Easy Crockpot Chicken

Things just never seem to slow down. This is a really easy recipe I put in the crockpot before work and I thought it turned out pretty good. I love the smell of dinner when you walk in the door. I got the recipe off of THIS blog.


Easy Crockpot Chicken



4-6 frozen chicken breasts

1 can cream of mushroom soup

about 1/2 a packet of onion soup



Put ingredients into the crockpot. Cook all day. Shred the chicken with a fork and serve over rice.

Soon......

Things were so busy with getting the house ready to move-in I've been neglecting this blog, more like abandoned it. I'm excited to start cooking in my kitchen and updating this blog but we've had a problem the last 3 weeks of having no stove/oven. So as soon as that gets worked out, hopefully within the next week I'll try to get something new posted.

On another note, my mom bought me the Worldwide Ward Cookbook for Mother's day and it's awesome. I looked through all 440 recipes and there are so many I'm excited to try. If you're looking for a new cookbook this is one to buy. (It even has the Olive Garden soup I love and the popular Cafe Rio pork salad/dressing plus recipes from all over the world)

'Tis the Season for Baking: Chocolate Coconut Nut Clusters

I love baking sweets this time of year to hand out to people and I've tried a couple of new recipes this year. I found this recipe last year and I love how easy it is but they look fancy. I found the candy cups (waxed cups) at Gygi. The next batch I make I'm going to make some with just coconut and then try a batch with almonds and coconut. You can add whichever nut you like best.

Chocolate Coconut Nut Clusters

Candy Cups
2 2/3 c. sweetened flaked coconut
1 6oz. jar macadamia nuts, chopped (or 2 c. pecans chopped)
2 2/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips
For the glaze: 1/3 c. white chocolate chips (melted with 1/2 T. vegetable shortening)

Line 4 miniature muffin pans with candy cups; set them aside. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut and nuts on separate cookie sheets. Bake each until golden brown, about 9 minutes for the nuts and 10 for the coconut, stirring every few minutes to keep them from burning. Let them cool.

Combine the toasted coconut and nuts in a medium-size bowl. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave according to the package directions. Add the melted chocolate to the coconut mixture; stir well. Drop the mixture by heaping teaspoons into the candy cups. Chill until set, about 45 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate according the the package directions. Pour the contents into a ziplock bag. Snip off a corner of the bag, then drizzle the chocolate over the clusters. Chill until the glaze is set, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refridgerator.

Makes 4 dozen clusters (I had some leftover)

Creamy Cauliflower and Cheese Soup

A couple of weeks ago I tried a cauliflower soup at Zuppa's. I really liked the flavor of the cauliflower with the cheese and I was excited to try this recipe. Matt said this is one of the best soups I've ever made.

Creamy Cauliflower & Cheese Soup


Heat in a pot, on medium low, until butter melts:
1/4 cup broth
1 T. butter

Then add and simmer covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally:

1 roughly chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Next add the following, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender:
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 medium head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped

Turn off heat and allow to cool a bit. Then puree the mixture until smooth. Return to the pot and stir in:

1/4-1/2 cup cream, half-and-half, or milk (I used cream)
2 cups of cheddar cheese (I used a cheddar/monteray jack blend)
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer until cheese is melted. Don't let it boil! Enjoy!

Creamy Broccoli Soup

This is a soup recipe I found last year. It's served at the Naborhood Bakery in Gardner Village. It's one of my favorite soup recipes.

• 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (or grated)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 t. canola oil
• 3 cans chicken broth
• 1 c. water
• 2 sm. bunches trimmed broccoli, chopped
• 3 c. cooked rice
• 2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

Cook carrots, onion and celery in oil about 3 minutes in a large pot.
Add broth and water, stir and bring to boil.
Stir in broccoli and rice.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 10-15 minutes until all veggies are tender.
Puree if desired or leave chunky. (I leave it chunky)
Add milk, cream and cheese.
Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
Serve.

Ham Fried Rice & Ice Cream Dessert

I've been slacking so here are some new recipes I've tried and liked. Some recipes I've tried lately I haven't liked so much but these are a keeper. (Sorry, no pictures either)

HAM FRIED RICE (or CHICKEN)

(I combined 2 recipes to make this recipe)

1 1/2 C. DICED HAM OR 1 TO 2 CHICKEN BREASTS (cut into small pieces)

3 EGGS

2 CARROTS (Grated or Chopped)

2 GREEN ONIONS (white and green part)

3/4 CUP FROZEN PEAS

1/2 CUP BUTTER

2 t. SUGAR

1 TO 2 GARLIC CLOVES (crushed)

2 CUPS WHITE RICE (uncooked, not instant)

PREPARATION:

COOK RICE. IN A SEPARATE PAN ADD 2 T. OIL, CARROTS AND PEAS AND COOK FOR 2 MINUTES. ADD HAM, GREEN ONIONS, GARLIC AND COOK FOR 2-3 MINUTES ON HIGH HEAT. MIX IN BUTTER AND SUGAR AND THEN ADD THE EGGS AND SCRAMBLE THE MIXTURE TOGETHER.

(IF USING CHICKEN COOK CHICKEN FIRST, THEN ADD CARROTS, PEAS ETC.)

ADD RICE AND SOY SAUCE TO TASTE.

This was some of the best ham fried rice I've ever had and it was easy to make. Better than most restaurants I've tried.

Layered Ice Cream Dessert

My grandma and grandpa have made this many times and I finally made it for the first time this month. The vanilla wafers go perfect with the ice cream.

You'll need a deep 9X13 pan to make this in.

Ingredients:

1 rectangle carton vanilla ice cream

1 rectangle carton strawberry ice cream

1 container frozen strawberries, in juice (wal-mart brand comes in a big sour cream type container)

1 8oz. can crushed pineapple

1 c. sugar

1 box vanilla wafers

In a small bowl mix the pineapple and sugar together and set aside. Crush vanilla wafers into crumbs. I use my food processor but you can put them in a ziploc and smash away if you don't have one. Place 1/2 the crumbs in the bottom of the pan. Slice up the strawberry ice cream to make a layer on top of the wafer crumbs. Layer frozen strawberries on top of the ice cream. (I microwave them a little to loosen them up but you still want them frozen so that the ice cream doesn't melt) Next cut up the vanilla ice cream and layer on top of the strawberries. Layer pineapple mixture on top of the vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle remaining vanilla wafer crumbs on top of pineapple. Cover and freeze for a couple of hours.

Grilled Garlic Shrimp & Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

Matt bought some shrimp the other day and I was excited to try them on the grill. They were really good and the best part is that Kaleb loved them. A friend gave me this recipe for Parmesan Smashed Potatoes a couple of years ago and this is one of my 2 favorite mashed potato recipes.

Grilled Garlic Shrimp

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Combine the olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and let them marinate for one hour. Thread the shrimp on skewers (if using bamboo skewers soak them in water first) and grill over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until done.

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

3 lbs. red potatoes, unpeeled
1 T. plus 2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. half-and-half
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t. pepper

Place potatoes and 1 T. salt in 4 qt. saucepan with cold water to cover. Boil, lower heat, and simmer for 25-35 minutes until tender. Drain.

Heat half-and-half and butter together. Put potatoes in bowl and as you mash them slowly add hot half-and-half and butter. Fold in sour cream, parmesan cheese, pepper, and remaining salt.