Crockpot Hash Brown Casserole

Yes, we've all had hash brown casserole but I guarantee this is the best. My favorite thing was being able to make it in the crockpot. This will be great for the holidays as it frees up the oven for a ham or turkey. Try this today & thank me tomorrow.

Ingredients
26-32 oz bag frozen hash browns
8 oz sour cream
10.5 oz cream of chicken soup
1/4 c onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c butter, melted
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix all ingredients together. Dump hash brown mixture into crockpot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. The casserole should be crispy on the sides & bubbly throughout. Enjoy!


Recipe courtesy Stockpiling Mom via Pinterest

Pasta with Grilled Sausage & Veggies

I love summer for all of the yummy garden vegetable. There are so many ways to cook them & I love discovering new ways to serve them. Grilling the vegetables & Italian sausage & adding them to pasta is an amazing way to serve them. This dish was a hit.


Ingredients
Italian Sausage (hot or mild)
1 green bell pepper, seeded & halved
1 red bell pepper, seeded & halved
1 yellow squash, halved
1 zucchini, halved
1/4 c balsamic or Italian dressing
Spaghetti
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan cheese


Directions
Light grill. Place vegetables in a large bowl & pour dressing over. Baste until all the pieces are covered. Let the vegetables sit. Cook Italian sausage on the grill for 8 minutes, turn frequently. Add the vegetables, turn frequently. Baste the vegetables with the dressing while they cook. Continue to cook sausage & vegetables until cooked through (15-20 minutes). Remove from grill. Allow to rest. In a large pot cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Chop sausage & vegetables. Add into the spaghetti. Toss with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil & enough of the reserved pasta water to moisten. Sprinkle with salt, pepper & parmesan cheese.




Recipe adapted from All You

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

 

 

 

I made these for dinner. The smell was amazing. My husband said it smelled like we were at the fair. The chicken was so juicy and full of flavor. This was an easy way to make delicious chicken fajitas.

 





Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 peppers (green, red & yellow), sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

Taco seasoning (see below for my recipe)

1 c chicken broth

Flour tortillas

Favorite toppings (cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc.)

 

Taco seasoning

4 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp ground red pepper

 

 

Directions

Place sliced peppers and onion on the bottom of crockpot. Place chicken on top of veggies. Mix chicken broth and taco seasoning. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken and build your fajitas.

 

Freezer Directions 

Cook as recipe states, cool and freeze in meal sized portions.  I make a crockpot full of chicken when I do this recipe.  My family loves these.

To serve, thaw and reheat.  They can be reheated in the crockpot, too.

 

Recipe adapted from Pinterest

 

 



Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions

My cousin Angie made this for our family reunion. They were probably the best sausage, peppers & onions I have ever tasted. You can eat them plain or put them on a hoagie bun for a sandwich.

Ingredients
Italian sausage, medium hot
Italian sauce
Onions, sliced
Peppers, sliced

Directions
Place all ingredients in roasting pan. Cook on 350 degrees for a couple of hours.


Courtesy: Angie P of Ohio

Slow Cooked Cabbage Rolls

These were the easiest & best tasting cabbage rolls I have ever eaten. I rolled the cabbage rolls, put them in the slow cooker, topped with the V8 juice and placed the crock in the refrigerator. The next morning, before church, I placed the crock in the cooker & turned it on. Easy, simple & delicious.

Ingredients
1 large head cabbage
1 can (8 ounces) Tomato Sauce
3/4 c quick-cooking rice
1/2 c chopped green pepper
1/2 c crushed saltines (about 15 crackers)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 ounce dried onion soup mix
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 can (46 ounces) V8 juice
Salt to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions
Cook cabbage in boiling water just until leaves fall off head. Set aside 12 large leaves for rolls (I needed a lot more than 12 leaves for the amount of meat mixture); drain well. (Refrigerate remaining cabbage for another use.) Cut out the thick vein from the bottom of each reserved leaf, making a V-shaped cut; set aside (see picture below). In a large bowl, combine the tomato sauce, rice, green pepper, cracker crumbs, egg and soup mix. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Place about 1/3 cup meat mixture on each cabbage leaf; overlap cut ends of leaf. Fold in sides, beginning from the cut end (see pictures below). Roll up completely to enclose filling. Secure with toothpicks if desired. Place cabbage rolls in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Pour V8 juice over rolls. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until filling reaches 160°. Just before serving, sprinkle with salt and cheese if desired.

My notes: The meat mixture makes a lot & more than 12 cabbage rolls likes the instructions stated. I used all the leaves from my cabbage head (except for the really tiny ones in the middle of the head) & I still had meat left. I took the remaining meat & made tangerine sized meatballs. I put them in the crock pot on top of the cabbage rolls. They turned out great for the kids to eat. We had enough cabbage rolls for two dinners & even froze enough for one more meal. This recipe could easily be halved for smaller families or if you don't like to freeze meals.

Recipe adapted from: Simple & Delicious

Squash & Veggie Couscous

Another winner! We loved this side dish! You could add all kinds of different veggies.

Ingredients
1 c chicken broth
3/4 c uncooked couscous
2 yellow squash, chopped
3/4 c carrot, chopped
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
1/4 c sweet onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

Directions
In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover & let stand for 5-10 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the squash, carrot, green pepper & onion in butter until tender. Stir in seasonings. Fluff couscous with a fork; toss with vegetable mixture.

Little Slugger Chili Mac

This time of year (with the start of Little League baseball) it can be so busy. Between homework, practices & games there is little time to prepare dinner. I named this version of chili mac after my little slugger. He ate 2 plates of this after batting practice one night. I think it was a home run!

Ingredients

1 1/4 c uncooked elbow macaroni

1 # ground chuck

1/2 c green pepper, chopped

1/2 c onion, chopped

2 cans chili with beans

1 can corn, drained

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a large skillet cook ground chuck, green pepper & onion until no longer pink. Drain. Stir in chili & corn. Drain macaroni. Add macaroni to skillet & heat through. Turn off heat. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover until cheese is melted.

Ohio Chili

Sometimes I forget what recipes I already posted. My friend, Tammy, asked why my chili wasn't on the the Bistro. I was adamant that I already posted it, but when I searched for it I realized that I had not. So here is chili...the way I like it. I was born & raised in Ohio & this is the way my mom made chili.

Ingredients
1 1/2# ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large can tomato juice
2 cans tomato paste
12 oz water
2 cans kidney beans (light or dark, undrained)
chili powder to taste
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Brown meat, onion & green pepper. Add tomato juice, tomato paste & water. Stir well. Add chili powder (more or less depending how hot you want it), salt & pepper. Cover & cook over medium heat for 35-45 minutes. Add kidney beans. Simmer for an additional 35-45 minutes. Note: you will want to taste the chili as it cooks so you can know whether it needs more chili powder, salt or pepper. Do not wait until the end to season the chili.

Kid Friendly Rice & Beans

My kids just love rice & they love all kinds of beans. Tonight I created this kid friendly & healthy recipe. It's loaded with fiber! The reason I call it kid friendly is because it is not loaded with all kinds of spices that most of the rice & bean recipes have.

Ingredients
3 - 4 c cooked brown rice
2 tbsp butter
1/4 c onion, finely chopped
1/4 c green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 - 2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained
3/4 c tomato juice

Directions
Once you have your rice cooking (I use a rice cooker & highly recommend it), melt butter over medium in a large saucepan. Add onion & green pepper. Cook a couple minutes. Add garlic & Worcestershire sauce. Stir & cook for about 1 minute. Add beans & tomato juice. Simmer beans until rice is done. Then dump beans into rice. Add salt to taste & mix well. Serve!

Pizza

One of my favorite things to make is homemade pizza! I love making it & my family loves eating it. I always make 1 round pizza with mozzarella cheese (or the Italian cheese blend) & pepperoni for my kids. I make 1 large rectangle pizza with mozzarella cheese (or the Italian cheese blend), Parmesan cheese, pepperoni, green bell peppers & vidalia onions for my husband. The last pizza is always my experimental pizza. I love to try things like olive oil, Italian seasonings, banana peppers, tomatoes, feta cheese, capers, olives, etc.

Ingredients
Pizza Dough Recipe (click to see on my blog)
Favorite pizza sauce (see below for ours)
Favorite toppings (shredded cheese, pepperoni, onions, green bell peppers, etc.)

Directions
Lower oven rack to the next to the lowest position. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Heavily grease pans with shortening (to obtain a crisp crust you must grease heavily). Pull out enough dough for the pan you are using. Press dough into pan evenly. Allow dough to sit in pans for about 5 minutes before you start making the pizzas. Next you will add your sauce & toppings. Bake for 8-11 minutes. I always set my timer for 8 minutes & then add time after I check on it. Cook until it reaches your desired doneness.

I use a sharp knife to "cut" my dough out of the bowl.

This picture shows the dough after it has been pressed into the pan.

We have tried many different sauces.

We like this sauce best (notice it is not a pizza sauce).

Pizza placed on the next to the last rack.

Yummy pizza after being removed from the oven.

Rectangle pizza with cheeses, pepperoni, green bell peppers & onions

One of my experimental pizzas - tasty!

Notice I never use red sauce on my test pizza.

This one had olive oil, Italian seasonings, garlic salt, mozzarella cheese,

Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, Gorgonzola cheese and capers.

Sweet 'n Sour Chicken Crock Pot

I made this for dinner last night. It was very simple to make & quite delicious.

Ingredients
6 carrots, chunked
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
1/2 c onion, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or you can use split breast with the bone-in)
10 oz jar sweet & sour sauce
15 1/2 oz can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp cold water

Directions
In crock pot place carrots, green pepper & onion. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with salt. Pour sweet & sour sauce & pineapple chunks over all. Cover. Cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 3 1/2 hours. Remove chicken & keep warm. Blend cornstarch & water. Stir into juices. Cover & cook on high for 10-15 minutes or until thick. Season with salt & pepper. Serve over hot, cooked rice.

Kabobs

Last night I made one of our favorite things. It is a great dish for summer cookouts, but since we live in the south we grill all year long. This is another staple dinner when we go to mom & dad's. We have also made this with steak & lamb.

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (keep them a nice size so they won't fall off the skewer)
Green bell peppers, chopped into chunks
Red bell Peppers, chopped into chunks
Yellow or orange belle peppers, chopped into chunks
Sweet onion, cut into chunks
Dale's Sauce

Optional - fresh mushrooms, squash, pineapple, tomatoes, etc.

Directions
Place vegetables in one large ziploc bag & pour Dale's sauce in the bag. Seal & refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Periodically flip bag over. Then place chicken in another large ziploc bag & pour Dale's sauce in the bag. Seal & refrigerate for a minmum of 1 hour. Periodically flip bag over. Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Once everything has marinated place meat & vegetable on skewers. Alternate meat & vegetables on each skewer. Place on grill & cook until meat is done.

Kielbasa Pepper Bow Tie Skillet

Ingredients
1 16 oz box uncooked bow tie pasta
1 julienned green pepper
1 julienned sweet red pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the peppers and onion in butter until tender. Add the sausage, salt and pepper; cook and stir until sausage is heated through. Drain pasta and add to skillet; toss to coat.

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

Stuffing:
3-4 bell peppers
1.75-2 pounds ground chuck
1 c. catsup
salt & pepper
1/2 c. bread crumbs (I use Italian)
1 Tbsp. dehydrated minced onion
2/3 c. Minute Rice
Garlic salt

Sauce:
1 1/2 cans tomato soup
3/4 can water
1 Tbsp. dehydrated minced onion

Directions
Wash peppers & cut in half. Clean out seeds. Set aside.
Combine soup, water & onion in a medium bowl. Stir until soup is no longer lumpy. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine meat, catsup, salt, pepper, rice, bread crumbs, onion & garlic salt. Stuff pepper halves & place in a glass or metal dish. Use leftover meat to form large meatballs & place in dish. Pour sauce over all. Cover pan with foil & bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour.

I served these with mashed potatoes, corn & whole wheat dinner rolls. We always have enough to eat for two days.