Crockpot Sour Cream Chicken

I was desperate today for a quick dinner that included frozen chicken (thus the crockpot) and sour cream because it was going bad.  I Googled "crockpot sour cream chicken" and I found this.  I was pleasantly surprised with the result.  Bonus was that three of the four kids loved it too!  Win, win!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 package dry Italian dressing mix
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth
pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 jar mushrooms *
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp dill

Directions:
Spray crockpot with cooking spray.  Add chicken to the crockpot.  Add Italian dressing mix, minced garlic pepper.  Spread evenly over chicken.  Add 1 cup broth.  Cook on low (6-8 hours) or High (3-4 hours).
 Halfway through cooking, add mushrooms (*My family hates mushrooms, so I didn't add them).  One hour before cooking is complete, mix sour cream, lemon juice, dill weed, and cream of chicken.  Add milk to thin.  Pour over chicken and cook on high for the remaining hour.  Shred chicken and serve over rice, potatoes, or pasta.

Recipe courtesy of Group Recipes

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

 

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

I love this receipe it is so easy and very little clean up since you roll it out and cut them in the pan.
Time: 45 minutes start to finish

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C warm water
2 T. sugar
1 T yeast
1/2 salt
3 1/2- 4 C flour
1/4 C butter
3/4 C Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese
Garlic Salt

1. Mix the water, sugar, and yeast together. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the salt and the flour, one cup at a time, until it is well incorporated. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
3. Melt the butter and pour half of it into a jelly roll pan.
4. Place the dough in the center of the pan. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Letting the dough rest makes it easier to work with and shape.
5. Spread the dough out flat onto the pan until it reaches all the edges.
6. Pour the other half of the the butter onto the dough. Spread it around with your hands. Sprinkle on the garlic salt all over the dough, and then the cheese.
7. With a pizza cutter cut the dough into 2-3 rows lengthwise and then into about 12 rows.
8. Put the pan into a 170 degree oven for 7-10 minutes. The breadsticks should rise about 1 inch.
9. Turn the oven up to 350 degrees and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
10. When they come out of the oven let them sit and rest for about 5 minutes.
Enjoy!

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients:
2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.  In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Sauce is great for dipping bread sticks, or over noodles of choice.  Add grilled chicken or shrimp for variety.


Recipe and photo courtesy of Our Best Bites

Chocolate Chick Cookie

INGREDIENTS:

(this makes a lot...about 45 LARGE cookies, so you can halve the recipe or freeze the extras)

2 cups shortening (Crisco)

2 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 Tbl vanilla

1/3 cup milk

6 cups flour

1 cup Oat Flour (grind regular oats in blender)

1 Tbl salt

2 tsp baking soda

2 bags chocolate chips

DRIECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, cream together shortening, white sugar and brown sugar.

Mix in eggs.

Add vanilla and milk.

Gradually add the flour and "oat flour", salt, and baking soda.

Mix well and stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonful onto foiled cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes OR

make larger cookies using a 1/4 cup to measure each and bake for about 10-12 minutes.

(I ALWAYS set the timer for 2 minutes earlier than what it calls for. I check on the cookies and stay close to see when they have been cooked perfectly. When making the larger cookies, I slightly press on them with the flat side of a spatula when bringing them out of the oven.)

This recipe is from my sister (one of us CookingChicks). She had a cookie company and this was of course a favorite. :)

Homemade Easy Salsa

INGREDIENTS:

1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes (make sure it has garlic in it. I buy the basil, onion, garlic one)

1/4 of an onion sliced

1 bunch of cilantro, cut off stems

1 capfull of lemon juice

1 jalopeno, diced with seeds or without seeds (depending on personal preference. I do one half seeded.)

1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Drain the juice from the tomato can into a serving bowl (do NOT throw away).

In a food processor, pulse the cilantro and jalopeno.

Add the tomatoes (without the juice) and onion and pulse again.

Carefully pour all into the serving bowl with the tomato juice.

Add the lemon juice and salt and mix.

Cover and refrigerate at least a few hours until ready to serve.

*Can also be made in the blender, but wont be a chunky salsa.

*This salsa is a MUST for my Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe...and of course with warmed chips, YUM!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser!!!

INGREDIENTS:

2-4 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 cups (or cans) chicken broth

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 TBL lemon juice

1 cup HOMEMADE EASY SALSA...recipe should be on this site

(I have tried it with store bought and it is NOT the same)

DIRECTIONS:

Place/mix all in the crockpot and warm until ready to serve.

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, green onions, and extra cilantro for garnish.

*Easily be doubled...recommended! Leftovers taste even better the next day.

Cookie Brownie

Cookie Brownie

1 box of yellow cake mix
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips

Combine all together and mix well. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes