Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Notes: Easy, delicious, and simple.

1 lb. bonless skinless chicken breasts (I don't usually add this much.)
2 cans of beans, do not drain (I usually do one can of black and one can of pinto)
1 can green chilis
Taco seasoning for 1 lb. (I use the Taco Seasoning recipe on here and add around 2 to 3 tbsp)

Dump everything into the crockpot and cook until chicken is done (usually 4 to 6 hours on high or 8ish hours on low). Shred chicken after it is finished cooking. Serve on taco shells, tortilla, etc. with taco toppings.

Lemon-Basil Pasta

Lemon-Basil Pasts (BHG mag)

10oz linguine or desired pasta
1 19oz can white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 of a lemon
1 c. packed fresh basil leaves

Cook pasta according to package directions, adding beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid; set aside. Drain pasta and beans; cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, finely shred peel from the lemon half (about 2 tsp). In a small skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add lemon peel; cook and stir 1 minute, or until lightly golden.

In food processor combine cooked lemon peel, basil, and remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, the juice from the lemon half, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover and process until smooth. Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 tbsp. at a time, until desired consistency, processing mixture after every addition.

To serve, toss hot cooked pasta mixture with lemon-basil mixture. Makes 4 servings.

Pasta, Red Bean, and Parsley Toss

Pasta, Red Bean, and Parsley Toss (From BHG magazine)

Notes: haven't tried it yet

8 oz. dried medium shell pasta or desired pasta
3 c. broccoli florets
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
1 15oz can red beans, drained, reserving 1/4 c. of liquid
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 c. finely shredded pecorino or Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. snipped Italian (flat leave) parsley

Cook pasta according to package instructions, adding broccoli the last 3 minutes; drain.

Mean while, in a 12-inch skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/2 tsp. salt. Reduce heat to medium; cook about 5 minutes more or until onion is tender.

Increase heat to high; add pasta, broccoli, beans, chicken broth, reserved bean liquid, and chili powder to pan. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and parsley. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Serves 4.

Veggie Burgers

Veggie Burgers (from BHG Magazine)

Note: haven't made these yet, but I'd like to!

1 19oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1/4 c. shredded carrot
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 egg
2 tbsp. fresh parsley
3 tbsp. olive oil
4 slices bread
1 c. baby spinach
1/4 c. tomato sauce

In a medium bowl mash beans with a fork or potato masher. Stir in half of the bread crumbs, the carrot, onion, egg, half of the parsley, 1 tbsp. olive oil, and 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Combine remaining bread crumbs and the parsley in a shallow dish.

Shape bean mixture into 4 patties (mixture will be soft). Dip both sides of patties into crumb mixture to coat.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add patties. Cook for 4 minutes per side or until well browned. Arrange spinach and patties on bread slices. Top with easy tomato sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Chocolate Cream Frosting

Chocolate Cream Frosting (from here)

Notes: I tried this but accidentally put a box of cook and serve pudding instead of instant, so it majorly flopped. But, I thought it sounded good, so I still want to try it sometime. I didn't have enough ingredients to try again.)

2 (1 oz) squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips.)
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (3.9oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c. heavy cream, whipped

Blend the melted chocolate and milk. Gradually mix in the water, vanilla, and pudding mix, and whisk until smooth. Fold in the heavy cream. Frost the cake immediately and chill for at least 30 mins before serving.

Easy Tuna Casserole

Easy Tuna Casserole (from here)

Notes: This was our favorite tuna casserole yet, and I even snuck whole wheat elbow macaroni in it without Brandon knowing! I really liked the macaroni over the egg noodles that tuna casseroles typically call for. You really couldn't tell a difference on the macaroni in this recipe. Also, instead of doing a 9x13, I did do 8x8 pans since we like different things. Brandon's had peas and tons of pepper. Mine just had the cheese that it's called for.

3 cups cooked macoroni
1 (6oz) can tuna, drained (I used 2 cans)
1 (10.75oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (added this to one 8x8 pan and peas and pepper to the other)
1 1/2 c. French fried onions (the best part! I probably added more than what it called for. I didn't measure.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a 9x13 (or 2 8x8 for picky people), combine the macaroni, tuna, and soup. Mix well, and then top with cheese. (I just mixed the cheese in with everything else. I really liked it that way!).

Bake at 350 for about 25 mins. (I did mine on convection for 15.) or until bubbly. Sprinkle with fried onions and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Delicious!!

Eclair Cake

Eclair Cake (from here)

Notes: This was easy and delicious. We didn't let it chill for the full 4 hours, and it was fine. I probably could have eaten it right after it was made. The filling was so good! I halved the recipe since there is only 2 of us, and I used whipping cream instead of frozen whipped topping (less sugar!)

2 packages (3.5 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I used 3/4 c. whipped topping when I halved the recipe, so 1 1/2 cups if you do the full recipe)
3 cups milk
1 (16oz) package graham cracker squares
1 (16oz) package prepared chocolate frosting (I tried making a recipe, but it flopped, so I just added some chocolate frosting to a tub of vanilla frosting that I had on hand.)

If you use whipping cream instead of whipped topping, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form.

Then, in a medium bowl blend the putting mix, whipped topping, and milk.

Arrange a single layer of graham crackers squares in the bottom of an 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.

Spread frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of the pan. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Blueberry Crumb Topping Muffins

Blueberry Crumb Topping Muffins (from here)

Notes: These are seriously the BEST muffins. They are so so so so sooooo good! Some of the reviews on the recipe said that you can't use frozen blueberries, but I don't think they know what they're talking about! I used ones that I had frozen from the patch last fall. I didn't even thaw them, and they turned out just fine with the same cooking time. I also replaced the flour in the dough with 1/2 cup of wheat flour this time around, and I think I will add more next time and see what it does because I didn't even notice the wheat in this one. The crumb topping is delicious. This recipe made 12 normal cupcake/muffins for me.

Muffin:
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 c. white, 1/2 c. wheat but will try more next time)
3/4 c. white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 c. milk
1 c. blueberries (I added more than a cup.)

Topping:
1/2 c. white sugar
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400. Grease muffin pan or muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 c. flour, 3/4 c. sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 c. measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixure.

To make Crumb Topping: mix together 1/2 c. sugar, 1/3 c. flour, 1/4 c. butter (at room temp or microwaved ~10 seconds), and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven or until done.

Slow Cooked Apple Butter

Slow Cooked Apple Butter (from here)

Notes: She might be a little biased, but grandma said it was that best she'd ever had...

I didn't measure my apples, and I used my onion chopper with the smallest insert to chop them. That made it a ton easier. I also didn't use as much sugar as the recipe called for. I think I used 1 cup (maybe two)...I forget.


5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt ( I didn't do this. I just dumped the spices in on top of the apples and stirred.) Pour mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.

2. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour (I cooked on high for longer than 1 hour..I did a lot of "estimating" with this recipe.)

3. Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.

4. Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour (I let it cook uncovered for a couple of hours at this point.) Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness (I put it in the blender after I was finished cooking it.)

5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze. (I froze mine.)