Category: Food

***I made a double recipe in my crockpot, so everything below was times 2 except the pasta***

16 oz dry spaghetti, cooked (I used 16 oz bag of elbow macaroni)
1 lb. velveeta light cheese
12.5 oz can chicken breast, drained and flaked (I don’t use canned meat, so used some left over baked chicken)
10 3/4 oz can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (I don’t buy cream soups anymore…I found a recipe that I make whenever I need it…I share that next week)
10 3/4 oz can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup, undiluted
10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Ro-Tel)
4 oz can mushroom stems and pieces, drained (I didn’t add these)
1/2 c water
1 small onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced (I used red, orange, yellow and green)
salt & pepper, to taste

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir well
Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours. Stir again just before serving. I served it with salad, french bread, celery and carrots. It would be good with tortillas or corn chips.

**I actually cooked it on high for about 2 hours and then turned it down because I wanted to make sure it was heated through. I would also suggest when you’re cooking the pasta cooking it al dente because it continues to cook in the crock pot and it can get mushy**

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

** I also added a handful of peanuts, sunflower seeds and flax seeds.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Ingredients

• 4 limes, juiced (I have used lemon juice from a bottle, 4 limes might be a little heavy for some, but we liked it)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chili powder (I thought this would be too much at first, but it isn’t.)
• 1 teaspoon dried sage (I don’t have this on hand usually so I just leave it out)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (ditto with the sage)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I really just use any chicken I have on hand. The chicken breasts are nice because the chicken can be sliced and put on top of a salad or in a taco, but this last week I made it with chicken legs and the boys gobbled it up)

Directions

1. Whisk the lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, sage, oregano, and cumin together in a small bowl.**I take the easy way out and mix the marinade in a gallon plastic bag, then put my chicken in and shift it around*** Arrange the chicken breasts in a shallow glass container; pour the lime juice marinade over the chicken. Cover the container with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 1/2 hours (I’ve marinated it longer), turning the chicken every 30 minutes (I don’t know who does this but it sounds good)
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove the chicken to a platter and allow to come to room temperature (I didn’t do this).
3. Grill the chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Ingredients

• 6 large bananas, unpeeled, stems removed
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat the grill for high heat.
2. Spray 4 sheets of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap bananas, with cooking spray.
3. Slice the peel of the banana from stem to bottom, while slicing the banana inside lengthwise. The bananas can be cut into slices instead if you like, (while still in the peel) for easier handling later.
4. Carefully open the banana just wide enough to place the chocolate chips and marshmallows inside the peel with the banana. Stuff with as much of the chocolate chips and marshmallows as desired.
5. Wrap the bananas with the aluminum foil and place on the grill or directly in the coals of a fire. Leave in long enough to melt the chips and the marshmallows, about 5 minutes. Unwrap bananas, open the peels wide, and eat with a spoon.

Ingredients

• 1 cup soy sauce (I used about half soy sauce and half Worcestershire sauce as our family isn’t big on strong soy sauce flavor)
• 1 cup white sugar (I used half white and half brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped (I didn’t use quite this much)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil (I just used Olive oil because I don’t keep this on hand)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 2 pounds Korean-style short ribs (beef chuck flanken, cut 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick across bones) — I used plain old beef ribs.

Directions

1. Whisk together the soy sauce and sugar in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved, and stir in the black pepper, garlic, green onions, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.
2. Place the ribs in a large bowl, and pour the marinade over the ribs. Stir to coat the ribs with the marinade, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Stir the ribs and marinade again, and refrigerate for 1 more hour.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
4. Remove the ribs from the marinade, discard the marinade, and grill the ribs until brown and no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side. Have a spray bottle of water handy in case the ribs flare up.

**It was raining, so I had to bake these ribs instead of grilling. They were still good. The next time I make them, I might try making them in the crock pot.  **