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Recently I shared a recipe that my husband made for me for Valentine’s Day. He cooked up a storm in that kitchen and coated a bunch of chicken breasts with milk, ritz crackers and lots of herbs. It was a fun kind of treat that we did not expect to turn out well, but boy was it good! Nowadays, we cook it up with more special ingredients. We add a bit of butter to brown it and add some broccoli (not for health, but for color). In almost one year we have completely transformed the recipe. Instead of using a can of cream of chicken soup as a sauce for the kitchen, now we make our own as well.

We gather all of the ingredients and prep it all perfectly and then dump it in the crock pot. We also throw in some pasta while we’re at it and let that cook up along with it. It is so easy to put together and easier to find that instead of needing 3 pots and pans along with a bunch of spatulas and wooden spoons, all we need now is just one crock pot and one wooden spoon and the whole thing comes together seamlessly.

Photo and recipe courtesy of 12 Tomatoes.

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Quick Tip: Swap creamed soup for any other flavor you’d like

Every year, a couple of days before Thanksgiving, my family heads out to find our Christmas tree. Yeah, I know it is pretty early, but we like to enjoy it as long as possible (even if that means it is practically dead on Christmas day…whoops!). We set out (all eight of us, mind you!) in our family car and stop at different locations looking for the perfect tree (mom’s idea) at the perfect price (dad’s idea). When we have found the right tree, we load her up and head on home.

From there, we go into the garage and pull out all of the decorations for it. At this point, it is usually my mom stringing the lights, my dad sitting on the couch watching her and then the rest of us girls in the kitchen. Wanna know what we are doing? Stirring away making an incredible hot chocolate. Now, every year it is a process. It takes time to prepare that hot chocolate and make it just perfect. That is why I am just thrilled to bring you this recipe for Crock Pot hot chocolate. Now what we do is put this in the slow cooker a few hours before we head out and when we return, it is good to go and we can all help decorate the tree. It really is so much better!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Sally’s Baking Addiction.

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Quick Tip: Place any leftovers in an airtight container and reheat on the stovetop.

If you have been reading for some time, you should know that I absolutely love a good potato. Yeah, I know it sounds funny and you thought I was going to say “a good bowl of soup” but it is just true. I love going to restaurants like Longhorn, or Texas Roadhouse, or even Wendy’s when I am on the go to get myself a good ol’ fashioned potato. It is just awesome! There is something about it for me that is so comforting and soothing to sit with a perfectly delicious baked potato.

Now, do not skip out on the fixings with me either. I hate going to Wendy’s to find that they are out of cheese or simply did not prepare it with everything. No girl, load that baby up! One day, after a particularly unamusing visit to Wendy’s, I decided to make my own at home. Now, I do not know exactly how many people I thought I was feeding, but let’s just say I had leftovers. Guess what I did with it? Read on this recipe and you will find out! It is a simple and easy way to use leftovers, but it does not have to be just that. You can make this with regular uncooked potatoes as well.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Dinner Then Dessert.

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Quick Tip: Swap ham for turkey or chicken.

Every summer, my family heads up a bit west to Sanibel Island, Florida. There, we spend days basking in the sunlight and soaking in the ocean. Our skin becomes slightly darker and our hair a bit lighter. It is so much fun and the perfect opportunity to enjoy some outdoor weather in the sweaty Florida heat without completely melting away. The ocean is great at making sure that does not happen. After a long day at the beach, all we really want is a good meal and a nice big jug of water (that sun is pretty dehydrating!).

One of my favorite parts about being in that town is that my aunt and uncle live there. Their kids are grown and they live alone there so they have always looked forward to our yearly visits. After some time catching up, my uncle always heads outside and prepares us a nice bit BBQ meal. It is so welcomed after a long day at the beach. After chit chatting and catching up, my uncle brings us samples of his grilling. Usually it is a nice big sausage that he slices up for us all to share. My is it good. It got me thinking about what else we could do with sausage.

Photo and recipe courtesy of The Slow Cooking Wife.

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Quick Tip: Use up leftover BBQ sausages for this one.

I have played the piano my entire life.  As soon as I was old enough to know my ABCs, my parents put me in piano lessons and I have not stopped playing ever since.  Nowadays, I have graduated from piano and have a diploma and teach other children.  Usually these kids are girls between the ages of 6-12.  They are young and eager to learn and love to come to classes.  It really does excite me.  The best part is they consider me more than just a teacher, but a friend.  They talk to me about their lives, and my favorite part: their daily dinners.  They talk to me about food all the time and I love it.

Anyway, just a couple of days ago, one of my students told me about a baked ziti her mom made for dinner.  She told me it was the best meal she had ever enjoyed in her life (I thought that was funny given she is just seven years old) and that I just had to try it.  She made her mom forward the recipe to me via email and tole me I had to make it before our next lesson so I could tell her about it.  I told her I would and did and now I have to share it with you.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Build Your Bite.

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Quick Tip: Layer as much cheese as you’d like over the top.  It really makes it gooey as it melts

If you know me, you know apple desserts are my weakness.  They are so light and delicious and I absolutely love them. However, some of them are not light (although, still totally delicious!) and this is one of them.  But guess what?  I absolutely love it.  It is hearty and rich and the crust over the top is the perfect fit for an apple dessert.  Add a scoop of ice cream and you have got a dream dessert right in your hands.  This is the perfect dessert for a harvest potluck or Thanksgiving dinner. But, as always, it would be just as good any time of year.

My favorite part about this dessert is that it is made in the crock pot.  This means I can have apple caramel crumble cake for days, or at least share with another person.  It makes a hefty amount and I will definitely not judge if you do not share.  It is just simply not worth it with a dessert this good. Keep it to yourself, and I will not tell a soul.  Actually, maybe I’ll join you for some instead.  Anyway, I’m heading to the kitchen now to see how mine is doing.  If you can’t find me, I’ll be hiding in the pantry enjoying this all on my own before my husband gets home!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Fake Ginger.

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Quick Tip: Serve with some vanilla ice cream and a dash of cinnamon

My husband has a thing with pasta.  At first, every time I would make spaghetti, he would stay away from it.  I could not, for the life of me, figure out why.  I would make it with chicken or meatballs or even pulled pork but he would not eat it.  I asked why but he always avoided it.  He would just always pull off the meat and enjoy that while leaving the spaghetti right where he found it.

Well, fast forward a few months and I was having a talk about it with his dad.  He mentioned in passing that he loved pasta.  And I told him I couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t eat mine.  Well, it turns out he actually just hates spaghetti.  And any other difficult to eat pasta for that matter.  His favorite type to eat is penne.  I had no idea whatsoever.  I mean, it hadn’t even occurred to me. Well, now I make penne all the time, like this dish, and he devours it, pasta and all. It was a great thing to learn from his dad and now he even asks for pasta.  But I don’t even buy spaghetti anymore. Penne is the way to go in our home!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Laugh With Us Blog.

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Quick Tip: Let bacon dry up after being cooked so it gets really crispy.