Love to Cook

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Crock Pot Chicken (5 Ingredients)

Ingredients:

2-4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese (let sit out to soften)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pkg. italian dressing seasoning (the dried kind in the packet)

Stir the cream cheese, cream of chicken, and seasoning together in the crockpot. Start it on low and let it sit in there for about 30 min so the cream cheese is softer to stir. Put the frozen chicken in and cover with the mix. cook on high 4-6 hours or until the chicken is cooked and fall-apart-tender. After the first two hours when the chicken is softer cut it up into strips for easier eating.

Serve with rice.

Crockpot Mac and Cheese (A Whisk and A Prayer)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk

One 12 oz can evaporated milk (I used skim, evaporated milk keeps the egg and milk from curdling)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temp

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheese (I used an Italian blend, recipe calls for Italian fontina cheese)

1/2 pound elbow macaroni or mini penne tubes, par cooked and drained (this means cook them for about five minutes until tender but not completely cooked)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Spray the inside of your slow-cooker with cooking spray or grease it with olive oil. Combine milk, evaporated milk, eggs, butter, and salt in slow-cooker and whisk until until smooth (or you can use an immersion blender to do the whisking for you).

Add the shredded cheese (not the Parmesan) and macaroni, sprinkle with black pepper (and whatever other spices you want to use). Stir gently with a spatula to coat evenly.

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to LOW and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until custard is set in the center and the pasta is tender. The macaroni and cheese may sit in the cooker on the KEEP WARM setting for 30 minutes before serving. Before dishing it up, I sautéed some bread crumbs with olive oil and sprinkled them over the top to make it a little fancier.

Penne with Two-Tomato Sauce (Rachel Ray)

10 20 30

Thanks for sharing Brenna! I can't wait to try this. :)

Ingredients

Salt
1 pound penne
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), 2 turns of the pan
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ cup soft sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
½ to ¾ cup dry red wine
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
½ cup heavy cream (eyeball it)
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup arugula, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh basil, torn or shredded (about 20 leaves)
Grated Asiago cheese, to pass around the table

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
While the pasta is working, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, in a large, deep skillet over medium heat; add the garlic, onion and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and reduce for 1 minute, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. When the tomatoes are heated through, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cream. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta and toss with the tomato sauce until coated. Transfer the pasta to a platter or to individual shallow bowls and top with mounds of the arugula and basil. Pass around the cheese at the table.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Homemade Samoas Cookies (Girl Scout Cookie Clone) - Once Upon a Plate

These cookies are AMAZING but are very tedious to make. It is my husbands new favorite cookie. :)

Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen

The cookies involve four steps:

1. Make the cookie Base

2. Top with Caramel-Coconut mixture

3. Dip bottom of cookies in melted chocolate

4. Drizzle tops with melted chocolate

The Cookie (base):

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping:

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips will do)

(If you prefer milk chocolate, by all means use that.)

My notes: The caramel-coconut mixture is quite sweet, so I used Bittersweet chocolate to balance the sweetness bit.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Caramel Apple Cheesecakes (The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Nacho Ordinary Taco Salad with Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing (Meal Planning 101)

Beef:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup salsa
Salt & pepper

Salad:
1 head of romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 diced red or green pepper
1 cup light old cheddar, shredded (surprisingly, you can't even tell it's lower in fat/calories. The cheese flavor is really bold)
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
2 whole wheat tortillas, cut into strips

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing:
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lime, zested
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add your ground beef, onions, jalapeno and garlic and saute until cooked through. Stir in chili powder and cumin and allow to cook for about a minute. Add the grape tomatoes, salsa and salt and pepper and cook for two minutes until the flavors have combined and the tomatoes soften. Remove from the heat and set aside.

While the beef is cooking, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut two tortillas into strips (I like to use kitchen scissors) and throw onto a baking sheet. Toss them with a little bit of oil or spray with cooking spray and place in oven until crispy and brown. This will only take a couple minutes. Set aside to cool.

To make the dressing, blend all ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a resealable glass jar.

To assemble the salad, arrange the lettuce on the bottom of a serving platter (or individual plates). Top with beef, corn, beans, red pepper, cheese, green onions and avocado slices. Pour on the dressing and top with a few crispy tortilla chips.