What's Cookin'?

Cookie Dough Pie

2009-12-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

This is so easy to make and actually a lot of fun to assemble. It tasted really good too... which is surprising because there are only a few ingredients.

Cookie Dough Pie
*15.25 ounce package Chips Ahoy Cookies- Original kind
*8-12 ounces Cool Whip- I used 8 ounces, but I probably would use 12 ounces next time
*2 cups milk

Quickly dip cookies in milk, shake off excess liquid, and layer in 9 inch pie plate, breaking cookies to fill any gaps. Once the first layer is complete, top with a thin layer of Cool Whip. Repeat twice more making last layer of Cool Whip a bit thicker. Garnish with chocolate syrup if desired. Place in freezer 2-3 hours before serving. Serves 6-8.

Note- You must dip quickly or your pie will be very soggy. Make sure to shake off excess milk as well so that you do not have a puddle of milk in your pie. You will have leftover milk but you do need that amount to get the cookie completely immersed. The final product will be like a soft cookie dough-like consistency. On the right is the pattern I made on top of the pie with chocolate syrup.
That's it. So yummy!!

Ooooh... we got it! ♪♫ Hot Chocolate!

2009-11-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

So I haven't tried these yet, but I used the handy dandy tool I added to the right side to find these recipes.
I figured, what could be cooler than some warm HOT CHOCOLATE?!

These are homemade hot chocolate recipes... how cool is that?!
I've never thought of that before. If you try it before I do, let me know if it tastes good.☺

Recipe #1: Hot Chocolate

Ingredients
*1/2 lb powdered milk
*1 lb powdered sugar
*1/4 lb coffee creamer
*2 ounces unsweetened baking cocoa

Directions
1. Place all ingredients into large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Then place in sealed containers, ziploc bags etc.
3. Place 1/3 cup into a mug and fill with hot water
4. Enjoy!
This makes 21 servings

Recipe #2: Hot Chocolate

Ingredients
*1/2 cup granulated sugar
*1/3 cup hot water
*1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
*4 cups milk
*1/8 teaspoon salt
*3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
*Mini marshmallows or Peeps

(Ok, side note - Who still has peeps? Are there Christmas peeps... I don't even know??)

Directions
1. Mix cocoa, sugar, water, and salt in saucepan.
2. Over medium heat stir constantly until mixture boils. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the milk and heat, but do not boil.

4. Remove from heat and add vanilla; blend well.
5. Serve immediately, topped with marshmallows or Peeps, whipped cream or a spoonful scoop of vanilla ice cream

Italian Crock Pot Chicken

2009-05-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

I had this for dinner at my sister-in-law's house Monday and thought it tasted great! Who knew it would be this simple too.

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 envelope Italian dressing mix.

Combine soup, cream cheese and dressing mix. Pour over chicken in crock pot and cook all day on low heat. Serve over noodles or rice. (We had it on rice and I thought it was very tasty! You could make this practically fat free too. I would even serve this to guests, I thought it tasted so good)

Hamburger Cake and Fries

2009-03-09T12:54:00.001-07:00

I made this cake for Tyler's birthday and I got a lot of questions about it, so here's how I did it.
It seems like a lot of directions, but it was pretty easy...just time consuming.

CAKE:
1 box of white, yellow, or pound cake mix(I used white)
1 box of fudge brownie mix
1 tub of white frosting

CONDIMENTS:
lots of airheads
5 green airheads
3 white airheads
4 red airheads
**This is what I used, but if you're more creative and can think of something better, do it, because I think this wasn't the best idea and I'd do it again differently...but it worked.
Slivered almonds (or rice crispies)
1 Tub of Whipped Cream

FRIES:
Sugar Cookies (I've got a good, easy recipe if you need one)

KETCHUP:
It only took about a 1/4 tub of frosting, if that, so I used some extra I already had.
*Add red food coloring until you reach desired color and mix well.
*Place the frosting in a ziplock bag

OTHER THINGS YOU'LL NEED:
Food coloring
-red -blue -yellow
9" round cake pan(s)

Sorry, I don't have any official directions...these are just off the top of my head

DIRECTIONS:

*Bake White Cake Mix in two greased 9" round cake pans according to package directions. Let cool.
*Bake Fudge Brownie mix in one 9" round cake pan according to package directions. Let cool. (I placed wax paper inside my pan and greased that, for easier removal)
*Make sugar cookie dough. The dough typically needs time to set in the fridge for at least an hour.
*Start on condiments
-Place the airheads, either one or a few at a time, in their appropriate colors, in a microwave safe bowl with a little bit of water, to melt. (It was between 10 and 15 seconds for me....and they will be hot!) They cool off quickly so be sure to mold fast. You can only do one piece of condiment at a time.
From these I made lettuce, tomatoes, and with yellow food coloring- the cheese (the lettuce I spread into any shape and then curled up the edges a little with my finger, the tomatoes I molded into flat circles, and the cheese, while it was still hot added a drop of yellow food coloring, kneaded that in, and molded them into triangles.)
-The frysauce (it was supposed to be mustard, but the color didn't turn out right) was a mixture of red and yellow food coloring. I did one part red and two parts yellow for the frysauce. Place in ziplock bag.

By this time my cookies were ready to bake.
*Roll out cookie dough about 1/4" thick and with a pizza cutter grid the dough into long skinny strips. Place on cookie sheet and follow sugar cookie recipe directions. In between each sheet of cookies baking, I worked on my frosting for the burger.

*Frosting for buns- I used one part blue, one part red, one part yellow.
Mix and add more until it is your desired brown. (I ended up using like 10 parts of all 3 three to achieve the color I wanted)

THE CONSTRUCTION:

-CAKE-
*Choose which white cake would look better on top- one that has a more even round top- and set aside.
*Take the other cake out of the pan and place it on a plate or cookie sheet. Cut off the rounded top so that it's flat and the other layers can easily be stacked on it.
*Frost both cakes; reserving a little frosting for touch ups at the end... your fingers will mess it up a little in the process of moving. No need to frost the parts of the buns that won't be seen, unless, of course, you just love frosting!
*Set bottom bun on your serving tray or plate.
*Frost the top of the bottom bun with Whipped Cream, so that it looks like mayonnaise.
*Take lettuce leaves and place speratically around rim of burger, so that they will peek through.
*Take brownie round out of pan and place on top of lettuce
(Optional-- I tried to mash up brown cookies to mix up with chocolate frosting- to cover the brownie with, but the cookies I bought, I didn't know, had caramel in them so they didn't crumble. This might give a good texture effect on the burger. The brownie alone had good texture though too---Instead I put chocolate frosting on top of brownie...so it wasn't visible, because I was worried the cake would taste too dry with out much frosting)
*Place your tomatoes and cheese on the rim of the brownie, so they will peek through.
*Use your frysauce (or mustard) frosting to fill in any exposed sections, or wherever desired. To do so, cut off corner of zip lock and squeeze through hole.(If you're having difficulties squeezing frosting through... don't force it. Your hole may be too small, and you might have a minor explosion if you don't make the hole a little bigger)
*Place top bun on top of tomatoes, cheese, and frysauce.
*Touch up bun frosting where needed.
*Place Slivered almond pieces on top to look like sesame seeds.
***Side note*** Be sure to place your layers of brownie and cake on straight. I didn't so mine kept sliding...and that's why my mayo is squirting out so much. If you need to, you can place some sort of dowel in the center of the cakes, to keep it all in place.

-FRIES-
*Place sugar cookies on tray in desired display
*With ketchup frosting in zip lock, cut tip off one corner of the bag and squeeze frosting through hole. (If you're having difficulties squeezing frosting through... don't force it. Your hole may be too small, and you might have a minor explosion if you don't make the hole a little bigger)
*You can also spiral a mound of ketchup up for dipping

(So... if you're wondering what is on the fries and under the ketchup frosting , it's blackberry pie/cake filling. I was going to use strawberry pie filling, but before I went out to buy it, I noticed I already had some blackberry filling and the picture on the outside of the can looked red enough to me. After opening the can I realized it wasn't very red at all and added food coloring to it in a ziplock bag to try to make it more red. I squeezed it onto the fries, but it looked like maple syrup! That's why I tried covering it up with frosting. The hint of blackberry was pretty tasty though.)

I believe that's it, but I may be forgetting something. Congrats if you got through all that! Just ask if you have questions. Enjoy!

No Bake Cookies

2009-03-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

1/2 cup margarine melted
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cocoa

Bring to fast rolling boil, let boil for 70 seconds, then remove from heat. Stir in:
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups quick oats

Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper or foil and let cookies set. Enjoy!
Jenna Folsom

Chocolate Trifle EASY

2009-03-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

I'm all about the easy recipes!!

Ingredients

1 package (18 1/4 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix
1 package (6oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 carton (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 Heath bars (1.4 oz each) crushed

Directions

*Bake cake according to package directions. Cool.
*Prepare pudding according to package directions. Set aside.
*Crumble cake; reserve 1/2 cup.
*Place the remaining cake crumbs in the bottom of a 4 1/2 or 5 qt trifle dish or decorative bowl. Layer with half the pudding, half of the whipped topping, and half of the crushed candy bars.
*Repeat the layers of cake, pudding, and whipped topping.
*Combine remaining crushed candy with reserved cake crumbs; sprinkle over top.
*Refrigerate 4-5 hours before serving.
Yeild: 8-10 servings.

The fun thing about this recipe is you can change it up just about anyway you like. For instance, instead of using chocolate cake you could use strawberry cake, or instead of chocolate pudding you could use butterscotch pudding, instead of Heath bars you could use fruit or chocolate chips or Oreos...the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Sock-It-To-Me-Cake

2009-02-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces sour cream
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil

Topping:
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions
Beat all the cake ingredients. In the bottom of a well greased Bundt pan, put a layer of the topping. Then put a layer of the batter. Continue layering, ending with topping. Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Leave in the pan for 25 - 30minutes.

Ever since I was a little girl I remember having this brunch cake with our Christmas breakfast. My mom would always make it with a sausage-egg casserole. We make this cake as a dessert by it self a lot of times though. It always reminds me of Christmas though, and there isn't much better than that. Hope you enjoy!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

2009-01-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com
and they taste pretty good!!
(I added my two cents in bold)

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers (they come in a can too)
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (I used oregano instead)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
5 (6 inch) flour tortillas (I used egg roll wrappers, and think that these would come out a lot better than the torillas...less soggy, thinner, and more crunchy...they tasted great)
1 quart oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS

Rub 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over chicken breast. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken approximately 5 minutes per side, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside. (Obviously cut chicken open, if you're unsure...mine took a lot longer than that)
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender.
Dice chicken and mix into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.
Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute, or until hot and pliable.
Spoon even amounts of the mixture into each tortilla. Fold ends of tortillas, then roll tightly around mixture. Secure with toothpicks. Arrange in a medium dish, cover with plastic, and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours.
In a large, deep skillet, heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry frozen, stuffed tortillas 10 minutes each, or until dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

SERVINGS: 5

(If you're using egg roll wrappers, you can forget about Direction #4. And as far as Direction #5, we just spooned the mixture in, folded in the bottom, then sides, put water on the remaining wrapper, and rolled it up. We didn't need toothpicks, as it stuck just fine with water, and we didn't freeze them before frying. (Though, maybe the freezing would help with the reheating. I don't know why they ask you to freeze them beforehand. Anybody know?)

They're pretty big so quadrupling the 5 serving recipe was a bad idea because I can only eat one for a meal. (What was I thinking?!?) If you feel like making the recipe bigger than what the original recipe makes, I wouldn't cook them all in one night. If you decide to make a bunch at once, just store them in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to fry them because they don't taste as good reheated. At least not in the microwave...maybe they will in the oven.
Oh and you have to have them with the sauce! I think it makes the dish. The sauce I used was some chili lime ranch sauce I had from Arby's, but I'm going to find a recipe to make a similar sauce in the next few days, so I'll let you know what I find...
Anybody have a good kinda spicy ranch sauce recipe?

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-12-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

1 Box of Spice Cake Mix
1 Egg
1 Bag of Chocolate Chips
1 Small Can of Pumpkin

*Thoroughly mix Pumpkin, Cake Mix, and Egg together
*Add Chocolate Chips and mix together

350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

*Side note* They come out in the same basic shape you set them in before baking, so you'll want to make sure you roll them into balls before.
I made that mistake. I don't know what I was thinking, but I was in my church clothes and didn't want to touch the dough so I just flicked them on the cookie sheet with a spatula. Haha, they didn't look so pretty, but still tasted just fine.

What's Yours?

2008-11-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition, food, or recipe (or all)??
Please feel free to reply with a comment or new post.

My favorite Thanksgiving foods that I drool over a few days prior have got to be String Bean Casserole, The Pink Stuff, and pies, pies, pies. MMMMMM!!

I absolutely love string bean casserole and make it many times a year. I always double the recipe and that fits nicely into your normal casserole dish. You can find the recipe on the back of the Fried Onion Cans, or I just can tell you (cause I've got it memorized!)

The Pink Stuff is a family tradition. My Aunt makes it every year, even though none of her kids like it. Basically it's just me and my sister eating the bowl ourselves. No one knows exactly what it's called, so we just call it The Pink Stuff, but here's the recipe (it's super easy and may not sound the greatest, but, oh, it is:

One can of Fruit Cocktail
One tub of Cool Whip
One tub of Cottage Cheese
One box of Jello Powder (usually Strawberry)

**Drain the fruit and mix together!!

And as for Pies, you can pretty much never go wrong with them. I love all sorts....pumpkin, banana cream, chocolate.... the list goes on and on.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-11-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to find a good chocolate chip cookie recipe. I did my trusty search on allrecipes.com and found this wonderful recipe. I was a little worried about the vanilla pudding powder, it just seemed so weird, but they were so tasty! The best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made! You need to seriously try these. I only made 1/2 batch since I'm home all day and didn't want them staring at me begging me to eat them. The half batch made more than enough.

Click here for the original recipe.

Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

My changes

Add: 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons vanilla
Left out nuts, used Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips. Only because Casey doesn't like semi-sweet
Cooked until barely starting to brown on edges = perfect soft cookies

Jack O' Lantern Strawberries

2008-10-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love chocolate dipped strawberries?

I got this recipe/idea from Sandra Lee. I think it's super cute and pretty easy. For some reason my white chocolate was weird and kinda clumpy so I looked up how to fix it and ended up adding 1 Tablespoon of crisco. Kinda gross huh, but it tasted fine and made it perfectly smooth. Coming up with different faces was alot of fun!

My First What's Cookin Post- Pineapple Sesame Chicken

2008-10-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I love food blogs and decided I should start contributing to this one! Thanks Emily for starting it! This is what we ate for dinner last night. I wish the picture was better. I'm not sure how to take pictures of food. It tasted amazing! Both Casey and I loved it! I got the recipe from my favorite food blog Picky Palate- check it out. She makes lots of yummy food and her pictures are great! Click here for the original recipe.

Pineapple Sesame Chicken

4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger (grated)*
1 pound chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)*
1 teaspoon peanut oil
4 servings cooked rice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
green onions to garnish

Directions:
1. Mix the soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, sugar, ginger and chicken in a ziplock bag and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the chicken and marinade to the pan and saute until the chicken is cooked and the sauce begins to thicken.
4. Serve on cooked rice and garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions

* I used 1/4 teaspoon dried, ground ginger
* I used frozen chicken thawed then cut into bite sized pieces. It worked great.

Cheesy Pork Chops with Spicy Apples

2008-10-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this recipe awhile ago on allrecipes.com, and now it is one of my favorite meals to make. The flavor combination of this dish is so good. I especially love the flavor the balsamic vinegar adds.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, sliced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 apple, cored and sliced
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices extra sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Prepare a grill for high heat.

2. While the grill heats, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until soft. Season with red pepper flakes then add the sliced apple. Stir in the sugar and balsamic vinegar, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until apples are soft and golden.

3. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Spoon the onions and apples on top of the chops, and top with a slice of Cheddar cheese. Cover the grill, and cook for about 3 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.

New World Chili

2008-10-29T13:11:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite chili recipe. I found it in Better Homes and Gardens. It is so easy to make. Just throw everything in the crock pot, and leave it for the day.

Ingredients
1 lb. turkey breast tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces, (I use 1 lb. of ground turkey)
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups shredded fresh spinach
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Directions
1. In a 5-quart slow cooker combine turkey, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, squash, onion, the 1/2 cup chicken broth, corn, cranberries, jalapeño pepper, chili powder, and garlic.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. If desired, stir in additional broth to reach desired consistency. Stir in spinach just before serving. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Pot Roast

2008-10-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
Makes 8 servings
Recipe from McCormick

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg of McCormick Slow Cooker Savory Pot Roast
2 1/2 to 3 lbs boneless chuck or rump roast, well trimmed
5 cups cut up fresh vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions and potatoes
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
1) Place roast and vegetables in crock pot.

2) Mix seasoning and water until blended. Pour over roast and vegetables. Cover. Do not remove cover during cooking.

3) Cook 8 hours on low OR 4 hours on high. Remove roast and vegetables to serving platter. Stir sauce before serving.

Magic Smores bar

2008-10-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

I know, I know another dessert, but these looked good... I swear it's not all I eat.

magic s’mores bars

10 ounces (300g) graham crackers (18 whole crackers, or two cellophane wrapped stacks)
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 110g) unsalted butter, melted
1 pinch of kosher salt
1 14 ounce can (400g) sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups (250g) semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups (I have no idea how much they weigh—just throw a couple of handfuls on!) mini marshmallows

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees Celsius). In a large resealable bag (or in a food processor), smash graham crackers until finely ground. Stir in melted butter and salt. Press into a 13×9″ pan.
2. Drizzle can of condensed milk over graham crackers. Sprinkle on chocolate chips; follow with marshmallows.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes until marshmallows a lightly browned.

(You can also replace the marshmallow with some coconut if you don't want it as sweet)

Pearson's Pizza

2008-10-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients for dough

2 to 2 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup margarine
2 to 3 packages of dry yeast dissolved in 3/4 cup warm water (we typically put in 3 because that's how many packets come together when you buy them, but the recipe actually calls for 2)

(we usually double that, if we want breadsticks)

Directions

Combine dry ingredients. Add water and yeast to the flour mixture and knead until smooth. Roll out or press out with finger tips to about 1/4 inch thick to fit cookie sheets or pans.
Add your favorite toppings

This is just your basic pizza recipe, if you guys have any others you'd like to share I'd like to try them.

Japanese Curry

2008-10-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

This recipe has now become a family favorite . While on his mission, Joseph picked up this recipe from a missionary from Japan. Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts or equivalent beef
3 potatoes cubed
1/2 small bag of baby carrots
2 bell peppers julienned
1/2 onion diced
2 boxes of Golden Curry (we use medium hot)
You can find it on the International aisle at Maceys
4 cups water (about)
brown rice

Combine beef or chicken, potatoes, onions, carrots, bell peppers, and really any other vegetable that you want in the crock pot. Pour enough water to barely cover the vegetables. Break apart the curry cubes and place them throughout the mixture.
Just like other crock pot dishes you can cook it according to your schedule: 4, 6, 8 hours. They all work well, but of course the meat is more tender if you cook it on low for a longer time.
When it has an hour left, use a fork to shred the chicken. This batch was a little more liquidy than we like, so we added some flour to thicken it.
You can eat it lots of ways, but we LOVE to eat it over brown rice. We ate some leftovers in tortillas and that was really good too with some cheese sprinkled over it.
Voila! A very tasty dinner that's easy and will give you at least 3 days worth!!! So it's great to make before a string of busy days.
Hopefully, you'll like it as much as we do and your plate will look like this! :) Let us know if you try it and any cool adjustments that you make.

Inviting friends and family

2008-09-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Just so you know I want you guys to feel free to invite anyone you want join in this fun cooking blog.
Or if you're browsing and reading this blog and want to post too just let me know and I'll send the invitation.
By the way, I really want to make some Twice Baked Potatoes now. Just reading and looking at the pictures is making my mouth water. Mmmmm!

Twice Baked Potatoes

2008-09-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've had these once or twice, but this was the first time I've made them. They are sooo good and worth the cooking time!

INGREDIENTS:
4 large baking potatoes (I used 6 small potatoes)
1/4 cup milk
salt to taste (I also used pepper)
1/2 T butter
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
*Next time I'll put in bacon and green onions!

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Clean & scrub potatoes. Pierce skin with a fork twice.

3) Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft & firm.

4) Let potatoes cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out pulp within 1/4 inch of the shell edge. Mash the pulp with milk, salt, some cheese and butter to taste.

5) Stuff shells with mashed pulp mixture and sprinkle tops with grated cheese. Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Recipe found on allrecipes.com Submitted by Sally Oh.

I've used allrecipes before, but I was always frustrated because it gave you so many recipes. This time I used the ingredient list for potatoes, butter, and milk and I found this recipe! So delicious! :)

Strawberry Poke Cake

2008-09-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

All of the recipes I've added have been desserts. What can I say?...mmmm

INGREDIENTS

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 Large Strawberry Jell-O Packet
1 Small Instant Vanilla Pudding Packet
1 Envelope Dream Whip
1 Small Container Cool Whip
1 tsp Vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 Cups Cold Milk

DIRECTIONS

-Bake cake according to directions on box
-Cool for 20 minutes

-Combine Jello-O packet with 1 1/2 cups boiling water
-Stir until Jello-O is completely dissolved
-Poke holes in cake
-Pour over cake
-Refrigerate for 30 minutes

-Combine pudding packet, dream whip envelop, vanilla, and milk
-Mix for several minutes until fluffy
-Spread over cake
-Refrigerate for 1 hour

-Spread cool whip for top
-Refrigerate until ready to serve

Zucchini Soup

2008-09-14T17:12:00.001-07:00

I got this from a ward cooking club night. Even though you may think of zucchini and soup and go huh?, it is so delicious. Even my picky 18 month old will eat it!

1 cup chopped onions (I use 1/4 cup dried)
2 tbsp butter
3 (or more) cups sliced zucchini
2 cups (and a bit) chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
1/2 cup half and half

Toppings:
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Cooked crisp, crumbled bacon, or bacon bits

In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Add slided zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 minutes). Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Return to saucepan and add half and half. Reheat, but do not boil. Garnish with grated cheese, sour cream and bacon bits. This makes 4-6 servings.

Black Bean and Rice Soup

2008-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law and it is awesome. It's really easy and fast (especially nice for those days when you get home from work and don't feel like making some elaborate meal). I even make extra and then freeze some for a SUPER easy meal later.

Black Bean and Rice Soup

2 cans black beans, undrained
3 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1 1/2 cups minute brown rice, uncooked

Place 1 1/2 cans of beans with liquid in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into large saucepan. Stir in remaining beans, water, onion and dressing mix. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat to low, cover. Simmer 5 minutes. Top with sour cream, chopped cilantro, chopped red pepper, shredded cheese, guacamole, crushed tortilla chips, or whatever else you want.

S'more Bars

2008-08-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't tried these yet, but I thought they'd be a great treat for a relaxing Labor Day.

INGREDIENTS:

3 C. Cocoa Puffs Cereal
3 C. Golden Grahams Cereal
1 C. peanuts
½ C. peanut butter
1 (10.5-oz.) bag miniature marshmallows
2 Tbsp. milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray or grease with shortening. In large bowl, mix both cereal and peanuts.
2. In a 3 quart saucepan, heat peanut butter, marshmallows and milk over low heat, stirring occasionally, until peanut butter and marshmallow are melted and mixture is smooth.
3. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture; stir to coat well. Press mixture in greased pan. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Cut into bars.

Homemade Oreos

2008-08-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Almost Oreos

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 oz.) Devils Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
½ C. butter
1 Tbsp. water

Frosting:
Store bought cream cheese frosting
or
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp. milk
(mix until combined)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Mix on medium speed with mixer until combined.
3. Drop spoonfulls of cookies on cookie sheet. Press flat.
4. Bake 6-7 minutes. Let cool.
5. Once the cookies are finished, spread frosting in between two cookies.