Crockpot Lasagna

I did not realize it had been so long since my last post. I have quite a few recipes to get uploaded, as I have tried some new ones. I made this lasagna on Sunday. I found the recipe on Taste of Home's website. I have tried a lot of recipes from their website recently and I have not found a bad one yet. Since Luke was gone all weekend, enjoying some time with the guys, I decided this would be the perfect thing to throw in the crock-pot so that it was ready and waiting by the time he got home. This was really easy to throw together. I used ground lamb instead beef, but only because I felt like having lamb. The lasagna was delicious and I had some Texas Toast in the freezer. So I just threw that in the oven to serve with it. This recipes makes a ton, so we have leftovers to last us the week. I guess I know what I'm eating for lunch every day this week. Look for more recipes to be added this week as I try to get myself more organized. I have 2 new classes starting this week, so that will keep me busy along with work. ENJOY!!


Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 package (8 ounces) no-cook lasagna noodles
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions

In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt and oregano.
Spread a fourth of the meat sauce in an ungreased 5-qt. slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over sauce (break the noodles if necessary). Combine the cheeses; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nutritional Facts:
1 serving (1 slice) equals 482 calories, 20 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 84 mg cholesterol, 1,317 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 38 g protein.

Red Velvet Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day! I think Valentine's Day is a fun holiday. Regardless if you have a significant other or not, you can still go out and have a good time. You can send your friends and family valentines and there are so many delicious desserts you can make to share with your friends, family and co-workers. My office is having another potluck today, so I decided to make a valentine themed dessert. I came across this recipe yesterday. I have always wanted to try a red velvet recipe, but up until last night, I never got around to it. These cookies are a great alternative to red velvet cake (though I am looking forward to attempting one some day). This recipe makes a lot of cookies and they stay nice and fluffy thanks to the whipped egg whites. I did not crumble up any cookies to sprinkle on top. I needed to have more cookies this time around. I hope everyone has a terrific Valentine's Day. ENJOY!

Ingredients
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons red food coloring
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

FROSTING:
1-1/2 cups butter, softened
3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk

Directions
1. In a large bowl, cream the shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and food coloring.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
3. In another bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
5. In a large bowl, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt until blended. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Crumble eight cookies and set aside.
6. Frost remaining cookies; sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Store in an airtight container or freeze for up to 1 month. Yield: 7-1/2 dozen.

Nutritional Facts
1 cookie equals 124 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 71 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat.

Corn and Shrimp Chowder

Dorothy Lynch was my favorite salad dressing when I was kid. It was the only dressing I would eat on my salads. Several months ago, my sister told me she had made meatloaf using a recipe she found on the Dorothy Lynch bottle. That got me thinking as to what other recipes were available using this dressing. I checked out the website and found this recipe of Corn and Shrimp Chowder. It is absolutely delicious. The dressing gives it a sweet taste at first and the cayenne pepper gives it a little kick in the end. I had also never cooked with arugula before. I have always heard that it has a peppery taste and I really enjoyed it. It helped to balance out the sweetness of the dressing. I am hoping to have the time to try some more new recipes this weekend. If not, I will be next weekend as I make some good snacks for the Super Bowl. ENJOY!

1 ½ - 2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels
4 slices bacon
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 tsp salt1 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups 2% milk
1 cup Dorothy Lynch Home Style Dressing
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cups baby arugula or other peppery greens (mache, mustard or turnip greens)

Directions
Cook bacon in large Dutch oven. Remove from pan, leaving drippings in Dutch oven. Drain bacon and crumble. Add onion, corn, salt, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to bacon drippings. Sauté for 10 minutes. Add flour, whisking well. Cook for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, milk and Dorothy Lynch. Cook 10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Stir in arugula. Serve with crumbled bacon.

Slow Cooker Chicken-Barley Stew

This past weekend, Luke and I went to Barnum, Minnesota to visit with friends for a long weekend. We had a great time and luckily didn't freeze. Barnum is about 25 minutes away from Duluth, Minnesota, so it's a ways up there. I knew that it would be cold up there so I thought a hearty stew would be good for us to eat (The temperature was -17 degrees F when we arrived at our destination on Thursday night). This recipe was featured in one of the recipe newsletters I get emailed to me every week. This is a super easy dish, especially since you just let sit in the crock-pot all day. We had a hard time finding barely at the store, but we eventually found and it is great substitute for rice. This stew will definitely fill you up and keep you nice and warm. I added some additional seasonings to spice things up and bring out the flavor of the vegetables. I hope everyone is keeping warm this January. Waterloo received over 7 inches of snow on January 20th. Luke and I had some shoveling to do when we got home on Monday. Now we're back in the swing of things and have no travel plans until mid-February. We're looking forward to spending some time at home. ENJOY!!

CHICKEN-BARLEY STEW

3 large carrots, sliced (2 cups)
2 medium stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 bone-in chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pound), skin removed
3 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked medium pearled barley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (14.5 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Directions
1. In 4 to 5 quart slow cooker, place carrots, celery and onion. Place chicken breasts on vegetables. Add remaining ingredients, except parsley and thyme.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours.
3. Remove chicken from cooker; place on cutting board. Remove meat from bones and chop into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces; discard bones.
4. Stir chicken, parsley and thyme into stew. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10 to 15 minutes longer or until chicken is thoroughly heated.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 25); Total Fat 2 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 470mg; Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 6g, Sugars 6g); Protein 19g. Daily Values: Vitamin A 140%; Vitamin C 10%; Calcium 8%; Iron 15%. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Very Lean Meat. Carbohydrate Choices: 2.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Pretzel Bites

I found this recipe on Pinterest. If you don't know what Pinterest is, you need to get on board. Pinterest is a ton of fun. You can find ideas for anything from crafts to recipes, to home projects and picture ideas. I found a lot of recipes and other ideas here, thanks to other people pinning things they like. I am already looking forward to spring, especially with the 6-10 inches of snow they are predicting for tomorrow. I still have some cold weather recipes I am looking forward to trying. I hope everyone is staying warm as the winter weather continues.

Texas size Rhodes Frozen roll dough (follow the directions on the package to thaw the dough)
*as many as you like – each roll makes four bites
coarse salt, Parmesan

Take a thawed roll. Cut it in four equal sections.

Place dough bites on greased sheets. I placed five across and five down on large baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and let dough rise until double in size (about 35-45 minutes).

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. When dough has risen, plop about 10 pieces into the boiling water, tossing gently for about 45 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon, and place bites on paper towels to drain slightly.

Move bites to greased baking sheets, and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done and golden brown.
Brush bites with melted butter, sprinkle with Kosher or Sea Salt, garlic and toss in Parmesan cheese. You can also toss in any other toppings you like as well, such as cinnamon and sugar.

These were delicious and really not hard to make. They're great for sharing and would work perfectly to serve at your Super Bowl Party. ENJOY!

Ham & Cheddar Hashbrown Bake

I am participating in another monthly challenge this month called Healthy Every Week. This challenge is hosted by the Healthy Eats food blog on FoodNetwork.com. The challenge for week 1 of January was to eat breakfast every day. I ate a lot of oatmeal, but luckily there are a lot of different flavors and it's the perfect time of year to be eating oatmeal. I had been having a craving for a good egg bake and I found the recipe in my Christmas cookbook. It's really easy to make, especially since you don't have to let it sit in the fridge overnight like most egg bakes. I'm looking forward to eating the leftovers for breakfast this week. I hope everyone is have a fabulous beginning to the new year. ENJOY!

Ingredients:
3 c. frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. cooked ham, diced
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 c. green pepper, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste

I also added chopped mushrooms and diced onions, just to add more flavor to the dish. I also used 4 eggs instead of 2 because I like eggs and really wanted to be able to taste them.

Directions:
Press hashbrowns between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Press into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9" round baking pan; drizzle with butter. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Combine the ham, cheese and green pepper (mushroom and onion); spoon over baked crust. In a small bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour over ham mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until center tests done. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. If you use 4 eggs, the casserole will need to bake for about 45 minutes in order for the eggs to be completely cooked.

On another note, I also made liver and onions for my wonderful husband tonight. He turned 29 on the 6th and he loves this dish. This just goes to show how much I love him, because liver is not my cup of tea. I bought the liver at Moo Roo a local store that is connected to a local dairy. Luke said the liver was cooked perfectly and that it had really good texture. So I guess, if you ever want to try liver and onions, come to our house this time next year, because I will only make this dish once a year. :) Happy Birthday, Luke!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I am always trying to find new recipes for homemade soups because soup is one of Luke's favorite things, especially during the colder months. Recently, I got a huge craving for broccoli cheese soup and I remembered I had this recipe in my recipe box. It is really cheesey. It's not very healthy, considering there is a pound of Velveeta in it, but it tastes soo good! This soup is really easy to make so long as you have all the ingredients, it's a quick and easy dinner. It is great served with hot biscuits or crescent rolls. I hope everyone is having a happy new year! I still have some cookie recipes to post so those will be posted later this week! ENJOY!

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped red onion 1 tablespoon margarine 2 1/2 cups milk 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 pound processed cheese, cubed 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
Directions
Melt butter or margarine over medium heat in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook and stir onions in butter or margarine until tender. Add milk and cream cheese; stirring until cream cheese melts. Stir in cheese food and broccoli. Stir until cheese food melts, and soup is heated through.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 556 | Total Fat: 43g | Cholesterol: 132mg