Spaghetti Carbonara

Last night I made a recipe from the Everyday Food magazine I got in the mail. It turned out pretty good and was a good change from lugging out the big crockpot. Tim liked it...he had seconds, you know it's good when your husband has seconds of what you make. The recipe was in the March 2006 issue of the magazine. It's a spin off of the Martha Stewart magazine empire. It's actually a really good magazine, I got this one for free to see what it was like. I give this recipe a 3.

Here's the recipe:

Serves 4
Prep time: 30 min.
Total Time: 30 min.

1 lb spaghetti
8 oz bacon (8 slices). cut 1 in. thick crosswise ( I used turkey bacon)coarse salt and ground pepper (I just used regular salt and pepper)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup half and half

1. Set a large pot of water to boil (for pasta). In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occansionally, until crisp, 8-12 min.; tranfer to a paper towel lined plate.

2. Salt boiling water generously; add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. (I'm guessing al dente means done).

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and half and half. Set aside.

4. Drain pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add hot pasta to egg mixture. Add bacon; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (heat from pasta will cook eggs).
Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Vegetable Chowder

This recipe comes from the Famous Brand Name recipe website and it turned out great! I figured I'd get one last hot winter meal in before it really gets warm outside....it went great with the bread bowls I made before. I give this recipe . For anyone who doesn't want to go through the link above, here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of potato soup
1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/3 cup half-and-half

Slow Cooker Directions
1. Combine chicken, broth, soup, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, onion, corn, garlic and thyme in slow cooker; mix well.
2. Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours.
3. Stir in half-and-half. Cover; cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until heated through.

Variation Add 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese just before serving, stirring over LOW heat until melted.

Chicken Enchiladas

Tonight was Chicken Enchiladas on pg 93*. This was an interesting recipe....it was more like enchilada lasagna than regular enchiladas. It was just layers of the ingredients. She only calls for 2 layers but I made 4 since I have a 5qt crock pot. It turned out awesome! I only cooked it on high for like an hour and a half.....basically you're just heating it up since you have to cook the chicken ahead of time. It was still awesome! You know those left overs will be gone quick! I give this recipe a 5 that's right 5 stars!

Ingredients

2 dozen corn tortillas
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 bottles (10 oz) green taco sauce
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup, condensed
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, with liquid
2 cups grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a greased slow cooker, layer half of each ingredient in the order listed above. Repeat with second layer. cover and cook on high heat 30 minutes and then on low heat
an additional 3 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

*see first post for referred cook book.

Savory Chicken Crescent Squares

Tonight I made another meal out of the "Favorite Recipes from Quilters" cook book. Savory Chicken Crescent Squares. These actually turned out pretty good. One word of caution....don't get the crescent rolls out of the fridge until you're ready to put them together. The dough gets too soft and it hard to make it stay together. Despite that, it was a great meal! I give this recipe . Recipe follows:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. margarine, softened
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp. minced onion
8 oz. pkg crescent rolls
1 tbsp margarine, melted
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed

1. Cream together cream cheese and 3 Tbsp. margarine. Add chicken, salt, pepper, milk and onion and mix well.
2. Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Press performations firmly to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup meat mixture into center of each rectangle. Pull corners of dough to top and twist slightly. Seal edges
3. Arrange in small rectangular baking dish (I used a baking sheet). Brush tops with 1 Tbsp. margarine. Sprinkle with croutons.
4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken Fajitas

Tonight....Chicken Fajitas on pg 90*. This was a really quick and easy recipe. It was awesome, I didn't even have to thaw the chicken! It turned out great. I only used 4 chicken breasts and we still had a ton of leftovers! I give this recipe a 4
*see first post for cook book name

Ingredients

4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 1/2 cups salsa
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
soft flour tortillas

Directions

Place all ingredients except tortillas in a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat 5-6 hours or on low heat 10-12 hours. Just before serving, remove fajita mixture with a spoon and shred chicken using 2 forks.

Place about 2 rounded tablespoons of chicken mixture in each flour tortilla and top with desired condiments. Fold and roll, Makes 8-10 servings.
Condiments for fajitas can include guacamole, sour cream, grated lettuce, grated cheese, and fresh salsa

Family Favorite Brisket

Last night I made brisket for the first time. The recipe is found on page 61*. This was also the first time I did a rub into meat of any kind. Let me tell you cutting off all that fat and then rubbing spices into meat isn't my favorite past time but, man it really did taste good. My sister even liked it and ate 3 pieces when she doesn't really eat a ton of meat. So I give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients

4 lbs fresh beef brisket
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste

Directions

Trim all excess fat from meat. Combine seasonings until well blended;
rub into brisket. Place meat in greased slow cooker, with the side that
had more fat on top, cutting to fit if necessary. Cover and cook on low
heat for 10-12 hours. Remove meat from liquid and cut across grain into
thin slices. Makes 4-6 servings.

*see first post for recipe citation information.

Relief Society food

Last night I didn't have to cook because it was Enrichment night! Don't you just love going to Enrichment and being fed....in more ways than one! We had a soup and salad buffet style dinner and it was great! What did my husband get? "Quality Time" with our son and reheated left overs!

Pork Chops and Mushrooms

The ides of March...

We don't really eat much pork in this family but I bought some to try out these recipes. Tonight's meal was Pork Chops and Mushrooms on pg 103*. This recipe actually turned out great! The only thing I changed was the amount of time I cooked it. It called for 6-8 hours on low and I cooked it for 3 hours on low. The pork chops came out great! I give this recipe a 4

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
2 medium onions, sliced
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup, condensed

Directions

Place meat in greased slow cooker. Top with onions and mushrooms. In a separate bowl, combine soup mix, water, and soup. Pour over mushrooms and pork chops. cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Makes 4 servings.

*see first post for cook book name

Scalloped Chicken

Tonight was Scalloped Chicken on pg 70*. This was one of the easiest recipes. Just a box of scalloped potatoes (I used augratin potatoes), a can of white meat chicken and some water. And it tasted great! I'm sure you could use any box of potato type stuff with it. You didn't even have to prepare the potatoes ahead of time. Very easy! Mine came out kind of watery so I just added some potato flakes to thicken it up and it was great! I give this recipe a 4

Ingredients

1 box (5 oz) scalloped potatoes, including seasoning packet
1 can (8 oz or larger) white meat chicken
3 3/4 cups water

Directions

Put potatoes in greased slow cooker first, followed by seasoning packet and
chicken. Pour water over all. Cover and cook on high heat 1 1/2 - 2
hours or on low heat 4-5 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

*see first post for cookbook

Crab Corn Bisque

Well since I'm nearing the end of the recipes in the crock pot cook book....well more boring of them really, I thought I'd give you the recipes that I find in other places that I make and like. Tonight was Crab Corn Bisque and it's found in the "Favorite Recipes from Quilters" cookbook on pg 55. I found quite a few recipes I've liked in this book so maybe you will too. I was a little skeptical of this recipe since you make it entirely in the microwave but it turned out pretty good. I give this recipe a 3

Makes 6 servings

2 Tbsp. margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 tsp. thyme
10 3/4 oz. can cream of potato soup
1 1/2 cups milk
17 oz. can creamed corn
12 oz. imitation crab meat

1. Melt margarine in a 3-quart casserole dish in microwave on high.
2. Add chopped vegetables and thyme and cover with plastic wrap which has several slits in top. Cook in microwave on high for 5 minutes, stirring one time.
3. Stir in all remaining ingredients, cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on high for 7 minutes or until boiling hot. Serve.

I cooked up some crescent rolls to go with it!

Easy Flank Steak

Well tonight we had Flank Steak on pg 58*. It actually turned out really good! You could probably use this same recipe with chicken too. I just used a regular round cut steak (even though she call for flank steak). I don't really even know what that is. The other thing is I shortened the time for cooking. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of the steak and I think mine was only 1lb. But the recipe called for cooking it on low for 8-10 hours.....so I put it on low and at 2 1/2 hours it was basically done so I put it on warm for another 30 minutes and then we ate it..... It was completely done and very tender! I give this recipe a 4!

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut to fit in
slow cooker
1/3 cup water
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, with liquid
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Place meat in greased slow cooker. Combine other
ingredients and sprinkle over the top of meat. Cover and cook on low heat
8-10 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

*see first post for cookbook name

Cheesy Chicken Noodles

Tonight....Cheesy chicken noodles. On pg 74. * It turned out pretty good. The recipe called for 6 chicken breasts but I thought, hey that's a lot of chicken to make for 2 people so I only used 4. The sauce turned out a little runny though so if you're going to use less chicken then next time I would use less milk in the recipe than what it calls for to thicken up the sauce. Still a great meal. I give the recipe a 3. I'll make this one again.

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) broccoli cheese soup, condensed
2 cups milk
1/2 cup dried minced onion
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
egg noodles, already cooked

Directions

Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients
except noodles and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 1 hour
and then reduce to low heat and cook 5-6 hours. Serve over hot cooked
noodles. Makes 6 servings.

*See first post for cookbook title.

Sweet and sour beef

Tonight's meal was Sweet and Sour Beef. Let's just say I won't be making this recipe again. It's just beef, carrots and sweet and sour sauce. Not much to it. And to quote Tim "It's not disgusting or anything but it's not my favorite" now there's a first from his mouth. I have to admit it wasn't my favorite meal either.....I give this recipe 1/2 a star.

Ingredients

2lbs stew meat, cubed
1 bottle (10 oz) sweet and sour sauce
1 cup shredded carrots
4-6 cups hot cooked rice

Directions

Combine all ingredients except rice in greased slow cooker. Cover and
cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Ladle over hot cooked rice. Makes 4-6
servings.

Sunday Chicken

Tonight's meal was Sunday Chicken on pg 78*. Which is fitting because it is Sunday. This was a great recipe, it's really simple too. Just watch it if you end up cooking it on high heat...it doesn't really need the full 4 hours. It can be served over rice or noodles too. It makes a lot of sauce if you only make 4 pieces of chicken in it. But you do have the option to make 6 pieces instead. I give this recipe a 4!

Ingredients

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) cream of chicken soup, condensed
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream or 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

Directions

Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients
except sour cream and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 4
hours or on low heat 6-8 hours. One hour before serving stir in sour
cream. Makes 4-6 servings.

*Refer to first post for the name of the cookbook.

Burton's Minestrone

Tonight's recipe was Burton's Minestrone on pg 31. This food didn't burn which was nice.....and Tim really liked it. I however thought it could have been better and I will make the following adjustments to it when I make it again....It calls for 2 cans of pork and beans.....well you can taste it pretty well I thought and that's not what Minestrone soup is supposed to taste like so instead I would add 4 cans of Minestrone soup instead of 2 and the pork and beans. The other adjustment I would make is the Worcestershire sauce....you could taste that pretty strong too. If you like the stuff then leave the amount the way it is...if not, I would use less of it say maybe just a tablespoon of it. Otherwise the soup was really good and I'm sure it'll be even better when I make it again. I give this recipe 3 1/2 with the possibilities of it being better next time.

Ingredients

1/2 to 1lb ground beef, browned and drained
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) minestrone soup, condensed
2 cups water
2 cans (15 oz each) pork and beans
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried minced onion or 1 large fresh onion chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp oregano

Directions

Combine all ingredients in greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on low
heat 3-5 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

Simple Beef Stroganoff

So last night was Beef Stroganoff on pg 54. It turned out pretty good. I did have to watch it closely so it didn't burn. The recipe says cook on low for 6-10 hours, so I figured 4 hours on high was just as good. Well at 2 hours on high I had to turn it to low and after another hour and after adding the sour cream it only cooked for another 30 minutes. There isn't much liquid in this one, so watch this one carefully. I give this recipe a 3 1/2 it was good but it wasn't my favorite thing from this book. I will make it again though.

Ingredients

1lb stew meat, cubed
1/2 cup dried minced onion
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup, condensed
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms, drained
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 cup sour cream or 1 package (8oz) cream cheese

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for sour cream in greased slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Add sour cream the last hour of
cooking. Makes 4-6 servings.

Spoon over hot noodles.

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

And for tonight.....broccoli-cheese soup on pg 41 of the "101 things to do with a slow cooker" cook book. This recipe called for 2 packages of frozen chopped broccoli but I used fresh broccoli instead that I cut up myself. Since there wouldn't be any water coming from the non frozen broccoli, I added just a little bit of water. This recipe turned out pretty good, it did need a little more salt than called for but maybe that's just my taste. Also it called to cook it on 2-3 hours on high....I would make sure you turn it off at 2 hours. I let mine go a little bit longer and it started to look like it was going to burn on one side. I give this recipe a 4, Tim seemed to like it a lot, he'll be taking it for lunch tomorrow while he's at school so that must mean it was pretty good!

Ingredients

2 packages (16 oz each) frozen chopped broccoli
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) cheddar cheese soup, condensed
2 can (12 oz each) evaporated milk
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients in greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on
high heat 2-3 hours or on low heat 4-5 hours. Makes 4-6 servings

.

Tortilla Soup

Tonight's meal.....Tortilla soup on pg 39. This was actually a really good recipe and tasted like tortilla soup you'd get in a good mexican restaurant. So I definitely recommend it. The only downside is you have to cook and shred the chicken first before even putting it in the crock pot. Make sure you read that part of the recipe before you try putting it all together....what I did to make the cooking and shredding part go fast is I used my fake George Foreman grill which cooks meat really quickly so it didn't take as long as it normally does. This recipe calls for Cumin.....what the heck is that? Well I didn't know until I bought it for this recipe and let me tell you it has a very distinct smell. It's the smell of a taco seasoning packet you buy at the store. Well anyway it makes your house smell great while it's cooking and it tastes great too! I give this recipe a 4 I will definitely make this one again.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
2 cans (14 oz each) stewed tomatoes, chopped with liquid
1 cup medium salsa
2 Tbsp dried cilantro
1 Tbsp ground cumin
3-4 flour or corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
cheese, grated

Directions

Combine all ingredients except tortillas strips in greased slow
cooker. Cover and cook on high heat 4-6 hours or on low heat 8-10
hours. Ladle hot soup into individual serving bowls over strips of flour
tortillas and grated cheese. Makes 6-8 servings.

Devils food cake....

Well tonight I made the Italian Chicken and Mushrooms again, this time I actually had mushrooms. It's my sister's birthday so I thought I'd make dinner for her. I was going to make one of the cake recipes in the cookbook but I used the crock pot for dinner so I just made a Devils Food cake but with some modifications.....I added some chocolate chips and a can of cherry pie filling. When you add pie filling to a cake mix, you should mix it by hand so that the pieces don't get chopped to bits. That way you have full cherries inside the cake. I took turns with each hand mixing 100 beats so that my right arm muscles don't get bigger than my left. :) Then I iced it with cream cheese frosting (not frosting I made thank goodness but from a cannister) :) We'll see how she likes it.

Burritos

Happy Ground Hog's Day!

Tonight's dinner, Burritos on pg 57. This was a great idea for a meal and of course it feeds a lot of people again so be prepared for leftovers if it's only for 2 people. I made a few adjustments on this recipe. It called for 2 cans of refried beans but I only had one so I substituted a can of black beans for the other and it worked fine. I'm sure you could substitute both cans for whatever beans you want. I also added a can of green chiles just to give it a little bit of a kick. It turned out great! The only thing is I went to cook it on low for 6 hours like it calls for and at 3 hours of being on low it started to burn on one side.....maybe my crock pot is retarded or maybe this girl just likes to cook things a little too long. Anyway I only left it on low for about 3 hours then turned it to warm for the next hour and then turned it completely off and it was still warm an hour later when we were ready to eat it.

So the moral of the story is make sure you check on your food if you're not used to your crock pot even if you're cooking on low. I give this recipe a 4, I would have given it 5 except for the burning at 3 hours of low cooking.....it was really good though!

Ingredients

1lb ground beef, cooked and drained
2 can (16 oz each) refried beans (or black beans)
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
flour tortillas

(I added 1 can of green chiles)

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for tortillas in greased slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat 6-10 hours. Spread hot bean mixture on flour
tortillas. Fill with favorite burrito toppings. Fold and
enjoy. Makes 4-6 servings.

Burrito toppings might include tomatoes, whole kernel corn, green onions,
cheese, guacamole, caramelized onions, and red or green salsa.