Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
2 pounds cubed stew meat
2 cans Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1 largish onion diced
3-4 Tbsp of Worcestershire
1/2 water
8 oz of cream cheese
couple of dashes of Garlic Salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
couple dashes of Hot Paprika

In the slow cooker stir in all the ingredients, except the meat AND the Cream Cheese, together. Once combined add the meat and mix together.

Cook on Low for 8 hours. Cut up the cream cheese into cubes just before serving and turn crockpot on high. Stir the cream cheese in until all combined. You might have to put the lid back on and leave for 10 minutes.
Serve with pasta or mashed potatoes.

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese
(from http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/)
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti 

1 pound ground beef or sausage 

1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces) 

1 tablespoon butter 

1/2 cup chopped green peppers 

1/3 cup chopped onions 

8 ounces cream cheese 

2 tablespoons milk 

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese 

French Fried Onions (small can) 

1. Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set 

aside. 

2. Brown ground beef or sausage. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat. 

3. Combine onions, peppers and butter in small glass bowl. Cover and microwave 4 

minutes on HIGH until soft. 

4. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. (If cream cheese is not soft, 

nuke it for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to spread.) 

5. Using a 10 x 6 dish, assemble in the following order: 

6. Thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. 

7. Spaghetti 

8. Cream cheese/vegetable mixture 

9. Spaghetti sauce 

10. Parmesan Cheese (amount subject to your own taste) 

11. French Fried Onions (added during last 5 minutes of cooking) 

12. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with French Fried onion and continue baking 5 

more minutes.

Alice Springs Chicken

This is kind of a rip off of the Alice Springs Chicken at Outback Steakhouse.  It originally called for 10 strips of bacon, but I try my best not to clog our arteries too much with one meal, so I cut it in half.  It also calls for sauteed mushrooms (2 cups) but no one in my family will eat those, so I leave them out.  It is really delicious.... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Alice Springs Chicken

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup Cheddar cheese

Honey Mustard Marinade:

1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp veg. oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Soak chicken in 2/3 cups of the marinade for 4 hours, or overnight.  Pan fry the chicken until browned up on all sides.  Place the chicken in a casserole dish and brush with a little of the remaining marinade.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika.  Put the bacon, crumbled up, and cheeses on top.  Bake for 10 minutes or until done at 375 degrees.  Serve with remaining marinade.

Sugar Gems

These are my favorite sugar cookie to make.  You don't have to roll them out and cut them.  You just scoop them, roll them in sugar, and smash them a little bit.  Everyone who eats these just raves about them, so I am not alone in my addiction.  I usually make a cream cheese frosting to put on top, but I've made them with chocolate frosting too.  Both are really good.

Sugar Gems

from melskitchencafe.com

Cream together:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Add:
5 cups flour
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Mix all ingredients well. Roll into golf size balls and roll in some granulated sugar. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Bake until just starting to crack.  Don't let them get brown.  Cool and frost with frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 block cream cheese
1 stick butter
lots of powdered sugar
vanilla flavoring


Cream together the cream cheese and butter.  Whip it for a little while.  Add powdered sugar and some vanilla flavoring until it tastes the way you like it.  I usually do about 2 tsp vanilla and half a bag of powdered sugar.

White Chicken Enchilada Bake

This recipe was from The Pioneer Woman, but I kind of changed it to fit us a little better.

White Chicken Enchilada Bake

2 cups shredded chicken
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp oil
10 or so flour tortillas
1 large onion, diced
6-8 large roasted green chilies, diced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups monterey jack cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and saute for 1 minute.  Add chicken, half the green chilies, and 1/2 tsp paprika.  Stir together.  Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir.  Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot.  Turn off heat and set aside.

In separate skillet, melt butter and add flour.  Whisk together and cook over medium heat for 1 minute.  Pour in remaining chicken broth.  Whisk together and cook for another minute.  Stir in the other half of the chilies.  Reduce heat and stir in sour cream.  Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt.  Add 1/2 tsp paprika.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, spoon a little bit of the sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.  Put 1/2 chicken on top. Add a layer of tortilla.  Add 1/3 sauce.  Add 1/2 chicken.  Layer tortilla.  Pour remaining sauce over the top.  Top with extra cheese.  Bake for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let it set for about 15 minutes before serving.

Pizza Pasta

Pizza Pasta

1 lb pasta of choice
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 jars spaghetti sauce
2 pkgs spaghetti sauce mix
8 oz cubed pepperoni, or mini pepperoni slices
2-3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
salt, pepper
2 Tbsp oil

Brown up the cubed pepperoni, or mini pepperoni slices, in the oil.  Add the onion and bell pepper and saute for 3 or 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Add the spaghetti sauce and sauce mixes.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper.  Cook on low while you cook up the pasta.  Boil the pasta until mostly cooked but so it still has a bite to it.  Drain.

In a 9X13 baking dish, pour 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom.  Put 1/2 the noodles on top.  Top with mozzarella cheese.  Add another 1/3 of sauce, 1/2 noodles, 1/3 sauce, and the rest of the cheese.  Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Broil for a few minutes at the end to brown up the cheese a little bit.  Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

S'mores Cookies

I made these for a BBQ on Labor Day.  They were delicious.  That's all I have to say.  The kids really love them because they have marshmallows and chocolate AND they are on a cookie.

S'Mores Cookies
Adapted from jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 T butter, melted
1 T sugar
dash salt

1 C butter, softened
2 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 T milk
2 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 1/2 C flour
2 1/2 C milk chocolate chips
 
24 large marshmallows
4 small 1.55 oz Hershey bars  
  
 
 To your graham cracker crumbs add 6 T melted butter,1 T sugar and a dash of salt.  Stir and  set the crumbly mixture aside. 

Place your softened butter and brown sugar into a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until the ingredients are nicely creamed together, about 2 minutes.   Add your eggs, milk and vanilla and mix for another 2 minutes. In a separate bowl combine your baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour. Add it to your creamed mixture and mix until combined.  Toss in your chocolate chips and mix yet again, just until the chips are evenly distributed.  Grab your graham cracker crumbs and pour them into the cookie dough. Using a wooden spoon, or your hands smash them into the cookie dough. 


 Roll the dough into 2 inch balls, place them on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 6 minutes, or just until the cookies begin to crack. While your cookies are in the oven, cut the large marshmallows in half. Press a marshmallow piece into the center of each hot cookie. Return the sheet to the oven and bake for about 1 1/2 more minutes allowing the marshmallows to puff up and get all wonderful and delicious. Remove the sheet from the oven. Let the cookies sit for about 2 minutes, then press one Hershey bar piece into the center of the marshmallow. Remove the cookies from the sheet and allow them to finish cooling on a wire rack.