Zesty and Creamy Italian Chicken (Crock Pot)

Zesty and Creamy Italian Chicken (Crock Pot)

This is one tasty dinner, y'all.

This is a recipe I found that explained how to make just the chicken in a crock pot. I have included how I dressed it up below.

What you'll need:

• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
• 1 packet zesty Italian seasoning
• Other things I added:
• fresh basil
• garlic, to taste
• fresh Parmesan cheese 
• pasta of your choice

How to make it:

1. In a pan, combine the cream cheese and the cream of chicken soup. Heat and stir until smooth.
2. In the crock pot, add chicken and sprinkle the zesty Italian seasoning on top. Make sure each piece of chicken gets some of the zesty goodness. (This is also when I added the garlic).
3. Pour the cream cheese and cream of chicken soup mixture over the chicken.
4. Cook on LOW for 4 hours, or until chicken is cooked.

What I did to dress it up:

• Cook pasta, drain, plate
• Place chicken and sauce on top of pasta. Dress that ish to impress.
• I shaved fresh Parmesan cheese on top and added fresh basil.   
• Grub.

We really liked this recipe. I would not recommend using spaghetti simply because you want a pasta that is going to hold onto the sauce a bit better. The boy said he wouldn't change anything and was very excited for leftovers. I enjoyed this, though half way through the meal I realized that a lot of what I've been making has been super creamy, rich pasta dishes. So, there is going to be a change in the kind of recipes I make very soon. Either way, this was served with a side salad and garlic bread. We will be enjoying this again, though probably not for a while. Gotta switch it up! 

Enjoy!

 -E-

Simple Iced Coffee

Simple Iced Coffee

What you'll need:

•  2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• 6 oz. milk
• creamer or flavoring of your liking

In your cup:

1. Add the instant coffee and the sugar, then pour in the water and stir to combine.
2. Add milk, stir.
3. Add in your flavoring (I use Coffee House's vanilla caramel creme), stir.

** To help your iced coffee to maintain the coffee flavor you love and obsess over (that is, if you're anything like me...), simply use coffee ice cubes instead of regular cubes. Purchase an ice cube tray for this purpose. Whenever you have leftover coffee, set it aside until it is totally cooled. Fill the ice cube tray with the coffee, freeze. Whenever you make your iced coffee, use the coffee cubes to avoid your iced coffee from becoming watered down and less than tasty**

I made this for the first time this morning to drink as I typed the previous post. As I began sipping on it I realized that the recipe was too simple and too good not to share. Honestly, it tastes just as good as something you'd pay $5 for out and about.  As you know, I am a woman of simple taste, but if you prefer your coffee dressed to the nines I do have to suggest you give this a go at least once. Add whatever you need to give your iced coffee the kick you desire.

Enjoy!
-E-  

Pesto and Beef Sausage Pasta

Pesto and Beef Sausage Pasta

You will need:

• Pasta of your choice, as much as you need
• Philadelphia Cooking Creme, creamy pesto
• Beef sausage
• Fresh basil, to taste 
• Whatever seasonings you want

 (This is so easy, y'all)

1.  Boil pasta. I add a pinch of salt and a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to my water right after it begins to boil and right before I add the pasta.
2. Grill Sausage. We like ours pretty crispy.
3. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add back into pot, but not back on the heat. Add the Philadelphia creamy pesto cooking cream. The amount you add will be determined by: A) how much pasta you've made and B) how creamy you want it. I added in 2 generous tablespoons, as I was only cooking for the two of us, plus the boy's lunch the following day. Stir in the cooking creme.
4. Cut the grilled sausage to whatever sized pieces you want and then add and mix in with the pasta.
5. Give everything a minute to come together and add in the fresh basil.
6. Grub.

The boy and I LOVED this. It has been a busy last few weeks and we didn't feel like worrying about dinner. The boy looked at me and told me be creative. I tossed the sausage to him, asked him to grill it up really quickly and slapped the rest together on a whim as he grilled. I served this with garlic bread and a small salad. It was a really nice meal that took no time and we made with whatever we had around. I typically am not very good with "throw together" meals, but I'm proud of this one, simple as it may be. I think it shows that I'm starting to think about flavors and combinations in a more strategic way.

I have to admit, I was a little jealous that he got to take the leftovers to lunch, haha. But, we will be making this again and I will be sure to reserve some for my own lunch the following day :)

I don't really think there is anything about this that I would modify, though there is room for any modifications you see fit. Try it this way and, if you don't like it, change it up in any way that makes sense to you. Either way, I think you'll find you're going to love this.

Enjoy!

-E-

Hawaiian Chicken

Hawaiian Chicken

It doesn't look pretty in the crock pot, y'all.

But it looks mighty tasty in my bowl.

Here's how to make this tastiness:

• 4-6 chicken breasts (I did 4)
• 1 (16.5 oz) jar Hawaiian BBQ sauce (I found mine at Target)
• 1 can crushed pineapples (this sweetens it up, so add less or more to taste)

- Toss everything in your handy dandy crock pot for 6 hours on LOW... and grub.

It really is just that easy and your house is going to smell so sweet.

The boy loved this. I served it over jasmine rice and we had steamed broccoli on the side. 

Overall, this was pretty tasty. The flavors were dead on and the chicken was incredibly moist and tender. It was literally falling apart in the best possible way. No knife required. However, this leads us to my only criticism. There was nothing to give it any kind of crunch. The rice was a good idea, but there has to be something to add that will give it enough of a varying texture so that it doesn't seem almost mushy. The boy didn't mind this texture concern, so it may just be me. Perhaps you could add in a veggie or two, serve with a crispy bread, or something. As you can tell, texture is important to me.

We will be making this again, as it is super tasty and absurdly easy. Best part? Leftovers.

Enjoy!

-E-

3 Ingredient Pulled Pork

3 Ingredient Pulled Pork (crock pot)

 

• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (12 oz) can of root beer (you could also use Dr. Pepper)
• 1 (18oz) bottle of BBQ sauce

1. Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker and pour can of root beer over the meat
2. Cook and cover on LOW for 6 hours or until pork shreds easily with a fork
3. After pork is cooked, drain and discard the root beer.
4. Shred pork and place back into the slow cooker.
5. Pour BBQ sauce over pork and stir.
6. Warm, serve, enjoy.

I was on the fence about this recipe because I am not a big fan of pork. Now, don't get it twisted. I LOVE bacon. I ADORE extra crispy bacon. However, pork and I have a hate/hate relationship. I do believe it stems from my mother's pork chops. She would buy the cheapest chops, shake and bake the life out of them, and throw them on the Foreman. We would then eat them with apple sauce and canned green beans. Yes, I blame her...

I digress. The boy has been growing tired of chicken and turkey and, I must admit, I have been too. I eat red meat typically only once a week, as it is a trigger food for my migraines, so there is not a lot of red meat in this house. I decided to give this pork dish a shot and, well...

It was amazing. We made it with a honey BBQ sauce and served it with some simple roasted potatoes. I threw some BBQ slaw on top of mine, as well as some onions, for some crunch. I wouldn't change the recipe, though next time I will shred the pork a bit finer. And, to top it all off, your kitchen is going to smell mighty tasty.

Enjoy!
-E-

PS- I feel like I should just leave this here, just to drive the point home...

Hand-Cut Baked Parmesan Fries

Hand-Cut Baked Parmesan Fries

• 3 Russet Potatoes, scrubbed and washed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut the potatoes into wedges and place into a medium bowl.
3. Pour olive oil, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese on the potatoes wedges. Toss the potatoes to completely coat them in the oil, seasoning, and Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Toss the potatoes. Continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
5. Serve warm.

I made these bad boys about a week ago. I made them to go along side the boy's banging turkey burgers and I knew that they would be good because, well, there was cheese involved. We are cheese fiends, to say the absolute very least.

These were good. I made the mistake of cutting the wedges too big and/or not cooking them long enough. They were still tasty and the flavors where certainly there, but we like our fries crispy, which these weren't. Next time I intend to make smaller cuts and cook them a little longer.

I took a couple left over fries the following morning and made home fries out of them. I basically cut them into squares and threw them on the griddle. They got good and crispy and the flavors were all still intact. I ate them with over medium eggs and a lovely cup of coffee. I will say, this is how I prefer them.

You could modify these in any number of ways. Small, large, whatever seasonings you want, whatever cheese you want.

Make these. You'll dig them. They certainly beat anything that comes out of a bag.

Enjoy!
-E-

Nutella Cookies

This venture is going to start off short and sweet. Literally.

Nutella Cookies:

1 cup Nutella (I just did the whole 13 oz jar)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 whole egg

Preheat your oven to 350
Mix ingredients in a bowl (It will be messy, but I just dove right in with freshly washed, dry hands and made it happen)
Roll into 1" balls
Place on cookie sheet
Flatten out
Cook 6-8 minutes, depending on how soft/hard you like your cookies (I like mine crispy on the edges, soft in the center)
Take out when set, let cool.

Grab a glass of milk and grub. These cookies are pretty amazing. They are quick to make, fast to bake, and won't last long. The best part is that you can modify however you see fit. Add nuts or anything you'd like!

Enjoy :)
-E-

Welcome

It is the first official week of my summer break and what better way to celebrate my release from my concrete cave (cell #124E) than starting a new adventure?

I thought to myself long and hard about what I wanted to do and how I wanted it to go. Lots of ideas went through my head before I realized something- I have a hard time keeping up with blogs. I've tried blogging about weight loss (ha!) and just life, but I either got bored or totally forgot about it. Laziness and forgetfulness. God, I'm a bum. That being said... I had an epiphany.

I love Pinterest. In fact, I'm addicted. But I don't really care about the home improvement ideas or the gardening tips, though some are pretty awesome. What I zoned in on were the recipes. Since I can remember I have loved to compile recipes. I don't know why, I just always have. I actually have a binder full of recipes that will "one day" grace my table and stomach. Thing is, most of them are from magazines that require you to cook with ingredients and tools that are either way outside of a teacher's modest budget or are just way out of my skill set. That is what makes Pinterest a beautiful thing. People post things for everyone. It is simple, just as it should be,

So, I'm going to try this blogging thing yet again with renewed purpose. I am going to cook my way through my summer break. I am going to learn how to cook and cook well. I am going to try all kinds of fun and exciting things. I am going to cook with love for those I love because, as we all know, sharing is caring.

This blog will chronicle my adventures and misadventures. My successes and my failures. I will post the recipe along side any modifications I made or would make. I will include pictures when I can and will be honest in the turn out. Because, honestly, food is good and I love food.. and I know you do too.

That being said... grab a chair, pull up to the table, and grab a fork. Let's get this show on the road.