Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken

Adapted from My Once a Month Cooking
Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken
4 Servings

2 butterball turkey bacon strips, cooked and shredded
1 tsp minced garlic
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
1 cup fat-free sour cream
16 oz. chicken breasts
8 oz. pasta (I used rigatoni)

Combine the first five ingredients. Place chicken in slowcooker and pour sauce over the top. Cook on high for 3.5 hours. Serve over hot noodles.

Nutritional Information: 456 calories, 61 carbs, 5 fat grams and 36 protein grams.

Review: This tasted like it was SO bad for me! I loved how creamy it came out - it almost tasted cheesy even though I didn't have cheese. I'm going to make this again immediately - wonderful comfort food! Edited to add 9/20/11: I've gathered some feedback via Pinterest and wanted to share: one reviewer mentioned that unless you really like ranch, the ranch flavor could be a bit overwhelming - she suggested not using the entire packet. Another mentioned that for them it was too salty, so using less of the packet may make a difference. We love it as is, but I saw these and thought they may help! And please, if you try it and have recommendations for making it better/changes for next time, feel free to post in the comments below. Thanks!

Got the recipe from Here

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Cookie Recipe 1 package devil's food cake mix 2 - eggs 1/2 - cup oil (or butter flavored shortening) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil and eggs to cake mix and blend together. Roll dough into balls (a little larger than a quarter). Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet (until warm). Remove cookies from baking sheet and place on cooling rack.To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip (you can always use a zip lock bag with a round tip or just use a butter knife)add about a tablespoon of filling into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie similar in size on top of the filling. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Cream Cheese Filling Recipe 1 - stick butter (1/2 cup) 1 - 8oz package philly cream cheese or generic 3-4 cups - confectioner's sugar (depending on desired consistency) 1 - tsp vanilla extract Cream butter and add cream cheese and mix well. Add vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar. Mix slowly until you reach your desired consistency. Vanilla Cream Filling Recipe: 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter 1/4 - cup vegetable shortening 2 - 3 - cups sifted confectioners’ sugar 2 - teaspoons vanilla extract Cream butter and shortening together. Add vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.

Got the recipe from HERE

Wingers Sticky Fingers

Can you tell I love to eat out?

But what I also love is being able to make the same food at home, myself that tastes just as good and for cheaper!

These are seriously SO good! They taste just like Wingers and are super quick and easy!

WINGERS STICKY FINGERS

1/3 cup Franks Original Hot Sauce ( it has to be this kind, it tastes the best) I found it at Walmart!

1 1/2 c Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Water

Tysons Breaded Chicken Breasts

Cook in a saucepan and bring to a boil, boil for one minute so the brown sugar dissolves. Set aside and let cool down! Then pour over the cooked chicken breasts and make sure to cover them well!

I served them with ranch and celery!

I found the recipe here http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2009/01/just-like-wingers-sticky-fingers-and.html

CHILIS SALSA

So I'm super in love with a good salsa. I could eat chips and salsa for every meal probably! And I have found some super good ones but I have never made any myself!

My most favorite salsa ever is at my favorite place to eat... CHILIS! I could literally drink their salsa. Gross right!? So I again found a copycat recipe here:

http://www.food.com/recipe/chilis-salsa-59635

 and tweaked it a little for me! It says to let it sit overnight to let the flavors blend together but honestly I tried it the next day, and then again a week later and it was SO much better the week after. So I would for sure let it sit at least a couple of days!

ENJOY!

CHILIS SALSA

14 oz can of tomato and green chilis

14.5 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (don't drain them)

1 Tbs and 1 tsp canned jalepeno ( I bought the Great Value can of canned jalepenos and put them in a food processor to chop really fine, then I measured them out)

1/4 cup yellow onion ( I did the same here, chopped them fine in a food processor then measured)

3/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp sugar

Throw it all in a blender and blend well. Then I put it in a Quart sized Mason Jar and it filled it perfectly! Then store it in the fridge! YUM!

Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli

I love soup. And one of my all time favorties is the pasta fagioli from The Olive Garden! I can't get enough of it! So I searched and perfected a copycat recipe I found online and it is delicious!

 It tastes the exact same and it is so easy!

I found the recipe here

http://www.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-pasta-e-fagioli-soup-in-a-crock-pot-copycat-31717

However, this recipe makes too much for us, so for my family I cut it in half and it

still fills my crock pot to the top~

PASTA FAGIOLI ( Olive Garden Recipe)

1 lb ground beef seasoned with onion and garlic salt

Throw into a crock pot and add:

1 bag of shredded carrots

chopped celery ( I do about 4 stalks)

1 can of diced tomatoes (not drained)

16 oz can Red Kindey beans ( well drained)

16 oz can od White Kidney beans ( well drained)

2 cans of Beef Stock

1 Large can of Spaghetti Sauce ( I use Hunts Garlic and Herb)

1 tsp Tabasco Sauce (optional)

4 tsp Parsley

2 tsp Black Pepper

3 tsp Oregano

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on High for 4-5 hours

I cook my noodles and add them about a half hour before serving it. I use rotini noodle or elbow but I believe Olive Garden uses Ditali noodles!

Enjoy :)

Baked Potato Soup - Slow Cooker Style

**Note: I halfed this recipe, and next time I will use minced garlic instead of real garlic cloves**

Got the recipe from HERE

I've been looking for a baked potato soup recipe that didn't involve heavy cream for a while, and boy was I delighted when I found one... for the slow cooker!!! This came out really super yummy and reminds me a lot of Houlihan's Baked Potato Soup, which is an all-time favorite for Hubs and me. Below is my version of the recipe. Enjoy!

(p.s. You will need a 6 quart or larger slow cooker for this recipe, it yields a LOT of soup!!!)

Ingredients:
- 5lbs Russet Potatoes, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 10 cloves of garlic, whole
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 16 oz cream cheese (I used 8oz regular and 8oz lowfat)
- 1 TBS seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning (I use Aunt Cora's Soulful Seasoning)

Garnishes:
- Crumbled bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions

Directions:
- Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken stock to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
- Remove and puree the garlic cloves along with 1/2 to 1/3rd of the soup, and then reintroduce to the remainder in the crock pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt. Stir every 10-15 minutes until soup is well blended.
- Top with your choice of garnishes & serve!

Yields about 10-12 servings.

Easy Rigatoni Casserole

There is something delightful about knowing you have a delicious casserole waiting for you when you get home from work. Yum. Inspired by a recipe from a friend of mine, I whipped together this dish a few days ago and it was a hit! Super simple and easy, it's a crowd pleaser and a quick dish to make.

Easy Rigatoni Casserole
1 lb. Italian Sausage (usually I use mild)
1 box Rigatoni pasta
1 24 oz. jar Marinara Sauce (I used Mario Batali!)
8-10 oz. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
4 cloves or garlic, minced
3 Basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Kosher Salt to tast

1. Cook pasta until el dente. Strain then pour into a large bowl. Add cooked Italian Sausage, cheese, and as much marinara as you would like! Stir.
2. Add Basil leaves, Garlic, and a teaspoon of Kosher salt. Stir well.
3. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 glass dish, then top with more cheese or marinara if you would like!
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.

Go the recipe from The Small Things Blog