Roast w/potatoes, carrots, and onions

I love my crock-pot! Seriously, what is better than getting up and spending 10 minutes throwing ingredients into the pot, then plugging it in, setting the timer, and letting the house fill up with the yummy smell of great food!

Here is my recipe:

2-3 Onions (whatever kind you have on hand- today i used sweet onions)
Potatoes, washed and cut up (quartered for small, red potatoes- eighths for larger potatoes)
carrots, 1 lb., washed and cut (or use baby carrots- my favorite! and they are super easy)
2-3 lb. roast
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can beef consomme
1-2 cans beef broth

1. Cut up onions and throw in the bottom of the crock pot. Place roast on top of onions. Mix dry soup mix and consomme in small bowl- pour over roast and onions. Pour approx. 1/2 to 3/4 can of beef broth over roast. (I only used 1 can of broth today b/c my roast was on the small side. Rule of thumb: more meat=more liquid) Cook on low for 4 hours.

2. Cut potatoes and carrots. Arrange around roast. (Note: I put the potatoes in first- the liquid helps them to cook nicely and the carrots would get mushy down in the liquid- they already get pretty soft from being steamed) Pour additional 1/2- 3/4 can of broth over carrots and potatoes. Cook on low for 4 hours.

After serving and boxing up leftovers, I pour the leftover juices into a freezer safe container, allow to cool and stick in the freezer. Is a great base for veggie soup in the winter and also makes a nice gravy when thickened.

Cookies Galore!

I'm busy this evening making cookies for our faculty meeting tomorrow. Just finished 2 batches (6 dozen!) of Pumpkin Spice Cookies and I'm finishing up with a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies- another simple recipe. I loooooove these too- I've been making them since college and they are so good right out of the oven with a glass of milk! Jason was feeling left out since I was making all these cookies to take to work tomorrow, so at his pleading I made him a batch of his favorite no-bake cookies. Also very very good! Of course you can't lose with a combo of peanut butter and chocolate!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
vanilla (I don't measure it out and I'm a little heavy-handed because I LOVE vanilla. Probably around 2 tablespoons)
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time until fully mixed. Add flour 1 cup at a time, then add the last 1/4 cup. (If dough is still very sticky add approx. 1/8 cup flour.) Stir in chocolate chips. Place heaping spoonfuls (or use a scoop to keep things even) onto cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Bake for approx. 9-11 minutes depending on size and desired texture of cookies. Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

No-Bake Cookies

1 stick butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
vanilla (around 1 tbsp.)
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick oats

Before starting, line cooling racks or cookie sheets with foil or parchment paper. Measure out peanut butter (you'll need it fairly quickly when cooking). Melt butter in pot using low heat . Stir in sugar and milk, then cocoa. Heat until boiling. STIR CONSTANTLY! Boil 1 minute and immediately remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and mix. Add peanut butter and stir until well mixed. Add quick oats 1 cup at a time. Drop by heaping spoonful onto prepared surface. Allow time to cool before serving. Makes approx. 2 dozen cookies.

Note: Notice the excessive use of the words mix and stir. Very important!

Cooking Fail

In the past I have made some things before that looked horrible, but tasted just fine. This might just be the first time that the exact opposite happened. Looked fine, tasted awful!

So a little while ago we finished up a late lunch/early dinner of the crock-pot taco soup, topped with a few crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream- super YUM! I was feeling pretty energetic so I thought I'd get back in the kitchen and whip up some no-bake cookies for Jason since he's not feeling well. While I was gathering my ingredients I saw the big bag of granulated Splenda in the pantry, and thought "Hmmm... you can use Splenda in baking and such- why not in no-bake cookies? Let's give it a whirl."

...

So I continued making the cookies as usual, substituting the Splenda for sugar. Everything looked great- the cocoa mixture cooked up just fine, smelled fine, looked fine. Mixed in the vanilla, peanut butter and oats. Spooned it all out on the cookie racks. Everything was peachy.

Then I licked the spoon. MISTAKE! Argh! I can't even descibe what they tasted like- nothing remotely edible. Jason came in the kitchen looking for his favorite cookies and all I could do was laugh. He was like, "What? Do they taste different?" I said, "Well see for yourself."

Let's just say I let him do the honors of laying the cookies to rest in the trash can. And the worst part is now he is sad that there are no cookies, and I can't muster up any motivation to make them the right way. Maybe later on...

Crock-pot Taco Soup

It is kinda chilly outside so I thought this would make a nice Sunday afternoon meal! I got the original recipe off of our church recipe Yahoo group, and then modified it for my non-spicy eating husband! In case you would like the original, just add 1 10-11-oz.can RoTel tomatoes with chilies and 1 4-oz. can of chilies.

Crock-pot Taco Soup

1 can black beans (15-16 oz.)
1 can kidney beans (15-16 oz.)
1 can navy beans (15-16 oz.)
1 can fiesta corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
1 lb. meat (shredded chicken, ground beef or turkey)- I use ground turkey

Cook meat and drain or shred. Add to crock pot. Add ALL cans- DO NOT DRAIN BEANS OR TOMATOES. Add all envelopes. Stir. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours (I'm cooking on low). Keep on low until serving or to keep hot. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, tortilla chips, etc.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a little different than when I make it :-) I have a meeting immediately after school until 4:30 and won't get home until after 5- then have a YW board meeting at 6! No time to cook dinner! Jason has reluctantly agreed to cook dinner for us. Don't get me wrong- he's a great cook, but has a limited range of what he is comfortable cooking. He likes to cook new things only when I'm there to supervise! He gathered up all the ingredients while on the phone with me just a minute ago- too cute!

Chicken Pot Pie (modified for ease of husband!)
2 cans chicken- drained
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans mixed veggies- drained
1/2 cup milk

Crust:
1 1/4 cup Bisquick
1 cup milk
1 stick butter (melted)
1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with Pam.

3. Mix soups and milk until well blended. Fold in chicken and vegetables. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

4. Mix butter, milk, pepper and Bisquick together and pour evenly over soup and chicken mix.

5. Bake uncovered at 350º for one hour.

Easy Shepherd's Pie

I'm all about the easy recipes :-) Less ingredients, less mess- unless Jason is in the kitchen :-), less time...

I got this recipe from Jess when I was on vacation down in GA in Sept. I think it is originally from Real Simple magazine (which I love love love!)

Easy Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. ground meat (I use turkey instead of ground beef in every recipe)
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
8 oz. frozen or canned mixed veggies (I double up on veggies- usually about 2 cans)
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 16-oz. pkg. refrigerated or frozen and thawed mashed potatoes (I use instant potatoes from my food storage- you can use however much you want depending on how thick you want the potato layer to be)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook ground meat in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain any fat. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. (I tend to use a bit more ketchup than what is called for and add Worcestershire to taste- Jason likes saucy dishes and I love the tangy taste the Worcestershire gives) Add the veggies and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Spoon meat and veggie mixture into a baking dish. Spread the potatoes over the meat and veggie mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake until heated through- around 10 minutes.

The Easiest Cookies Ever!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 can pumpkin
1 box spice cake mix
1 bag chocolate chips

Mix pumpkin and cake mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper- however they look now is how they will look after they are done- not very glamorous :-) Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 18 minutes. YUM YUM!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

6 T honey
5 T lime juice
1T chili powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded with a fork
8-10 flour tortillas
8 oz. monterey jack cheese, shredded (I use the "fiesta blend" from wal-mart)
16 oz. green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream

Cook chicken and shred. Mix the first four ingredients and toss with cooked shredded chicken. Let chicken marinate for about 15 minutes. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a pyrex dish. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving some for the topping. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown and crispy on top.