Crockpot Moscow Chicken and Potatoes

Good Snowy Day! Mother Nature teased us the last few days with warmer weather and sun and now it's like a blizzard outside. Although I don't mind, cause I love snow; looking at it and playing outside but not driving in it.

The kids aren't happy, as it's March Break and they don't get a snow day from school! I know when I was in school I was always disappointed when it snowed during the holidays or March Break; Why can't it snow when there is school?

Well this Moscow Chicken and Potatoes is perfect for those days when you're outside playing with the kids (or at work all day) and want to come home to a nice warm meal that's ready to eat!

Moscow Chicken and Potatoes

(adapted from Slow Cooker Moscow Chicken)

20 chicken thighs (or 2 per person) I prefer boneless, skinless

20 bacon strips (or enough for 1 per piece of chicken)

4-5 large potatoes

1-2 tsp ginger, minced 

3-4 tsp garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 10oz bottle Russian Dressing

Cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces and place in crock pot, sprinkle with seasoning salt and add 1/3 Russian Dressing and toss to coat. Spread potatoes evenly.

Season Chicken with pepper. In a large frying pan, brown on both side. Side aside on a plate to cool a bit.

Wrap each piece of chicken in a slice of bacon and place in a single layer on top of potatoes.

                                   

Rub ginger and garlic over top. Then pour remaining dressing on top of the chicken and spread evenly.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Skim fat off the top before serving.

 And serve with steamed vegetables or a salad

Buffalo Chicken Manicotti

Had a busy but productive weekend. Friday night the girls went to see Breaking Dawn Pt 2, I passed, despite their begging, as I have not read the books are watched any of the movies. But  I was able to get some cleaning and errands done. Saturday we went to Medieval Times for my work Christmas Party! It's always a blast, I never get sick of going. I think I have been 4 or 5 times now. Saturday night we had a Rockband Party! and stayed up until 2:00am playing. Sunday we were up early for church, then I had to drive downtown Toronto to drop on of my girls off at the Bus station as she was home for a visit. I almost got stuck downtown on my way home, by the Santa Clause Parade. Glad I didn't cause I was tired after only 5 hours of sleep. 

The Wii U came out Sunday and if you know me and my bf at all then this should not be a surprise. So needless to say the rest of Sunday was spent playing with that and finishing up other chores. I wanted an easy supper and I had made a batch of Buffalo Ranch Chicken on Saturday.  My bf suggested making Buffalo Chicken Manicotti! He likes to brainstorm new ideas and then have me experiment with it in the kitchen.

So experiment I did! I have never made manicotti before ever, but really it's only stuffed pasta. So I figured it wouldn't be too bad.  These turned out delicious! There was no left overs!

Buffalo Chicken Manicotti

1 box manicotti shells

2 cups Buffalo Ranch Chicken

1 tub light ricotta cheese

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided

2 eggs

1/2 cup light ranch dressing

1/4-1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce (I use president's choice) **If using Frank's use less and taste, it is a lot               

                  hotter

Boil shells as per instructions on the box. When done, rinse in cold water, so easier to handle.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While pasta is boiling combine Chicken, ricotta cheese, 1/2 the  Mozzarella and eggs and mix well.

cover bottom of dish with a thin layer of the sauce. Fill Pasta with Chicken mixture. Place in a single layer in baking dish. pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 20-25 min until hot and bubbly. If you want the top browned turn the broiler on for a couple minutes at the end of cooking time.

Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Chili

I enjoy a good hearty bowl of stew or chili! Everything is in one bowl, no worrying about getting enough veggies or what to serve on the side. I either serve rice or garlic bread with it. I use ground beef a lot but I also often use ground turkey or chicken. I have been using shredded chicken a lot lately and thought I would try it. Well... what can I say I gave some chili to my friends and had some at home. My one friend has been bugging asking me all week for the recipe, so Amber this is for you! The other friend well she left her's at Amber's so she doesn't know what she is missing. And my kids... well there was none left. So I guess that means it was a hit. 

Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Chili

4-5 chicken breasts

3 cans of tomato sauce ( I like one with garlic and cheese)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups frozen corn

2 onions diced

6 celery stalks diced

2 peppers (red, orange or yellow) diced

4 cloves garlic minced

Chili Seasoning (recipe below) or 2 packets of chili seasoning

Boil chicken with vegetable seasoning until cooked. Let cool slightly and shred (I put my in my stand mixer for 30-60 seconds).

In a large pot saute onions, celery and peppers over medium low heat until soft 6-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add corn, black beans, tomato sauce and chili seasoning. Simmer low for 1 hour, Stirring often.

Chili Seasoning

4 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 -1 tsp of cayenne pepper

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tbsp cumin

3 tsp seasoning salt

4 tsp pepper

1 tsp basil

2 tbsp brown sugar

Combine everything in a bowl and mix well.

Chili Cheese Dog Casserole

The kids start school tomorrow! Woo hoo! I cannot wait to have some quiet time during the day to do whatever I want; sit on my NEW couch and read, or do some creating in the kitchen without interruptions among other things, but those are my top two.

See since the kids have been home all summer, even though they have their own rec room in the basement they have monopolized the tv room on the main floor, all day every day, someone is in there. And they get upset when Nick or I want to watch something or play a video game or even better yet just sit and read.

I also know with the start of school, also brings swimming lessons, football, music lessons and lots of running around. So I share this quick and easy meal with you for those crazy on the run days.

Chili Cheese Dog Casserole
10 Jumbo hot dogs
10 Large Tortillas
4-6 cups of chili (I use my Homemade N&A Hearty Chili)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a large baking dish.

Place 1 hot dog with some cheddar cheese on the bottom third each tortilla and roll up. Place in the casserole dish. Cover with chili. Bake 20-35 minutes until hot.

**I like alot of chili with mine so I use a lot. Use more or less depending on how you like it.
***You can also make this with regular hot dogs and small tortillas.

Buffalo Ranch Chicken

I crave medium buffalo wings all the time. I rarely indulge in them as I know they are not very healthy. However I found this recipe a while back on Pinterest and have been making it for months. The kids love it and ask for it almost every week.The nice thing about this recipe is that is makes enough for 3 meals for my family of 5 big eaters. All 3 of my kids are teenagers. So I usually make a batch and freeze it so we always have some on hand.

The other things I like about this recipe is that the chicken is a base for other recipes that I like to make, like my Buffalo chicken taquitos. But we often serve it simply on some nice toasted hamburgers buns.

Buffalo Ranch Chicken

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts 

1 bottle buffalo wing sauce (I use president's choice)

1 packet of dry Ranch Mix (found near the salad dressings) 

Place all ingredients into the slow cooker and give a good stir. Cook on high for 5-6 hours until chicken is tender and shreds easily.

Let cool. 

To shred I place the chicken in my Kitchen Aid Stand mixer with the paddle attachment and turn on for 30-60 seconds. Voila! all shredded. or you could do it the slow way and use 2 forks. Totally up to you.!

Enjoy! This recipe is not very spicy once cooked. I often add more buffalo sauce when I serve it to those who like things with a kick.

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

Good Evening Folks. I have to apologize for my lack of posts this summer. I have been super busy, but now that school is starting next week, my house is back on a routine. So... that means regular posts!

This summer has been full of road trips to Manitoulin Island to visit the bf's family and to Thunder Bay to visit my family and attend my cousin Tegin's beautiful wedding! Congrats Tegin and Jeff! Also just been busy with the kids and with work. We did lots of cleaning out junk and decluttering as well. 

Part of this routine I speak of consists of my kids helping with dinner at least one night a week each. We are trying to teach some life skills. So tonight we decided to make mini corn dog muffins. The kids try and get my to buy Pogos and such but I do not like processed foods and rarely buy them. So this recipe made them happy. 

I made the salad and directed one of my kids as he did the rest. Super easy to make!

I saw this recipe a while back on Pinterest. This is the original recipe Mini Corn Dog Muffins.

Mini Corn Dog Muffins
Makes 36

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 regular hot dogs (I prefer Schneider's Red Hots) cut into 3 pieces each

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray mini muffin tins with oil.

In a large bowl combine; butter, eggs, sugar and buttermilk. Mix together well.

In a separate bowl combine; flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.

Add dry mix into the wet and stir until just moist and combined well.

Spoon 1 tbsp of batter into each muffin cup. **I use 1 tbsp ice cream scoop**

place hot dog into the center and bake for 10-12 min until corn bread is golden around the edges.

Can be reheated for a few seconds in the microwave.

Serve with Ketchup and mustard! I have to say these did not last and I am sure if there were more they would all have been eaten as well.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

I have been finding myself so busy lately and always scrambling last minute to pull meals together and they have become a little boring or due to time constraints I was running out and buying dinner. Which by the way I am not a fan of and I was doing it way too much.

So in a journey to solve this dilemma as I will call it. I have been searching the web for inspiration. The biggest inpiration has been Once a Month Mom. With their monthly menus that get prepared at the beginning of the month.

I have been taking different recipes from different month menus and making my own meal plan. This recipe is one I have adapted from the website.

Pizza Puffs

3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup shredded cheese

1 cup pepperoni (cut into small pieces) **can be substituted by your favourite pizza toppings

2 tbsp fresh basil 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin cups

Whisk together flour and baking powder. Whisk in eggs and milk until well combined.

Stir in cheese and pepperoni (or other toppings). Let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir again and divide among 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle 1 tbsp basil on top of the cups. Bake 25 min.

Serve with pizza sauce or  ranch dressing for dipping

**Note: These freeze really well. Just cool, place in freezer bag, label and freeze.

To reheat: place in micro wave for 2 minutes/

Cheezy Mini Meatloafs

I stumbled upon a awesome website this week called Once a Month Mom. They do freezer cooking. I was browsing through May's menu and really liked some of the recipes. The provide grocery lists and recipe cards that customize for the number of people you need to feed. AWESOME!! I didn't want to make the whole thing so I chose a couple recipes to start with. 

This is one of them. it is easy to make and of course it can be frozen for a later date. I often find myself scrambling for time in the evening and for something to make after a busy day.

1 lbs ground beef

3/4 cup bread crumbs

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

6 oz mozzarella cheese cut into 12 pieces

Combine all the ingredients except cheese and mix well. I made mine in silicone baking cups! so easy to clean up after. but regular muffins tins would work as well.

Divide mix evenly among muffin tins. place piece of cheese into each center and cover the top with more meat. 

Bake 350 for 15 minutes.

If freezing Cool and place into freezer bag and freeze.

To serve Place into microwave for 1-2 minutes until hot.

These were not quite cool when I placed them in the bag

Granny's Tourtiere

So it's been a while since I posted it has been a busy month. But I will catch up eventually... I have lots of recipes to post. I need to set some time aside weekly to maintain this blog. I love it, but sometimes sitting down to write posts feels like a chore. 

This is another one of my granny's recipes. I always looked forward to having it when we visited. When I was visiting her in January my cousin was over too and asked my granny to teach us how to make it. 

This is delicious and needs no substitutions or additions.

1 1/2 lbs lean ground pork

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp clove, ground

1/4 tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

1 double crust pie dough (I will post my recipe soon)

Combine all ingredients except pie dough in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil; when pork is no longer pink Reduce heat and simmer for 45 min or until tender. Remove bay leaf.

Fill pie shell with meat and top with crust. Pinch edges to seal and make a few slits in the top of the crust. Bake 425 degrees for 15min then reduce to 350 for 15 min longer.

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.

Oven Baked Corn Flake Crusted Chicken

The boys asked me what was going to be for dinner tonight and I said something with chicken. They asked me for Fried Chicken, but that's way too unhealthy for me. So I used this recipe instead! It was a hit and no one complained it wasn't "fried".

5 chicken breasts, cut into 3 strips each

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tbsp seasoning salt

2 tsp frank's red hot

5 cups corn flakes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Combine milk and egg in a bowl and mix until blended. Add flour, salt and frank's and mix until everything is incorporated. Place in a shallow dish ( I used cake pan)

Place corn flakes in another shallow dish.

Dip chicken strips in batter and then roll in corn flakes to coat. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked and no longer pink.

N&A's Hearty Chili

My boyfriend and I really like to make chili and we both like to make it differently. We combined our recipes and now have a new favourite!! There is everything packed into the pot, sometimes we make it spicy and other times not, depending who is joining us for dinner. 


That is Maple Corn Bread in the background. The recipe for that will be up shortly. It is delicious on it's own but also really good with the chili.


1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 onions, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (Any will do, we like to use red and orange as N doesn't like green pepper)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cans beans (we use red kidney beans, white kidney beans and navy beans)
1 can green lentils
1 can baked beans
1 can "Manwich"
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 - 3 tbsp chili powder
salt

Cook ground beef in a pan and drain fat.
In a big stock pot over medium heat, cook onions for 5 minutes. Add pepper and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add ground beef and chili powder stir to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Bring to a boil and turn to low. Cover and simmer for 45min-1 hour. The longer is cooks the better it gets.

Serve with cheddar cheese and corn bread!

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is one of my ultimate comfort foods. It started from a recipe I once saw on the back of a can of Campbell's Cream of Potato Soup and has been changed over the years. This makes a big batch, always thinking there will be left overs, but there never is.

3 cans condensed cream soup (I like to use Cheddar Cheese, Chicken and Celery)

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

3 cups chicken, cooked and diced

4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

3 cups frozen veggies, thawed (I like peas, corn, carrots and green beans)

1 can Pillsbury country biscuits

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine soup, milk, pepper, thyme, garlic in a casserole dish.

Add chicken, potatoes and veggies. Stir well to combine.

                                     

Bake 35-40 minutes until bubbly.

Lay biscuits in a single layer on top and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for another 15-20 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

So my breakfast taquitos were so easy and delicious I thought I would try making a chicken taquito. They were delicious and gooey.

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup salsa verde

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tbsp green onions

2 cups chicken, shredded

1 cup shredded cheese (monteray jack, Cheddar are my choice)

14 small flour tortillas

Combine all ingredients except tortillas in a bowl and mix well.

Place 3 tbsp of filling along bottom third of tortilla and roll tightly. 

Place on a lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. 

Once all are rolled spray tops lightly with cooking spray.

Bake 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until browned lightly.

Serve with salsa and sour cream

Tamale Pie

I love recipe book! I have a book shelf just for my recipe books. So while browsing the book section at Winner's a few weeks ago I found this one 100 Ground Beef Recipes100 ground beef dishes for $5.

So browsing through I found this recipe for Tamale Pie, which caught my interest because I love Tamales. This recipe is delicious and there was no leftovers :) 

2 tbsp corn oil ( I didn't have any so I used vegetable oil)

1 onion finely chopped

350g ground beef

2 tsp chili powder

7oz canned diced tomato

5oz corn (canned or frozen)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp butter, cut into pieces

3 tbsp milk

1 cup hot chicken stock

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in large pan. Add onion and cook over low heat stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Add ground beef and increase heat to medium. Cook for 8-10 minutes stirring and breaking it up with the spoon, until there is no pink left. Stir in chili powder, tomatoes, corn and sour cream, then season to taste with salt. Transfer mix into casserole dish.

In a food processor, combine cornmeal, baking powder, butter and milk until combined. With the processor running add enough stock to make a thick, smooth texture.

Pour cornmeal mixture over the ground beef and smooth surface. Bake for 20 minutes until the top is beginning to brown. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for an additional 15 minutes. 

 

Left Over Mashed Potato Gnocchi

Growing up when we visited my grandma in Thunder Bay, she always made us gnocchi, which was called "nooklies" and still do to this day. It was my favorite thing she made. I decided that I do not have to always wait til we visit her to have them. So I have started making them regularly.

This recipe is lighter than hers so you can eat more of them. 

I always use left over mashed potatoes, which I always make with plenty of garlic, milk and butter, so my gnocchi are always full of flavor. 

 

                                

All you need is the following:

2 cups of mashed potatoes

1 cup flour

1 egg

Mix ingredients to make a soft dough. Add more flour if needed to not be sticky (this will depend on how much liquid you added to your mashed potatoes). Knead dough on table for 2 minutes. Cut dough into quarters and roll into logs. Cut logs into 1 inch pieces and place on floured cookie sheet.

To cook drop into boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Make sure to do in small batches so they do not stick together.

I like to serve them with pasta sauce and fresh grated parmigiana cheese. 

Enjoy they are delicious!!!

Mango Chicken Quinoa

I really like quinoa (an ancient grain packed with protein) and was looking for some recipes. So I purchased the cookbook "Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood". This recipe stood out and looked delicious. 

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup quinoa

1 tbsp olive oil

4 chicken breast, diced

1 1/4 cups zucchini, diced

1 red or orange pepper, diced

2 tbsp orange juice

1 ripe mango, diced

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup sour cream

Place chicken stock and quinoa in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 min. Turn off heat and leave covered for 6 min. Then fluff with a fork and set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan. Add chicken and cook for 5-7 min, browning chicken on all sides. Add zucchini and peppers, continue to cook another 10 min til veggies are tender and chicken is cooked. 

Add orange juice and stir to combine. Heat for 2 minutes and add mango and cilantro, heat slightly.

To serve, place quinoa on plate and top with mango chicken. Garnish with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Enjoy

Beef Fajita Burgers with Seared Peppers and Onions

So another recipe adapted from Rachel Ray, from her 30 Min Get Real Meals Cookbook. Her meals are always so flavorful and easy. It was a hit and everyone wants one for lunch tomorrow too.

Beef Fajita Burgers

2 pounds ground beef

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp grill seasoning (I prefer Montreal Steak Spice)

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

2-3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 pkg flour tortillas

Combine meat, Worcestershire, spices, thyme and grill seasoning. Make into rectangle patties to fit the tortillas (I made mine a little too big and had to cut in half). Cook 5-6 min per side. Serve with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

                 

Seared Peppers and Onions

1 tbsp EVOO

2 large peppers, sliced thin (any colour, I used red and orange)

1 onion, slices thin

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup green chili or tomatillo salsa (I made my own, will post)

Heat large skillet and add EVOO. Add peppers and onions and cook for 5 min. Add garlic and jalapeno cook for 3 min. Add Salsa, toss and cook one minute longer. Serve on Fajita burgers.