Crockpot Site

I got a new crockpot with my some of my Christmas money this year. It is one of my goals to cook more in my crock pot, especially since Isabelle comes home from daycare ravenous. I have discovered this site: A Year of Crockpotting. This lady resolved to cook in her crockpot every day for a year! There are some great ideas on this site…I can’t wait to use it. I’m thinking about the BBQ Chicken and Cornbread casserole for tomorrow night…

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Zach’s coworker’s wife made this dip for us a couple of months ago at a cookout for softball. I have made it several time for events, most recently for my extended family’s Christmas party. I have adapted it for my family’s tastes.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4-1/2 cup hot sauce, depending on the type of sauce and how hot you like it
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cans (9.75 oz. each) Chunk Chicken in Water, drained, or 2-3 chicken tenderloins, cooked & shredded

DIRECTIONS:

1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep dish 9-inch pie plate or 1 1/2 qt. deep casserole.
2. WHISK in salad dressing, Frank’s RedHot Sauce and cheese until smooth. Stir in chicken.
3. BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, and/or vegetables.

I haven’t done this before, but apparently you can also make this recipe in the microwave, slowcooker, or for tailgating:
Microwave Directions: Prepare as above. Place in microwave-safe dish. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 5 min. until hot, stirring halfway through cooking.
Slow Cooker Method: Combine ingredients as directed above. Place mixture into small slow cooker. Cover pot. Heat on HIGH setting for 1 1/2 hours until hot and bubbly or on LOW setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir.
Tailgating Tip: Prepare dip ahead and place in heavy disposable foil pan. Place pan on grill and heat dip until hot and bubbly.

Creamy Vegetable Casserole

Tonight I made this recipe up for my mom’s birthday. It is pretty mild tasting, so it’s perfect for getting picky kids to eat their veggies or, in this case, for a person who is struggling with tummy problems and can’t handle spices.

Creamy Vegetable Casserole
32 oz California Mix (frozen carrots, broccoli and cauliflower)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
8 oz Neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese)
4 oz shredded cheddar/Monterey jack cheese blend
½ sleeve of ritz type crackers

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Bring about 1” water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid. Using a steamer basket, steam veggies, one bag at a time, until crisp-tender 4-6 minutes each bag.
3. While steaming veggies, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in salt, flour and milk. Cook until thick and bubbly. Stir in cream cheese until melted.
4, Remove cream cheese mixture from heat. Add shredded cheese and veggies. Mix well.
5. Place mixture into 9×13 baking dish. Top with crushed crackers. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until topping is golden and casserole is bubbly

Daniel Fast Day 2

Last night, we had brown rice and a little tofu stir fry. It was my first foray into cooking tofu, and since Zach ate it, I guess it was successful. (You should have heard the protest when I brought the tofu home!) Basically, I took some diced super firm tofu (did you know you can get it already diced?) and tossed it with some garlic, red pepper flakes, a little olive oil, and the long “extra-fine” frozen green beans. I let it set for a little bit (since we all know that tofu takes on the flavor of the food with which it is cooked). I then sauted the mixture until the beans were crisp-tender, and then I removed the beans. I let the tofu cook a little bit longer so it would brown some more and the texture would resemble sauted chicken breast. I thought it was pretty good, especially the brown rice, and like I said, Zach ate it! Today, I had granola for breakfast and the leftovers from last night for lunch. I learned my lesson from yesterday (I was very empty by the time I got home from work): I brought a banana, grapes, and celery for snacks.

The second day of the fast hasn’t gone so good for Zach. He has had some stomach problems, and actually had to leave work early. We are hoping that it is due to the abrupt change in diet to extremely high fiber foods and that he doesn’t have a bug.