Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Ingredients:
2-3 lb. pork shoulder or sirloin roast
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried marjoram
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. juniper berries, crushed
1 tsp. dried cilantro
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
4-5 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper

Preparation:
Pat roast dry. Cover roast with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker. Add chicken broth to cover half the roast, onions and spices. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker and allow to rest/cool for 10-15 minutes. Shred meat by hand or with two forks. Makes great taco/burrito filling or can be eaten on its own.

Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
3/4 cup apple juice
1 cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup soy sauce

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add the remaining ingredients, to the skillet, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved. Add chicken to the sauce in the skillet and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over rice with extra sauce as desired.

Adapted from Recipezaar.com.

Jezebel Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preparation:
Place the apricot jam, pineapple, and Dijon mustard in a blender or food processor. Blend/Process for about 15 seconds until sauce is well combined.

This sauce is great on grilled chicken and can be served on top of cream cheese with crackers as an appetizer.

Thanks go out to Dinners for a Year and Beyond for sharing this tasty recipe!

Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients:
Dough
1/2 cup olive oil
garlic powder
italian seasoning
3/4 cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
1 package instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Topping
1 1/3 cups pizza sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
your favorite pizza toppings

Preparation:
Place oven rack in lowest position and pre-heat oven to 200 degrees. While the oven heats, lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Season 6 tbsp. olive oil with a good sprinkle (or two) of garlic powder and italian seasoning to taste. Coat two 9-inch cake pans each with 3 tablespoons of seasoned olive oil. Once the oven reaches the 200 degree temperature, turn it off.

In a small bowl, mix together milk, sugar, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. In standing mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, yeast, and salt. Turn mixer to low and slowly add milk mixture. Once dough starts to come together, increase speed to medium-low and continue to mix until dough is shiny and smooth (about 5 minutes). Place dough on lightly floured counter and gently shape into ball. Place in greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the warm oven until dough doubles in size (about 30 minutes).

Place dough onto lightly floured counter and divide in two, and lightly roll each into a ball. Press or roll and shape each ball into 9-inch round and press into prepared cake pans. Cover again with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot until dough is puffy (about 20 minutes). In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove plastic wrap. Spoon 2/3 cup pizza sauce on each pizza, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese and additional toppings of your choice. Bake until cheese is melted (about 20 minutes). Remove pizzas from the oven and let rest in pans for 5 minutes. Remove pizzas from pans and place on a cutting board. Cut each into 6-8 wedges.

Thanks go out to A Taste of Home Cooking for sharing this slightly adapted but very tasty recipe!

Laughing Cow Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
8 wedges Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb cheese
cooking spray
1/2 cup bread crumbs
dried parsley
grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Lay each chicken breast out flat. Spread two wedges of cheese evenly over each chicken breast. Roll up and use toothpicks to seal. In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs with a good sprinkle each of dried parsley and parmesan cheese. Spray each of the chicken rolls with cooking spray and dredge in the bread crumb mixture to cover. Place in a baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, then broil just until the crust is golden brown. Remove toothpicks before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Thanks go out to Macaroni and Cheesecake for sharing this slightly adapted but very tasty recipe!

Crash Hot Potatoes

Ingredients:
New Potatoes (or other small, round potato)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Rosemary (or desired herbs)

Preparation:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender. On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil. Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available).

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Thanks go out to The Pioneer Woman for sharing this tasty recipe!

All-In-One Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 cups spicy tomato juice
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash of pepper
1 (7-ounce) package spaghetti, uncooked
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Brown and crumble ground beef in a large pot with onion and garlic; drain well. Add in the tomato sauce, paste, juice, water, salt, sugar, chili powder, dried oregano and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.

Add in the pasta. Cover and simmer until pasta is tender, stirring often (about 20 minutes). Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on each serving.

Adapted from myrecipes.com

Light Fettucine Alfredo

Ingredients:
1 lb. fettuccine
1 large onion, diced
1/2 lb. portabella mushroom caps, sliced
4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 C skim milk
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
salt to taste

Preparation:
Cook fettuccine in lightly salted boiling water until firm but tender. Meanwhile, coat skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, add onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their liquid. Stir in cream cheese until it begins to melt. Stir in milk, garlic, basil, and pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in half of the cheese. Add salt to taste. Toss cream sauce with fettucine in a large bowl. Serve and top with remaining cheese.

Party Chicken

Ingredients:
1 can cream soup (celery, chicken, or mushroom) + 1/2 can water
1 C sour cream
3 oz. dried beef slices
6 chicken breasts
6 slices partially cooked bacon

Preparation:
In buttered casserole, layer dried beef and chicken wrapped in bacon. Cover with sauce made of soup, sour cream, and water. Let stand for 3 hours or overnight. Bake at 275 degrees F for 3 hours. Do not cover to bake.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2 small cans cream of chicken soup + 1 can water
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
salt and pepper

Dumplings:
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 3/4 C flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C water

Preparation:
In a large skillet, met 1/2 stick butter. Brown onion and celery until slightly softened and onions are clear. Add chicken pieces, stirring until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the two cans of chicken soup and water till creamy. Stir constantly until bubbly. Turn heat to low and simmer.

Bring a 2 1/2 quart pot of water to a boil. In a large bowl, mix melted butter, eggs, and water. Add flour and salt. Drop by 1/2 teaspoon into boiling water. Dumplings are done when they float. Add all dumplings to skillet and serve.