Crockpot Sliders = Messy Goodness!

Here's another Pinterest find.  I made these to celebrate Matt's last basketball game of the season and coincidentally it was a cold, rainy day, so what a wonderful thing to come home to!  I think I said it before, but warm, delicious smelling crock pot food is the BEST thing to come home to!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast Sliders

1 3-4 lb beef roast (we used 2 smaller beef arm roasts)
1 cup water
1 cup salsa

1 envelope onion soup mix
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1 envelope Au Jus mix (I couldn't find  this in the stores so I added another envelope of Beefy Onion Soup Mix and a cap full of Worcestershire)

Whisk together water, salsa and seasoning packets. Place roast in slow cooker. Pour seasoning mixture over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.

To make the sliders, we sliced a regular bakery hamburger bun and laid 1 slice of either Swiss or Provolone cheese onto 1 side then broiled the bun, open-faced, and broiled for a few minutes on a pan.

Then add a few fork fulls of the roast, grab a BUNCH of napkins, and enjoy!!!

Homemade Granola and Bars

My husband is a big granola and granola bar fan - I think he learned how to make homemade granola in high school and that's where I got this idea.

We love to add granola to our yogurt for lunches and we often buy boxes upon boxes of granola bars for afternoon snacks, lunches, and such - so why not try making my own???

I found this granola recipe on Pinterest and it was very simply - you can basically add whatver you want.  I doubled the granola recipe but then made the mistake of baking it all together - make sure you bake the granola in a SINGLE LAYER on a baking sheet or pan.

Applesauce Granola - (I doubled the recipe to last us longer - this is the single recipe below)

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds) - I used sliced almonds.

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/3 cup raisins

 

Preheat oven to 300F.  In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce with the honey and oil over low heat.

Mix the applesauce mixture into the oat mixture and stir to coat everything. Spread the mixture onto a 9 x 13 baking pan - remember, SINGLE LAYER works better.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is a deep brown. Remove from oven and stir in raisins. Cool completely before enjoying.

Simple right? - After I made the granola, I used some of it to make granola bars.  You could also buy plain granola to use in the bars, which is what i'm going to do this week because I don't have any more homemade granola left.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 cups plain granola

1 cup rice cereal (Rice Krispies, etc.)

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used the mini-chocolate chips)

Optional: 1/4 cup peanut butter chips (didn't have these so I didn't use them)

Line two 9×5 loaf pans with foil or parchment. Lightly butter or spray the foil. Set aside.  I used only 1 loaf pan and the bars were just a little too big but I though 2 pans would make them a little too small - it's your call what you want to do.
Combine butter, honey and brown sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter is melted.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Add the granola and rice cereal into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.

Spread the mixture into the prepared pans and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate and peanut butter chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down with the spatula.  (I used a large potato masher - shown in the pics - to press the bars - I thought it worked really well!)

Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until mostly cooled and set; lift out of the pan and cut into bars.  I wrapped them individually in cling wrap - you could put them in plastic baggies or find some brown paper - parchment paper and wrap them a little cuter with twisted ends - whatever works for you.

Now aren't those simple recipes!? - besides baking the granola, it takes no time at all!  Delicious and healthy - I prefer making my own granola bars now because I know exactly what went into them and can design them to my taste! :)

Quick, Tasty Breakfast

No school today for President's Day so Matt and I had a nice brunch when I got back from the fitness center and a hair appointment.
Now, this is going to sound contradictory - fitness center and brunch (not a healthy one at that), but come on, you can't eat healthy EVERY minute of the day, it just doesn't work.
So, if you're looking for a healthy breakfast, this is not your recipe.  If you're looking for a quick and tasty breakfast, this is your recipe!  If you're looking for a new idea that can be altered to your specific tastes, this is also your recipe!

Waffle Iron Brunch - (sorry no pictures)

Hash browns on the waffle iron is a fantastic idea!  You can add whatever you want - onions, peppers, cheese, etc. 
We made frozen hash browns with cheese and seasoning.  Spray the hot waffle iron with cooking spray to prevent sticking.  Add a handful of hash browns, season, and add cheese.  Add a few more hash browns to cover the cheese and tightly close the waffle iron.  Cook for a few minutes until browned and slightly crispy.

Cinnamon rolls on the waffle iron is another fantastic idea!  Takes a lot less time than the oven!  Place 2-4 of your favorite refrigerated cinnamon rolls on a hot, sprayed, waffle iron.  Tightly close and cook a few minutes until cinnamon rolls are lightly browned.  Serve with the frosting that comes with the rolls or with maple syrup or both!

Now don't go making this breakfast/brunch every day, or every week, probably not good to do that - but do enjoy it every once in awhile - we did!

Homemade Chinese!

It was quite the Friday at school, and honestly, quite the week at school so I needed something to kick the weekend off on a good foot.  Matt left for an Augustana Basketball game so I had the house to myself! - including the kitchen, living room, and TV!  I decided to try a new Chinese recipe.  We make a lot of stir fry's and such, and this is a take off a recipe I found in one of my Taste of Home Magazine.  Of course I added some things and replaced some things, and it turned out great!

What a wonderful start to the weekend!

Cashew Chicken with Noodles

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces

2 Tbsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp minced garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped cabbage

6 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 pkg Rice Noodles - thick would be better, but I only found the "rice stick" thin noodles

3 Tbsp Teriyaki marinade (the recipe called for chili sauce but we were out)

1 cup unsalted cashews



Combine cornstarch, minced garlic, and soy sauce in medium bowl.  Add chicken and stir to coat.  Heat peanut and sesame oil in large skillet and add chicken mixture.  Cook until chicken is just about done, then add celery and cabbage - cook until chicken is done.  Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.  Add green onions to chicken skillet and cook additional minute.  Then, add cooked noodles, marinade, and cashews - heat through.  Be sure to turn the noodles so they get completely covered in chicken mixture and marinade.
I used cabbage and celery because it's what we had in the fridge and it's my 2 favorite stir fry vegetables, but you may omit these or add something else - like water chestnuts or carrots or broccoli.

I also need to talk about these new bowls I bought from World Market - aren't these perfect!!??  The Yin and Yang bowls are perfect for our Chinese dishes! :)

Another Pinterest Find - S'more Cookies

Made these cookies for Super Bowl Sunday and they were a huge hit!  I've made s'more bars before but these cookies are something different.  The batter is very sweet with Honey Graham Crackers in it.

I actually cut the recipe in half when I made the cookies and it still made about 2-3 dozen.

S'more Cookies

3 sticks cold butter, sliced

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

2 cups graham cracker crumbs(I used the honey kind)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

mini marshmallows

2 giant size chocolate bars (I used Hersey, but you could use anything)

Heat oven to 375.  Combine the butter and both sugars.  I did not soften the butter like I usually do and just beat it in the mixer to combine.   Mix in egg and vanilla until well combined.  Add flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, and baking soda.  Place dough in balls on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  Bake for 8min, remove from oven, press in chunks of chocolate and marshmallows.  Put back in oven and back an additional 3min.  Let cool.