Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

This is one of our all time favorite meals and one of the only ways my daughter will eat rice! Perfect for a busy day to throw in the crockpot first thing in the morning and it's ready at dinner time!

Photo found on Google...because my picture didn't turn out

Crockpot Cheese Chicken and Rice


4 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
garlic and onion powder to taste
3 chicken breasts (I usually toss mine in still partially frozen)


Put chicken in the crockpot and pour all soup on top. Sprinkle in garlic powder and onion powder to taste and stir it up. Put lid on crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours. DO NOT STIR! It's ok if the sides look a little browned. When ready to serve pull out chicken breasts and shred; put back in pot and mix up. Serve over cooked rice.

Bama Steak Sandwiches

I love cheap and easy.............dinners! What's wrong with you people!?


Our homeschool group hosts a Mother's Night Out once a month and I am part of a Bunco group once a month, so I am always on the lookout for quick, easy dinners that the hubby can come home and serve to the family without fuss(and you know I didn't pay full price for it!) This recipe from Southern Plate fits that mold perfectly!

My interpretation of Bama Steak Sandwiches from Southern Plate(click the link to view Christy's step by step preparations and her recipe)

1 package Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Slow cooked roast beef

1/2 Cup Mozarella Cheese

2 tsp. Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3-4 Tablespoons Dale’s Sauce 

Po boy buns

Chop up meat and veggies. Heat skillet with olive oil. Saute onions and bell peppers until almost tender. Add meat and sauce to taste. Saute until liquid cooks off and veggies are tender with meat heated through. Place on buns with a little cheese and........hold on I'm wiping off the keyboard got a little drool on it........Eat!

Stromboli and Everything Yeast Dough

We love pizza at my house. Matter of fact I think most of us could eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There's just one problem pizza is expensive! Even the cheap pizza gets expensive when you are at the end of your two week pay period (can I get an Amen?!)


I've been playing around with making my own pizza dough for a few months. I've used boxed mixes, the bread machine and more. You name it and I've probably tried it. Finally I have found a fool proof recipe that turns out great every time and is super versatile. 


Next week I'm going to try making cinnamon rolls out of this dough!

Everything Yeast Dough


1 T. fast acting yeast (by my measurements 1 of the little pouches is equal to 1 T.)
2 1/2 c. flour (you could do a mix of whole wheat)
1 tsp. turbinado or regular sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. warm water (I just let my tap run for a few minutes to get it nice and warm)


Mix the yeast with the water; mix all dry ingredients together. Stir in water until dough starts to come together. Dump onto floured surface and knead for just a few minutes until dough stays together well. Makes two small pizzas, or wrap small pieces around little smoked sausages or cut hot dogs, or cover with pepperoni and cheese then roll up jelly roll style to make a Stromboli or simply cut into strips for bread sticks.


For the Stromboli and bread sticks I slather the outside with butter when I pull it out of the oven and then sprinkle garlic sea salt and Parmesan cheese on top! YUM! Also, I don't put the pizza sauce on the inside. Instead I put it in a little bowl and serve it as a dipping sauce.

Cavatini

I make this mock lasagna every month! The kids love it and it's quick so who can argue? No ricotta cheese in sight!

1 lb. ground beef, browned

1 jar spaghetti sauce or homemade if you prefer

3 c. shredded mozzarella

1 pkg. your favorite pasta, cooked

Brown beef; drain and mix in sauce.  In a large casserole dish layer pasta, sauce cheese; repeat. I usually do two layers. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

Serve with a side salad or green beans and some bread. Yum! Make sure to wear a bib and you'll need to bath the little ones (and possibly the hubby too) when you are done!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Despite my deep Gulf Coast roots (we can trace my Dad's side of the family back to a man on the boat when d'Iberville landed) I'm not much of a seafood eater. Growing up in this area, dancing around a table of fried oysters begging for me (or so my Mama says), a grandmother that picked crabs for a living and a great grandmother that cooked some of the best seafood gumbo known to man, I'm still not a big fan of seafood. Now I'll eat the occasional crab claw, I like fried "popcorn" shrimp and I can even handle some crawfish now and then but I don't suck the heads! EWW!  I prefer to stick to the food that lives out of the water. That's why my gumbo has chicken and sausage in it. 

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo


2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 lb. sausage, diced (I like using andouille but smoked will do) and browned
8 c. water
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 T. oil (any kind will do)
2 T. flour
1 tsp. thyme
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste or 1/2 can tomato sauce
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. cayenne pepper


Mix bouillon, water, spices, shredded chicken ans diced in large pot. Set to simmer. Saute vegetables until tender and add to pot. (Sometimes I cheat on the veggies and buy a bag of seasoning blend.) Make a dark roux; add to pot and stir. Grind okra in food processor; cook  down until most of the sliminess is gone**; add tomato paste. Cook down and add to pot. Cover and simmer 25 to 35 minutes. Serve over rice.


** Don't let the use of okra turn you off. I know some people won't eat okra because of it's sliminess. Cooking it like this takes almost all of that away. You do not get the slimy texture after its cooked down and mixed into the gumbo. 

Pork Chop Bake

I found this recipe in a Southern Living cookbook about ten years ago. Of course like all things, my recipe is slightly different than the original! Even my reluctant eater, Molly, like this dish!

What you need:
4- small boneless pork chops (some people call them breakfast pork chops, I call them easy!)
1/3 c. flour
salt and pepper, garlic powder
3-carrots or a handful of baby carrots, chopped
2-celery stalks, chopped
3 or 4 large potatoes
1- onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. HOT water
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Pour about 2-3 T. of oil in a good heavy pot ( like my enamel cast iron!) that has a lid and brown your floured pork chops. They don't have to be completely done, just browned. You'll finish cooking them later.


While they cook chop up all your veggies but keep them separate!

Get your hot water and drop in your two boillion cubes and add some salt,pepper and garlic powder to taste. Set to the side.


In the same pot you just browned your pork chops, layer the pork chops, potatoes, carrots, celery and onions...In that order! Pour your seasoned water over the top and put a lid on it! Let cook over medium heat for 30-45 minutes or until all your vegetables are tender.

I don't serve this dish with anything else since there are so many veggies in the dish. YUM!

Crockpot Cabbage and Sausage

This recipe is from my best friend, Dawn. I love cabbage! I especially love "fried" cabbage, but this crockpot dish is next in line! Even my 17  month old chowed down on the cabbage!

1 large head cabbage, quartered and stem removed
1 lb. smoked sausage (I used Polk's)
1 stick butter
1 onion
salt and pepper
1/4 c. water


Layer cabbage, sausage, onion, and butter; repeat until you've used it all. Salt and pepper to taste, then pour water over top. Cook 4 hours on high. Stir occasionally. 


I serve this with a pan of homemade mac & cheese (another of Dawn's recipes) and sometimes with a pan of cornbread.

Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole

This is the dish that finally got my 7 year old to eat rice! Molly L O V E S broccoli, I mean LOVES broccoli!! She'll eat it any way you make it broiled, boiled, baked, fried, sauteed, steamed, etc. etc. etc. but she use to HATE rice just as much as she loved broccoli. Rice and potatoes are two things she just flat out refused to eat until about 8 months ago. 


Super easy recipe that you probably have all the ingredients for in your kitchen right now. Feel free to add more chicken. I'm a frugal girl so I like to stretch my meat. This is a great bake and take for potlucks or bringing a meal to someone. Enjoy!

Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole


1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2 boxes Zatarain's Rice Pilaf or Rice a Roni Chicken
8 oz. Velveeta cheese, sliced or you can use several cheese slices (whatever you have on hand EXCEPT shredded cheese! It just doesn't cook the same)
1/2 head fresh broccoli or 1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1 can cream of chicken soup(I'll be posting the homemade cream soups recipe soon!)
1 1/2 cans full of milk or water


Cook Rice and broccoli according to directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a well greased 13 x 9 pan you are going to layer the cooked rice mix, then the chicken and the broccoli. Mix together the soup and milk or water. Pour over top of everything and then top with sliced cheese. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is good and melted.

Bulgogi and stir fry noodles with veggies

I love to try new recipes (with in reason of course) with a picky eater hubby and small kids I don't get too wild and crazy. This is one of those recipes and it's a keeper! I came across this recipe on Allrecipes.com while looking for another option for some stir fry beef meat that I bought last week. It looked so delicious I had to try it!


I did both chicken and beef (I preferred the chicken!) but both tasted very good.  Enough talking!~ Here's how to make it:

1 or more lbs. of steak or chicken breast thinly sliced.


Marinade
5T. soy sauce
2 1/2 T. white sugar
1/4 c. onion, finely minced (I left this out by accident)
2 T. garlic
2 T. sesame seeds
2 T. oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger


One recipe of marinade per lb. of meat. Mix all together and let marinade for at least 1 hour.

Fire up your grill OR heat up a cast iron skillet and cook your meat hot and fast! If it gets a little black that's ok. The sugar in the marinade causes it to darken quickly. Just make sure it's done.

As a side I served stir fried noodles with veggies. I didn't do as good of a job taking pictures of this because I was trying to make sure my bulgogi didn't burn!

3 c. spaghetti noodles, cooked and cold
1/2 recipe of bulgogi marinade (separate from meat marinade)
1 pkg. frozen stir fry mix
2 T. oil


Heat oil in large pot. Stir fry veggies until almost tender. Add noodles and sauce.

Serve the bulgogi meat over rice on top of a lettuce leaf. Yes I know it sounds weird but it's delicious and a healthy addition to the meal. My 7 year old passed on the lettuce but ate everything else with a smile on her face!