Sunday, January 13, 2013

Bourbon Banana Bread


Crockpot Bourbon Banana Bread, why yes please!!!!  This recipe just called out to me.  When I found it, I made it the same day!  It was yummy, a little sweet for me, but sweet stuff is not appealing to me at the moment.  I had it while warm with a little vanilla ice cream. Great for breakfast with coffee or as a dessert.

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans


Glaze 
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoon bourbon
1 teaspoon hot water

Directions:
Grease bottom only of 3 1/2- to 4-quart round slow cooker with shortening or cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with 2 teaspoons of the Bisquick mix. 
 In large bowl, stir bananas, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons bourbon, the vanilla and eggs until well blended. Stir in remaining Bisquick mix, the cinnamon, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the pecans until well blended. Pour into slow cooker. 
Cover; cook on High heat setting 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours (it took mine 2 hours 10 minutes) or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Turn off slow cooker; uncover, and remove ceramic base from cooker to cooling rack. Let cool 15 minutes.  
Loosen edge of bread with thin metal spatula. Remove bread from slow cooker to cooling rack. Cool 1 hour.
In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth and consistency of thick syrup. Drizzle over top of bread. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup pecans.

Note- I got this recipe from Betty Crocker.  All crockpots cook differently.  I suggest to start checking the bread after 1 1/2 hours.  

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Herbed Chicken Legs

Chicken legs in a crockpot, how easy right? Well, this is a pretty tasty recipe. It smelled so good while cooking. The hardest part of this recipe, was peeling all the garlic cloves. I cooked 15 chicken legs & the meat was tasty & tender. Falling off the bone. I served 3 legs per person, except for the girls, they only ate 1. Now, you all know we eat leftovers for lunch. Well, the hubs and I were not feeling 100%, so the leftover chicken only tasted so, so to us. Feel free to leave me any comments.

Servings: 3 (really depend on how big of an eater you are)
Ingredients:
20 whole garlic cloves, skin removed
2 Tablespoons light olive oil
6-8 chicken legs or drumsticks
1 Tablespoon dried oregano or rosemary
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/3 cup chicken broth

Directions:  Place the garlic cloves in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour the olive oil into a gallon sized zip-style bag. Add the chicken legs, close the bag, and massage the olive oil into the chicken legs. In a separate cup, combine the dried herbs and spices. Pour this herb mixture over the chicken in the bag. Close the bag again and massage the chicken until the spices coat all of the chicken legs. Pour the chicken into a large skillet and brown the chicken over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side (this step will give the chicken flavor and color). Place the browned chicken into the slow cooker, pour the chicken broth over the top and place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 8 hours.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Easy to Stuff Manacotti

I really love simple recipes. This one was pretty good, I will definitely be making this one again. Even the girls ate it, but of course I don't know many children who don't like pasta. You can even have your children help you stuff the cheese into the shells! I put this in the meat free category because during lent, I will be stuffing 2 cheese sticks inside & topping it with plain sauce. Serve with salad & cheesy bread & you are set to go!

Servings:6-8
Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce
14 pieces string cheese
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions: Cook manicotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drain manicotti; stuff each shell with a piece of string cheese. Place over meat sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

I don't think I have ever cooked a dinner so fast. From start to table it took me, maybe 15-20 minutes. It was super easy &  it actually was a pretty good dinner. You could easily turn this into a soup by adding chicken stock to it. If using corn tortillas, you can tear them up &  add them in, but I find it makes them very mushy, plus  leftovers do not taste very good. So, we just spooned it into flour tortillas &  made taco's out of it.

Serves: 6

Ingredients
No-Stick Cooking Spray
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (3 cups = about 12 oz)I used 2-12 oz canned chicken
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1 can (10 oz each) red enchilada sauce
1 can (8 oz each) Hunt's® Tomato Sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack blend cheese, divided
Corn or flour tortillas

 Directions:  Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. (Add tortilla pieces) and chicken; mix well. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until hot, stirring frequently. Pour undrained tomatoes and enchilada and tomato sauces over chicken mixture in skillet. Mix well. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over chicken mixture. Cover skillet; cook 5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Make taco's or you can serve immediately if you tore up the tortillas.

Crockpot cream cheese chicken

I stumbled on this recipe & thought I would give it a try. Normally I use boneless skinless chicken breast for just about EVERYTHING. However...with the price of meat on the rise, sometimes the bone-in-breast or whole chicken is way cheaper to use & buy. Especially on this type of recipe, so feel free to use what you have on hand. We had leftovers, so I froze the chicken mixture & added just a touch of stock. Tasted just as good as the first time! It was perfect when we got in from out of town at 4 & I needed to have a quick dinner.

Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs chicken pieces
2 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 Teaspoon onion powder
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
(5 1/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions:  Set chicken into a crock pot set to low. Add all the seasonings and butter. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, you can shred the chicken at this point Add Cream of Chicken Soup, cream cheese, and chicken broth. Cook on low for an additional hour. Serves over noodles & of course with crusty bread! Enjoy