Crock Pot Chicken

This is my all-time favorite chicken and rice recipe. It's moist. It's loaded with flavor. Best of all, it has the added appeal of a fix-it and forget-it meal! Now, one thing about my cooking, if I don't have something on hand I try to substitute with something I do have, thus saving me time, energy and sanity of last minute trips to the store. This recipe is a classic example of me changing the recipe (I know you are laughing to yourself, Jeff). It calls for cream cheese but I sometimes substitute sour cream. I also sometimes substitute the Italian dressing powder for ranch, and cream of mushroom for cream of chicken. Anyway you do this dish, it turns out delicious. Add some fresh, hot rolls and a side of steamed veggies with a little butter and fresh lemon squeezed on top and you have a meal fit for a king!

CROCK POT CHICKEN

2 T. margarine
6 chicken breasts
1/2 c. water
1 pkg. Italian dressing (powder)
1 can cream of mushroom
8 oz cream cheese

Melt butter. Add chicken and pour water on top. Cook 6 hours. Take chicken out. Place in soup, dressing mix, and cream cheese.* Mix until melted. Cut up chicken and add back into pot. Heat 30 minutes and serve over rice.

*It is important that you wait until the last 30 minutes to add the cream cheese (or sour cream if you opt for that). If you try and cook it all together, it will start to curdle and have a funny consistency.

Soft Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are so much work, but they are a must-have with kids. It's something fun to do with them and seems to hold their attention. Even my 3 year old did better than I thought he would. Here's my recipe (I usually half it and it makes plenty for my family.)

SOFT SUGAR COOKIES

1 c. shortening
1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 T. vanilla
1/2 c. milk
1 T. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp baking powder
7 c. flour

Cream together shortening, sugar, and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and add 1 cup at a time to sugar mixture. Add milk as needed. Roll out on floured surface. Cut out with cookie cutters. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until light and fluffy. Cool, frost and decorate.

Summer Foods

Summer is about half way over and there are still lots of BBQs and picnics and potlucks. This is one of favorite salads of all time. It's so simple. I make it year round, especially in the late winter when I'm longing for warmer temps. (I sometimes substitute the lemon juice for lime and the add a little cilantro. It makes a great dressing for taco salads!)

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1-10 oz. pkg fresh spinach
2 c. sliced strawberries (fresh, but frozen works too if you sweeten it)

3 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
6 T. vegetable oil

Place lemon juice and sugar in a blender. With blender running, add oil in a slow, steady stream; process until slightly thickened. Just before serving, combine spinach and strawberries in a large salad bowl and drizzle with dressing. Serves 6-8

Breakfast

Try the recipe below and I'd love to know what you and yours think of it.

Also, we will be starting to have "family breakfast" now that Lyndsi is starting school. Does anyone have some simple recipes or ideas for breakfast food? (Believe it or not, they don't really eat cold cereal, even the sugary kind!)

Amazing

The sound of bacon sizzling in the frying pan, the waffle iron spilling over with steam as it cooks, eggs and hash browns slowly cooking on the stove top...It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I love this kind of full breakfast, but have never been real big on having waffles or worse, pancakes. I am not a big fan of store bought syrup. A friend made me some maple syrup from scratch and it was so yummy. Fast forward a few years later, and I am helping put a ward cookbook together. A friend of ours in that particular ward submitted a recipe for "Amazing Pancake Syrup." You know how there are some people you would try any recipe they handed you because they always make great food? He is definitely one of those people! We made his syrup Saturday morning and were all in heaven. It's rich and buttery and soooooo good! (Just a note--be sure to use a BIG pot. I used the biggest one I have for soups and it foamed at least two-thirds or more to the top of the pan.)

JayDee Hendricks' "Amazing Pancake Syrup"

Start with a large heavy pot because this recipe foams as it cooks.
1 cup buttermilk-that's right! Buttermilk. Just do it. It will be alright.
1 cube butter or margarine
2 T. light Karo syrup
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 7 minutes. It may require stirring to keep from foaming out of pan. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of syrup. This recipe does not double well. Any leftovers should be refrigerated and used within a week or two.

Menu Planning

Menu planning is hard work for me, and I don't get much help from my family. (I guess we could make a rotation of hot dogs, ramen, and peanut butter sandwiches...) I was reading through my email one day and came across a forward my mom had sent me from kraftfood.com. It was a whole weeks worth of dinners planned complete with a shopping list and a list of what you should have on hand. I was in heaven!! I get the Kraft Food magazine, but I must have just glanced over that part of it. It has 4 good homemade meals (Mon.-Thurs.) and one convenience meal like a frozen pizza(Friday). I have loved it.

Dinner Idea

I love it when I have dinner completely planned out beforehand, so I thought I'd share a favorite meal.

BBQ chicken-your choice of marinade/sauce
Citrus Rice
Steamed veggies (I do broccoli and carrots-for extra flavor I butter them and then squeeze a fresh lemon over the top.)

Citrus Rice
(www.kraftfoods.com)

1 1/2 c. minute rice (white)
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. orange juice
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 c. sliced green onions
3 T. sliced almonds

Combine rice, broth, orange juice, and soy sauce in microwaveable bowl; cover. Microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice and sprinkle with onions and almonds. (I do it on the stove and it works just as well.)

The Crock Pot

The crockpot is a wonderful kitchen tool. You throw stuff in it in the morning when you're feeling ambitious and leave it alone until dinner time. Perfect for the busy mom, and let's face it, we are all busy. Here is my favorite slow-cooker recipe. This is from one of my ward cookbooks. It is not only my favorite crockpot recipe but also my favorite lasagna recipe.

Crock Pot Lasagna
(received from Kim Fakahua)

1 lb ground beef
1-16 oz Alfredo sauce
1-26 or 28 oz jar pasta sauce
3 c. shredded mozzarella
1-8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 pkg. no-boil lasagna noodles

Brown ground beef and drain. Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup pasta sauce in bottom. Stir remaining pasta sauce and tomato sauce into ground beef. Layer 3 lasagna noodles over sauce, breaking noodles as necessary. Top with 1/3 of Alfredo sauce, spreading evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with 1/3 of the ground beef mixture, spreading evenly. Repeat layering twice, using 2 lasagna noodles in last layer. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Broccoli Soup

I know. I know. It's summer and a million degrees outside. Who in there right mind is thinking of making soup for dinner? Trust me. This is refreshing and very springy/summery. Add a turkey or ham sandwich and a lemonade and you're set! (I found this one a few years ago at allrecipes.com.)

Broccoli Soup

1 T. olive oil 1 potato peeled and chopped
1 lg. onion, chopped 4 c. chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 (10 oz) pkg. frozen, chopped broccoli salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and saute onion and garlic until tender. Mix in broccoli, potato, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until veggies are tender. With a hand mixer or in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Return to the saucepan and reheat. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. (I like to garnish with some shredded cheese) Serves 8.

Cooking

I don't really LOVE cooking. I dislike doing dishes (although not as much as I used to). I really don't like getting my freshly cleaned kitchen dirty-though with three little ones running in and out, it can't be helped. What I do love is looking through recipe books. I could do that for hours on end, especially if there are photographs. And, I do love to eat good food! To keep me motivated and my family fed, I frequently try new recipes. Lucky for me, I've found some really good ones. I know a lot of us struggle in meal planning, what to take to a potluck, or just want something new to try. That's what I'm here for. I'll be posting new recipes at least weekly to help you out, and I'd love to see the recipes that you love. Enjoy!