Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

• 5 pounds red potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
• 3 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste

• In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the potatoes, garlic, and bouillon until potatoes are tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving water. In a bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

• Transfer the potato mixture to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:  These were fabulous! Everyone from Thanksgiving wanted the recipe. Followed exactly but next time I think I will cut the butter in half. Heres a hint to keep the potatoes from getting soggy in the crock. Lay a clean terry kitchen towel across the top of the crock then put the lid on. The towel absorbs the steam instead of it running back into the potatoes.

Also always use either russet or Yukon Gold potatoes rather than red skinned.

This recipe makes AWESOME garlic mashed potatoes when you use the Garlic and Herb Cream Cheese plus add garlic salt, oregano, and 1 cup of an Italian Cheese Blend - we were in heaven!!  I made mine three days early and refrigerated the stoneware crock until I was ready to cook them.

Once was pinched for time, and set the Crock on HIGH for 1 hour - they still tasted just fine, so I'm not sure 3 hours on LOW is necessary. (Tip: halve the time if you're cooking on HIGH - 3 hours on LOW equals 1 1/2 hours on HIGH, just a helpful thing to know when cooking with Crock-Pots.)

Juicy Roasted Chicken

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste
• 1/2 cup margarine, divided
• 1 stalk celery, leaves removed
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

• Place chicken in a roasting pan, and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder. Place 3 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine around the chicken's exterior. Cut the celery into 3 or 4 pieces, and place in the chicken cavity.

• Bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving.

Note:  I sliced 8 garlic cloves and put in cavity, under skin and on top YUM! I also sliced 2 small lemons and put one in cavity and the other on top. Put 1/4 cup butter in cavity and 1/4 cup sliced butter on top. Put cut celery in cavity, and then salt/peppered all over. Roasted for 2 hours - turned out perfect. The GRAVY was AWESOME!! Some flour with the oils, then chicken broth and all the browned bits from the pan and juices from carving.

Movie Star Popcorn

• 3 tablespoons peanut oil- or coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Heat the oil in a 2 to 3 quart saucepan or pot with a lid set over medium-high heat. Pour in popcorn kernels and sprinkle enough salt to lightly cover the layer of kernels. Remember, you can always add more salt later. Add the butter to the pot and cover with the lid.

• As soon as the kernels start to pop, shake the pan back and forth across the burner constantly until the popping slows down. As soon as the pops are about 2 seconds apart, remove from the heat and pour into a serving bowl. Taste, and season with additional salt if desired.

Notes:  I don't know why anyone makes microwave popcorn, when the stove top method is easy and so much better.  Throw in a couple of kernels and wait until they pop and then throw in the remainder. Because the oil is at the popping temperature, there is little need to shake it - just a couple times and within a minute or two your popcorn is ready. I also keep flavored salts on hand - like cheddar cheese, to shake on top once it's done. Cheap and way better than the micro. If you find your popcorn doesn't pop well, try this: add a tablespoon or two of water to your container of popcorn, shake it up and let it absorb for a day or two. The moisture in the kernels is what makes it pop.

Edit: Although Canola oil generally is healthier, high heat it creates trans fats which are BAD for you. Peanut oil is a better choice because it has a higher smoke point. (Coconut oil, while having a high smoke point, is high in saturated fats and one of the unhealthiest), but also better tasting.  That's exactly how movie theaters used to make it. You can find coconut oil in the Asian section of the grocery store, and sometimes in health food stores. It's white and firm at room temp, but it melts very easily and the second you smell it you'll be time-warped back to your childhood.  The brand of popping corn you use is key too - definitely go with the higher quality brand in a jar. (you know, from the guy with the funny name)


**Try changing/doing the following: The total amount of oil/butter in the recipe is 5 Tbs. We like extra butter flavor, so we used only 1 Tbs. of oil and then used 4 Tbs. butter (you can use Earth’s Balance non-hydrogenated vegan ‘butter’). The larger amount of butter to oil gave us the stronger buttery taste we wanted. Since I have always used ½ tsp. of salt for every ½ cup of corn, I added all salt at once, along with the corn and 4 Tbs. (1/4 cup) butter. Melting and cooking the butter right in the pot was great. Having the extra oil in the pot - instead of pouring it over the finished popcorn - prevented the corn from burning – a great tip! As the recipe said, I took the pot off the stove when the kernel pops were about 2 seconds apart - no burning or sticking!

Very Berry Margaritas

• 3 cups ice
• 1 cup gold tequila
• 2/3 cup triple sec
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2/3 cup frozen strawberries
• 2/3 cup frozen blueberries
• 2/3 cup frozen raspberries
• 3 tablespoons white sugar

Place the ice into a blender pitcher. Pour in the tequila, triple sec, and orange juice. Add the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and sugar. Cover, and blend until the mixture is smooth, or to your desired consistency. Pour into chilled glasses to serve.

Quesadillas

Chicken Quesadillas

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
• 1 (1.27 ounce) packet fajita seasoning
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon bacon bits
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat the broiler. Grease a baking sheet.

2. Toss the chicken with the fajita seasoning, then spread onto the baking sheet. Place under the broiler and cook until the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the green bell peppers, red bell peppers, onion, and chicken. Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.

5. Layer half of each tortilla with the chicken and vegetable mixture, then sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and Monterey Jack. Fold the tortillas in half and Place onto a baking sheet.

6. Bake quesadillas in the preheated oven until the cheeses have melted, about 10 minutes.

Excellent! Just wanted to gives a heads up on two issues. First, most fajita mixes contain MSG

Here is a good mix recipe:
 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. sugar
2-1/2 tsp. crushed chicken bouillon cube
1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin
Preparation: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into an airtight container.Makes the equivalent of 3 packets of commercial or purchased Fajita Seasoning Mix. Also, to crisp a tortilla; spread tortilla with butter before baking or wet with a bit of water. Awesome recipe!

I made these again and changed things a bit and liked it better. I omitted the bacon, instead of green peppers I used green chili peppers, used green onions and made my own fajita type seasoning that was not as spicy. Used two tortillas instead of folding one, brushed lightly with butter then grilled on the griddle about 3-4 minutes per side. Turned out perfectly browned and crispy, not dry at all. Served with a mixture of sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Pico De Gallo Chicken Quesidillas

• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 (12 inch) flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream, for topping

1. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken and saute until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

3. Put the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the hot skillet and saute the sliced onion and green pepper until tender. Stir in the minced garlic and saute until the aroma is strong. Mix in half of the pico de gallo and chicken breast meat. Set aside; keep warm.

4. In a heavy skillet, heat one flour tortilla. Spread 1/4 cup shredded cheese on the tortilla and top with 1/2 the chicken mixture. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup cheese over the chicken and top with another tortilla. When bottom tortilla is lightly brown and cheese has started to melt, flip quesadilla and cook on the opposite side. Remove quesadilla from skillet and cut into quarters. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve quesadillas with sour cream and remaining pico de gallo.

Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

• Chex Cereal (Rice or Corn will do. I use corn because I think they don't break apart as easily as the rice)
• Nestle semi sweet chocolate morsels
• Peanut Butter
• Powered Sugar

Directions:
Melt Chocolate over medium to high heat in a non stick pot on the stove. Once melted, add about a 1/4 of a cup of peanut butter to start with. If you want more of a peanut butter taste, add more. I used about 1/2 a cup total for my stuff.

While chocolate is melting, pour powered sugar in your biggest mixing bowl. Leave a little of the powered sugar to add to the top.

Once the chocolate & peanut butter is melted, add about 3/4 of the box of chex cereal to the mixture. Mix cereal in until it is completely covered in the chocolate. Then pour the chocolate covered cereal into the bowl with the powered sugar. Place bowl's lid on tightly, then shake hard. You might have to open the bowl and stir gently just to get the clumps out and every piece coated with sugar. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes to cool.

Once it is cooled, you can store in an air tight container or make into cute gifts for teachers, friends, or family members.

I like to make my own cute labels with nice paper stock and ribbon. Be creative.

From: 6 Inches of Ribbon
http://www.ashleyrussell726.blogspot.com/

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients:

2/3 Cups of your fav brand of balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
2 tbl spoons of honey

Wisk it all together and drizzle it on your tasty salad. Enjoy!

Store the leftover dressing (if you have any left.. it is soo good) in a jar or container in the fridge.