Minty Thins

It really can't get much easier than this and still be homemade. Three, maybe four ingredients and you get a sweet treat that you can keep for yourself or give as a gift. 

 Valentine's Day is right around the corner so why not make some of these treats for the special people in your life. 

But hey, don't just make them for Valentine's Day. They're great for any occasion. Just switch the sprinkles/sugar to go with the holiday, grad party, 4th of July party, etc. and you've got yourself an easy party treat. 

Minty Thins



Minty Thins

Prep time: 2 mins  Cook time: 10 mins


10 ounce bag of dark chocolate melting wafers
¾ teaspoon of pure peppermint extract
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers

Optional: Flavored sugars and assorted sprinkles. I used rainbow sprinkles and peppermint sugar.


Step 1: In a double boiler or following package directions for microwave, melt the chocolate wafers. Stir until smooth. Like the Grammy award winning song by Santana featuring Rob Thomas. Let's just see how many of you are paying attention to this recipe :)

Step 2: Add the peppermint extract and stir.

Step 3: Add a Ritz cracker, top down, to the chocolate.

Step 4: Flip the cracker over to coat with chocolate and tap utensil on side of double boiler. 

 

Step 5: Place on wax paper lined baking sheet and top with decorative sugars and/or sprinkles.

That's it! It's thin and it's minty so I call it a Minty Thin.
 I'm pretty sure there's a trademark on Thin Mints so I had to come up with something different.

Makes about 30 Minty Thins.

I used to buy dark chocolate wafers with the mint flavor already in them but I can no longer find them. If you can then go ahead and buy them!

Enjoy! 

Until Next time! 

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

Did you ever want to make homemade soup but you didn't feel like standing in front of the stove for a long time? That's how I feel all the time. That's why I like to get the slow cooker out and let it do it's thing. 

I also like prep to be as quick as possible (as you know if you have read previous posts), because I always have something else I need to be doing. Especially at this time of year. 

You can put the ingredients in the slow cooker and go about your business for three or four hours before you need to move to the next step. Perfect for getting other things accomplished. 

This soup starts with a few basic ingredients, including one that you most likely reserve for all your queso dip needs.  

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

                  Prep time: 15 minutes    Cook time: 3-5 hours

2-4 Cups broccoli, chopped

1 small onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

10.5 ounce can Cream of Broccoli soup
10.5 ounce can of Cream of Chicken soup

1- 32 ounce box chicken broth

1 pound Velveeta, cubed

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup milk, half and half, or heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

The first six ingredients.

Add the first six ingredients to the slow cooker. 

Remember, you are in charge of how much broccoli you want in your soup and how big you want the pieces to be. 

Add the salt and pepper.

Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. If you are near the slow cooker you can stir it occasionally. 

When the veggies are tender add the cheese and milk.

Stir. Continue to cook on high until cheese is melted. Turn to low until ready to serve.

This soup goes great with your favorite sandwich, salad, or all by itself.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup


Serves: It's hard to tell because my family devours this soup. I'm going to guess that it serves about 6-8, 1 cup servings.

Enjoy!


Until next time!

Campfire Banana Packets

In the Spring of this year my husband and I went for a walk around a local state park. While walking around the lake we reminisced about the time we camped there when the kids were young. We were all, "Remember when we camped at that site?", and "That was so much fun." 

That led to one of us deciding we should get the adult children to go camping with us over the summer for old times sake. 

As the decided upon date approached, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of brain cramp I suffered to agree to this trip. Don't get me wrong. I used to enjoy camping but as I eventually moved up to camping in a camper, I couldn't see the appeal of going back to tent camping. 

So I dug out all our old camping gear. I scrubbed, organized, planned and worked my behind off leading up the trip. 

I'm positive that one of the reasons I decided to go camping was the anticipation of having a Campfire Banana Packet.

There are many great duos: Tortilla chips and salsa, chips and dip, tomato soup and grilled cheese, peas and carrots, Forrest and Jenny, but the best is CHOCOLATE and PEANUT BUTTER.   

All turned out well and we had a great time. The Campfire Banana packets were as good as I remembered!

Campfire Banana Packets

Campfire Banana Packets

Prep time: minimal    Cook time: 15-20mins

Ingredients are per packet:

1 banana

2 Tbsps of peanut butter 

about 5 pieces of a Hershey's chocolate bar 

Square of aluminum foil

1 campfire

I have way to many Hershey's bars in this picture for 1 packet. Oops.

With a sharp knife, slice the banana with the peel still on down the center lengthwise. Be careful not to slice all the way through the peel on the bottom of banana.

Evenly spread the peanut butter down the center with the back of a spoon or a butter knife. 

Place the chocolate squares on top of the peanut butter, pushing them down into the center.

Almost ready for the fire.

Make a packet by folding the long sides of the foil up and folding over. Leave some air space so that your chocolate and peanut butter won't stick to the foil.

Place on a rack over the campfire. I check mine after 10 minutes but usually cook it for longer. Cook time depends on size of fire, how close the packet is to the fire and the size of the banana. When everything is nice and melted and the banana is slightly soft it's good to go!

This is why I agreed to go camping. :)

Campfire Banana Packets ready to eat!

If there is a vegan in your life you can just skip the chocolate bar and add some vegan marshmallows.

Shout-out to my mother-in-law for introducing me to this camp snack many years ago. Of course it involves chocolate!

Enjoy!

Until next time!

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!