What's up Wednesday--some favorites

On this Veteran's Day, as we honor our military who work so hard so we can be free to blog, cook, and live our lives how we want, I wanted to share two favorite recipes at our house lately.  They come from none other than the famous Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  Love that place!  I make something of hers at least 5 times a week if not every day.  Good stuff there let me tell you!

This first one we have at least once a month. Super easy, quick, and so yum! This ham and pasta skillet dinner is the best!  It calls for red peppers, but we have used yellow, green, or whatever color we have on hand.

This cake decadent chocolate cake with whipped chocolate frosting was an experiment.  It is made with quinoa--no flour, so I wanted to try it.  Oh my yum!  And it looks so good too!  You look like a gourmet chef as you bring it in.  My family was very impressed.  I made it just for fun one day and then Ben requested it for his birthday cake this year, so you know it is good.  It does take a while to make, but it is sooo worth it!

Hope you enjoy these favorites of ours!  And a HUGE THANK YOU to our Veterans and the men and women serving us today!  God bless you and your families!

What's up Wednesday--crock pot BBQ chicken

If you have been following my blog for any amount of time, you know how much I love crock pot recipes.  They are my favorite!  I love, love, love just throwing stuff in the morning and then having a wonderful dinner ready in the evening.  Makes my life so much easier.  This recipe is my amazing mother-in-law's, and she normally cooks it on the stove top, but I have adjusted it and always make it in the crock pot now.  So easy, and so delicious!  It is one of our family's favorites!  We always serve it over rice, but you can have it however you like.  Hope you like it!

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

Put 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts in your crock pot, if they are frozen, that is fine :)

In another bowl mix together

3/4 cup ketchup

2 Tab brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup chopped onion, or 1 Tab dehydrated onion

2 Tab vinegar

2-3 tsp chili powder, depending upon how hot your family likes things, I use 2 tsp

1 Tab Worcestershire sauce

After mixture is combined, pour over chicken in crock pot.  Cook on low about 6-7 hours, take out chicken and shred, then put it back into the sauce and serve over rice.  Yum!

What's up Wednesday--crock pot beef stroganoff

In 2011 my mom and her two sisters decided to collect my DeeDee's (their mom's) recipes and put them into a family cookbook.  They also included some of their personal favorite recipes in the book.  It is a treasure, and I am so very grateful for my aunts and my mom who took all the time and put it together.  My DeeDee makes some amazing things, and I am so thankful we have her recipes in one place!  The picture on the cover is my DeeDee with her 3 girls--my two aunts, and my mom on the far right.  

Inside this cookbook my family found a new favorite from one of my aunts--her crock pot beef stroganoff.  It is so much a favorite that when I asked Mr J what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he requested this.  It is soooooooooo easy!  and so delicious!  I was very happy with his request, and we all enjoyed his birthday dinner.  I hope you enjoy this family favorite.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

In your crock pot mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup

then add 2 lbs beef stew meat. Stir to get the meat covered by the soup.

Cover and cook on low about 6-8 hours or until meet is tender and cooked through.  Serve over egg noodles, pasta, or rice topped with sour cream.

Yes, it is that easy, and so yum!  Enjoy!!