I love to try new things and share them with people, so these great slow cooker recipes are no exception! They meet my criteria for healthy, quick, family friendly meals and each one was delicious! My crock pot is my secret weapon in the kitchen so of course I super love them too because they are so easy to make. I found each recipe on Pinterest and included the link and photo from that particular person. Stuffed Peppers. Yes we all love them in our house but I just don't always have the time to put them all together....enter the super yummy, super easy "Stuffed Pepper Soup" recipe from 'ValSoCal.blogspot.com' In her recipe she combines all the great things we love in our traditional stuffed peppers but in a soup version and I must say the results are pretty awesome! Her original recipe was not actually a slow cooker recipe but I easily converted it for myself. I added the ground turkey to the crock pot when it was frozen (whoops forgot to defrost it the night before) and just cooked it on high instead of low and it still came out fine. The nice thing is that you can make this either way you like, if you're not using a slow cooker the recipe says this can be made in about 20 minutes or so :) STUFFED PEPPER SOUP http://valsocal.blogspot.com/2014/01/stuffed-pepper-soup.html 4 Peppers-1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange (diced)...can also just use green if that suits you as well 1small onion diced 3 garlic cloves minced or 2-3 tsp 6 1/2 cups beef broth/stock (52 oz) - can be homemade or store bought 1 15 oz can tomatoe sauce 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey, chicken, or beef 3 tsp worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp basil 1/2 tsp dill (my own little addition) 1 1/2 cups instant white or brown rice Parmesan cheese Combine all ingredients in crock pot EXCEPT the instant rice. Cook on low (if the meat is defrosted) for approx 4 hours or cook on high (if the meat is frozen) for approx 6-8 hours Cook the rice in a separate pot according to directions on box, combine with soup in slow cooker, stir. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve The second recipe that the fam really liked is for chicken tacos. This comes from 'mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com' I've tried making these before and they never came out that good then I found this recipe and thought "DUH! What a good idea!" What I love the most...3 ingredients! Talk about easy AND budget friendly. 3 INGREDIENT CHICKEN TACOS http://www.mychocolatetherapy.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html 6 chicken breasts (I used 8-10 chicken thighs because that's what I had on hand) 1 1oz envelope Taco Seasoning (or your own homemade taco seasoning) 1 16 oz jar Salsa (or your own homemade Salsa) Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and gently stir to coat chicken and mix. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Chicken will easily shred apart when it's done. I made a quick batch of cornbread which you can find the recipe for on the recipe page under 'Fluffy Cake Like Cornbread' and served them with soft taco bowls, (which were much loved by everyone because they were so easy to use), shredded lettuce, cheese and sour cream. The third and final recipe treasure I love is for 'Sweet Garlic Chicken' by 'thehighheeledhostess.com' This recipe reminded me a little of my favorite chinese food, which is always a big hit in our house, but without all the oils and salts. SWEET GARLIC CHICKEN http://www.thehighheeledhostess.com/?m=1 4-6 chicken breasts (I used 2 small pkgs of thighs) 1 cup packed brown sugar 2/3 cup vinegar or Apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup lemon lime soda 2-3 TBSP minced garlic 2 TBSP soy sauce (I used low sodium soy sauce) 1 tsp fresh ground pepper 2 TBSP cornstarch 2 TBSP water Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or use a liner made for slow cookers, place chicken in bottom In a separate bowl mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper. Pour over chicken Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for approx 4-6 hours Remove chicken from slow cooker, set aside. Pour or spoon remaining sauce into a saucepan Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl or mixing cup, pour into saucepan and mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze. Remove from heat, let sit a minute or two, it will thicken as it cools. I served this on top of white rice with the glaze. All of these recipes can be found on my recipe page with the corresponding photo and link to the original recipe and creator. |
2 Comments
If you think lace knitting is too difficult or intimidating you really need to try this pattern!
This pattern was born out of a need to find the perfect pattern for my little sweet pea niece. I searched and searched. I cast on and ripped out. I kept searching but I just couldn't find something...ya know...perfect! It had to mean something special, something that she would love forever and maybe even pass down to her daughter or granddaughter. Something special between just the two of us that we could always share together. There are tons of amazing and beautiful patterns out there but nothing seemed to fit... Then one night there I was puzzling away searching yet again when inspiration smacked me in the back of the head as if saying "Duh! Look right in front of your face woman!" And there it was, one of my favorite baby elephant statues on my end table! I love elephants. And that right there is an extreme understatement! They are my absolute favorite animals, I just love everything about them. So I took out my stitch dictionary and began building the perfect blanket, when I was done the true test was casting on and swatching it out to see how it would look. I was really happy with the result, it's beautiful on both the Right side and the Wrong side so It could be considered reversible if you like. It's made with a stitch called "Baby Elephants". It knits up quick and is easily memorized over an 8 row repeat. You will knit, purl, YO, p2tog, and ssp. The result is a soft squishy warm blanket for your little dear one. I've included the pattern for both the swatch I knit up and the blanket itself. The swatch is actually washcloth size so if you use a cotton yarn to match or accent the color you choose for the blanket you can make and give it as a set. You can even just use the swatch as a washcloth pattern for yourself or someone else too. Please keep in mind I have only test knit the swatch and not the blanket itself so if you come across any problems or questions please let me know and I'll be happy to help! FOR YOU DEAR ONE- THE ELENA WASHCLOTH Abbreviations/Stitch Explanation: co - cast on bo - bind off k - knit p - purl rep - repeat ndl - needle sts - stitches wyif - with yarn in front wyib - with yarn in back yo - yarn over -( in this pattern the yo's are done on the purl side) the yarn is taken over (counter clockwise) the top of the right hand needle and then under the needle to the front, where it is in the position to purl the next stitch p2tog - purl 2 stitches together ssp - slip slip purl - slip two stitches to the right hand needle purl wise.. Purl those two stitches together. A type of decrease usually done on the purl side (WS, wrong side) Materials: one skein Lionbrand "Heartland" yarn in color 'Denali' size 8 or 9 needles one large eye blunt needle for weaving in ends Instructions: co 33 sts knit 4 rows (WS) row 1 - k4 p1 *p5 k1, rep from * to last 10 sts, p6 k4 (RS) row 2 - k4 p1 *k5 p1, rep from * to last 4 sts, k4 (WS) row 3 - k4 *p1 yo p2tog k1, wyif ssp yo, rep from * to last 5 sts, p1 k4 (RS) row 4 - k4 p1 k2 *p1 k5, rep from * to last 8 sts, p1 k2 p1 k4 (WS) row 5 - k4 p3 k1 *p5 k1, rep from * to last 7 sts, p3 k4 (RS) row 6 - k4 p1 k2 *p1 k5, rep from * to last 8 sts, p1 k2 p1 k4 (WS) row 7 - k4 p1 *p2tog yo p1 yo ssp k1, rep from * to last 10 sts, p2tog yo p1 yo ssp p1 k4 (RS) row 8 - k4 p1 *k5 p1, rep from * to last 4 sts, k4 Repeat these 8 rows a total of four times. Knit 4 rows Bind off and weave in ends FOR YOU DEAR ONE - THE ELENA BLANKET Abbreviations/Stitch Explanation: co - cast on bo - bind off k - knit p - purl rep - repeat ndl - needle sts - stitches wyif - with yarn in front wyib - with yarn in back yo - yarn over -( in this pattern the yo's are done on the purl side) the yarn is taken over (counter clockwise) the top of the right hand needle and then under the needle to the front, where it is in the position to purl the next stitch p2tog - purl 2 stitches together ssp - slip slip purl - slip two stitches to the right hand needle purl wise.. Purl those two stitches together. A type of decrease usually done on the purl side (WS, wrong side) Materials: 4-5 skeins of Lionbrand "Heartland" yarn in color 'Denali' size 8 or 9 needles one large eye blunt needle for weaving in ends Instructions: co 173 sts knit 8 rows (WS) Row 1 - k8 p1 *p5 k1, rep from * to last 14 sts, p6 k8 (RS) Row 2 - k8 p1 *k5 p1, rep from * to last 8 sts, k8 (WS) Row 3 - k8 * p1 yo p2tog k1, wyif ssp, yo, rep from * to last 9 sts , p1 k8 (RS) Row 4 - k8 p1 k2 *p1 k5, rep from * to last 12 sts, p1 k2 p1 k8 (WS) Row 5 - k8 p3 k1 *p5 k1, rep from * to last 11 sts, p3 k8 (RS) Row 6 - k8 p1 k2 *p1 k5, rep from * to last 12 sts, p1 k2 p1 k8 (WS) Row 7 - k8 p1 *p2tog yo p1 yo ssp k1, rep from * to last 14 sts, p2tog yo p1 yo ssp p1 k8 (RS) Row 8 - k8 p1 *k5 p1, rep from * to last 8 sts, k8 Work this set of 8 rows until blanket reaches desired length (I went with four feet so my dear one won't grow out of it too soon) Knit 8 rows bo and weave in ends Hello out there everyone! Sorry it's been a bit since my last post but life has been a bit crazy!
Today I want to share a great recipe for homemade pizza dough! I love to use this recipe for lots of things like my homemade stromboli, pizza, and garlic knots. So can you guess what's for dinner tonight? Pasta and garlic knots! I found this great dough recipe a while back from "Grandma Bee's Recipes" on Pinterest and I love it! The dough whips up in no time at all and if you have a stand mixer it's even faster. I've even made this ahead of time and frozen it and it comes out great too. Quick, easy, family friendly. Yup this totally fits the criteria! PIZZERIA PIZZA DOUGH Ingredients: 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (or one pkg) 1 cup warm (not hot) water 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 2 1/2 cups flour Directions: Pour the warm water into a medium sized bowl, if using a stand mixer you can pour it right into the mixing bowl Sprinkle the yeast onto the water and allow to stand until it is dissolved and bubbles start to form, it will look a little foamy, approx 15 minutes Add the sugar and salt. Stir in one cup of the flour & stir until smooth. If using a stand mixer add one cup of flour and mix on low with the dough hook until smooth scraping sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add in the remaining flour and mix until dough is smooth but not too sticky to handle. (Dust your hands with flour to handle the dough and it won't stick to much) If using a stand mixer just add enough flour until the dough cleans the side of the bowl. Then let it mix for six minutes on medium speed. Knead dough by hand for five minutes on a floured surface if NOT using a stand mixer. Place dough in a large bowl that's been brushed with olive oil, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise for about an hour. Divide the dough in half for 2 medium pizzas or stromboli, into 1/4's for mini pizzas (we do that for our 'make your own pizza night'), or roll out into long strips and shape for garlic knots! For garlic knots we roll out long strips of dough, shape it into a knot or just leave as bread sticks, brush with butter or olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, parsley, and some fresh garlic, bake about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and serve with your favorite sauce. I use my homemade Red Wine and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. You can also find the link to this recipe under the Recipe tab at the top of the page. |
AuthorI'm the busy mom of two pretty awesome boys, one of which has Asperger's. I created this blog to help raise awareness for Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders. CategoriesArchives
February 2015
|