Strawberry Shortcake cookies

I found this recipe and wanted to try a dessert to have just sitting around the house for us to munch on. I usually just get chocolate chip cookies, but these sounded too good to pass up!

Ingredients:

~ About 2 cups strawberries, hulled and diced in to 1/4 inch pieces

~ 1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

~ 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

~ 2 cups all purpose flour

~ 2 teaspoons baking powder

~ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

~ 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces

~ 2/3 cup heavy cream

~ coarse sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

~ Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

~ Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablepoons of granulated sugar in a medium bowl . Set aside.

~ Whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs are formed. You can also use your fingers. Stir in the heavy cream until the dough starts to come together, then gently fold in the strawberries.

~ Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto cookie sheets, evenly spaced apart. Sprinkle with coarse suger. Bake for 22-27 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

~ These cookies are best if eatten the same day.

Verdict:

~ These cookies were delicious! The sweet taste was not too sweet, but just enough to help a sweet craving out. I'll def. make these again!

Maple Dijon Chicken

Needed a chicken meal for the week...so I was like this one sounds good. Hahahah! I was really tired in the morning and forgot to get a pic of the ingredients..and as you can tell from the pics served it 2 different ways..but we both ate it..(mine is teh top and tom's is the bottom)

Ingredients:

~ 1 lb. chicken

~ 1 cup chicken broth

~ 2 potatoes peeled and chopped

~ 1 onion, chopped

~ 2 T dijon mustard

~ 3 T maple syrup

~ 3 cloves garlic, chopped

~ 2 bay leaves

~ 1 tsp. thyme

Directions:

~ Place chicken in the crock pot

~ Toss it with the dijon mustard, syrup, and thyme

~ Place the onions, potatoes, and garlic on top of the chicken

~ Pour in the chicken broth

~ Add the bay leaves

~ Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours (I cooked mine on low for 7 hours)

Verdict:

~ Very good and moist. The potatoes were tender and the onions had a crunchy taste. I had to cook brandon some noodles and I decided I wanted some too. The potatoes were good, but chopped mine smaller to add some different texture to my noodles. Very easy to throw together...esp. when you are tired in the morning!

Menu:

~ Maple dijon mustard

~ Noodles

~ Brocoli

~ Corn

~Salad

Jalepeno Pot Roast

This again was one of those receipes that sounded different and not something that I would usually cook. I added to our menu one week and was hoping it was going to be as good as my taste buds wanted it to be.

Ingredients~

~ 3 lbs. chuck roast

~ 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

~ sliced jalepeno peppers (use as many as you want, depending on the heat factor you want them to produce)

~ can of black beans

~ 1 yellow onion sliced into rings

~ 1-2 cups of sour cream (to add to the end)

Directions~

~ Place all ingredients into the crock pot. It doesnt matter which order you do this in.

~ Cook for 8-10 hours (I did mine for 9 hours since my chuck roast was still frozen)

~ After cooking, remove the meat with tongs and stir the sour cream into the crock pot.

~ Serve as you wish

I decided to serve mine as soft tacos. I bought tortillas, cheese, and salsa to go along with the meal.

Verdict~

The meat was delicious. It wasnt too spicy you could def. taste the kick in it. Serving it taco style was also a good way to mix in tacos to my menu that week.

Menu:

~ Jalepeno Pot Roast (taco style)

~ Mexican Rice

~ Salad

Orange Chipotle Ribs

This was another receipe I found while on my rib receipe hunt. Sounded like some good, yet different flavors.

Ingredients:
~ 3 lbs. beef or pork ribs
~ 1/2 cup ketchup
~ 1/4 cup orange marmelade
~ 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
~ 2 T soy sauce
~ 2 T brown sugar
~ 2 t chipotle chilli powder
~ 1/4 t cumin
~ 1/4 t ground ginger
~ 4 cloves smashed and chopped garlic

Directions:
~ In a mixing bowl, mix together everything except for the ribs
~ Put the ribs into the crock pot
~ Pour the sauce over the top
~ Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9 hours (I cooked mine for 8.5)

Verdict:
~ The ribs had a nice flavor and were tender. The orange flavor was not overbearing, especially for the ribs near the top of the crock pot ( had to layer mine to fit in). There was quite a bit of sauce on the bottom of the crock pot that I used to to cover the ribs once plated. I might add more orange marmalade next time to make that flavor more pronounced. But they were still a delight to eat!

Menu:
~ Orange Chipotle Ribs
~ Kraft suddenly simple pasta salad

Barbeque Chicken and Cornbread Casserole

I was reading through blogs and I found this receipe. Sounded interesting so I thought that I'd give it a try.

Ingredients:

~ 1 lb. cooked (or practically cooked) chicken; cubed or shredded

~ 1 potato

~ 1 red onion, diced

~ 1 cup frozen corn

~ 1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce (18 oz.)

~ 1/4 cup hot water

~ 1 cornbread mix (DO NOT ADD the oil or the butter)

Directions:

~ Spray the inside of the crock pot

~ Cut up the chicken, potato, and red onion and add to the crock pot

~ Add the corn

~ Empty out the bbq sauce bottle into the crock pot

~ Place the 1/4 cup of hot water to the inside of hte bbq bottle, shake well and pour the rset of the contents into the crock pot.

~ Mix all ingredients together

~ In a seperate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping (remember do not add the oil or butter)

~ Spread the topping onto the chicken mixture

~Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (I did mine for 7 hours)

Verdict:

~ Now this one is hard to explain. Was it great...kind of. Was it not what I was hoping it would taste like...yes! was it good or bad..I dont know! hahah! I told you it was hard to explain! I think for me the cornbread was dry or it was too much of a bbq taste..beats me. I did eat it all, but not for sure if I would ever cook again!

Menu:

~ bbq chicken and cornbread casserole

~ green beans

~ corn

~ salad

Spinach and Cheese noodles

I was looking for a pasta meal for the slow cooker. Something that all I'd have to do is come home and cook the protein portion of the meal and cut up the salad. This sounded like it was going to be an intresting blend...so gave it a shot.

Ingredients:

~ 2 T butter

~ 1/3 cup flour

~ 2 1/2 cups milk

~ 1/2 t pepper

~ 1 t kosher salt

~ 3 T dijon mustard

~ 15 oz. riccotta cheese

~ 1/4 cup parmesean cheese

~ 10 pkg. frozen, chopped spinach

~ 16 oz. package, uncooked noodles

Directions:

~ In a bowl, I mixed all of the ingredients together except for the parmesean cheese and the noodles.

~ Spray the inside of the crock pot (really well~ dont forget all of the sides) with cooking spray and add in the noodles.

~ Cover the noodles with the mixture that was made.

~ Cover the noodles and the mixture with the 1/4 cup of parm. cheese

~ Cook on high for 5-7 hours (i did mine for six)

Verdict:

~ I will admit that the pictures makes this meal look totally disgusting, but guess what? It wasn't. This has to be one of the best pasta meals that I have ever eatten.

Menu:

~ Spinach and cheese noodles

~ Hormel Italian Beef

~ Salad

Honey Ribs

I was looking around for a rib receipe...something that was different than your basic BBQ sauce..and was hoping that this one would fit the bill.

Ingredients:
~ 1 (10.5 oz) beef broth
~ 3 tablespoons honey mustard
~ 1/4 cup honey
~ 1/2 cup water
~ 1/4 maple syrup
~ 1/4 cup soy sauce
~ 1/4 cup honey BBQ sauce
~ 3 lbs. baby back ribs

Directions:
~ In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except the ribs.
~ Place the ribs into the slow cooker.
~ Cover the ribs with the mixture.
~ Cook on high for five hours.

Verdict:
~ these ribs were delicious!!! We kept on going back for seconds. The sweetness was a nice change from the ribs that are purely BBQ sauce.

Menu:
~ Honey Ribs
~ Kraft Suddenly Salad~ Pasta Salad