Crock Pot Chicken

It's brisk and blustery out and another Minnesota night. I survived Thanksgiving and am on family overload so am thinking that it would be a great idea to take a break from that till oh Christmastime! Speaking of Christmas it is right around the corner. I started pulling out cookie and treat recipes for Christmas tonight and promise to start sharing those with you too. This recipe I'm sharing with you tonight is a favorite from college. Yes that's right...I was the nerd with a crock pot in college! My last year of college I lived with two other girls and often times I felt like mom because they were looking to me for supper at night! Jason told me he could just take a straw and suck up the sauce over the noodles on this recipe. He didn't remember me making it before but I have. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing!

Crock Pot Chicken
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Ingredients

1 Block Cream Cheese, cubed
2 Can Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup
4 Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 Envelope Dry Italian Dressing
1 Package Extra Wide Egg Noodles

1. Place chicken in crock pot.

2. Empty dressing & coat chicken.

3. Add soup & cream cheese.

4. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

5. Boil noodles and serve with chicken.

Cranberry Bread

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I wish you all a wonderful day and safe travels. This recipe is awesome for this time of year when cranberries seem to be popular. It also has a hint of orange in it. Another hit with my dad...and mom and I thought it was pretty good also! In fact...I shouldn't have left the entire loaf at their house. Well I have taco pie in the oven and have to be to church in a hour so I this is going to be a short post. Have a happy thanksgiving!

Cranberry Bread
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Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. cold butter
1 Egg
3/4 c. orange juice
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 c. chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 c. golden raisins

Streusel:
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cold butter

Glaze:
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. orange juice

1. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, orange juice and peel.  I use my little hand grater for the orange peel and it works wonderfully! Sir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and raisins.

3. Transfer to greased 8 in x 4 in loaf pan.

4. Combine brown sugar and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

6. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

7. For glaze, combine confectioners' sugar and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle over bread. I waited until it had cooled off almost completely.

 

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Everyday Mom's Meals: Church Supper 

Hamburger Stroganoff

Well the storm's a brewing in MN once again.....this is the perfect meal to cozy up to when its blustery out. Jason adoringly refers to this as "Stroggie". I told him I was going to make this last weekend and his eyes lit up kinda like when I make Taco Pie. It's another hand me down recipe from Mama Coleen....thank you mom! It's way better than Hamburger Helper and just as easy in my opinion!

Update on the Evink household....we have outlets and light switches that WORK in the basement. I guess I really should have some more faith in my wonderful husband who is an electrician/plumber/carpenter. The first night the electrical was done (and yes it passed inspection so our house shouldn't burn to the ground!) I walked downstairs to do laundry and was reaching everywhere for a cord to pull so the light went on then I want AHHHH yes that's right I'm moving up in the world...I have light switches! He's currently down there slaving away. I'm not sure what he's doing but I'll leave him be in his future man cave. I on the other hand am taking the night off. I poured myself a glass of wine and plan on sitting on the couch and watching some TV. I found out that I can get all the "Say Yes to the Dress" episodes instantly through Netflix so I might watch that or Gossip Girls. It's kind of a toss up! Oh other big news in the life of Julie...I got a new cell phone today! I upgraded from my reliable OLD flip phone to a "Smart Phone". I called my dad after I got it (that's about all I could figure out on it) and told him that I now know what he feels like when he is suppose to use new technology. Completely illiterate! I broke out the user guide so I plan on reading up on that. Wish me luck! Now I'm done rambling so here's that recipe.

Hamburger Stroganoff
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Ingredients

1/2 c. minced onion
1 clove garlic
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 - 8 oz can sliced mushrooms (I don't put this in...Jason would not love it anymore!)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. butter
Egg Noodles or Rice

1. Saute onion and garlic in butter.

2. Stir in meat and brown.

3. Stir in flour, salt, pepper & mushrooms.

4. Cook five minutes, drain off grease.

5. Stir in soup and simmer, uncovered 10 minutes.

6. Stir in sour cream and garnish with parsley.

7. Put on noodles or rice. I always use egg noodles.

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Gooseberry Patch's Comfort Food Round-Up 

Pizza in a Pot

Pizza in a Pot...doesn't sound all that wonderful does it? Well it's a hot dish glorified for the Crock-Pot! It is quite yummy and I almost think its better when you warm it up the second time. Yes I know this is an odd statement. I'll share the recipe with you in a bit. By the way the hubby really liked it. If he likes it the recipe usually takes up residence in my box o'recipes. But this not always the case like last night for example....I was trying out this new pasta recipe with bacon and a white sauce. Oh it looked soooo marvelous and scrumptious from the pictures. I had been meaning to try this recipe for a few months. Unfortunately my finished product was nothing like the pictures. Jason took to calling it Goulash....and informed me, " I bet I can throw the entire thing away with one scoop"...yes he did. It was stuck together in a big clump. I should have took picture for you all.....see this is the thing....I only show you the good finished products!!! I screen the recipes for you so you don't have too. Trust me your husband (or significant other) should appreciate this. Our Texas Toast out of a box last night was WAY better then my attempt at the pasta dish. Luckily Jason just laughs at me and tells me the worse thing that will happen is we will make a pizza. Thankfully I have a good sport when it comes to me being all crazy and trying to new recipes!

Pizza in a Pot
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Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 jar (14 ounces) pizza sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups spiral pasta, cooked and drained
2 packages (3 1/2 ounces each) sliced pepperoni
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1. In a large skilled, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, pizza sauce and tomato paste. (I didn't add green peppers due to hubby and used dried onion)

2. In a 5 qt slow cooker, layer the pasta, beef mixture, pepperoni and cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through. (You can use more pasta if you would like. In my opinion it could have used more and next time I'll make a little bit more!)

Recipe from Taste of Home
Servings - 8

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 473 calories, 23 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 89 mg cholesterol, 829 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 31 g protein

Pizza Bars

I'm currently lounging on the couch in my pj's on my day off watching Gossip Girl which is my new addiction. Yes I know it's ten o'clock and its my day off don't judge me for this! I know there will be a point in time where I won't have this opportunity so I'm enjoying this while I can. I have made this pan of bars we are going to discuss and started the dishwasher and successfully blew a breaker while baking so I'd say I'm off to a great start for the day. Ahead of me on my list of duties for the day are going to an insurance meeting about life insurance. Should I blame Jason on this one?? Nah, I agreed to it but I guess I really am growing up. After that I have a hair appointment and I need to get ready for another Scentsy party so I'm pretty sure I'll have a busy day so I should get off the couch at some point! We are going over to Lucy's tomorrow night for game night and I got put in charge of the sweet treat because for Halloween I made Monster Bars and they were a big hit. Hopefully I can live up to all the hype! I alter this recipe a bit because I'm allergic to chocolate. Instead of the chocolate chips I use peanut butter chips and instead of the M&M's I use Reese's pieces. You can use whichever you are craving!

Pizza Bars
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Ingredients
1 c. Butter
1 c. Brown Sugar
1 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 c. Oatmeal
1 Bag Mini M&M's
1 Bag Mini Chocolate Chips
1 Jar Caramel Sauce
Almond Bark

1. Cream together the butter and brown sugar.

2. Mix in flour, baking soda, salt and oatmeal.

3. Press into a 10x15 inch greased pan. If you don't have this size pan I have also used a 9x13 pan and it works great!

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I ended up baking it about 20-25 minutes because the middle of the bars were not done after 15 minutes.

5. Spread 1/2 jar caramel sauce on bars.

6. Sprinkle with M&M's and chocolate chips. Drizzle with almond bark.

Recipe from the Apostolic Christian Church Cookbook.

Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

This one is for Kasey! She called me today and told me she was looking at the blog for more recipes but I hadn't updated it for a little while. I said I had a Scalloped Potatoes crock-pot recipe I needed to put on here and she said she had been craving it for awhile so here it is. This would an excellent recipe for a day like this. I'm just thankful its a thunderstorm and not a blizzard! Plus its soooo easy and simple which is always a must in my life. You don't even have to peel the potatoes. Oh and the update on the kitchen is it's FIXED. Cory remembered there was this new vent that didn't involve taking down walls so that was installed and it's done. So thankful!

Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
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Ingredients

6 Large Russet Potatoes, slived into 1/4 inch rounds
1 Ham Steak (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into cubes
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can water
4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
Grill Seasoning to taste

1. Grease the inside of the Crock-Pot. Layer potatoes and ham in Crock-Pot.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine soup, water, cheese and seasoning. Pour over potatoes and ham. I use Everyday Grill Seasoning by Tastefully Simple. Once again LOVE Tastefully Simple seasonings!

3. Cover, cook on HIGH for about 3 1/2 hours unitl potatoes are fork tender. Tuner slow cooker to Low and continue cooking for about 1 hour until done.

Makes 5-6 Servings

Recipe from Rival Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Recipes for All Occasion

Taco Pie

You might be wondering how our house is....exactly how we left it last night. Jason informed me that he was going to celebrate the fact they are done Tyveking the house they are working on by sitting on the couch with a beer. Well that is just what he as doing other than when I threw some socks of his that were inside out when I was folding them...he managed to get them the right way. Not back to me where I folding laundry although. They are still sitting on the couch next to him. Oh the joys of marriage and differences between two people! I think pay back will be a shopping trip to Alex on Saturday while he slaves away on the house. I think that's fair right?? As for the Taco Pie you are all wondering about. This recipe is simply awesome. It's something a little different that every generation seems to love. My mom found the recipe first and started making it as a staple at the Koehl household. I just stole the recipe and made it a staple at the Evink household also. My niece and nephew love it, my dad loves it, my brother loves it and when Jason came home last night his eyes lit up and he goes TACO PIE?!? YUM! So he must love it too!

Taco Pie
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Ingredients

1 lb hamburger
1 tube crescent rolls
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/2 c. water
1 c. sour cream
1 c. Cheddar Cheese
1 c. crushed nacho cheese chips (I use Doritos and Taco chips)

1. Brown hamburger. Drain excess fat.

2. Add taco seasoning and water; simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Place crescent rolls in a greased deep pie pan; flatten to cover bottom.

4. Layer on the crescent rolls, the hamburger mixture, sour cream, cheese and crushed chips.

5. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

I'm going to finish folding laundry and then join my hubby on the couch. I might opt for hot chocolate instead of a beer though. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Potato Soup

I'm currently trying to distract myself from the fact that my husband is ripping apart my, I mean OUR, kitchen. You see we have this lovely gurgling sound coming from our sink in the kitchen every time our washing machine or sump pump drains downstairs. I finally got sick of listening to it and I thought there was a smell being caused by this so I hounded him to fix it. Yes, I know this is my fault that he is ripping apart our walls, but seriously it is sooo annoying! First he started in the attic and I PRAYED that he would fix the pipe up there and everything would be peachy keen but that would be way to easy. We prefer things very difficult at the Evinks. I was out delivering Scentsy tonight and I was warned that when I come home there will be a mess. So of course there was...insulation from the attic pouring out of the hole he climbed up. I was then informed that he could not fix the problem up there. Next step, operation kitchen....emptying out the cupboards, dismantling one from the wall and knocking a hole in the well. As I ask, Jason are you sure that pipe runs on that side of the window?? Ummm his reply is, pretty sure! Now that makes me nervous. So he starts to confirm that it is the correct side of the window. Now he is doubting himself. He also just told me that no matter how we do this and no matter what side of the window the pipe runs on he doesn't think he can run it back up that wall. Instead he would like to run it BESIDE my cupboard by the door. Oh Julie we can just make a little box to put it in....oh lovely idea Jason. So if any of you show up at my house and you see a box built beside my cupboards you will know who won this battle! Well anyways I'm ranting and raving and my husband is saying naughty words behind me and this is not why I started this blog posting. When you read the title you were imagining our peaceful life as I slave away at soup and he comes home from work and I greet him with a kiss and we live happily ever after. I'm sorry I popped that bubble ;) BACK to the soup! It's a wonderful recipe and it's another recipe you can prepare in the Crock-Pot because what beats coming home on a cold winter evening to soup??

Cream Cheese Potato Soup
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Ingredients

8 c. water
7 tsp chicken bouillon
2 - 8oz pkgs cream cheese, cubed
1 - 32 oz frozen cubed hash browns potatoes, thawed
1 1/2 c. fully cooked ham, cubed
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dill weed

1. In a dutch oven, combine the water & bullion.

2. Add cream cheese. Stir till melted.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients.

4. Simmer until veg are tender.

I used my crock pot!! But make sure to use a big one. I tried it first in my little one, which is from my good 'ol single days and it was almost overflowing. So I recommend on getting that big one out! It takes about 6-8 hours on low and 4 hours on high.

Update on the kitchen, I'm pretty sure there is a reason my husband is not a plumber....