Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Bowls

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Bowls

If you're looking for a quick and easy meal to throw in the slow cooker while you're at work, then look no further. This is also great for a busy weekend.

This delicious meal will not only please a crowd, but feed one, too. 

With very little prep work involved, this might just be one of my favorite go-to meals!

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Bowls

               Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time:8-9 hrs on low or

                                                                    4-5 hrs on high

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

2 green bell peppers, cut in strips

1 large onion, sliced

2 packets of fajita seasoning

15.5 ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed

11 ounce can corn, drained

1 cup salsa

Prepared white or brown rice

Toppings: salsa, tomatoes, shredded cheese, cubed avocado, sour cream, etc.

Slice the onion and cut the green pepper and chicken into strips. Place chicken into the slow cooker. Sprinkle the fajita seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa over the chicken and stir with tongs.

Place onions and peppers over chicken.

Before

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. During the last half hour add the black beans and corn. Stir. If you are cooking on low turn it up to high for this part. 

After

Prepare the white or brown rice. 

Spoon the chicken mixture over the rice.

Top with your favorite toppings from the list above or add your own. 

So Delicious!!! 

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Bowls

About 10 servings.

Enjoy!

Until next time!

The Best Pot Roast

Now that I'm old...this is where you say, "OH, you're not old!". Go ahead, I'll wait. Okay, now that that's settled we can continue. Now that some people may be getting older (but not me, remember) they might not enjoy the cold, ice and snow. 

Who wants to deal with that? You have to get all bundled up, shovel the sidewalks and driveway, scrape the car, and deal with people who drive like maniacs as if its sunny and 70º outside. 

No thank you!

The only thing I do enjoy about this kind of weather is having an excuse to stay home and make a good old fashioned, stick to your ribs recipe. 

This is one of them. 

The Best Pot Roast

The Best Pot Roast

Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 3hrs 10mins

3 pound (or as close as you can get) chuck roast

1 pound mushrooms, I prefer baby bella, cut in half

3 carrots, cut into 2 or 3 inch pieces

1 onion, quartered

2 ½ cups beef broth

¾ cup burgundy cooking wine (or just use ¾ cup more of beef broth or water)

2 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning

2 tbsp oil, plus more if needed

2 tsp of chopped fresh thyme and rosemary, 

The Best Pot Roast ingredients

Preheat oven to 275º.

 In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the chuck roast. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Montreal steak seasoning. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn roast over and sprinkle with remaining seasoning. Add more oil if needed. sear for 2 to 3 minutes. continue to sear on all sides for 2 to 3 minutes. You might have to use your tongs to hold the roast up on the narrow sides.

Add all remaining ingredients starting with the liquids and ending with the fresh herbs.

Ready to go into the oven.

Cover and cook for 3 hours. 

So this is where I feel the need to tell you that you do NOT need to take the lid off at any point during the cooking time to take a peek. If you do you'll be sorry. You won't have a fabulous fork-tender roast if you mess with it while it's in the oven. I mean it!

Once you get to the 3 hour mark, take the dutch oven out of the oven and let sit with the lid on for about 10 minutes. Then take the lid off and let it sit for another 10 minutes.

This will give you time to work on your sides. I enjoy my roast with mashed potatoes and oven-roasted green beans. 

Use the pan juices as a gravy for your roast and mashed potatoes if you are serving them with your roast. 

The Best Pot Roast

Tip: If you have a big dutch oven go ahead and add more veggies. Mine is small and I don't want to add too much at one time. I also like another veg on the side.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

Until next time!

Crab Bisque

I love soup!
Not so much the canned kind but the homemade kind. 

No matter what the season, soup is a nice go-to meal.
It's especially satisfying during the fall and winter months.

This is one of my favorites.

Crab Bisque

 

Crab Bisque

Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 30-40 minutes

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2-3 tbsp butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups chicken stock or broth

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

¼ cooking sherry

8 ounces crab meat, preferably claw

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Chopped onion, celery, and carrots.

In a large pot, cook butter and finely chopped veggies over medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes. Veggies should be cooked through and soft.

Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a low boil for 2-3 minutes. 

Add all other ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Crab Bisque

 Serves 4-6 

Enjoy!

Until next time!

Apple Dumplings

Apple Dumpling

It's officially Fall, y'all. It's time for apple picking, hay rides, visiting haunted houses, and pumpkin spice flavored everything. 

More importantly, it's time for pot roasts, big pots of soup, and APPLE DUMPLINGS.

These sweet treats mean fall to me and they are so easy to make.

Apple Dumplings

prep time: 10 mins  Cook time: 45 mins

1 package refrigerated pie crusts

2 granny smith apples

1 orange

¼ cup butter

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ heavy whipping cream

3 tsp ground cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 350º.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Cut in half. 

Squeeze the orange and set juice aside.

Use an apple, peeler, corer, slicer to prepare apples.(If you don't have one of those gadgets it's okay. You can do those things by hand.) Cut each prepared apple in half.

Place ½ of apple on the ½ of pie crust. Top with 1 tablespoon each of butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of fresh squeeze orange juice. Sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Repeat with remaining pie crust and apples. 

Brush heavy cream around edges of pie crust. Fold crust up towards top so that no apple is showing.

Place in baking pan. Brush top and sides with heavy cream. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon.

Bake at 350º for about 45 minutes.

Apple Dumpling

Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

Serves 4. 

Yummy!

Enjoy! 

Until next time! 

Copycat Pineapple Dole Whips

Copycat Pineapple Dole Whips

Who wishes they were in a Disney park having a Dole Whip right now? 

Me! (Can't get my hand up fast enough).

When my mind has time to wonder, I'm thinking about my last trip or figuring out how I can get there again. Then I start to think about the food and the treats that I know I love and the ones that I want to try next time I'm there. 

Pineapple Dole Whips are on my list of, "I've had many times but a trip isn't complete without having."

My version is a little different since I don't have a soft serve machine at my house but they are easy and just plain pineapple goodness.

Copycat Pineapple Dole Whips

2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1 inch chunks, frozen 

½ cup vanilla almond milk, plus 2 tbsps if needed

1 tbsp sugar

 

Only 3 ingredients!

Freeze several cups of fresh pineapple so you can easily make these at the last minute. Don't forget to have almond milk on hand.

Put the three ingredient's in the food processor on high until smooth and creamy. Add a few extra tablespoons of almond milk if needed.

  

That's all it takes!

Serve with a chunk of fresh pineapple.

Serves 4 (½ cup servings)

To make a copycat dole whip float just add some 100% unsweetened pineapple juice to the whip.

Copycat Pineapple Dole Whip and Float

Enjoy! 

Until next time!

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

It's been way too hot to cook around here lately! And who want's to eat when it's 100º with 96% humidity? Not me!

This dish is a quick and easy meal for those kinds of days. Buy a rotisserie chicken then all you have to do is boil the pasta. So easy. 

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad 

Prep time: minimal    Cook time: about 10 minutes+chill time

1 pound box Cellentani or Cavatappi pasta, cooked according to package directions

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

½ cup real bacon bits

2 tomatoes, diced

fresh herbs, chopped

¼ cup barbecue sauce

BBQ-Ranch Dressing

1 cup ranch salad dressing

½ cup barbecue sauce

The ingredients minus the real bacon bits. Oops.

 In small bowl mix the ranch dressing and ½ cup barbecue sauce. 

Toss the cooked chicken with the ¼ cup barbecue sauce.

Add the BBQ coated chicken, cheese, bacon bits, diced tomatoes, and herbs to the cooked pasta. Stir.

Add the BBQ-Ranch Dressing and stir will. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

  

You can add any veggie that you like. I used what I had on hand and what the family likes. 

The amount of servings you get out of this depends on whether this will be your main dish or a side dish. I'd say 6-12 servings.

Enjoy! 

Until next time!

Tomato, Basil, and Balsamic Pasta

This quick and easy recipe is great for a week night meal!

When those tomatoes start coming in faster than you can eat them you can add this recipe to your rotation. 

Tomato, Basil, and Balsamic Pasta

Tomato, Basil, and Balsamic Pasta

Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 15 minutes

½ pound dry angel hair pasta 

2 cups grape tomatoes

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped

about 10 leaves of fresh basil, chopped or torn into small pieces

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp crushed red pepper 

salt and pepper to taste (about ½ tsp each)

¼ - ½ cup reserved pasta water 

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve some of the water used to boil the pasta.

 Cut the grape tomatoes in half.

 Sauté oil and garlic.

Add butter to the the pan. 

Add the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

When the tomatoes are soft and the balsamic has thickened, reduce heat to low and add the angel hair pasta, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.

Stir and add ¼ - ½ cup reserved pasta water and stir again.

Remove from heat. Add the basil and Parmesan cheese. Stir.

Serves 4-6

Enjoy!

Until next time!