Italian Chicken in the Crockpot

          I know it has been a while since I have written, but don’t worry, I haven’t stopped cooking/baking! My new job has been keeping me busy, so I haven’t really felt like sitting down to actually post the recipes I have been making. Well, get ready, because I have a lot!
          The first recipe I would like to share with you today is Italian Chicken in the Crockpot. This actually turned out quite good, even though I was scared of the cream of chicken soup (I have heard weird things about it).

All the ingredients you will need. SOOOOO easy

·         Yumminess---7---It was a little bit too salty for me, which I attribute to the cream of chicken soup. If you can find a low sodium version, I would suggest using that instead. On the other hand, it might just be me, because my family raved over it!

·         Easiness---10---Doesn’t really get much easier than a crockpot, and there are so few ingredients!

·         Repeat---10---I will definitely make this again, but hopefully with a low sodium version of the cream of chicken.

INGREDIENTS

To feed 6-8 people

·         1 bag of noodles (I like the spiral ones, but you could also use bowtie)

·         2 packets Italian Dressing Mix (1 original and 1 zesty)

·         1 8oz Cream Cheese

·         2-3 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

·         6 chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS

·         Put everything in the crockpot (except the noodles), and cook on low for at least 4 hours (more than 4 won’t hurt it)

·         After about 4 hours of cooking, shred the chicken. It should fall apart pretty easily.

·         When you are ready to eat, cook your noodles as you normally would. Then, you can either add all of the noodles to the crockpot, or simply let everyone choose how much of the Italian chicken they want on top of the noodles.

·         If it is too thick, add about ¼  cup of water at a time until it is the right consistency.

 

I think this is a great consistency.

Serve with garlic bread

 

BBQ Chicken Dip

          Ok, with the World Series coming up, you should all know that I am a Cardinals fan. Ok, and when I say I am a fan, I actually mean that I am from St. Louis so I am obligated to love baseball, even though I am really not a big sports fan at all. I actually just like an excuse to make food and get together with family! I do enjoy a good playoff game though, so in the spirit of Cardinals Baseball (Yes, I am hoping for 12 in 12!!!!) I bring you BBQ Chicken Dip! This is for you die-hard sports fans who need a new addition to their already long list of game day food! It is actually made pretty much the same as buffalo chicken dip, but with bbq sauce instead of buffalo sauce. Easy Peasy!
          Disclaimer: The only interest I have in who wins the World Series is because I have a bet with my boyfriend. On day 1 of this baseball season I bet him that the Cardinals would win it again this year. He, on the other hand, went against our hometown team and said that the Yankees would win. If I win the bet we get to go to Red Lobster for dinner and see whatever movie I want (which will be Breaking Dawn: Part 2…even though he doesn’t know that yet! Shhh.) and if he wins we will go to Frankie G’s, our favorite St. Louis restaurant, and see whatever movie he wants!

·         Yumminess---8---I put a little bit too much bbq sauce in mine, but it was still awesome!

·         Easiness---10---Couldn’t get much easier than this recipe.

·         Repeat---10---I will be making this again soon!

INGREDIENTS

·         1 can of chicken

·         1 8oz package cream cheese

·         2/3 cup of ranch

·         2/3 cup bbq sauce (I ended up using about 1 cup)

·         1 ½ cups or more cheddar cheese

·         1 TBS brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

·         In a medium pot over medium heat, add 1 can of chicken and cream cheese.

·         Add the ranch and bbq sauce. Stir continuously.

·         Once everything is melted together, add the brown sugar and the cheddar cheese.

·         Transfer to a glad pan (8x8) and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

·         Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted on the top.

·         Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Red Velvet Cheesecake

          Hello readers! I know it has been a while since I have written, but I have a new recipe to share with you today.  The first is for the cheesecake or red velvet cake lovers, because it involves combining them into a beautiful masterpiece! Yes, that’s right. Red Velvet Cheesecake. Yes, I am telling you the truth.

          I do have a few things to say about the cheesecake though, before I give you my ratings and the recipe. 1. I like red velvet cake, but I am not IN LOVE with it, so I might be a bad judge of this cheesecake. 2. I like my cheesecake to be very firm, and not too fluffy, so I might give a harsh rating because this is a very fluffy cheesecake. 3. I changed the original recipe by using a box cake mix for the crust (I know, I am going to Baking Hell…) but feel free to follow the original recipe. I just didn’t feel like spending a ton of time on the cake part. You can get the original recipe over here. Ok, now time for my ratings.

 

·         Yumminess---6---I know I should have expected this with red velvet, but there isn’t a whole lot of FLAVOR going on in this cheesecake. The cheesecake itself tastes good, but the red velvet cake adds no flavors that spark MY interest, but maybe you will fall in love!

·         Easiness---7---The way I made the recipe was quite simple, but if you follow the original recipe it would definitely be more difficult. I would have given it a higher score, but it required about 8 hours of chilling before it could be served, and  I just HATE waiting that long! J I also didn’t do the water bath that the original recipe recommends doing, but I would recommend that you do it. I just had no pan big enough or deep enough to do it.

·         Repeat---4---IF I repeat this recipe, I will use half the amount of sour cream, because I think that is one of the reasons it was so fluffy. Maybe I am just not a fan of New York style cheesecake.

TIPS FROM ORIGINAL RECIPE

·         Be sure and get the crust layer no more than 1/4 inch thick with batter or you will have too much cake on the bottom.

·         Follow all the directions carefully.

·         All ingredients should be at room temperature.

·         The water bath is important, don’t leave it off.

·         Make sure your aluminum foil is wrapped securely around the bottom of the springform and up the sides to prevent leaking.

·         Do NOT peek at the cheesecake while it is baking or resting. It makes it cranky.

·         Let the cake come to room temperature before chilling.

·         Place paper towel over the top of the cake before wrapping with plastic wrap and chilling. This will keep the top dry and help guard against cracking.

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

·         Make cake according to box cake mix

Cheesecake:

·         32 oz cream cheese

·         16 ozs sour cream

·         2 cups sugar

·         2 teaspoon vanilla

·         6 eggs

DIRECTIONS

Cake:

·         Make cake box mix as the directions on the back say.

·         Put about ½ the mix in the springform pan (about 11 inch)

·         Put the other ½ in a regular cake pan

·         Bake according to instructions box for temperature for 20 minutes

Cheesecake:

·         Preheat oven to 375F

·         Beat the cheesecake ingredients together until smooth.

·         Reserve about 1/2 cup cake crumbs for the top.

·         Fold the remaining cake chunks into cheesecake batter.

·         Pour into pan.

·         Cover the bottom of the springform (the one with the cake layer in it) with aluminum foil, bringing it up the sides.

·         Place pan in larger pan of hot water. Water should come halfway up the sides.

·         Bake for 45 minutes.

·         Turn oven off and leave door closed for 1 hour. Don’t PEEK!

·         Remove from oven, take out of bain marie.

·         Let come to room temperature and cover tightly.

·         Refrigerate over night

Crispy Honey Chicken

          I wish I could say that this next recipe is all mine, but it is not.  Although, I did change a bit of the recipe…so perhaps I can claim it.  This has become my and Cameron’s (my boyfriend) new favorite dinner recipe. We have made it three times so far, and it just gets better each time!  It is a super quick dinner, so if I was Rachael Ray I would list this on my “30 Minutes or Less” page, but alas, I am not Rachael Ray. 

          You can find the original recipe here, but just know that I changed it quite a bit, as I felt that Tablespoonfuls of some of the spices seemed like overkill.

The most delicious chicken you will ever eat.

·         Easiness---8---It’s just about the easiest fried chicken you will ever make, and all you need for a side is some white or brown rice.

·         Yumminess---10---Soooooooo good. I actually cannot believe it has taken me this long to write about it. I just needed to have a picture to share.

·         Repeat---10---Well, I have made it 3 times, so you can go ahead and assume that I will make it again. I hope this becomes one of your go-to recipes too!

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken:

·         4 boneless chicken breasts

·         2 cups flour

·         4 stp salt

·         4 tsp ground ginger

·         2 tsp nutmeg

·         3 tsp ground thyme

·         2 tsp ground sage

·         2 tsp paprika

·         2 tsp cayenne pepper

·         4 eggs

·         8 Tbs water

Sauce:

·         2 Tbs olive oil

·         3-4 cloves minced garlic

·         1 cup honey

·         ¼ cup soy sauce

·         1 tsp ground black pepper

Rice:

·         Make rice to your liking. I prefer plain white rice with this recipe.

DIRECTIONS:

·         Slice chicken breasts in half to make them THINNER, then in half again to make them shorter. (one chicken breast will give you 4 pieces of chicken)

·         Sift together the flour, salt, ginger, nutmeg, thyme, sage, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

·         Make an egg wash by combining the eggs and water.

·         Dip the chicken once into the egg wash, then into the flour and spice mixture. I like to do this step twice to ensure the chicken will be extra crunchy.

·         Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

 

Here is Cameron making the chicken. He's pretty cute.

 

·         Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice

·         In a saucepan, add the garlic and olive oil. Let cook for about 1-2 minutes, but be sure to not let the garlic burn.

·         Add the honey, soy sauce and pepper.

·         Simmer for 5-10 minutes (I like to make the sauce while the chicken is cooking, that way it is all ready at the same time).  Be careful to watch the sauce, because it can boil up over the edge pretty easily.

Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Icing

          If you haven’t made any of the recipes I have written about yet, now is the time to start. I understand that carrot cake is generally more popular in the springtime, when Easter is around the corner, but I like it all the time. This is easily the BEST carrot cake I have ever tasted, and that includes store-bought, restaurant made, and other homemade recipes.  It is the perfect amount of moistness and sweetness, and not overbearingly carroty.

          I think that even people that don’t have the taste buds for carrot cake will like this recipe. The icing is superb. It has a secret ingredient of orange zest that gives it that perfect last kick.  Anyway, I hope if you haven’t starting cooking/baking yet, that you decide to after reading this recipe! I found the original recipe here, and I pretty much followed it perfectly.

 

·         Easiness---5---It is a bit time consuming, and it requires a lot of ingredients.

·         Yumminess---30!!!!---This is my favorite dessert that I have yet to make. It is also the dessert that my dad took to work with him and all of his friends went crazy over it.

·         Repeat---10---Well, this is the second time I have made it so….obviously yes.

INGREDIENTS

Cream Cheese Icing:

·         ½ cup white chocolate

·         1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)

·         ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         Zest of 1 orange

·         4 cups confectioners sugar

·         2 tablespoons heavy cream

Cake:

·         2 eggs

·         1 1/8 cups sugar

·         1/3 cup brown sugar

·         ½ cup vegetable oil

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         2 cups shredded carrots (I used a food processor)

·         ½ cup crushed pineapple

·         1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

·         1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

·         ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Icing:

·         In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in vanilla.  Gradually beat in the confectioners sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream. Zest 1 orange and add it to the mixture.

·         Microwave white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir, then add to mixing bowl.

Cake:

·         Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla.  Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.

·         Bake 25 minutes in the oven or until done. Cool completely before topping with the icing.

Cheese Crisps

          You know how sometimes you just don’t want to cook? Or maybe it’s one of those days when you hardly have anything in the fridge or pantry? Well, in my house, those types of days call for Cheese Crisps! I had these for the first time when I was on vacation with my parents and two of their friends (They let me tag along as 5^th wheel for my high school graduation present). When we arrived to the condo, my mom’s friend told us she was going to make Cheese Crisps. What?
          First of all, I hate cheese. Well, cold cheese. And nacho cheese. And feta. Ok, basically I only like cream cheese, melted cheese, cheeseburgers and pizza.  Well, the cheese crisps were the easiest thing to make, and you literally just dip them in sour cream, guacamole, and salsa and you have a meal (or a very scrumptious snack).

·         Easiness---10---Super easy to make, literally just a tortilla, some cheese and an oven. I guess you could add some other ingredients to it, such as peppers or salsa, but that would take away the simplicity of it.

·         Yumminess---8---Not your 5 star gourmet meal, but definitely a yummy snack or meal when you are just having one of those days…or maybe just when you want an excuse not to cook!

·         Repeat---10---I make them all the time!

INGREDIENTS

·         Soft Tortilla Shells

·         Cheddar or Mexican Cheese (Fat Free Cheddar in the picture)

·         Sour Cream, Salsa and Guacomole for dippin’

DIRECTIONS

·         Preheat oven to 350°

·         Spread parchment paper or foil on baking sheet

·         Spray with Pam

·         Lay out tortillas

·         Spread desired amount of cheese over tortilla

·         Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are crispy (hence, the name Cheese Crisps)

Gooey Butter Cake (St. Louis Style)

          Who doesn’t like Gooey Butter Cake? Nobody, that’s who. Well, being from St. Louis (birthplace of the Gooey Butter Cake), I feel that I am a good judge on what is tasty and what just doesn’t quite cut it. This recipe that I found over here is absolutely to die for. If you are from St. Louis, or maybe if you are a Gooey Butter connoisseur, you will be able to attest after the first bite that this is the best Gooey Butter Cake you have ever and will ever taste.

Tell your taste buds to get ready, because they are about to be “wowed”.

I must say, my photography skills are getting quite good :)

·         Easiness---10---When it comes to cake, there really isn’t any recipe easier than this.

·         Yumminess---10---I don’t even think I need to explain how perfect this cake is, but I will do it for you, my reader. It has a perfectly crispy, but not hard, crust, and the gooey part is the perfect amount of goo.  Sometimes, Gooey Butter Cakes are easy to make too dry or too mushy, but that is absolutely not possible with this one.

·         Repeat---10---This is the 4^th time I have made this. My dad took my carrot cupcakes and my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins to work with him for his coworkers to try, and they loved them.  So, he told them, “Wait until you try her Gooey Butter Cake”.  That’s what brought about the old Gooey Butter this time around at least J

          Oh, and if you haven’t noticed….this recipe scored a 10/10 on each category, so they MUST be a winner! Just a tip, making this the day before makes it even more perfect (as if that is possible!).

INGREDIENTS

·         1 box yellow cake mix

·         3 large eggs

·         1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

·         2 cups powdered sugar

·         8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

DIRECTIONS

·         Preheat oven to 325°

·         Combine, Cake mix, 1 egg and melted margarine or butter.

·         Press into a greased 9×13 pan with your fingers

·         Blend, cream cheese, 2 beaten eggs, and powdered sugar until smooth.

·         Spread over first batter.

·         Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until edges are brown.

·         Dust with powdered sugar on top after cake has cooled