crock pot chicken and gravy

Simply put, our afternoons are crazy so out of necessity I have been trying out more slow cooker recipes.   This recipe is insanely easy to make and the kids love it.

crock pot chicken and gravy (blog: Plain Chicken)
2 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope of chicken gravy mix
hot steamed rice or mashed potatoes

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Before serving bread the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.  Serve over hot steamed rice or mashed potatoes.

What I have to say- I put the soup and gravy mix in the crock pot with 2 large frozen chicken breasts (Foster Farms from Costco).  I started the temperature at high then when the chicken looked defrosted I turned it down to low for about 4 hours.

southwestern stuffed peppers

These stuffed peppers are delicious- the flavors are simple yet distinct.  Another great recipe from Real Simple Magazine.  If you aren't already a subscriber I highly recommend it.  It's a simple, classy magazine unlike so many others that are out there.  You get a bit of everything from fashion to finances to really delicious recipes.  Say goodbye to old fashioned Italian stuffed peppers (I've never liked them) and hello to these.

southwestern stuffed peppers (adapted slightly from Real Simple Magazine, February 2012)
1 cup brown rice, cooked
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup frozen corn
1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
kosher salt and black pepper
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
1/2 cup light sour cream
salsa for serving (I used Tapatio sauce)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook the rice according to package directions.
In a large skillet over medium high heat cook the ground beef and scallions (white parts), breaking up the beef with a spoon until no longer pink.  Stir in the corn, chilies, cumin, cooked rice, 1/2 cup of the cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
Arrange the bell peppers, cut-side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish or pan.  Divide the beef mixture among the bell peppers, add 1/2 cup water to the dish, tightly cover the dish with foil, and bake until the bell peppers are soft, 30 to 40 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake until browned, 5 to 7 minutes more.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cram and 1/4 cup water.  Drizzle over the bell peppers and top with salsa and scallion greens.

baked club pinwheels

My kids and I loved these.  We took the original recipe and made it a little healthier by making homemade whole wheat bread dough.  My oldest asked why we have to make everything whole wheat as though I'm trying to make her life miserable but she ate the most pinwheels. :)

baked club pinwheels (idea from blog: Plain Chicken)
6 slices pre-cooked bacon, chopped
whole wheat bread dough or whole wheat pizza dough
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
5 slices thinly sliced deli turkey
5 slices thinly sliced deli ham
5 slices thinly sliced deli roast beef

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Roll out dough to an 11x7 rectangle.  Sprinkle cheese over dough.  Top with bacon first then turkey, ham and roast beef.  Starting with long side, roll up dough; press edges to seal.  Place on sprayed cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes.  Cut into 1-inch diagonal slices

whole wheat dough (or use Trader Joe's refrigerated whole wheat pizza dough)
1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
enough whole wheat flour to make a nice, soft dough

Pour yeast into a medium sized bowl.  Add water, salt and olive oil.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Add enough whole wheat flour to make a nice, soft dough, kneading as you go along.  Place your ball of dough back in the bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap.  Let rise for 1 hour.

What I have to say- Next time I will add 1 cup Mozzarella cheese to the sandwich.

baked bacon

When I saw that you can cook bacon in the oven instead of frying it, only to create a big greasy mess, I was so excited!  I had to try it out on my baked club pinwheels.  Have you ever read the cooking directions for bacon on the package?  Apparently I'd never read my bacon package before but I should have because the baking instructions are right there and have probably been there for awhile.

baked bacon 
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place bacon side-by-side on a cookie sheet with a rim.  Bake for 15 minutes for perfect bacon.  How easy is that?!

pudding cookies

These cookies seemed to have a good reputation so I thought I'd give them a try.  They're great!  They make a great big batch (6 dozen) and were perfect to serve at my kid's movie matinee party today.  They invited a few friends to eat hot dogs, popcorn, M&M pudding cookies and drink soda and lemonade.  Spoiled kids...

pudding cookies (blog: Sunday Baker)
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups of add-ins (M&Ms, chocolate chips, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, candy bars, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir together flour and baking soda in a separate bowl and set aside; in a large bowl, cream butter, brown and white sugar.  Beat in pudding mix until well blended.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.  When smooth, slowly add in the flour mixture.  Add the fillers.  Shape into 1" balls and  bake for 8-12 minutes until just right.

What I have to say- the pudding in the dough made the dough smell kind of funny, like if you've ever tried to make cookies from a vanilla cake mix.  Never fear, they will turn out nicely unlike when you try to make cookies from a vanilla cake mix.

vanilla ice cream in a bag

I took my kids to Mother Goose Asks Why at the library.  They always do an outstanding job.  This time my kids learned about solids and liquids and this very nice lady demonstrated how to make ice cream in a bag.  You don't need a fancy ice cream maker- just a ziplock bag!

vanilla ice cream in a bag (from the nice lady at the library and inside book Change It! Solids, Liquidfs, Gases and You by Adrienne Mason)
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
1 small sealable plastic bag
1 large sealable plastic bag
12 ice cubes
2 tablespoons salt

Put the milk, vanilla and sugar into the small plastic bag.  Seal the bag.
Place the ice cubes in the large plastic bag.  Sprinkle the salt on the ice.
Place the small bag in the large bag.  Seal the large bag well.
Put on some music and shake the bag for 10 minutes.
Scoop your ice cream into a bowl and enjoy.

artichokes au gratin

I know it doesn't look like much, just a lot of cheesy cheese.  Underneath and surrounded by cheese you'll find big chunks of artichoke hearts and because I used pepper jack cheese there are also spicy peppers throughout.  Yum!  This dish was actually better the second day.  Next time I might throw in some pimientos for color and some sour cocktail onions for good measure.


artichokes au gratin (served at our church Christmas party)
2 cans (14 ounces each) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup butter, divided (I used 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided (I used jalapeno jack)
1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon paprika


In a small skillet, saute the artichokes and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter until tender (I did not use any butter or oil).  Transfer to a greased 1-quart baking dish.
In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth.  Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from the heat.  Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to pan, stirring constantly.  Stir in 1/4 cup cheese until melted.  Pour over artichokes; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Combine crumbs and paprika; sprinkle over top.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.  Yield: 6 servings

What I have to say- this recipe was so popular it was sent out in the weekly RS update.