Halloween treats

This week my neighbor/taste tester and I got our kids together to do some fun Halloween crafts.

One of the crafts was a food craft!

Right up my alley!

We decided we were going to make pumpkins out of rice krispie treats and let the kids decorate them.

As I was letting the rice krispie treats cool on the cookie sheet, I realized that it already looked like a giant pumpkin, so I just added a few accessories and got this:

But this is what we actually were going for:

we put a ball of rice krispies on the plate with some "accessories" & let the kids create their masterpieces~

 Here is the finished product

The kids loved making these and loved eating them just as much!  Definitely a fun thing to do with things we already had around the house. 

Ingredients:

1 package (10 oz., about 40)  regular marshmallows (or 4 cups miniature marshmallows)

6 cups rice cereal 
Assorted candies to decorate with
Red & Yellow food coloring  (red + yellow = orange in case you missed that in art class..lol)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions:

 In large saucepan melt butter over low heat.

Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.

Add red and yellow dye to get the orange color you want (you can use orange dye if you have it)

Remove pan from heat.
Add rice cereal. Stir until well coated.

Scoop mix onto wax paper or a sprayed cookie sheet

Let it cool

Start making your pumpkins

Use any candy you have around to decorate with

Other things you might need:
Pretzel sticks or milk duds for the stems

Green candies or gum drops for leaves

Mini chocolate chips or frosting for eyes/nose/mouth

Candy sticks for noses or eyebrows.

Any other candy accessory that would be fun

Tips:

To make the milk duds more pliable, I microwaved them for about 5 seconds then rolled them out and cut them.

To keep the warm rice krispie mix from sticking to your hands, wet your hands before handling it....it wont stick.

To flatten out any candies or gum drops use a rolling pin

Use a sharp knife to cut the shapes you need from the candy

Let the kids have fun... their pumpkins will be crazy and totally imperfect.. but that's just the way they like them!

Hope you have a Happy and Safe Halloween! 

Got any fun holiday recipes?  Please share them with us.

You can e mail them to me at: thedinnerdrama@hotmail.com

I would love to use reader recipes each week!

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches

I mentioned in a post earlier this week that I don't have a lot of fun pork recipes.

Actually, I rarely ever cook pork.  I don't know why.

But... this dish is my favorite. 

Sometimes I think about it.... and start craving it .... and I have to make it.

Or... sometimes pork is on clearance... and I make it then too, lol.

This is a very simple recipe. 

I don't even know if I would go so far as to call it a recipe. 

It makes a great dinner so I guess that counts.

Ingredients:
- 6 lbs Western Ribs (any kind of pork will do, roast or loin)
- 1 1/2 C Apple Juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce
- *Shredded Cheese (optional, to taste)

Directions:
Trim fat off pork
Put it in the crockpot and pour juice over it.
Cook on high for 8 hours
When meat is done, it will shred/flake easily with a fork
Shred all the meat and add your bottle of BBQ sauce
Fill empty bottle from sauce with water and shake... then dump the bottle of water into crockpot
Stir and cook until heated through
Serve with cheese sprinkled on top.

***Review:
This is probably one of my most favorite things to eat.  I don't know if it's the texture or what... but I love it.
I was not home for dinner last night (this has been an unusually busy week) and I got this text from hubby:
"dinner was a hit tonight... it's awesome.  Kids asked for more and want to know if we can eat it for dinner tomorrow too.  Great job! Thanks"
I think that sums up the review!  BIG hit!

**Tips:
Pork takes quite a while to get to the right consistency for pulled pork.  If it's not done enough, it's just not as good.  If you have a large roast I would reommend cooking it overnight on low and then you can shred it in the morning and cook it on low all day (make sure there is enough liquid). Or you could leave it and shred it when you get home and re heat it.  It's pretty versatile and you can't really mess it up. 
As for the BBQ sauce... I think less is more.  You can always add more to each individual serving if you want more.  You can really play with this recipe and tweak it to your taste. Also, you don't have to use as much pork as I did either.  I love to eat this leftover as well, so I usually make a lot.... then I freeze whatever is left in individual portions and use it for lunches.

*Serving:
I love to serve this on a hard roll or a slice of french or italian bread.  My favorite way is to dig out a little of the center of the bread and place the pork in it.. sprinkle with cheddar and broil for a few minutes to melt the cheese.  You can just eat it plain as well.  You could put it on a burger bun too.  I would serve it with some grilled veggies and maybe some cole slaw! There are really no hard and fast rules as to how to eat this.  Have fun with it!

I'm sorry the photo isn't as close up as it normally is.  Hubby was kind enough to photograph his dinner for me last night (since I ate mine in the car).  Gotta love his rounded meal huh?  He must have eaten the veggies before he took the pic right?   

Turkey corn casserole

Ok... I will admit right off that I did not want to make this dish.

I would not consider myself a food snob, but there are certain foods I won't eat

Hamburger helper is among them (sorry if you like hamburger helper)

This dish kind of reminded me of a hamburger helper-ish meal

Anyway, long story longer, I had a yummy chicken dish I was going to make tonight

I went to the freezer to grab the bag of chicken that I knew was there and guess what?

Hubby decided to use it to experiment with a recipe of his own (yes... the whole bag)

This is in no way a good thing, since hubby is ONLY good at making breakfast foods.

One day I will tell you the story of him making his own BBQ sauce..... not pretty

Anyway... there was no chicken. 

There were also 70 mph winds and tornado warnings... so I wasn't going to the store.

What to do? What to do?

I searched the pantry, the freezers and the cookbooks.

I came up with this somehow. 

Really I think it was just that I didn't have much food on hand and I happened to have all the ingredients for this dish. 

Also, I was starving....so it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Guess what?  It WAS a good idea. 

I liked it.  Granted, I was starving..... but I wasn't the only one who liked it.

The kids liked it

The neighbor liked it

Did I mention I liked it?

The hubby liked it... a lot.

This is what the pan looked like when I got home last night:

This is in no way a "company" type meal though.

Meaning, I would never serve it to company( because it's not pretty - see photo below), but it did the job...and that's what counts right?

No Dinner drama for this mama!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
- 1lb ground turkey
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1(16oz) pkg egg noodles
- 1 (15 oz) can corn (drained)

- 2 (10.75 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup

- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles, cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until not quite done, and drain.
Place turkey in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.
In a bowl, gently mix cooked noodles and turkey, corn, and soup. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly.


***Review:
As you can tell from what I wrote above, we really liked this one.  It's not pretty, but it's a decent dinner... it tastes good... which is half of what counts...lol

**Tips:
As you can see from my lovely photos, I did not use egg noodles.  Why? because hubby somehow used those too and left me with a half of a bag.  I improvised and used bow tie noodles... they worked fine, which leads me to believe you could pretty much use any kind of pasta you want in this dish. 
Also, next time I might throw a little cheese on top just for fun!  I also think you could easily use ground beef or even shredded chicken or turkey... pretty versatile dish.  Add a few green veggies too and it might look better...lol

Saucy Pork Chops in the Crockpot... A Reader Recipe!

I love getting recipes from other people

Obviously you do too... or you wouldn't be here right now :)

I get so excited to try new recipes and I love it when we find a new favorite!

A friend from church wrote this recipe down for me at a wedding a few weekends ago.

I don't have a lot of fun pork recipes.... so imagine my happiness when she gave me not only a pork recipe

but a pork recipe in the CROCKPOT!  

Bonus!!!  

I went right out and bought some pork chops so I could make it for you  my family.

Check this out

Ingredients:
- 8 boneless pork chops
- 2 medium onions sliced (or 1 large)
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 C ketchup
- 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Place pork chops in bottom of crockpot
Put sliced onions on top of chops
Pour ketchup, soup & Worchestershire sauce on top
Cook on low for 6 hours

***Review:
This was Awesome!  My kids loved this!  Believe it or not, my 8 year old ate 2 bowls...which is amazing to me.  I ate 2 servings myself..lol   Hubby ate it while I was at piano lessons and raved over it when I came home.  I was so happy about the kids eating all their dinner that I gave them this:

**Tips:
When I first opened the lid to the crockpot, the ketchup was not blended into the mix, so I just whisked it into the liquid to blend it all in.  It doesn't matter if you do this at the beginning or the end.   I wasn't sure what to serve this on because I didn't know how it was going to come out or what the flavors would be like.  So, I chose to serve it with green beans and wild rice.  Because it cooks so long the pork is very tender... when I first pulled it out it was in once piece like this:

But.... some of the other pieces were falling apart because they were so tender, so I decided to shred it onto the plates like this:

and I think that made it more appetizing to the kids and also easier to absorb the "gravy".   It also tasted better that way to me.
You could probably serve this over white or brown rice... that would be the best.  Noodles would work too!

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine did!



GIVEAWAY!!!!

Who doesn't love free stuff? 

I know I do!

I'm pretty sure you do too!

Thanks for checking out my blog! 

If you become a follower

(see the little link on the right side of the page that says "Follow?")

AND leave me a comment below telling me where you are reading from (& anything else you'd like to say)

I will give away a fun prize to a lucky winner once we reach 100 followers!

So let me know you are here.... I love reading comments and ideas from you! 

It shouldn't take long!

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Well it's a little late, but here is the last edition of what to do with your leftover chicken.

My son requested this recipe last week. 

Did you hear that?  My 8 year old son requested for me to make chicken!

Not pizza, not take out, not mac 'n cheese.... CHICKEN.

It was a proud moment. :)

I got this recipe in 2006 from our MOPS cookbook.  (thank you Jessica)

It's a pretty easy recipe.  I think my son could've made it himself... no, I'm not kidding.

Here we go..............

Ingredients:

- 6 chicken breasts (or a whole small chicken shredded)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 Tbs poppyseeds
- 1/2 C butter melted
- 8 oz. Ritz crackers crushed (about 1 roll/package)

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
Boil chicken and cut into bite sized pieces (or use leftover cooked chicken)
Place chicken into a greased 9x13 casserole dish
In a bowl, mix soup, sour cream and poppy seeds
Pour mix over chicken pieces in casserole dish
Crush crakers in a bowl and pour melted butter over them
Mix to coat , then pour them over the top of casserole dish
Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through

***Review:
We love this dish. It's one of those foods that I will eat a second serving of just because it tastes so good...and not because I'm still hungry.  My kids love this dish.  My 14 year old who thinks I'm a horrid cook tasted this and smiled.  The other kids love it as well.  It's a definite winner at my house.   Apparently it's a winner at my parents house as well.  I made this for my mom and dad and they both loved it too!  Yay!

**Tips:
I usually make this chicken in the fall.... I think it's because after Thanksgiving, I need to use up all that leftover turkey.  Which brings me to my point.... this is GREAT with turkey.  A lot of times I buy those pre cooked chickens at the store when they go on clearance and then shred one up to use for this dish.
As for cooking tips go, I noticed that the top browned pretty good when I made it this time.  I didn't have my original recipe card with me but noticed when I got home that I wrote "cover w/foil" on the side.  Hmmm... maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea. I didn't mind the crackers being golden, but if you're not careful, it could get ugly fast.... so either use foil or really watch it. 

Here is what it looked like just out of the oven

And here it is on the plate! 



Let me know if you try this or if you have a similar recipe! 

Excuses, Excuses

Sorry that I've been MIA from the blogosphere.... I made a trip out of state and thought I'd have internet access, but I was sadly mistaken.

I know you're probably thinking that is impossible in this day and age.... but let me assure you, it's not!

So, I went awol for about 5 days. 

But I am back and ready to blog (and cook)! 

I did do a little cooking while visiting my parents, but mostly I ate things like this:

and luckily things like this:

I am not a fan of fast food, but when traveling with kiddo's it's just easier!  Sushi, however was a nice treat!

I could eat that every day.

And yes.... I DO have a recipe for that.  (Thanks to my wonderful friend Ros)

Anywhooo, my next post will be a yummy recipe I made for my parents ... so stay tuned!

Chicken pot pie Crockpot OR Oven

Yes, we are still using the chicken we grilled on Monday!

Pretty handy huh?

Well, I think so anyway.

Because today.... I had a field trip to go on and Boy Scout popcorn selling stuff at night. 

Which left me, well just about ZERO time to make dinner.

I wanted to make Chicken pot pie but didn't have the time ( & I've never done it before)

Whatever did I do, you ask?  Well, I got up early, threw some stuff in the crockpot, wrangled my kids

(you dont even want to hear that story) and headed off to the pumpkin patch.

Did I mention that I came home to a wondeful hot meal? 

Well, I did.

And... it was good! 

Do you want to make some too?  

Oh wait.  What if you don't want to use the crockpot or just don't have one? 

I have a plan!

My friend Kara has a cooking blog too. 

And she just happens to have a great recipe for Chicken Pot Pie for the oven on her blog.

Check it out here

Wanna know the coolest part?  You can FREEZE it too!  I love it!

Where was I? Oh yeah............

Chicken pot pie in the CROCKPOT

Ingredients:

4 Tbs butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
6 TBSP Cornstarch
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups cooked, shredded or cubed chicken
2 cups cooked cubed potatoes ( I only partially cooked them)
1 bag frozen mixed veggies (peas,carrots,beans,corn)
1 roll of pilsbury cresent dough seamless roll  (fits the crockpot perfectly)

Directions:

Put all ingredients except dough & cornstarch into the crockpot.
Slowly add cornstarch while stirring/whisking liquid (to prevent lumps)
Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 4 hours.
An hour or so before you're ready to eat, place the sheet of dough across the top of chicken mixture
When dough is cooked, it's ready to eat.

***Review:
I was really happy with this dish.  I actually sampled it a few times before it was done.  I think it could have used a tiny bit more seasonings... but I had never made this before and didn't want to add too much.  Another problem I found was that it was a little too soupy.  I added more broth than I was supposed to because I thought the crockpot cooking would use it up... but I was wrong.  It was still good though... and after it sat, it thickend up anyway. 
As for the topping, I meant to use real pie crust (rather than homemade) but accidently bought the pillsbury cressent roll dough sheet and not regular dough.  I was happy with the results though.  And I wasn't sure how long pie dough would take to cook in the crockpot anyway.  I will check that out another time.
Overall I will give this a thumbs up.  I ate 2 bowls, my 4 year old ate all of his and all of his brothers'. The hubs liked his too!  Yay!
I will be making this is the oven somtime too.... can't wait to make one and freeze one!

**Tips:
I adjusted the recipe above to make up for all my experimenting.  You could add different veggies or a different topping if you are adventerous.  If you really wanted to, you could add a can of cream of chicken soup to this also.... but honestly, I feel like every single crockpot meal calls for that, and I'm sick of it. 
As for the seasonings, if you grill the chicken, that will give it a lot of flavor.  If you use boiled chicken, you may want to season it a little more. 
I haven't tried this, but I am guessing that you could even use raw chicken in this one and it would be fine!  If you try it, let me know how it worked for you!  Otherwise, I will try that next time... just for fun!

Chicken Fajitas

And so the saga of the leftover grilled chicken begins. 

Today we will use said grilled chicken for some yummy Chicken fajitas. 

I love when I can make last night's meal into a whole new meal tonight!

Again, these are nothing spectacular (read: difficult).  No marinades, no sauces... just some yummy grilled chicken from last night.

I know you might think that is boring, but for most of us... even though we'd hate love to spend hours marinating some meat... we just can't do it. No time. 

But we do need to eat ... and it needs to be good.

So, for those of you left reading, enjoy a quick easy way to have chicken fajitas for dinner

Ingredients:

-  4 Leftover chicken breasts  (if you are making this fresh, check out the grilled chicken recipe here)
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 Tbs butter or Olive oil
- 4 -6 flour tortillas
* green peppers
* Sour cream
* Salsa
* 1 diced tomato
* guacamole
* lime
* shredded lettuce
* hot sauce
* shredded cheese
(* means optional)

Directions:

Slice chicken breast into strips.  Set aside.
Slice onion, place in fry pan with butter or oil and cook until carmelized
If you are using peppers, add those to the pan as well.
Dice any veggies that you want to serve on your fajita (ie: lettuce, tomato...) & set aside
Warm tortillas in microwave for about 10 seconds or heat in pan until hot
Lay out tortilla and put sour cream on it, then chicken, squeeze a little lime over it and add any other toppings you like.
Roll it up and enjoy! 

***Review:
We love these at our house.  The kids love that they can add their own toppings... which means they can avoid any of the things they don't like.  Hubby loves that he can add all the hot sauce he wants.  I love the onions..... I use a ton.  This is probably one of my favorite staple dishes. 

**Tips:

This is a pretty straightforward dish.  Basic, easy, quick.  The only tip I can think of is to not overheat your tortillas (which is easy to do if using a microwave) or they will get hard fast.  If you don't heat them at all, they tend to tear when you fold them.... which is no fun.  Other than that... add anything you want to your hearts content. 

Chicken again? Yes!

Well, the hubs decided he wanted grilled chicken tonight.

  So I had this idea.

 Grill a whole bunch of chicken at one time and use it for multiple meals throughout the week.


Basically, when you grill your chicken the first night..... grill a whole

bunch more than you would normally need. 

Use it for the next few days or freeze it and have it ready for when you need it next!

Easy enough right? 

I sure hope so... because with the kind week I have planned, I need some quick easy meals.

 I know you're thinking "Ha! Don't we all?" 

Lucky for you, I like to share :)

Grilled Chicken

Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:
- 4 Chicken breasts
- 1 Onion sliced
- 1 can sliced mushrooms
- 1 Tbs garlic salt
- 1 Tbs lawry's seasoned salt
- 1 Tbs butter
- 1/2 C colby jack cheese

Directions:
Take the raw chicken breast, throw it on the grill
Season it (to taste)on each side with a little of the seasoned salt and garlic salt
Cook it on low for about 15 minutes turning once.
It may take la onger or shorter time depending on the thickness of your chicken and the heat of your grill.
While the chicken is cooking, put butter in a fry pan and add onion and mushrooms.  Sautee them until onions are carmelized.  Set aside
When Chicken is done add a little cheese to the top of each breast and allow it to melt.
 Take it off the grill and top it with the onions & Mushrooms.   Enjoy!

***Review:This is obviously not an impressive recipe.  Everyone knows how to grill chicken (well, almost everyone).
This is just an idea on how to serve a quick, tasty version of grilled chicken that doesn't take any extra time.  No marinades or sauces... straight up grilled chicken.
We love this.  The kids love this.  Tonight, my 8 year old... who is chicken wary said... "wow... this is awesome!"  and that was before the onions and mushrooms.   I will take that as a win!

**Tips:There are many ways to change this recipe up.  Obiously, you can add a million things to grilled chicken.  For this particular recipe, I would add a little white wine
(if I had some) to the mushrooms and onions.  Also, be careful how much seasonings you use... you don't want to go overboard. 
You can also make this dish in a fry pan if you don't have a grill or don't want to grill. 

We're almost there!

The Dinner Drama.... What's for Dinner?

We're getting ready to incorporate our facebook page "What's for Dinner?" with this blog "The Dinner Drama"!  Soon there will updates on here as well as FB ....Please bear with me while I work out the kinks. Until then check us out on Facebook :

http://www.facebook.com/WhatsForDinnerTheDinnerDrama

Happy Cooking!

Easy Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:
-1 5 oz.can of chicken or 1 cooked chicken breast diced
- 1 15 oz. can black beans
- 1 8 oz bag mexican cheese
- 6 large flour tortillas (10 inch Burrito style)
- cooking spray (like Pam)

Directions:
In a bowl, place chicken, cheese & beans.
Mix well.
Spray one side of a tortilla with cooking spray
Place sprayed side down in pan
Place some of the chicken mix on tortilla in pan
Spray another tortilla with the cooking spray and place spray side up on top of the chicken mix in the pan.
Cook about 2 minutes on medium heat (or until golden) and flip to cook other side.
(Unless you have one of those fancy quesadilla makers... then you don't need a pan).
Once both sides are done place on large plate or cutting board and use a pizza slicer or knife to cut into 8 wedges (like a pizza)
Repeat with each set of tortillas.

***Review:These are awesome. Yes, I know it does not take a rocket scientist to make these, but I had to add them... because well, they're easy and yummmy! Which is what this is all about right? Needless to say.... kids love them... parents love them. 'Nuf said!

** Tips:This makes about 24 little wedges.
It took me about 15 minutes to make this... hence making it a great go-to meal in a Dinner Drama moment.  You can really use any size tortilla.... these just happened to be what I had on hand... and what fit my pan. Make sure your tortilla is not bigger than your pan :)
You don't have to use cooking spray. You could use butter, but cooking spray gives the same results with a lot less calories.
You can add pretty much whatever you want inside these. My kids are funny about mixing veggies into the food, so we just use beans.. but you can add tomato or any other veggies you like.
Normally I would use fresh chicken, but I like the option of using the canned chicken because I don't have to cook it.... skipping a whole step!
Also, you can add more chicken or less beans... it really doesn't matter. The only thing that is important is the cheese. There has to be enough cheese for it to stick together.... and obviously, you can use cheese only too!
They are best served with sour cream, salsa and guacamole

What kind of quesadillas do you like?

Grandma's Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:
4 Chicken thighs-skinless
4 Chicken legs- skinless
2 29 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 14 oz can of Chicken broth
10 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil

Directions:
Place all ingredients in crockpot
Cook for 6-8 hours
Stir a little before serving.
Shred chicken if desired

***Review:
I LOVE this recipe! It is attached to many fond memories of eating in my grandmothers kitchen. I didn't serve it to the kids tonight, but they will usually eat it. Hubby loves it as well. Had a friend over for dinner tonight and she liked it as well.
I will be honest though, this isn't my grandma's actual recipe. This morning when I put all the stuff in the crockpot and then went to get my recipe... it was missing. So, I had to wing it. I feel like I'm missing something... but I don't know what. Next week, when I see my grandma's 93 yr old sister, I will find out :)
Either way.... it's still good!

**Tips:
One thing my grandma did that I do not do, is fry the chicken first. But you can do that if you want. Just fry it for a few minutes to brown it.
Also, there should be green peppers in this recipe. I can't eat green peppers, so those are out too.
You can add mushrooms & onion as well... and I think I will try that next time.

Serving it:
I serve this dish over polenta and a slice of muenster cheese(underneath... so it melts). It's awesome like this. I make the polenta myself.. which is super simple.... but you could buy it already made too.
You can serve it over rice or noodles if you'd rather.
What do you think?

Swiss Chicken... Crockpot OR Casserole

Ingredients:
- 6 Chicken Breasts
- 6 Slices of Swiss cheese
- 1 can Cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can Cream of Chicken
- 1 C Milk
- 1 bag of large croutons (cheese or garlic flavor)

Directions for CROCKPOT:
Add chicken to crockpot (mine was frozen)
Place a slice of cheese over each chicken breast
In a bowl, mix soups, milk and croutons.
Pour mix over chicken in crockpot.
Cook on high 4 hours or low 8 hrs.
Yes... it's that easy!

Directions for CASSEROLE:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease/spray bottom of 9x13 baking dish
put chicken in the bottom of pan
Cover each breast with a slice of cheese
In a bowl, mix soups, milk and croutons.
Pour mix evenly over chicken in baking dish
Bake for 90 minutes.

***Review:
This is a great meal. I first had it after I had a baby and my friend Elisa brought me dinner. I have been making it ever since. Its easy and tasty.... my kind of food! Originally, it was a casserole to be baked, but I figured it would work in the crockpot and I was right!
The hubby loves it ... I am a fan! The kids? a few will eat it a few wont... it's chicken... so it's always hit or miss no matter how you cook it.

**Tips:
One of the reasons I love this dish is that, not only is it easy, but you can make it and freeze it. I used to lay out about 4 disposable baking pans and make 4 dinners in a matter of minutes. As long as you have all the stuff out, you might as well make a few. (If you're going to freeze it, then you can use frozen chicken breasts). I would then freeze them and either use them for us when I was short on time... or when another family needed dinner. The only kicker is you have to thaw it the night before if you plan on using it the next day... so you have to plan a little... but still... easy dinner to keep on hand.

Penne Pasta & Sausage

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage
- 1 16oz. box of Penne pasta
- 6-8 cloves of garlic diced or pressed
- 1 C Spinach (frozen or fresh)
- 3 14oz. Cans of Diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt

Directions:
Slice sausage into chunks/circles
Boil the pasta
While the pasta is cooking, cook the sausage in a large fry pan.
When sausage is mostly cooked, set aside.
Wipe grease from pan and add diced garlic, cut spinach and cans of tomatoes.
Simmer the tomato mix for about 10 minutes.
Add the salt to the tomato mix.
Add the sausage and cook about 5 minutes to blend flavors.
At this point the pasta should be done and you are ready to eat.

***Review:
I love this recipe. It tastes great and takes about 40 minutes from start to finish! The kids love love love the sausage and noodles... they are not tomato fans... but they ate most of it. Hubby loves it and anyone I've ever made it for has loved it. My handy dandy neighbor/taste tester came over and tried it... she loved it too! This is probably one of my favorite easy quick meals, because it looks and tastes like it took all day... but it didn't! That's my kind of cooking! It also has a very "fresh & light" taste... which is great, becase some pastas just feel so heavy after you eat.

**Tips:
To cut the sausage more easily you should do it when it's slightly frozen... or it just falls apart. On the other hand, you could totally use a crumbled sausage in this too. It just wouldn't look as good. I used Johnsonville Italian sausage because my kids won't eat it if it's too spicy... but I have made it with super hot sausage as well. If you love spicy, that's the way to go. The sausage is really what seasons this whole dish.
Fresh spinach will give you much more of a green look... frozen gets this kind of dark browny-green color... can you guess which I used?
Obviously, you can add as much or as little garlic cloves and salt as you'd like. I LOVE garlic and tend to go pretty heavy on it in most recipes. And can I just add... PLEASE do not use that jarred diced garlic. It is nasty and doesn't have a real garlic flavor. You will not get the results you are looking for if you use that stuff.
As for Pasta, I used mini Penne this time because I was out of regular. I really liked it and will proabably use it again. You could really use any type of pasta with this though... so don't fret if you don't have what a recipe calls for.... it's pretty much interchangeable.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
- 6 chicken breast cooked and cubed/shredded
- 4 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1tsp pepper
- 3/4 C mayo
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 2 Tbs frank's red hot sauce
- 40 seedless red grapes, cut in half

Directions:
Cut up chicken and place in large bowl. Set aside.
Dice celery and onions. Add to bowl of chicken.
Dice garlic, set aside
Slice grapes in half and add to bowl.
Add mayo to bowl
Add pepper
On a cutting board, place the sea salt and garlic together.
Chop them up together with a knife to mix, then (I know this sounds wierd, but it's the KEY to this recipe) lay the knife on its side and crush the garlic into the salt. :)
Add garlic/salt mix to bowl.
Add lemon juice
Add Franks red hot (to taste only... you don't have to use it all)
Mix it all together and it's done.

***Review:
I have never liked chicken salad... ever. I LOVE this chicken salad. My cousin Blake gave me this recipe and I've changed a few things, but it is AWESOME! Everyone loves this. The kids? eh... hit or miss! But that's with most anything.

**Tips:
I need to say that the KEY ingredient here is the coarse salt and the garlic crused together. If you don't have coarse salt, you can still make this... but I am telling you.. you should get some coarse salt. It makes all the difference.
I do not like spicy food... so I don't add the Franks red hot. That can be added to each individual serving if necessary. But I hear it's a great additon! Also, I use light mayo and you can't tell the difference. I boil my chicken, but you could grill it or pretty much cook it any way you want. Leftover chicken would be great for this as well. The original recipe didn't call for grapes... but I LOVE the grapes in this. I am a sucker for sweet & saltly. The grapes and the salt are perfect in this. Also, I do NOT like raw onion... so I don't add it to mine. But I know most people like it... so I kept it in the recipe. Feel free to add any other things you might like to this... I like it just how it is... but I know some people like to add apple or nuts.
I served mine on pita bread, but it's good on toast, bread or just plain if you're trying to watch your carbs.

Do you make a killer chicken salad? How do you like it?

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:
- 1/2 C Chopped Onion
- 1/4 C Butter
- 1/4 C Flour
- 4 C Broccoli Florets
- 1 C Carrots diced
- 4 C Cheddar Cheese
- 4 C Pepper Jack Cheese
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 2 C Whole Milk
- 2 C Chicken Broth
*salt and pepper to taste

Directions:Over medium saute onions 5 min or until translucent.
Set aside.
In 5 quart soup pot, melt butter over med heat.
Whisk flour into melted butter and stir for 3 minutes.
Whisk in milk.
Add Chicken stock.
Turn heat down & simmer for 20 minutes.
Add broccoli florets, carrots and onions.
Continue simmering for 20 minutes.
Season with pepper and salt.
Transfer 2 cups of soup to blender or food processor and puree.
Return puree to soup pot.
Add cheeses and nutmeg.
Stir until melted
Serve with Italian bread or crackers.

***Review:
I LOVE this soup! I got the recipe from my friend Cherith this summer and it's awesome! This is the second time I made it and it's definitely going to be a fall/winter staple in this house.
The hubby loved it, 2 of the kids wouldn't eat it (but it's broccoli... I didn't expect much) the other kids ate 3 bowls each. That evens it out right? My family ate the whole pot... every last drop. Guess I will double it next time.
This is a very easy soup to make... it took me about an hour to make it. I was surprised at that. I always thought this was a "fancy" soup to make. Nope! And fresh broccoli is pretty cheap!

**Tips:
I like to improvise when I can... or have to :)
I did not use whole milk, I used 2%
I did not use pepper jack or cheddar... I used colby jack
I didn't need the salt or pepper
If you don't have a food processor or blender you don't HAVE to puree the 2 cups and the end. It will have a different texture... and I would recommend the puree ... but you probably can live without it.
This is a definite must make people! It's comfort food!
My next conquest is to conver this to a crockpot recipe!

Mini Burgers

Ingredients:
- 1 lb of burger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/8 C Italian bread crumbs
- 1 tbs ketchup or ranch dressing
- Serve on Hawiian bread rolls or dinner rolls
** Optional:  Cheese slices, oninon, lettuce, roma tomato

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and form mini burgers. You can pan fry them or cook them on the grill. They don't take very long at all ... maybe a few mintues to cook.
Slice the rolls in half for mini buns and serve your burger with whatever you like on top.

***Review:
My kids were so happy with these. They found them fun and tasty. I used the hawiian sweet rolls and they were great because I like the sweet and salty together. Hubby loved them as well! This was the first time
we've had these and they were a big hit!
**Tips:
I used a roma tomato because they were the perfect size when sliced. Also, you can really use any hamburger recipe you want to... it doesn't really make a difference, I just happen to like mine with lots of garlic flavor.

Cream Cheese & Chocolate Crossiant

Ingredients:
- 2 pkgs of crescent rolls

- 1 8oz. pkg cream cheese

- 3 Tbs honey (or more according to taste)

- 2 Tbs ground cinnamon

- Chocolate syrup

Directions:

• Pre heat oven according to package directions (usually 350 degrees)
• Bring cream cheese to room temperature (so it's soft and easy to mix) and add to mixing bowl.
• Mix in honey until the cream cheese has a sweet taste... but not too sweet. Set aside.
• Open crescent package and lay out the dough triangles.
• In the center of each triangle put a spoonfull of cream cheese mixture. (on't go overboard or it won't stay in the dough when cooked)
• Roll the crescent according to package directions (start at pointy end and roll toward the top) to make the crossiant shape.
• Add each full crescent to a cookie sheet.
• When the cookie sheet is full, sprinke the cinnamon over the tops of all the crescents. Bake according to package directions. (usually 350 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes).
• When they are golden-brown take out of oven to let cool.
• Take out your plates and squirt the chocolate syrup over the plate in a zig zag fashion. (see photo).
• Place pastry on top of chocolate covered plate and serve immediately.

Be careful... filling is pretty hot!

***Review:

This dessert is awesome! It is easy, looks great and tastes great! You really can't beat that! I think this is by far one of the easiest desserts to make... but it looks fancy. Which is perfect, because I love my food to look great too!

**Tips:

I will estimate that this dessert takes 20 minutes to make... including cooking time.

This dessert is best served hot/warm. So I usually get all the ingredients ready and then make them just before we are ready to eat them.

Another thing you can try is to add a few chocolate chips to the cream cheese filling before baking....

Let me know if you love these as much as we do!

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
- 2lbs diced beef
- 2 cloves garlic diced or crushed
- 2 cans cream of Mushroom
-1 can cream of celery
- 1 can mushrooms (or you can use fresh)
- 1/3 C Milk
- 1 Tbs Dry onion (or dice some fresh)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bag Egg noodles to serve it on

Directions:

• Cut up meat and put in crockpot
• Add all other ingredients
• Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours

Yes.. that's it!

Oh & you can boil the egg noodles and serve on top of them.

***Review:

This is the first time I've made this in a crockpot. I got the recipe from my sister... but added a few things from my dad's recipe and got this one. It's awesome. I didn't actually have all the ingredients I needed so I improvised using a can of cream of chicken in place of one of the cans of cream of mushroom... but normally I won't do that. The cabinets are getting bare.... I also didn't have the mushrooms... but they would have been great! Anyway, the kids loved it and the adults loved it. I will be making this more often... and the best part? It was soooo easy.

**Tips:

You could also use ground hamburger or turkey burger in this, but you would have to cook it first... which is another step. Oh, and I used venison in this one instead of beef.

Let me know if you try this one or if you have any suggestions!

Baked Tilapia

Ingredients:
- 4 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or to taste)
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- Fresh or frozen broccoli or Cauliflower

 

Directions:

 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Place the tilapia fillets in the bottom of the baking dish and dot with butter.
• Season with Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice and garlic salt.
• Arrange the vegetables around the fish
• Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and fish flakes easily with a fork.

 

 

***Review:YUMMY! I know not everyone likes fish or even knows how to cook it. But it's easy! I think you'd be surprised! And it only takes a few minutes to put it all together! As for the taste...This fish was great! Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish.
I have never added the fresh broccoli to the baking pan before but it was an awesome addition... it tasted great too... and it was one less thing for me to cook. The kids loved it (minus 1) and the hubs and I loved it too!
**Tips:
A couple pointers on this one- You can add as little or as much seasoning as you'd like. It's all about your taste preferences really... but this recipe is a base to start with. I used frozen Tilapia from a bag. It goes on sale often and I just buy a few bags and use them when I need them. You could thaw them and cook them that way too, it really doesn't matter. If they are fresh or thawed, you may have a shorter cooking time. I just love it when I don't have to thaw meat out before I cook it... call me lazy. I like to call it busy...lol
I also added fresh broccoli to the pan, but you could use frozen too and it doesn't have to be broccoli.. you could add other veggies too. (Fresh carrots would not work well though because they take forever to cook).
I served this with instant mashed potatoes and pickled beats because I was busy, got distracted and forgot to make the flavored rice that I originally planned to serve with this. :) Lucky for me no one noticed!
Any questions?

Mama's Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

- 1 box macaroni noodles (I used a 14.5oz box)

- 1/2 stick butter or margerine

- 1/4 to 1/2 brick Velveeta cheese cubed

- 1/4 C Milk

- 1/8 tsp nutmeg

- 1/8 tsp dry mustard

- 1/2 tsp Corn starch

Directions:

• Boil the noodles until al dente'
• In another pan, on low heat melt the butter and mix in the corn starch.
• Add the Cheese cubes (depending on how cheesy you like it you can add more or less cheese)
• Slowly melt it all together... if you cook it too high the cheese will burn and stick to the bottom of pan.
• Add your milk.... (depending on the consistency you like you can add more or less milk.)
• Once you have a nice creamy consistency add in the mustard powder and the nutmeg.
• Once those are mixed in well, add the noodles and mix to coat.

***Review:

This has been a family favorite since I was little. It can be a main dish or a side dish. My mom always makes it with pork chops or steak. I made it tonight as a main dish mainly because my kids are sick of me cooking all these new things and wanted something familiar. They LOVE it and ate all of it. There isn't even enough left for my hubby! Luckily all those crockpot meals equal into some good leftovers!

**Tips:

On a normal night I would probably serve some grilled chicken with it too... or if the boys had their way... hotdogs!

Also, you can make more noodles or less and change the cheese amounts to adjust to that. You can't really mess this one up too bad.

This took me 30 minutes to make from putting water in the pan to eating at the table. Not too shabby!

Crockpot Applesauce Chicken

Ingredients:
 - 4 frozen chicken breast halves or thighs

- 1 1/2 cups of applesauce

- 1 T dried onion flakes, or 1 yellow onion, chopped finely

- 1 T apple cider vinegar (you can use white vinegar if you need to)

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or 1 Tbs. hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

• In a seperate bowl, mix the applesauce, vinegar, garlic, dried onion and spices together.
• Put the frozen chicken pieces into your crockpot.
• Add the onion
• Add applesauce mix to crockpot
• Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4.

***Review:

I got this recipe off a blog I read... everyone seemed to love it.

I didn't love it. My kids didn't love it. (ok.. the baby loved it, but he'll eat anything) It wasn't bad but I wouldn't make it for company. I would rate it a 4 out of 10. I usually like sweet and savory, but this just didn't seem to have enough flavor. I used unsweetend applesauce so maybe that was a problem? It was better when I added salt. I think if I made it again, I would add salt to the crockpot for sure...Also, I would maybe serve it over a flavored rice or noodles instead of just white rice.

I did like how easy it was... and again, it wasn't bad.. just not great. The best part? It's low in calories... so that's a bonus!  UPDATE: Hubby took it to work the next day and raved over it....hmmm!

If you make this I would love to hear what you think. The reviews I read raved about it.... so I am curious as to what you think.

Breakfast for Dinner

Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
 - 6 slices of bread torn coarsely

- 1 lb bulk sausage cooked & drained

- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

- 6 med. eggs

- 2 cups Milk

- 1 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

• Pre-heat ove to 350
• Lightly grease 13x9 baking pan or casserole dish
• Place torn bread in bottom of pan
• Top with sausage and cheese
• In seperate bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper
• Pour over bread/sausage/cheese mixture in pan
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until mixture is set in center and lightly browned.

*** Review:
This is a great dish. I got it out of the back of a magazine many years ago. I make it when I need to serve a lot of people for breakfast, because it's yummy and fast. But sometimes, breakfast for dinner is fun too.

Our whole family loves this dish.

**Tips:
One thing I do is leave the bread out overnight so it gets a little stale ... sometime I would like to try using some italian or french bread for a little bit of a different texture. You could also probably use leftover dinner rolls or anything similar. I like this dish just how it is.. but you cold probably experiment and add a few veggies if you wanted.... I bet that would be good. I also make the sausage the day before usually because I am NOT a morning person and it's just one less step... plus I hate going into the day smelling like fried food.
You can use any sort of shredded cheese too... I used Colby Jack this time because I was out of cheddar. In this recipe I used turkey sausage... it was the first time I'd done that and I loved it! 

Let me know what YOU think!!

White Chicken Chili Crockpot OR Stovetop

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs chicken breast
- 2 48 oz jars of Great northern beans (the white ones)

- 1/2 can chicken broth (~7oz)

- 1 jar of salsa

- 1 8oz bag of colby jack

* Sour cream is optional... but yummy!

Directions:

• Boil, grill or otherwise cook the chicken breast.
• Cut or shred them up into bite sized pieces.
• Add chicken, beans (liquid & all), salsa and broth to crockpot or stock pot on the stove.
• Cook until hot.
• I did it in the crockpot on high for about 4 hours.
• On the stove it doesn't take too long, but it's good to let it simmer maybe 20 minutes and to blend the flavors together.
• Add cheese 15 minutes before serving to let it melt in.

I serve it with sour cream on top and some fresh italian bread. It's also great to eat with scoops tortilla chips!

***Review:
I got this recipe about 7 years ago at a boy scout potluck. It was awesome and I had to have it, so I hunted this lady down and had her write the recipe on a napkin for me. I still use the napkin as my recipe card! Everyone I have made it for loves it... including my dad who was here tonight for dinner.

The kids asked for seconds which kind of shocked me... so I will call this one a HIT!

**Tips:

It does make quite a bit... I think we will be eating this one for a few days. Great thing about it is we can freeze it and eat it for lunch or dinner another day. Or as always you can cut the recipe in half... but I love making extra to freeze.

As always, please let me know if you try this. I would love to hear what you would do different & what you liked and didn't like.

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken

Ingredients:
- 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

- 3 to 6 cloves smashed garlic

- 2 T soy sauce

- 1 tsp ground black pepper ( I never add this)

Directions:

• Use a 4 quart crockpot for this recipe. 
• Put the chicken into your crockpot.
• Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, soy sauce. vinegar, and soda.
• 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.

***Review:

We love love love this chicken. My friend Merran made it for us one night and we make it all the time now.

The kids love it, the adults love it!

**Tips:

We serve it over rice... brown or white. We also serve it over noodles sometimes... whatever we have handy. It doesn't even matter what kind of noodles you use! Then we add a veggie on the side.

I would caution those that want to use chicken breast to use the low setting. I have been told by friends that when they've used breast meat, it gets too dry if it cooks for too long. Also, you can use fresh or frozen meat. If you use bone in chicken beware that the bones seperate off the chicken and get into the broth which makes them hard to find... and you might get a bone in the mix when you eat... (that happend to me) so be careful. I now buy a bag of frozen boneless thighs and dump the whole thing in. Also, if you're using breast meat... consider cooking it on high only 4 hours to keep it from drying out. 
Again, if you have a smaller family you can use the same amount of all ingredients and just use less chicken... all you will get is more broth.

I use a 6 quart crockpot when I make this (even though it says to use a 4 qt) and I have no problems.  BUT... I have had a few people tell me that their liquid is drying up fast ....so if you do use a larger crockpot and it cooks on the hotter side....keep an eye on it until you are sure.

Crockpot Lasagna

Ingredients:
- (26-ounce) jar pasta sauce (or make your own)

- 1 (10-ounce) box regular lasagna noodles

- 1 (11-ounce) container pesto ( I didn't use it this time)

- 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese or cottage cheese

- 1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach ( I used frozen spinach)

- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 16 ounces mozzarella cheese

- 1/4 cup water

Directions:

• Use a 4 quart slow cooker.
• Put about a 1/4 cup of pasta sauce into the bottom of your cooker and swirl it around.
• Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (you're going to have to break them to make a layer).
• Smear ricotta cheese and pesto onto the noodles.
• Add a handful or two of fresh or frozen spinach
• Top with a layer of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
• Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients.
• The spinach is fluffy, so you're going to have to squish it down to make it all fit.
• Before closing the pot, put 1/4 cup of water into the empty pasta sauce jar and close and shake. Pour this saucy water over the top of everything.
• Now cover up and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for about 3 to 4.
• You'll know it's done when the top layer begins to brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. It will also pull a bit away from the sides.
• Taste-test a noodle to check texture.

***Review:

Overall I am surprised, I have never made any noodles in a crockpot and I wasn't sure how these would taste.  This dish was a hit with almost the whole family.... not so much for the 8 & 5 year old who don't like lasagna anyway.  I will be making this again!

**Tips:

Because I didn't have any,I made this without pesto, with barely any cottage cheese, frozen spinach and less mozzarella than it called for. Improvising is fine except when you mess with the water content. This dish was a hit with almost the whole family.... not so much for the 8 & 5 year old who don't like lasagna anyway.

Next time I will add garlic.  I cooked it on High for 4 hours and then on warm for about 30 and the noodles were perfect! Let me know if you try it!

Crockpot Indonesian Chicken

Ingredients:

- Enough chicken parts to feed a family of 4.
- 3 Tbs soy sauce
- 2 chopped cloves of garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- You can garnish it with sesame seeds and lime wedges

Directions:

• put the peanut butter into your crockpot and turn it to high so it can begin to melt
• add the other sauce ingredients
• stir to mix
• add your chicken; stir to coat.
• 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 reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will become, but it may fall off the bone if you cook too long.
• If your crockpot isn't at least 2/3 full, keep an eye on it so the peanut butter doesn't burn. You may need to stir a few times.

***Review:
We really liked this dish.  This is the first time I've made it.  The kids loved that it had peanut butter in it.

**Tips:

I served in with rice I made on the stove and green beans. We had to add a little soy sauce to taste after it was on our plate. Also, we didn't add the cayenne pepper because the kids don't like spicy... neither do I.

Taco Cornbread Casserole

Ingredients-
- 2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 C Milk
- 1-2 Lbs ground meat (burger or turkey)
- 1 pkg taco seasoning
*1 Can corn (drained)
*1 can Black Beans (rinsed & drained)
*1 can Diced Tomato (drained)
*Sour cream (on the side)
*Salsa (on the side)

(* items are all optional)

Directions-

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
• Brown meat and drain
• Add taco seasoning and mix
• Add corn, beans & tomato to the meat mix (you can add any or none of these if you don't like them)
• Put meat into bottonm of 8x10 dish
• Mix the jiffy mix with eggs and milk and pour batter evenly over top of meat.
• Bake or 20-30 minutes @ 400 degrees or until cornbread is golden AND cooked through.
• This will make 8 large portions

***Review:

This is one of my kids (and our) favorites! They don't like it when I add tomato... but I did today and they just picked them out. We top it with sour cream and salsa and mash it all up in the bowl. It's an easy quick meal. I think it took about 40 minutes total...

** Tips:

Sometimes I keep frozen taco meat in the freezer and use that and it cuts out a step.

One problem I run across is that sometimes after 20 minutes, the cornbread is golden, but not totally done in the center... next time I may try covering it near the end. Also, if you don't drain the veggies & meat well, the dish will be watery when you cut into it.

You could also try this in the crockpot, but I personally think it would be more work than it's worth to do it that way. I figure if I'm already using the stove to cook the meat I may as well put it in the oven for 20 minutes.

One last thing... if you don't have a large family, you can cut the recipe in half and use an 8x8 dish.

Thanks to my friend Allison who gave me this recipe years ago in a frantic Dinner Drama moment!

Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:
- 1 can of mushroom soup
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 14 oz. can chick broth
- 4-6 large chicken breasts (can be frozen or fresh)
- 2 containers refridgerator biscuits cut up.
Directions:
Add all ingredients (except biscuits) together for 7-8 hours on low or 4-6 on high
1  hour before done, cut biscuits into small peices and lay on top of chicken mixture in crockpot.

** Review:
This recipe was easy and yummy. I was surprised at how much I liked it! Hubby complained it needed more seasoning, hence the addition of Italian seasoning in the photo. Kids LOVED it! I was surprised at how much the biscuits tasted like real dumplings.

***Tips:
 The original recipe says biscuits can go in a half hour before eating... which I did and that was a not quite accurate..lol I had to wait an hour and a half. So, be aware that the biscuits take a little time to steam... and don't take the top off.
I have been told that the 30 mintues works fine for 1 can of biscuits.  Also I have been hearing that many of you think one can of biscuits is plenty. 
I would suggest adding green beans or even a mixed veggie into this dish.  My kids won't eat veggies mixed in with food or I would have done it that way.
Also, as I stated above, you might want to season the chicken before you cook it... maybe just a little garlic salt or whatever it is that you like.

Thanks to Linda O for posting this recipe to me. I am getting great feedback!

What's for Dinner? The Dinner Drama!

I'm getting ready to incorporate our facebook page "What's for Dinner?" with this blog "The Dinner Drama"!  Soon there will updates on here as well as FB ....Please bear with me while I work out the kinks. Until then check us out on Facebook :

http://www.facebook.com/WhatsForDinnerTheDinnerDrama

Happy Cooking!