(crock) Pot Roast w sides

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried oregno

1 tsp garlic powder

1tsp onion powder

1 stp salt

1tsp pepper

2 tsp olive oil

4 lb roast cover w water

cook on low for 8 hours(perfect for all of you working moms and dads! throw all this in before work and dinner is ready when you get home!)

For the mashed potatoes, I used Betty Croker instant...my husband is OBSESSED with instant, because it reminds him of his grandma! Today I used HEB's Super Sweet Corn, you just microwave-steam it in the bag and it's done, we just added a little salt and pepper!

Hope you enjoy!!

**On a side note, we ate all the sides this day, so with the extra meat, the following day I put it in a sauce pan and added 1/2 a cup of BBQ sauce and warmed it all together and we ate BBQ sandwiches!)

Stuffed Bell Peppers and Non-Traditional Potato Salad by Melissa

I was trying to find a fun recipe for me and the hubs to try while the kids are gone to their Dad's and we decided to try stuffed bell peppers. We've done stuffed everything else, so, why not?

1 box Zatarrain's dirty rice - prepared. We used ground venison, but you can use ground beef, sausage, or turkey! All are very yummy!
1 onion
garlic salt, pepper, chili powder - whatever seasoning you like - taste as you go.
1 can rotel tomatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 green bell peppers

Heat the oil in a small skillet on medium high heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion. Once the oil is warm, saute the onion until translucent. I like to let them get a little brown. Drain the oil and then dump the onions into the prepared dirty rice. Add the can of rotel and season to your liking. We added more chili powder for a spicy flavor.

Cut the top of the bell peppers off, keeping the tops. Rough cut the insides out - it doesn't have to be perfect. Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture. I squished mine down tight to make sure they were really stuffed. Lay the tops on.

Grill the bell peppers over indirect heat for about 15-20 minutes. Once the skin gets a little wrinkly and soft, they are done. Keep a close eye; you don't want them to get squishy.

You can serve them with some chopped cilantro on top and/or a dollop of sour cream! SOOO YUMMY!!

Melissa's Potato Salad
Okay I didn't do this but I learned that you should from making this... PEEL the potatoes!!

6 medium russet potatoes - quartered, PEELED, boiled about 20 minutes, and drained
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2-3 chopped green onions
2-3 chopped sprigs of mint
seasonings - again, whatever you like. I used about 2 tsp each of garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and a few dashes of cayenne pepper.

Mix the sour cream and mayonnaise with a splash of milk so it isn't so thick. When its really thick, it mashes the potatoes and we want to keep them cubed. Add the seasonings to the sour cream and mayo mixture. Stir into the potatoes. Top with onions and mint and give it a quick toss.

This is one of the best dinners I've ever made! And it was fun! I hope you try it!!

Melissa

Sloppy Joes by Kayla

Sloppy Joes are one of the easiest, most delicious recipe's known to man. 

What you will need:

2 pounds ground beef

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 cups ketchup

1 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons mustard

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

hamburger buns ( I like to buy the ones from the Kroger Bakery)

                                                (I forgot to add the ground beef and buns, sorry!)

What to do:

In a large skillet, cook beef, onions and garlic over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the ketchup, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, Italian seasoning, onion powder and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Serve about 1/2 cup meat mixture on each bun.
Serve on buns.

I use potatoe chips as a side, but have also made potatoe salad

Enjoy!!!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

If your from Richmond/Rosenberg, you know of Sandy McGee's! I am not going to say this compares to her Broccoli Cheese Soup! But It is pretty good!! I got this recipie from the Parade insert in the Sunday paper back in May. Here you go!!

3 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
4 cups broccoli, chopped
Dash of garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar
Slices of crust bread

1. In a large saucepan, mix chicken broth, onion, broccoli, garlic powder, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.

2. Removes bay leaves and pour mixture into a food processor. Pulse until smooth, approximately 1 minute.  Reserve in a bowl.

3. In the original saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour, salt, and a little pepper until a thick paste forms. And millk and cook, sitrring constantly, until mixture thickens. And milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. And cheddar; stir until dissolves.

4. Pour in borccoli mixture an cook until blended. If necessary, add more chicken broth to thin. Season with additional salt and pepper. Salt with bread for dipping.

Paula Deen's Grilled Tilapia with Peach BBQ Sauce by Melissa

I wanted to try something new for my Tilapia rather than just seasoning and throwing on the grill - which is good, too - so I tried this Paula Deen's Peach BBQ Sauce found here. I hope you will all be inspired to go find a "designer" recipe and try it, too. It was fun! Report your results back here so we can all try it!

Peach BBQ sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Pinch garlic salt
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
2 cups fresh or canned peaches
Mix all but the peaches in a skillet over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes (I did it at least 20 minutes). Meanwhile, puree the peaches. Once the sauce is cooked, stir in pureed peaches.

I used about 10 frozen tilapia filets, thawed. It makes a LOT of sauce, so, unless you plan on freezing 3/4 of it, I suggest halfing the recipe. Also, the sauce is hard to get the oil and vinegar to mix in with the rest of the ingredients. Perhaps half of each of those and water would make it a little thicker also.

I seasoned the filets with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and then sprayed a sheet of foil and put the fish on top and then put the fish on the grill. Once the fish were about a minute away from being done, I basted them with the bbq sauce. I saved about 3/4 c. to pour on after they were cooked as well.

I also decided to try my own hush puppies! They were sooooo yummy!! I didn't have any corn meal so I used a box of Jiffy cornbread mix instead.

Hush Puppies
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1/2 finely chopped onion (I cheated and used the chopper)
1 tsp. garlic powder, salt, pepper, Tony's Chachere's, paprika
1 tbsp. horseradish mustard

Mix all ingredients together. Get out your Fry Daddy, let it heat up, and then drop spoonfools into the hot grease. Let them reach a light golden brown on each side and then pull out with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper plate covered with paper towels. They were excellent!

You can serve another vegetable with the fish and hush puppies to balance out your meal. I served a can of green beans.

Sorry there are no pictures. I got going really quickly and completely forgot!

Stuffed Shells and Cheese by Kayla

It is truly hard to find good meals my oldest son Gavin will enjoy because he is such a PICKY eater!  So about a year ago I was searching new recipes to try, and I came across this one at allrecipes.com.  I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine has.

Here's what you will need:

1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

1 onion, chopped

1 egg

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Separate shells and let stand, so they are not touching, on waxed paper or foil.
In large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, onion, egg and bread crumbs. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in three-quarters of the shredded mozzarella and cheddar; cook until cheeses melt.
Fill shells with chicken mixture, using a tablespoon, and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover the shells with the tomato sauce and top with the reserved cheese. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.

I serve this with a side salad, green beans and texas toast.

Enjoy!!!!

Crock Pot Chicken & Rice

My sister Nikki made this years ago and I gladly eat the left overs...FINALLY I asked for the recipie a couple of years ago and here you go!

4-6 Chicken Breast
1 can cream of Chicken
1 can cream of Celery
1 can cream of Mushrooom
4 cans of water
pepper to taste.

Cook on low all day about 6 hours or longer. Take chicken breast out and shred while adding small box of minute rice(I usually add 2 bags of rice) to the crockpot. Add the chicken back into the crock-pot and wait until the rice is finished cooking (about 20 minutes on high)