to try this one and see if it is the one.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Kitchen Gadgets

Starting today, I am going to pick a kitchen gadget including the specs to talk about.  I might include reviews and/or recipes.

I got the ice cream attachment for Christmas.  We love ice cream at my house and this makes it is easy to make.

Here are the specs:

Welcome to a new, more convenient way to make amazing homemade ice cream. The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment fits virtually every KitchenAid Stand Mixer made since 1919. Just freeze the mixing bowl overnight, attach with the dasher to your stand mixer and watch your batter turn into soft-serve ice cream. It only takes about 20 minutes to be enjoying your own ice cream, or if you prefer hardened ice cream, put it in the freezer for an hour or 2. This is one of the most popular attachments for KitchenAid Stand Mixers, so forget about storing a big manual ice cream maker and rock-salt—this is easy to use, easy to clean and easy to store.

• For use with KitchenAid Stand Mixer
• Makes up to 2 quarts of ice cream, sorbets and frozen desserts
• Innovative bowl design provides thorough freezing
• Easy to use
• Easy to clean
• Number of Pieces: 4
• Includes: Recipe Book, Adapter Ring, Instruction Manual
• Capacity (volume): 2.0 Qt.
• Material: Plastic, Stainless Steel
• Care and Cleaning: Dishwasher Safe Parts, Wipe Clean With Soap and Water

Here is one of my favorite ice cream recipes....

Strawberry Ice Cream Like Ben & Jerry's

1 pint strawberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup sugar in a mixing bowl, set aside in fridge for 1 hour.  In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Gradually add 3/4 cups sugar, mixing well.  Stir in milk and vanilla and mix well.  Add strawberries with juice and mix well.  Gently stir in whipping cream just until combined. 

Pour into ice cream maker.

Note:  I prefer to use half and half instead of the heavy whipping cream.  It makes it less creamy.

New Idea

I am still surfing through the Brown Eyed Baker site.  On her site, she has a Weekend Dish post.  Every Saturday, she reviews her post and then makes a list of recipes she has bookmarked from other sites.  I like this idea.  I think I will do it on Friday night however.  It will just be sites that I have bookmarked that others might like or recipes that I have bookmarked.  So keep a watch out for the new Friday post.  I think I will call it Menu Possibilities. 

Kitchenaid Ice Cream Attachment

I got the ice cream attachment for Christmas.  I love it.  I will share a recipe with you tomorrow.  If anyone has any recipes, they would like to share, send me an email.

I have a strawberry ice cream recipe that I love, but I am looking for some different ones.

In searching for recipes, I ran across a great website.  It is Brown Eyed Baker.  It will take me a while to go through the  whole site and you will be seeing links to the site again.  The page that caught my attention first was "30 of My Favorite Ice Cream Recipes".  Check it out, you might find a new ice cream recipe.

I have pinned a lot of the ice cream recipes from the site on my ice cream board over on pinterest.

Pizza Mac 'n Cheese Review

I thought the recipe was really good.  I would change a few things.  It needs more cheese and instead of putting the pepperoni on top.  I would cut it up and stir it into the mac 'n cheese.

It made a lot so I cut it in individual  bowls and froze the leftovers.  They will be perfect for lunches.

That's it for now.  Chat with all of you later...

Pizza Mac N Cheese

I found this recipe in "Top-rated Recipes" by Betty Crocker.

I love Mac N Cheese so I am always looking for different ways to make it.   This will be my side dish tonight.  I have a feeling that my son is going to really like it.  It has all of his favorites.

I will let you know how it goes.



 Pizza Mac 'n Cheese

3 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (16 oz)
1 lb mild or spicy pork sausage
1 large green bell pepper; chopped
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups milk
3/4 cup water
4 cups shredded white Cheddar cheese (16 oz)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 oz)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
20 slices pepperoni

Heat oven to 325.  Spray 3-quart casserole with cooking spray.  Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package.  In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium high heat until no longer pink, drain.  In same skillet, cook bell pepper and onion 5 minutes or until crisp.

In 4-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Stir in flour, salt and 1/2 tsp of the pepper flakes.  Cook and stir until smooth.  Gradually add milk and water, stirring constantly until thickened.  Gradually add cheddar cheese; stir until melted.  Add macaroni, sausage and onion mixture; toss to coat.  Spoon into casserole.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Top with Parmesan cheese, pepperoni and remaining 1 tsp pepper flakes.  Bake 2 to 4 minutes longer, or until lightly browned.  Garnish with basil.

Nutrution Info:
Per Serving
Calories 570
Total Fat 35g
Sodium 960 mg
Total Carbohydrate 36g
Protein 29g