Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

This is a crock pot recipe. I love using my crock pot....makes life easier! It's really yummy as a sandwich and my husband and I also ate it as nachos for leftovers. We just dipped our tortilla chips in it. It was good. :)

Ingredients: 3 lbs. frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
                    1 Big bottle of Frank's wings buffalo sauce
                   1 packet of dry ranch dip mix
                    sliced cheese of your choice ( I did pepper jack and baby swiss)
                   Buns (or tortilla chips if you're eating it nacho style)

Directions: Put the chicken, wing sauce and ranch mix in your crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred the chicken and return to crock pot stirring it in good. Serve on buns with cheese or as nachos.

*Helpful tip: You can use your mixer to shred the chicken! I read that online somewhere and tried it and it works! It makes it so much easier than using forks! Just make sure you mix on "low" speed.

*This makes a lot! I would say about 8-10 people.

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Butter Cookies

 These cookies are so awesome and moist! It's from Paula Dean so it's naturally fat free......  ;)
   Who cares about calories these are worth it!

Ingredients: 1 (18oz) box moist chocolate cake mix * make sure it's 18oz. some boxes are only 14-15.
                   8 oz. cream cheese, softened
                   1 egg
                   1 stick butter, room temp.
                   1 t. vanilla
                  powdered sugar for rolling and dusting

Directions:  With a mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then add the vanilla. Beat in cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm it up so you can roll them into balls.
  After they have refrigerated roll them into balls and then roll into powdered sugar.
   Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Sift some more powdered sugar on them when they come out. So yummy!

*If you don't have a sifter you can be creative! I used my cheese grater and it worked great! :)

Cream Cheese Baked Potato Soup

This is a crockpot recipe and it's really good! The cream cheese gives it a new twist :)

Ingredients: 5 lbs potatoes (I used Russet potatoes)
                   1 onion
                   minced garlic
                   8 cups chicken stock
                  16 oz. cream cheese
                  1 T. seasoned salt
For the garnish:  Bacon (I use an entire package)
                           shredded cheese
                           chives (I buy them already chopped for me)
   *you also need a blender*

 Directions: Dice the potatoes into small cubes (do not peel them). Put into crockpot, along with chopped onion, minced garlic (I don't measure this...just dump a couple teaspoons worth or so....), seasoning salt, and chicken broth.
   Cook on high for 6 hours. Remove about 1/2 of the soup and pour into blender. Puree until well blended. Pour it back into the crockpot. (it makes it really creamy...yum!) Then, stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt.
    Top with garnish!
*I just cook an entire package of bacon until nice and crispy, then crumble it up into pieces. I save it in a ziploc bag.  I made this for family before and they wanted more bacon...so make an extra package of bacon if you are cooking for bacon lovers! :)

Serving size: Makes a big crockpot full! I would say about 8-10 people

The Best Pumpkin Pie

Since Thanksgiving is this week I thought I should share my pumpkin pie recipe. I like to make my own crust and there is no better crust than my mom's recipe! (Thanks Mom!!) I can seriously have this ready for the oven in like 15 minutes, it's so easy and yummy!

Ingredients for the Crust:  1 3/4 c. flour
                                         1 t. salt
                                         1/2 c. veggie oil
                                        3-4 T. cold water

Ingredients for the Pie:  1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
                                     1 can sweetened condensed milk ( 14oz)
                                     2 eggs
                                     1 T. pumpkin pie spice

Directions for the crust: Combine all the crust ingredients and roll out onto floured surface. Or, if you have waxed paper you can roll it in between two pieces of the paper. Just roll it out into a big circle that will fit in your pie container. I always grease my pie pan lightly. Then, just press it into the pan making sure to get the sides and top edge for crust. Then, lightly poke a few holes throughout the dough crust (so it won't shrink)

Directions for Pie filling: Mix all the pie ingredients together and pour into crust! ( I told you it was easy!) Bake at 425 for 15 minutes ONLY. Then, REDUCE heat to 350 and bake another 35-40 minutes longer. (My oven tends to be closer to the 40 min. mark)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

mmmmm......breakfast food. You should make this soon, it's so good! My 14 month old eats it too!

Ingredients: 1 lb. of breakfast sausage
                   3 cups of frozen, shredded potatoes
                   1/4 c. butter, melted
                   12 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese
                    1 onion, chopped
                   1 (16oz) container Small Curd cottage cheese
                 6 jumbo eggs

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Cook the sausage in a frying pan until done. Drain grease and set aside. Pour the 3 cups of shredded potatoes into the 9x13 pan and pour the melted butter on top. Mix well into potatoes and press down, lining the bottom and sides of pan. In a bowl, mix the sausage, cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese and eggs. Pour over potato mixture. 

Bake for about 55-60 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. 

*Serving size is about 6-8 people. 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Drop Cookies

This is a great recipe! These cookies are so super soft and moist. I love making these in the fall/winter. It goes perfect with a pumpkin spiced latte...haha...or any coffee for that matter.

Ingredients: 2 cups butter, softened
                   2 cups sugar
                1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
                2 eggs
                 4 cups flour
                 2 t. pumpkin pie spice
                1 t. baking powder
                1/2 t. baking soda
               1 (12 oz) package white choc. chips
               1 (16oz) tub of cream cheese frosting
             1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions: Preheat oven to 375.
           In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy with your electric mixer. Then, add pumpkin and eggs, beat until blended. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda until blended. Stir in white choc. chips. Drop dough by spoon onto GREASED cookie sheet. Bake for about 14-16 minutes or until set and bottoms are slightly browned. Cool for a minute on cookie sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool more.
   Combine the frosting and brown sugar in a bowl. Spread on warm cookies.

*The icing will dry after awhile so you are able to stack them on top of each other after awhile.
*I forget how much this makes...but if you know me and have seen any of my blogs you know I usually cook to feed A LOT. So.....if you don't want to hand out cookies to a few neighbors and friends then feel free to cut everything in half. :)

Cake Batter Cookies

If you are like me and like to bake the Duncan Hines cake mixes JUST so you can lick the spoon....you will LOVE these cookies. I found this on pinterest and am keeping this recipe forever!

Ingredients: 1 1/2 sticks of butter
                   3/4 c. brown sugar
                   1/4 c. sugar
                    1 (3.4oz) instant vanilla pudding
                3/4 c. yellow cake mix
                  2 eggs
                  1 tsp. vanilla
                  1 tsp. baking soda
                  2 1/4 c. flour
                 1/2 tsp. salt
                 Sprinkles (get the bigger chunk ones...)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Stir the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
 In another bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Add in pudding package and cake mix and beat well.
    Add eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add everything to the flour mix. Then, stir in the sprinkles. Roll into balls and place on a greased sheet.
 Bake about 10-12 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen.

*Just a side note....The box of cake mix has enough in it to make these again. :)