Sunday, August 31, 2008

Blueberry Crisp

  • 4 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
  2. Place the blueberries into an 8 inch square baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in the mayonnaise until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the berries.
  3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is lightly browned.

**Serve warm with vanilla ice cream**

Found On: Simple, but delicious

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Zucchini Bread with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta

  • 1 large zucchini (grated)
  • 2 roasted red peppers (chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (grated)
  • 1/2 cup feta (crumbled)
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Mix the zucchini, roasted red pepper, garlic, feta, oregano, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and eggs in a large bowl.
  3. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and oregano in a bowl.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
  5. Pour the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
  6. Bake until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Found On: Closet Cooking

Friday, August 29, 2008

Karen's Alfredo

  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 1/2 pkg. low fat cream cheese
  • 1-2 tsp crushed garlic, to taste
  • up to 3 c. fat free half and half
  • 3 oz parmesan cheese
  1. Melt butter in saucepan over med/high heat.
  2. Add cream cheese, cut in small pieces a little at a time.
  3. Add garlic, heat and stir until smooth.
  4. Slowly add cream and parmesan cheese, constantly stirring.
  5. Cook about five minutes.

Found On: 24 Hour Menu

Thursday, August 28, 2008

CrockPot Brown Sugar Chicken

  • 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
  • 2/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine, but think regular white would be fine)
  • 3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  1. Use a 5-6 quart crockpot for this recipe.
  2. Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!
  3. Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.
  4. Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth

Found On: A Year of CrockPotting

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Betty Crocker's Stuffed Peppers

  • 1 medium green bell pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 of a medium onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 oz ground turkey (or beef)
  • 1/3 cup cooked rice
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/3 cup your favorite pasta sauce
  • 1 or 2 T low-fat part-skim shredded mozzarella
  1. Heat oven to 350.
  2. Bring medium pot of water to boil. Cut top of green pepper off. Remove seeds and membranes. Boil pepper for 5 minutes, until it gives slightly to the touch. Once finished, make sure there's no water in the pepper, and place pepper in an oven-safe dish, open side up.
  3. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until crisp-tender. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add meat, break with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until brown. Add the rice, the oregano, about 2/3rds of the sauce, and cook until hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Stuff pepper with skillet mixture. Pour remaining tomato sauce over top. Cover with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Uncover, add cheese, and bake coverless for 10-15 minutes more, until cheese is melted and slightly browned. (If you're preparing several peppers, up the initial baking to 45 minutes, and keep the uncovered baking at 15 minutes.)

Found On: Cheap Healthy Good

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

CrockPot Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

  • 30 oz package of plain frozen hash brown (shredded) potatoes
  • 4 already-been cooked sausage, or leftover diced ham
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
  • 12 eggs
  • 1 cup skim or fat free milk
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  1. I used a 6 quart Smart-Pot for this recipe.
  2. Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. Dump in the whole package of hash browns. Spread them out with your fingers, and break up any clumps.
  3. In a mixing bowl, mix the dozen eggs with the milk, salt and pepper, cheese, cut up sausage, and diced vegetables. Pour everything on top of the hash browns.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. This is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges start to brown a bit. If you want the cheese to brown and get a bit crispy on the sides, cook it longer.

Found On: A Year of CrockPotting

Monday, August 25, 2008

Hot Corn Dip

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears corn)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
  • 1 jalapeno (chopped)
  • 2 teaspoons garlic (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 handful monterey jack (grated)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 handful sharp cheddar (grated)
  1. Melt the butter in a pan.
  2. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper and saute until the corn starts to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a pan.
  4. Add the onion, and pepper and saute until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes.
  5. Add the green onions, jalapeno and garlic and saute until softened, about 2 minutes.
  6. Mix the corn, onions, peppers, mayonnaise, monterey jack and cayenne in a bowl.
  7. Pour the mixture into an 8x8 inch baking pan and top with the cheddar cheese.
  8. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until bubbling and golden brown on top, about 10-20 minutes.

Found On: Closet Cooking

As a side note, I'd bet this would be YUMMY with some shredded meat (chicken, pork, beef... I'm sure all would work) in a tortilla!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

  • 1/2 C butter, softened
  • 1 C white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 C peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
  • 3 bananas, mashed
  • 1 3/4 C flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 325
  2. Lightly grease & flour muffin pan
  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter & sugar. Add eggs and mix well.
  4. Mix in peanut butter, bananas, flour, vanilla and baking soda until blended.
  5. Fold in chocolate chips.
  6. Bake at 325 for 20 - 25 mins, until tops are golden brown and wooden toothpick in center comes out clean.

Makes 12 large muffins.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

CrockPot Chicken Cordon Bleu

  • 4 chicken breast halves, pounded thin
  • 4-8 slices of ham
  • 4-8 slices of swiss cheese
  • can of your favorite cream-of-something soup
  • 2 T low fat milk
  1. Use a 4qt oval CrockPot, or increase the recipe to 6 or 8 breast halves for a 6 qt Crock Pot (if 6, don't increase soup. if 8, add another can.)
  2. Spray crockpot with cooking spray.
  3. Pound chicken breasts flat (put them in a ziplock before you pound so chicken juice doesn't spray all over the kitchen).
  4. Put a slice of the ham and a slice of the swiss cheese on the chicken breast and roll it up.
  5. Put it into the crockpot, seam side down. If desired, top with another piece of ham and cheese.
  6. Continue with the other pieces. It's okay to stagger-stack the chicken. It will still cook nicely for you.
  7. Open can of cream-of soup. Pour into crockpot.
  8. Put the 2T of low fat milk into your empty can and swirl it around to get the remaining stuck on good stuff. Pour that in, too.
  9. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. This is done when the chicken is cooked through and has begun to brown on top. I took ours out for exactly 4 hours on high. It was cooked through, but could have stayed in longer to gain some color.

Found On: A Year of CrockPotting

Friday, August 22, 2008

Greek Pita Pizzas

  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped (I should have used a red onion. I will next time.)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (I should have used more. A lot more.)
  • 4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pita breads
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (Eh, any sort of tomato will do. I used Roma tomatoes.)
  • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (Again, it could have used more.)
  • Greek dressing (The recipe didn't call for this, but Jeff mentioned that it would have been really good. I agree.)
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and salt; cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach and cook until hot, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the feta cheese.
  3. Arrange the pitas on a baking sheet. Top with the spinach mixture, spreading it to the edges. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Bake until the pitas are crisp, about 8-10 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle the pizzas with the mozzarella cheese; bake until melted, about 3 minutes.
  5. Jeff's Embellishment: Drizzle Greek dressing over the top before eating. We didn't have any on hand, but we headed straight to Trader Joe's after eating to stock up. Next time? Greek dressing! Drizzled!

Found On: Fluid Pudding

Thursday, August 21, 2008

CrockPot Pizza Soup

  • 1 jar (14 oz) of pizza sauce
  • 3 empty jars full of water
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in quarters (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
  • 2 already-cooked Italian sausage
  • 1 cup sliced pepperoni, sliced in quarters
  • 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 T dried)
  • 1 T dried oregano
  • 1/2 to 1/3 cup of dried pasta (if your pasta is tiny, use 1/3 cup. if it's big, do 1/2.)
  • shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)
  1. Use 5-6 qt Crock Pot
  2. Wash & chop all veggies. Dump into CrockPot.
  3. Cut up meat & add to CrockPot.
  4. Add Basil & Oregano
  5. Add sauce & water
  6. Cover & cook on low 7-9 hours
  7. 30 minutes before serving, add the dry pasta, and turn to high
  8. Serve with shredded mozzarella

Found On: A Year of CrockPotting

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Apple Dumplings

  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 2 cans crescent rolls
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla
  • cinnamon
  • 1 small can Mountain Dew
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each.
  3. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
  4. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir.
  5. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples.
  6. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan.
  7. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
  8. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Found On: The Pioneer Woman

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

CrockPot French Toast Bake

  • 1 whole loaf of bread
  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 2 t vanilla
  • 4 cups of milk
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 2 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, or other desired nuts (optional)
  1. use a 5 or 6 qt Crock-Pot
  2. Grease the inside of your crockpot very well with butter, shortening, or cooking spray.
  3. Slice your bread into large slices (if it's already sliced, just dump it in) and place the bread into the crockpot.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla together. Pour on top of the bread.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. This is done when the bread has soaked up all of the liquid and the egg has cooked (you can tell because you'll see bits of cooked egg stuck to the bread). The bread will expand---it's like one of those spongy foam things that come in the capsules and turn into a dinosaur. Very cool.
  6. After 8 hours, I had a bit of liquid left in the crockpot, but the bread on top was browned nicely and the egg was done. I took the lid off and went hunting for the camera, and then checked email, and then watered the garden. 30 minutes had passed before I remembered that I had left the lid off of the crockpot, and that it was still plugged in. BUT! all the moisture was gone and the french toast was perfect. so there you go. I'd give that a try.

Found On: A Year of CrockPotting

Monday, August 18, 2008

Farfalle with Zucchini and Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 pound farfalle
  • 4 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds), coarsely shredded
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the farfalle until al dente; about 1 minute before the farfalle is done, add the shredded zucchini to the pot. Drain the farfalle and zucchini, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, melt the butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Greek yogurt and the 1 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and season the yogurt sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  3. Add the farfalle, zucchini and reserved pasta water to the saucepan and cook over low heat, tossing, until the sauce coats the pasta; transfer to warmed bowls and serve with the extra cheese.

Found On: A Good American Wife

Sunday, August 17, 2008

CrockPot No Noodle Vegetarian Lasagna

  • 1 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
  • 1 small container of ricotta cheese
  • 8 slices of mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups shredded Italian cheese mix
  • 1 large eggplant
  • 3 summer squash
  • 1 pound of slices mushrooms
  • bag of baby spinach
  • 2 T warm water
  1. Use 6 qt crock pot
  2. Wash all of the vegetables. Slice the squash and the eggplant in long, slices, about 1/4 inch thick. These are going to be your noodles! I did not peel the squash or the eggplant.
  3. In the bottom of your crockpot, pour about 1/4 cup of pasta sauce. Layer in a few pieces of squash and eggplant. Smear some ricotta cheese on top. Add a handful of baby spinach and mushrooms, and a few slices of mozzarella cheese. Pour in some more pasta sauce.
  4. Continue layering the ingredients until your crockpot is full, and you have run out of ingredients.
  5. Top with the end of the pasta sauce and the shredded cheese.
  6. Put 2 tablespoons of warm water into the empty pasta sauce jar, cover, and shake. Pour the remaining sauce on top of everything.
  7. Cover your crockpot and cook on low for 5-8 hours. This is done when the vegetables have reached their desired tenderness and the cheese is melty.

Found On: A Year of CrockPotting

Friday, August 15, 2008

Pioneer Woman's Sherried Tomato Soup

  • 6 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
  • 2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons chicken base
  • 3 to 6 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • Black Pepper
  • 1 cup cooking sherry
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • chopped fresh parsley
  • chopped fresh basil
  1. Saute diced onions in butter until transluscent. Add canned tomatoes. Add tomato juice, sugar, pinch of salt, and black pepper and stir.
  2. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat.
  3. Add in sherry and cream and stir.
  4. Add in parsley and basil to taste, adjust other seasoning, and serve with yummy, crusty bread on a cold, blustery, dreary, depressing, rainy, snowy day. Then close your eyes. And give thanks for soups like this.

Found On: The Pioneer Woman

Thursday, August 14, 2008

CrockPot Strawberry Jam

  • 4 pounds of fresh strawberries
  • 3 cups of sugar
  • 1-2 boxes (1.75 oz) of pectin
  1. Clean & quarter strawberries, add to crock.
  2. Mash berries to get some liquid out of them.
  3. Add sugar & pectin & smash some more.
  4. Cook on low for 10 - 12 hours.

Can be canned or stored in freezer.

Found On: A Year Of CrockPotting

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Mystery Rolls

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 4 to 6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
  • 2 cans flaky biscuits
  1. Combine butter and cheese on baking pan.
  2. Place into 350 oven for a couple of minutes, or until butter is melted.
  3. Remove from oven and stir.
  4. Cut biscuits into fourths, then toss in butter mixture.
  5. Bake on same pan (or different, if you prefer) for 8 to 12 minutes, or until golden.
  6. Eat warm.

Found On: The Pioneer Woman

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

All Day Mac & Cheese

  • 16 oz pasta, cooked and drained
  • 4 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 Can (12 oz) Evaporated Milk
  • 1 1/2 C milk
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 TBS Flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
  1. Spray Crockpot with nonstick spray (or grease down, your choice).
  2. Mix everything together and pour into Crockpot.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours**
  4. Do not stir, it will cook and firm up.

**Note: 5-6 hours means it is done. I don't think anything at all would happen to this recipe if it had to cook a few more hours. So if you work an 8 hour day go ahead and throw it together and start the crockpot in the morning-it should still be fine when you get home. That's the beauty of crockpots-very few things HAVE to be taken out when done.

Found On: Frugal Upstate

Recipe-Less Bodega Beans

  1. Buy a big can of white beans. Pintos are my favorite for this, having texture and flavor that holds up well, but any white beans will work. Make sure to rinse the beans in a colander.
  2. Cut up an onion and sauté that in olive oil. I like to cook it slowly, caramelizing a little, for about 20 minutes .A little salt helps them release their moisture. This is also when you’d add garlic, if you’re using it.
  3. Add the beans, heat it through. At this point I add the veggies, so they don’t get cooked to mush.
  4. Lately I'll also grab a chunk of brown rice from my freezer (Don't you stock cooked rice by the half-cup in your freezer? Why not?), to stretch the veggies a little farther - this makes me feel a little poor, but also clever and frugal, and full. (Without the rice, this makes two servings rather than three.)
  5. Drizzle with olive oil. Mmm.
  6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mmmmmm.
  7. Top with shredded or grated cheese.

Found On: Cheap Healthy Good

Monday, August 11, 2008

Polenta Pudding with Blueberry Topping

  • 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar, divided
  • 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
  • 3/4 teaspoon lemon rind
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  1. Combine the blueberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated and sugar dissolves, stirring after 1 1/2 minutes.
  2. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, milk, cornmeal, and lemon rind in a 2-quart glass measure; stir with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 7 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring every 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in vanilla and salt.
  4. Serve with blueberry topping.

Found On: Cheap Healthy Good

Sunday, August 10, 2008

CrockPot African Peanut Soup

  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, with liquid
  • 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 t black pepper
  • 1/4 - 1/2 t chili powder
  • 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
  • 1 cup peanut butter (to add later)
  • dollop of sour cream and a bit of tabasco sauce (optional)
  1. wash and chop all of the vegetables, and put into the crock. Add the entire can of tomatoes, the uncooked rice, and the spices.
  2. pour in the vegetable broth.
  3. cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4. The soup is done when the onions are fully cooked and are translucent.
  4. stir in peanut butter, and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, or until fully heated through.
  5. serve with a dollop of sour cream and a touch of tobasco sauce

Found On: A Year Of CrockPotting

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Vegan Lentil Casserole

  • 2 cups dried lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 1TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion - diced
  • 2 cloves garlic - minced or pressed
  • 2 celery ribs chopped
  • 2 carrots - chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper (optional)
  • 1 green bell pepper (or two if the red is omitted)
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  1. In a lidded sauce pan heat the lentils and water over medium heat for ten minutes, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. The lentils should absorb most of the water. Stir occasionally
  2. While the lentils are cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, add the celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes, the carrot should be beginning to soften. Stir in the basil, soy sauce, and vinegar.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9 x 9 pan.
  4. Stir the lentils into the vegetables with a fork, as you want the lentils be somewhat mashed. Stir in the oats. Press into the pan and bake 20 - 25 minutes and firmly set.
  5. Let the casserole stand for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Found On: Home-Ec 101

Friday, August 8, 2008

Cherry (or Grape) Tomato Crisp

  • 1 1/2 pounds (about 5 cups) cherry (or grape) tomatoes
  • 2 slices white sandwich bread
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 chopped garlic clove
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a food processor, combine bread, Parmesan cheese, parsley leaves, olive oil, and garlic; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Pulse until bread is very coarsely chopped, 4 to 6 times.
  3. In an 8-inch square baking dish, arrange cherry tomatoes in a single layer; sprinkle with crumb mixture.
  4. Bake until crust is browned and tomatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Found On: Cheap Healthy Good

Thursday, August 7, 2008

CrockPot White Bean & Sausage Soup

  • 1 can white kidney beans
  • 1 can pinto beans
  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 1 t thyme
  • 2-4 spicy chicken or turkey sausage (pork sausage would work, too)
  • 1/2 chopped yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup leftover rice pilaf (if you want to use raw rice, you should have enough liquid to add 1/4 to 1/3 cup without losing soupiness)
  • 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables (I had broccoli, carrots, asparagus)
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
  1. Drain and rinse your beans and throw them into your crock.
  2. Chop up whatever vegetables you are going to use in tiny pieces.
  3. Slice the sausage that you are going to use.
  4. Add in the rice & the broth.
  5. Cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5.
  6. The soup is done when it's heated through and the vegetables are tender, but it's not going to hurt anything to cook it longer and give the flavors more time to meld.

Found On: A Year Of CrockPotting

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup mashed bananas (2 1/2 to 3 large bananas)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup oatmeal
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg and continue to beat.
  4. In a separate bowl mix the bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which will give the cookies their lift and rise.
  5. Mix the banana mixture in with the butter mixture.
  6. In another bowl mix together the flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and then slowly sift it into the banana/butter mixture. Beat until just combined.
  7. Fold into the batter the chocolate chips and the oatmeal.
  8. Drop in dollops onto cookie sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Found On: SoapChick

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Summertime Gazpacho

  • 2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
  • 4 cups tomato juice
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed
  • 2 ripe avocados, peeled and cubed
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground (toasted) cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoons cayenne
  • salt to taste
  • 1 bell pepper, minced
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 4 scallions, minced
  • 1 teaspoon tarragon (or 1 T. fresh chopped tarragon)
  • 1 teaspoon basil (or 1 T. fresh chopped basil)

Combine and chill.

Found On: Cheap Healthy Good

Monday, August 4, 2008

CrockPot Chow Mein

  • 1-2 lbs of meat (I used one pound of chicken breast; Debbi uses two pounds)
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 chopped yellow onions
  • 2-3 cups of chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 T molasses
  • 1 can (16 oz) baby corn, drained
  • 1 can (6.5 oz) bamboo shoots, drained
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 1 chopped red bell pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil
  • spaghetti or chow mein noodles
  1. If you are using meat, put it into the crockpot. I used frozen chicken breast tenderloins. Add the chopped onion and celery, and two cups of water.
  2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4.
  3. Shred meat carefully with two forks.
  4. In a glass bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and molasses. Mix to get rid of the little clumpy balls of cornstarch. Set aside.
  5. Chop up the red bell pepper, and add it to the crockpot.
  6. Open the bamboo shoots and corn, drain liquid, and add remaining content.
  7. Add bean sprouts.
  8. Stir in the sauce mixture.
  9. Cover your crockpot again and cook on high for about an hour, or until flavors have melded and the added vegetables reach desired tenderness.
  10. Before serving, cook pasta according to package instructions.
  11. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan or wok, and add some salt and pepper, if desired (I didn't add any pepper). On high heat, toss the cooked pasta in the olive oil and salt, allowing it to sizzle a bit and get a tiny crust on some of the noodles.
  12. Serve the noodles with the crockpot vegetables and meat.

Found On: A Year Of CrockPotting

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Many Bean Salad

This is a recipe for "Many Beans Salad" that I asked my sister-in-law for after it was a hit at a 4th of July picnic. The amounts for the veggies are adjustable to according to your preference and what is available.

  • 1 can each: Black Beans, Dark Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Yellow Corn, White Corn, Water Chestnuts
  • Fresh Vegetables: Celery, Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Red Onion
  • Dressing: 2/3 cup Olive Oil, 2/3 cup Cider Vinegar, 1/2 tsp. Salt, Sugar or Sweet-n-Low to taste (approx. 6 tsp. if using Sweet-n-Low)
  1. Drain, rinse, and "dry" beans, black-eyed peas, and corn. Place all in large bowl and stir well.
  2. Drain and rinse water chestnuts. Chop them, add to the beans, and mix together.
  3. Chop celery, green pepper, red pepper, and red onion. Add all to the other assembled ingredients and mix again.
  4. Boil 2/3 c. cider vinegar and 6 tsp. Sweet-n-Low. Remove from heat. Add 2/3 c. olive oil. Pour dressing over bean mixture. Add 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir well.
  5. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir well and serve.

Found On: Frugal Upstate

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Peach, Nectarine, & Blue Cheese Bruschetta

  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ whole wheat or sourdough baguette, cut into ¼-inch slices
  • 1 large peach, peeled and chopped small
  • 1 large nectarine, peeled and chopped small
  • ¼ pound blue cheese
  1. Turn on the broil function of your oven.
  2. Add balsamic vinegar to a small pot set over medium heat. Cook until reduced by about half – the vinegar should thicken and look like syrup. (This took me about 10 minutes – Kris.) Remove from heat, pour into a glass container and allow to cool at room temperature.
  3. Roughly chop the peaches and nectarines into small pieces. Crumble the blue cheese in a small bowl.
  4. Place bread on a cookie sheet and brush the slices with olive oil. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes; you want the slices to slightly brown so watch them carefully to prevent burning. Remove sheet from oven.
  5. Brush each slice with the balsamic reduction and then top with the fruit and crumbled blue cheese. Return to the cookie sheet and place under the broil again to warm the fruit and melt the blue cheese (about 1-2 minutes).
  6. Serve immediately.

Found On: Cheap Healthy Good

Friday, August 1, 2008

CrockPot Chocolate Mousse

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 3 T baker's sugar (I like baker's sugar because the granules dissolve quickly)
  • 1/3 cup cold, strong coffee
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. In your crockpot, add the heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and coffee.
  2. Whip until combined with a whisk. You don't need to go crazy, just mix it well.
  3. Add the two cups of chocolate chips.
  4. Cover and cook on high for about an hour, or on low for about two. You are looking for little bubbles in the surface of the cream, and melted chocolate.
  5. VERY VERY VERY VERY carefully, pour the mixture into a blender. You'll get about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of liquid.
  6. Blend on high until it "grows" to about 5 to 6 cups, and doesn't seem like it will rise any higher.
  7. Pour into serving dishes.
  8. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Top with whipped cream or berries, or nothing at all.

Author used 4 qt round crock pot

Found On: A Year of CrockPotting