Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

This was very tasty...and as Jason would say "This is good s@#!". I had been wanting to make this recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com, and I finally had the perfect chance because we currently have no stove. We moved a week ago and have yet to take the time and buy a new one...actually we need to get a dishwasher too.

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

other spices - see My Notes below
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS

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.

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.

My Notes: I did not have an onion around so I added onion flakes. I also added some fresh garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I served it with a healthy dose of sour cream, shredded cheese and Utz White Corn Tortilla Chips.

Here is a photo of it without all the fatty goodness:

Apple Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze

That is one long name! This recipe was very good and easy to make. We had some apples that Jason's Grandparents got for us while they were in the Mountains and I wanted to make something special with them. I came across this Emeril recipe on the Food Network website and thought it would be the perfect thing to try because I had all the ingredients on hand. Jason helped me out my peeling and coring the apples =)!

INGREDIENTS

Cake:
1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Brown Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
a dash of nutmeg (I added this to the recipe)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.

Sour Cream Muffins with Bacon and Cheese

When I saw Paula Deen makes these on the Food Network this past weekend I knew I had to try them out. Since they seemed more savory than sweet to me I added the bacon and cheese. These are so good that even Paula Deen doesn't add butter to them when she eats them!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups self-rising flour
2 sticks butter, melted
1/2 pint sour cream
chopped cooked bacon (I added this)
shredded cheese (I added this)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients and spoon into small, un-greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. (You do not need to the grease the muffin tins because of all the butter in the mix). Yield: 24 small muffins or 12 large muffins.

I halved the recipe and they came out great! I can't wait to make a full batch for the holidays.

Cheesy Dill Hashbrown Patty

I was home and had no clue what I wanted to eat and I did not feel like cooking a meal for myself. So...this is what I came up with...

potato (mostly peeled and grated)

oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

salt and pepper to taste

dill to taste and for garnish

sour cream

In a skillet I heated up some oil and then added my grated potato (medium heat). Add salt, pepper and dill to taste. As you cook the potato try to keep one flat layer; stir and flip it as you go. Once it is just about done sprinkle your shredded cheese over potato. Starting from the edges start to form your patty (the cheese really helps it stick together). Once patty is formed cook for about 30 seconds, flip and cook another 30 seconds. Transfer to your plate (you may want to drain off some of the oil first), then garnish with some sour cream and dill.

This was really good and I plan to make it more variations soon.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Caramel Sauce

It is that time of the year when pumpkin becomes popular and craved by many. Once again I turned to Allrecipes.com and I found this recipe. I added the caramel sauce to it and that made it even better! I can not wait to make this again for Thanksgiving!!!

INGREDIENTS
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving

Changes: After reading over some reviews I decided to use pumpkin pie mix instead of pumpkin puree since it already had the spices in it. I also added a little extra vanilla, cinnamon and sugar to the mix.

CARAMEL SAUCE

1 bag of caramels (14oz)
1 can of evaporated mix (12oz)

In a pan on the stove top heat up the caramels and evaporated milk together. Allow it to cool a little so it can thicken. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the cheesecake before serving and top with some whip cream. YUM!
PLEASE NOTE: If you do not want extra caramel sauce leftover when the cheesecake is gone you may want to halve this recipe.

Cabbage Jambalaya

When I saw cabbage on sale at the grocery store I went searching Allrecipes.com for a new way to use it. This recipe did not call for much seasoning so I added a lot to it and it was great!!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery
1 clove chopped garlic
1 medium head cabbage, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
14 1/2 fluid ounces water
1 cup uncooked rice
garlic salt to taste

I added the following to season it up: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, cumin, and lots of Creole Seasoning.

DIRECTIONS

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, combine ground beef, smoked sausage, onion, celery and garlic. Cook until beef is evenly brown. Stir in cabbage, tomatoes, water and rice. Season with garlic salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, or until rice is done.

Here are some of my changes: I used a can of petite diced tomatoes because that is what I had on hand. In place of water I used chicken broth. Since I do not like big pieces of onion I grated part of a red onion and used that. I also added more cabbage and liquid than the recipe called for, and I cooked it longer to soften the cabbage to our liking. For the meat I used turkey kielbasa and ground sirloin.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

As soon I as saw this on Chelley's blog I knew I had to try it. It was very good....and sweet! This is on our list for our housewarming party.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip (adapted from Recipezaar)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)
2. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla extract and set aside to cool.
3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.
4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.
7. Garnish with additional chips, if you choose.

I served this will Nilla Wafers. You could also use graham crackers, chocolate graham sticks or something else sweet!

I was happy it came out SO good because all the ingredients I used were Wal-Mart brand (except the chocolate chips and Nilla Wafers).

Marinated Baked Pork Chops

I found this recipe on Allrecipes while looking for something to do with pork chops I had gotten on sale. They came out very good, and I always like to find a recipe where I have all the ingredients on hand.


INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
6 pork chops, trimmed
*a few dashes of hot sauce (I added this to the recipe)


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup. *I found it easier to use a whisk to combine the items.
Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce. *Before spreading 1/2 the sauce I sprinkled the pork chops with some salt and pepper.
Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

I made this recipe with 4 pork chops and still used all the sauce. * = my changes and notes.

Salad Bites

While browsing some blogs I came across this idea in Cherrapeno's blog and thought it was the cutest thing.

Ingredients

cucumber

sundried tomatoes

cream cheese

salt

pepper

oregano

balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

toothpicks

Directions

1. Clean the outside of your cucumber and cut in half lengthwise.

2. Cut along the bottom of each half so the cucumber will be stable.

3. Scoop out the seeds and make a little well for the cream cheese.

4. Dry the inside of the cucumber with a paper towel.

5. Fill the cucumber with cream cheese (neatly).

6. Slice the cucumber in bite size pieces.

7. With your toothpick place on a piece of sundried tomato and stick the toothpick into the cream cheese through the cucumber.

8. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and oregano on top, and drizzle the balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil over the tops.

These were good and fun to eat. I think next time I will spice up the cream cheese and add an olive to the toothpick for some saltiness!

Quaker's Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Bars

I am not a big fan of oatmeal and raisins...but I made these for Jason and he thought they were good....but could of been a little sweeter for his taste. I want to try it next time w/ some chocolate chips. You really can not go wrong with Quaker Oatmeal's recipe. You can find this on their website or on the Quaker Oatmeal container.

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened (I used unsalted butter)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins

Preparation Steps

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Bar Cookies: Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered,24 BARS

VARIATIONS: Stir in 1 cup chopped nuts. Substitute 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or candy-coated chocolate pieces for raisins; omit cinnamon.Substitute 1 cup diced dried mixed fruit.

HIGH ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Increase flour to 1-3/4 cups and bake as directed.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Since I work 10 hour days I am try to use my slow cooker more so I can get other things done in the evening. I made this up just by using what I had on hand.

Bottom Round Roast

1 can tomato sauce

2 cups of water

2 beef bullion cubes

1 whole garlic clove

onion flakes

salt
pepper

thyme

I cooked mine on low for about 12 hours (it does not have to cook that long). It was very good!!

Need a side dish??? We used the broth in the slow cooker to make some rice...very tastey!

Olive, Basil and Garlic Bread

I used Joelen's "Sun-dried Tomato, Rosemary and Garlic Bread" recipe to inspire me for this one. Since I am not ready to try out yeast bread I was happy to see this recipe because there is not yeast involved...just beer!

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 -3 tablespoons basil garlic seasoning blend

1/4 cup finely chopped green olives with pimentos

1(12oz) can or bottle of beer (I used Budweiser)

cooking spray to grease loaf pan

Directions

Lightly grease loaf pan with cooking spray.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Combine all remaining ingredients except beer in a large bowl.Pour beer into the mixture and stir thoroughly - don't over mix!Pour bread batter into greased loaf pan.Bake 50-55 minutes in preheated oven.Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing.

My thoughts:

It was good, but not as much flavor as I was hoping for. It seemed more sweet than savory. But I am sure it didn't help that I forgot the salt and for some unknown reason I added baking soda. It was early that morning and I guess I could not read! I am going to play with it some more and I always want to try a sweet version.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Jason made these with some garden fresh tomatoes he got from his Dad. They were so good!

Batter

Cornmeal

Baking Powder

Flour

Oil

Canola

Bacon Grease

I do not have exact measurements, but the batter should be mostly cornmeal and fairly thick. Heat up your oil in a skillet, dip your sliced green tomatoes in the batter, place in oil and flip them so both sides are golden brown. Sprinkle with a good amount of salt as soon as you pull them out of the oil. Serve warm.

Super Simple Cake Cookies

I am not sure where I found this recipe...but they are really easy and I will be making them again soon in some other great variation. Everyone enjoyed them!

Ingredients

1 box cake mix (I use Funfetti)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I used canola oil - you can probably use less than 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons of instant french vanilla pudding
Canned frosting and sprinkles (you do not have to frost them)

Directions

Mix together the first four ingredients, drop batter on a lined cookie sheet (tablespoon size) and bake on 350 for 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool then frost them and add sprinkles.

Caramel-Apple Pudding Cake

I found this recipe in my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. It was WONDERFUL...and I usually do not like foods with cooked apples. This would be great in the fall time.

Ingredients

2 medium tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith or Jonathan, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (2 cups) - I used Granny Smith
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins (I used half raisins and half craisins)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter (no substitutes), melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter (no substitutes)
Vanilla Ice Cream - optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 2-quart square baking dish; arrange apple slices in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Top evenly with raisins; set aside.
3. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add milk, the 2 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla; mix well. Stir in nuts. Spread batter evenly over apple mixture.
4. Combine caramel topping, water, and the 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan; bring to boiling. Pour caramel mixture over the batter in the baking dish.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until set in center. Spoon warm individual servings into dessert dishes, inverting each portion. Spoon caramel-apple mixture from the pan over each portion. Makes 12 servings.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

This recipe was fantastic!!!! I do not think I will make pulled pork any other way. The recipe was found on allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

DIRECTIONS

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

My notes: I used Target brand root beer (Shhhh, don't tell) and Sweet Baby Ray's Hot and Spicy BBQ Sauce. Also, I added in some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Because of my work schedule the pork cooked for 11 hours...and it still came out great! When I got home I added in the BBQ sauce and let is cook for another 30 minutes.

Jason and I liked it so much we are hoping to serve it at a housewarming party IF we get the house!

Rice and Tomato Gravy

This side dish was something Jason's Great Grandma would make all the time. I changed it a little by adding in some other flavors. She would make plain white rice and not added any seasonings to the gravy....Jason's Great Grandfather loved it that way! This is something you can really make your own.

Gravy Part

1 can diced tomatoes
creole seasoning (a good amount)
cumin
smoked paprika
red pepper flakes
1/4 of water
flour and water mix

In a pan combine the first six ingredients. Heat on medium until every is hot and well combined. remove from heat and add in flour and water mixture to thicken gravy to your liking. Place back on heat and let it cook a little more so you do no taste the flour. Adjust the spices to your liking.

Rice Part (you can really do anything you'd like for the rice)

2 cups of water
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 cup of rice

Combine all the above ingredients in a pan, bring to a boil, cover and cook on low. Should be done in about 20-25 minutes.

Serve the gravy over the rice and you are done!

Crab Cakes

We wanted something new for dinner and since we did not want to pay the money for crab legs...we had crab cakes! I also made a "seafood" dip for the crab cakes. This recipe is from my Better Homes and Garden Cook Book.

Crab Cakes

INGREDIENTS

1 beaten egg
1 cup soft bread crumbs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion (1) (omitted this because I do not like onions)
1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill (omitted because I did not have any)
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (I used Phillip's Blackened Seafood Seasoning-you could also use Old Bay)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 16-ounce can pasteurized crab meat or two 6-1/2-ounce cans crab meat, drained, flaked, and cartilage removed
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons cooking oil
I added - cayenne pepper and dry ground mustard to the recipe

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium mixing bowl combine egg, soft bread crumbs, mayonnaise, green onion, dill, seafood seasoning, pepper, cayenne pepper and ground dry mustard. Stir in flaked crab meat. Divide mixture into 8 portions. Moisten hands and form each portion into a 2-1/2-inch patty.
2. Place crab cakes in a greased shallow baking pan. Combine the dry bread crumbs and cooking oil. Sprinkle over crab cakes pressing to adhere. Bake, uncovered, in a 450 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. (Or, do not place in baking pan; coat with crumbs as above. In an extra large skillet cook patties in 2 tablespoons hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until brown, turning halfway through cooking. Add additional oil, if necessary. Drain on paper towels.) Makes 4 servings (2 crab cakes per serving).

Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare as above through step 1. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Bake or fry as directed.

We fried ours and they were wonderful!!

Seafood Dip Recipe

Mayonnaise
Pimentos
Old Bay Seasoning

Pretty tasty and really simple!

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was late at night and I was in the mood to bake. I remembered seeing a simple three ingredient recipe for peanut butter cookies on allrecipes.com....so I tried it out. I added chocolate chips to mine!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
chocolate chips (I added this)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Combine ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool. Recipe doesn't make very many, so you could double recipe as you desire.

My tip: Be sure you press the cookie batter down with a fork on your baking sheet before you put them in the oven.

Creamy Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

Half a box large shells

1/2 pound ground hamburger (I used 93% lean)

1/2 bulk ground sausage (I used half of a Jimmy Dean roll)

4 ounces cream cheese

6 ounces sour cream

shredded mozzarella cheese

chopped garlic

dried oregano

dried thyme

red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Directions

Boil shells.

Brown hamburger and sausage, add in spices to your taste. Once meat is cooked drain fat and add in cream cheese, sour cream and mozzarella cheese. Mix until everything is incorporated. Fill cooked shells with mixture and place open side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle more mozzarella on top and bake until cheese is melted.

Other Successful Options: You could add mushrooms to the meat mixture, and you could also serve marinara sauce over the shells.