Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

This one comes to us from my sister-in-law Debi.


Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken
1 jar of salsa
2 tbsp flour

Layer chicken & salsa in crock pot ending with salsa.
Cook low for 7-9 hours.
When ready to serve turn to med/high and add flour.
Cook until thickened.

** Weight Watchers points = 4 per serving**

Debi says: "I served with corn bread, couscous and steamed broccoli! YUMMY!!!
The chicken become almost like a pulled chicken."

Thanks, Debi!

Meat Pockets

This highly anticipated recipe comes to us from Erin. :)

Erin says: "Warning: These will seem really hard and horrible to make the first time; if your family ends up enjoying them as much as mine does, then try again. They get easier and soon you'll be a pro. They are awesome because they are bread, veggie, and meat all in one portable yummy pocket that is good hot or cold."

Meat Pockets

1/2 head of cabbage
1 bunch of scallions
1 C carrots
4 tsp minced ginger root
1 pound meat (I use half turkey/half ground beef)
2 eggs
4 Tbs soy sauce
1 package Pillsbury grands low fat wheat biscuits

* Preheat oven to 475
* Start cooking your meat; it needs to be completely cooked
* Put cabbage in the food processor Tip: it can be hard to cut sometimes; so throw in the two eggs right away along with it if needed; their "juice" aids the cutting process for whatever reason
* Once the cabbage is behaving, throw in the whites from the scallions and throw in the carrots
* Throw in the shredded ginger and eggs if you have not already put in the eggs Tip: I keep a ginger root in my freezer in a zip lock back; it can stay in there literally for years and serve your occasional fresh ginger needs beautifully
* Assuming meat is now fully cooked; add the veggie mixture to the meat on the stove and cook for 5-10 minutes
* Add the soy sauce
* Split each of the biscuits in half so that you have 16; then with a folder piece of wax paper and a rolling pin, roll each biscuit into a nice 5-6 inch circle
* Spoon filling onto rolls and then wrap them up; I just bring all of the edges into the middle like scrunched lips and then I flip them over onto the pan sprayed with cooking spray, opening down. Tip: it is sometimes easier to make the filling on Day 1 and then deal with the rolling and stuffing on Day 2; I highly recommend this the first time you make these bc the filling is easier to deal with when cold and you'll get less frustrated.
* Cook 12-15 minutes and make sure they brown or the bread will be sticky

**Remember, there is a learning curve the first time you make these!!!**

Sangria for 100

I was tempted to turn the AC back on last night, so it seems we're having a bit of Indian summer at the beginning of fall this year. In the spirit of warmer, leisurely summer days, here is Heather's sangria recipe. I'm not a red wine drinker, but I had more than one glass of this yummy concoction the last time we got together - definitely a mom-focused recipe!


Sangria for 100
(This recipe can be halved or quartered and it takes well to substitutes too.)

2 gallons Zinfandel
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup Cointreau
2 quarts orange juice
2 cups lemon juice
1 cup superfine sugar
12 to 16 ice cubes
2 quarts chilled club soda
3 oranges, thinly sliced
3 lemons, thinly sliced

Thoroughly chill all ingredients. Pour the wine, brandy and Cointreau
into a large punch bowl. Stir orange and lemon juice with the sugar
until sugar has dissolved. Then add to bowl and stir to blend. Add ice
cubes and soda and garnish with fruit slices. Serve in 4-ounce punch
glasses or wineglasses.

Escarole (or Spinach) and Turkey Meatball Soup

We had a little cold stretch last week and it got me in the mood for soup. The weather has since warmed up a bit, but with the official beginning of fall I still find myself ready for a good soup. Thanks to Linda for this one! She says:

"This is a comforting soup that even the kiddies might eat. Rolling the meatballs is a little labor intensive but other than that, it’s pretty simple. I use a couple of handfuls from a bag of fresh spinach instead of escarole because I prefer it."

Escarole (or Spinach) and Turkey Meatball Soup

Tex Mex Pasta Salad

As requested - this one's for you, Debi! Rather than retype it, I'm posting a link to the original recipe from Cooking Light.

When I hear "pasta salad" I think cold side dish, but this is definitely a warm main dish. It has a long list of ingredients, but you can pick and choose if you don't have everything. For example, I never put the olives in and I only add the green onions and cilantro when I have them left over from something else.

If you have picky eaters, you can do this dish a la carte and create their servings individually. Elise doesn't like beans, Dean doesn't like tomatoes, Grant doesn't want the sour cream mixture. I add whatever isn't going to offend them to their pasta (which can be whatever shape you have on hand) and everyone ends up happy. I throw whatever's left into the bowl and mix it together.

Sweet Bean Dip

In a large bowl, combine:

1 can each chick peas, black eyed peas, and shoepeg corn, rinsed and drained

1 each vidalia onion, red and green peppers, finely chopped

You can also add celery if you like.

In a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 vegetable oil
2 tsp water
2 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

I usually get this going while I'm chopping the veggies. Once it has boiled for a minute or two, I turn off the heat and let it sit until all the chopping is done.

Pour this mixture over the bean and veggies and toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I find Fritos Scoops hold up the best for dipping.

Thanks to Cheri for this recipe - it's been a big hit!

Apparently, man cannot live on bread alone.

On a recent visit to beautiful Providence, RI, seven friends spent the weekend catching up, bonding, relaxing, and just generally being happy to see each other. Conversations ranged from fashion to baby names and lots of thing in between, but we spent a lot of time talking about kids. The funny things they do and say, the not-so-funny things they do and say. We could spend years trying to figure out how to make them be the uber perfect people we envisioned before we actually had them, but we may still be no closer to an answer. Ain't life just a kick in the pants that way?

Not willing to let go of the warm and fuzzy feeling I get from being with some of the people I love most in the world, I came up with an idea. Though we may not see each other on a day-to-day basis, we can still support each other from afar. Those kids (and their parents for that matter) have to eat. And even though I never tire of grilled cheese, experts say that it might be a good idea to eat more than just bread and cheese at every meal. As much as I don't want to admit it, that might actually be true.

Here's the idea: this blog becomes our communal recipe box. Got a recipe that you want to share? Send it to me and I'll post it. That way everyone benefits and everything is stored in one central location.

Thanks to Heather for the blog title suggestion! And I'll work on making the blog itself a little more attractive (once I figure out how to do that!). I'll post the first recipe shortly - please send me anything you want to share!