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.