Slow Cooker Greek Stuffed Peppers

This my modification of a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com (Tina's Greek Stuffed Peppers).

Slow Cooker Greek Stuffed Peppers


(I am guessing on the amounts because I didn't measure I just threw it in to taste.)
1 lb. lamb (can sub for hamburger or any ground meat)
1 small yellow onion
1/4 lb. orzo
1 can diced peppers
1 tsp dried basil
3 tsp dried oregano
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 pkg frozen spinach
5 bell peppers
3 baby carrots
2 green onions
1 pkg crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
3 cloves garlic
1 c. vegetable stock

DO THIS:

1. Cook the Orzo.
2. Cut the tops and seed the peppers. (Chop the tops up in to the veggies to saute.)
3. Saute the onion, garlic, spinach, carrots and green onion until aromatic.
4. Brown the lamb and drain the fat.
5. Mix veggies, lamb, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, orzo, and
6. Spoon mixture in to pepper shells.
7. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray and line the stuffed peppers in it.
8. Pour the veggie stock to the bottom of the pot and cover.
9. Cook on high until the peppers are cooked through (soft).  My cooker is on crack and so on high took 2-2.5 hours to cook the peppers.

Adam ate guacamole with his.  They are super filling.  The original recipe is 639 calories per pepper and it had a lot more oil in it.

ENJOY!

You Have To Make This: Coffee Cup Choco Cake

Okay, I am a total Pinterest Junkie. I have hundreds of Dessert recipes but usually I don't have all the ingredients or the time/energy to make any of the stuff... until tonight. I saw a recipe for a Coffee Cup Choco Cake. Guaranteed to have warm chocolately goodness in FIVE MINUTES. I had all but the chocolate chips so I thought I would give it a try... and it was sooo sooo good!

Here is the recipe as I made it (The pinterest recipe adds chocolate chips).

4T flour
2T sugar (I used Splenda)
2T cocoa
1 egg
3T Milk
3T Butter, melted
1/4tsp Vanilla

Mix Dry then Wet Ingredients in your coffee cup.
Put in the microwave and cook on High for 3 Minutes.
When the 3 minutes is up DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR... give it a minute or so to finish cooking and set. Otherwise your cake will go from big puffy souffle like to dead... mine was dead.

Here is my "dead" cake in the cup. It was dense and chocolatey and good. I can't wait to add the chocolate chips and make it gooey too. (Oh I had Dove Chocolate... next time.)

I have no clue why my picture imported sideways... it is so weird.

Easy Peasy Tomato-y Chicken

Here is the recipe I made today by throwing stuff together... it turned out REALLY good and I wish I could have some pasta and garlic toast to go with it.  (Sorry no picture it gotten eaten too fast.)

Ingredients

• 8 chicken breast tenders (I bought the kind that you cook from frozen).
• 1 can Tomato Soup
• 1 can Stewed Tomatoes, Italian Recipe
• 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1/3 tomato soup can water (rinse the can out while you fill)

Mix everything together in your crockpot and cook until the chicken is cooked through.

Ranchero Sauce ala Casa Dub-Yuh

This is super easy if you have a food processor... and easy if you don't (just more knife skills are needed).

Most of my ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Bunch of cilantro (start with a handful and add more to taste)
• 4 large tomatoes
• 2 large red peppers (although any chile pepper will work)
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• jalapenos (the amount will depend on the spice level you want)
• 1 cup chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillon mixed with water)
• Cumin (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)

Use the food processor to puree all of the veggie ingredients above.  Add to the crockpot or stockpot with the chicken broth and then season to your taste preference.  Bring to a boil with the lid off  to reduce the sauce (couple of hours) and then simmer.  Use right away on eggs or in hamburger for taco meat or freeze for later.

Recipe Update

I posted my recipe for my attempt to create Chili Colorado.  I just wanted to update you on how it went.

My bowl of goodness with 0% Cheddar Cheese

IT WAS DELICIOSO!  I really wish I wasn't abstaining from carbs because what it really needed was a tortilla (rolled up like a burrito) and some guacamole.  My only change would be to cut the meat in to smaller pieces especially if it does get rolled in to a burrito.  The meat and sauce were flavorful and the meat melted in my mouth.

{My attempt to make} Chili Colorado in the Crockpot

Okay, I have been wanting to make Chili Colorado and have yet to find a good recipe and all the ones I have read have been so different from each other I have no clue.  So, I just started cooking.  Here is what I did.  I will update after we eat tonight and let you know how it tastes.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef, cut in 1" pieces
• 1 can RoTel
• 16 oz Tomato Sauce
• 1 - 4.5 oz can green chiles, chopped
• 1 small onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced (I like to smash them and then dice them)
• 1 cup beef stock, broth, whatever you have
• Chili Powder, to taste
• Garlic Powder, to taste
• Cumin, to taste
• Flour
• Oil

What I Did:

1. Sweat the onion and garlic and put to the side.
2. In a gallon baggie put flour and garlic powder to coat the beef cubes.
3. Use oil to brown the beef, put in to the crockpot when browned.
4. Use the beef broth (I used bouillon) to boil out the golden bits on the bottom of the pain from browning the meat.  Use a spoon to sort of scrape and get them off the pan.  The broth will boil and steam (don't burn yourself) and then thicken a little.
5. Add all of the other ingredients to the thickened liquid, mix thoroughly and then season with Chili Powder and Cumin
6. Add sauce to the meat in the crockpot and stew on low.  (I am cooking it for about 5 hours).

I will let you know how it tastes later since I just made it.

Full Tummy Chicken Soup

If you have been reading you know we have been dieting using the Dukan Diet.  Here is one of the things that Adam LOVES to make on Protein/Vegetable days.  It keeps you SUPER full for a long, long time, which is why the name.

Sorry about the REALLY bad iPhone photo.

I made in the crockpot this time but Adam always makes it in a stockpot on the stove.  It was just too hot to have a flame going today.

Ingredients: (like all my recipes I don't measure so I am guessing on the measurements)
This makes A LOT of soup!

• 3 large chicken breasts, chopped in 1" chunks
• 5-6 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 20 baby carrots
• 1 bunch broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 8 cups chicken stock, broth, whatever you have
• Chicken Seasoning (to taste on the chicken)
• Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb Seasoning, to taste

Add everything but the cabbage to the crockpot.  Cook until the chicken is cooked (in my crackpot I cook on keep warm for about 4 hours but my keep warm is other peoples HIGH) but the longer it simmers the better the flavor.  Add the cabbage (and the broccoli if you like it crisp) to the soup about 30 minutes before you plan to eat so that it is warm and cooked but not mushy.

Adam likes to add cayenne pepper before eating (he adds it to literally EVERYTHING he eats) and I have to agree it brightens up the flavors.

Chicken Tortilla-less Soup Recipe

As many of you know I have been on the Dukan Diet.  Lost 9 pounds as of this morning (2.5 weeks)!!  The hardest part has been coming up with things that I want to eat.  I have always been a huge cheese and carb person as opposed to the protein eater type.  Once I found cheese that was okay with the diet then I was even happier.

Tonight I decided to make Tortilla style soup that I am calling Chicken Tortilla-less soup.  I really should have taken a picture for you because it was beautiful.  

Here is what I threw in the pot:

1 can RoTel (I <3 this stuff it is so versatile when cooking Mexican or Tex-Mex) (if you don't want it spicy then you can go with a can of diced tomatoes instead)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 pound chicken breasts diced (be good shredded too)

4 cups chicken broth

The following spices to taste:

Cilantro torn up

Cumin

Salt

Pepper

Boil until the chicken is cooked and top with some FF cheddar and more cilantro.

YUM!

Homemade Tortillas

Here is another one of my easy peasy recipes: Tortillas

Ingredients

1.5 c. AP Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 T. Lard (I use Crisco because I am in Korea and LARD scares me)
5 oz. Water

Directions:

1. Combine your dry ingredients in a food processor.  Leave 1/8 c. of the flour out.
2. Add the Lard.

3. PULSE the mixture FIFTEEN TIMES (Do not pulse more than that because the dough will get to tough).

4. Turn processor ON and add the water to the top to DRIZZLE in to the dough.  Again, don't let the processor run past the incorporation of the water because the dough will get very tough.

5. Sprinkle the last 1/8 c. of floor on a surface and knead in to the dough ball until all flour has been incorporated.

6. Roll back in to a ball and quarter.

7. Roll the four pieces in to balls and half each one.

8. Roll all eight pieces in to balls.

9. Take a Gallon baggie and cut the up the side seams and cut the zipper off.  Use this to line your tortilla press.

10. Smash each ball in the tortilla press between the baggie lining.



11. Cook tortillas on a griddle until golden brown on each side.

12. Store in a warmer with a paper towel between each tortilla until serving.  Put in a zipper baggie for long term storage after they have cooled.

(Semi-Homemade) Torcettis

I really wanted to to use one of my husband's specialties, chicken teriyaki, but I couldn't get his permission even though he did say, resigned, "You are going to use it anyway," but I want to get his permission and have him make it again so I can see the proportions.  It is very good though.  Instead I am going to post this easy Torcetti recipe from my mom.  She found it in a magazine or newspaper and it is a semi-homemade take on the Italian favorite.
A little background on the Torcetti, we had them at my wedding, they were at my best friend's wedding, and they are everywhere in my hometown at Christmas.  They are good little cookies that look like rememberance ribbons.  They are great to eat with coffee.  Mmm.

Not my picture but it gives you an idea what they look like.

TORCETTIS

• 1 pkg yeast
• ¼ cup warm milk
• 2 tbls sugar

• 1 ¼ cups yellow cake mix (or whatever kind you want to use, recipe calls for 1 Jiffy yellow cake mix if you can find them)
• 3 sticks melted butter (cooled to room temperature).
• 1 teasp. Baking powder
• 2 tbls vanilla

Combine yeast, warm milk and sugar; let yeast dissolve.

Combine all ingredients and add yeast mixture until well mixed. Dough will be stiff, cover with paper towel and let rise for 45 minutes.

Pinch small amount of dough roll in hands to about 6 inches place in bowl of sugar lay on ungreased cookie sheet and cross ends like a horseshoe shape or roll into small balls and roll in sugar and bake 10 to 15 minutes or until firm and golden on the bottom.

This is for Recipe Swap Thursday over at Prairie Story so check it out.

Crack Dip

While at Fort Hood, Texas we were fortunate enough to befriend some really cool people and start a weekly poker game.  At first I would play poker and Adam would just sit and bullshit and smoke a cigar.  Eventually Adam gave in a joined our game.  The game would rotate between people's houses and we would all bring stuff to eat or snack on during the game.  One of the favorite things to have at these games is what my husband affectionately called crack dip.  This had been a recipe of our friend, Rod, and I imagine he has another name for it but Adam's name caught on quickly and I doubt the dip is called anything else now a days.  I am going to share the crack dip recipe with you now and I hope you enjoy.  We don't make it often because it tends to get eaten in one setting and as you read the ingredients you will see they are not on the healthy side even if you chose to dip veggies in them.

Crack Dip

1 lb. Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 packet of Hidden Valley Original Ranch^® Dips Mix
1 container (16 oz.) Sour Cream
1 T horseradish (or to taste - add more for a bigger kick)
6 green onions, chopped

Mix Hidden Valley Original Ranch^® Dips Mix with the sour cream as directed on mix packet.  Add the horseradish, green onions and cooked, crumbled bacon.  Mix thoroughly and chill.


Serve with corn chips, potato chips, bagel chips or any assortment of raw veggies.  Anything you might eat ranch dip on try it in this dip.  Once you start you won't be able to stop which is why it is called Crack Dip because it is so addicting.

Check out Prairie Story for more recipes or to join in on Recipe Swap Thursday.

Apple Dip

I am really glad I am needing to have blog postings of recipes because all these things that I know how to make I have to now write them down.

This is another super simple recipe.  (I am not a fan of being in the kitchen but I am a fan of eating.)

Apple Dip

1 pkg Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 c. Brown Sugar
1 T. Vanilla

Mix Cream Cheese, Brown Sugar and Vanilla together.  Adjust measurements to taste.  Chill before serving.

Great served with tart apples like Granny Smiths or Pink Ladies.  It is a lot like a caramel dip but way better.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Recipe

I am recycling this recipe for the Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story.

Cheesecake Sopapilla

3 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 pkg crescent rolls
1.5 c sugar
1teas. Vanilla
1 stick butter, melted

Topping:
½ c sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Directions:
Unroll 1 pkg of crescent rolls in the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 pan.
Whip cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and butter
Spread over crescent rolls.
Top with second pkg crescent rolls
Pour 1 stick melted butter over crescent rolls and top with sugar and cinnamon

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

ENJOY!

Tasty Tuesday: Cowboy Bean Soup

This is a recipe that my roommate in college, Megan (yes we had the same name and same last initial but it wasn't confusing at all), made a lot.  It is delicious.  It is great on a cold day as comfort food or at a summer picnic.  It makes a lot so you could feed an Army or have lots of leftovers.  I also love to eat it with cornbread or tortillas and top it with cheese (I love cheese).  Oh! And it is SUPER easy to make!
I have talked about publishing it for a while but USNChic over at Have a Great Navy Day has asked for Slow Cooker/Crock Pot recipes for her Tasty Tuesday installment. 

Cowboy Bean Soup
(Measurements are estimates because I usually just put it in to taste - I like it to be slightly sweet with a hint of smoke in the background.)

1 lb.  Ground Beef
1 large can of Baked Beans
5 small cans of different beans (I like to use kidney, pinto, great northern, chick peas and black)
(Adjust these to taste)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. ketchup
1/8 c. mustard
1 tsp. Liquid Smoke

1. Brown the ground beef and season it with black pepper and garlic salt. (Sometimes I grate some onion in the beef that is browning.)
2. Mix all ingredients in a Crock Pot and heat through.  The longer it simmers in the Crock Pot, heating, the better the flavors mix and penetrate the beans.

Easy Peasy (Mock) Spanish Rice

We love Mexican food at our house and so we have come up with a simple Spanish Rice.  It isn't exactly like anything you have ever had at a restaurant but it is good.

Ingredients:

• 1 can Ro*tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (We use Original or Mild but if you like things spicy go for the HOT)
• 1 c. hot water
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1 cup rice

Directions:

1. Mix the hot water and the chicken bouillon to make chicken broth.  
2. Add the Ro*tel and rice.  
3. Cook the rice following the cooking directions.  We love our rice cooker - set it and forget it!

Serves:
     4 people (~1/2 c. servings)

Recipe Blog Hop: Cheesecake Sopapilla

Cheesecake Sopapilla

3 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 pkg crescent rolls
1.5 c sugar
1teas. Vanilla
1 stick butter, melted

Topping:
½ c sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Directions:
Unroll 1 pkg of crescent rolls in the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 pan.
Whip cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and butter
Spread over crescent rolls.
Top with second pkg crescent rolls
Pour 1 stick melted butter over crescent rolls and top with sugar and cinnamon

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

ENJOY!