Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

This has become a go to crockpot meal for Sunday lunch.  Super easy!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

4-5 chicken breasts
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
regular size bottle of buffalo wing sauce (17ish ounces)

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot.  Sprinkle with dressing mix.  Pour half of the wing sauce over the chicken and cook on low for 7 hours.  Shred in crockpot and serve on favorite bread choice.  (I love any of the King Hawaiian breads.)  I find that half of the sauce is plenty, but add more sauce to your preference.

Mississippi Roast

Have I said before that we get home from church so late?  Well, we do and we are all usually starving!  I love to use the crockpot on Sunday and my go to was always this roast.  Recently, I made something with onion soup mix and Jason had the unfortunate experience of catching a stomach bug after eating.  He has banned anything with onion soup mix until further notice.  I've been sad to not be able to make roast in the crockpot because it is so easy and a great meal to come home to.  I've seen this Mississippi Roast all over the internet, so I decided to finally give it a try.

Mississippi Roast

1 chuck roast
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet McCormick au jus gravy mix
1 stick butter
5 pepperoncini peppers

In crockpot, place roast.  Sprinkle with ranch dressing mix and au jus gravy mix.  Place one stick of butter on top.  Then spread around the pepperoncini peppers.  Do not add any liquid.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  I also add potatoes and carrots to the crockpot and let them all cook together.  It was all very good and I'm glad to have a crockpot recipe again.

This pot roast still remains my all time favorite.

Crockpot Jambalaya

"Goodbye Joe, me gotta go..."  Do you always think of Steel Magnolias when you hear that song?  It is my very most favorite movie and I always do.  I thought this turned out pretty good and SUPER easy.  I've learned this is a Creole jambalaya since it uses tomatoes.  I read where the other jambalaya version is Cajun and seems a little more dry than this soupy-er variety.  The Dish Washer said it wasn't spicy enough for him, but I don't like too spicy so it was just right for me.  We compromised by giving him a bottle of hot sauce to dump on his until he got it where he liked it.  I've really been trying to use the crockpot more, especially for Sunday lunch after church.  Such a smart invention!

Crockpot Jambalaya

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (good size), diced
1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. creole seasoning (Tony Chachere)
1 tsp. hot sauce
2 bay leaves
2 c. cooked rice

In crockpot, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, celery, broth, oregano, creole seasoning, hot sauce and bay leaves.  Stir all together.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Stir in cooked rice just before serving to warm through.  Or spoon over rice, whichever you prefer.

Had we not eaten King's Hawaiian French Toast this morning, I would have served some bread alongside.

**Also, my jambalaya is shrimp-less since I don't care for shrimp.  If you'd like to include shrimp, add 1 lb. of peeled and cooked shrimp with the rice at the end to warm through.

Bacon Wrapped Conecuh Sausage

And because The Dish Washer thinks no meal is complete without a side of meat, I knew I needed to come up with something to please him.  So I decided to take these sausages wrapped in bacon.  They are another super simple recipe that my Mother in law originally shared with me using hot dogs.  My sister made the same recipe once that used Conecuh sausage and I knew that is how I would make it from that point on.  It was delicious.  You could use any kind of sausage, hot dog or little smokies.

Bacon Wrapped Conecuh Sausage

1 lb. Conecuh sausage
1 lb. bacon, not thick cut
1 (1 lb.) box of light brown sugar

Cut sausage into 1 inch pieces.  Cut bacon strips into thirds.  Wrap each piece of sausage in bacon piece and secure with toothpick.  Place in crockpot.  Cover with brown sugar.  Cook on high for 3 hours or until bacon is cooked.

**If you double the meat in your recipe, you can still just use 1 box of brown sugar.

I also took Brunch Punch.  The Dish Washer said "I'd rather had just orange juice."  I hope at least the girls liked it.

Creamy Italian Chicken

Well, I have certainly posted plenty of recipes this week.  This is my last one, another crockpot recipe and yet another recipe floating all over Pinterest.  This was delicious and super easy to make.  I don't have anything new I am planning to make for the holiday weekend.  In fact, it is supposed to rain Sunday/most of the week from the storm.  Thankfully, we should have a dry home game tomorrow.  I am so excited about football season and super excited to be able to make it to a few more games this season than I did last year with a Tiny Baby Bun!  Roll Tide!!

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were huge so I only used 3)
1 packet of zesty Italian dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup*
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

In bottom of crockpot, place chicken breasts.  Cover with seasoning packet.  In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and chicken soup.  Heat in microwave until cheese is melted and well blended with soup.  Pour over chicken.  Cover crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Can go longer if you are away from the house.  Shred chicken into sauce and serve over rice or pasta.

*Some recipes I have seen say to use anywhere from 1-2 cans of cream of chicken soup, but I will tell you  that I think that would be way too soupy.  One can was definitely plenty.

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And speaking of chicken, have you reserved your FREE Chick-fil-A breakfast yet?  The Dish Washer and I both have reservations.  Too bad you have to be 13 for a reservation or else The Bun would have one too.  I guess they have to make their money somehow.  They are my most favorite fast food restaurant.  Check to see if your restaurant still has available reservations here:  chick-fil-aforbreakfast.com 

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Slow Cooked Pork

This weekend was Pioneer Woman's first television episode.  Did you watch?  We were out of town so watched it on Tivo the following day.  Jason told me not to watch it without him because he wanted to see their ranch life.  Anything with cattle, he loves, and you better not fast forward through any of those parts.  I liked the show.  It's not like anything else on Food Network the way they produce it.  I think you either like it or hate it.  It does drive me crazy how she says balsamic (bal-SAM-ic)!!  Anybody else?  Anyway this is a recipe I first spied on Pinterest and the bal-SAM-ic made me think of her!  :)  I thought this was delicious.  I was worried that the glaze was going to be way too sweet for me, but the pork balanced that out nicely.

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Slow Cooked Pork

1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin
1 tsp. ground dried sage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce


Mix together sage, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Rub the mixture over the pork. Add it to the slow cooker and pour 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  


One hour before the pork is cooked, put the brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic, water, and soy sauce in a sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a bubble over medium heat. It will get thick.  Pour half of the glaze over the pork. Reserve the rest to serve alongside.  Cook the pork for another hour.  Serve with the remaining glaze.

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

This is what it looks like after we have dipped out of the crock pot.  Tastes much better than this picture shows.

The Bun and I have some company this week.  Sister and the boys are here to visit and so I decided to make this recipe thinking that the boys would be glad to eat mac and cheese.  This is my mother in law's recipe and it is really easy.

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

1 (8 oz.) pkg. elbow macaroni
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
3 eggs, beaten
1 stick butter
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions.  Combine milk, eggs, butter and 2 c. shredded cheese in a bowl and mix well.  Add macaroni and stir to combine.  Pour into slow cooker.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.  Do not stir or remove lid until time is up.

**My mother in law's trick is she adds 8 oz. of sour cream to the milk/egg mixture to make it creamier.  I decided to try 8 oz. of cream cheese.  It wasn't creamy, but the chunks of cream cheese inside sure were good.

Chicken Wing Soup

Yesterday, mom treated us girls (plus My Buddy) to an afternoon with these ladies! This was the most incredible show that I have ever seen. If you ever get a chance to see it...YOU MUST! The Smiler for Movies *inside joke* in our group referred to them as The Rockers. So funny! And if the most popular Christmas show in New York City is the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, where they remind us of the TRUE meaning of Christmas, then we should all be shouting "Merry Christmas" instead of this "Happy Holidays" politically correct mumbo jumbo!

It was so much fun to get to spend the afternoon with family. I knew they would be joining me for lunch, and I had already planned to make soup. I also made up a batch of Symphony Brownies for our sweet treat. I knew the little kids wouldn't care for soup, so they snacked on Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix and M&Ms. I offered them grilled cheese sandwiches, but they were much more interested in Christmas tree ornaments and my new gingerbread house. We then ate popcorn and pink cotton candy at the show, so I don't guess they went hungry.

This is such a simple soup. Tossie is pregnant so she is who I worried about with the hot sauce, but she said I should have added more. I added the minimum, but add as much as your taste likes. Here are the details (sorry the picture isn't that appetizing...it's the only one I have):

Chicken Wing Soup

3 c. shredded cooked chicken (I just boiled in some water)
3 cans cream of chicken soup
6 c. milk
1 c. sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 c. hot sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)

Mix all ingredients very well in a crockpot. Cook on low 3-4 hours until heated through.

I served with some tortilla chips because I happened to have them. They got a little too soggy for me, so next time I might use Frito's because they are thicker.

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Hey SuperSW, like the name of the soup?? (Another inside joke...I can't stop myself tonight!)

Roast with gravy

Two things happened today:

1. I found this website...WHOA NELLY!!
2. I got my first recipe request from my S-I-L, which happens to use a crockpot and is super easy! So what perfect timing...

You all have probably made this or a variation of it.

Roast with gravy

1 Roast* (just needs to fit in the pot, but whichever size works best for your family will be just fine.)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope of Lipton onion soup mix

Place roast in crock pot. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Mix cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix on top of roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Sister adds water to hers, but I choose not to do that. (The gravy tastes a little richer to me without adding water.) We usually don't, but you can of course add potatoes, carrots, and/or onions if you choose.

*The Former Roommate would even make this same recipe using pork tenderloin. SO GOOD either way and very tender!!! The Dish Washer and I usually like to take the leftovers and spoon it over toast for an open faced sandwich!