Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe

I've been slacking in posting new recipes. Truth be told, I haven't made anything new in awhile. Just making things I've made in the past that my family likes. Tonight I decided to make something new that I found on the internet. It was REALLY good. It's a lot like the Crock pot chicken that I make, except a couple of ingredients are a little different.

Ingredients:
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1/2 cup chicken broth
-frozen chicken pieces (4-5 breasts, or 8-9 tenderloins)
-1 packet of Italian salad dressing mix
-2 cloves minced garlic
-1 block of cream cheese (to add later)

Directions:
Put everything except for the cream cheese into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and begins to shred. Shred the chicken with two large forks, and mix in the block of cream cheese. Switch the crock to high and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted. Serve over fusilli pasta. So easy and so yummy! :)

Good Holiday Recipes!

Last night was my turn to host Bunco. I thought I'd post the recipes that I made for dinner that night, cause they are good ones to use this time of year.

The main course was Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup and I used bread bowls this time! Yum! I actually posted that recipe already here. I found the bread bowls at Bashas too.

I made a Cranberry salad also and for dessert I made Chocolate Mint Brownies! Yummo, those were good! So here are those two recipes. All are great things to serve this time of year. Enjoy!

Cranberry Salad

1 bag whole cranberries
1 regular sized bag mini marshmallows
1/2 cup sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 apple
4 cups grapes (You can slice them in half to make them easier to eat)
1/2 cup pecans (Optional. I don't use cause I don't like them)

Grind up the cranberries in a food processor or blender. Mix in sugar (can use less or more if you want) and marshmallows. Refrigerate overnight. Mix in grapes, one apple chopped into bite-sized pieces, and pecans. Whip up the whipping cream and mix it in (do not need to sweeten the cream, the marshmallows and sugar sweeten the salad). Instead of the grapes and pecans, I put in one large can of pineapple chunks.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Bottom layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup

Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring

Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. BATTER WILL BE VERY THIN! Pour batter into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

3. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake. (You can substitute vanilla extract for the mint extract if you want the non-mint version.)

4. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. They taste better chilled. Cut into 20 pieces.

This was the first time I made these brownies, and they really were so good! I think I will make them on Christmas. They have changed my life for the better. Okay, not really, but close! :) I have no pictures either, sorry. Happy Holidays everyone!

Thanksgiving Recipes!

I forgot to post these earlier, so here goes. I made a tossed salad and two desserts for Thanksgiving. I made a Banana Cream pie and Strawberry Whipped Sensation. Both were new things that I've never made before, but they both turned out really good.

Strawberry Whipped Sensation

Makes: 12 servings

4 cups fresh strawberries, divided
1 can (14 oz.) EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
8 OREO Cookies, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Mash 2 cups of the strawberries in large bowl. Add condensed milk, juice and 2 cups of the whipped topping; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
MIX chopped cookies and butter. Spoon over whipped topping mixture. Cover with ends of foil and gently press cookie mixture into whipped topping mixture. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.
INVERT dessert onto serving plate when ready to serve; remove pan and foil. Spread remaining whipped topping onto top and sides of dessert. Slice remaining 2 cups strawberries; arrange over dessert. Store leftovers in freezer.

Layered Banana Cream Pie

Makes: 8 servings

3 oz. cream cheese

3/4 cup powdered sugar

6 oz. cool whip

2-3 sliced bananas

6 oz. package instant banana pudding

1 1/2 cups milk

1 prepared pie shell

Directions: Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and cool whip. Spread mixture over the bottom of the pie shell (layer 1). Top with sliced bananas (layer 2). Mix together pudding and milk. Spread over bananas (layer 3). Cover and refrigerate until top layer is set. So easy!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes to make, more to chill.

Monkey Bread!

So I asked a few weeks ago if anyone had a recipe for Monkey Bread. I'm happy to report that my good friend Amy came through for me. I'm posting it cause it is SOOO YUMMY and super easy. It's like cinnamon rolls, but better I think. I meant to post it sooner, but I kept forgetting. You all must make it for breakfast sometime. Jacob told me that I make the best cinnamon rolls ever after he ate it. That kid is easy to please though. Thanks Amy! :)

Monkey Bread
Amy Lunt

18 frozen dinner rolls (Rhodes)

½ C. brown sugar
1 small pkg. regular butterscotch pudding mix (not instant, it has to be cook and serve kind)
½ C. melted margarine

½ C. chopped nuts (I didn't use nuts cause I'm not a big fan of them)
sprinkle cinnamon on top (optional- I did this and I think it's better with it)

Place frozen rolls in greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle on dry ingredients. Pour melted margarine over all. Sprinkle cinnamon all over. Cover with foil, then a dishcloth. Let stand on counter overnight. In the morning, bake at 325º for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes then invert onto plate. Best when served warm.

So GOOD people! Go now to get what you need to make it for Saturday morning cause you have to prepare it Friday night. ;)

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken Recipe

Yes, this recipe calls for Brown Sugar. It's soooo good! Seriously, go to the store now to get the ingredients. You need to make this for dinner. Nick likes this so much that it almost beat out his most favorite chicken recipe that I make in the crockpot. The 1st one I listed. I found this recipe here. This lady uses her crockpot every day! I also have her link listed under my favorite websites.

Ingredients:
-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
-1 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (stay with me...)
-2/3 cup white vinegar
-3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
-2 T soy sauce
-1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions:
Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble! Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be. Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

Here is the picture from her website.

The boys inhaled this. Nick raved all night about how good it is. It really is some of the best chicken I've ever made. The Crockpot lady, (that's what I call her) has some great recipes and I plan on trying more. I will post the ones that I like best on here. So go now to the store and get what you need to make this for dinner this weekend. It's awesome!

Recipe # 6

Since we had a potluck with family on Sunday, I didn't make anything new. Instead I made the Garlic Chicken Farfalle for the potluck and my entire family loved it. That is the best thing to make for potlucks cause it makes a ton and there was plenty for everyone to have some. So, last night is when I made something new. I made my friend Julie's recipe, Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. It was delish! You can find the recipe here. http://huwishes.blogspot.com/2008/10/its-soup-for-dinner-tonight.html My kids who are pretty picky eaters even loved it. I had some leftovers today for lunch too! Thanks for the great recipe Julie! Tracy, I thought of you yesterday while I was making it. You need to try it!

I didn't use bread bowls like she suggests because I didn't know where to get them from. I want to get them the next time I make it though. Does anyone know where in AZ I can get bread bowls at? I also cooked my chicken in the crock pot on high for 3 hours and then shredded it before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. I love making soups this time of year cause they are easy and they are great for cooler weather. I know 90 degrees during the day isn't very cool, but it does get nice and cool at dinner time. This is so YUMMY!

My Ode to Sugar!

Oh my dear sugar, how I love you cause you taste oh so sweet. Yet how I hate you cause you're not good for my body. Three years ago I stopped eating you and felt better and lost a lot of weight. Then something made with your sweet substance tempted me and I could no longer fight my feelings any longer. I gave in to the temptation and haven't been able to stop eating you since. I started trying to substitute you with Nutrasweet, until I read that they originally made that to kill rats. That was poison I was putting in my body so again, I went back to my original true love. Just today I ate a piece of leftover cake that someone from a party last night convinced me to take. I knew I should resist but my children were tempting me to take it cause they promised they would eat it. Well no kids or husband are home right now so the cake sits in the kitchen taunting me with it's lucious sugar filled buttercream frosting. How could I say no? Then forgetting about the cake I had just eaten I thought I would make sugar cookies for the kids to frost and decorate for Halloween when they get home. How could I not? The dough tastes just like sugar cookie dough should taste. Filled with your delicious substance. Just wait til they are covered in yummy, sugar filled frosting. You make chocolate taste the best, and that is by far the hardest to resist. Why do you tempt me so, dear sugar? Exercise I must, but where and when can I fit that in? Oh you're my weakness and I wish I could hate you, but hating you isn't an option so I will try my hardest to avoid you and not give in to your daily temptations. So I bid you farewell until next time one of your devine desserts calls to me like a Siren, making it oh so hard for me to say, "not this time, dear sugar"!

This is for everyone out there who has an addiction to sugar! Hi, my name is Sheri and I'm addicted to sugar! Whew! I admitted it and that is the first step. :) My work here is done. I'm off to bake those sugar cookies for my kids so they can frost me one when they get home! HAHA! If you all want the recipe I found it here. http://clousecousinscookin.blogspot.com/2008/10/easy-sugar-cookies.html Now does anyone have a recipe for Monkey Bread? I've been wanting to make that for awhile now. :)

Please share your weakness. It will make me feel better if I'm not the only one with an addiction to something, LOL. :)

Recipe # 5

I didn't cook on Sunday cause we got invited to dinner, thanks for that by the way, so my dinner that was going to be on Sunday was actually on Tuesday instead. It was a new one to us. I've never made it before, but it turned out really good. We all really liked it. Even Cole who is picky about his chicken. It wasn't too orangey tasting either.

Crock Pot Chicken Ala Orange
8 frozen boneless skinless chicken -breast halves
12 oz Jar orange marmalade
1/2 cup Russian dressing
1 tbsp Dried parsley, or to taste

Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine marmalade and dressing. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley. Cover. Cook on low 4-6 hrs. Serve with rice.

This is what it looks like in the crock pot. I've started using those crock pot liners. They are so nice and really make an easy clean up!

Here is what it looks like when it's done. It's better served over rice but this was Cole's plate. He can't have different foods touching each other. :) I poured some of the leftover sauce onto my chicken.

Sunday Recipe # 4

Okay, so far I have made Cole and Nick's favorite crockpot chicken, Jacob's favorite, goulash, so now I'm posting my favorite recipe that I make in the crockpot. It takes a little more time to make, but it is so worth it. Every time my family gets together for a potluck dinner, I'm expected to bring these. I double it when I take them to potlucks so that it will make two 9x13 pans and they always get completely eaten. They are soooo good! I hate to give away my secret recipe, but how can I not share the worlds best chicken enchiladas with everyone? ;) I got the recipe from my former roommates mom, so I really can't take all the credit, although I've made some adjustments to make them better. This is Jacob's favorite chicken dish that I make, he ate two of them for dinner. Cole, who is super picky and hates anything spicy and doesn't even like mexican food, loves them too. He eats an entire one himself. I really don't make them too spicy. They are so yummy!

Chicken Enchiladas

8-9 frozen Chicken tenderloins
Grated Cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 C. Sour Cream (I use more cause it tastes better)
1 can Red enchilada sauce
Chili Powder and Garlic Salt to taste
6-12 Corn tortillas

Cook the chicken in the crockpot and add some chili Powder and garlic salt with it. I let it cook on low for about 5 hours. I use 8-9 Chicken Breast Tenderloins, or 4-5 Chicken Breasts. When the Chicken is done cooking, shred it with a fork and leave in the crock pot while you make your sauce. Add the soup and the sour cream and heat it up on the stove. I also add the Chili Powder and Garlic Salt in this too for flavor. Then, start adding the Red enchilada sauce. I never use the entire can. I just add it to give it some "kick". It's really up to you how much you want to use. When it's spicy enough to you, then that will be enough. When the sauce is all mixed together and hot, then you're done with that. The next thing is to put them together. I take a tortilla and put some chicken in it, then some sauce and then some cheese. Use a greased 9x13 pan. When the pan is full, pour some sauce over the top of the enchiladas and add cheese. I add enough until they are completely covered in both sauce and cheese. This makes a lot, so you may have left over chicken and sauce. I usually make more until I run out of something, or you could use the rest of the sauce for chip dip too. Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 min. They are still so good the next day as leftovers too. Here are some pictures:

This is before they cook in the oven.

This is when they are all done cooking.

Sunday Recipe # 3

This recipe makes a lot, so I usually half it unless I'm taking it to a family for dinner or if I'm taking it to a potluck. This is Jacob's favorite meal that I make. He eats leftovers for lunch all week. It's so easy too and really yummy!

Goulash
1 lb lean ground beef
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans creamy tomato soup
oregano, pepper, basil, and Lawry's Seasoned Salt to taste
1 16 oz. box Barilla large shell pasta (you can use any kind of pasta shapes.)

Throw all your spices, soups, and ground beef in the crock pot and cook on high for 5 hours. I put my meat in there frozen that's why it needs to cook at least 5 hours on high so the meat will be completely cooked. After cooking for 5 hours, turn down to low. Cook pasta over stove as per directions on the box. Drain pasta, and add to the crock pot for 30 more minutes on low. This gets the spices and meat to blend good with the pasta. Serve with parmesan or shredded mozzarella cheese as topping. Here are some pictures of it. They don't make it look great, but it really is good and super easy to make.

This is it in the crockpot just before serving.

This is what it looks like when it's done. I have it served with corn and a roll. No, I'm not fancy enough to use something other than a paper plate. :)

Sunday Recipe #2

For Sunday dinner yesterday, I made Garlic Chicken Farfalle that Natalie posted on her blog. It was so YUMMY and really easy too! Jacob says that it is his new favorite. Here is where you can find the recipe. http://www.beckyhiggins.com/recipes/2007/12/garlic-chicken-farfalle.html

It really makes a lot. We have some leftovers for today now. I think next time I'll half it when it's just the 4 of us. This is a good dish to serve when people come over or when you have to take something to a potluck. I went and took some to my next door neighbors and they loved it as well. Thanks Natalie! This was a hit at our house. Give it a try!

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

Sunday Recipes

Ok, I love to cook and I'm all about trying new things, so I thought I'd start sharing some of my favorite recipes. I'm hoping this will be a weekly Sunday thing for me. It seems that Sunday is the day that I make the biggest meals cause I have the most time. I also do a lot of crock pot cooking on Sundays too cause it can be cooking while we're gone to church and then it's almost done when we get home. So this will be the first post of the Recipe Series. I love to try new recipes and I even have a friends blog posted here that is all about cooking, Clouse Cousins Cookin'. There are some pretty good recipes on there. You should all take a look at it and try something out!

Crock Pot Chicken
8-10 frozen chicken breast tenderloins
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet dry italian salad dressing (add just dry seasoning)
1 stick of butter or margarine

Cook on low for 4/5hrs or high for 2 hrs.
Stir and shred meat into sauce to absorb the yummy sauce and serve with rice.

This is actually both Cole and Nick's most favorite chicken that I make and it is SO easy! Here are some pictures. They don't make it look real great, but it is really YUMMY!

This is it in the crockpot just before serving. It tastes best when it's shredded in all the sauce.

This is what it looks like when it's all done. I have it served over rice with a side of Broccoli.