Food: White Bean Turkey Chili-Soup

I cooked and we lived to tell about it!  I know!  It's really exciting, right?  So exciting that I decided to share it with you.  The recipe came from Tastefully Simple's blog and I slightly modified it for what I had on hand.  It was super easy and soooooo good.

White Bean Turkey Chili-Soup

1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup Tastefully Simple Wahoo! Chili seasoning
1-1/2 teaspoons Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
2 cans black beans
1 4 ounce can jalapenos, chopped
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup light sour cream

1.  In a large pan, cook turkey, chili seasoning, and garlic garlic.  Usually about 10 minutes.
2.  Stir in beans, jalapenos, and chicken broth.  Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.  Stir in sour cream.  Simmer 5 more minutes.
4.  Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.  Become a cooking superstar.

This serves 6.  In my house it's only 4.  But we eat it as a meal with a sammy.

The original recipe is simple called "soup."  I think of it more as a chili.  Either way, it's awesome. The recipe also called for great northern beans and fire-roasted green chiles.  I love black beans and have a lot of cans in the cupboard, so that's what I used.  The jalapeno swap-out was because that's also what I had.  Either way, this recipe was so good.

CLICK HERE to view the original recipe on Tastefully Simple's blog.  Subscribe to it while you're there.  That's how I saw this delicious recipe.
CLICK HERE to order Tastefully Simple products through my cute hubby's website.

* Disclaimer: Neither Tastefully Simple nor my cute hubby commissioned this post.  I am a big fan (no fat pun intended) of TS products.  Being kitchen-challenged, TS makes it easy for me to look like an awesome cook!  Plus, we found last week during a test run that our furnace was broken.  Drewbie fixed it, saving us a huge repair bill.  He's my hero and he deserves a little advertising for his little side business.

February 2015

For being the shortest month of the year, February lasts a really long time. Especially in Auburn, NY, which as of today, has had 119 inches of snow. I say "had" but the *bleep*ing stuff is still on the ground. It hasn't left. The sun yesterday helped to melt some of the *bleep*ing stuff. The heat wave of 22 degrees was nice. (Insert sarcastic grin here.)

For the benefit of those who aren't here to experience the wonders and joy of Central New York in the winter, I present ... WTF!!! A Photographic Display of *Bleep*ing Stuff.

Our sidewalk.

Our neighborhood.

Our drive to work.

The parking lot at our job.

And just for fun, the same parking lot on a sunny day. 

If anyone comments on how pretty it is, I will hunt you down 

and make you eat all this pretty crap.

Ok. Now that my obligatory rant about winter is out of the way, how about some nice stuff that happened this month.

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I went to a Tea Party hosted by Syracuse health store Natur-Tyme! It was a lot of fun. I took pictures, but they sucked. So instead, here's a picture of the mini hat I made and wore to the event. They had raffles for people that wore hats. I wasn't a winner, but the hat was well received. 

We had tea sandwiches, which were amazing. The theme this year was India, and the curry chicken with cranberries and grapes was outstanding! I will have to try to make that. They also served delicious desserts and tea, of course. The tea came from Organic India. I'm completely addicted to it now. Loved it!

*  *  *  *  *  *

Drew finished putting the top on Craft Island!

I love it!!! It's the perfect height for me and everything is organized. (Although I still find myself walking about the room in circles looking for items in their previous homes. It makes me laugh.)

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I had a Stampin' Up party this month. My girlfriend and Mommy-Away-From-Mommy Laurie let me host the party at her house. She has the perfect setup for the party. My house can fit maybe five people in it. Tops. She's a lifesaver!!

The cards I made for the swap.

The cards we made at the workshop. I love the Etch-A-Sketch card!!!

So easy to make too!!

Here is a card I made last month for Pam's birthday and forgot to share. It's a shadowbox card. The template is by designer Lori Whitlock. You can download it from Silhouette's website HERE.

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Tastefully Simple's Spring-Summer 2015 catalog came out! Lots of neat new products. I can't wait to try the Red Bell Pepper Hummus mix they've got. Drew ordered me a box because he knew I'd be wanting that! Love me some Red Pepper Hummus!! 

Drew's putting together his tasting packets for new parties.

I let him rent out space at Craft Island to work on. I gave him a discount.

And now I'd like to take this time to shamelessly plug my hubby's website.

https://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/dscharoun

People that know me are well aware that I am Drew's biggest fan, as well as his harshest critic. I use a lot of the Tastefully Simple products because I do truly like them. Are there some that suck? A couple, yes. But taste buds aren't universal. What I might hate, you might like. For example, I think the Bayou Bourbon Glaze and Vidalia Onion Dressing are totally freakin' rockin', but the Gluten-Free Pizza is nasty. Your own experience may vary.

And because I promised some of the girls at the Stampin' Up party, here's the recipes I made...

Crock Pot Bayou Bourbon Meatballs

1 large package frozen meatballs

1 bottle Tastefully Simple Bayou Bourbon Glaze

- Put meatballs in a crock pot on low. Cook for 3 hours, stirring every hour. Pour one bottle of glaze over meatballs. Cook another 1-2 hours. Devour!

Simple Broccoli Salad

4 heads broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup Tastefully Simple Bacon Bacon

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 bottle Tastefully Simple Vidalia Onion Dressing

- Mix, toss, serve. This keeps very well in the fridge for a few days.

I also served the Asiago Alfredo Warm Dip and Raspberry Chocolate Cheeseball, which were knee-quakingly good. Those are Fall-Winter Items that will only be available until March 7, 2015, so if you girls want them, snag them up now!!

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Let's see, what else happened this month... nothing! Well, nothing of interest to you, probably. We went on a wine tour with a bunch of people from work. That was a lot of fun! Again, no pics. We were mostly well-behaved.

I'm sorry to say that second book isn't any closer to being done. I think about it a lot. Does that count? If you think you're tired of waiting for it, just imagine how my characters feel?

Oh, my God, woman! Please just finish that book!

I haven't had sex in almost three years!!!

Sorry Alex.

~Steph

Freezer Recipe: Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Ever since Make & Take closed I've been looking for freezer recipes. I really enjoyed Make & Take because I could make perfectly portioned meals for one or two people. They were easy to put together, easy to cook, and they tasted great! Now I'm trying to find simple but yummy recipes I can make in big batches and freeze. That way during the week I can thaw one out and toss it in the oven for dinner.

For freezing, I buy rectangular tin containers from the Dollar Tree. You get 3 for $1, and they come with cardboard lids that are foil lined on one-side, so I can write on the tops without worrying about them soaking through on the other.

Below is a recipe I found recently and tailored to my tastes and cooking skill-level, which is currently "gee, do I have to?"

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

6 bell peppers (any color), chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 package Wegmans Poultry Italian Sausage, mild or hot

1-10.5 oz can diced tomatoes

4 cups Basmati rice, cooked (It's 1 cup uncooked.)

16 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 TBSP Italian seasoning
Grated parmesan cheese, optional (Not in my house, but maybe it's optional in yours.)

If you bought the Italian Sausage in the link form, squeeze the meat out of the casing. I find it easiest to take a knife and run it down the outside and just pull the casing off. It's a lot less messy that way.

Cook the sausage, peppers and onion in a large frying pan until the sausage is done. The chicken sausage has enough moisture that you don't need to add oil, but not too much that you need to strain it afterwards. Remove from the heat and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Separate into containers. I filled 4 tin containers. One container is a meal for me and the hubby. (Honestly, I could probably eat just one by myself. This is so yummy.)

Bake (thawed) at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Plate up and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Here's one of the tins of Stuffed Pepper Casserole with the date made and cooking instructions on the lid.

GF PB Banana CC Bars & A Fake Lobster

You're not gonna believe what I did tonight.

I baked.

It's over 90 degrees outside. It's probably just as hot in the house, but oddly enough, it's not phasing me. At all! In fact, I turned on the oven and baked tonight.

Baked.

I NEVER bake. EVER! But there were overripe bananas in my kitchen and I couldn't bring myself to throw them away so I hunted down a recipe and went to work.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

1 package Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

1 egg

2 bananas

1/4 cup peanut butter

Mix the egg, bananas and peanut butter with an electric mixer. Add the Cookie Mix and continue to beat until it's blended. Pour into a 9x9-inch pan. I used my Pampered Chef stoneware baker lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

The texture is like a dense muffin. Or a thick banana bread. It's super yummy though!! It got a Seal-of-Approval from Drew's Stomach.

*  *  *  *  *

Then after being all Betty Crockery, I decided to make some cards. This design is based on one we made at a workshop.

Mmm. Lobstah. Nom  nom nom.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Did you know you can cook lasagna in a crock pot? Yes, you can. No seriously, you can. I'm telling you...ARGH!!! YOU CAN!!!

How? Easy. Make lasagna...in a crock pot.

The secret? There is no secret. You just make a standard lasagna recipe and you make it...in a crock pot.

No, I'm not kidding! Why would I kid about that? I see no comical value in pretending you can make lasagna in a crock pot but you can't! Oh, you know what? I can. Just substitute M-80s for the noodles. Har-dee-har-har.

Oh my God, I *bleeping* hate you. Just try it.

Crock Pot Lasagna

1 box lasagna noodles, uncooked, broken into pieces, any size, don't matter, stop worrying about it

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1# hamburger, cooked & crumbled

1# Italian sausage, cooked & crumbled

16 oz brick mozzarella cheese, sliced up, you know, kinda thinish???

15 oz ricotta cheese (Yeah, I know. 15? That's the size of the container. Shhhtupid.)

1 egg

Italian seasoning

Parmesan cheese

Mix the ricotta cheese and egg together in a bowl. Every recipe will tell you to wipe down or spray the inside of the crock pot with oil. I'm telling you right now --- it's not going to make a bit of difference. Crock pots aren't that hard to clean up anyway. If yours is you should probably get a new crock pot because there's something wrong with it. Not "dark side of the force" wrong. Most likely it's older than the dirt it was made from. And get yourself tested for asbestos and lead paint poisoning while you're at it. Just in case. Meanwhile, I'm calling A&E to see if Hoarders is accepting applications. Do you want me to use your real name or a pseudonym?

1. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of the crock pot. Use at least a 5-quart crock pot.

2. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top. If you have to measure, um, how about 1/4 tsp. Sounds good? Good.

3. Add a layer of noodles. (You don't have to get too anal about this.)

4. Add 1/2 the hamburger.

5. Add 1/2 the ricotta cheese mixture. (Good luck spreading that on top of hamburger! Ha!)

6. Add 1/2 the sausage.

7. Add 1/2 the mozzarella.

8. Drizzle 1 cup of sauce on top.

9. Sprinkle more Italian seasoning on.

10. Add another layer of noodles. (Again, avoid being anal, if possible.)

11. Add the other 1/2 of hamburger.

12. Add the other 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. (Oh, give up and drop it in by the spoonful.)

13. Add the other 1/2 of the sausage.

14. Add the other 1/2 of the mozzarella.

15. Drizzle 1 cup of sauce on top.

16. More Italian seasoning.

17. Add a final layer of noodles. (I would tell you that anal is not the way to go, but people will see this layer. So do it anally. It will make other women jealous because they think their guys will be impressed by what you do that they won't. They will think theirs isn't good enough and now they have to be anal too. Honestly, most men I know aren't really into that. Rarely will being anal on top get you an honest high five from a dude. Probably just a shrug along with a mumble about it not being worth the effort when all he wants to do is get in there and eat it. Sloppy or not.) (By the way, I'm still talking about lasagna. You perverts.)

18. The rest of the sauce. I have no idea how much is left. 1/2 cup? 1 cup? If it doesn't look like enough, then open another jar or something. I don't know. You're not negotiating peace in the Middle East. It's just freakin' lasagna.

19. More Italian seasoning? Why not.

20. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top to cover up the fact that you botched #17 horribly. I mean, come on! How hard is it to lay some hard, stiff noodle?

Cook on Low for 3 hours. Do NOT cook more than 3 hours. Of that, I am very serious about. The noodles will turn to farkin' mush. In fact, I would suggest you turn the crock pot off after 2-1/2 hours and just let it sit. That crock pot will stay warm for three days anyway.

MY NOTES

Lasagna Noodles - You have to trust me on this one. Don't cook them. There's no need to cook noodles for any standard lasagna recipe. There's more than enough moisture in lasagna to cook the noodles for you! Also, if you don't use the whole box, don't freak out. I never do. I usually use about 2/3. No one eats lasagna for the noodles anyway. If they do, save yourself time and money and just make them ziti. They don't deserve lasagna.

Spaghetti Sauce - I'm uber-picky about my spaghetti sauce. When I was a kid I ONLY ate my mother's homemade sauce. I think it might be because she put big pieces of Italian sausage in it. Nom nom nom!!! I've found that Wegman's brand sauces are excellent though. For lasagna I use their cheaper line. Their $0.99 Tomato & Basil is perfect for this recipe.

Italian sausage - If you don't like sausage, just leave it out. Personally, I love a meaty lasagna! (That sounds almost as pornographic as the noises I make while eating a meaty lasagna.)

Mozzarella cheese - BUY THE BRICK AND CUT IT UP! IT'S NOT THAT HARD! If you're going to use shredded mozzarella then just skip it completely. Shredded mozzarella disintegrates when used in lasagna. And don't bother arguing with me about this. You're not going to change my mind. 

Ricotta cheese - I know it's a pain to try and spread it. I used to put it in a ziplock baggie and cut the corner to spread it. Like cake frosting. It's effective but can be messy. Especially if you have the same lack of cooking skills and grace that I do. Just do your best. It honestly doesn't matter. I think ricotta is about 50% water and it's just going to smoosh around where it damn well pleases anyway.

Parmesan cheese - Sometimes I get crazy and mix a 1/2 cup into the ricotta mixture! Yee haw! Sometimes the hubby finishes off the parmesan cheese and doesn't tell me so I don't put it on the grocery list. Sonuva--grrr.

Other stuff - This is just a basic, simple recipe. If I'm feeling frisky I will add sauteed onions and garlic. Sometimes I like roasted red peppers and spinach in there too. I definitely like hot Italian sausage better! (Insert obvious hot Italian sausage joke here.) But the more stuff you add increases the chances that someone won't like it or eat it. This recipe is a generic crowd-pleaser and will work 90% of the time. The other 10% should not be trusted and you should disown them immediately. In fact, you should do the patriotic thing and report them to the government as a terrorist. Or a vegan. Although I don't honestly know what the government will do with a vegan. Is there such a thing as organic, unpasteurized, free-range coconut-water boarding???

Bon appetite!

Tortellini Bacon Broccoli Salad

Another awesome recipe. So simple to make. I had a request to post this after I served it at a party recently. I put my little notes in ( ).

Tortellini Bacon Broccoli Salad

20 oz package refrigerated cheese tortellini (Wegman's brand is amazing!)

1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped into ½” pieces

4 cups chopped broccoli (2 broccoli crown bunches)

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

1 cup bottle coleslaw dressing (Again, Wegmans brand is the bomb! And I use the whole bottle.)

1. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, drain, rinse with cold water, and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes. (I dump mine in a bowl and toss with about a cup of white vinegar. It helps keep it separated and the pasta absorbs some of it, giving it extra zing.)

2. Once the tortellini is chilled, put all ingredients together in a huge bowl. (I don’t drain any of the extra vinegar from the pasta. It works well with this recipe, so just dump the entire pasta & vinegar mix into the bowl.)  Toss until the dressing has coated the ingredients. Chill.

Note: This salad will keep excellently in the refrigerator for several days.

Slow Cooker Bolognese

This was a new recipe I'd been dying to try. It was so incredibly good.

Slow Cooker Bolognese

1 lb Italian sausage

3 TBSP minced onion flakes

4 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

6 oz can tomato paste

1 cup water

2 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP dried oregano

1 TBSP dried basil

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Cook the sausage in a skillet until browned and crumbly. Put in slow cooker. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with your favorite pasta or as a baked or mashed potato topper.

Note: I used my 2.5 quart crock pot and had NO problems. Came out amazing!

Creamed Corn

This is a recipe I promised a couple people I'd get to them and didn't. I don't even remember who asked for it. Gotta love my memory! Anyhoo, here's the Easter recipe that my family assured me was the bomb!

Creamed Corn

½ lb bacon

1 sweet onion, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 clove garlic, diced

1 bag frozen corn

8 oz cream cheese

½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain all but 2 TBSP bacon grease from skillet.

2. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno to skillet. Cook until onion begins to soften. Be sure to scrape the brown bits from the pan.

3. Add corn to pan and cook for 7-8 minutes until corn is tender.

4. Reduce heat to low. Break cream cheese into small pieces and add to pan along with heavy cream, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir often until cream cheese has melted.

5. Put creamed corn in serving dish and top with crumbled bacon pieces.

I have no idea how it is as a re-heated leftover. We didn't have any leftovers. Enjoy!

Creamy Piggy Taco Crock Pot Soup

I created a recipe based on other successful crock pot recipes I've made.  To our amazement, it was freakin' good!

Creamy Piggy Taco Crock Pot Soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can Rotel cheap knock-off tomatoes, mostly drained

4 frozen thin-sliced boneless pork chops

4 oz lite cream cheese

1 bag frozen cauliflower

shredded cheddar cheese & sour cream (optional)

In a small crock pot (2.5-3.5 quart), mix soup, seasoning and tomatoes.  Add pork chops, pushing to the bottom of the crock pot so they're mostly covered.  Toss the cream cheese on top.  Cook on Low for 6-8 hours.  Stir the soup.  If the pork doesn't break up while stirring, pull it out and chop it up, then stir it back in.  Sometime mine does and sometimes it doesn't, but the meat is always done in 6 hours.  Heat the cauliflower as directed on the package and stir into the soup.  Serve in bowls.  Optional:  Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top with a dollop of sour cream.

Serves: 3-4 people

Note:  As most of you know, you can use whatever cream-of soup you want.  If you substitute chicken, I wouldn't suggest more than 2 frozen boneless breasts, unless you double the recipe. Chicken boobs now-a-days are the size of Kardashian implants.  Use any frozen veggies you want.  My current addiction is cauliflower.  I add it at the end because I find cooking it all day in the crock pot turns it to mush.  I hate that.  So I just nuke it and add before eating.  I gotta have my veggies and this makes my soup a meal!

Theoretically speaking I shouldn't be eating this at all.  It's got diary products.  But we've noticed there's certain things that don't bother me as much.  This is one of them.  Honestly, this entire recipe was created to use up the 1/2 block of cream cheese that was in the fridge.  It was a leftover from one of Drew's Tastefully Simple parties.  I should have tossed it in the trash.  I tossed it in the crock pot instead.  Glad I did.  This was uber-yummy.  I'd try this recipe next time with non-dairy soups and fake cream cheese but those things scare the bejeezus out of me.  Some things you just have to say, "Yeah, no, I'll eat the evil dairy stuff instead.  Thanks."  Most non-dairy stuff is made of soy anyway and I'm more allergic to that than milk.

Ok.  I'm done rambling.  Have a good weekend!!!

Coming up later:  A look at last night's card swap!

Perfect Crock Pot Roast

I can't tell you how many times I've been writing or cleaning or fighting with a cat on a Saturday afternoon and gone, "Dang nabbit!  I was supposed to put a roast in the crock pot this morning!!  Well, I guess I'll make it tomorrow."  Today I discovered how to do a roast in 4-5 hours.  And do it perfectly.

This recipe is really for two people.  But I imagine it could be tweaked for more.  I find that cooking time in a crock pot between a small roast and a big one isn't that much different.  That's the beauty of it.  You can always Google it too.

I had bought a cheap 3-pound roast from Aldi's this week, cut it in half, and froze each piece.  I took one piece and made the below...

Perfect Crock Pot Roast

1/2 cup beef broth

1-1/2 pound roast, frozen

1 package dry brown gravy mix

2 TBSP Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic (or chopped garlic)

2 TBSP Tastefully Simple Onion Onion (or minced onion)

Pour the broth into the crock pot.  I used my 2-1/2 quart Wilma Flintstone Memorial Crock Pot.  Add the roast.  Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients over the roast.  Cook on High for 2-1/2 hours, then cook on Low for 2 to 2-1/2 hours.  Devour.

This does not make a lot of juice in the bottom, but Drew and I doing care for the juice.  I find it too fatty.  We're not huge fans of gravy anyway.

UPDATE  I've been asked what kind of meat I bought.  It was the cheapest chuck roast at Aldi's.  Also, this doesn't make the kind of roast beef that you slice up.  This makes a yummy, moist roast that falls apart at the pull of a fork.  Lip-smacking good!

Rice Pasta with Peppers & Chicken Sausage

The fact that every other person on this planet seems to be allergic to some food has a positive benefit. The gluten, soy, dairy and sugar-free food industries are making some really fantastic alternatives now-a-days. Actually, there's nothing alternative about it.  It's still food. It's just food made from things you aren't used to.

Like brown rice pasta.  Specifically Tinkyada's Brown Rice Pasta.  It cooks up the same way as wheat pasta.  It looks like wheat pasta.  And it tastes like wheat pasta.  Sometimes non-wheat pasta can be mushy.  Tinkyada's is not.  It's actually pretty good and you can't tell the difference.

Laat night I made a dish that I liked so much I thought I'd write it down here.  As much to share with others as for me to remember.  I look up more recipes from my own blog than I do my recipe book.

Rice Pasta with Peppers & Chicken Sausage

1 package Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta Vegetable Spirals

2 package Wegmans' Apple & Onion Chicken Sausage

1 package tri-colored peppers (1 red, 1 orange, & 1 yellow)

1 onion

2 TBSP Stonybrook Delicata Squash Seed Oil

Slice the peppers into strips.  Dice the onions.  Saute both in vegetable oil.  I cook mine until they burn in the pan.  I would have roasted them ahead of time, if I'd thought of it.  Cook up the sausage, cut into pieces, and add to the peppers & onion.  Cook up the pasta & drain.  Mix everything together, drizzle a couple tablespoons of squash seed oil over the top.  Toss & serve.

If I hadn't been forced to eat gluten-soy-dairy-sugar-free, I never would have tried this recipe.  And that would be a shame, because this is really good.  And Drew loves it too.  What he loves more that I because I do the majority of the cooking now to make sure it's something I can eat.  (Lucky b'tard!)

Slow Cooker Applesauce

I have a Stampin' Up workshop coming up Tuesday and I wanted to try out a couple new crock pot recipes ahead of time to make sure they were suitable for public consumption.  I tried to make Apples Compote in a crock pot, but the apples got too soft and my spices didn't blend as I expected.  It was really odd.  I had spots of cinnamon and nutmeg stuck to the apples even after many, many hours of them stewing in their own juices.  Weird.  

I decided not to make it for the party but at the same time I didn't want to waste what I'd cooked.  So I turned it into Applesauce.  Drew and I both agreed that that was probably one of my best ideas ever.  It was soooooooooooooo yummy.

Slow Cooker Applesauce

6 apples, sliced up

6 packets Stevia or 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Pulverize!  Chill!  Eat!

I used Red Delicious apples, because that's what was in my fridge.  Generally Red Delicious are not great baking apples.  It worked okay as applesauce.  I will probably do this next time with Honey Crisp (my favorite!) and cut back on the Stevia by 2 packets, and cut the cinnamon and nutmeg back a pinch hoping the apples will provide more flavor themselves.  This is a very spicy, but ice cold from the fridge it makes the best snack.

Additionally, I didn't peel them.  I don't mind the peel.  It's mostly broken up when I put it in the blender anyway.  Once in a while I had to chew, but I like it!

Crock Pot 4-Packet Roast

I made a roast yesterday.  I was very nervous about it because I usually dry the heck out of a roast, but it came out falling apart & super moist.  It was incredible.


CROCK POT 4-PACKET ROAST

1 packet brown gravy mix
1 packet Italian dressing mix
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
1 packet Onion Soup mix
1 cup water
3 lb. Chuck Roast
(Or whatever meat you want.  I don't know a Chuck Roast from a T-Bone.  I just got what I could afford.)

Mix the packets of dry mixes with the water in your Crock Pot (I used Alice - my 6-1/2 quart).  Throw in meat and splash it around.  Cook on Low for 6-8 hours.  Mine was done at 6-1/2.

It's that simple and it's wonderful!!!

Some people put potatoes and vegetables in with the meat.  Except for onions & mushrooms (if I have them), I don't.  I think they're nasty like that.

Some people insist you have to cover everything completely with liquid.  I'm making a roast, not boiled beef. Seriously, you don't have to.  It's awesome as is.

Some people also use the sauce as a gravy.  Mine's usually too fatty to do that.  I suppose if you had a lot of patience you could refrigerate the sauce, scrape off the fat, and use the remaining juice for something.  That's like work.  No thanks.

Local Farmers Thank You For Buying My Book

On Friday the first box of 20 paperback Game of Hearts books arrived.  Much to my dismay, the cover was terrible.  It looked good on the digital proof.  It looked good on the Kindle version.  On the paperback it was dark and a little fuzzy.  I was not pleased.

UPDATE: I re-did the cover.  It's the same pics & layout, but it's a lot brighter.  Lesson learned.  Use 300 dpi for the pics, not 96.  Oopsie.

All of the books had been pre-ordered by my co-workers and I told them if they didn't want to buy them they could wait for the next batch as I was determined to fix this issue.  To my delight I received a resounding, "NO!  WE'RE NOT WAITING!  WE WANT THIS NOW!!"  Most added, "This is even better because someday it will be a rare collector's item."  I don't often love my co-workers, but on Friday they were the best friends and fans a nervous writer could want.  I still choke up thinking about how supportive and awesome they have been.  These people have had to listen to me talk about this book for months and they're still excited about it.  I love them all*!!!

* Except Jason, whose job it is to kick my exercise ball and crush my ego if he thinks it's getting too big.  He falls in the category of "a tool with a purpose."  It's a good thing he's kidding (although probably not) and kind of funny or I might kick his ball.  I'd even let him pick which one...

With the money I made Friday from book sales I went to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning and bought A LOT of veggies.  A huge basket of tomatoes.  A huge basket of "second" peppers.  (Second should be re-labelled as "homegrown" because they taste the same but look like something you grew in the backyard.  I never understood why people needed perfect looking produce.  Are you gonna cut it up and eat it, or use it as decor.  Stupid humans.)  A bag of onions.  Eggplants.  Squash.  Geode zucchini.  (So freaking cute!!!!)

For those of you from Auburn, NY who have been living in a cave, the Farmer's Market is located in the large parking lot across from the YMCA.  It's a small market but the vendors there produce the most tasty and beautiful veggies and fruit in the world.  Please support them.

I came home and went about making a healthy, super-yummy soup.  I will probably make three batches of this before I'm done and freeze it up for winter.  You can use whatever veggies you like in it.

Rare Ugly 1st Edition Chunky Tomato & Chicken Soup

10 huge beefsteak-sized tomatoes, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

2 small onions (3" in diameter), diced

1 heaping tsp minced garlic

1/3 cup olive oil (I use F. Oliver's Smoky Chipolte)

1 heaping tsp dried oregano

1 heaping tsp dried basil

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Throw everything  in a huge crock pot.  Cook on Low at least 10 hours.  More is recommended.  The longer, the better.

After you've cooked your chunky tomato base to damn-near death...

4 hot poultry sausage links

2 large grilled Italian-marinated chicken breasts, cubed or shredded

1 bag frozen cauliflower, nuked & drained (Somehow missed the fresh stuff at the market. Tsk tsk tsk.)
1 eggplant, diced

2-16 oz packages mushrooms, cubed or sliced

2 cups cooked Basmati rice

1 cup chicken broth (optional)

Squeeze the innards out of the sausage links and fry it up.  Crumble it up and toss it into the crock pot.  Throw in the remaining ingredients as well.  Stir it all up and cook another 2 hours.

Feeds a crapload!  Freezes excellently!

A note about chicken broth:  I prefer to use chicken broth leftover from Crock Pot Chicken.  Use as much as you want.  I like a chunky soup with less broth.  Feel free to use more and stretch this recipe even further.  

Crock Pot Chicken

Put a whole chicken in a crock pot.  Add a cup of water.  Season at will.  Cook on Low for 8 hours.  The chicken will fall apart but will be super-moist and amazingly yummy.  Strain the liquid for the best chicken broth!  The leftover breast meat is great for chicken salad sandwiches.  Or you can use it in the soup!

Sundays are my new favorite day

I never thought I'd say that.  Normally I detest Sunday because the next day is Monday.  But I've grown to love Sunday.

Yesterday I made up a huge batch of White Chicken Chili and froze it.  Today I've got a crock pot full of...

Slow Cooker Queso Soup

1 lb hot poultry sausage, cooked & crumbled
2 TBSP dried minced onion flakes
1 TBSP Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 cups (32 oz) low-sodium chicken broth
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Rotel, undrained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can green chilis
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
4 oz lite cream cheese

Throw everything in a crock pot on Low.  Cook until you can't take the smell anymore and have to eat it.  Or 6-8 hours.

Adapted from plainchicken.com

The recipe called for two cans of Rotel, but I only had one, so I added the diced tomatoes and green chilis instead.  It's the same thing.  The recipe also called for coriander, which I didn't have.  Not sure it needs it.  Didn't seem to be missing anything.  

This is spicy. If you're sensitive just use regular diced tomatoes instead of Rotel, mild sausage instead of hot, and cut back on the amount of spice used.  That's all.

I debated buying the 2% Velveeta, but I'd never used it so I wasn't sure how it rated compared to regular.  Considering I was at Target and they only carry Velveeta in 32 oz bricks, I decided to get regular instead of being left with a lot of sub-par cheese.  Or "cheese".  Honestly, I cringe at the thought of using Velveeta, but it's Queso.  It's pretty much mandatory.  The recipe only calls for 8 oz anyway.  It's a soup, not a dip.

Oh yeah.  This is killer awesome good!!!!!

Later I'm making a Spinach Alfredo with Wegman's Wine & Cheese Sausage.  Uber yummy.  I'm a dirty-minded housewife.

Why dirty-minded???

BECAUSE I'M BACK WRITING THE BOOK!!!!

I decided to force myself to write something for the book.  Next think you know ideas are running around in my head.  YAY!!!!!!  And no, not all of them are dirty.  Just some.

Heavenly Slow Cooker Chicken

I'm cooking again!  Actually, I never really left.  I just haven't tried anything new in a while.  Today I picked out a new one to try from allrecipes.com.  It was called Jennie's Heavenly Slow Cooker Chicken, but I changed it up a little bit, so now it's...

Jennie & Stephanie's Heavenly Slow Cooker Chicken

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix OR 1/4 cup wet Italian salad dressing
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz lite cream cheese
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt & pepper
4 small skinless, boneless chicken breast OR cut 2 massive ones in half with your official "Game of Thrones" breast cleaver that you purchased at Books-A-Million
(I mean, they have to have it there right?  They have the "Game of Thrones" refrigerator magnets so it's only appropriate that a store of it's caliber would have the rest of the official "Game of Thrones" kitchen gadgetry.  And you can get it at 10% OFF if you join the book club.  JOIN THE CLUB!!!!)
2 TBSP flour
fresh spinach
angel hair pasta

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Directions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the salad dressing, soup, cream cheese, wine, salt & pepper.  Heat until cream cheese melt. 

Place the chicken breasts into the bottom of a slow cooker, and pour the sauce mixture over the chicken.  Cover and cook on Low setting until chicken is tender, about 6-8 hours.

After 6-8 hours, remove a cup of the sauce and whisk in the flour.  Add the flour mixture to the crock pot and mix thoroughly.  (The flour has a tendency to clump if you dump it right into the crock pot.  But hey!  You may like clumping, clumpy.)  Add handfuls of fresh spinach.  By the time you are done cooking the pasta, you should have finished off the rest of the wine bottle.  The chicken & sauce will be ready too.  Serve in bowls.  Blog about it.

Bon appleteat!

Reviews
Drew of Auburn: Yes!  I loved it!  I can't wait to have it again!  Please put down the "True Blood" barbecue tongs honey.


(P.S.  In all honesty, a fantastic recipe!  The more spinach the better!  And yes, they do really sell "Game of Thrones" refrigerator magnets at Books-A-Million.  No joke.)