Crockpot Queso Dip

A lot of things I have been making lately are crockpot recipes.  There are a bunch of new crockpot recipe facebook pages, and I've become addicted to them!  I made this dip twice this weekend, and it has already been requested for our next family get together!

Crockpot Queso Dip

1 package cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 can rotel
1 can southwest or Mexican-style corn

Mix all ingredients in small crock pot.  Cook until melted (about 3 hours on high).  Serve with tortilla chips or carrots/celery.

the ingredients

Just add everything to the crockpot

Stir it every once in awhile while it is cooking.  This is what it looks like partially done.

The final product!  Just serve with tortilla chips or cut up veggies.  YUM! :)

Cream Cheese Chicken- Crockpot Recipe!

This recipe is DELICIOUS!  Someone on the new Crock Pot Girls Facebook page recommended this to me, and I adapted it a little to make it work for us.  My boyfriend does NOT like cheesy things that are not actually cheese (e.g. cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese) and he raved about this!  I served it with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies.  Yum yum!  Enjoy!! :)

Cream Cheese Chicken- Crockpot

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
1/3 c. water
1 8oz. package cream cheese
1 c. sour cream

Combine chicken, Italian mix and water in crockpot.  Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 2 hours.  Mix in cream cheese and sour cream and cook for additional 2 hours.

The Ingredients

Put the chicken breasts, water and Italian dressing mix in the crockpot and cook for a few hours

What it will look like after cooking for a few hours... time to add the other ingredients!

The sour cream and cream cheese just mixed in... it looks kind of gross at this step, but don't worry... amazingness is on its way and will be here in just a few short hours!

All done... stupid lighting made it look funny!  YUM!

All plated up!  By the way, the sauce is excellent on the chicken... and the mashed potatoes.... and the veggies!  I wish I had made extra of this one!!

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Pizza

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Pizza

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 tbsp. butter
6 oz. hot sauce
1 c. bleu cheese dressing (Marie's is best)
10" ready-made pizza crust, or 1 ball of prepared pizza dough
1 1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Boil chicken for about 30 minutes and shred.  In separate pan, melt butter and hot sauce together, then stir in chicken.  Roll out pizza dough, making sure that it isn't too thin.  Flour both sides of the pizza dough.  Transfer dough to preheated grill over low heat.  When dough is done on one side, it will be a brown-ish color.  Flip the dough over and  spread bleu cheese on.  Top with hot sauce/chicken mixture and mozzarella cheese.  Remove pizza from grill when it is a brown color.

WARNING:  In the ingredients picture, there is Frank's Extra Hot Sauce.  DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT get this extra hot sauce unless you like extremely spicy things.  I accidentally picked some up at the store, and it was SPICY!  I think my boyfriend and I each had 2 glasses of water with dinner.  Besides this extra hot sauce, the pizza was delicious!!! :)

The ingredients

Boil and shred chicken.  I used about 1 lb. chicken (4 chicken tenders)

Place chicken and butter in saucepan

When the butter is melted, the sauce will look like this.

Add chicken to the hot sauce/butter mixture

Roll the pizza dough out... make sure it isn't too thin!

I always bring a tray out to the grill with everything I need on it... it makes it so much simpler!  On the right is the Pampered Chef Mega Lifter.  It is the best invention for grilled pizza... if you don't have one of these, a couple of spatulas will work.  If you plan to make a lot of grilled pizza though, I definitely recommend getting one of these!

The pizza on the grill... Grilled pizzas never turn out round!

The pizza will look like this when it is ready to be flipped.

The pizza flipped over... I guess it is a little over-done.  Whoops!!!

As soon as you flip it over, spread the bleu cheese on

Top it with the chicken mixture

Then put the Mozzarella cheese on top of that.  After you put the cheese on top, close the lid of the grill to give the cheese a chance to melt.

Finished pizza, straight off the grill! 

5 Minute Dinner

My boyfriend has named this meal the '5 Minute Dinner.'  It literally takes 5 minutes of prep time and is easy-peasy!

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits (adapted from joyfulabode.com)

Biscuits: 
2 c. Bisquick
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used Mozzarella and Cheddar)
2/3 c. milk
Topping:
4 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. parsley

Biscuits:  Combine all dry ingredients, then add milk.  Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, or until slightly brown- make sure not to over-do them!  When finished baking, pour topping over the top.

Topping:  In the last few minutes of baking, melt all ingredients together in a microwave-safe dish.  When biscuits are finished baking, place them in a large bowl and pour the butter mixture over the top.


Easiest-Ever Baked Pasta

1 pkg. pasta, any kind you like (I used shells)
1 jar pasta sauce, any kind you like (I used Barrilla Tomato and Herb)
1 1/2 cups cheese (I used Mozzarella and Parmesan)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta and combine with entire jar of pasta sauce and 1 cup of cheese.  Spread into 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Biscuits:

 Ingredients

mix all of the dry ingredients together, then add the milk

 

the dough will be super sticky, and should look like this

 

the biscuits don't spread much during baking, so place them about an inch apart

 

in the last few minutes of baking, put all of the topping ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about a minute

biscuits!!

Pasta:

the pasta ingredients

I put the pasta in a 9x13 baker after it was drained

and mixed the sauce

and the cheese right in the pan

sprinkle some cheese on top

and the finished pasta!

Final Product:

What is 'Up-Home Cooking?'

I was born and mostly raised in Upstate NY.  'Mostly' because I was lucky enough to grow up in a military family, and military families move around quite a bit.  In my travels, I had opportunities to experience different cultures, lifestyles and cuisines.  If I had always lived in Upstate NY, I probably wouldn't have tried all different types of foods and been exposed to many different types of cooking.  I have always loved good, 'down-home,' southern cooking, but I have learned to put my own spin on it because of all of the different types of food I have grown to love, thus... Up-Home Cooking!