Slow Cooker Enchilada Bowls

We've made these enchilada bowls several times and I'm finally getting around to adding it to the blog so I don't have to look up the recipe every time. It's a crock pot recipe so it's great for busy days when you still want a great meal. 

Crock Pot Enchilada Bowls

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken thighs

2 tsp. olive oil

1 med. onion

4 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

3 cups enchilada sauce (I often make my own but also like Trader Joes sauce)

1/4 cup sour cream

6-8 corn tortillas (cut into strips)

1 (15 oz) can black beans

1 cup shredded cheddar 

Optional Toppings/bowl ingredients-

minced jalapeno

chopped avocado

sour cream

cilantro lime rice (or jasmine rice)

Instructions:

In a large skillet saute onion in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Season with cumin and salt.

Place onion/garlic mixture in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the sauce and 1/4 cup water. Add chicken, tossing slightly to cover with some of the sauce. 

Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Once chicken is cooked and tender, shred with a fork.

Mix in tortillas (cut in strips) and black beans. Top with cheese, recover slow cooker, and continue cooking for 15 minutes until tortillas and beans are warmed through and cheese is melted. 

Serve over rice and top with desired toppings.

Apple Pie (with Great Grandma Odetta's pie crust)

 Mayze made this delicious pie for a school project and it was delicious! The crust is my great grandmother's recipe which Mayzie executed all by herself. I didn't have a filling recipe so we found one on pinterest and it did not dissapoint. Here is the recipe in it's entirety, enjoy!

Grandma Odetta's Never-fail pie crust

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup flour

1 cup shortening or lard

1 tsp. salt

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. water

1 egg (beaten)

Instructions:

Blend flour with shortening or lard and salt. Add lemon juice, water, and beaten egg. Make 3 pie crusts (1 double and 1 single).

Apple Pie Filling (from Dinner then Dessert)

Ingredients:

4 gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

3 T. cornstarch

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Peel, core and slice apples and toss with lemon juice. Add apples to a large pot or dutch oven. Add water. Whisk in sugar, cornstarch and seasonings. 

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes until apples are softened and sauce is thickened. Cool completely. 

Assembling and Baking the pie:

Preheat over to 425 (make sure it is good and hot!)

Roll out pie crust (1/3 of crust recipe) and press in bottom of a 9 in. round pie pan and press to stick. Fill with cooled apples. Top with second pie crust fashioned however you want. Mayzie chose a lattice design (pictured) but you can look up all kinds of designs online or make up your own. Just make sure there are slits or holes for the heat to escape. Brush top pie crust with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 T. water) and sprinkle with a little dusting of sugar.

Place pie on baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 40-45 minutes or until edges are brown and the rest of the crust is light brown and filling is bubbling.

Strawberry cake

 

I've had this recipe since back in my home bakery days and it's always a crowd pleaser! Super easy and delicious. In fact, the pictured cake above was baked by Alex before Mayzie and I frosted it. Pictures of her bloody murder cake (to go with her host a murder birthday theme) are below! 😆

Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

1 small box strawberry jello

3 T. flour

4 eggs

3/4 cup veg. oil

1/2 cup milk

3 pureed strawberries (fresh or frozen berries will work)

Red food dye (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat over to 325 and prepare three 8-inch round cake pans (you can also use two 9-inch pans). 

Combine all ingredients with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30 min. or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Frost with cream cheese or buttercream frosting. 

Lemon Chicken Orzo

Trying to catch up on my blog so that I don't have to keep trying to find where I wrote down recipes or remember where I saw them before. This recipe is a perfect case in point because I made it several times and then the recipe vanished! So I've mostly pieced it together from memory and similar recipes until I found just the right combination. Even my pickiest eaters will eat it and it all cooks in one pot!

Lemon Chicken Orzo

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken (or 3 cups cooked chicken)

2 T. olive oil

1 med. onion (diced)

2 tsp. garlic (going to be honest I'm garlic crazy and always add more)

1 16oz box of orzo pasta

2 tsp. italian seasoning

half a med. lemon (or more to taste) juiced

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup shredded parmesan

3-4 cups fresh spinach (chopped)

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Prepare you chicken or chop up the rotisserie. Set aside. 

In a large pan heat olive oil and diced onion and saute until soft. If the onion begins to brown too fast you can add a little more oil or a splash of water. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add orzo, italian seasoning and lemon juice and slightly toast the pasta until light brown. 

Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure the orzo doesn't stick to the pan. Once the orzo is beginning to soften add cream and parmesan and continue cooking until orzo is cooked to your preference and sauce is reduced/thickened. Add the chicken and spinach and cook until all ingredients are heated and combined. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

 I got this recipe at a very delicious friendsgiving meal cooked by our friends the Bennets. It was originally designed to cook on a smoker (which is how they cooked it) but I adapted it to cook in my oven for our family Thanksgiving. I've added the smoking directions as well as the baking directions depending on your preference. It was so great on the smoker but I just don't have one...yet 😉

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans (original recipe taken from the Hey Grill Hey App)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds green beans

4 strips of bacon (cut in half)

3 T. butter (melted)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. pepper

Prep Instructions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and cover, cooking at a boil for 8 min. Drain the green beans and cool completely (they will cool quicker if you move them to a bowl instead of the pan). 

Meanwhile, combine butter, brown sugar, garlic, soy sauce and pepper. Add sauce to cooled green beans and toss to coat. Make a small bundle of beans (about 8 beans) and wrap tightly with a piece of bacon. If needed you can secure it with a toothpick but I've never done that step. Repeat until all green beans and bacon has been used. Choose your cooking method below:

Baking (oven) Instructions: 

Preheat over to 425. Place bundles on a large baking sheet and bake for 10 min. Turn bundles over and continue cooking for 10 more minutes or until bacon is cooked through. Enjoy!

Smoker Instructions:

Start your pellet grill on the smoke setting with the lid open for 4-5 minutes to establish the fire. Close the lid and set the temperature to the highest setting (400-425 degrees). Preheat for 10-15 minutes. Place the bundles on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning as needed, until bacon is cooked and crisp. 

Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies

 

Trying to get kids to eat vegetables is always a hard chore so I've been trying to jazz them up a bit. My kids really like sweet potato so I bulked this up with those and some chicken sausage.  I sweetened the deal with some balsamic vinegar :) The kids ate it and Alex and I were able to be healthier without having to make two meals. The recipe below is one pan worth. For our family I doubled it and made two pans and it was the perfect amount with just enough left for two kids to take it for lunch the next day. 

Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 lg. sweet potato (diced)

1 zucchini (cut in half length wise, scoop out seeds, and slice)

1 sweet onion (chopped)

1 bell pepper (red or yellow)

6 chicken sausage links (We love the Aidell's apple flavor or their Mango Habanero for a kick)

2 T. olive oil

2 T. good quality balsamic vinegar (I used a white apricot)

2 T. Alchemy spice company Medditeranean blend (rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, coriander, mexican oregano, sea salt, an fennel seed)

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Prepare veggies as indicated and place in a large bowl. Slice sausages and add to veggies. Toss veggies and sausage with olive oil, vinegar, and spices until evenly coated and spread evenly on a large baking sheet. 

Roast for 30 min. @400 degrees. Toss gently and spread back out on pan. Continue cooking for 10 min. or until veggies are tender. 

French Dips with Carmelized Onions (Slowcooker)

I've been trying to use my crockpot and instant pot more to help with dinners on the days I work. I had been craving a good french dip sandwich and decided french dip and slowcooker were a perfect match. I did grill the onions after to get them nice and carmelized! But a few extra minutes of prep is worth it! And as always make sure you get some good bread to put it on! You don't want to waste delicious meat on cheap bread ;)

French Dip with Carmelized Onions

Roast:

4 lb. beef roast

salt and pepper

1 T. garlic powder

2 cans french onion soup

1 can beef consumme

1/2 cup apple juice

2 tsp bouillion (to taste)

Onions: 

1 lg. sweet onion (sliced)

1 tsp. sugar

1 T. butter

splash of apple juice

Sandwich fixin's:

Provolone slices

baguettes

mayo (we like chipotle mayo with this!)- optional

Instructions:

Rub roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place in crock pot. Add soups, consumme, and apple juice to slow cooker. Cook on high for 7-8 hours on high or 4-5 on low. Remove meat from crockpot and shred in a 9x13 baking dish. Broil on high for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the bouillion to the au jus in crockpot as needed. In a medium pan, saute sliced onions in butter until tender. Add sugar and juice and continue cooking for about 30 seconds until carmelized.

Serve shredded roast on hoagies and top with onions, provolone and mayo if desired.