Crockpot Ranch Potato Salad

Last week our church put on a Christmas tea for the ladies.  Our dinner consisted of appetizers and I brought a new recipe: Crockpot Ranch Potato Salad. 

Yum-o. 

And, easy too!

Crockpot Ranch Potato Salad – Inspired by Mostly Homemade Mom

Ingredients

• 8-10 medium red or yellow potatoes
• 1 (8oz) container of Neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 C milk
• 1 T white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 C powdered buttermilk
• 2 tsp. parsley
• salt and pepper
• 1 T minced onion
• 4 oz. colby jack cheese
• 1/8 C cooked and crumbled bacon
• Chives

Directions

Wash potatoes and chop them into 1-inch cubes.  I chose to leave the peels on, but you could alternatively peel them if you prefer. 

Place the potatoes in a lightly greased crockpot (preferably a 2 or 4 qt size). Season well with salt and pepper.  

Whip the softened cream cheese until light a fluffy.  Add 1/4 C powdered buttermilk, 2 tsp. parsley, 1 T minced onion whisk until combined. 

Whisk 1 T white whole wheat flour into 1 C milk.  Slowly add the milk mixture to the softened cream cheese until the ingredients are well blended. 

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the potatoes and stir.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until potatoes are tender.  If possible, stir 2-3 times during the cooking time. 

30 minutes before serving, top with chives, shredded colby jack cheese and crumbled bacon, if desired. 

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

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Crockpot Manicotti

We really enjoy manicotti around here, but it’s never on our menu because, confession, I really dislike stuffing the noodles. 

When I saw this recipe for a crockpot version of manicotti that did not pre-cook the pasta, I had to give it a try. 

It was so easy to fill and prep, and dinner tasted great.  The only draw back to this recipe is that it only takes 4 hours on low in the crockpot, so it’s not one that you can start in the morning and come back to dinner 8 hours later.  I suppose you could do that, but your noodles would be really mushy, and I don’t recommend it. 

We used our favorite manicotti recipe and followed the crockpot directions from Mom on a Mission.  We hope you will enjoy it too. 

Crockpot Manicotti – Inspired by Mom on a Mission

Ingredients

• 4 C of your favorite spaghetti sauce (we used our freezer sauce)
• 8-10 manicotti shells
• 1 (8oz) container of ricotta cheese
• 1 tsp. parsley
• 1 tsp. basil
• pinch of minced garlic
• salt & pepper
• 2 T Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Optional: chopped spinach

Directions

Layer 2 C of your favorite spaghetti sauce across the bottom of a lightly greased crockpot. 

Mix together ricotta cheese with 1 tsp. parsley and basil and a pinch of minced garlic.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.  Stir well.  If desired, stir in 1/4-1/2 C chopped spinach. 

Finally, mix in 2 T Parmesan cheese. 

Using a spoon, spoon the ricotta mixture into each of the manicotti shells.  It works best to fill from both ends to make sure you get ricotta mixture all the way through the manicotti.

Place each filled manicotti over the spaghetti sauce.  It’s OK if they overlap. 

Cover with remaining spaghetti sauce. 

Top with mozzarella cheese. 

Cover and cook of low for 4 hours. 

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

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Sweet Potato Pockets with Kale, Sausage & Lentils

A perfect fall twist on the beloved hot pocket. 

I first saw this recipe on Natalie’s blog and really like the idea of putting sweet potatoes and lentils with kale in a calzone.  But, Frog Prince and I aren’t a big fan of some of the spices in the original recipe. 

So, I set to work and decided to put one of our favorite fillings inside the pockets – the filling from our sweet potato risotto.  Oh. My. Goodness.

These were a huge hit!

Sweet Potato Pockets with Kale, Sausage & Lentils – Inspired by The Sweets Life

Ingredients

• 1 recipe whole wheat pizza crust
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4-6oz baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 T minced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 C frozen chopped kale
• 1/2 C lentils, soaked
• 1/2 lb. Italian sausage
• Parmesan cheese

Directions

Begin by making the pizza crust dough, and when finished, set aside, covered. 

Next, boil your lentils.  To do so, first drain the water they have been soaking in.  Then, place the lentils in a saucepan, cover them with water and season with salt.  Turn the burner on to high and heat to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Drain. 

Meanwhile, brown the ground Italian sausage.  Drain excess grease when the meat is cooked, and remove the sausage from the pan into a large bowl.

In the same skillet, add the cubed sweet potato, sliced mushrooms, garlic, onion and salt and pepper.  Sauté about 10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are slightly soft and the mushrooms have released all their liquids. 

Add in 1 C frozen chopped kale and heat until wilted.

Then, mix in the cooked and drained lentils. 

Remove the mixture and add it to the large bowl with the Italian sausage.  Stir until the mixture is combined. 

Divide the bread dough into 6-8 pieces, and roll each out into a small (4-6 inches across) circle. 

Place a scoop (about 1 C) of the sausage lentil filling onto one half of the dough.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Grab a small cup and put an inch or so of water in it.  Dip your fingers in the water and then dab them along the edge of the dough.  Bring the top half over to cover the filling.  Press tightly along the wet edges to seal.  Crimp with a fork, if desired.  Note – it works best to do this right on the greased/lined cookie sheet you are planning to bake these pockets on. 

Repeat until all pockets are filled. 

Using a knife, slice a little slit in the top of each pocket.  

Place into a pre-heated oven set to 425 degrees.  Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned and puffy. 

Enjoy!

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Steak & Mushrooms Sandwiches

If you haven’t guessed already, Frog Prince and I don’t eat a lot of red meat.  When we do, we want to enjoy it in something really tasty, but where the meat isn’t on center stage. 

These steak and mushroom sandwiches provided us a hint of meat with a side of veggies and onions.  We served them on whole wheat buttermilk bread buns and they were outstanding!

Steak & Mushroom Sandwiches – Adapted from A Family Feast

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. beef, sliced thinly or into small 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 T butter
• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 large Vidalia onion, sliced and sepearated
• Whole wheat dinner rolls
• Mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese
• Montreal Steak seasoning

Directions

Begin by sautéing the beef in 1/2 T butter along with 1/2 tsp. minced garlic and Montreal Steak Seasoning (to taste) until sides are seared. Then cook over medium-low heat in the skillet for 10-15 minutes until beef is cooked to your preferred doneness. 

In a second large skillet, melt the remaining 1/2 T butter.  Add in sliced mushrooms and onion.  Sauté until liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated and the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. 

Add the beef and mushroom onion mixture together. 

Slice open your whole wheat bun, and top with cheese. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.  Cheese should be nicely melted at this point.  If not, return the the broiler until melted. 

Pile on the beef and onion mixture, and close the bun!

Serve warm and enjoy!  

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Chicken Parmesan Wraps

Wrap up some garlic-grilled chicken, smother it with your favorite marinara sauce and cheese, and you have a delicious chicken Parmesan wrap. 

You will enjoy it, and your family will too! 

Chicken Parmesan Wraps – Inspired by a recipe I saw on Candace Cameron Bure’s Blog

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch slices
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 C tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. minced onion
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 4 T Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• 6-8 tortillas

Directions

Begin by cooking your chicken in a little olive oil seasoned with salt, pepper and 1/8 tsp. minced garlic.  Brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes/side and then cook until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. 

Meanwhile, heat 1 C tomato sauce, 2 tsp. minced onion, 1/8 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tsp. basil and 1 tsp. oregano, in a small saucepan until warmed throughout.  Heat on low to avoid splattering of tomato sauce.  Trust me, not fun. 

Then, pre-heat your griddle to about 250 degrees.  Place your tortillas on the griddle.  Top each with 1/8 C tomato sauce mixture (more or less to taste) right down the middle.  Top with 1 T Parmesan cheese and allow the cheese to get a little melty.

Take your cooked chicken strips and place them down the center of each tortilla.  Top with sliced Mozzarella cheese. 

Wrap up the tortillas and use a toothpick to hold them together. 

Serve warm. 

If you are serving less than 4-5 people, we recommend only making up enough wraps to serve your family.  Save the ingredients in the refrigerator for leftovers, but they are best prepared right before you eat them!

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One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta

Now that fall is here, bring on casserole season.  These comforting dishes are perfect for fall.  What I loved about this one, is that it provides a taste of summer in the form of a casserole dish. 

Better yet, it’s made in one pot.  Good tasting dinner, comfort food in October and one pot?!  That’s a winner to me. 

One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta – Adapted from Number 2 Pencil

Ingredients

• 1 C (about 1/2 lb) ground beef and turkey mixture
• 2 T minced onion
• 1 (15 oz can) tomato sauce
• 8 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 C chicken broth
• 1 C water
• 1/8 C ketchup
• 1 T spicy brown mustard
• 7-8 oz. whole wheat rotini pasta
• 1 C shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• Bacon and parsley for garnish
• salt & pepper

Directions

Brown the ground beef and turkey mixture in a large stockpot, seasoning well with salt and pepper.  Drain excess grease. 

To the same pot, add 2 T minced onion, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 C chicken broth and 1 C water.  Add in about 7 oz. whole wheat pasta and bring the pot to a boil. 

Stir in roughly 1 C diced Roma tomatoes, 1/8 C ketchup and 1 T spicy brown mustard.

Reduce the pasta dish to a simmer, stirring frequently for about 10-15 minutes until the pasta is done.  Most all of the liquid should be absorbed at this point, but if you notice the liquid is lacking, add additional water during the cooking process. 

Remove the pasta dish from the heat. 

Stir in 1/2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese.

Garnish with remaining cheese, parsley and, if interested, crumbled bacon.

Enjoy!

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