Mississippi Roast…an update

Game. Changer.

Since making Mississippi Roast the first time, we made it three more times.  Yes, three!

Once, with a brisket. Oh. my gosh.  We put red potatoes in and baked all at the same time. The potatoes were awesome!

Once, we made it with a regular roast, but used the drippings to make gravy for mashed potatoes.  Yup, crack gravy!

Last weekend, I was looking at Pinterest for our weekly meal plan.  I came across Mississippi Pulled chicken.  Uh, what?? Its all the the same recipe, but using chicken breasts instead of beef.  We had this Tuesday, on french bread with mozzarella cheese.  I ate far more than I should have.  It may even be better than the beef.  Try it.  We will be having it again soon!

Mississippi Roast… huge win!

I pinned the Mississippi roast long ago. It’s been sitting in my lonely crock pot meals board for I don’t know how long. Then, my birth month moms group (aka my friends I’ve never met, but feel like I know so very well) Posted they tried this roast. It finally made it onto our weekly meal plan for tonight. Oh. My. Gosh. So good. So easy. Make this for dinner tomorrow.

I mean, look at this picture!

The recipe is super easy. It’s a chick roast, a stick of butter (put under the roast), a packet of dry ranch mix, and a packet of an jus mix sprinkled on top. The secret ingredient is 4-5 pepperchinis on top. No liquids.

There is so much juice!

Would be great over mashed potatoes.

Here’s the link so you can make it tomorrow.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/246721/mississippi-roast—slow-cooker-pepperoncini-pot-roast/?internalSource=amp&referringContentType=amp%20recipe&clickId=amp_directions

Creamy Tortellini Soup…Win!

I haven’t posted in a long time. I would say a while, but wow, it’s been forever! Since I last posted, we moved to Texas and had a baby. So, I’ve been a bit busy 🙂

 This soup find on Pinterest is one that was awesome. Definitely added to our rotation. It may not be the best for you, but it has tons of flavor, was pretty easy to make and very filling. 
Here is the original link.

http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/2014/11/slow-cooker-tortellini-spinach-soup.html?m=1
 We didn’t modify at all other than we had to use mini ravoili. We were unable to find the tortellini at our Kroger. 

The spinach we used one frozen box, and it was a perfect amount. 

Here is our picture! You should try this one too.

 

Pollo Fundido… win!

I’ve said it before, I love Mexican food.  When i saw this pin, it was very much up our alley.  It has become one of those meals that we repeat a lot.  As long as you remember to buy the queso at the store, most people have the rest on hand.  Its Mexican Queso and Chicken, how can you go wrong?  Serve with a can of beans or Mexican rice side dish, and you have a yummy dinner. With a name like Pollo Fundido, it has to be fun!

Here is the original pin link:

http://theneaglesnest.blogspot.com/2010/07/pollo-fundido.html

And the recipe:

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast (cut in half lengthwise to make them thin)
Onion
Mexican Dipping Cheese (I use the jalapeno flavor)
6 to 8 ounces milk (just add enough to get to the consistency you prefer.)
Chili Salt (1/4 cup sea salt, 1/4 cup pure chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, pinch ground oregano. Mix together and store in an airtight container. This makes 1/2 cup of chili salt.)

I just sprinkle the “chili salt” on the chicken to season.  I didn’t pre-mix.  I added garlic as well, because well, we garlic everything and I thought it asked for it.    For the Mexican dipping cheese.  Read CAREFULLY.  I buy a little tub at my local Walmart or grocery store that says queso.  Usually I get the variety with chiles or jalapenos.  Don’t buy Mexican melting cheese (that was a huge fail) or just the Chihuahua cheese.  They dont melt the same, and you will get a clumpy rubbery mess.  If you buy the wheel of Mexican dipping cheese, it will not be as runny as with the queso dip.  I have a harder time finding the wheel of cheese.

In the recipe, it asks you to saute the onions first, and the first few times, I followed the rules and did just that.  Then cook your chicken, add the onions and the cheese.  I have modified it slightly for ease and time.

I put the chicken into the pan, season and cook.  I then, cube the chicken, and add back to pan.  I then add onions.  I added green onions last time because I needed to get rid of them.  If you liked green peppers, I am sure those would be tasty too.  I let the onions cook for a while with the chicken.  Add cheese. Cook until bubbly again.  I serve on tortillas and eat in a burrito.  You could keep the chicken whole and eat with a fork and knife too.  Here was my dinner tonight:

 

There are a ton of pictures along the way in the link above, be sure to check that out too for other hints.

 

Sloppy Joe Crescent Rolls… good…

Well, we are moving soon, so I have been trying to use up what is in the cabinets and fridge.  I remembered seeing this pin a while back, but I just went with it instead of following it to a T.  So, mine was a bit modified.  It is not exactly healthy by any means, but I am trying to get rid of things I have on hand.  Here is a link to the pinned recipe:

http://robinsrecipes.com/sloppy-joe-pockets-2/

 

They are really easy.  Make the Sloppy Joes like it says on the package.  (1 pound of ground beef and a jar of sloppy joe mix).  In the recipe, it says to take 2 triangles of the crescent rolls to make a rectangle for the top, and 2 for the bottom.  I only used one triangle, and spooned some of the sloppy joe into the widest part.  To fold, I pretty much folded up like a diaper.  I added some sharp cheddar cheese to some of them too.  I baked at 375°F for 12-15 minutes.

They were good. I am sure kids would really like them.  Drew isn’t a sloppy joe fan, so I will probably never make again.  They would be good if you don’t have buns on hand (though growing up we always just used sandwich bread).  They were a new twist on a standard classic.

Pineapple Angel Food Cake… So Yummy!

So, recently on Facebook my friends have been sharing recipes that go around on Pinterest as well.  I wont give my opinion on that, but I do respond to a few of the recipes that have failed in the past for me.  This one has popped up a lot.  It is for pineapple angel food cake.  It is super easy.  And so yummy!  If I make a cake here, it only lasts a few days (and there are only 2 of us living here)!

This cake was a go to for my grandma, who was diabetic.  The sugars are all natural, so she could have it in moderation.  We made it a lot growing up.

The recipe shows a picture similar to this (there are a couple variations going around on Facebook and Pinterest.

 

The most important omission on the recipes flying around is the fact that you MUST USE A ONE STEP angel food cake mix.  If you use a 2 step mix, it will not rise and is rubbery.  Here is a good recipe for this super yummy cake:

 

1 box (1-step) angel food cake mix

1 large can crushed pineapple

Directions

Put dry cake mix in bowl (do not add the water as directed on the box). Add entire can of pineapple with juice. Mix carefully until all dry mix in incorporated. Pour into either a tube pan, 9×13 pan, or cupcake pan with liners. Bake at 350 degrees for time on box for size pan (around 30-40 minutes). When sides pull away from pan and toothpick, cake is done.

Can also use low calorie cherry, blueberry, or lemon canned pie filling instead of pineapple.

Bunny Easter Rolls… Fail

I should have known this would fail when I read the link, but as a science person, I had to try it for myself.  The picture shows bunny “rolls”.  Well, the pin leads to a blog for a bunny cookie.  Here is the picture:

 

They look cute enough.  And easy enough, so I figured I would try with some of the rolls I was making for lunch today.  I purchased the frozen dough balls and proofed them. Once they were done rising, I used kitchen shears and cut little rabbit ears in the rolls like the picture.  Then, I used a skewer and poked little eyes into them.  For a tail, I made a smaller cut.

In the oven they went.  And out they came, disappointing. The ears shrunk.  The tails disappeared.  The ears made them look like little Pikachu rolls.  The eyes, well, they look deformed.  Glad I only did this to 12 of the 36 rolls I made:)

Here are mine:

 

Pineapple Upside Down Muffins-YUM!

Growing up, my mom worked at my aunt and uncle’s bakery, Schmiemeier’s in Des Peres.  She still works there today, event though it is no longer owned by my family.  When I was 14 (ok so not legally, but still, “old enough”), I was allowed to start working on holidays during the craziness.  Then when I turned 15, I was able to start working the Sunday shift (6:30-12:30).  I really liked this shift because I was able to go in at 6 to help my uncle ice the rolls and put them on the plastic pans for the store.  We would talk as we were icing the rolls about anything from school to life to tattoos.  Those Sunday mornings still mean so much to me.  I am thankful for those times.

Now, that all being said.  I spent a lot of time in bakeries and around bakery items.  The smell of icing still turns my stomach thinking about eating it.  I really dislike cake.  The number of sweet items from the bakery that I enjoy eating, I can count on one hand.  My uncle would make pineapple upside down muffins.  They were SO good!  In the past few weeks, I have been craving them so much, I had a dream about them.  Yes, I know I could have asked my mom to bring some home from the bakery, but I figured I would just make them myself instead. Betty Crocker had a decent recipe, so I added the recipe to my Pinterest arsenal and baked them yesterday.

Here is Betty’s picture:

 

Here is her recipe: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pineapple-upside-down-cupcakes/c30fa990-ecf3-4664-a8e1-0a50c8c5c0a8

 

 

1 can (20 oz) sliced pineapple, drained, juice reserved

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1/3 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

12 maraschino cherries, cut in half

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.
• Cut each pineapple slice into 4 pieces; set aside. In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, eggs and reserved pineapple juice with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
• In small bowl, stir together melted butter and brown sugar. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons butter mixture into each muffin cup. Top each with 2 pineapple pieces. Place cherry half, cut side up, in center of pineapple pieces. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cup.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cupcakes to loosen; invert onto cookie sheet. Serve warm

 I did not add the cherries (I would have just thrown them out anyways).  I also will used crushed pineapple next time instead of the slices.  There were not enough slices, cut into fours, to add 2 to each cup.  So I had to re-cut a few.  It was a pain.  Otherwise, they are so yummy!  I have to stop myself from eating more than one a day!

Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole- Easy!

I was looking through my pins recently and thought I had been slacking on trying new recipes.  This week I tried to focus on meals in my meal plan that could be made ahead and then Drew could finish up through the week.  This recipe I pinned  a few weeks back with Drew in mind.  I dont tend to like a lot of pre-boxed, easy items, but this one sounded bearable.  I had never had Rice a Roni, so it was worth a shot.  Here is the pinned picture:

 

The link is here: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/creamy-chicken-and-rice-casserole/

The recipe is:

1 6oz Box of Chicken Rice a Roni

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 8oz tub Sour Cream

1 Whole Rotisserie Chicken

6oz Can French Fried Onions

 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare Rice-A-Roni according to package directions. While that is cooking, shred/cut up the chicken (I always use a rotisserie chicken, but you could use leftover chicken or some cooked and shredded breasts, whatever), removing meat from bones.

When Rice-A-Roni is done, add the can of soup and the sour cream, and stir to combine. Add the chicken and mix together. Spread mixture into a sprayed baking dish (I use a 9-by-13-inch pan, but you can use what you like for how thick you want it to be) and bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven, cover with the french-friend onions and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven.

 

I did make a few changes.  I needed chicken for a few dishes this week, so I took a back of chicken breasts (on sale last week for $4.99 a bag!) and cooked in the oven.  I then diced and portioned into three different piles.  I guess it is about a pound of chicken that went into each recipe.

I also didnt read ahead to see that i needed to sprinkle the onions on top only for the last 5 minutes.  Everything was made all at once.  It turned out just fine.

What I learned:

Rice a Roni is an odd side dish.  It was ok (I tried a bite before mixing everything together).

Drew really likes Rice a Roni.  Asked to have it more often.

This dish was SUPER easy to make.

We discussed what we could add to make it better (discussed cheese, etc) nothing was decided on.  Figured if we repeat is would be the same.

Drew said, you can definitely make this again.  (he REALLY liked it)

A Quick Reminiscent Dessert

I’d love to thank someone on Pinterest yet again that reminded me of my childhood.  I have quite the sweet-tooth, so if you look at by Pins on Pinterest, it seems that I have quite a few things pinned in my dessert category.  I only like certain sweets though.  I love cookies and rice krispie treats.  I despise cake.  Fruit is usually a win for me, except for cherry and banana (though I like fresh on both of those).  I have weird tastes, I know.  I will be the first to admit.

I can remember making these Cheerio treats the day my cousin Michelle was born.  Why I remember this, I dont know, but she was born on Martin Luther King day and I was off school.    Growing up, my mom worked (and still does) in my (then) aunt and uncle’s bakery.  On days that we didn’t have school, if my brother didnt want to watch me, I went to my Grandmas house.  I liked going to Grandmas house.  I got to hang out with them all day and my great grandma lived with them.  It was always a triple dose of spoiling when I went there.  I don’t remember doing anything overly special.  We went to breakfast at Hardees or went to the beauty shop (if it was Tuesday) or worked on some project.  Sometimes we baked or made treats.   On this particular day, we made Cheerio Treats.

Here is the recipe from http://realmomkitchen.com/1021/cheerio-treats-and-a-giveaway/

 

Cheerio Treats

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 5 cups Cherrios

1. In a large sauce pan, combine sugar and corn syrup.  Bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat.
3. Add peanut butter and vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth.
4. Add Cheerios and mix until all coated.
5. Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool.  Enjoy.  (I get about 2 dozen from this recipe.  It all just depends on how big you make them.)

 

I made these tonight.  They are currently cooling.  I can’t wait to eat one.  I just wish I had a bag of chocolate chips so I could put some chips on some of them.  I think that would be even better.

Here’s a picture on how mine turned out: