12/08/2013

Crock-Pot Chili

This super easy chili recipe is so good on a cold day. We've been battling icy weather here in Arkansas (thankfully the power has stayed on), so I figured today would be a great day to make this. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
2 cans chili beans (undrained)
1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer the petit diced)
1 batch seasoning mix:

  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder (I use minced garlic)
Place uncooked beef in the bottom of crock-pot. Sprinkle on half of seasoning mix. Stir. Add in beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle on remaining half on seasoning mix. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Makes 4-6 servings. This recipe can easily be doubled to serve more. 

You can easily add any other ingredients you may enjoy. Also, resist the urge to "check" on the chili while it's cooking. Every time you open that lid all the steam escapes and it adds to your cooking time. Let it do it's business while you do yours. I'll add a picture when mine finishes cooking!

7/29/2013

Easy Recipe Conversion

I found this little gem on facebook. I couldn't find the original post to link to, so I'll just post the picture here:


7/19/2013

Chocolate Dumplins

So, this is a recipe that I created out of necessity. We were having a fellowship dinner at church and I had half of the ingredients for apple dumplins and half the ingredients for chocolate/peanut butter rolls. I figure, two halves make a whole so why not go for it! It must have been good, because I came home with an empty dish :)





Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 bag chocolate chips
1 can crescent rolls
powdered sugar or chocolate syrup (for topping)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Unroll crescent roll dough into 8 triangles. Fill each triangle with 1 TBSP chocolate chips. Roll up and pinch ends shut so chips don't fall out. Place in a 13x9 baking dish. In a saucepan combine sugar and butter on medium heat. When butter is melted, add vanilla. Pour mixture over dumplins. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until brown. Top with powdered sugar or chocolate syrup.


Tips: I used 1 and a half tubes of crescent rolls to make sure I had enough for everyone. I used Ghiradelli chocolate chips

5/03/2013

Super Easy Stew

So our lovely Arkansas Weather has decided to through us a curve ball and revert to winter in May. Since it's freezing outside I had to decide what warm meal to make for supper. I decided on stew. I used to hate making stew because it was so labor intensive. However, I have found a way to make stew that is virtually effortless.

Ingredients:
Stew meat
flour
14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 c. water
4 medium sized red potatoes
1 lb. bag baby carrots
1 onion (optional)

Directions:
Wash and dice potatoes. Place in bottom of crock pot. Coat stew meat in flour. Place on top of potatoes. Cover in carrots. Add onions if desired. Pour tomatoes over all and add 2 c. water. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or until meat and potatoes are tender.

This is a fantastic meal for cold days. Enjoy :)

4/12/2013

Ritz Chicken

This is my family's FAVORITE chicken dish. They beg for it (even the kids)! It combines 2 stapels of southern comfort food...ritz crackers and butter. How can you go wrong?


Ingredients:
5 Chicken tenders
Ritz Crackers (crushed)
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375F. Dip chicken in egg, then coat with Ritz crackers. Place in baking dish and pour melted butter over. Cook for 25 minutes or until done.

Yup...it's that simple. You can also dap it with the butter instead of melting it. Also, it helps to double coat the chicken in order to get a better coating of the Ritz. To do this simply dip the chicken in the egg again and then re-coat with Ritz. Enjoy!

3/23/2013

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip

I came across this recipe on a Facebook post. I wanted to pin it, but couldn't find the original link, so I thought I'd post it here :) I'd really like to give credit to the original creator of this fabulous taste explosion, so if anyone knows who that is please leave a comment! Without further ado, here it is:



Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips
8oz pkg Reese's peanut butter cup Minis (or about 1 1/2 cup chopped Reeses cups)
Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add brown sugar and butter. Whisk until completely combined and butter is melted. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until creamy (about 3-4 minutes. On low, add in brown sugar mixture (that has cooled to near room temp). Mix until combined. Fold in mini chocolate chips and mini Reese's cups. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy with pretzels, animal cracker and graham sticks.

3/13/2013

Skillet Cornbread

I'm not normally a huge cornbread fan...I just never liked it! But my dear hubby is a cornbread addict. So I resolved myself to finding a recipe I could stomach. And then I found this recipe! Not only can I stomach it, I'm now a cornbread believer :) Nothing says southern like a warm plate of cornbread with some pinto beans. And of course, this must be baked in an iron skillet...



Ingredients:
2-3 tsp bacon grease
2 c. buttermilk
1 large egg
1 3/4 c. cornmeal (I use self-rising)
If you don't use self-rising cornmeal you will also need:
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat the bottom and sides of skillet with bacon grease. Heat the skillet in the oven. While the skillet is heating, in a medium-size bowl whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Add the cornmeal and stir well. *If not using self-rising cornmeal whisk in the baking powder, soda, and salt.* Pour batter into the hot skillet. Bake the bread for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately place the cornbread upside-down on a plate. Serve immediately while it is still hot!

Now for the great debate...to sugar or not to sugar :) My husband is strictly anti-sugar in cornbread while I don't mind a tsp or so. This is entirely up to you and your taste preferences. For variety you can add jalapeƱos or corn. And don't forget that you never wash an iron skillet with soap! Simply wash with hot water (use salt to scrub).

Skillet Chicken

First of all, allow me to apologize for my serious neglect of this blog. I've been so swamped by life in general that I have failed to update this. That being said, I have discovered a super yummy way to cook chicken :) I'm sure I'm not the first person to cook chicken this way, but I love it! It is quick, easy, and best of all it's versatile. This recipe can easily be modified to fit your taste preferences. So, without further ado, here it is:



Ingredients:
Chicken Tenders
1/3 c. flour
Italian Seasoning
1 stick butter
2 TBSP chicken broth

Melt 1 stick butter in a skillet (I prefer an iron skillet) over medium heat. Pound chicken tenders 2 or 3 times with a meat mallet. Lightly coat chicken with flour. Place in pan and sprinkle with seasoning. Cook 5-6 minutes then turn. Cook another 5-6 minutes. Turn heat to low, add broth, cover, and cook 1-2 minutes.

See...super simple. Now here's some variations:

Lemon-Pepper Chicken-use lemon pepper instead of Italian seasoning and use lemon juice instead of broth.
Use water, lemon juice, or lime juice in place of broth.

There are many other ways to change up this recipe. Just play around with it and most of all, have fun!