It has been feeling more like July than June lately, so I'm still cooking everything in my Crock Pot. The poor thing is starting to feel the wear, too. An hour after I turned these potatoes from high to low I went to check on them and the pot was cold. I panicked, of course, fiddled with the switch, and it came right back on and I had no more troubles. Maybe I just didn't get the knob turned all the way to low or something, but I think I may be in the market for a new pot soon. Two pots would be great anyway! There have been nights when dinner was slow cooking away and I thought, some slow cooker chocolate cake would be awesome right about now. :) These potatoes are easy and relatively quick for a slow cooker recipe. And I haven't even started to describe how freaking amazing they taste!
You will need:
6 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
8oz cheese, shredded
3T butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (skim is fine)
chopped garlic (optional, but recommended)
salt (not optional)
Wash, peel, and slice your potatoes. You want them about a medium thickness. (I ran them through my food processor.) Grease your slow cooker. I used 2T of extra butter, but pan spray would work just fine as long as you really coat the pot. Add one layer of potatoes and salt them. You can use regular table salt, Kosher salt, or even garlic salt, but do not skimp on the salt or your potatoes will be bland, bland, bland.
Continue layering and salting until you have used all the potato slices. (You could also add chopped onions to each layer, but my kids don't like them. Don't add too many, though, because they can overpower the potato flavor.)
When all the potatoes are in the pot, melt the 3T of butter in a large saucepan.
Add the flour and whisk.
Cook over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble up, then cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly.
Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until thickened. (Add 2T chopped garlic now if you like. It's good!!)
Add the cheese...
and stir until melted.
Pour over the top of the potatoes. Don't stir the potatoes, but give them a jiggle to get some of the sauce down into the bottom of the pot.
Place 2 paper towels across the top of the slow cooker and put on the top.
Turn the pot on high and leave it for an hour. You can leave it on high for two more hours or turn it to low for 3-4 hours.
Time to feast! These potatoes are sooooo good. Creamy, cheesy, with a hint of garlic.
Yummy! Scrumptious! The perfect comfort food. They are wonderful the next day, warmed in the microwave, too.
This recipe is comfort food at its best. It is super simple to make, but tastes like it's complicated. It's the kind of casserole that makes you sigh because it is so good. And it's also the perfect dish to take to a potluck or bring to a friend in need. When people refer to a dish as comfort food they usually mean that it has the flavors of your childhood, is high in calories, and is something you don't indulge in very often, but when do you enjoy every single bite. This dish is no exception--in fact, it might just take the crown in this house. :) (I've been watching too much Toddlers and Tiaras.) Usually I change up recipes to make them healthier, so I've used 98% fat free condensed soup and skim milk, but this is comfort food and full-fat cheese and fried onions are a requirement. :)
You will need:
3 cups frozen shredded hash browns 1 small can of fried onions cheddar cheese (I measure by handfuls) 4-6 (depending on size) cooked chicken breasts, shredded 1 can 98% fat-free condensed cream of chicken soup 3/4 cup skim milk 1 can low sodium corn 1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen sweet peas salt to taste
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Liberally grease (I use pan spray) a 9x13 baking dish and spread the hash browns in it. Then add the onions and toss.
Spread about two handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese on top of the onion/hash brown mix. More if you like! (I always, always shred my own cheese. The prepackaged shredded cheese is tossed with cornstarch to prevent sticking, which keeps it from melting properly and it is loaded with preservatives. Yuck.)
I forgot to take a picture of this step (shame on me). Spread the chicken on top of the cheese and sprinkle with seasoning. I use Cavender's but Lawry's, Montreal Chicken, or even just salt and pepper would be fine.
In a separate bowl, add the soup, milk, peas, and corn. You should also add a bit of salt. (You can totally play around with different veggies. Broccoli would make a great addition or substitution. So would carrots!)
Now pour that mixture over the top of your 9x13 pan and spread it around. I place the dish on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven, but I've never had it boil over.)
Bake for 30 minutes and then remove from oven. Add another handful of cheese on top and put it back into the oven for 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
As Tink likes to say, "it's time to feast!" Sooooo good. The potatoes don't get crispy at all (like hash browns). They are soft and cheesy and the onions add amazing flavor.
We never have any leftovers! Truly comforting and indulgent. Normally I would add biscuits or cornbread to a casserole to make it a meal, but any addition is completely unnecessary with this dish. So yummy!!!!
I love the old-fashioned, roux-based, macaroni and cheese. The kind that hits your stomach and heads straight to your hips to set up camp. This recipe can be a bit tricky if you have never made a roux before and I'll be the first to admit that it does take quite a while to make. But it is so worth it. I have made the recipes that call for evaporated milk, used to thicken without a roux. Too sweet. I've made the soup-based, quick-cook recipes. Good, but they don't hold a candle to the old-fashioned kind. Now, this recipe is NOT low fat. In fact, put all thoughts about fat content and calories under lock and key in your head and do not let them out until all the mac and cheese is long gone. You'll thank me for that bit of advice.
Ingredients: 3T butter 3T flour ************ 1 cup milk (skim is fine) 1 cup half and half salt 1/2 tsp dry mustard (or 1 tsp prepared Mustard) ************ 8-10 oz. macaroni (your choice of variety), cooked 4 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
A couple of notes: I don't know why I am always out of dry mustard. I can't think of what I use it in but this mac and cheese recipe and I buy it all the time. But I couldn't find any when I went to take pictures of the ingredients, so I used prepared mustard. I have not found that it makes a bit of difference whether you use dry or prepared. I like to use small shells instead of elbow macaroni. The shells have those nice little folds that fill up with cheese sauce.
To make the roux, melt the 3T butter in a large pot and add the flour. Whisk together over medium heat until it boils and then continue whisking constantly while cooking for one minute. You don't want it to brown, but it does need to cook a bit.
With the burner still on medium heat, slowly whisk the milk and half and half into the roux. Add the salt (to taste, I add about a 1/2 tsp) and mustard. Keep whisking...don't stop now! If you don't whisk, the milk will scorch. Now keep whisking until the mixture boils and thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and add 3 cups (or 3 big handfuls) of cheese to the pot and stir. You can definitely add a couple of extra handfuls of cheese. :) Stir until smooth.
Add the macaroni and stir until combined. Pour mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven...
now add that fourth cup of cheese. Sprinkle it on top and bake for 10 more minutes.
You want a bite, don't ya? Mmmmm. The time it takes to prepare this recipe (the whisking sucks, I won't lie) is completely worth it!
A family favorite, I usually make this recipe in a slow cooker, but I made it on the stove top this time because I forgot to start it the night before. :) This meal is easy to make and lasts for at least two nights worth of meals. We usually have one bowl left, which I put in a container and freeze. When we collect enough of these mini meals in the freezer, we have Hodge Podge night and make everything. The kids love it because they can choose exactly what they want. I serve their choices on a cafeteria tray with all those individual compartments. Such fun!
1.5 lbs lean ground beef 1 onion 2 envelopes taco seasoning 3 cans Bush's Best Chili Beans (mild sauce) 1 can light kidney beans 16 oz tomato sauce 1 cup frozen corn (or one can with juice) 1/2 cup water (omit if using canned corn) sour cream cheddar cheese Fritos scoops
Brown the ground beef with the onion and one envelope of the taco seasoning.
At this point you can add the beef and the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker, set on low, and cook overnight or for at least 4 hours. Or just add everything to the pot on the stove and stir. (Do not drain beans.)
Cook for at least 3 hours. The longer the better really as it is even better the next day, like chili and spaghetti sauce. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. We use those large Fritos Scoops to dip, except Tinker Bell who crushes up her Fritos and dumps them in the soup. This recipe is a nice departure from ho-hum taco night. Enjoy!
If your kids are anything like mine they love frozen pizza rolls. I've always felt a little guilty for allowing them to have them, though. So much of what my girls eat is completely homemade that I am hesitant to let them pull out some machine made, frozen concoction with questionable ingredients. This recipe is a healthier version of the traditional pizza rolls, but it will never be health food. :) Still, I controlled the ingredients and that helps my peace of mind.
I had a hard time finding wonton wrappers. Neither one of our local markets carried them. I finally found them at Wal-Mart in the produce section next to the oriental vegetables.
I put one teaspoon of pizza sauce on each wrapper, added a little cheese, and some chopped up pepperoni. I moistened all the edges with water and folded up from the bottom...
then the sides...
folded down the top, and sealed with a little more water.
I sprayed a foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray (Smart Balance) and placed the rolls folded-side down and then sprayed the tops with more cooking spray. I baked them at 400 for 15 minutes.
We did not have any leftovers, but if you did you could wrap them in foil, place them in a freezer bag, and freeze. Reheat in the microwave for a minute or so on high. My girls absolutely loved these pizza rolls. So did hubby!
This recipe is one of my family's favorites. I got it out of one of my many, many cookbooks and gave it a healthy version makeover.
4 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 cup fat free sour cream 1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup (it's 98% fat free) 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 1 small can chopped green chilis, drained 1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (plus a little extra) 6 whole wheat tortillas salsa
Start by shredding your chicken breasts. You can chop them, but shredded tastes better. I don't know why. Mix the chicken, sour cream, soup, onion, chilis, and cheese in a large bowl.
More on the cheese...you can use 2%, of course. Personally, I don't like the taste. I can definitely tell that it is not...well, real cheddar cheese. (I just had a discussion about this with a friend. She says she can't tell, but I can so I don't use it.) It doesn't melt right either. But I do use lowfat mozzarella.
Back to the recipe. Whole wheat tortillas are in a galaxy far, far away from white flour tortillas. They have a better texture, are healthier, and actually add flavor to your dishes. A nutty flavor with depth that white tortillas can only dream about.
Now here's the part where you can experiment. I put about three big spoonfuls of mix onto each tortilla and end up with 6 enchiladas in a 9x13 dish. You could also wrap these like a burrito so that no gooey goodness leaks out, but I just fold them over a couple of times. I like the ends open and bubbly.
I spray the 9x13 with a little cooking spray before adding the enchiladas. It helps with clean-up since the cheese does tend to leak a little. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, remove from oven and add a little more cheese on top, then bake for another 5 minutes.
These taste completely indulgent and are a great comfort food without all the guilt. Except for the cheese...so maybe a tiny bit of guilt. :) Serve them with a little salsa on the side or even some extra sour cream.
There is nothing healthy about this biscuit, but there is no better biscuit recipe on the planet. I write that with a heavy heart because growing up my Georgia born and raised Southern grandmother lived with us and she made buttermilk biscuits every single day. And they were so good. I could cry just thinking about them. But, no matter how many times I made them with her or how many times she walked me through the process, I cannot make her recipe work for me. I don't know what it is! She just had the touch. It breaks my heart that she is not around to make them for us any more. She just used flour, baking powder, Crisco, and buttermilk and they would rise and be absolutely beautiful. When I make them they come out like pancakes. (She would cut them open while they were hot and add extra-sharp cheddar cheese slices. Mmmmmmmm.)
Paula Deen's recipe calls for yeast and the biscuits puff up and are just as tender and moist as they can be. I do, however, add one step that my grandmother never forgot and that takes these biscuits over the top. But first, the ingredients: 1 package yeast 1/2 cup lukewarm water 5 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 tablespoons sugar 3/4 cup Crisco 2 cups buttermilk
Mix the 1/2 cup of water to the yeast and add just a pinch of sugar, which feeds the yeast (or as Tinker Bell says, "the little burpy guys"). Set aside. Meanwhile, pour your two cups of buttermilk into a bowl to let it lose some of its refrigerated cool.
Use a pastry cutter (or two knives) to cut the shortening into the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. It will start out like this:
And end up looking like this:
When your yeast has proofed (about 5 minutes), add it to the buttermilk and stir.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just barely combined. The longer you mix it the tougher your biscuit will be. You want tender, soft biscuits, so barely mix! Then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to your desired thickness. I like them big and fluffy, so I don't pat it out too much and am only able to cut about 7 biscuits before having to reroll. If you flatten the dough you will have flat biscuits. Then you'll think I was lying to you about how much these biscuits puff. :) I use a large cup, not a biscuit cutter.
Place your biscuits (about 12 with leftover dough) onto a greased cookie sheet. Now here is my grandmother's secret touch...rub each biscuit top with buttermilk. Instead of a flat, dull biscuit top you will have a glossy, slightly crisp top.
Paula suggests baking them at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, but my biscuits always require about 15-16 minutes. Aren't they pretty?!!
Serve them with cheddar cheese slices, butter, jam, honey, gravy, or (our family favorite) bacon, egg, and cheese.
I created this food blog when my two girls were young, I was a stay-at-home mom, and I had not yet attended culinary school. Now I'm a classically trained chef with two college-age daughters. This blog will always be so special to me and I hope you enjoy my old recipes.
