Crockpot Lemon Chicken

This was basically a variation of the Crockpot Italian Chicken that I did a few weeks back...only this one was really gross. Only use this recipe if you like to eat lemons - 2 stars

It was a simple recipe and very few ingredients...these are always my favorites. However, after making it we tried a few different things to mask the overwhelming lemon tartness. I followed the recipe to a t. What could make it better? If I were going to do it again, I would use something cream-based (like cream of chicken soup) to neutralize the acidity of the lemons and I would also probably only use one lemon instead of two.

I served it over rice and topped it with cheese (after tasting how potent it was).

Recipe
Ingredients:

• Butter
• Chicken Tenders
• Italian Dressing Seasoning Packet
• 2 lemons

Instructions:

• Put cube of butter in bottom of crockpot. Lay chicken in pot. Sprinkle dressing over chicken, drizzle with lemon juice, pop the lid on. Chicken breast: cook on hi 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours.
• Take the chicken out, shred with 2 fors, then ladel soem of the juice over your shredded chicken.

http://www.thequeenbeeshive.com/2011/02/easy-lemon-chicken/#comment-488

Balsamic Flank Steak

Yuck! 2 stars

I marinated the steak overnight and served it on a bed of spinach with balsamic vinaigrette dressing and topped it with shredded mozzarella. I did omit the rosemary...because I don't like it, but it wouldn't have helped. The meal was just lacking. Possibly some diced onions and tomatoes on top would have been better? Or, even some sauteed onions....not quite sure but I probably won't make this one again.

Recipe
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary
1-1/2 pound flank steak

In a sealable zip bag, combine balsamic, olive oil, and garlic. Score steak on both sides by making long shallow lines in a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place steak in the bag, turning to ensure even distribution of marinade. Place the rosemary sprigs between your and and rub them together a little bit. Throw the rosemary in the bag with the marinade and the steak and let it sit overnight.

Grill steak to medium rare. Remove steak from grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with foil for about 5 minutes to allow steak to "rest" and become juicy. Slice steak across the grain and serve with additional rosemary garnish.

http://www.weeklygreens.com/recipes/balsamic-marinated-flank-steak/

Crockpot Italian Chicken

The words creamy and delicious come to mind....4.5 stars -- very easy to make and tasted really good. Certainly NOT the healthiest meal though...

I didn't really change anything on this one becuase it was so simple. I turned on the crockpot and heated up the ingreidents for half an hour as suggested. I then put in the chicken and let it cook on high for about 6 hours. It was very tender and moist! I served it over rice (the 5 minute kind, of course!)


Recipe
2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg Italian dressing seasoning (the dried kind in the packet)
rice

Stir the cream cheese, cream of chicken, and seasoning together in the crockpot. Start it on low and let them sit together for about 30 minutes so that it is easier to mix. Pur the frozen chicken in and cover with the mix. Cook on high 4-6 hours or until the chicken is cooked and fall-apart-tender. Serve over rice.

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4025518349965074289&postID=4685705721182704181

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Ham Sandwiches

It was so simple.... Hawaiian sweet rolls made into sandwiches. Why didn't I think of that?!? Well, I just didn't but I DID make the recipe and it WAS amazing. 4 stars -- unique and simple.

So, the recipe that I found called for 2 packages of sweet rolls but I didn't figure Shawn and I would need that much so I cut the recipe in half. It was a good thing...because 1 package made enough for dinner and lunch the next day. AND, because some small child has abducted the majority of my measuring spoons, I really just eyeballed the measurements.

Modifications:

I omitted the poppy seeds

I didn't cut the cheese into 4 pieces. :) I just put some ham and cheese on there and poured the sauce on!

I also did not refrigerate overnight. We ate them right away

Recipe

Ingredients

2 pkg sweet rolls

2 lbs ham

12 slices Swiss cheese

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons dried onions

poppy seed

You will need two 9x13 pans. Place the bottoms of 12 rolls in each pan. Place ham (about 2 slices or so) on the rolls. Cut the cheese slices into 4 parts and place 2 small pieces on each sandwich. Put the dinner roll tops on. IN a sauce pan, mix butter, dijon mustard, worchestershire sauce, and dried onions. wait until all butter is melted and then pour the melted mixture over teh ham sandwiches. Sprinkle the buns with poppy seeds and cover with foil. Let refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 30 and uncover sandwiches. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes and serve.

http://www.food.com/recipe/the-best-ham-sandwiches-ever-358553

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Exactly what it sounds like -- 4 stars...becuase it was okay but not amazing.

Admittedly, I had glanced over the recipe but didn't have time to look it up when I was prepping so I kinda half made up the recipe.

Recipe

1/4 cup vinegar

1 bottle bbq sauce

3 large chicken breasts

Mix it all together and cook on low for 6 hours

I served it over rice. It was good for a quick and easy meal. It would have also been good shredded and served on a bun.

http://forkinit.blogspot.com/search/label/crock%20pot

Lemon Cream Sauce

For anyone who knows me well, you know that I like to get in the kitchen, throw some random stuff together and turn it into something edible. This was one of those times....and it i has now turned into one of Shawn's favorite.

I served this on top of parmesan crusted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes originally. Since then, I put it on my seafood manicotti, made it into an alfredo sauce and I am sure it would be good on numerous other dishes. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves

1.5 cups parmesan

2 TBSP capers

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 large container heavy cream

1 lemon

1/4 cup milk

cornstarch

In a food processor, blend garlic, parmesan, pepper, capers, and 2 cups heavy cream. It will make a thick paste.

In a sauce pan, warm milk. Pour in cheese mixture

As mixture melts, juice the lemon and pour into mixture

Stir constantly until mixture starts to thicken

Use cornstarch to make sauce thick enough to serve

BBQ Pineapple Bacon Burgers

2 words -- delicious disaster!!

This creation was inspired by a picture I found on pinterest. I couldn't find the recipe so I just made one up. Unfortunately, it was very messy but also very delicious!

This one could use some improvements on the method of cooking it. I used the stovetop because I was too lazy to drag out the grill. What I found was that the bacon was burning before the inside of the burger was cooked.

Recipe

1 lb hamburger

12 slices bacon

1/2 cup bbq sauce

salt & pepper

1 can pineapple rings

Mix the hamburger with the bbq sauce and salt and pepper.

Form into patties.

Put a pineapple ring on top.

Criss-cross 2 pieces of bacon and sit the patty on top. Fold the bacon over the top

Grill or cook on stovetop (medium-high heat, turning frequently).

Chicken Rollups

Angel, this one is for you!

This recipe, although not very healthy, was AMAZING! 5 stars for deliciousness!!

Things I did differently:

On this one, I didn't use the onion flakes but I did put some onion powder in the mix. I accidentally forgot to add the milk to both parts of the mixture and it turned out just fine. I shredded the chicken instead of chopping. Also, to make them easier to roll, I used two and used it as a rectangle.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cans crescent rolls
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup+ 2 TBSP milk
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 TBSP butter, softened
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp minced onion flakes
• 2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat to 350
• Spray a 9x13 dish with spray
• Mix together 1/2 cup milk, 3/4 cup cheese and chicken soup

Filing:

• mix cream cheese, butter and garlic powder
• add chicken, onion, and cheddar cheese
• add milk
• season with season salt and pepper
• unroll the crescent rolls
• place 1 heaping spoon of chicken mixture on each triangle then roll up starting at the thicker end
• drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish
• place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the dish
• drizzle the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese
• bake for 30 minutes

http://www.plainchicken.com/2009/08/chicken-rollups-2.html

Pizza Bites

I'm still on the fence with this one. While it was a cool technique it was nothing special and would probably be better as an appetizer.

You may have gathered, I considered this more a technique than a recipe. I say this because you can put any toppings you want in the dough and you can use any dough recipe you want.

So, what did I do? I started with a box of jiffy pizza dough. I followed the directions on the box. I used a flour-dusted board and a glass to make circle-shapes pieces of dough. I stuffed the dough with 2 pepperonis, as much cheese as I could fit, and a sprinkle of olives. I used regular pizza sauce for dipping.

How to improve? First of all, make sure you grease the pan really well. It was my bad...I was using stoneware so it stuck a little. Second, cover the whole dough bite with the butter topping. Maybe even melting the butter first would have been better. I think a sprinkling of some garlic powder, oregano, and salt would have been good. Also, one box of jiffy won't get you very far. It wasn't even enough for the two of us (Addi wasn't interested in eating any pizza bites). I would suggest 2-3 boxes to fill a bundt pan. Last, you don't have to fill them all the same. Fill them with your favorite pizza toppings!!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 lbs pizza dough (I used this recipe because it makes enough for two pizza)
• 6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (you'll need ~48 pieces)
• 48 slices of Turkey pepperoni (from 1 package)
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce, warmed, for serving

Instructions

• Heat garlic and butter over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and let sit.
• Lightly brush the inside of a bundt pan (or other oven-safe dish) with garlic butter.
• Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten (a kitchen scale makes this very easy). Top with a slice of pepperoni and a cube of mozzarella.
• 
  
• Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese, pinching well to seal.
• Very lightly brush the pizza ball with garlic butter and place into the bundt pan (I dabbed the pizza balls on a butter-dipped silicon brush to keep butter use low - there will be 1+ Tbsp leftover - and my hands butter free. Buttery hands make it hard to get the pizza balls to seal).
• Repeat until all of the dough is used.
• Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 400.
• Bake for ~35 minutes, until the top is very brown.
• Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Turn out onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/7195

Santa Fe Chicken

This recipe was as expected. It was good but not over-the-top amazing. What IS great is that it's another low-fat recipe. Id give it a solid 4 1/2 stars.

I opted to serve it on tortillas and sprinkled a little cheese on it.

The only thing I did differently was I used white onion instead of scallions.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 24 oz chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes wtih mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion pwoder
• 1tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt in the crock pot.
• Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
• Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half an hour before serving, remove the chicken and shred. Return chickent ot he slow cooker and stir in.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken-425-pts.html?m=1

Pizza Casserole

...really should have been named "easy lasagna topped with pepperonis". The recipe was good, but needs some tweaking to become more pizza-like. I give this recipe 4 stars. It was good, but a bit of false advertising. I will tweak it and repost at a later date.

The only thing I did differently on this recipe was I changed the cook time. By the time I had it made, my stomach didn't have the patience to wait 30+ minutes so I turned up the temp and shortened the cook-time. Honestly, probably should have stuck to the recipe. It's better to wait!!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 bag of egg noodles
• 1 extra large can of Ragu sauce
• 3 cups shredded mozarella
• 1 1/2 lbs hamburger meat
• 1 pkg pepperonis

Instructions

• preheat the oven to 350
• brown the meat and drain
• boil the egg noodles
• spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 dish
• layer as follows: half the noodles, half the meat, half the sauce, half the noodles, half the cheese, rest of meat, rest of sauce, rest of cheese
• top with pepperonis
• bake, covered with foil for 30 minutes
• remove foil, bake for 5 more minutes
• let settle for 10-15 minutes before serving

http://formamas.blogspot.com/2011/08/pizza-casserole.html

Chicken Bruschetta

I had originally found this recipe on Pinterest, but when I went to make it I couldn't find the recipe so I made up my own.

I used chicken breast tenderloins and it worked great, but it would probably have been better had I used whole breasts (more surface area for the toppings).

Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound chicken
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
olive oil
Balsamic vinaigrette
2 tomatoes on the vine, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 TBSP basil, chopped
1 cup mozzarella

Marinate a pound of chicken with a light drizzle of olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette, salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil and then mix in olive oil and vinaigrette to taste.

Pan fry or grill the chicken. Top with mixture and cheese.

Broil for 5-7 minutes to warm the topping and melt the cheese.

Enjoy!!!

Avocado Chicken Soup

I am not a soup person at all, but this soup was AMAZING! I even went back for seconds. And to add another layer of amazingness, it is a low fat recipe. 5 stars!

I did modify the recipe slightly. First, I used a small white onion instead of scallions. Also, after I shredded the chicken, I added it to the broth and let it simmer for an extra 10 minutes or so.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 cups scallions, chopped fine
• 2 ripe hass avocados
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped fine
• 4 lime wedges
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt + pepper to taste
• pinch cumin
• pinch chile powder

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add 1 cup scallions and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes and then add tomatoes and saute another minute, until soft. Add chicken stock, cumin, and chile powder and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered on low for 15-20 minutes.

In four bowls , fill each with 1/2 cup chicken, 1/2 avocado, remainder of scallions, and cilantro. Ladle 1 cup chicken broth over the chicken and serve with a lime wedge.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/chicken-and-avocado-soup.html?m=1

Cheddar Beer Chicken

This recipe was good, but could use some minor tweaking...3.5 stars

Really, the only thing I did "off-recipe" was use a different beer. Obviously, you would want to follow the rule "dont cook with it unless you'd drink it" but I suspect any beer would work. In case you're wondering, I used Yeungling's traditional Lager (delicious, I might add).
I think the recipe would actually be heartier with less bite if you omit the peppers.

Ingredients

Makes: 4 servings

Cook: 31/2 to 41/2 hours

• 1 large onion, peeled and diced large

• 1 package (16-ounce) diced red potatoes, Reser’s®

• 1 cup frozen diced green pepper, Pictsweet®

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry

• 11/2 teaspoons garlic salt, McCormick®

• 11/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• 1 can (10-ounce) condensed cheddar cheese soup, Campbell’s®

• 3/4 cup Bass Ale®

• 3/4 cup bacon crumbles, Hormel®

• Fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish

Directions

1. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine onion, potatoes, and green peppers.

2. Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker on top of vegetables.

3. In a small bowl, stir together cheddar soup, Bass Ale, and bacon crumbles. Pour over chicken.

4. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 31/2 to 41/2 hours.
   
   Serving ideas: Serve hot with chive garnish.

http://sandralee.com/recipes/slow-cooker/cheddar-beer-chicken/547

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Is it really as amazing as it sounds??

YES!!!! I give this recipe 5 stars!

This recipe is courtesy of thepioneerwoman.com
So first, I didn't follow the recipe to a T --
I used a slow-cooker instead of the oven.
I did get "pork butt" but it came in the form of ribs and I only used 3 pounds instead of 5 because that was all that would fit in my slow-cooker.
After that, it was a piece of cake. I used half the can of peppers and omitted the brown sugar.
I served the shredded pork on small tortillas with fresh cilantro, black beans, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. They were not only delicious the first night, but they were great as leftovers!

RECIPE:

Ingredients
1 whole Large Onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 Pounds
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Instructions
*Cut the onion into small chunks and place in the bottom of the slow-cooker
*Salt and Pepper the pork and place it on top of the onions
*Pour the can of peppers over the pork (CAUTION: If you are a weenie when it comes to spice, only use half the can)
*Pour the Dr. Pepper over the pork
*(Optional) sprinkle brown sugar over the top
*Cook on low for 6 hours turning the pork every couple hours
*Shred the meat and serve as you choose


Recipe website:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/spicy-dr-pepper-shredded-pork/

Amanda Sue's Kitchen

Good morning!

I have recently become obsessed with Pinterest, but really...who isn't??? I have found tons of fun craft projects that I will never do and places that I will never visit. The one thing I CAN do is cook! I love to cook and I have found Pinterst to be my place of inspiration for trying new recipes. I was really getting tired of having the same boring recipe deck, so I ventured out and tried what I was seeing. I am going to post the recipes that I have tried and the minor tweaks I made and what I think could make it better.