Creamy Chicken and Potatoes

This crockpot meal was very tasty -- even my toddler and preschooler ate without fussing!

Creamy Chicken and Potatoes
6 chicken breasts
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup
a dozen or so baby carrots
3 large potatoes, quartered
1 cup water

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker, then pour on cream soup and sprinkle Italian seasoning and onion powder. If prepping the night before, you can cover this and place in the fridge. Quarter the potatoes and cover them completely with cold water and place in fridge. When you're ready to start cooking, drain the potatoes and add them to the chicken and spices, then add the carrots on top. Add 1 cup of water. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serves 6.

Two Days of Roast Beef

Monday and Tuesday's dinners both came from a roast I cooked in the crockpot on Monday. It was tasty, very tender and juicy. Monday, we had roast with potatoes and carrots straight from the crock. Tuesday, we used the leftover beef to make BBQ beef sandwiches. We made them light on the BBQ sauce to account for the kids' tastebuds, but then added in additional sauce for the adults once the beef was on the buns.

Day 1:
Crockpot Roast Beef with Potatoes and Carrots
3 lb. or so Angus roast beef, partially frozen
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
about a dozen baby carrots
3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
2 cups water
1 tbsp or so Lawry's Seasoning Salt

I prepped the roast the night before and put the roast, soy sauce, Worcester and carrots in the crockpot and put it in the fridge. I cut up all the potatoes and put them in a separate covered bowl filled with cold water (to keep the potatoes from browning) and put them in the fridge as well. In the morning, I put the crock back on the heating element and added the potatoes (strained well), then the 2 cups of water and sprinkled the seasoning salt on top. Cover and simmer on low 10-11 hours. Serves 4 with plenty of leftovers.

Day 2:
BBQ Beef Sandwiches
leftover beef from day 1
3/4 cup favorite BBQ sauce
rolls or hoagie bread -- we used Kaiser rolls on sale at the grocery store that day

Mix the leftover beef with the BBQ sauce, then heat in the microwave about 2 minutes, until thoroughly warmed. Spread on rolls and add additional BBQ sauce to taste. Serve with leftover potatoes and carrots from day 1, or your favorite picnic sides. Serves 4.

Crock Pot Chicken Stock

I have never been good at making chicken stock, but I hate wasting the bird, so I keep trying. This weekend I came up with this little recipe, and the stock turned out fantastic with little effort. I used a rotisserie chicken we had leftover after eating it for a meal the first night, then scraping out all the leftover meat for chicken salad. I netted 96 oz. of stock from one rotisserie bird. I can't wait to try this with the Thanksgiving turkey...

Crock Pot Chicken Stock
leftover chicken carcass
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp chicken bouillon
a few carrots
1 tsp garlic seasoning salt
water to cover

Place the chicken, garlic, boullion, carrots and garlic salt in a 6-qt. crockpot and fill with enough water to cover the bird completely. Simmer on high for 4 hours, then low for 8 hours or overnight. Strain stock, discarding all solids, and use within a week or freeze for later use.

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

These chimichangas are excellent and can be made either with fresh chicken or leftover chicken from a roasted or rotisserie bird. Very light too at only ~380 calories per serving.

Roast Chicken Chimichangas
2-1/2 cups shredded roast chicken
4 oz crumbed queso fresco or Monterrey Jack
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
1 16 oz can fat-free refried beans
6 10-12 inch flour tortillas
salsa verde or your favorite salsa to taste

Preheat oven to 500F. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup of chicken mixture. Fold tortillas shut and place with seam sides down on large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimis with cooking spray. Bake at 500F for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa verde. Serves 6.

Sesame Chicken Salad

I haven't made this in awhile, but now that I've been reminded of it, I have to make it soon!

Sesame Chicken Salad
2 egg whites
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 tsp sesame seeds
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
2 tsp butter
1 cup fresh spinach
4 tsp canola oil
1 tsp lemon juice
10 tbsp uncooked rice

Cook rice. Beat egg whites in shallow dish. In another dish, combine breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. Brush egg on chicken pieces, then sprinkle dry mixture over chicken. Heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until cooked through. Toss spinach with oil and lemon juice, then top with chicken and rice. Serves 2.

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

I always have leftover bananas lulling away in the freezer. This recipe is a great way to use them.

Banana Cake with Cinnamon Glaze
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, etc.), optional
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cinnamon Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tbsp milk or cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray nonstick cooking spray on a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and chopped nuts. Stir until evenly mixed.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil. Add eggs, bananas, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Beat for 2 minutes until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients, stirring only until all ingredients are combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly browned and top springs back when lightly touched. Let cool to room temperature.

Cinnamon Glaze:
Whisk together confectioner's sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and milk or cream. Add only enough cream to make a spreadable glaze. Top cooled cake with cinnamon glaze before cutting.

Yield: 24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size. Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes


I used chopped walnuts, 2 bananas and omitted the nutmeg (didn't have any) and instead increased the vanilla to 1-1/2 tsp (homemade). I actually think the glaze is unneeded -- the cake is moist and delicate and doesn't need help.

TuTu's Cabbage and Cheese

My grandmother made this for me when I was little. It's a great side dish, or you can just eat it by the bowlful.

TuTu's Cabbage and Cheese
medium head of green cabbage
8 oz package of shredded cheese (we like Longhorn Cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste
chunks of leftover ham for boiling water, if available (omit if vegetarian)

Cut cabbage into chunks and place in large oven-safe pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil, with salt and pepper to taste. Add a chunk or two of ham to the boiling water for taste if available. Boil cabbage until soft ~ 15 minutes. Drain off water and remove ham chunks, then place cabbage back in oven-safe pot. Cover with shredded cheese, then bake in oven at 350F until cheese is melty and bubbly ~ 10 minutes. Serves about 8-10 side dishes (more if you use small servings) or 4-6 main meals.

Mix-In Muffins

You can mix in your favorite flavors to customize this recipe. My favorites are bananas and chocolate chip or blueberry and lemon zest.

Mix-In Muffins
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare a 12-spot muffin pan with nonstick spray or paper liners.

Into a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Melt butter and in a small bowl whisk together with sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Stir butter mixture (and additional ingredients; *see note, below) into flour mixture until just combined. Divide the batter among muffin cups (this batter is thick and will not run easily like other muffin batters) and bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Becoming a muffin master is easy. *Flavor the basic muffin batter by adding, for example:

• 1 chopped banana and 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup toasted almonds, 3/4 cup dried cranberries, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup chopped drained canned pineapple and 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• make your own muffin with your own add-ins!

Makes 12 medium-size muffins or 6 large-size muffins.