Crockpot Italian Chicken

 

 

 

4 chicken breasts

1 packet dry Zesty Italian dressing (Regular is fine but I like zesty better. Sometimes I use a packet and a half.)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (depending how cream cheesy you want it)

Place the chicken in a crockpot and sprinkle Italian dressing over it. Combine cream cheese and cream of chicken soup in a small pot over low heat and pour over chicken. Cook on low for at least 4 hours. You can leave it in there all day.  Once chicken is done you can leave the chicken breasts whole, cube it, or even shred it. I always cut the breasts into tenderloin size strips.


If you feel the sauce is too thick you can thin it to your preferred consistency with a little milk. Serve over pasta or rice.


http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/07/crockpot-italian-chicken.html

Cheddar Bacon Dip

Cheddar Bacon Dip (a.k.a Crack) 16 oz sour cream 1 packet Ranch dressing mix 3 oz bacon bits (in the bag not jar) 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Mix together and refrigerate 24 hours. Serve with chips and/or veggies.

http://www.plainchicken.com/2008/07/chili-cheese-dip_22.html

Mac & Cheese

 

 Ingredients

• Butter or vegetable oil, for baking dish
• 6 ounces penne
• 2 cups Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce
• 1 ounce cheddar cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
• 1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil and 8-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook penne, according to package direction, for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package. Rinse pasta in cold water; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together cooked pasta and sauce gently but thoroughly. Pour pasta into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with cheeses and chile powder. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

http://www.marthastewart.com/316867/worlds-best-mac-and-cheese 

White Queso

Yields: About 2 cups queso
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup white onion, finely diced
1 large jalapeno, seeds and stem removed; finely diced
12 oz white American cheese, shredded
4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (don’t use pre-shredded)
1/2 to 1 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
1 – 2 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper until softened and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream.  Quickly stir until the cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.  Serve immediately with tortilla chips, tortillas, or on tacos, burritos, etc.

http://penniesonaplatter.com/2010/11/04/queso-blanco-the_first_attempt/

Garlic Roasted Green Beans

Garlic-Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds
(Makes 4 servings, slightly adapted from Fine Cooking Annual.)

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh green beans (thin beans preferred, but any type will work)
6 shallots, peeled, and cut into thin slivers
5 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slices
2 T olive oil (original recipe called for 3, but I thought 2 was plenty)
1 tsp. salt (or less)
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, very finely chopped
1/4 cup almonds, chopped (I used sliced almonds and only slightly chopped them)
1 tsp. lemon zest

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 F. (If you're cooking other things you can use a slightly lower temperature, just increase the time a little.)

Trim ends from green beans. If using thin, long beans, cut in half crosswise into pieces about 2 inches long. Peel and cut shallots and garlic, then place with beans in plastic bowl. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper, and use a wooden spoon to toss until beans, shallots, and garlic are well coated with oil.

Spray roasting pan with nonstick spray or mist with olive oil, then arrange the vegetables in a single layer. (I like to cover the pan with foil, then spray the foil for even easier clean-up.) Roast 12-15 minutes for thin beans, or slightly longer for regular beans, until beans are slightly shriveled, and shallots and garlic are lightly browned.

While beans cook, toss together chopped parsley, chopped almonds and lemon zest. When beans are done, toss hot beans with parsley/lemon/almond mixture and serve immediately.


http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/11/garlic-roasted-green-beans-recipe-with.html

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
- 5lbs Russet Potatoes, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 10 cloves of garlic, whole
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 16 oz cream cheese (I used 8oz regular and 8oz lowfat)
- 1 TBS seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning (I use Aunt Cora's Soulful Seasoning)

Garnishes:
- Crumbled bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions

Directions:
- Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken stock to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
- Remove and puree the garlic cloves along with 1/2 to 1/3rd of the soup, and then reintroduce to the remainder in the crock pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt. Stir every 10-15 minutes until soup is well blended.
- Top with your choice of garnishes & serve!

Yields about 10-12 servings.

POST SCRIPT: I have found since first writing up this recipe, that adding the cream cheese to the 1/3 of soup that you're pureeing helps integrate it better. Both ways taste fantastic, though!

http://www.mamalovesfood.com/2009/06/baked-potato-soup-slow-cooker-style.html