Crock pot Speghetti and meatballs

Okay so this isn't really a recipe but it is something that I do that is easy.
I put in a large jar of spaghetti (either Ragu or Prego) around noon on low (can add additional seasonings at this time)
Add pre-made fully cooked meatballs a couple of hours before dinner time
Saute onions and garlic and add those when adding the meat.
Make noodles when you are ready to eat. Sometimes I add cheese to the sauce while I am making the noodles. Parmesan or cheddar.
And there is a very little hassle meal. Goes great with french bread, or garlic toast my favorite!

I always have left over sauce, which is fine because you can make noodles and add it in for another meal. For a change of pace I will do rigatoni noodles or even make a goulash out of it. Yum!

Crockpot Pork Chops

This is one of my experiment crock pot ideas that I did a few years ago. I take frozen pork chops put them in on hi for 1 hour then split them apart and spread them across the bottom of the crock pot. I then take 5 slices of thick cut bacon (I prefer maple) put 3 across lengthwise and split the other 2 in half and make a criss cross pattern and cook the rest on low for 5 hours. Seasoning depends on what your in the mood for, tonight I did a little basil and Ms. Dash seasoning. Sometimes I use italian season, experiment with this as you like based on the seasonings you enjoy. Add little salt and pepper and you are ready for some fall off the bone pork chops (literally). Do not add liquid, as the bacon and chops do all of that for you. Since the chops fall apart when removing them from the crockpot I suggest the use of a spatula, a fork will not do the job.
I usually remove the bacon split it up and put that into green beans for a side dish. Tonight I added 1 clove of garlic and 1/2 onion with the green beans for something differents and simmered for 15 minutes in a sauce pan with 1/4 C. water. Serve with either rice or mashed potatos and you have a complete meal.

"I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation."
~ Madame Benoit

Turkey Pot Pie

For the first time I have made a pot pie with out buying it from the freezer isle. I did make a lot of changes though. First off I used 1 garlic clove (minced), 1 1/2 stalks of celery (chopped), 1/2 onion (minced). Secondly, they want you to put a lot of parsley in, I am not a huge fan of parsley so I put in only a few pinches. Third, I ran out of oregano so I used 1 tsp of Italian seasoning instead. And fourth, instead of fresh carrots I put in 1 1/2 C. of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, green beans, peas, and corn) at the cool down time. I made it ahead of time and refrigerated until it was time for dinner. I also used Pillsbury pie crust. I like the Pillsbury pie crust, not only is it easy but it does taste good and saves a lot of time. Next time I will add more onion, but did not want to overwhelm the hubby with it and was afraid it would be too much. And I have to play with the seasonings a little more as it was kind of bland. I love how thick it came out, made a very filling meal out of 1 piece. Other then what I have listed I followed the recipes instructions. Please remember when making this you MUST allow the veggie mix to cool before adding it to the crust. The recipe has a big warning about making the crust mushy if you pour it in hot. Enjoy!

Get the recipe HERE

"Recipe: A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy, in utensils you don't own, to make a dish the dog wouldn't eat." ~Author Unknown

Turkey Salad Sandwich

I love making these after the holidays with my left over turkey. I used my Handy Chopper for the turkey, onion, and celery to make them super easy. I add relish and mustard for the extra flavor, not too much. I always make enough for left overs because my son requests them the day after we have them for dinner. I also serve any other left over side dishes I may have from the holidays. I did not get a picture of this one on bread as I almost forgot to post it at all!

Get the recipe HERE

"I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tuna fish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock." ~Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

Christmas Time!

Okay so it's not Christmas yet.. but we spend Christmas out of the house every year and I never get a chance to do this. So this year we had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve.
Only messed up on 1 thing which is very good for a first timer! and it was not a big deal I cooked the green bean casserole a little longer then I should have... Which is not a huge deal and it still tasted good. I used fresh green beans this year, which was definitely different.
Ok so here's what I did...
I tried this whole brining the turkey thing, the smell of the brine was really potent and it was an interesting process. Luckily I had a bucket that my turkey fit perfectly into, and instead of filling the bucket with the brine I put one of those turkey size oven bags into the bucket before I added the turkey and brine. The bags have their own stuff to shut the bag so I used that, not one spill in my fridge! So this morning I have to rinse it and dry it and I already have my roasting recipe ready. I was surprised that I would not have to baste my turkey at all but thought hey why not give it a try. And I am glad I did!


Ok so this recipe has you cook breast down, so the breast isn't browned (although the recipe tells you how you can brown it) This is the moistest, most flavorful turkey I have had. The 2 recipes I used on the turkey alone combined were incredible. The hubby was so surprised by it and he is actually afraid that the turkey sandwiches will get soggy. (I think we will be just fine). Okay so to continue... I made the yams with the recipe on the can for candied yams for the first time. Unfortuanatly I did not have a shallow dish but I made do. I added marshmellows and it was just the way I like to have my yams. I could not figure out what I have been doing wrong all these years until now.
I also made my own turkey stock when I put the turkey into the brine last night, and used it in the stuffing today. Now I used a seasoned bread cubed pre stuffing mix and added the stock plus the celery and onions as the directions said to, I liked the top layer but the bottom layer was a little mushy, so not the greatest. I think next year I will do a cranberry walnut dressing recipe that was given to me by a friend instead of the typical stuffing. And if I do try to do a stuffing like this I will be looking into more recipes.

In my house the turkey is not the center piece the Brick-O-Mac is. It is an old family mac and cheese recipe passed down through the generations. My hubby had never had mac and cheese on his holiday table until I came along.. now not only do I have to make it for him but his family as well. I had him put away the left over's and he was litterally scrapping the pan.And the finishing touches, Pie of course and hot cider that has been in my crockpot all day.
The pie is a limited hoilday Caramel Apple pie. It's the apples that you have to put into a crust, and yes I cheated I used pillsbury pie dough, as I do not have a rolling pin. The recipe is on the back of the can. Very good, but not one that I would do often because it is a bit too sweet for me. I used some cookie cutters instead of doing a lattice. And the cider is a bought cider that I added a couple cinnamon sticks to and let heat all day. Even though I did some things that were not fresh I think I did a nice balance of new recipes, old recipes, and pre-made items. If I would have done it all by hand I think I would have been overwhelmed, which is honestly why I think so many people get so stressed over the holiday cooking. I enjoyed every minute of it. And now it is about time to get Santa's cookies and milk out and the carrot's for the reindeer...
So Happy Holidays to everyone and hope you have a great time wherver you are and whatever you may be doing!
Turkey Brine Recipe
Turkey Roasting Recipe
Turkey Stock Recipe
Caramel Apple pie (not sure of the brand but it is in the isle with the pie fillings around the holidays)
Green bean casserole
Stuffing (Pepperidge Farm country style stuffing recipe on back of the bag)
Candied Yams (recipe on back of can)
Brick-O-Mac... Sorry but this one is reserved for friends and family. But I no there are a lot of good Baked Mac and Cheese recipes out there. (I feel like I would be in great trouble if I put it onto the internet).

“At last the dishes were set on, and grace was said. It was succeeded by a breathless pause, as Mrs Cratchit, looking slowly all along the carving-knife, prepared to plunge it in the [goose] breast; but when she did, and when the long- expected gush of stuffing issued forth...."
~Charles Dickens (1812-1870). 'A Christmas Carol'

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

Since it is the holiday's, today and tomorrow I will have plenty to share! I am trying a bunch of new recipes, like this one! These are chewy and delicious. I took the advice of some of the comment's from others who have tried this recipe, and since I wanted a soft cookie I chose not to push them down with a fork but instead left them in their ball form and did not add the additional sugar. Cooked for 10 min but found the bottoms where a little over done so brought it down to 9 min and they came out with a nice light brown bottom. I added 1 1/2 C. of craisens for an added perk. I think Santa will be happy with these cookies! too bad my pillsbury premade (all you have to do is bake) sugar cookies didn't do as well... Unfortuanatly they ended up with black bottoms, even following the directions! I will have to find a good sugar cookie recipe for next year. This is definatly a recipe you can try many different things with, and be sure to check out the comment section (at the recipes web page) for ideas.
Since I am doing my dinner with my hubby and kids tomorrow I will be sharing the recipes some time tomorrow night.. boy that will be a long blog! but all in the name of fun, right?

Find this recipe HERE

"One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends." ~Laurie Colwin

Chipotle Chicken Taco's

This is one I have been making for years now. I absolutely love this recipe. I use about 5 chipotle peppers, so that my kids can eat it with out it being too hot. It has a nice spice to it with out burning to much. I also wrap it as a burrito instead of taco's, I find that it is a lot easier to eat this way. I love to garnish it with sour cream, cheese, and avocado. I don't really care for cilantro on it but that is just me. If you need something you can throw in the crock pot and do very little work with this is a good one to have in your recipe box. Everyone that has tried this in my home loves it. Goes great with spanish rice as a side dish. I also enjoy eating the left over chicken with tortilla chips.. mmmm... Give it a try if you like a little spice in your life!

Get the recipe HERE.


"For the first time I know what it is to eat. I have gained four pounds. I get frantically hungry, and the food I eat gives me a lingering pleasure. I never ate before in this deep carnal way… I want to bite into life and to be torn by it." ~Anaïs Nin

Rubbed Down Pork Chops

WHEW! I like garlic but this was a little too much. If you are a serious garlic lover then this would be something of your interest. However for me a little overboard. The flavor is good if you can get past the amount of Garlic I really liked the cooking in Worcester and adding mushrooms and onions. The mushrooms and onions were the best part of this recipe honestly. I would like to try it again.. with lots of adjustments as far as the garlic goes. maybe either doing garlic powder or fresh garlic but definitely not both. I may even abandon the garlic all together and see how it tastes. I ended up adding an extra 1/4 C. of water because the Worcester sauce was starting to burn to the bottom of the pan in the first 10 min of cook time.
I also sauteed the onions before putting them in because the hubby prefers the onions to be fully cooked and I was afraid the mushrooms would become over cooked if I did them together.
Garlic lovers enjoy, all others beware this may not be the right thing for you. (I think I scared the hubby with this one.. he was a little overwhelmed by it.)

Get this recipe HERE

"I have long believed that good food, good eating is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure." ~Anthony Bourdain

Chicken In Mushroom Sauce

I found this recipe that happened to have ingredients that I have on hand. Good for me since I did not feel like shopping! Simple and by Campbell's who could go wrong?
I had to adjust the recipe in 2 ways, First it says to brown the chicken in the pan, I browned both sides and it took way under 10 minutes, I covered the pan for about 3 minutes, turned the chicken over and covered for 3 more minutes. That way it could brown and cook without becoming to brown on the outside or undercooked later. Second, it says to simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is done, I waited 5 minutes and there was still some pink in the center so I flipped the chicken and left it to simmer for another 5 minutes. Other then what I have mentioned I had no other problems.
The chicken itself was very good, and the sauce moistened the chicken and the rice to perfection. I also made a green bean casserole as a side dish, as I had a large can of cream of mushroom and did not want to waste. The Hubby's response "Mmm", good sign there!
This will be going into my recipe books to made again, with the adjustments of course.

You can find the recipe HERE.

There is no love sincerer then the love of food ~ George Bernard Shaw

Creation

I love to cook and try new recipes. So why not share what I have found! Some recipes I use are from books, some from the internet, and some are family recipes passed on through the generations. I make my own creations at times, some come out great... some not so great, but at least I gave it a try right? Some of these recipes are very basic, some take time and patience. Hope you enjoy!

-When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. ~Laiko Bahrs