Next Sunday is Valentine’s Day and I was trying to come up with a recipe that both hubby and I would enjoy but didn’t want to spend all day in the kitchen.
Having seen this recipe online, I decided to give it a try with a twist and trust me it tasted better than it looked! Hubby wasn’t too sure about using uncooked lasagna noodles in the Crock Pot, but I assured him that they would be done without having to boil them first.
Ingredients
2 Jars Marinara Sauce
Lasagna Noodles (uncooked)
2 packages Turkey Meatballs
1 Medium Red Onion chopped
1 Container of Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Package Mozzerella Cheese
1 Package frozen Spinach
1 Container fresh mushrooms (washed thoroughly)
Cooking Spray
Directions
Coat Crock Pot with Cooking Spray
Pour a small amount of Marinara sauce onto the bottom of the Crock Pot
Break noodles in half and lay a few on top of the Marinara Sauce
Spread a little Ricotta Cheese on top of noodles
Add a few meatballs, onions, mushrooms and spinach
Top with a little more Marinara Sauce
Continue another layer of ingredients until Crock Pot is full
Pour remaining Marinara Sauce over all ingredients and top with slices of Mozzarella Cheese. Cover and slow cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours depending on the model of your Crock Pot.
Top with Crushed Red Peppers to spice it up a bit then pour yourself a glass of wine and relax until dinner time!
Do you have a special recipe for Valentine’s Day or will you and your sweetie be heading out to dinner?
Cold blowing winds, snow, sleet and freezing rain are the least favorable parts of winter in the MidAtlantic area. But being inside toasty and warm with a big bowl of soup or chowder makes it more bearable.
Fortunately, we made it through November and December without a flake, but guess what…tonight’s forecast states that we are in for the first N’orester of 2016 which is a perfect day to make Crockpot Shrimp and Corn Chowder.
Crockpot Shrimp and Corn Chowder
There are many online recipes for Crockpot Shrimp and Corn Chowder and I found this one at CrockPotGourmet.net . I added a few additional ingredients and left out the salty seasonings and it didn’t turn out as pictured on the website but it was very tasty nevertheless.
Ingredients:
16oz bag frozen sweet corn
½ pound Baby Medley Potatoes
8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms
3 small Carrots diced
¼ cup Flour
4 cups Chicken Broth
½ cup Heavy Cream (for later)
12 oz Shrimp, small peeled deveined and tail-off (for later)
Green Onions (scallions) diced
1/2 Green Pepper – diced
Rosemary Sprigs (optional)
1 tsp Butter
Salt, Pepper and Cajun Seasonings are optional which I excluded due to high sodium counts
Directions:
Wash and dice potatoes and carrots then cut into bite sized chunks
Add potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and corn to slow cooker then toss to coat with flour
Saute green peppers in butter until soft then add to crockpot
Pour in broth
Add a few sprigs of Rosemary and diced scallions
Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours
If on low, switch slow cooker to high
Add cream, shrimp and Rosemary sprigs
Cook for another 30-60 minutes until shrimp is cooked through and pink
My Shrimp and Corn Chowder turned out to be more of a soup/stew but when served with a crusty bread and a glass of wine then eaten while curled up on the sofa it doesn’t matter.
Sundays are fun days made for quick and easy meals especially if chicken wings are on the menu! Did you ever wonder how watching football and eating chicken wings became a tradition? I am not sure how, why or when I just know that we love it!
So if you and your family enjoy eating chicken wings while watching football, here’s an easy breezy finger licking good recipe for making Slow Cooked Saucy Chicken Wings using just 3 ingredients. Ingredients
3 lbs of Chicken Wings – joints separated, if frozen, make sure to thaw overnight
1 bottle of BBQ Sauce any flavor
2 Tbs Honey
1 Cup Orange with Mango juice
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with foil then spray with Cooking Spray
Add a single layer chicken wings and bake until browned for approximately 30 minutes
Spray Crock Pot with Cooking Spray and add chicken wings
Mix BBQ Sauce, Honey and Orange/Mango juice in a mixing cup then pour mixture over the wings
Stir to coat evenly
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours
Serve with Nachos or the traditional Celery Sticks and Bleu Cheese Dressing, don’t forget the napkins!
How do you cook your Chicken Wings?
To see more recipes, check out my Brunch with Blake YouTube Channel – click here
Last weekend’s Slow Cooked dinner was Spaghetti Squash made with Turkey Meatballs and Pace’s Bourbon & Apple Restaurant Style Salsa. I took a chance with this recipe as I had only previously baked Spaghetti Squash but had never slow cooked it in a crock pot so I was a bit apprehensive. However, this Saturday night meal was an easy, breezy tasty treat for me and my men.
After rinsing off the outside of the Spaghetti Squash, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds then poke 6 holes around each side. I used a ice creams scoop to remove the seeds and a metal Kabob skewer to poke the holes.
Put both halves of squash into Crock Pot, halved sides facing down
Pour in Salsa and add meatballs
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours
Remove squash halves from Crock Pot and allow them to cool for about 5-10 minutes then use a fork to scrape out some of the strands, top with Salsa add a few meatballs and ENJOY!
This Crock Pot meal was the perfect “comfort food” for a chilly Autumn evening and you can also serve it with a side salad or Garlic Texas Toast slices. This would also be a great meal for tomorrow so you can enjoy the Halloween festivities with the little ghouls and goblins! Did you know that Spaghetti Squash is a fruit and that it is a healthy alternative to pasta? Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients, including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene. It is low in calories, averaging only 42 calories per cup.
In celebration of my 54th Birthday last month and in anticipation of Crocktober I wanted to try a new Crock Pot recipe. I found one online at Billy Parisi’s website and put my own little twist onto it to make this easy and inexpensive meal which was by far more flavorful than I anticipated.
Cook the chicken thighs in a little olive or vegetable oil until browned, as this will add more color and flavor to the dish.
Put all ingredients into a slow cooker coated with cooking spray and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Before serving sprinkle on a little salt and pepper to taste then serve over cooked brown rice and garnish with Feta cheese.
This was such a flavorful dish that both my son and I went back for seconds and it was more than enough for leftovers for the following day.
