Honey-Sauced Chicken Wings

We had the Honey-Sauced Chicken Wings the other night on page 36 of the crock-pot book. It was good, but nothing special. I'd rather have stir-fry or something with veggies and such. The flavor was good, but not my favorite.

Stuffed Shells

20 jumbo pasta shells

1 lg. egg

2 c. small curd cottage cheese

1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 tbsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. pepper

24 oz. spaghetti sauce (I like Prego)

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook shells in boiling water until tender but firm. Drain.

Beat egg in bowl stir in cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Mozzzrella cheese, parsley, oregano and pepper.

Spread 2 c. spaghetti sauce over bottom of 9x13" pan. Stuff shells with about 2 Tbs cheese mixture. Place in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30-40 min. until bubbling, hot, and cheese is melted.

*We like this. It's basically lasagna in a shell, but meatless. A good meatless meal!

Thai Chicken

We had the Thai Chicken (on page 74) in the Crock-Pot book tonight. We really like it!! My Sister-in-Law actually introduced me to a recipe very similar to this, so I combined the two. To this recipe I just used about 1 1/2 lbs chicken instead of 2 1/2 lbs. I used mild salsa (fresh would be even better), added 1 green pepper, diced, and 1 Tbs fresh, minced garlic.

I also didn't use the crock-pot. I just did it on the stove. I combined the chicken and green pepper and cooked them, then added the rest of the ingredients. Yummy!

Edith's Pork Chops

6 or so pork chops
whole wheat flour
one egg, stirred in bowl
salt and pepper
1 sliced onion
1 - 2 sliced apples
9x13 pan

Wash and slice onions and apples. Place a layer of onions and apples on bottom of 9x13 dish.
Rinse pork chops and pat dry with paper towel. Dip each chop in stirred eggs and then in flour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown in olive oil in hot fry pan until golden brown on both sides. Place breaded pork chops on onions and apples, sprinkle desired amount of salt and pepper.
Cover chops with a second layer of onions and apples. Add a half cup of water to bottom of dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.

Halved potatoes may be placed on top of chops/onions and apples. Make gravy with drippings but use milk instead of water to thicken it.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

This is one of the BEST chocolate cakes I have made. Yummy and not hard at all.
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c flour
3/4 cu cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. boiling water

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9" rounds or 9x13, or you can make this into cupcakes.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, powder, soda, and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 min. Stir in water. (Batter will be thin.) Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

Bake 30-35 min. or until pick comes out clean. Cool 10 min; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

The frosting that goes with it:
1/2 c butter or marg
2/3 c cocoa (I personally think this is too much)
3 c powdered sugar
1/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

The frosting that I used: (from yourcupofcake.com)

Strawberry Cream Cheese Buttercream:

½ cup butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese

4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs strawberry puree
Puree strawberries by placing 1 or 3 berries (fresh or thawed from the freezer) in the blender.

11. Beat butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar and strawberry puree. Add food coloring if desired, and let beat for 4 more minutes.

(I got a little excited about the strawberry puree and added extra, then it was way too runny, so I added flour to make it think, but not too sweet...did you know about this trick? I just learned about it recently. DELICIOUS!) ourbestbites.com has a great flour frosting (white frosting) that's delicious...I haven't tried their chocolate, but next time I make this cake I plan on it!

Cafe Rio Salad

Okay, this is really yummy! I halved the whole thing because it makes a ton! Honestly, it's the dressing that makes it the best. You can probably do different recipes for the pork and even just do a more simple rice. But as long as you have that dressing. Oooh YUM!


Cafe Rio Pork

4-5 lbs pork roast (I used a shoulder)
2 cans (16 oz each) tomato sauce
3 tsp minced garlic
2 c. brown sugar
4-5 tsp cumin
3 Tbs molasses
4 c. Dr. Pepper

Mix all ingredients in crock pot, then add the meat and cook on low for 10-12 hours or high 4-6 hours. Shred meat and keep warm until served.

Here is an instant pot version of this meat.

Cafe Rio Rice

4 Tbs butter
2 1/2 c. long grain rice
4 1/2 c chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 limes
4 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro
3/4 tsp cumin

Mix all ingredients in rice cooker or cook on the stove.


Cafe Rio Dressing
16 oz Green Salsa Verde (I used Pace green salsa)
1 package Ranch Buttermilk Dressing (dry)
1/2 c sour cream (I used buttermilk)
1/2 c mayo
1 c. chopped cilantro
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 c. sugar

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.

Serve all the above on a warm tortilla with:
black beans, heated (just leave the liquid in)
fresh salsa
cheese
avocado
sour cream
lettuce

Really Ravishing Rhubarb Pie

My friend Hailey told me about this rhubarb pie on her blog.  It looks a little funny, but tastes great.  When Evan asked me what was in it, he said, "next time, just don't tell me!"

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust in pie pan
• 4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Spread rhubarb in an even layer in the bottom of the crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, white sugar, sour cream and 1/3 cup of flour until smooth. Pour over the rhubarb.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of flour and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the pie.

Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue to bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the edges have puffed, and the topping is golden and the pie is bubbling. The center may still be slightly jiggly. Cool completely before slicing and serving.