Crockpot Lasagna

Crockpot Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 10-12 oz. lasagna noodles, broken and cooked
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 oz. shredded Mozzarella
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 1-1/2 c. cottage cheese
• 1 28 oz. jar pasta sauce (Ragu Tomato, Garlic & Onion is good)
• 1 1/2 T parsley
• 1 t. basil
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Break lasagna noodles into pieces, cook according to package directions, and drain.
2. Brown hamburger, onion and garlic; drain excess fat.
3. Put hamburger, noodles, and remaining ingredients into crockpot and mix well.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

I thought I had copied this recipe from the old blog I set up way back when we first got Earthlink, but realized tonight - when I went looking for it - that I never had. I haven't made it in ages, so no pictures, but basically, it just looks like messy lasagna. It definitely tastes just like lasagna - without nearly as much work. Can't complain about that!

Now to figure out how to use this - and combine it with my friend Kristi's recipe - to feed about 100 people at Camp...

Chicken Quinoa Casserole with Broccoli

This was one of the other recipes I wanted to try for my Secret Recipe Club post this month, but I chose the Tuna Enchiladas, which I happen to have made for dinner again tonight.  Only this time I used a can of salmon instead of the tuna.  So good! My SRC recipes often become favorites around here.

I made this casserole a week or so ago, and I see why Cathleen called it her new favorite casserole.  It is excellent!  I'd tried quinoa a time or two in the past, but I hadn't really been impressed.  But this?  This casserole makes me love it.  There's just something about the texture of the quinoa and all the flavors.  Everything goes together so well.  You should definitely try this.  Soon.

A little melted cheese on top doesn't hurt, either.

Chicken Quinoa Casserole with Broccoli
adapted from A Taste of Madness

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. chicken seasoning (I used Canadian Chicken seasoning)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (I used 1/2 red quinoa and 1/2 white)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in thin strips
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 3 cups broccoli, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup hot water, from steaming broccoli

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. In a large nonstick pan (preferably oven-safe), bring the chicken broth to a low boil. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, chicken seasoning and flour until fully combined. Slowly add the flour mixture to the boiling liquid and mix until smooth and bubbly.
3. Stir in 1 cup water and the quinoa. Place the chicken strips over the quinoa mixture and sprinkle with salt and chili powder. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. (If your pan isn't oven safe at 400˚, pour the mixture into a greased 13x9" baking dish before adding the chicken.)
4. While the casserole is in the oven, steam the broccoli until tender. Set broccoli aside and reserve 1 cup of the hot water.
5. Remove the casserole from the oven, and add the broccoli and up to 1 cup of the hot water until the consistency is creamy and can be easily stirred in the pan. Sprinkle with the cheese, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

I recently got a gorgeous ceramic nonstick pan that worked perfectly for this.  I figured why use a separate baking dish if I don't have to?  Fewer dishes, right?  Even though I really don't mind washing dishes...

 

I'm not exactly sure what chicken seasoning the recipe referred to, so I used some Weber Canadian Chicken seasoning.  I visited their webpage but couldn't find it listed, so I'm not sure if it's available anymore or not, but it's similar to this Montreal Chicken seasoning. The flavor was really good, and now I'm thinking of ways to use this seasoning for things besides just grilling chicken.  I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of it before.

 

I will definitely be making this again.  I'm now wondering how it would turn out to mix everything up and put it all in the crockpot instead of baking it.  I'm thinking of using some chopped cooked chicken and just mixing in a 16-oz. bag of frozen chopped broccoli, and then letting it all cook together.  I think it would be great for a potluck.

(They Can Be Spicy) Tuna Enchiladas

It's time again for Secret Recipe Club reveal!  My secret blog assignment this month was A Taste of Madness.  Canadian math nerd Cathleen is a huge fan of dessert, recipes that take 30 minutes or less to make, and, judging from her breakfast recipe list, oatmeal.  I will definitely be checking out some of her oatmeal variations, because I love a warm comforting bowl of oatmeal on a cold winter morning.  She and her boyfriend are also lovers of all things spicy, so I know I would love a lot of Cathleen's recipes - if only my husband could handle a bit more heat in his food.  I may have to try some of these recipes just for me...

I am most definitely trying this Tabasco Popcorn!  Oh, yum.  Some of the other not quite so spicy recipes that caught my eye were:

• Ginger Molasses Cookies
• Chicken, Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole
• Chickpea Salad Wrap 

They all look incredible, but these tuna enchiladas just had to be made.

This is one of those super simple and quick meals Cathleen loves - and really, who doesn't love fast and easy?  And really tasty.  (Even though I didn't use as much jalapeno)

(They Can Be Spicy) Tuna Enchiladas
from A Taste of Madness

Ingredients:

• 2 cans tuna, drained
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup prepared salsa, divided
• 1/2 a jalapeno, diced (use the whole pepper if you like it spicy)
• 6 soft corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish.
2. In a skillet, mix together the tuna, 1 cup mozzarella, 2/3 cups salsa, and the jalapeno. Heat on medium until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly.
3. Spoon the tuna mixture into the tortillas, roll up and place in baking dish.
4. Top with the remaining salsa and cheese.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted.
5. Alternate Directions: Place under a broiler for around 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

I put these together a bit before I wanted to serve dinner, so I had them ready to pop into the oven when my husband came home from work.  If you're just putting them together and popping them straight into the oven, you can heat them under the broiler for a few minutes like Cathleen does, and they'll be just fine.  I liked the additional time of baking to warm everything back up again and also crisp the sides a bit. I love slightly crunchy corn tortillas.  It just depends on your preference and time available.

I only used a portion of the jalapeno, and I put more in mine than in my husband's - I just added about half of the diced jalapeno to the tuna mixture, then after I rolled his up, I added the rest of the chopped jalapeno before rolling mine, reserving some to throw on top so we could tell the difference.  They really weren't spicy at all, but they had a really great flavor.  I will definitely be making these again.  It should make us all happy, including the cats.  They always come begging when I open a can of tuna, because they love to drink the water I drain off.

The only problem with this recipe was that I ate too much.  We cleaned that dish out.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza

I've made this pizza several times now.  It's really good and simple to make.  I've never had Papa Murphy's Thai Chicken Delite pizza, so I can't say for sure it's the same.  But it was the inspiration.

Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• pizza dough 
• sweet chili sauce
• grilled chicken
• chopped onions
• sliced green onions
• thinly sliced zucchini
• Mozzarella cheese
• Cheddar cheese 

Directions:

1. Roll/press pizza dough out to form crust for one pizza; prick with fork and bake at 450° for 5-7 minutes..
2. Remove crust from oven.  Spread sauce over crust and top with toppings.  Sprinkle with crushed red chili flakes if desired.
3. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese melted.
4. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before cutting.  Top with sliced fresh basil if desired.

I have no measurements because it's pizza, and you just put toppings on until it looks right to you. There's no right or wrong way.  I do think it's better if you slice the zucchini really thin, but it's OK if you don't too.  I seasoned my chicken with a little salt, pepper, and ground ginger when I grilled it (in my George Foreman), which was pretty good on this pizza, too.

Now I just need to make some more of that sweet chili sauce.

Quick and Easy Beef Burrito Skillet

I've made this a couple times for dinner. It really does go together quickly, and it tastes good too. The original recipe calls for 1 lb. of ground beef, but I like things better without so much meat, so I cut it in half.  I do that with most of my recipes.   If you're a big carnivore, feel free to use the whole pound.

Quick and Easy Beef Burrito Skillet
adapted from Kraft Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 2 T Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn (optional)
• 1 cup Salsa
• 1 cup water
• 4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese
• 1/3 cup Sour Cream
• Chopped green onion

Directions:

1. Brown meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
2. Add seasoning mix, beans, corn, salsa and water; stir. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 5 minutes.
3. Stir in tortilla strips; top with cheese. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions.

This recipe is very adaptable - add some chopped onion with the ground beef, use black beans or pinto beans, use flour tortillas or stir in some tortilla chips for some added crunch.  Feel free to add your favorite toppings or sides - shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado, rice, etc.  You can also serve the sour cream and green onion on the side and let everyone top their own servings the way they want.

Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese

If you're thinking that it can't possibly be time for  Secret Recipe Club (Secret Recipe Club) reveal already, you're right.  I usually post with Group A, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the Group B blogger assigned to Jane's Adventures in Dinner could not do it - so I got to step in!  Lucky me - I am enjoying Jane's blog very much.

Jane is a Canadian wife and mummy who loves to cook and even trained as a chef at one time.  Then she discovered her love of teaching and became a teacher - a teacher who still loves to cook and feed everyone. Now she's got a small daughter and this blog full of amazing recipes and pictures to chronicle the adventures of it all. 

Once again I had a hard time choosing just one recipe.  There are so many to choose from, all with mouth-watering photos.  Here are some that made the short list, and that I will most likely be making soon:

• PB & J Muffins
• Cranberry Granola
• Cranberry Honey Oat Muffins
• Hot Chocolate Bread
• T'kill Ya Beef - (we tend to call call tequila T’ kill ya too, though not for the same reasons)

Don't those all sound yummy?  I finally decided on this Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese because I just had to see how it turned out.

Mix the cheese and seasonings together, mix it together with the macaroni in your slow cooker, pour some broth and milk on top, and let it cook.  Can it really be that easy?  Yes, yes it is! 

Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese 
from Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded cheese (a mix of mozzarella and sharp cheddar)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 T ground mustard
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 4 cups uncooked pasta
• 1 L milk
• 1/2 L chicken stock

Topping:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs)

Instructions

1. Mix shredded cheese, cornstarch, ground mustard and paprika together. Place pasta in greased 5-quart slow cooker and mix in cheese and seasonings. Pour milk and stock over the top.
2. Cook on HIGH for four hours (at 3-1/2 hours, dot with butter and cover with bread crumbs).  OR Cook on LOW for six hours (at 5-1/2 hours, dot with butter, cover with bread crumbs, and turn heat to HIGH for remaining 1/2 hour).

Makes A LOT

This was perfect for dinner on a snowy winter's night.  Comfort food at its best!  I haven't had mac & cheese in ages - not since my kids were little, and then it was just the kind that comes in the blue box.  This is better!  And pretty much as easy.  Jane says the key is coating the shredded cheese with the cornstarch and seasonings.  So I did what she said.

At the end I had Mac & Cheese!  I ate way too much, and I still couldn't stop nibbling on the crunchy edges - though those might have been because I ended up cooking it for the full four hours before I added the topping, because I was out shoveling the driveway and didn't get back into the house.  Nope, just checked the picture, and there were already some crispy edges.  I really like those crispy edges.

Before the topping

Warning - this recipe makes a lot.  There will be plenty of leftovers, unless you're feeding a crowd.  This would actually be a great recipe to take for a potluck, especially if you have a few hours to cook it once you get there.  Mix your cheeses, spices, and macaroni in the slow cooker and take your broth and milk in a separate container.  Pour them in when you get there and turn on the slow cooker.  How easy is that?   It would probably also be perfectly yummy without the topping if you didn't even want to mess with that.  Though the topping does make it pretty -

If you're not feeding a crowd, be sure to visit Jane's blog to see what she did with her leftovers.  Me, I've been eating Mac & Cheese for lunch.  I also had to try it with ketchup.  I had never heard of such a thing, but Jane mentioned that she likes hers with sriracha but her daughter opts to dip hers into ketchup.  Sadly, I have no sriracha, a problem that I must remedy soon, but ketchup is really good with Mac & Cheese.  Who knew?  Did you know?

An InLinkz Link-up

Tex-Mex Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

It's time again for  Secret Recipe Club (Secret Recipe Club) reveal!  This month I got to choose a recipe from Beth's blog It's Good To Be The Cook.  Beth lives outside Philadelphia, loves her family, her wonderful (and cute) boyfriend Dave, and her dog Stella.  Her posts are so much fun to read.  They're not just about the food - though the food is definitely front and center with recipes and loads of mouth-watering pictures.

So I started looking at the recipes - Oh, Beth!  So many great recipes.  How am I supposed to choose?  I love all the spicy stuff and that there's spinach in practically everything.  OK, maybe not everything, but a lot.  It looks like she's almost as obsessed with fresh spinach as I am.  I love it in practically everything!  Also, she has all her clipped and saved recipes organized in a binder - something I've thought about/wanted to do for ages, and never got around to it.  Yep, I still have boxes of magazine and newspaper clippings, recipes I wanted to try but may never find again.  I'm kinda jealous of her organizational skills.

Anyway, I started looking through the recipes, and I wanted to try the Buffalo Chicken Soup, the Black & White Bean Quesadillas w/ Avocado Ranch Dip, the Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Baked Potato, the Chicken and Bean Burritos, and several more, but I finally decided on these Tex-Mex Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. And it was a very good decision.  These things are yummy!!!

Tex-Mex Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
slightly adapted from It's Good to Be the Cook

Ingredients:

• 2 Sweet Potatoes
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 1 T Garlic, minced
• 1 Jalapeno, chopped (seeded for less heat)

  

  just some Spinach

• 4 or 5 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup frozen Corn, thawed
• 1 T Cumin
• 1 T Chili Powder
• a bunch of fresh Spinach (sorry, I didn't measure)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed (1-1/2 cups home-cooked)
• 1 T Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
• 1 cup (or less) Cheddar or Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
• Parsley Flakes & Paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Wash potatoes and pierce a few holes or slices in the top. Pat dry and place on foil or a baking sheet in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, checking at the 1 hour mark. They will be cooked when they can be easily pierced with a fork.  Set aside while you prepare the filling.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes then add the garlic, jalapeno and mushrooms and saute another 3 minutes or so. Now, add the corn and saute for another 3 minutes and then stir in the seasonings. Let that saute for a bout a minute and then add the spinach and saute until it’s just cooked and wilted. Season with the salt and pepper. Turn heat to low.
3. Add cream cheese to skillet and stir until it is melted.  Stir in the yogurt and beans.
4. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, scoop out most of the potato with a spoon, and add it to the skillet.  Stir to combine, and taste and add seasoning if necessary.
5. Evenly spoon the filling back into the sweet potato boats and top with shredded cheese.
6. Turn the oven to broil and slide the potatoes back in until the cheese is just lightly browned and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
7. Garnish with a shake of Paprika and Parsley and serve immediately!

I didn't actually pay attention to how long I sauteed the onions, garlic, peppers, etc.  Just added the onion to the skillet, cooked it a bit, then started adding all the other ingredients.  It's basically what looks good to you.  It does look good, doesn't it?  Oh, and I only used 1/2 of the jalapeno because I thought the whole thing would make it too spicy for my husband, but it didn't turn out spicy at all, so I'd suggest sticking with the whole thing.  Or using the pickled ones like Beth did in hers.

Onions, garlic, jalapeno, mushrooms and corn

And then I added the cream cheese - the heat from the skillet melted it very nicely - and the yogurt and beans.  Doesn't this look yummy?  For some reason, I didn't taste it, but it certainly smelled amazing.  I'm thinking this mixture right here would be perfect for something.  I'm not sure what yet - over pasta?  With some pasta mixed in?  Spread over tortilla chips, topped with shredded cheese and baked like nachos?  Yeah, there's something...  I should've tasted it, though, because I forgot to add the salt and pepper like I was supposed to.

Creamy!

My potatoes were so done that I had to be careful not to scoop all of the flesh out of them, leaving nothing but the peel behind.

Sweet potatoes scooped out

I put as much filling as I could into the scooped out potato skins, and I had some left over, so I saved that for later.  It was great warmed up and wrapped in a tortilla and also just scooped up with tortilla chips.  This is good filling!  I added some salt right before I sprinkled the cheese on - because I forgot to taste and add it earlier. 

Ready to go under the broiler

The filling is already hot, so it doesn't take long to melt the cheese under the broiler, and they're ready to eat.

Ready to eat!

These things are really filling.  We had one potato half with some salad, and that was enough!  That means we got to enjoy them for another meal.  I just put them into a Corningware dish and baked them, with the lid on, for 20 to 30 minutes at 350°.  Perfect!  My husband just ate the filling both times and threw the potato skin away.  I ate the skin, and I liked it much better after it was baked.  It kind of crisped up a bit.  I'm thinking that next time I make these I'm going to bake them until the cheese is melted and browned, instead of broiling.  Either that or scoop absolutely all of the potato out of the skins, mix the filling, and put it into some kind of baking dish to broil and melt the cheese.

So many yummy flavors.  I am definitely making these again!  And trying some of those other recipes from Beth's blog.  Be sure to check it out for yourself.

Chicken Apple & Cheese Muffins

My  Secret Recipe Club (Secret Recipe Club) assignment this month was to choose a recipe from Aly's blog Cooking in Stilettos.  Why is it that everybody but me can come up with such creative blog names?  Don't you love that one?  There are plenty of great-looking and creative recipes on her blog, and I had a very hard time picking just one!

I thought about Bourbon Molasses Baked Chicken (except that I don't have any of that Bourbon Molasses Mustard - wonder if I could make something similar?)  Update: I found this recipe in my local paper for a Honey Bourbon Jalapeno Mustard, which might work.

Honey Bourbon Jalapeno Mustard

• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup whole yellow mustard seeds
• 3/4 cup whole brown mustard seeds
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup honey (range depends on your desire for a sweeter mustard)
• 1-1/4 tsp. fine salt
• 1 to 2 jalapenos, chopped (leave in seeds and ribs for a spicier mustard)

1. In a medium bowl, combine bourbon, water and mustard seeds. Let soak at least 4 hours up to overnight.
2. In a food processor or powerful blender, add mustard seed mixture, vinegar, honey, salt and jalapenos. Blend until very smooth (you will still see seed hulls). You may add more water or vinegar to thin, if needed.
3. Pack into a clean glass jar. Leave at room temperature for several days if you want mustard to mellow, otherwise store in the refrigerator 3 to 4 weeks.
Makes about 3-1/2 cups

And next time I have apple cider in the house, somebody remind me to make this Bourbon Cider Twist!  I am also actually going to make tortillas next time I need some.  Yes, I've been planning to do that for ages, but this recipe for the Easiest Ever Homemade Tortillas has me convinced.  And there are more, but I had to choose, didn't I?  Well, at least for this post.  I can always go back....

I ended up modifying the recipe for Apple Cheddar Chicken Muffins, not because it didn't look perfect the way it was, but because I had to substitute some of the ingredients.  I substituted 1/2 cup of white wheat flour for part of the white flour, used broccoli instead of arugula, a Braeburn apple instead of Granny Smith, and used a 3-cheese mix instead of Cheddar.  Of course, Aly did say to think of this muffin recipe as your “Leftover Muffin Canvas” - so I just did what I was supposed to do!
 

Chicken Apple & Cheese Muffins  
from Cooking in Stilettos Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (I used Hot Hungarian Paprika)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese, divided
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• 1 cup apple, peeled and chopped (I used Braeburn)
• 1 cup broccoli, finely chopped (frozen is ok)
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups cooked chicken, finely chopped

Directions

1. Set aside 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, then mix in oil and milk.
3. Measure flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, thyme and paprika into bowl on top of wet ingredients.  Mix dry ingredients together and then stir into wet ingredients, just until combined.
4. Fold in the chicken, apple, onions, broccoli and remaining cheese.
5. Heat the oven to 350º F.
6. Lightly spray the muffin pans with a non-stick coating spray or lightly grease with butter.
7. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full; top each muffin with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
8. Bake until golden, about 25 to 35 minutes, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin is clean.
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, and enjoy! 

18 muffins

These muffins are great!  They make a really nice change from sandwiches. You get your meat, cheese, bread and veggies all in one easy-to-grab package. My husband really enjoyed having them in his lunches.  I also sent some to college with my son because he has some long days when he has no time to get anything to eat.  He can throw some of these into his bag in the morning and have a handy snack to tide him over until the day is over and he has time to get to the dining hall or back to his dorm. I'm already thinking of variations - because I will be making these again.  I'm thinking something with cornmeal and zucchini would be good.