Crock Pot Dessert

Here's another crock pot recipe. It's actually a dessert. I didn't know you could do dessert in a crock pot. Did you? Well, I tried it and I liked it! It was so easy and it was delicious. It would be a great dish for a covered dish supper or a family reunion, too. I made it with cherry pie filling. My family enjoyed it. I think next time I make it, I will add some fresh blueberries to the pie filling. That sounds yummy to me. The recipe also says you can use apple pie filling. I think any of your favorite pie fillings would be delicious.

Crockpot Dessert

1 can of cherry or apple pie filling

1 box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1/2 cup butter melted

1/2 cup nuts (optional) (I used pecans)

Pour pie filling into the crock pot. Combine dry cake mix and butter and mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle cake mixture over pie filling. Sprinkle nuts on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for about 3 hours.

**This is great served with ice cream!

Chocolate Button Cookies

Several years ago, my friend brought these cookies to a covered dish dinner. I went crazy over them. Not only did they look delicious (I love Nonpareils), they were delicious! I've made them many times since she gave me the recipe. I hope you like them as much as I do. These make great treats to bring to a friend or neighbor.

Chocolate Button Cookies

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (8oz) bag of Nonpareils Real Chocolate Candy

powdered sugar

In a large bowl mix and blend together the sugar, butter, vanilla, and unsweetened chocolate. Add the 3 beaten eggs and stir well. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

Chill dough at least 1/2 hour. Make 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie pan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until edges are set. Remove from pan and press a "Nonpareil "candy in the middle of each cookie. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

**The Nonpareil candy can be found in packages above the candy bars or in bulk food bins at your grocery store. I found them at Walgreens and Rite-Aid in the candy section.

Chicken Poupon Dijon

I almost forgot about this chicken recipe. It is so easy and so delicious--a great dish to serve when you have company for dinner. Chicken Poupon Dijon!
Sounds fancy, doesn't it? Don't let the name scare you.

Chicken Poupon Dijon

6-8 boneless chicken breasts

Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard

Italian Style Bread Crumbs

1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Cover cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam or other cooking spray. Coat chicken with mustard, roll in bread crumbs, and place on cookie sheet. Bake 45 minutes at 350. Then pour melted butter on top of each piece of chicken and bake for 15 minutes more.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Here is another delicious, quick, easy crock pot recipe. My family loves it. Just serve it on rice or noodles/pasta. I love the bow-tie pasta. This is a recipe you have to try!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

1 - 2 pounds of beef cubes

2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup

(I use 1 can of Cream of Mushroom and 1 can of Cream of Mushroom With Roasted Garlic)

1 package of Lipton Onion Soup mix

1 cup sour cream

Put the beef cubes in the crock pot. In a small bowl mix together the cream of mushroom soups and the Lipton Onion Soup mix. Pour on top of beef cubes and mix together. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Add the cup of sour cream 20 minutes before done.

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken

I just realized that I haven't shared any of my crock pot recipes. I love to cook in the crock pot because you just put everything in the pot in the morning, go do all the things you have do you, come back and supper is ready. I have several recipes that I really like. Try this cheesy chicken--you can serve it over rice or egg noodles.

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken

2 pounds chicken tenders or breasts cut into strips

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

garlic powder

Place chicken in the crock pot. Sprinkle with garlic powder. (I sprinkle a little salt and pepper, too.) Mix soups together in a small bowl (do not add water) and pour over the chicken. Cover with lid of crock pot. Cook on high for 1 hour then low for 5-6 hours. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Brandi's Easy Chicken Casserole

Here is a really easy casserole for those days you don't know what to fix for dinner and you have only an hour before you have to feed everyone. My daughter-in-law, Brandi, gave me this recipe so it is named after her.

Brandi's Easy Chicken Casserole

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 package of dry onion soup

1 soup can of water

1 cup of long grain rice (uncooked)

2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, uncooked, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients above and put in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

(If you don't cover it, the rice won't cook!)

Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

**If you like mushrooms, add can of mushrooms before baking :-)

Mom's Pancakes

For many years now I have held the title of the "World's Best Pancakes"--well, at least according to my kids. I think they're pretty good myself. I love to put maple syrup on my stack of pancakes and stick them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to get the syrup nice and hot. Mmmm, so good!

Mom's Pancakes

3 cups baking mix (Jiffy or Bisquick--I use Heart Smart Bisquick)

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons oil

1 1/2 cups milk (you'll need to add more as mixture thickens)

Mix together above ingredients with a wire wisk. You will need to add more milk so it's not too thick. Also as the mixture sits, it thickens, so you'll need to add a little more milk.

Put a small amount of oil in a non-stick frying pan or griddle. Wipe oil out with a paper towel.

Make sure pan is hot, then turn heat down as you cook the pancakes. Pour in batter. I use a soup ladle. When you see bubbles on top, flip the pancake over to finish cooking.

Aunt Cathy's Meat Loaf

Many years ago, my sister shared with me her delicious meat loaf recipe and I wanted to share it with you. We had it for dinner last night with mashed potatoes (guess I need to share how to make yummy mashed potatoes, too). It was delicious--I love to eat my meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Take a piece of meat loaf and scoop it in the potatoes--my mouth is watering again!

Enjoy!

Aunt Cathy's Meat Loaf

2 pounds ground beef (I use the lean 93-7)

1 medium onion chopped

1 cup bread crumbs (I use Italian Style)

2 eggs

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Topping:

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

**You can double the topping recipe if you like more topping. The original recipe was doubled.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Put in a loaf pan and spoon topping on top. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

Ritz Chicken

Here is a recipe shared with me by my friend, Phyllis, who is a great cook herself. This is really delicious and I know you and your family will enjoy it. Serve it on top of rice. The sauce makes a wonderful gravy. Mmmm!Mmmm!

Ritz Chicken

*4 boneless chicken breasts washed and patted dry
*1 can of cream of chicken soup

*1/2 cup of sour cream

grated cheddar cheese

1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

2 Tablespoons butter melted

*I usually do 6 - 8 chicken breasts, 2 cans of cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of sour cream.

Preheat oven to 350. Lay uncooked chicken breasts in greased baking dish. Put grated cheese on top of chicken breasts. Blend soup and sour cream, spoon over the cheese and smooth out. Mox crackers with butter and sprinkle on top of soup. Cover with tin foil and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Take off foil and bake uncovered for another 70 minutes.

Barbecue Pork Chops

I love doing this blog and sharing my recipes. Not only is it fun, but you never know who is reading your blog. I received a variety gift pack from Johnny Harris Famous Bar-B-Cue Sauce Company for using their sauce in my Barbecue Chicken recipe (see chicken and main dishes). Thank you, Johnny Harris! That was such a surprise and I've had the opportunity to try some of your other flavors of sauces in my recipes. For those of you who can't get this fabulous sauce where you live, you can order it. I've linked the above picture and company name to the Johnny Harris website. Just click, order, wait the sauce to arrive and enjoy!

Here is how I make Barbecue Pork Chops. I usually use the regular famous Johnny Harris sauce, but tried the Hickory Smoked flavor on my chops. It had more of a smoked taste and it was delicious--just proving once again that Johnny Harris Famous Bar-B-Cue Sauce is the BEST! I can't wait to try the mustard (Carolina Style) sauce and share it with you.

Barbecue Pork Chops

6 - 8 Pork chops with the bone in ( You can use thin or thick)

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder to taste

Johnny Harris Famous Bar-B-Cue Sauce (You can use your favorite flavor)

Rinse pork chops with water and pat dry. Place chops on a cookie sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste on chops. Put under the broiler in your oven. Broil about 6-8 minutes on each side. After broiling on each side, baste one side with the barbecue sauce and broil a few minutes (until sauce is bubbly and browned--be careful not to let it burn). Turn over and baste the other side with the barbecue sauce and broil that side for a few minutes until done.

**This is really delicious cooked on your outdoor grill. Usually I'm just too lazy to pull my grill out of the garage, so I just use my broiler. :-)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Lately, I have been craving chocolate and peanut butter. As you know, nothing will stop that craving until you have some. So I made my homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They are better than the real Reese's. If you don't believe me, make them for your family and decide for yourself.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 pound box confectioners sugar

1 cup peanut butter (I use Jiff creamy, but you can use crunchy)

1 large plain Hershey Bar (7-8 0z.)

Melt butter in microwave for about 1 minute. Add peanut butter and mix together. Add confectioners sugar and mix. You will probably need to use your hand and knead like dough to get it mixed good. Press mixture in a 9 x 13 pan. Melt Hershey Bar in microwave for about 1 minute and mix until completely melted. Pour over the peanut butter mixture. Let it cool for about 1 hour. Cut into squares and then put in refrigerator. You will have to cut squares again before serving.

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

The very first post I did on this blog was my Pork Chop and Potato Casserole. My daughter-in-law, Brandi, told me she had a great pork chop recipe that her family and friends love. Brandi shared the recipe with me and I'd like to share it with you. I made it and it is very good, especially if you like cooked apples. I think it would be delicious with any of your favorite apples and not just Granny Smith apples. Now that fall is approaching, apple season will be upon us. I think this will be a good recipe for your family to enjoy.

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

4 - 6 pork chops

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Garlic salt to taste

Pepper to taste (I added a little bit of salt, too)

4 Tablespoons butter (I used a little less)

4 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown chops for 1 minute on each side. (Brandi said she actually skips this step, but I didn't.)

Place pork chops in a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper (and salt if you'd like).

In medium size skillet melt butter and add brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook 1 - 2 minutes over medium heat. Remove from stove and add apple slices. Stir to coat and pour this apple mixture over the pork chops.

Bake, covered, at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until done.

Grits

While at the wedding in Birmingham, I received a frantic call from my son in Charlotte. "Mom, how do you make your grits? It's not on your blog." So here is the way to make creamy, delicious grits.

I use Quaker Quick Grits. Do not use the instant grits. The most important thing to remember is that you use 4 times as much water as grits. So if you want 1 large serving of grits, you use 1 cup water and 1/4 cup grits. If you use 1/2 cup of grits, use 2 cups of water. I don't follow the directions on the package. Here is what I do:

Put the amount of grits you want and 4 times the water in a pot. Add a small pat of butter and add salt to taste. Mix together and let everything come to a boil. I will usually mix it a couple of times before it comes to a boil. When it boils, cover and turn heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Don't peek! After 5 minutes, remove from stove, uncover and stir. After stirring, recover and let sit for 5 more minutes. Stir again and serve. I like to put butter on the top. My kids and grandkids love to put cheese on the top.

As you can see in these pictures, my granddaughter, McKinley, loves Nana's grits.

Rachel's Poppy Seed Bread

I went to Birmingham, Alabama over Labor Day weekend for my cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful affair. When we arrived at our hotel and checked in, we were given a wonderful hospitality bag full of all kinds of goodies. One thing in the bag was my cousin's homemade poppy seed bread along with the recipe. Of course, the first thing I did was take a picture and then I had to cut me a piece. It was delicious and can't wait to make one for my family. I wanted to share the recipe with you. So here is Rachel's Poppy Seed Bread.

Rachel's Poppy Seed Bread

3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/3 cups white granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons poppy seed

1 1/2 teaspoon each: vanilla, butter, and almond extracts

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Mix all ingredients with a mixer. Pour mixture evenly into pans and bake 1 hour or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes and pour glaze (see recipe below) over bread in pan. Leave in pans about 1 hour.

Glaze Recipe

1/2 teaspoon each: vanilla, butter and almond extracts

1/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup white granulated sugar

Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan on low heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour over bread and let set for 1 hour before removing bread from pan.

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Well, this recipe is not very quick, but it certainly is worth it. I think boiling the chicken and cutting it up is the hardest part. Of course, you could boil the chicken the night before and it would be quick to put together the next day. My family likes this recipe because it is different from regular spaghetti--it's creamy, not made with tomatoes, and has chicken not beef--plus it has mushrooms and we love mushrooms. It really is delicious!

(You can leave the mushrooms out if you're not a mushroom person.)

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

8 ounces of spaghetti

4 Tablespoons of butter (I use only 2 Tablespoons)

1 small onion chopped

1/2 cup celery chopped

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 large (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

2 cups cooked chicken

(I usually boil some chicken pieces in salted water with an onion and a piece of celery in it)

Preheat oven to 350. Cook spaghetti per directions on the box. Rinse and set aside.

Saute' onions, celery and mushrooms in butter. Blend in soup and mix together. Add milk slowly, mixing as you go. Add cooked spaghetti and chicken to this mixture and put into a casserole dish.

Put shredded cheddar cheese on top. Then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 until bubbly and cheese is melted--about 30 minutes.

Yeast Rolls

Okay, here it is Labor Day. Do you have everything?

Oh no, rolls--we need rolls!

Don't sweat. Quickly go to the grocery store and buy a bag of

Sister Schubert's Yeast Rolls.

They are as good homemade rolls--well, almost.

If you haven't tried them, now is the time. Mmmm, so good!

You'd think they were homemade!

Happy Labor Day!

Mom's Potato Salad

My potato salad is must at your labor day celebration. Everyone raves about it and I hope you will enjoy it, too. My daughter-in-law does not like potato salad, but she loves mine--that's why it's called Mom's (rather than Nana's) Potato Salad.

Mom's Potato Salad

6 - 8 medium to large potatoes

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped onion ( or more if you like onion)

3 - 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 - 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle cubes

2 Tablespoons pickle juice

1/4 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 - 1 teaspoon mustard

Peel potatoes and cut into pieces. Put in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on medium low heat for about 30 - 40 minutes. Now the first secret here is the salt. Salt the water enough so that the potatoes will have a good taste when they finish cooking. Drain and set aside to cool a little.

In a large bowl put the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion, pickles, pickle juice, mayo and mustard and mix together. The second secret is to put everything together while the potatoes are still a little warm. When the potatoes are warm they mash together a little bit and you don't have to use as much mayonnaise. Taste it and see if it needs salt. Add the salt if needed.

**My husband loves my potato salad, but he doesn't like the mayonnaise because he says it 's not healthy for him. So, we use Vegenaise with Grape Seed Oil (get it at a health food store) and it is delcious--plus it is healthier.

Pistachio Cake

Here's a delicious, moist pistachio cake that will be the hit of any picnic or barbecue. Actually, it's a hit any time.

Pistachio Cake

1 box of yellow cake mix (I use the butter kind)

4 eggs

1/2 cup of orange juice

1 box of pistachio pudding mix

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

2/3 cup of chocolate syrup

Mix cake mix, pudding , eggs, water, orange juice, and oil. Using an electric mixer, beat for 5 minutes. Pour 2/3 of batter into a greased and floured tube pan. Mix together the remaining batter and the chocolate syrup and pour on top of the batter in the pan. DO NOT STIR! Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes.

If you're like me, I usually buy the plain yellow cake mixinstead of the butter kind by mistake. So here is another pistachio cake recipe that uses the regular yellow cake mix and is delicious, too. Your family will love either one of these cakes.

Pistachio Cake # 2

Regular yellow cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)

1 package of instant pistachio pudding

4 large eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together in bowl the yellow cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, water, and vanilla. beat for 4 minutes. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans. Put in a bundt pan and bake for 1 hour.

**Optional: Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of cake after baking. I usually do, but forgot to do it on the cake pictured above.

Nana's Banana Pudding

Here is a fantastic Banana Pudding recipe for your family to enjoy this Labor Day holiday. My family enjoys it any day of the year!

Nana's Banana Pudding

3 packages of French Vanilla Instant Pudding

5 cups milk

8 ounces of sour cream

1 small container of Cool Whip

1 box of Vanilla wafers

6 Bananas

Using a mixer, mix together the 3 packages of pudding and the 5 cups of milk. Mix until thick (about 2 minutes).

Add the sour cream and mix together. Stir in the Cool Whip. (I use the mixer for this part, too.)

Line a large dish (I use a 9 x 13 glass pan) with vanilla wafers, then bananas and 1/2 of the pudding mixture. Repeat the layer of wafers, bananas and the rest of the pudding mixture. I like to crumble some vanilla wafers on the tope to finish it off. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

**The longer it sits in the refrigerator, the better it is.

Broccoli Salad

Here is a tasty side to go with your Labor Day picnic or barbecue. You'll have to plan ahead with this one because you need to refrigerate it at least 2 hours before serving.

Broccoli Salad

2 pounds of broccoli (about 2 bunches)

10 slices of bacon

1 red onion (chopped or sliced thin)

1/2 cup of dark raisins (or more if you like raisins)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cut, wash, and drain broccoli florets. The florets should be bite-size. Fry bacon crispy and crumble for salad. Chop or slice (thin) red onion and mix with broccoli, raisins and bacon. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and pepper. Pour over broccoli mixture and stir. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

**The original recipe had double the mayo, sugar, vinegar and pepper. I think it makes it too soupy, so I just halved that part of the recipe. My family likes it better with less, too.