Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

2 lbs. chicken breasts or tenderloins, I used 10-12 tenderloins

freeze dried red onion (equivalent of 1 onion)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2, 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, undrained

1 medium green pepper, chopped

8 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

2 t. Italian seasoning

Natures seasoning blend, to taste

cooked rice or pasta to serve over

fresh parsley, chopped, optional

fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Place liner in crockpot. Place everything except last 3 ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over cooked rice or pasta. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese. Serve with Caesar salad.

*Chicken may be shredded or chopped, once it is done, and returned back to crockpot to serve.

**For a richer, thicker sauce: Uncover the crockpot and set it to cook on HIGH for 1 hour to allow the sauce to thicken and the flavor to develop fully. Before serving, stir in 1 t. balsamic vinegar. Taste, and season, with additional seasonings if needed. 

Orange Juice Cake

2 1/2 c. SR flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

3.4oz box instant lemon pudding mix, dry

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

3 eggs

2 t. vanilla

3/4 c. orange juice

3/4 c. oil

Glaze:

1 1/3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. orange juice

3 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt or angel food cake pan. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar, dry pudding, and butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, orange juice and oil. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, batter will be thick. Pour into pan. Bake 50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out mostly clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert cake onto serving plate. Poke holes all over cake with toothpick while cake is still hot. Combine glaze ingredients. (May need to warm in microwave slightly to dissolve powdered sugar completely.) Pour glaze over cake and allow cake to rest for at least 30 minutes to absorb glaze before serving.

*This cake was very tasty. It reminded me of my grandmother's Apricot Nectar cake, but it was more dense.

Edible Playdoh

1/4 c. instant vanilla pudding*

1 c. cornstarch, divided

warm water

Combine dry pudding mix with 1/2 c. cornstarch. Add water. Stir with a fork until the right consistency for you. Keep stirring until all the water is absorbed. The dough will be very sticky. Don't try to pick it up with your fingers yet. Add in more cornstarch, a little at a time. When it gets too hard to stir with a fork, knead with your hands. Keep adding cornstarch until no longer sticky. You may not need all the cornstarch.

 *Jello can also be used to make different colors.

Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake with Sour Cream Icing

1 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 t. cinnamon

2 c. SR flour

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1 t. instant coffee dissolved in 1 T. hot water, optional

Icing:

1 c. sour cream

1 c. powdered sugar

1 c. heavy cream*, or condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 10" springform pan, bundt pan, or 9x13 pan. Cream together the butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, continue beating until thick and light. Sift together the cocoa, cinnamon, and flour. With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 4 portions, alternating with the buttermilk and coffee, beat until all is well blended. Pour the batter in pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Run a knife around the outside edge of the cake and let the cake cool completely in the pan. Make the icing just before you need it. Combine the sour cream and powdered sugar. Whip the heavy cream until stiff. Mix the two creams together. Release the cake onto the serving platter. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into layers if desired. Spread icing over one layer, carefully place the other layer on top and spread remaining icing on top and sides. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

*To make heavy cream: melt 1/4 c. butter and slowly whisk in 3/4 c. whole milk.

*condensed milk can also be used instead of whipped heavy cream, but you will need to adjust the amount of powdered sugar used.

Baked Blueberry Donuts

1 c. SR flour

1 T. SR flour (to roll blueberries in)

1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. milk, warmed

1 egg

3 T. butter, melted

2 t. vanilla or lemon extract

1 T. lemon zest

2/3 c. frozen or fresh blueberries*

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

2 T. lemon juice

1 T. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 425. (I used a silicone pan so I only heated to 400**.) Spray or grease baking pan generously. Set on baking sheet. Combine flour and sugar. Set aside. Combine milk, egg, melted butter, extract, and zest. Whisk to combine. Add to flour mixture. Toss blueberries in flour to coat (to prevent sinking to the bottom of pan.) Gently fold into wet batter. Mixture will be thick. Spoon batter into pan. Bake 12 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely before icing. Makes 6 donuts.

For the icing: Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest, until smooth. Dip/ice donuts and allow to dry. 

*May substitute mini chocolate chips, m&m's, etc..if desired. For the icing, I just used powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Chocolate icing could also be used to frost the donuts.

**My silicone pan said not to heat over 400. Time may need to be adjusted.

Crockpot Cabbage and Hamburger Soup

 2-3 pounds of hamburger (can substitute ground turkey), cooked, drained, and rinsed

1 head of cabbage, chopped

2 cup celery, diced

2 cup white or yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

5-6 cups beef broth

2 - 14 oz can basil, oregano, garlic diced tomatoes

2 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

few shakes of black pepper

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Put all the ingredients in lined crock pot, stir it around. Cook on high between 5-6 hours or cook on low between 6-8 hours.

Fruit Topping for Ice Cream or Cake

12 oz. can frozen juice concentrate, any kind

1/4 c. cornstarch

12 oz. bag frozen blueberries or strawberries

Pour thawed juice in saucepan. Dissolve cornstarch in can of cold water. Add to juice. Thicken, stirring constantly. Add frozen fruit. Simmer 1 minute. Turn off. Will thicken as it cools.

Merry's Cake Mix Pound Cake

1 box cake mix with pudding*, any flavor

4 eggs

1/3 c. oil

1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding

1 c. water

powdered sugar

milk

flavoring (orange, lemon, or pineapple juice)

Combine first 6 ingredients. Beat 2 minutes. Pour in sprayed bundt pan. Cook 1 hour at 350. Cool. Invert. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and flavoring (depending on what flavor cake mix). Spread on cooled cake.

*cake mixes used to be 18 oz. but now they are 15 oz. An additional 2/3 c. yellow or white cake mix will need to added to the batter to make cake come out right.

Sweet Potato Balls

3 c. mashed sweet potatoes

1 c. pecans, chopped

1 egg

margarine or butter

1 t. salt

8 marshmallows

1 T. cold water

coconut

Season potatoes with salt*. Add margarine and pecans. Mold into balls around marshmallows. Beat egg. Add water. Dip each ball on egg and roll in coconut. Place on sprayed baking pan and bake 25 minutes at 375 until slightly browned.

*1 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. nutmeg, 1/2 c. sugar/brown sugar could also be added if desired

Apple Cranberry Cookie Cobbler

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

3 T. flour

20 oz. pkg. refrigerated sugar cookie dough, cut in half

16 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce*

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400. Cut apple slices in half. Place in sprayed 4 qt dish. Combine cranberry sauce, sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix well. Pour over apples. Mix well. Reserve 1/2 of cookie dough for another use. Slice cookie dough into 1/4" thick slices. Arrange evenly over apple mixture. Bake 30-35 minutes pr until apples are tender and top is golden brown. Makes 10 servings. 

*May substitute cherry pie filling if desired