#2,064: Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

It was one of those days where I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to make for dinner because I didn't have any definite plans (a lot of times I do).  I knew I wanted to make something ridiculously easy, and I had some chicken thighs in my freezer, so I figured I'd do a quick search for something...and something that would go well with pasta as a side dish. Enter this recipe!  It was so simple, and I literally had all of the ingredients on hand.  Well I didn't have any mushrooms on hand, but my husband wouldn't want them in this dish anyways.  

I love recipes when dinner is in the crockpot and cooking within minutes!  That was definitely this recipe! 

Overall, my family really did enjoy this meal...there weren't any leftovers, so that's always a great sign!  The chicken was tender and moist, and I'd make this again. Although I was the only one who ate it on top of pasta...everyone else ate it on the side, and Allison put it into a little roll to make a chicken sandwich.  To each his own!  

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 pound sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced (I didn't have green on hand, so I used red bell pepper)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 

Place chicken in a slow cooker; stir in spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, basil, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cover. Cook on Low until chicken is tender, 6 to 8 hours.

#2,063: Baked Blueberry Ginger "Pancake"

 

When I was flipping through a recent issues of Taste of Home magazine, I came across this recipe for baked "pancakes."  I think this word "pancake" needs to be use very loosely though because this does not resemble (or taste like) a pancake at all.  I'm kind of surprised they didn't call it a cake.  But in terms of a blueberry "cake" my kids really enjoyed this!  I thought it was a bit dry so the syrup does help give it a little more moisture.  And it definitely tastes better warmed up!  The kids ate this for breakfast for a few days and enjoyed it! 

2 large eggs

1-1/2 cups 2% milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries

Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine eggs, milk and butter. Whisk the next five ingredients; add to egg mixture. Spoon batter into a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle blueberries over top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cut into squares; serve with warm maple syrup. Yield: 9 servings.

Taste of Home Test Kitchen tip

If you aren't fans of ginger, feel free to scale it back or substitute something else, such as ground cinnamon or grated lemon zest.

Blueberries make this pancake wonderful, but raspberries, blackberries or chopped strawberries would work well, too. Or try a mixture.

#2,062: Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole

I picked up broccoli and cauliflower from the grocery store this week completely intending to use them for different recipes.  But life is busy so I needed something quicker to make with them before the started to go bad.  A quick Google search led me to this recipe from the Pioneer Woman, and I was excited to try it (and happy that it was in the oven within 20 minutes!).  Although I'm not totally in love with this, because the cauliflower is a little too undercooked for my liking, but I am loving the pieces of broccoli I'm eating.  When I steamed my broccoli and cauliflower I wanted to make sure it was slightly undercooked since I figured it would keep cooking in the oven, but next time I think I will steam it until it is literally just about done/to my liking.  Don't skimp on the pepper or paprika...it needs it! 

1 head (large) Broccoli

1 head Cauliflower

6 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 medium Onion, Diced

2 cloves Garlic, Minced

1/4 cup Flour

2-1/2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

4 ounces Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste

1/4 teaspoon Paprika

1-1/2 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese, More To Taste

1 Tablespoon Butter

1/3 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs

Break the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets, cutting off the thick stalks as you go. Steam them for 3 to 4 minutes until the broccoli is bright green, then remove them from the heat. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the 6 tablespoons of butter and saute the onion and garlic until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the top, whisk to combine, and cook for another 45 seconds. Pour in broth, whisking constantly, then cook until the sauce thickens. Reduce the heat to low and add the softened cream cheese, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and paprika. Stir to combine until the sauce is nice and smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, making sure it's nice and flavorful! Keep warm.

In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and melted butter. Set aside.

Layer half the broccoli and cauliflower in a small casserole dish. Pour on half the cream sauce, then sprinkle on half the cheese. Sprinkle a little paprika on the cheese, then repeat with another layer of broccoli, sauce, and cheese.

End with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve warm.

#2,061: Skinny Banana Muffins

As I've mentioned before, we generally have at least one banana getting way over ripe on our counter because the boys in this house will not eat a banana if it has the slightest inkling of a brown spot.  Personally, I really don't care, because it gives me an excuse to make some form of banana bread or muffin.  Last week I ran to the grocery store before work and left the bananas in my car during the day.  I didn't think the super cold weather we were having would have THAT much of an effect on my bananas, but man did those peels turn brown quickly.  So I used that to my advantage and finally made this banana muffin recipe once they actually got ripe (instead of just having brown peels). 

I made these for my kids to eat for breakfast the next few days.  I let my 5 year old have one since his sisters are gone for the day, and we both agree, these are delicious!  Relatively healthy AND delicious...my kind of recipe! 

1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used all purpose)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups mashed bananas (3 medium bananas)

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

4 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (nonfat)

1 Tablespoon milk

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (you can substitute with chopped nuts)

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray 12 cup standard muffin tin or 24 cup mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. (I used liners instead).

First, in a bowl whisk dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Then, in a large bowl mash bananas. Next, add honey, oil, vanilla, milk, Greek yogurt and egg, then, mix until well combined and smooth. You can use electric mixer or whisk by hand.

Add dry ingredients and mix (or whisk)until just combined, too.  Finally, fold in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin tin with batter almost to the top and bake until the toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out almost clean with a few crumbs attached. It takes about 20-25 minutes for regular sized muffins or 14-16 minutes for mini muffins.

Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

#2,060: Double-Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffins

I posted earlier about Food Network Magazine posting one muffin for each month of the year.  Although it's a bit early, here is February's muffin, Double-Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffins.  I didn't have flaky sea salt, so I just used my salt grinder (that's filled with kosher salt) to sprinkle some salt on top.  I was so scared it was going to be too salty, I just lightly salted them.  Honestly, it probably could have used more!  Also, I didn't push the dulce de leche down into the batter, and I think next time I will.  The caramel filling was more at the top instead of in the middle like I had hoped/expected.  These were a tiny bit dry, but I think I over cooked them a bit.  They still were good though and my kids loved them!  I would make these again for sure!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped semisweet chocolate (about 2 ounces), plus more chocolate for grating (I used mini chocolate chips and just incorporated all of it into the batter)

1 cup whole milk (I used 1/2 c heavy cream and 1/2 c skim milk)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/2 cup jarred thick dulce de leche

Flaky salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick liners. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; stir in the chopped chocolate. Whisk the milk, vegetable oil and eggs in a small bowl until smooth; stir into the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them two-thirds of the way. Bake until the edges are just set but the centers are still loose, 8 to 10 minutes. Working quickly, drop 1 heaping teaspoon dulce de leche into the center of each muffin. Return to the oven and bake until the batter rises over the dulce de leche and a toothpick inserted into a muffin (but not into the dulce de leche) comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes.

Finely grate chocolate over the tops of the hot muffins and sprinkle with flaky salt. Let the muffins cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

#2,059: Crockpot Cube Steak

A lot of cube steak recipes I've found either have you browning on the stovetop (too much work and clean up) and/or use cream of mushroom soup.  My husband has an apparent "allergy" to mushrooms (I don't believe it), so I was looking for a recipe that used different ingredients.  Happily, I came across this recipe that just dumps everything into the crockpot (no mushroom soup included either) and cooks all day.  We were big fans of this recipe and I would certainly make this one again!  The recipe calls for cornstarch and water to thicken up the liquid, but I did not need to do this.  Our gravy was thick enough for us!  

1 packet of au jus gravy mix

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can French onion soup

1/2 cup water

1 ½-2 pounds cube steak

to thicken gravy:

3 tbsp cornstarch (I omitted)

3 tbsp cold water (I omitted)

In the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, combine cream of chicken soup, French Onion soup, packet of au jus and water.  Stir well.  Put cubed steak in slow cooker with gravy mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook steak on low for 6-8 hours.

(I didn't have to do these last steps). After cooking, it's time to thicken gravy. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Stir mixture into crock pot.

Turn the setting to high and cook for 30 minutes (until gravy is thickened.)

#2,058: Blueberry Zucchini Oat Bars with Lemon Glaze

I had both blueberries and shredded zucchini in my freezer that I wanted to use up, so I figured this would be the perfect recipe to use them with.  I made these bars for my kids for breakfast...although they loved them as a dessert as well! These were a big hit, and I'd definitely make this again.  I still have frozen blueberries, so zucchini might go on my grocery list for next week!

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large bananas)

1/3 cup maple syrup (I used agave)

1/4 cup oil (coconut or canola work well)

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I used heavy cream)

1 large egg

2 cups old fashioned oats (I ground mine up so they were a little less noticeable)

1 cup white whole wheat flour (I used all purpose)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 9x13" pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together bananas, maple syrup, oil, yogurt, and egg until well combined.

Add oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and stir until combined.  Fold in zucchini and blueberries.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 38-40 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick comes out of the center clean.  Cool.

I then made a powder sugar glaze using about 1 heaping cup of powder sugar, 5 drops of Young Living Lemon Vitality Essential Oil (you could use lemon juice if you don't have it), and a bit of milk to thin it out.  I poured that over the bars....my kids loved it!  

#2,057: Crockpot Sweet Potatoes

I have been following the Six Sister's Stuff website/blog/facebook group for a long time now.  The other day I saw a video they posted to make sweet potatoes in the crockpot.  It was so stupidly easy, and I happened to have 2 sweet potatotes needing to be cooked on my counter.  They turned out perfectly soft!  I could have cut them up and eaten them as shown above, but I slipped the skins off and mashed mine up to make a healthy sweet potato casserole.  SOOOO simple.  Better yet, I used my Smart Wifi Light Switch and turned my crockpot on from the doctor's office! 

All you have to do is wash 2-4 sweet potatoes as you normally would, then stick them into the crockpot still damp (don't dry them off after washing).  I also added about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom just in case.  :)  Cover and turn on low for 5-6 hours.  You don't have to poke the sweet potatoes with a fork before cooking either! 

That's it!  They were perfectly cooked!  

#2,056: Creamy Garlic Parmesan Orzo

It was one of those nights when I didn't know what I wanted to eat, but for some reason orzo pasta was calling to me.  I was about to make some traditional red sauce to eat with it, but I wanted something creamier instead.  So a quick pinterest search led me to this recipe for a quick (yes!!) creamy garlic Parmesan orzo instead.  Thankfully I had pretty much all the ingredients on hand, and the one I didn't have (half and half) was easy enough to substitute out!  I added some peas and carrots for more veggies and cooked up some chicken sausage, and my dinner was ready in about 20 minutes!  I LOVED this dish!  It totally hit the spot for creamy noodles that I was wanting!  I would definitely make this one again!

2 Cups Orzo

2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable stock, or water

4 Tablespoons Butter

1/4 Cup Onion, diced very small

3 Garlic Cloves, pressed or minced

3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/3 Cup Half and Half (I used heavy cream and a little bit of skim milk)

2-3 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley or Basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1/2 – 1 tsp. salt

Black pepper to taste

Olive Oil

Begin by heating about 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, let it warm up for about a minute. Add the orzo and lightly stir it around the pan so it toasts, this will give the orzo a nutty flavor. When the orzo starts to turn golden in color, add the broth or water starting with just 1/2 cup. Let the orzo absorb the liquid entirely, then add the rest. Give it a stir, bring to a quick boil and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.  (I had to add about a cup or more of water for this to cook completely.)

Meanwhile, add the butter to a large saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s melted add the chopped onion and garlic (I also added some grated carrots at this point too). Season with salt and pepper. Let that simmer for about 2-3 minutes until it softens (I cooked it for about 7 minutes so the carrots could soften more).
Add the half and half, cheese and parsley (or basil). Season again with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust.  Add the creamy garlic sauce to the cooked orzo and stir. (This is when I also threw in some frozen peas and heated for about another minute until they warmed up).  Serve warm.

#2,055: Pomegranate-Orange Muffins

So in the recent issue of Food Network Magazine, they gave recipes for a muffin for each month of the year.  Since my kids love muffins for breakfast, I knew I wanted to try these each month.  So with no further ado, here is the January Muffin Recipe: Pomegranate-Orange.

My kids LOVED these muffins!  This recipe says it makes 12 muffins, but I somehow got 18 regular size ones out of it instead.  Although my kids would have happily eaten all of them, we gave some away to our neighbors (share the wealth!).  I didn't go crazy with the pomegranate seeds on top, and I skipped the powder sugar glaze altogether, and we sill loved them.  I would DEFINITELY make these again!

In the cooks note, it says to use aluminum-free baking powder so that your batter doesn't turn blue.  I didn't have aluminum-free baking powder, but a quick google search said I could make my own by mixing 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch, so I did.  

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder (see Cook's Note below or my substitution comment above)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 clementines

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature (I used half a cup of heavy cream and 1/2 a cup of skim milk b/c that's what I had on hand)

2 large eggs

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center.

Wash 2 clementines and cut into 8 pieces each (peel and all); transfer to a blender. Add the milk; blend until smooth. Add the eggs and blend until combined. Pour into the well in the flour mixture, add the melted butter and stir until just combined. The batter will be lumpy.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them three-quarters of the way. Top evenly with the pomegranate seeds. Bake until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let the muffins cool 5 minutes in the pans, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Put the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl and squeeze in the juice from half of the remaining clementine. Stir to make a thick glaze, adding the juice from the remaining clementine half as needed. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and let set 10 minutes.

Cook's Note: Be sure to use aluminum-free baking powder for these muffins; aluminum can react with the pomegranates and turn your batter blue!

#2,054: Pronto Stuffed Peppers

I was either out of some of the ingredients or I added more of things I had on hand.  Although I thought this was a tad bland (it definitely needs salt and pepper), it still didn't stop me from eating it for 2 meals!  I loved how quickly this was able to be thrown together.  And I am not the biggest fan of soft cooked peppers, so I didn't pre-cook the peppers in the microwave and just cooked it all one time.  Eventually (not a surprise), I ended up throwing away the pepper and just ate the filling.  That's how I pretty much eat regular stuffed peppers anyways though.

Next time I'm going to add some cooked up ground meat (ground pork sausage, leftover taco meat, or chicken sausage would be great I think).  

2 large sweet peppers, halved lengthwise

1 cup canned stewed tomatoes (I hate stewed tomatoes. I used 1/2 can of petite diced)

1/3 cup instant brown rice (I used jasmine rice because it was already cooked and leftover)

2 tablespoons hot water

3/4 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained (out of kidney beans so I used black beans)

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed (sadly I was out of corn) 

2 green onions, thinly sliced
I also threw in some small pieces of fresh broccoli and grated carrots)

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Place peppers in an ungreased shallow microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until tender.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the tomatoes, rice and water. Cover and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in the beans, corn, onions and pepper flakes; spoon into peppers.

Sprinkle with cheeses. Microwave, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 2 servings.

#2,053: Low Carb Taco Breakfast Bowl

I never ever thought I would like this recipe as much as I did!  It was so simple, definitely low carb, and quite filling.  I just used some leftover taco meat and mixed it with frozen riced cauliflower.  I let it heat up in a skillet, and then added the rest of the ingredients as directed, and eventually just scrambled it all together. This was ready in no time.  I could easily make this before school/work during the week....if I really wanted to.  :) 

The recipe below is for one serving: 

1/4 pound lean ground beef

1/2 tbsp keto taco seasoning (I used low sodium taco seasoning) 

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup cauliflower riced

1 tbsp cilantro chopped

1/2 tsp ghee

1-2 eggs beaten

sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and remove any fat that renders as it cooks. Add in your taco seasoning and water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Push the taco meat over to the side of the skillet and add the riced cauliflower, cilantro, and salt in the open space. Cook the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes, then push it to the side to make room for the scrambled egg. If you don't have a large enough skillet, grab a separate pan to scramble the eggs.

Melt ghee and pour in the beaten egg. Whisk the egg and shake the skillet as it cooks to break up the curd. Once the egg scrambles to your liking, mix it in with the rest of the dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

#2,052: Slow Cook Mongolian Beef

I am very picky beef eater.  LOL  It has to be perfectly cooked (i.e. totally well-done), and it can't be fatty or chewy, and it can't be too thick.  Friends of ours gave us some flank steak and I was honestly scared to cook it.  So I let it almost thaw, and then (when still a bit frozen) I cut it into thin strips. 

Let me say, I LOVED this recipe.  I threw some frozen broccoli in about an hour before I was going to serve it (much to the displeasure of my husband LOL).  We served this over rice, and I added some crispy chinese noodles...fantastic! 

1 ½ pounds Flank Steak

¼ cups cornstarch

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

½ teaspoons mince Garlic, Cloves

¾ cups Soy Sauce

¾ cups Water

¾ cups Brown Sugar

1 cup grated Carrots

green onions, for garnish

Cut flank steak into thin strips. In a ziplock bag add flank steak pieces and cornstarch. Shake to coat.

Add olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and carrots to slow cooker. Stir ingredients. Add coated flank steak and stir again until coated in the sauce.

Cook for high 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours until cooked throughout and tender (I think I cooked mine on high for closer to 4-5 hours). Can serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

#2,051: Pickled Snap Peas

I had a pretty big bag of snap peas that I just couldn't eat fast enough, and I was afraid they were going to go bad.  So I started looking for other ways/recipes that I could use them in.  I found a recipe to pickle them, and since that's so out of my wheelhouse, I was a bit reluctant to try it.  The recipe says to use a non-reactive pot...do you know how long my husband and I debated what that meant and if we had a pot we could use?!  In the end I deided to just use my non-stick pot and go for it.  If it is reactive or not, I guess I'll never know, but it didn't negatively affect this recipe!  

1 1/4 cups white wine vinegar

1 1/4 cups water

1 tablespoon pickling salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 pound sugar snap peas, stemmed and strung

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 or 2 small dried chile peppers, slit lengthwise (I used a few shakes of crushed red pepper)

2 tarragon sprigs (I omitted)

In a nonreactive saucepan, bring to a boil the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Let the liquid cool.

Pack the peas, garlic, chile peppers, and tarragon into a 1-quart jar. Pour the cooled liquid over the peas, and cover the jar with a nonreactive cap.

Store the jar in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks before eating the peas (I started eating them 24 hours later...yum!). Refrigerated, they will keep for several months.

#2,050: Blueberry Breakfast Cake

https://amandascookin.com/blueberry-breakfast-cake/

My kids LOVED this blueberry breakfast cake, although I did think it was a tiny bit dry (they didn't seem to mind).  Since I was giving it to them for breakfast I did not add the powder sugar glaze, although that might have helped with the dryness.  They didn't seem to care or notice though.  This was a great way for us to use up the abundant blueberries we have in our freezer from this past summer.  This batter is SUPER thick, so make sure everything is combined before you start adding in your blueberries or they will get really smashed.  

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, softened (NOT melted)

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

For the topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons cold butter or margarine

For the drizzle: (optional)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of milk (more or less to get to a drizzling consistency)

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray or grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut butter into small pieces. Add egg, milk, butter and lemon peel; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. You may need to finish mixing with your hands to get all the flour incorporated. the batter will be very thick.

Fold in the blueberries. Because the batter is so thick, this may take a few minutes. Spread into a greased 9-in. square baking pan.

For topping, combine sugar, flour, walnuts and cinnamon in a mini food processor or bowl. Add butter and process, or cut in if doing by hand, until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done.

For drizzle, combine the powdered sugar and milk. If too thick, add a few drops of additional milk at a time until it reaches drizzling consistency. Drizzles over the top of the cake and allow to sit until sugar solidifies.

#2,049: Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this recipe, but I ended up loving it!  Although I will admit it was a tad bit salty, so make sure to use low sodium chicken broth AND soy sauce (I used coconut aminos which are lighter on the sodium). I loved this.  I only used half a can of the coconut milk so I froze the rest to make this again!  

1 1/2- 2lbs lean ground turkey or ground beef

2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 large orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces about 1 inch 

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (I used coconut aminos)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup Stevia-in-the-Raw granulated sweetener (I used 2 packets of stevia)

2 T granulated Monk fruit sweetener (I omitted)

2-3 T Chili Garlic Sauce 

2 tsp. minced ginger 

2 tsp. minced garlic 

1 can coconut milk 

1/2 cup green onions sliced in 1 inch pieces

cooked cauliflower rice (I threw mine in frozen and just cooked it until it was heated through)

In a pan cook the ground beef or turkey and the onions, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. When cooked through, add it to the crockpot.  

Add the sweet potatoes to the crockpot.

Mix together the soy sauce, chicken stock, sweeteners of your choice, Chili Garlic Sauce, minced ginger, and minced garlic and pour over ingredients.  Cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until sweet potatoes are done and starting to fall apart just a little.  

When the sweet potatoes are done, add the riced cauliflower, can of coconut milk and the green onion pieces, turn heat to low, and cook 30 minutes more.  

Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, and crispy noodles if desired.

New Years Pizza (2018) Recipe Revisited

On New Years Day of 2016 (1/1/16) I made this recipe/pizza for my kids.  Since then it's become a yearly tradition in our house to have New Years Pizza.  It it such a simple recipe and requires as little as 3 ingredients (of course you can add more toppings besides cheese if you'd like...but my family prefers cheese).  

PS...Happy New Year!  Hoping everyone as a wonderful, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2018!!

13.8 oz can of tube pizza dough
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella/Italian blend/or your favorite pizza cheese
Any desired pizza toppings (we just ate cheese pizza)

Unroll the pizza dough and cut into four strips (the long way).  Shape each piece into the number of the year.  I had extra dough for the "1" so I used it to finish off the "0 and 8."  

Bake according to the directions on the tube dough.  (I cooked ours at 425 degrees for 15 minutes). 

#2,048: Bacon Cheddar Stuffed Baguette

So I found a recipe online for these stuffed baguettes, and really wanted to try them, but I didn't love the filling that the original recipe suggested/used.  So I went in search of another dip/filling that I could use instead.  We LOVED these bacon cheddar stuffed baguettes!  I thought they were going to be challenging to fill, but it really wasn't.  I made 2 baguettes with this filling recipe and my family ate all of them on Christmas eve.  (I should clarify that my extended family devoured these...although I did eat my fair share!) 

2 8oz packages of cream cheese (low fat works fine), softened
1 single packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 cup finely shredded cheese
1/2 cup crumbled bacon (I used bacon bits)
I also added some sliced green onion
French baguette loaf

Mix together the softened cream cheese and ranch dressing mix.  Stir until thoroughly combined. Fold in the shredded cheese, bacon, and green onion.  Chill at least 12-24 hours so the flavors combine. 

A few hours before serving, using a long thin knife and working from both ends, hollow the baguette. Leave about ½-inch thick crust all around. (I thought this was going to be really difficult, but I just cut my loaf in half and then hollowed out each half.  It wasn't hard at all)

Working again from both ends, fill the baguette with the cream cheese mixture. Pack the filling tight.  Wrap the stuffed baguette very well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to two days. Right before serving (I did it about a good hour ahead of time), slice the baguette into ½-inch thick slices and serve.

#2,047: Pizza Sliders

My family likes any form of "pizza" and I have been really enjoying Hawaiian roll sandwiches, so when I found this recipe which combines them both, I was very happy!  This filling was enough for us to have this for two dinners, so that made it even better!  (I got 9 sandwiches the first night, and made 12 the 2nd night).  You could easily adapt this to the flavors that you like the best (adding in some chopped veggies or pepperoni!), but my crew prefers just sausage and cheese.

1 package dinner rolls (we used Hawaiian rolls)Small package pepperoni slices (I omitted)

1 lb bulk pork sausage, cooked (I also added some sauteed onions)
1/4 cup tomato sauce (We used a jar of pizza sauce)

About 1 cup of shredded mozzarella (we used thin sliced mozzarella squares)
1/4 cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons oregano
I also added a few shakes of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325F. Slice the sheet of rolls across the middle, resulting in a top layer and bottom layer of 12 connected rolls.

If using sausage, cook it first then mix with the pizza sauce. 

Apply a layer of pizza sauce to the bottom half of the bread. Top with a generous handful of cheese to encourage the pepperoni (or other toppings) to stay in place. Cover with a layer of pepperoni. Place the remaining mozzarella cheese in an even layer over top of the pepperoni and top with the top of the sandwich rolls.(I did a layer of the meat mixture since the sauce was already mixed into it, then topped it with cheese)

Melt the butter in the microwave, heating for 20 seconds and then stirring to dissolve any milk solids. Add the oregano and garlic powder. Pour or brush it on the top of the bread.

Bake the pizza sliders for about 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and heated through.  If the rolls start to brown too much before the meat is hot and the cheese is melted, cover with foil and continue cooking.  Cut and serve.