RazNoggle

You might think I’ve lost my marbles because if you follow the recipe posts (and have a good memory) you’ll notice that there is another slow-cooker mushroom chicken post. It’s even snitched from the same website! HOWEVER there are nuances that are different, and while I like the other one a lot, I thought I’d give this one a go as well. I think the other one might have been a teeeeeeny bit less complicated, but hey, it’s slow cooker, how complicated can ya get?

We are having this tonight, so while I’m writing I’ve yet to taste it, but don’t worry, I’ll post a verdict on the bottom before this post goes to press.

I made a couple modifications, of course, to the recipe. Would it really be ME if I completely followed a recipe? Ya know, now that I think about it, that is a tribute to my growth in cooking. When I was single on my own, I lived on tuna and bagles… (not entirely but pretty much) and when I finally started actually cooking it was a HUGE process. I’d dirty every dish in the kitchen, burn myself, be covered in flour, and have my nose glued to the recipe the entire time. I’d buy “special” dishes and equipment that I need for JUST that particular recipe… Ha ha ha!! Funny to think back on all of that. Also I had the hardest time with batch sizes. I’d cooke a whacking huge casserole for just Stuart and me. We were notoriously bad left-over eaters as well.

Anyway, I’ve come a long way in my understanding of food and the cooking process… so I take it upon myself to make due, substitute, or go without many things that recipes call for. No exception here. I didn’t use the wine, subbed chicken broth instead, used MY “cream of something” soup instead of condensed golden mushroom, used just whatever cheap mushroom from the produce section I had… uh… Oh, used plain cream cheese with a little onion/parsley powder thrown in. SO aside from that I followed the recipe. Which is to say that if you repeat this recipe as written, your final dish may taste a bit different from mine… but the concept is the same. I plan to serve it over pasta since de Bella likes noodles! (I won’t be having any myself however, low-carbing and all that)

Without any more adoing here it is.

Slow Cooker Mushroom Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1 8-oz. pkg. fresh button mushrooms, quartered
1 6-oz. pkg. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
1/4 cup butter
1 0.7-oz. pkg. Italian dry salad dressing mix
1 10-3/4-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 of an 8-oz. tub cream cheese spread with chives and onion

Directions:

Melt butter in a saucepan. Then add the salad dressing mix. Stir in soup, wine and cream cheese until it combines and melts. Add all the mushrooms to your slow cooker. Place chicken on top and pour sauce over chicken. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours. Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.

VERDICT:
It was good! I would have preferred that the “sauce” be a little thicker, so I think next time I will add some cornstarch near the end. The lads ate it without complaint, except Qade reminded me that he doesn’t like mushrooms. Ella had 2 bowls of noodles with a little sauce and chicken… and she didn’t mind the mushrooms at all.

This is one of my favorite easy “light” meals. It doesn’t involve a ton of prep and I usually have the ingredients I need for it on hand. I like to use the canned chicken breast we get at Costco for this one too. Most of the time I serve it with some sliced veggies like cucumber and carrots, or celery, and some cottage cheese or something. The recipe calls for Italian Bread, but I normally use slices of my Hawaiian bread instead. It makes about 8 slices that way rather than 10 that the recipe says.

It’s yummy… the kids like it… the Hurb like it… the dog even likes it.

Easy Chicken Melts

1 Can chicken drained and flaked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1/2 c diced green pepper (though I have used yellow or red and I like them better, any sweet pepper works great!)
1/4 c. Mayonnaise (I use Ranch Dressing)
3/4 t. Cajun seasoning (I don’t know what this is, but I use just a dash of Cayenne)
1/2 t. minced garlic
10 slices Italian bread 1/2 inch thick
2 plum tomatoes, sliced (I never use these because we rarely have fresh tomatoes on hand)

In a small bowl, combine the chicken, 1/2 c. cheese, onion, pepper, mayonnaise, seasoning and garlic. Spread over bread slices. Top each with a tomato slice; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375* for 10-12 minutes or until bread is toasted and golden brown.

5 servings

Yummers!! You’ve got to try THESE bites! (there’s a link there under that word, check it out!)

After the crispy treat with non melting marshmallow fiasco the other week I was a little reluctant to have the lads “help” me again. Not so much because of them, but my patience is in bad shape! SO it’s good for me to work it out this way. Anyhow, they helped me with these energy bites and they did a good job, and my patience was mostly fine.

I pinned this recipe some time back, but this was the first time I tried it. They are so so so so so good! You simply have to do it! It’s no bake even! Can’t get much simpler than that, right??

I didn’t have coconut, sadly, so I added a cup of chopped pecans instead. I’m a nut lover so that works for me. I also left out the choco-chips since I’m trying to be sweets conscious. I used Old Fashioned Oats, Almond butter, honey, chopped pecans, flax seed and the vanilla. They’re awesome!! Think I might skip lunch and just eat these ‘snacks’ all day, ha ha! Oh my!

Here’s the recipe if you don’t feel like clicking the link. (makes 20 or so bites, I might need to double this the next time I make it. The lads LOVE them, just waiting to see Stu’s reaction)

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Try it… you’ll like it!

You’re welcome!

So forget that the wind is blowing like crazy and snow is whirling around outside. Forget that it’s cold and the eves are drippy-dripping. Imagine instead that it’s a balmy 85 degrees outside. The kids are splashing in the wading pool, and the trees are just shimmering in a slight breeze.

Now to complete the illusion you need a picnic table all set out with your finest paper plates, and Solo cups filled with lemonade. A fresh green salad, and some slices of watermelon. Sizzling on the grill are some juicy steaks that have been marinating in your FAVORITE marinade ready to complete the feast.

Bask in the sunshine on a lawn chair as you wait for them to cook.

Have I got you convinced yet? Honestly it is difficult for me to imagine at the moment… weather and all, but it was pretty easy all last week! The temps were warmer, the air was very Spring-ish and I was SO ready to cast off the shackles of winter and jump in, with two sandaled feet, to summer cooking/eating. Sadly, my illusion was short lived since apparently Winter is making a valiant effort to live when it should have been doing that during it’s own season. Silly, silly!

But I did get some steak on sale this weekend, so I whipped up a batch of my “favorite marinade” and chucked them into the freezer with it to await a more grill-worthy day. I can’t remember if I shared my marinade recipe on here before or not, but I’m going to burden you with it again.

You really should try it. It’s got pretty simple ingredients, but it really makes for a very flavorful steak! I like to use it especially on “lesser” steaks because it tends to help them out somewhat. Here it is in all it’s yumminess. Enjoy…. once grillin’ season REALLY gets here!

Grillin’ Food Marinade (I use it on beef, pork AND chicken, it’s pretty versatile!)

2/3 c. oil
2/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 lemon juice
2 T Liquid Smoke
2 T mustard
2 t Pepper (btw, notice that this is tsp not TBS, because in this last batch I got that mixed up. We’re going to have VERY peppery steaks! Good thing I like pepper, ha!)
2 t garlic powder

Combine all ingredients and poor over meat. Marinade for at least 45 min, but not TOO long (unless you freeze it) because apparently the lemon juice will start to break down the meat.

Slap on the grill and enjoy!

I got a recipe from a friend of mine once for “Tamale Pie” and it was SO good. But it was kind of complicated and took a long time to make… in my mind anyway. I’m pretty sure I only made it once on my own, and since it seemed so detailed I never made it again. PLUS I found this recipe that tasted very similar and was WAY faster/easier!!! That’s always a win in my mind!! This recipe is supposed to be cooked and baked in an ovenproof skillet, but we don’t have one, so I cook the stuff in a regular skillet and then bake it in a pyrex dish.

We had this for dinner tonight and while Stu and I were discussing whether or not it was actually “Mexican” food (I say it has to be because there’s salsa in it, ha ha) he said, “I think this is just quick food for every-day people.” And he’s right too! I’ve used this as a “fall back” meal on quite a few occasions when I have that “what’s for dinner” panic! It’s good, it’s fast (less than 30 min), and it’s pretty cheap too, so how can you go wrong there?? I usually make it sans onion and green pepper simply because I’m often too lazy to chop those when I’m scrambling for a quick dinner. It’s fine without, though I’m sure they do add to the flavor.

I have to tell you that I use this recipe on our “Meatless Monday” sometimes and rather than using ground beef, I use pinto beans. It works fabulous and my guys don’t even miss the meat because all of the flavor is still there! Try it and see. You might be surprised!

Oh, and Qade declared that this is his FAVORITE meal, so it’s gotta be good!

Cornbread Hamburger Pie:

1 lb ground beef
1 med onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1/4 c salsa
2 T ketchup (I don’t use this EVER)
1 T steak sauce optional (I used A-1 the first time I made this and it was revolting, just sayin’ but it’s in the original recipe so I’ll leave it up to your adventurous side to try it or not, but you have been warned! Ha ha!)
1 package (8.5 oz) corn bread/muffin mix (Otherwise known as Jiffy, and sells for $.50 at WalMart)

In a 10” ovenproof skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the soup, salsa, ketchup and steak sauce if desired. Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions; let stand for 2 min. Spoon over beef mixture. Bake at 400* for 15 min or until lightly browned. 4-6 servings.

This has become my favorite crock-pot dish. For now anyway. I have made it several times since discovering it. Stroganoff is one of my favorite dishes!! My Grandma makes an amazing Stroganoff, and I have to hold myself back from licking the dishes! Ha ha! She coached me through the steps one time, and I made it, but it seemed like a lot of work, and a lot of pot watching. Not something I’m keen on these days.

And for whatever reason, I was under the impression that Stu wasn’t a huge fan of Stroganoff, so I was a little hesitant to try this dish the first time. Imagine my excitement when he told me it was great! I was happy he liked it of course, but mostly happy for me because I could make it without feeling guilty for ‘forcing’ him to eat something he doesn’t care that much for. Ha ha!!

This is a delicious dish! And it’s so easy to “toss” together which gives it even more brownie points in my book! The lads have gone back and forth over whether they think it’s “yucky” or “my favorite meal” based on what mood they happen to be in when dinner rolls around. But since it’s not unanimously complained against, I’ll count it as successful!

Try this one, you’ll love it! Num, num!

Mushroom ‘n Steak Stroganoff

2 T AP flour
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. paprika
1 3/4 lb beef steak cut into strips (I don’t bother to get the exact “cut” of steak the recipe recommends because I buy what’s on sale, but it does say top round steak, if you’re interested)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I use “cream of something” of course)
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. onion soup mix
2 jars/cans (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 c. sour cream
Fresh parsley, optional

in a large resealable bag, combine the flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Add beef strips and shake to coat. Transfer to slow cooker (they say 3 qt, if you need to know)
Combine the soup, water and soup mix; poor over beef. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours (mine is always done before this) or until the meat is tender
Stir in the mushrooms, sour cream and parsley if desired. Cover and cook 15 minutes more or until sauce is thickened.
Serve with noodles if desired. (Or rice, it works well too!)
That’s all folks! It makes for a great meal with some easy veggie sides. Ella even loved some of the noodles w/ a little sauce on them when we ate this last! Yummy!

I found THIS RECIPE and had to try it. I get excessively tired of eggs for breakfast! This recipe turns out to be pretty good and surprisingly pancake like even though there’s no flour. It’s a great way to get my morning protein without going egg-bonkers!

The recipe calls for Oat bran which I don’t have. It does say you can omit it though, so the first time I did. The batter was really runny and I had a hard time chasing it all over the griddle. Hmmm… They still tasted pretty good and with a little bit of REAL Maple syrup (yes, I know it’s technically cheating, but I prefer “natural” sweeteners to the fake chemical stuff. I don’t believe the chemicals can possibly be good for you so I’ll take a slightly slower weight loss *sigh* if I have to, ha)

Anyway, I ate these 2 mornings in a row and on the second morning I used a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed that I happened to have in the fridge. I also beat the eggs and cream cheese with a beater instead of a fork. So whether it was the beater, or the flaxseed I don’t know, but the batter “held” together better and it turned out much more like pancakes than crepes.

I like these a lot. They have a “custardy” egg flavor, but it’s really good! And it’s a change from my typical scrambled or boiled eggs. A nice change. So if you’re trying to cut out carbs or even cut down, which I highly suggest after my low-carb experiences, give these a try one morning. I got 5 little pancakes out of this recipe. Nice breakfast!

Low Carb Pancakes and Waffles:
(makes 4 pancakes)
1/4 C low fat cream cheese
2 eggs
2 Tb oat bran (you can leave this out if you need pure protein)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon (the first time I left this out, and used it the second. I like them with!)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 Tb or less of sweetener (I didn’t use any sweetener at all but I did use maple syrup so take your pick)

1. Heat your griddle over medium heat, or preheat your waffle iron. In a small glass bowl, microwave your cream cheese until soft, about 20-30 seconds. Beat with a fork. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until completely mixed in. Add your remaining ingredients and mix them in with your fork. Pour your batter onto your griddle or waffle iron and cook as you would normal pancakes!

When we were kids… though it was more like jr high and high school age that I remember this. We’d sometimes have split pea soup for lunch. Most of the time along with a sandwich of some kind. My preference was always tuna. The soup that we had was the condensed kind which you have to dig out of the can with a fork and then whisk like crazy to make “smooth” while you incorporate the water back in.

Still, I liked it. One day when we were first married, I thought I’d let my new hubby in on this great lunch tradition. He was very nice about it and slurped up his green soup without complaining. However, I have been unable, since that time, to ever get him near a bite of split-pea soup again. Ha ha ha! I guess it scarred him for life.

I wish he’d try this homemade version though because it’s a MILLION times better than any can of condensed stuff you could ever buy! I found this recipe off of thehillbillyhousewife website, and didn’t think that it would be all that at first. I’ve tried other of her recipes, and while the frugal concept behind a lot of them is good, there just isn’t much else to say of lentil and dumpling stew…. really.

But I’m glad I gave this one a try because it’s become one of my new staples. I make a big pot on a Monday and then I have split-pea soup to eat the rest of the week for lunch. And yes, it’ll fill you right up without a bunch of fat and calories that you don’t need. Plus, I don’t have to worry about anyone else eating it all up since me and Ella seem to be the only ones who like the soup. Though I have to admit I haven’t tried it on the boys recently. Perhaps I should give it another go.

Simple Split-Pea Soup

2 T veg oil (I just eyeball it, but don’t usually use this much)
1 T minced garlic OR 1 t. dry
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 t salt (I find that this isn’t “enough” salt and I add a dash of salt and pepper to each bowl I eat, but I’d rather put it in later than over salt it to begin with)
2 c. dry split peas
6 c. water
I also add chopped celery and carrots. I like the flavor and the color!

In a large pot heat veg oil. Sauté onion and garlic (and celery and carrots). Add water, salt and split peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer for about 2 hours.

It ends up being thick and hearty. The peas fall apart in a great way, and it’s almost like a stew rather than soup. If you like peas at all, you’ll like this soup. It’s extremely frugal, and it’s simple and yummy, though I know not everyone will be wild about split-peas. Ha ha!

When I pinned this recipe I wrote, “You had me at the words easy and crock-pot” And it’s true, I have a weakness for easy meals, especially the kind I can toss in the crock-pot and forget about. Really though, doesn’t “Easy Crock-Pot Fiesta Chicken” just sound like a dish that you HAVE to try?

I did try it and I’m adding it to my favorites list. Stuart’s comment after his first bite was, “This is another one of those dishes that looks like it’s going to be boring, but tastes awesome!” Now what further praise does it need?

I confess I had some skeptical moments when I thought about adding cream cheese to the dish, but wow, it does some amazing dancing with the salsa and black beans! Total fiesta time, oh yeah! I used the neufchâtel cream cheese which says that it has 1/3 less fat, but it sure tasted yummy! I didn’t miss the extra 1/3rd at all.

I served it over jasmine rice for the menfolk. Ella got plain rice with just a smidgen of butter, but I avoided the carbs and was “good” even after Stuart commented, “It’s too bad you can’t have rice, because it’s REALLY good with the rice.” Har har har… thanks for that! Guess I’ll have to take his word for it for the time being, however, I would like to go on record as saying that it was scrum-diddly-umtious without the rice as well. Hee hee!

Give this one a whirl, you’ll love it! By the way, I found the recipe here if you’re interested.

Easy Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken
4 chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Take 4 frozen, yes, frozen (or thawed), boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot. Add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained.  Keep in crock pot on low for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Once it is cooked, take it out and shred it. Return shredded chicken to the crockpot.

Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour. It may look at little strange at this point. Don’t worry. Stir in the cream cheese.

Serve over rice or in warm flour tortillas.