Spicy Chicken Dip

I tried this stuff at a baby shower a few weeks ago, and I'm kind of obsessed with it. I got the recipe, tweaked it ever so slightly, and made some a few days ago. We have actually been eating it for meals, as kind of deconstructed nachos. Brandon was skeptical at first, but when he smelled it cooking he insisted on trying some...and then his face broke into a big grin!

Spicy Chicken Dip

What You'll Need: 

2 large cans (12.5 oz each) cooked, chopped chicken (or 3-4 cups leftover cooked, chopped chicken)

Scant 1/2 cup hot sauce

1 cup ranch dressing

2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded cheddar, divided

1 tsp onion powder

Tortilla chips and veggies for serving

How to Make It: 

Drain the chicken and place it, along with the hot sauce, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to combine it well. When the chicken is hot, add the cream cheese and ranch dressing. Continue stirring and mashing the mixture until the cream cheese is melted, the chicken is shredded, and everything is fully mixed together. Add the onion powder and half the shredded cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted. At this point you can either add the rest of the cheese and transfer the dip to a serving bowl, or move it to a small slow cooker and turn it on the "keep warm" setting. This stuff is not remotely healthy, but it is amazingly delicious, and I'm really sad that we finished off the rest of our leftovers for lunch today.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

Six ingredients. Super fast. So yummy. That's all you need to know.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

What You'll Need: 

Three boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 18 oz bottle honey barbecue sauce

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp garlic powder

How to Make It: 

Place the chicken in a large slow cooker. In a bowl, whisk together all the remaining ingredients. Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover, and cook on low for 6 hours. Before serving, shred the chicken with a fork and stir to combine it well with the sauce. Boom. That's it. This recipe would double or triple very easily- and it's so good! 

Crock Pot Chocolate Pudding Cake

Sometimes I feel like I really need something sweet, but there aren't enough ingredients in my house to make anything really special. If you feel the urge to scarf down some warm, chocolate-y goodness, but don't have a lot of ingredients on hand, this is the dessert for you.

Crock Pot Chocolate Pudding Cake

What You'll Need: 

6 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup self-rising flour
1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups very hot water

How to Make It: 

Pour the melted butter into a slow-cooker.  In a bowl, combine the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and the 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa. Stir in the milk and vanilla until everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the slow-cooker, on top of the butter. In another small bowl, stir together the remaining sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter. Pour the hot water over everything in the slow-cooker- don't stir it! Cover the slow-cooker and let the cake "bake" on High for 2 hours. This would be really good with ice cream or whipped cream!

Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs

Looking for something a little different than your standard grape jelly-chili sauce combo? These meatballs Have a lot of familiar flavor, but with a twist! And who doesn't love cranberries, especially around the holidays?

Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs

What You'll Need:

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tbsp finely chopped onion

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 lb ground beef or turkey

For the sauce:

1 can (16 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce

1 bottle (12 oz) chili sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

How to Make It:

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs, ketchup, onion, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the beef and, using your hands, smoosh everything together until it's well combined. Shape the mixture into 1 inch meatballs. Place the meatballs on a wire rack set inside a shallow baking pan. Bake them uncovered at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until they're no longer pink. Drain the meatballs on paper towels before you put them in your slow cooker. Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan, and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the sauce over the meatballs in the slow cooker, and heat them through until ready to serve!

Parmesan Tomato Soup

I made soup for the very first time tonight! My mother-in-law gave us her blender, so I'm going to be putting it to good use- starting with this soup! It has a very mild flavor, thanks to the cheese and half and half, so it's less acidic (and therefore much nicer for me to eat) than store-bought tomato soup!

Parmesan Tomato Soup 

What You'll Need: 

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen)
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 finely diced onion
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups broth (we prefer using vegetable, but chicken would also be a good choice)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup grated or shaved Parmesan
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground black pepper

How to Make It: 

Add the tomatoes, carrots, onion, tomato paste, broth, and herbs to a slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 5-6 hours. When there are about 30 minutes of cook time left, melt the butter in a saucepan. Slowly add the flour, and whisk constantly about 10 minutes to make a roux. Very slowly and carefully, add 1 cup of the soup to the roux and whisk- it will make a paste, but it will also let off a lot of steam, so watch your hands! After the soup is incorporated and a thick paste has formed, add another three cups of warm soup to the mixture, and whisk to combine. Return this thickened soup mixture to the slow cooker, and stir it in. Add the half and half, Parmesan, salt ,and pepper to taste, and stir everything to combine it well. Before serving, blend the soup with an immersion blender or a standing blender (you may have to do this in batches if you're using a regular blender) and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the slow cooker and set on "warm" until you're ready to serve it! This recipe serves 6-8.