Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo

 

This is such an easy recipe for lots of comfort in cooler weather.  And tastes so much better than an Alfredo sauce coming from a jar.

Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo

1# chicken breasts, cut into 1" strips

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

4 oz cream cheese

Place the chicken at the bottom of your crock pot.  Add seasonings and garlic on top.  Add in chicken stock and heavy cream.  Add in small pieces of the cream cheese dotted over the chicken.  Cook for 4 hours on medium heat.  Shred or break down chicken into smaller pieces.

Add in -

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

8 oz of your favorite pasta - I used Rotini

Cook for another half hour and enjoy!

Hamburger Hash Brown Hotdish

 

Fall is comfort food season.  I decided to try a new hotdish with ingredients I had on hand in an attempt to create some space in my freezer.

Hamburger Hash Brown Hotdish

1 pound ground beef, seasoned and cooked

1/2 cup onions, diced

1 tbsp flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chicken stock

8 oz sour cream

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup carrots, diced

Salt & pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 package hash browns (I used Simply Potatoes)

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown seasonsed ground beef and onions.  Stir in the flour and milk and chicken stock and cook until it thickens.  Add in sour cream and vegetables of your choice.  Pour into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan.  Spread hash browns evenly on top.  Season with salt, pepper and paprika.   Bake for a half hour at 350°.  Remove from oven and top with shredded cheddar cheese and allow to melt before serving.

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Crepes

 

A beautiful day here so I had extra energy to make something special for dinner.  What better than a fresh blueberry sauce with a hint of lemon and some lemon ricotta crepes.

Crepes ~  make ahead and let sit for at least a half hour.  Perfect for getting the rest of your ingredients together

1 cup flour
1 cup milk - I used 2%
2/3 cup Perrier
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 dash salt

Whisk all the ingredients in a medium bowl and let sit until you are ready to cook.  Heat a 10" non-stick frying pan.  I sprayed a coating of cooking spray as it was heating.  Add in 1/4 cup of crepe mixture and tilt the pan until the batter is evenly spread.  Cook of medium heat until the edges start to turn brown.  Use a spatula to gently flip the crepe over.  Cook for another minute or two until the 2nd side is done.  Place on a plate.  Insert a piece of wax paper between all the crepes so they do not stick.

Ricotta stuffing ~

15 oz ricotta

2 tbsp. honey

1 dash of cinnamon

zest of 1/2 lemon

Mix together in a small bowl and use to fill the crepes.  

Assemble crepes by spreading some ricotta mix down the center and rolling up burrito style.  Top with blueberry sauce.

Blueberry Lemon Sauce ~

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
10 oz blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Beer Cheese Soup

 

Another snowy day in the northern plains and the need for some warming comfort soup.  I've been unable to find my favorite soup in the grocery stores lately so I created my own.

Beer Cheese Soup ~

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1 - 32 oz low sodium chicken stock

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 - 15 oz jar of Cheez Whiz

1 cup Triple Cheddar Easy Melt Cheddar Cheese

3/4 cup warm beer

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp paprika

2 dashes hot sauce (I used Frank's)

Melt butter and stir in the flour a Dutch oven.  Allow to cook for a minute over medium heat.  Gradually whisk in the chicken stock making sure there are no clumps.  Add in the cream.  Cook until it's thickened, stirring frequently.  Stir in the Cheez Whiz and cheddar cheese and stir until melted.  Add in the rest of the ingredients.  Allow to cook for another 30 minutes, still stirring frequently.  The restaurant that I used to get this with served with popcorn.  I made my own wheat croutons.  

Pumpkin Waffles

 

Pumpkin season is still going strong here.  Today I made pumpkin waffles for brunch and served it with some Cinnamon Syrup that I had in the freezer.

Pumpkin Waffles

1/2 cup pumpkin
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup  brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1 dash nutmeg

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  In a larger bowl, combine pumpkin, egg yolks, melted butter and buttermilk.  Add in egg whites.  Gradually add in dry ingredients.  Bake as per waffle manufacturers instructions.

Makes 8 waffles

Cinnamon Syrup

1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1 cup evaporated milk

In a large saucepan, mix together corn syrup, sugar, water and spices.  Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.  Stir in evaporated milk.  Serve warm

Pumpkin Cake & Cream Cheese Icing

 

'Tis the season for everything pumpkin.  I bought a small sugar pumpkin and baked it yesterday to use in making a cake.  This cake is the perfect size so you don't get overwhelmed by too much pumpkin - it's an 8 x 8 size.  

Pumpkin Cake & Cream Cheese Icing

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

Whisk the dry ingredients together and add in ~

2 large eggs

1/4 cup canola oil (or 1/2 cup and no apple sauce)

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all until completely combined.  Pour batter into a greased 8 x 8 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Do a toothpick check in the middle to make sure it's completely baked.  Cool before icing.  It's a good idea to take out your icing ingredients to soften while you are baking the cake.

Cream Cheese Icing

1/4 cup butter

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Use a mixer to get the icing ingredients completely mixed together.  Spread out evenly over the cooled cake.  Store in refrigerator.

Buckwheat Waffles

 

Buckwheat pancakes are my favorite pancake and bring back many happy family memories.  The other day, I was wondering if I could make a buckwheat waffle so I decided to try.  It worked and is delicious.

Buckwheat Waffles

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 large egg, separated
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl.  In a small bowl, beat egg whites until light and fluffy.  Gradually mix  buttermilk, egg yolk, and butter into dry ingredients.  Gently fold in the egg whites.

Bake per your waffle makers instructions.

Makes 5 waffles