Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

A friend of mine shared with me recently the concept of slow cooker freezer meals- something I'd never heard of but instantly wanted to try! It's 2 of my favorite dinner ideas combined- so definitely a winner!

Here are the 5 meals I put together the other day:

They are: 

1. Mom's Chili

2. Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

3. Beef and Mushrooms

4. Chicken Cacciatore

5. Cilantro Lime Chicken

I got all these recipes (plus tons more) from HERE

(A very cool blog called "Six Sisters Stuff")

(Although I did prepare a chili recipe); one thing I love about the variety of slow cooker recipes offered on this blog, is that it's not all soups, stews and chili. I think we're all tired of making those things in our crock pot. Especially since the days are getting warmer. 

These recipes are the core of your dinner- what you serve with them can be as simple or as complicated as you like. -I am, of course, going for simple after the new baby gets here. 

For example: For my Beef and Mushrooms dish, I've already put back boil-in-the-bag rice and some microwave veggie steamers. The Chicken Cacciatore will be complete with boiled pasta and my (already in the freezer) garlic bread. For the Cilantro Lime Chicken I've frozen the tortillas and toppings to make it into tacos.

Even if you don't have a baby coming, stocking your freezer with some of these meal every couple of weeks could save lots of time and $$$. :)

ENJOY!

S'mores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's FALL!! 

Well, okay... it's still in the upper 90's here in Houston, but tomorrow's October people! We gotta start celebrating fall some time right? Maybe cooler weather is on it's way!

*fingers crossed*

I tend to think of the seasons in terms of clothing and food.

(What can I say? I love fashion, and I love to eat! ;)

Fall is time for Stews, Chili, Pecan Pie, Heavy Spice Cakes, Hot Cider, Pumpkin Bread....

Oh, and S'MORES!!!

I love, love, LOVE S'mores...

and here's a unique way to enjoy that incredible trifecta of flavors:

You know the drill...

get your marshmallows, chocolate bars & grahams ready...

Mix up your fav Chocolate Chip cookie recipe...

(or use a mix... whatever)

Build your S'more using only 1/4 or 1/2 of the usual amounts.

(Example: I used 2 mini marshmallows, 1 square of a miniature Hershey bar,

& 2 rectangles of a graham.)

Then put a heaping scoop of cookie dough on the top and bottom.

Alright, here's the tricky part. You have to mold the dough around your S'more. Don't worry about the S'more getting messed up, it really doesn't matter just as long as you enclose the cookie dough around the entire thing, forming a big ball.

My mouth is watering just remembering what these tasted like

fresh out of the oven....

Mmmmm.....

Now, I must warn you: These are some BIG cookies! Using the amounts I listed above, mine turned out about 7 inches wide. Sometimes you have to keep adding cookie dough to get it all molded together. You can use less S'more ingredients if you want smaller cookies.

Just be sure to give these babies plenty of room to spread on the cookie sheet!

Bon Appetit!

Aunt Lucille's Buttermilk Pound Cake

I generally make this cake in the fall and winter months.... but I was TOTALLY craving this last week and just had to make it! I gotta tell ya, I'm not one who purchases pound cake @ the grocery store. If it's not homemade and fabulous like this one, I don't care to waste the calories. ;)

This one is WORTH IT!!!

3 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

1/2 c. shortening

3 tsp. oil (vegetable or canola)

3 c. all-purpose flour

5 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond flavoring*

Cream butter and sugar. Mix in next 3 ingredients, then mix eggs in one at a time. Add remaining ingredients to mixture, stirring well. Bake @ 350F for 1 hour.

*You can substitute other flavorings if you want to play around with the taste... but the almond is fantastic!

Homeade Granola

Well, Becky's post about her homemade granola bars inspired me to make some as well :) I haven't made homemade granola in YEARS and I don't know why.

It's so much cheaper,
so much healthier
and so much yummier!!

Now that Benjamin eats snacks every day our grocery bill has gone up a little so this is really gonna help out with that!

I make substitutions EVERY time I make this recipe- just depending on what I have in the pantry or what I'm in the mood for- but, here's the original recipe:


6 c. rolled oats
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. sliced almonds
1 c. coconut
3/4 c. sesame seeds

1 c. honey
1/2 c. water
3/4 c. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla

Here's what I made today...   (Craisins in the place of the coconut, and chocolate chips in the place of the sesame seeds... oh, and I halved the recipe.)

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl...

...and pour into the oats mixture.

Toast on a greased baking sheet @ 325F.

I always cut half into bars, and I break up the other half to eat over yogurt.

YUMMO!

Easy right?

Yummy Holiday Treats

Potatoe Chip Cookies

Sis. Beverly Rushing brought these (along with her recipe) to a cookie exchange years ago. I've been making them ever since & my family and friends LOVE them!

I liken them to pecan sandies- but just a little better due to that "secret" ingredient.

Tip: don't tell people they have potatoe chips in them- make them guess what it is. :)

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 12 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup crushed potatoe chips (original Lay's is fine)

1 cup chopped pecans

Powdered sugar

Cream together butter and sugar. Gradually add flour and mix well. Add vanilla & chips. Mix. Stir in nuts last. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet by spoonful, and flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in powdered sugar. Bake @ 350F for 8-10 minutes.

Strawberry Cake

Here's what I'm making tonight....

well... sorta. I'm actually allergic to strawberries. Yep... sad. But, I'll give you the original recipe then fill you in at the bottom about what I do so I can eat it :)

This Strawberry Cake is incredibly moist and pretty dense (the way I like cake if ya haven't figured that out yet ;)

Cake:

1 box white cake mix

1 box instant strawberry jello (regular small size)

1/2 of the tub frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed & pureed

Follow cake mix directions as normal, then stir in dry jello mix and thawed, pureed strawberries. Be careful not to over mix. Bake cake @ 350F degrees until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly before icing.

Icing:

1 box powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 tub frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed

Pour off a little of the juice from the thawed strawberries, then mix with the butter and powdered sugar. (Use hand held mixer on medium speed- I don't puree berries for icing due to the hand held mixer sorta doing that job.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got this scrumptous recipe from my mother-in-law Donna Mofley. She makes it a lot for family dinners. The most I could ever do was smell it and watch other people eat. I think I snuck a TINY bite every now and then- hoping my tongue wouldn't swell as a result...

Then, I decided to revise the recipe so I could eat it! Besides the color of the cake being darker, there's not much difference in the 2 versions. Nick says they taste about the same to him. Here's what I do:

Instead of strawberry jello, I buy raspberry.

Instead of frozen strawberries, I buy a bag of frozen raspberries... except they don't come in the tub with syrup, so I put them in a saucepan and cook them down with a little sugar to taste. Now I can indulge like everyone else- YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

White Chili Recipe

You've simply got to try this fabulous fabulous FABULOUS White Chili recipe! It's a new family favorite for us. Delish!

1 pound (boneless skinless) chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch cubes (may substitute smoked turkey or smoked ham))

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cans (14 oz.) northern or small white beans (undrained)

1 can chicken broth

2 cans (4 oz. chopped) green chilis

1 teaspoon (ground) cumin

1 teaspoon (dried) oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1 cup whipping cream or evaporated milk

Directions:

1) Sprinkle chicken pieces with garlic powder and salt. In a skillet over medium-high heat, saute' chicken in olive oil 4 to 5 minutes, stirring. Transfer meat to 4-quart slow cooker; add next seven ingredients, up to sour cream. Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours.

2) Turn off cooker and add sour cream and whipping cream/milk. Stir well. Serve chili over a sweet cornbread.

Soooo yummy on a cold night! :)

Easy Peanut Butter Pie

Easy Peanut Butter Pie

(pictured here without the whipped topping)

LOVE this pie! And LOVE how easy it is to throw together!

8 oz. cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. milk

3/4 c. peanut butter

9 oz. cool whip

1 graham cracker crust

Mix first 4 ingredients plue 1/2 of cool whip. Spoon mixture into crust and top with remaining cool whip. Regrigerate until set (about 3 hours.)

Note: If you prefer a firmer pie, store in the freezer. To serve, thaw for about 10 minutes.

Cowboy Stew

Cowboy Stew!!!

A family favorite of ours... We serve this a lot at family dinners & parties, and we ALWAYS make this up ahead of time for camping trips!! Don'tcha just LOVE one dish dinners?!

Warning: there are NO measurements in this recipe! (I rarely measure things out unless I'm baking.) But, here's what I put in it...

Ground Beef, browned & drained

Green Bell Peppers, finely chopped & sauteed

Yellow Onion, finely chopped & sauteed

Garlic Cloves, finely minced & sauteed

Kidney Beans or Ranch-Style beans

Canned Corn, drained a little

Stewed Tomatoes with juice, chopped up

Season to taste with...

Chili Powder

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Ranch Dressing

..... and MORE CHILI POWDER!

Chocolate Sheath Cake

Well, I suppose that today, I'll post my favorite chocolate cake recipe... it being my birthday and all!

Chocolate Sheath Cake

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This cake is moist and rich-slightly dense in texture. I guess it all depends on how you like your chocolate cake... but this one is my favorite!!!

(I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, Donna Mofley, who got it years ago from the elder Sis. Duncan from the Houston Gospel Assembly.)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 pkg. Baker's German Chocolate
2 tbsp. cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda, dissolved in buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Grease and flour 11x17 pan. Blend flour and sugar. Melt butter, chocolate and cocoa in saucepan over low heat. Bring to a boil. Remove from stove and add water. Pour into flour/sugar mixture. Add buttermilk/soda mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bake @ 400F degrees for 20 min.

Icing:

1 stick butter
1/2 pkg. Baker's German Chocolate
2 tbsp. cocoa
2 tbsp. milk

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Pour over 1 box of powdered sugar. Mix well. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 cup chopped pecans (optional.)

I like to ice this cake while it's still a little bit warm! :)

Enjoy!

Hopie's Spinach Quiche

Hopie's Spinach Quiche

I got this recipe from the late Sis. Hope Deluna. When I was about 12, I tagged along with my grandparents to her house one night after church for some late night refreshments. She served this quiche along with some iced-tea, and I asked her for the recipe. (I was cooking full meals long before that age. Cooking has always been a favorite hobby of mine!) When she gave me the recipe it was titled "Annie's Quiche". I do not know who "Annie" was, so I have changed the title in honor of Sis. Hope. She was such a sweetheart!

Hope you enjoy!

1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed fine

Grease a deep dish pie pan/tart pan. (If your pan is shallow, this recipe will make two.) Line pan with cracker crumbs, pressing them around edges and on bottom to form crust.

4 oz. colby & monterey jack cheese-grated  (I substitute various cheeses depending on what I have on hand.)

1/2 white or yellow onion, sauteed

1-10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach - cook, drain, and set aside to cool

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

Mix the above 4 ingredients and press down evenly in pie pan on top of cracker crumbs.

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 tsp. salt

Mix the above 3 ingredients with a whisk. Pour mixture over other ingredients in pie pan.

Bake @ 325F for 35-45 minutes, or until center rises and is "set". (To test this, use oven mitts to pick up pan from out of oven, and tilt very slightly from side to side. If the center of the quiche appears firm and does not move, it's "set".)

Optional: Fry 4 strips of bacon until crisp, and crumble over quiche 10 minutes into baking. (We don't eat pork, we I either use beef or turkey bacon.)

Another option: Sometimes I sautee' 1/2 cup of diced mushrooms in with my onions. It's a good addition if you don't intend to top with bacon. (This will increase the volume of your quiche, so make sure your pan is big enough.)

Coffee Shortbread Cookies

Coffee Shortbread

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes EVER! I got this recipe out of Taste of Home magazine years ago, and I can't tell you how many times I've made these! These are easy and so delicious. I'll bet you can't eat just one! :) 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules (or instant cappuccino mix)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup vanilla or white chips, melted

Directions:

In a bowl, cream butter, sugars and coffee granules. Gradually beat in flour and salt.


On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-in. to 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.


Bake at 300° for 20-22 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool. Drizzle with melted chips. Yield: about 5 dozen
 
 
Picture Credit: Taste of Home

Sweet Corn Muffins Recipe

last night...

I made White Chili and Sweet Corn Muffins for dinner- not usually something I make in the summer months, but the weather was stormy and that always calls for some warm comfort food! It was absolutely delicious! I was just recently given the recipe for these sweet (almost cake-like) muffins. They are the best I've ever had! Try them yourself and see what ya think:

Sweet Corn Muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (or from a can, drained)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease or line 12 muffin cups. (I used larger muffin tins and got 8.)

2. In  a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, honey, eggs & salt. Mix in flour, cornmeal & baking powder, blending thoroughly. Stir in milk and corn. Pour or spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

Serve with something hot that'll "stick to your bones", and you've got yourself a rainy weather meal! :)

Try this side dish next time you heat up the grill!

Well, my Internet was down for a few days... We had an amazing storm here Sunday night, but the skies cleared in time for a gorgeous Memorial Day! Blue skies, puffy white clouds, and HOT temperatures. Thought I'd share this yummy side dish recipe with y'all. I got this recipe from my friend Denise Young a few years back at our Family Camp fish fry. Don't think she'll mind me sharing! :)

Here's hoping you have LOTS of barbeque's this summer!

Corny Frito Salad

2 cans of kernel corn, drained

1 small chopped bell pepper

1 medium purple onion, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
chopped celery
1/2 cup mayo
1 package ranch dressing mix

1-5 oz. bag Chili Cheese Fritos (use Hot and Spicy Fritos for more of a kick!)

Mix first 5 ingredients. In a seperate bowl, mix mayo and ranch dressing mix. Stir into veggies and mix well. Refrigerate overnight. Add chips just before serving (otherwise they will get soggy.)

Enjoy!

My "Julia Child" Moment... Very Short-Lived

This past December....

I watched the film, "Julie and Julia". I really enjoyed watching it- if only for all of the cooking scenes. Before watching this movie, I really didn't know much about Julia Child...  I LOVE HER! She was so funny. And, like Julia, I really love to cook, and I REALLY love to eat!! After the movie I was feeling quite inspired, so I decided to try one of her recipes: the Reine De Saba (Queen of Sheba) cake made in the film. Here is the recipe:

Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat (Chocolate and Almond Cake with Chocolate Icing)

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Canada, UK), by Julia Child, Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle.

This extremely good chocolate cake is baked so that its center remains slightly underdone; overcooked, the cake loses its special creamy quality. It is covered with a chocolate-butter icing, and decorated with almonds. Because of its creamy center it needs no filling. It can be made by starting out with a beating of egg yolks and sugar, then proceeding with the rest of the ingredients. But because the chocolate and the almonds make a batter so stiff it is difficult to fold in the egg whites, we have chosen another method, that of creaming together the butter and sugar, and then incorporating the remaining items.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

4 ounces or squares semisweet chocolate melted with 2 Tb rum or coffee
1/4 lb. or 1 stick softened butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 Tb granulated sugar
2/3 cup pulverized almonds
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour (scooped and leveled) turned into a sifter

For the Icing:

2 ounces (2 squares) semisweet baking chocolate
2 Tb rum or coffee
5 to 6 Tb unsalted butter

Equipment:

A round cake pan 8 inches in diameter and 1-1/2 inches deep
A 3-quart mixing bowl
A wooden spoon or an electric beater
A rubber spatula
A cake rack
A small covered pan
A larger pan of almost simmering water
A wooden spoon
A bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them
A small flexible-blade metal spatula or a table knife

Instructions:

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Butter and flour the cake pan. Set the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan, cover, and place (off heat) in a larger pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe. Measure out the rest of the ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture.

Beat in the egg yolks until well blended.

Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.

With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in almonds, and almond extract. Immediately stir one fourth of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one third of the flour and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour are incorporated.

Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to its rim with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2-1/2 to 3 inches around the circumference are set so that a needle plunged into that area comes out clean; the center should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and a needle comes out oily.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.

For the Icing:

Place the chocolate and rum or coffee in the small pan, cover, and set in the larger pan of almost simmering water. Remove pans from heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so, until perfectly smooth. Lift chocolate pan out of the hot water, and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. Then beat over the ice and water until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency. At once spread it over your cake with spatula or knife, and press a design of almonds over the icing.

Yield: For an 8-inch cake serving 6 to 8 people

Like Honey Buns??

Do you like Honey Buns?? Well this cake is BETTER!! So delicious- and one of the easiest cakes you'll ever make! When I don't have time to make something from scratch, this cake is a life saver- and it has that "homemade taste". Always a crowd pleaser! :)

Honey Bun Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix

4 eggs, beaten

3/4 c. oil (I use canola)

1 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. pecans (chopped, if you like)

1. Heat oven to 325F. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish.

2. Combine cake mix, eggs and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes, until lumps are dissolved. Spread half of mixture in greased pan.

3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle over batter in pan. Carefully spread remaining batter over pecan mixture.

4. Bake about 45 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all 3 ingredients, stirring until the mixture is thin enough to spread. Poke holes in top of warm cake with a fork, then drizzle glaze over top of cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Store covered at room temperature.  YUM!!!