Crock Pot Nachos

This recipe came from HERE, I made a change or two. SUPER yummy and easy!

1lb. ground beef, browned

1/2 yellow onion chopped

1 can refried beans

1 can dark read kidney beans- undrained

2 Tbs. Tomato paste

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

garlic powder (I did about a tsp.) Or a couple fresh garlic cloves minced on the meat while it and the onion cook would be good.

salt and pepper to taste.

Brown meat, add onion to cook with it. Put in crock pot. Add refried beans, kidney beans (undrained), water, taco seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well. Cook on low for 3 -4 hours.

Now you can use this to make nachos, add some lettuce, sour cream, olives, salsa con queso, tomatoes, whatever.

I decided to fry up some of the uncooked flour tortilla's I had and make a taco salad/flying saucer type meal. You can get the uncooked tortilla's in the refrigerator section at the store, usually by the pie dough. I cook mine on my stove top in my big boiling pot with some heated canola oil. It usually just takes a minute or two to cook each side.

I then took the cooked tortilla, added the meat mixture, some nacho cheese that I got from Fry's deli section, shredded lettuce, olives and for me that was just like I like it. It was a HUGE hit at our house. And the leftovers will be great in a pinch for a quick lunch or snack.

I was too hungry to stop and take a picture before I ate mine and Jeff attacked his before I could snap a pic of his put together either.

**ETA lately we have been eating this over tortilla chips super easy, cheap, and yummy! Also I almost never have tomato paste on hand and I am not buying it just to use a little in this so I will usually just squirt some ketchup in, but leaving it out won't change the taste really.

Shepard's Pie

Shepard's Pie (EASY)

Ground Beef- Browned, as much as you like. Since this is a meat/potatoes meal I do about a full pound.
1 Can Tomato Soup
1 Small Can Tomato Sauce
1/2 Onion- Chopped
3 cloves of Garlic- minced
2 cups Frozen Green Beans (prepared as directed)
1 Pouch Favorite Instant Mashed Potatoes
Cheese- Optional

Brown ground beef, add onion and minced garlic as you cook. When meat cooked through add can of soup and tomato sauce and I usually throw in half a soup can of water. Mix well. Add cooked green beans and let simmer.

Make mashed potatoes as directed. Instant is just faster for me and the boys and Jeff love them and we don't like a thick coat of mashed potatoes, if you do you can make more of them.

In a 9x13 pan put in meat mixture. Spread mashed potatoes on top. You can top with cheese if you want and throw it in the oven for a few moments to melt. We don't like cheese that much though so I skip that part.

We all love this dish and I love it because it has everything I need for a well rounded meal, meat, carbs, veggie all in one!

Ranch Chicken

Since I have been down with morning sickness my mother in law made us this dinner the other night. I wasn't so sure at first, especially since my husband hates the smell of ranch, but it was a HUGE hit and all three of the boys gobbled it down. The amounts are guestimates on how much as no one had a hard copy of the recipe and just throws it together.

2-3 cups Corn Flakes, crushed up (I put them in a Ziploc bag and smashed and rolled with a rolling pin, if I had a food processor I would imagine that would work way better and faster).
1 cup Parmesan cheese (just the dry stuff from the store)
1 envelope of ranch mix dry.

Mix all these together, you may or may not use it all.

Chicken (I cooked up 12 tenderloins)
Melted butter

Sprinkle some dry mix on a plate, have another plate with some melted butter. Take chicken, if using chicken breasts you can cut them up so they will cook faster. I used tenderloins, dip them in the melted butter and then roll in the dry mixture. Place in a greased pan.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. This is how long I put the tenderloins in for, if you use whole chicken breasts adjust time accordingly.

Baked Ziti

Thanks Andrea for this recipe! It was a HUGE hit at our house. WARNING, it makes a TON, it will easily feed my family of 4 for 3 meals and then probably Jeff and I for another meal. Next time I will half it I think.

Baked Ziti
1 lb Ziti or Penne pasta
1 lb. ground beef (I used about 2/3's lb.)
1/2 onion- chopped
1 big Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I used Ragu's Tomato, Garlic and Onion and got the big Jar from Walmart)
6 slices of provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream (I only used about 1/2 cup)
1-2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Brown beef with onion until cooked, drain fat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

In 9x13 deep baking dish, spray with non-stick spray. Layer in this order: 1/2 cooked pasta, 6 slices of provolone, sour cream (spread across the whole layer), 1/2 meat sauce, rest of pasta, Mozzarella cheese, rest of meat sauce, then top with some Parmesan cheese. Pan will be full! I put a baking sheet underneath to catch any boil over.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

*The boys absolutely loved this meal! Jeff's only request was to maybe leave out the "ricotta" cheese next time, he meant the sour cream but shhh we won't tell him it was really sour cream, he hates the stuff!

Chicken Squares

This is an older recipe of mine, but a good one. I don't make it that often but when I do it is always a huge hit and I wonder why I don't make it more. This is my own spin on this recipe (also known as chicken triangles or pillows). The original calls for more of the cream cheese and butter but I have cut it back to lower the fat and it is even better in my opinion!

2 cans of crescent rolls

3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (I always do tenderloins and usually throw 7 or 8 in my crockpot earlier in the day on low to cook)

1/2 bunch of green onions chopped

4 oz of cream cheese room temp (original recipe calls for 6-8 oz)

2 Tbs Butter room temp (original recipe calls for 5-6)

salt and pepper to taste

OPT: I add some finely chopped broccoli to sneak different veggies into my kids diets. I just buy some broccoli crowns fresh from the store and chop up 5 or 6 in my handy dandy food chopper, love that thing.

Pre heat oven to 375. Put crescent rolls to the side. Mix everything else together in a big bowl. Take crescent rolls and take a triangle and put a good spoonful (I have never measured it but it is probably about 1-2 Tbs) into the bigger end of it and roll crescent roll around it sealing edges at the end. Place in greased 9x13 dish. Repeat with all your rolls.

Opt: at this time you can top the rolls with a little melted butter (about a Tbs) and some croutons smashed up. I do it if I have them on hand.

Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, the rolls should be golden brown. Also be careful to not pack your dish too tight, I have used a smaller baking dish and had to kind of smash the rolls in there and they didn't bake as well in between, still yummy though.

Spaghetti Sauce (or for Lasagna)

1- 28 oz can crushed tomato
1- 8oz can tomato sauce
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. basil
ground pepper- I just do a few shakes from the shaker
Ground Beef- browned (Optional)

Mix everything but the ground beef in pan, bring to a boil and then turn heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add beef anytime after it boils. Add to spaghetti or into Lasagna. Great simple home made sauce. Thanks to my sister in law Kendell for sharing this one, my family loves it and it is easy and cheap to make! (My recipe is slightly different from hers but she makes it this way too and she is a great cook!)

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

1 Tbs Cornstarch
1 Tbs cold Water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic- minced
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. In a small sauce pan combine all ingredients and heat on low heat until thicken and bubbles. Brush onto chicken, you can use thighs, breasts or tenderloins. I like to take breast and cut it up into bite size peices and thread onto scewers and place in baking pan. Brush meat every 10 minutes while cooking. With the scewers or tenderloins this will only take about 20 minutes (and I brush every 5 or so), with the thighs or breast you will have to cook for about an hour or more. You could also grill the meat if you want to.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 8 oz block 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 cans chicken broth(melt these two in crock pot til well blended)

Then add:
1 large can Las Palmas Green Enchilada Sauce
1 pint Land O Lakes Fat Free Half N Half
1 can corn
Chicken (I use Wal-Mart’s Lemon Chicken from the Deli Section)
1 1/4 cup Instant Rice

Cook til well blended and rice is done. The longer you cook it, the thicker it gets. I put brand names in the recipe because I have used just about everything and it comes out best with these brand names.

I got this recipe from a girl that was in my Bunko group, it is super yummy!

Chip's Meatloaf

This recipe comes from one of my Dad's good friends and is super yummy!

2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
3/4 cup milk
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper (I use lemon pepper)

Mix ingredients together and put in loaf pan, or I mix and make 6 little "loaves" out of them and place in a 9x13 pan.

Topping:
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbs. mustard
3 Tbs. brown sugar

Mix together and spread on top. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and a 1/2 for the 1 loaf or 350 for an hour for the six little loaves.

No Peek Beef Stew

1-2 lbs Stew Meat (I use London Broil that I cut up and take any fat off of)-seared brown with a little olive oil on the stove, then transfer to crock pot.
4 stalks Celery- cut up
1 cup of carrots cut up
1/4 onion cut up
2-3 baking potatoes with skin on cubed
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs Dry Tapioca (you can find it in the baking isle usually by the gelatin mix)
1 Tbs Sugar
1 can tomato soup
1/2 can of water

Cut up all vegetables, put everything in crock pot, stir and cook on low for 5-6 hours without removing lid.

Baked Potato Soup

4 or 5 Large Baking Potatoes
6 cups milk (I use 2%)
2/3 cups butter
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Milk Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup g. onion
10 slices bacon, cook and broken in small pieces

Pierce skin of potatoes and bake at 400 for 1 hour. Remove and let cool completely. Once cooled remove from skins and break into bite size pieces in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large pot melt butter and add flour, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add milk. making sure to combine well, add salt and pepper. Over medium/high heat bring to a low boil, stirring constantly let boil for 2 minutes. Stir constantly and watch so it doesn't burn (milk can curdle!).

Add potatoes, cheese, stir until cheese melts. Stir in sour cream and then the onions. Cook over low heat until soup is heated all the way through or put into crock pot and put on low heat. If you don't eat right away stir every 20 minutes or so or the cream may start to separate.

Top with Bacon, more green onions and cheese to taste.

Taco Soup

1 lb of ground hamburger –browned or you can use some cooked chicken.
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes- the one’s with Green Chile’s in them.
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 can of corn- drained
2 can of kidney beans- rinsed
1/4th onion- chopped
2 Tbs. chili powder
1- 1 1/2 cup water
V8 juice (however much to get it to a consistency of where you want it)

Brown hamburger, when almost done add chopped onion (as much as you like) and some chili powder (about a tsp). Add rest of ingredients to a big pot or crock pot. Add meat when done cooking, add a little more chili powder if you want it spicier. If cooking on stove top bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes. If crock pot, you can cook on low for at least 4 hours. You can then top with cheese and sour cream if you like. I usually serve cornbread with this.

Southwest Chicken

I found this on a blog, not sure where and made it tonight. It was a HUGE hit! Super easy and CHEAP, just the way we like it!

8-10 frozen tenderloins
1 jar of salsa (approx 16 oz)
1 can of Corn (drained)
1 can of Kidney beans (drained and rinsed, or you can use black beans)

Throw all that in the crock pot and cook on low for about 6 hours, then you can eat it just like it is with some tortilla chips, make a salad out of it and throw it on some lettuce with some sour cream and guac, or tonight I put it in some tortillas with cheese and lettuce and made soft tacos. It made up a TON and took all of 5 minutes tops to make.

Pork Roast

Got this recipe HERE. It was super moist and EASY!

Favorite Pork Roast

Pork Sirloin Tip Roast (they come in a 3 pack at Costco-and (BONUS)are 98% Fat Free)
Ranch dressing mix (the dry packet)
1/2 cup of water

You simply put the roast in the crockpot(they are about 2lbs), sprinkle on about 1/2 of the ranch dressing packet. Fill the crockpot about 1/2 cup of water and cook on low for about 5-8 hours. The roast is done when you can easily shred it up with your fork. Super tender and flavorful!

*I started with my roast partially frozen and so I cooked on high in the crockpot for the first 1 1/2 hours or so then flipped to low and kept at low for another 6-7 hours.

Shepard's Pie

This is one recipe I use the rest of that roast (from recipe below) for. I found it on another blog (love blog hopping) and have made a few adjustments to it.

1lb of shredded beef
1/2 onion finely diced
6-8 red potatoes (peeled and boiled)
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 beef bullion cube
A couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 cups of carrots sliced
2 cups of sweet frozen corn
2 Tbs butter
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Litely butter a 9x8 pan. Peel and boil potatoes. While potatoes are boiling, in a skillet heat up beef and onion. In a bowl whisk together tomato paste, water, milk and bullion cube. Once onion is cooked and beef is heated up add the sauce to the beef. Saute until the liquid is absorbed a little bit and thickens, add a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

Transfer meat to the buttered pan. In same pan heat 2 Tbs butter, add carrots and cook til tender, then add corn to heat. Add to pan on top of meat.

Mash the potatoes, add the 1/2 stick of butter, sour cream and any more milk you may need and mash until they are at a consistency you like. *Add in cheese if you would like.

Spread Potatoes over the top of the veggies and sprinkle with more cheese if you would like.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Sunday Roast

2-3 lb Eye of Round
2 Tbs Oil (Olive or Canola)
1 can Beef Broth/Beef Consume (either one)
1 envelope of Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 can of water
Onion (sliced) *Opt.

Optional:
Red Potatoes
Carrots

Place oil in a skillet and sear roast on all sides, just enough to brown it and seal the juices. Then place in crock pot. Pour in 1 can of soup, water and sprinkle onion soup mix on top. If you do the onion slice and place over roast (we don't eat the onion, it just gives the roast some good flavor).

If you are adding your veggies to cook halve the potatoes and tuck around the roast and throw in the carrots.

Cook on High in Crock Pot for 3-4 hours then flip to low and cook for at least another 4-5 hours.

**We eat half the roast for one dinner and then I use the rest of it in another meal.**

Chicken Rolls

2 packages crescent rolls (8 ct)
6 oz cream cheese- softened
3/4 cup butter- room temp
1 bundle green onion chopped
1 lb. cooked chicken- shredded

Combine cream cheese and butter in a bowl, add green onion and chicken, set aside. On a floured surface take a crescent roll and slightly roll out, add a spoonful or two to the bigger end and then fold roll around it and pinch closed. Place in a greased 9x13 pan, do to all rolls lining up in pan. Top with some melted butter or margarine and crushed croutons if you want. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

There is a sauce for these, but we like it just like this, and I have never used the sauce and don't have the recipe for that.

Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce

I got this recipe from a copy cat website and it tastes just the same, although the cheeses can be a bit expensive, BUT you can freeze them to make them last, just make sure you freeze them in the amount you need them for this recipe. This is Jeff's favorite dish out and so I made it for our anniversary one year.



1/2 Tbs Garlic Puree
1 cup Butter
1 qt. heavy whipping cream

4oz of whole or 2% milk

1/2 a pound of Parmesan Cheese (fresh if possible)
2 oz of Fontina cheese (found in the specialty cheese area)

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp of Pepper




In a saucepan brown Garlic Puree in some of the butter, add rest of butter and melt. Then add the Heavy Cream, milk, both cheeses, and salt and pepper. Stir on Med/High until cheeses melt and sauce starts to thicken (about 10 minutes). Turn heat to low and continue to stir occasionally, sauce will thicken more over the next 10 minutes or so. As it is simmering I like to add some steamed broccoli and cooked shrimp or chicken and then serve over fettuccine.

Chicken and Broccoli

I have heard of this called Chicken Divan also, but this is my own variation of it to what my family likes.

Chicken-cooked and shredded
Broccoli- 4 cups cooked
2 Tbs Butter/Margarine
Basil Seasoning
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can of water
1/2 cup Mayo
Shredded Cheese (I use colby jack or whatever I have on hand)
Cooked Rice

Cook Broccoli and put in a greased 9x13 pan, then put cooked and shredded chicken on top of that. Take your 2 tbs of margarine (or butter) melt it and add some Basil seasoning (I usually add about a Tbs or so) mix and drizzle over the chicken and broccoli. In a separate bowl mix up Cream of Chicken Soup, 1 can of Water (if I boiled chicken I will use the water that I used for that for some extra flavor) and the mayo, mix together and pour over Chicken. (Now we all hate the little pieces of Chicken from the soup mix so I run it through a strainer to eliminate that). Top with some shredded cheese if you have it and want it. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Cook up some rice and put the chicken mixture over the top of it and enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti

Yummy twist on an old favorite!

Noodles- Cooked

1 egg
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Sauce- Favorite kind, for us I just brown up 1/2 lb of ground hamburger and add the Prego meat spaghetti sauce.

In a bowl combine egg and both kinds of cheese and mix, when noodles done cooking and drained put in bowl (while still hot) and mix and let cheese melt. In a greased 9X13 pan put noodle mixture then top with sauce and some more shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes, until cheese is melted.

I came up with this when Jeff and Corbin complained about not liking plain spaghetti, Corbin wouldn't eat it because it was saucy and he didn't like that, so I decided to try this out and see how they liked it. The noodles absorb some of the sauce, and it gets thick just like with Lasagna, but easier to make!