Slow Cooker Chicken

Here's a great recipe to make on one of those hot days where you want something that is going to stick to your ribs but you don't have to heat up the oven to get it! This only has three ingredients and is a mix it and forget it recipe. Dave and I both said this is a keeper and will be a go to meal this summer! This also didn't photograph well so you get this photo! :)

Slow Cooker Chicken

4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 pkg. (8 oz.)  cream cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pkg. italian dressing seasoning (the dried kind in the packet)

rice

Stir the cream cheese, cream of chicken. Spray your crock pot and add your chicken breasts. I added mine frozen, then pour over the sauce. Set your crock pot for 6-8 hours and put it on low and forget about it. After th 6-8 hours remove chicken, shred and return to crock pot. Your chicken should be fall apart tender. Make rice or mashed potatoes and serve chicken over the top. The best way to serve this would be on Puff Pastry Cups, YUM, YUM!!!!! By the way I used light cream cheese and 99% fat free soup and it tasted like it was full fat!

5 Minute Fluffy Yogurt Fruit Salad

I came across this recipe and it sounded so good and refreshing that I just had to try it out and it was amazingly good. I almost felt like I was living in the 50's as this recipe reminds of all of those Jello salads but tastes oh so much better! Now I made mine just a little different then the recipe. I used blueberry yogurt, blueberries and pineapple. I did use light yogurt and cool whip and you will never know that you used anything light. I did take a photo of mine but it didn't photograph very well so I copied the photo on Six Sisters Blog where I found the recipe.

5 Minute Fluffy Yogurt Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) container of Cool-Whip (light or fat free is fine)
2 (6 oz) containers of yogurt- whatever flavor you want (I used Yoplait Orange Creme)
1/2 package of mini marshmallows
Fresh, frozen, or canned fruit that compliments your yogurt flavor (I used 1 can of mandarin oranges and 1 can of pineapple tidbits for this salad)

Directions:

Dump your yogurt into a bowl. Fold in the container of Cool Whip. Mix well. Add marshmallows and fruit. Chill and serve!

Now really, what could be easier? 

Key Lime Bars

For David's birthday we had the family over and had a Mexican celebration since his birthday was only 2 days after Cinco-De-Mayo. Well I had a TON of left over limes and really didn't know what to do with them so I looked on line and came across this one and it's really, really good.

Key Lime Bars

• 2 Cup Graham Crackers, crushed
• 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
• 2 Pinch Salt
• 2 14 ounce cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 Pound Key Limes, juice only, about 1/2 Cup, 3 regular limes
• 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt
• 1 Large Egg yolk
• 1 Tablespoon lime zest 
• 1 8 oz container of Cool Whip

Crush graham crackers in a food processor until they are well ground. Stir in sugar, melted butter, and a pinch of salt. Combine well. Pat mixture into sprayed 9x13 pan making sure it is smooth and evenly flat.

Bake crust at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Then let cool completely.

Meanwhile, juice key limes and add to other filling ingredients. Stir well.
Pour filling into pan with cooled crust. Bake in a water bath at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
Remove from water bath and let cool completely until the dish is at room temperature, probably 2 hours.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.
Top bars with whipped cream.

Carrot Cake

I recently went to Sam's club and bought a bag of carrots, now you know that there is nothing small  at Sam's club so I think my bag of carrots was about 5 lbs of carrots! Well there is only two of us here and I didn't iknow what to do with all of those carrots so I went recipe hunting on line and came across this recipe from Camden LeeMaster. It was easy and very, very good! I'll be making this one again and again!

Carrot Cake

1 c oil
2 c white sugar
3 eggs, beaten well
2 c carrots, peeled and grated finely
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, un-drained
2 tsp vanilla
3 c flour (you can replace 1 c flour with whole wheat flour for a denser, nuttier taste)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix oil, sugar, eggs, carrots, pineapple and vanilla until combined.
Mix dry ingredients n a bowl and add slowly to the wet ingredients. To make a 9x13 cake, pour into
a greased 9x12 pan and bake for 45 mins.

To make a 2 layer cake use 2 round pans and bake for 35-40 mins or until a toothpick comes out
clean. If using 2 round pans make sure to really grease or use parchment cut into circles so that your
cake comes out clean. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack.

When the cake has cooled frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 c softened butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb (4 cups) powered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar
one cup at a time, scraping the bowl often. Frost the carrot cake.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Bars

The name says it all! These bars are decadent and devilishly good! Try warming them up and serving them with a scoop of ice cream you will not be sorry!!!!

Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Bars

1 pkg Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 c Fudge Topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting — brownies may still be gooey in the middle when still warm, but will set up perfectly once cooled. Enjoy!!

After re-typing the recipe I noticed that I never added the fudge topping and it worked out just fine. You can make your own cookie dough but I don't like to bake so I took the easy way out! I also used regular Oreos, again, I didn't read that the recipe called for double stuff Oreos.

Pickle Dip Two Ways!

I first had this recipe when my friend Liz brought this in to work and thought "Now why didn't I think about this?" I have struggled making those pickle roll ups for years and not very successful at it I may add. Whoever thought about doing this was BRILLIANT!!!

Pickle Dip

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 pkgs ham, diced
2-3 dill pickles, diced
a little dill pickle juice to moisten

Mix all ingredients. Serve with crackers. You can use all light
ingredients.

Here is another version of the Pickle Dip that is really good too!


Mr. Hatfield Pickle Dip

1 c sour cream
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 pkgs dried beef, minced
2-3 dill pickle spears, diced
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Black Pepper, garlic powder and season salt to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve with firm crackers.
You can use all light ingredients with this too.

Olive Pecan Dip

This dip is CRAZY good! My friend Jo brought this to work for a pot luck and everyone loved it.

Olive Pecan Dip

1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 c mayo
2 tbsp olive juice
1 c chopped salad olives
1/2 c chopped pecans

Mix all together and chill. Serve with wheat thins

Jo says that you will want to make a double batch
because every time she has made this she ends up
quickly putting together another batch because it
goes very quickly!!

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken

This is a very quick and easy way to make some delicious chicken. I used low fat mayo when I made this and it turned out very, very good. I will be making this again and again!

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken


4  boneless chicken breast halves
1 c mayo 
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder 

Mix mayo, cheese and seasonings. Spread mixture over 
chicken breast and place in baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees 
for 45 minutes.

I only had canned Parmesan cheese and it worked fine so
use what you have.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

This is FANTASTIC! I have been seeing this dip on Pinterest and it looked really good but I always thought it would be sugar overload. I was right but it is the kind of sugar load you just want to dive in head first.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until it dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble. Stir in vanilla and set aside to cool.
In a separate bowl, cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar together for 60 seconds. With the mixer on low speed, add in brown sugar and butter mixture, then the salt. Mix until combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Garnish with additional mini chocolate chips. Serve with animal crackers, Nilla wafers, or graham crackers.