Superbowl Round Up

Superbowl Sunday is in a few days! I have no earthly idea which teams are playing, but I know there will be balls and sweaty men wearing tight uniforms playing catch. Football is not my thing, but eating yummy foods at Superbowl parties is! I've compiled several recipes, both sweet and savory, that I've made over the years that are simple and great for feeding crowds. Here they are in no particular order. 

One-Bowl Brownies- Basic homemade brownies, with or without nuts that come together in s snap.  

Goldfish Bowl Bites- These goldfish crackers are coated in butter and Ranch seasoning. Addicting and great for snacking. 

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip- Gooey, cheesy and warm form the oven. Tasty with crackers, chips or veggie dippers. 

Soft Pretzels- I could eat these everyday. I love a warm, chewy pretzel. These are versatile and can be made  into a sweet or salty treat. 

Rolo Stuffed Ritz Crackers- Two ingredients. Ready in 10 minutes or less. Sweet and salty- yes, please!

Motherload Cookie Bars- These bars have something for everyone. 4 layers of cookie dough, together in one bar, then drizzled with chocolate. mmm!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs- These pizza puffs are the most popular recipe on my blog, thanks to Pinterest. Pepperoni not your thing? Use sausage or veggies. 

Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Bars-  No bake and fuss free. marshmallows combine with creamy peanut butter to coat crunchy cereal. 

Aunt Nette's Scramble Dogs- My blog friend Jeanette used to make these scramble dogs. It's like a decomposed chili dog with the crunch of oyster crackers, served in a bowl. Messy man food!

Sopaipilla Cheesecake Bars- If you love cinnamon sugar and cheesecake, these are for you! Make them the day before you need them. 

Baked Corn Dog Muffins- I love corn dogs but don't eat them often because they're deep fried and no so healthy. These use cornbread and your favorite wieners and are baked in muffin tins. 

Bruschetta Burgers- Probably one of my favorite burgers ever. The garlicky tomato topping and the pesto mayo make these special. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip- The name says it all. Buffalo chicken flavors in a dip!

Cheesy Ranch BLT Dip- Cheese. Ranch Dressing. Bacon. Spinach. Tomato. On warm crusty bread. I could eat this hot dip as a meal. 

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork- Let the crockpot do the work for you! Juicy, spicy shredded pork sandwiches.

Ham and Swiss Sliders- These are fun and simple and both kids and adults like them. Toast them in the oven to melt the cheese and the buttery mustard topping soaks into the bread. Ohhh! 

Chocolate Sybil Cake- Also known as Texas Sheetcake. Chocolate cake, topped with rich chocolate frosting them sprinkled with pecans. Heaven help me. 

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Hope you guys eat well this weekend. What are you planning on making?

Jumping On The Pulled Pork Bandwagon

Hello all! It's August already so I thought it was 'bout time to share the last recipe I made for the 4th of July. It seems everywhere I go someone is posting a recipe for BBQ pulled pork or chicken. Is it just me or are they everywhere?! Normally, I'd hold off and post it at a later date but I'm jumping on the bandwagon and sharing this delicious recipe with you. Why? Why not? Everyone else is doing it!

This really was a good pulled pork recipe. I've tried a couple different versions before- one using a spice packet that turned out too salty, another time using rootbeer and brown sugar which was too sweet for my taste and I've tried pulled chicken which was simple and good albeit a little dry. This time I wanted to use a pork tenderloin because it's what I had in the freezer so I searched around and found one that got great reviews and was cooked in a crock pot. Making it in the crock pot was essential because I also had brownies, a birthday cake and a cheesecake to make all on the same day.

There are a lot of ingredients in this but most of them are spices. You can make the spice blend ahead of time and have it ready for whenever you are. Rub it and let it sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. The longer it sits the stronger the flavors will be. Really it all depends on how much time you have to spend on this. It was slightly spicy, a little salty, and barely sweet. Mixed with your favorite BBQ sauce it's the perfect combination of flavors. I used a 2 1/2 lb. pack of tenderloins and was able to get 8 pulled pork sandwiches from it. It reheated nicely the next day too.

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Printer Friendly Version
Spice Rub:

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons table salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 (2-3) pork tenderloin
• 1-2 cups barbecue sauce (use as much as you like)

Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

Cut each tenderloin (2) into three pieces so it fits easily into your crock pot. Place tenderloins in a 9x13 Pyrex dish. Massage spice rub into meat. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the pork can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Unwrap and place pork in slow cooker liner. Add ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours, until meat is fork-tender.

Transfer meat to cutting board. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers (be careful it's HOT).

Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner. Stir in 1 cup barbecue sauce. Add more if desired. Heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot.

Makes about 8 pulled pork sandwiches.

NOTE: Original recipe calls for triple the amounts of spice and a bone-in pork roast. I also added a couple spices and omitted the liquid smoke. The unadapted recipe from Cook's Illustrated can be found HERE or HERE.

Because the world needs one more pulled pork recipe.

Meat and Potatoes

I've made this a handful of times already so I figured it was about time to blog about it, don't you? My husband loves LOVES this pot roast. Like seriously, I think he and this pot roast have a love affair going on. And it's not a mini one. Whenever I make this he walks up to the crock pot, removes the lid, lowers his face into the steamy pot and inhales all the meaty aromas rising up to meet him. If you have a meat lover in your family, this roast is for you!

Since the first time I've made this, I've heard nothing but mmm's and aah's over this pot roast. And the best thing is it could not be simpler. Well I guess the only thing simpler would be to have someone else make it and invite you over for dinner, but other than that it's a cinch. This roast gets it's flavor from 3 seasoning packets- Ranch dressing, Italian dressing and Brown Gravy mix. You add the roast (I've used eye of round and rump roast- both are fine) to a crock pot, then sprinkle the seasoning packets over it, then pour water into the crock pot. Turn it on and a few hours later it's done!

The water, meat juices and seasonings meld together into a wonderful gravy that is killer over mashed potatoes. I've made this about 5 times now and while it's always delicious, sometimes it's a little more tender than others-- almost to the point of it falling apart. This particular roast held it's shape and made for nice slices. It's hard to describe the flavor of the gravy, but it's a little tangy and salty, beefy and savory. Just go make it and see for yourself! Thanks Denise for sharing this recipe.

3 Packet Crock Pot Roast and Gravy

from Keeper Worthy Recipes

• 1 Beef Roast, any kind, sized to fit your crock pot
• 1 package Ranch Salad Dressing mix
• 1 package Italian Salad Dressing mix
• 1 package Brown Gravy mix
• 1/2 cup warm water

Place roast in crock pot. In a bowl combine the envelopes of mixes together. Sprinkle on top of the roast. Pour in 1/2 cup warm water. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or until tender.

The gravy is nothing but thickened roast juices. Transfer the pot roast juices to a small pot and whisk in the cornstarch and water slurry (1 Tablespoon cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons of COLD water). Bring to a boil to activate the thickening agents of the corn starch. Serve over pot roast.

NOTE: The low setting on my crock pot doesn't work very well so I cooked this on HIGH for 4-5 hours.

The New Chicken Soup

Before I talk a bit about this recipe, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and well wishes for my cousin. He was released from the hospital on Sunday and is staying with my aunt (his mother) while he fully recovers. But he is doing much better than expected and we think he'll make a full recovery. Thank you all so very much for your positivity!

I woke up with a sore throat on Friday and have been feeling like poo all weekend long. ugh! I've mentioned before that I'm a part time nanny and every time that the little man gets sick, so do I. It's so frustrating because I'll be with the sick kid all week long and by the weekend, I'm feeling miserable and doing nothing but sleeping, building up mountains of Kleenex and drugging myself up just to feel somewhat like a human. And doctors don't work the weekends, so what d'ya do?

I haven't been cooking much this weekend simply because I haven't had the energy. I did manage to whip out a pizza for dinner last night but that doesn't require much effort. Mr. H has been taking care of me and putting up with take out. He's even made breakfast a couple times and cleaned up- what a man! I was wanting something warm and comforting for dinner and thought of this meal that I made a couple weeks ago. I found it on Cassie Craves and I've made it a couple times now. It's loaded with bacon and garlicky goodness and gets even more flavor from the red wine and chicken broth that it's cooked in. The chicken gets really tender and falls apart and the veggies retain their texture. It's really simple and it's delicious and perfect for when you're feeling under the weather. I just wish I had someone to make it for me :-)

Crock Pot Coq Au Vin adapted from Cassie Craves

• 5 slices thick-cut bacon
• 2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed (or 1 medium onion, chopped)
• 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into halves
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat. Drain and crumble. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the following order: onions, bacon, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, pepper, chicken, wine and broth. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours.

Remove chicken and vegetables to a plate. Ladle 1/2 cup cooking liquid into small bowl; allow to cool slightly. Turn slow cooker to High; cover. Mix reserved liquid, tomato paste and flour until smooth. Return sauce mixture to slow cooker and stir. Add the chicken and veggies back to the sauce being sure that everything gets covered in sauce. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until thickened.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

NOTE: I left the carrots out of this recipe simply because I didn't have them. This is much better WITH the carrots.

Wontcha join me for a bowl?

I'm a breast and buns girl

As soon as I saw this recipe from Lissaloo at One Step At A Time, I knew I had to make it. It was far too simple not to make it, it only has 2 ingredients and it's made in a crockpot! It takes quite a bit of time to cook so you need to plan ahead, but it can be done over night and ready for lunch the next day.

It was delicious and made a ton! I made this with 4 chicken breasts because I wanted leftovers and we ended up eating it for a couple days afterwards. I would allot 1/2 a breast per person per meal next time. This was clearly enough for 8 people to have sandwiches! And that's the beauty of this recipe, it can feed a lot or a little without much effort.

We ate ours on homemade hamburger buns and when I ran out we ate them on toasted sesame seed buns, with potato salad and pickles. Yum!

Pulled BBQ Chicken from Lissaloo

• 4 frozen chicken breasts (boneless skinless)
• 1- 18 oz. bottle bbq sauce (or more if desired)

Put chicken in crockpot and cover with bbq sauce. Cook on low for several hours. I cooked mine about 10 hours, Lissaloo lets hers cook for 12, overnight. Just cook until tender and shreddable otherwise it will be dry. 8 hours should be enough, but I let mine go longer because my low setting doesn't work very well.

Take chicken out of pot and let cool just a bit before shredding. With two forks pull chicken apart and return back to crockpot to simmer for a couple more hours.

Sandwich between two pieces of bread or a bun and enjoy!

NOTE: Your chicken will only be as good as your sauce so use your favorite BBQ sauce. If you like it peppery add pepper or sweet, add a little honey. But be cautious when adding salt the sauce is ually loaded with it.

Lissaloo uses 1-2 bottles of sauce per 5 breasts. Adjust accordingly.

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A special thank you to Amber of When Amber Cooks, Roz of La Bella Vita and Amanda of Faith, Food and Family for this lovely award. I appreciate it so very much ladies.

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Also don't forget to enter your photos in the Best Foodie Foto Contest this week at Laura's blog. You can enter pictures from this week starting with Sunday through Saturday. But you have to email her your entries. Go to her blog for more details!