Thursday, October 27, 2011

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, these are awesome! Plus I added some chopped walnuts, which makes everything better.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together, and set aside.
Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the mashed bananas. Add the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Chicken Broccoli Pasta

I found this recipe while researching weight watcher meals. The family loved it and has turned into a staple around our home.
1 lb of chicken breast, cut into small chunks
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tblsp olive oil
1 diced onion
4-6 garlic cloves
2 1/2 cups chicken broth {1/2 cup reserved}
1/2 lb {9oz} of high fiber pasta {I like to use Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne}
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 bunch of broccoli (just the tops) cut into pieces
1/2 cup of 2% milk
1/2 cup grated asiago cheese
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat up the olive oil {and some extra cooking spray if needed} in a large sauté pan. Cook the chicken until it is lightly browned and just cooked. Be careful not to overcook the chicken, a little underdone is ok, or he chicken will end up rubbery. Set aside in a separate bowl.
2. In the same sauté pan, add the onion and cook until it begins to become translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two until fragrant.
3. Add in pasta, 2 cups of the chicken broth, red pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the water is almost completely absorbed and the pasta is close to cooked - about 8 minutes.
4. Add in the broccoli, additional 1/2 cup chicken broth and chicken. Cover and let simmer for about 4 minutes until broccoli is bright green.
5. Add in the milk, cheese, and lemon juice. Stir together and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Turn off and let the pasta sit for a few minutes longer, the sauce will continue to thicken. Serve!

WW 6pt (point plus)
Serving size: 6

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Crockpot Recipe Exchange

Porcupine Meatballs

Allison Whitaker

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1/2 c. uncooked rice

1 Tbl. minced onion

1/2 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce

1 can tomato soup

Combine ground beef, rice, onion, allspice, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Blend lightly but thoroughly. Shape into small balls about 1 1/2 in. Combine tomato soup and 1/2 c. water. Pour half of soup mixture in bottom of crock pot. Place meat balls in crock pot and pour remaining soup mixture over top. Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Buffalo chicken dip

Kelli Banks

2 cans chicken biggest you can find
16 ounces cream cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce

2 cups cheese

Add all ingredients in a warmed up crock pot. And cook on low for 1 to 2 hours.
Stir a couple of times in the hour. Serve with chips bread and cut up celery.

White Bean Chili (This won 1st place at our ward Fall party chili cook off - tooting my own horn) :)

Allison Whitaker

1 lb chicken breast, cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can chicken broth (I think 14 or 15 oz)

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbl. vegetable oil

2 cans white beans

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilis

1-2 dashes cayenne pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/4-1/2 tsp. pepper

1 c. sour cream

1 c. water

Saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is done. Add beans, broth, chilies, seasonings, and chicken to crock pot. Cook on Low 7-8 hours. Add sour cream 20 min. before serving.

Trisha's Cherry Crumble

Sheri Adams

1 can cherry pie filling

1/2 c flour

1/2 c oats

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c butter

dash cinnamon

Dump in pie filling; crumble other ingredients together and put on top of the filling. Crockpot on low for three hours (Guesstimate).


Chicken Cacciatore

Allison Whitaker
Recipe by OurBestBites.com

1 lb. chicken breasts or chicken breasts and thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 c. white flour

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and either crushed or halved

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

1 c. white wine, white cooking wine, or apple or white grape juice. I'll be honest with y'all, it tastes a whole lot better with wine. Just sayin'.

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using cooking wine; you may shrivel up and die if you add the salt in addition to cooking wine because cooking wine is treated with salt to make it undrinkable)

1 bay leaf

1 c. sliced mushrooms (or more if you love them. Mushrooms are divine in this dish!)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and stir frequently until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon (this is why you need to keep the onion and garlic pieces big), shake off excess oil (you don't have to go crazy here, a little olive oil never killed anyone!), and transfer to your blender. Increase heat to medium-high.

In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and shake to coat pieces with flour. Dump the entire bag into the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent pieces from sticking together. Saute until chicken is golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Turn off the heat under the oil, lest you start a grease fire. I am NOT speaking from ANY kind of firsthand experience here... ;)

While chicken is draining, add wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram to the onions and garlic in the blender. Blend until smooth. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours. When you have about 1/2 hour to go, add the mushrooms and the chopped green pepper. Cook until mushrooms and pepper are tender. Remove bay leaf and serve over pasta.
Serves 6-8.

Fiesta Chicken

Lindsay Zockoll

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 12-15 chicken tenders)

1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 cups salsa
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix

Place chicken breasts in crock pot. Pour chicken soup on top, then salsa on top of that, then sprinkle taco seasoning all over the top of that. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours. Shred the meat and serve with taco fixings.
**I usually put my chicken in the crock pot when it is still frozen and it turns out great!


Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Allison Whitaker

24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast

14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies

15 oz can black beans

8 oz frozen corn

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth

3 scallions, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pothttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ginsweiwatrec-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001E5CWVU.

Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.

Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.

Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.

Adjust salt and seasoning.

Serve over rice

Shredded Chicken that can be frozen and used for any recipe that calls for pre-cooked chicken:

Lindsay Zockoll

6 -12 chicken breasts (use as many as you want and will fit in your crockpot)

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts in the crock pot, Mix water and spices together and pour over the chicken.

Cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours.

Remove chicken breasts, shred or pull the meat from bones, removing skin (it should all fall off easily at this point anyway!).

Place meat in individual freezer bags or containers and freeze until needed for recipes.

Defrost and add to any recipes that call for cooked chicken.

Great for casseroles, quesadillas, pizzas, burritos, pastas, soups, etc. or heat with BBQ sauce for hot barbecue chicken sandwiches.

Creamy Cooker Chicken

Lindsay Zockoll

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

2 cups sour cream

10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I usually only do 4, and then also chop up some potatoes and put those in to cook with the chicken as well)

Combine soup mix, sour cream and cream of mushroom in slow cooker. Add chicken (and potatoes, if desired), pushing it down so it is submerged in the sauce.

Cover, cook on low 8 hours.

Crock Pot Chicken

Amanda Weedman

4-5 boneless chicken breasts

16 oz. sour cream

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom

1 T. chopped onion ( I just do the dried minced kind)

1 t. each salt, pepper, and garlic salt

Mix everything except chicken together in crock pot. Add chicken; cook on low all day or on high for 3 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

( I just throw in frozen chicken tenderloins, mix everything up, and dump it over them. And serve over rice. Goes great with Garlic Balsamic asparagus from OBB.)

Cola Roast

Amanda Weedman

1 (4-5 lbs.) beef roast or brisket

1 (12 oz.) bottle of chili sauce

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 (12 oz.) can cola drink (NON DIET)

Place roast in crock pot. Combine chili sauce, soup mix, and soda in small bowl. Pour over roast or brisket. Place in slow cooker for 5-6 hours on low. (I always do 3 hours on high and add in the veggies, like potatoes, carrots, and onion before I pour the sauce over. And also save some sauce and make a gravy with it. It's even yummier with gravy!) (This recipe came from a book called 'Remedies for the I-don't-cook Syndrome'....that's right up my alley, eh?)

Creamy Potato Soup

Hailey Johnson


8 cups diced potatoes
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 cans (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pack (8 oz) cream cheese
1/2 lb sliced bacon (cooked)

Combine first five ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add cream cheese and stir until blended. Garnish with bacon.


Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Hailey Johnson n

8 small boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 lb)
3 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon grated fresh gingeroot

Toss chicken with flour in slow cooker. Stir all remaining ingredients;cover with lid. Cook on low 6-8 hours (or on high 3-4 hours).
Makes 4 servings.

Apple and Granola Cobbler

Danielle Longnecker

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups granola cereal, plus additional for garnish
Cream, half-and-half, or vanilla yogurt (optional)

1. Place apples in 4-quart Crock-Pot slow cooker. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice over apples. Stir in butter and granola.
2. Cover, cook on Low 6 hours or on High 2-3 hours. Serve hot with additional granola sprinkled on top. Serve with cream if desired.

Dulce De Leche in a Crock Pot

Misty Birmingham

Step 1: Take one or two cans of fat free sweetened condensed milk, remove the labels, and put them in your crock pot.

Step 2: Completely submerge the can(s) in water.
Step 3: Set to low and wait eight hours.
Step 4: Wait for one hour then open the cans.

Serve with sliced apples.

Hawaiian crock pot chicken

Sarah Humes


place frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with any type of bbq sauce. Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top. Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce. Serve over rice.


Don't knock it till you try it, Sweet and Spicy meatballs

Sarah Humes


20-ish frozen meatballs (my favorite are the Kirkland brand)
1 cup Grape Jelly
1 cup Salsa
Dump all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, stir at about 4 hours. I serve over rice as a main dish, but I originally tasted these as an appetizer.


5 Bean Chilli

Sarah Humes & Allison Whitaker


Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 cups chopped onions {I use a couple shakes of dried onions}
1 (15 oz) can light red kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained {also known as a white kidney bean}
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, draind
1 (15 oz) can butter beans, drained
2 (14 1/2oz) cans diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos
{I've substituted green chills for jalapenos, for milder chilli}
2 (1 1/4 oz) packets chilil seasoning mix
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
salt and pepper

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef with the onions. Be sure to break up as much clumps as possible. Put the mixture in a slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients and stir together. Cover and cook on hight for 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Cafe Rio Pork

Kelli Larsen

2-3 lb pork loin (look for one with the least amount of fat)
1 cup salsa
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup non diet 7-up

Cook in crock pot for 8 hours will all the ingredients. When done shred pork.

Serve with tortilla, lettuce, rice, beans, pico de gallo, cilantro, etc.

Cafe Rio Dressing

Kelli Larsen

1 1/2 c ranch dressing (I like the stuff you make from the packets)
jalapeno pepper (according to your heat tolerance, put as much or as little as desired. I put a tiny bit from canned jalapeno and freeze the rest)
a bundle of cilantro, leaves and stems
3 tomatillos (peeled)
juice of a lime

combine in blender.

Cafe Rio Lime Rice

Kelli Larsen

1 1/2 uncooked rice
2 c chicken broth (read the instruction on your rice. some needs more liquid than others. add extra water if needed)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp minced onion
pinch salt

add all ingrediants together, stir until boiling.
reduce heat, simmer 14 mins, do not uncover.
remove from heat
fluff with fork, leave lid on for 5 more mins

add:
1 c chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 medium can mild green enchilada sauce.

Curry Chicken

Natalie Cheney

10 chicken thighs (2-3/4 lb.), skins removed

1 jar (16 oz.) Salsa

1 onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. curry powder

1 cup Sour Cream

PLACE chicken in slow cooker. Combine next 3 ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 8 to 10 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours).

TRANSFER chicken to platter; cover to keep warm. Add sour cream to slow cooker; stir until well blended. Serve over chicken.

Benson Beef Stew

Rochelle Benson

1 lb. stew meat
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 handfuls baby carrots, chopped into thirds (or slice 2-4 regular carrots)
1 onion, chopped
4-6 medium potatoes, diced
optional: 2 ribs celery, sliced

Put meat in the crockpot. Mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika together. Dump the mixture on the beef in the crock and stir it around to coat the meat. Add the rest of the ingredients and give it a good stir. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.

Santa Fe Chicken

Lindsey Robbins

4 chicken breasts
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can corn, drained
2 cups chunky salsa
cheese

Place corn, beans, 1/2 the salsa in the bottom of crock pot. Top with chicken breasts. Pour the rest of the salsa over the chicken. Cook for 3-4 hours on high, or until the chicken is cooked through. Top with cheese and serve with rice.

Caramel Fondue

Holly Murray


½ cup butter

½ cup light corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

In a saucepan, mix together all ingredients and bring to a boil. Transfer to greased slow cooker and set on low heat to serve. Dip apple slices or chunks of angel food cake.