Cake... Well Sort Of....

A friend of mine just had a baby girl after having a girl, followed by 4 boys. My sister is throwing her a baby shower and I decided I would make her a diaper cake. I know it isn't really food, but since it is called a diaper cake, I figured I would count it. Besides, I'm still behind on my one recipe a month for this year, so this might help me when I count at the end of the year.

What you need:
63 diapers
Assorted Rubberbands
Ribbon
A Cake Plate
A stick
Hot Glue Gun

Take a diaper and roll it starting with the top end and rolling it towards the crease at the bottom of the diaper. Put a rubberband around the now rolled diaper to keep it rolled up. Repeat 62 more times. Create layers of the cake by rubberbanding the rolled up diapers together. The smallest layer will have one rolled diaper surrounded by 6 rolled up diapers. Put a big rubberband around all 7 diapers. To make the second layer, start with making a replica of the top layer and add 12 diapers to the outer edge with a rubberband. The bottom layer is made by creating the middle layer again and then adding 18 more diapers around the outer edge. Using the stick (be careful not to puncture diapers), stack the layers on top of each other. Use a ribbon to cover the rubberbands. Do not stick the ribbon to the diapers, but rather, hot glue the ribbon to itself. Decorate with whatever themed embellishments you choose and you are done. My friend is a huge fan of anything patriotic and even named her daughter Liberty, so I chose a patriotic theme for the diaper cake. For my first attempt, I don't think it looks half bad. :)

Funeral Potatoes

This recipe can be made in several different ways. I have made it twice now and both were pretty easy. One was with a crock pot and hash browns and the other was in the oven with actual potatoes. You could also make them with hash browns in the oven or with the actual potatoes in the crock pot. I guess it just depends on what you feel like doing.

Ingredients
2 cans cream of anything soup (I used potato, but chicken or anything would work)
1 small container of sour cream (I always use fat free. It still tastes great and no extra fat)
1 package of hash browns OR 6 potatoes cut up into chunks and boiled for about half an hour or until they are soft. You don't want them fall apart soft, but you don't want any of the raw cruchiness that they have.
Lots of cheese

In the crock pot, combine all ingredients except about a cup of cheese. Top with the remaining cheese and turn the crock pot on until the soupy mixture bubbles and the cheese is melted.

In the oven, combine all ingredients and pour into a 9x13 glass pan. Top with cheese and put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the soupy mixture is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Salt to taste.

Super easy and you can't really go wrong with cheese and potatoes. :)
Also, just for fun, I used peppercorn cheese that we had got from the Cache Valley Cheese Factory in Utah. It was pretty good, but I have mostly had these with cheddar cheese or a mexican blend cheese.

BBQ Ribs

So, I'm sure by now, it is no secret that I love my crock pot(s)! I bought some ribs at the store and was looking for an easy way to make them. Well, I found a super simple crock pot recipe. It took me longer to wash the crock pot than it took to actually make the food. I took one onion and diced it and put it in the crock pot. I unwrapped my ribs and put seasoning on them. The recipe I found said to just use salt and pepper. While I intended to do that, I ended up putting a garlic and herb spice mix on them instead. Pour in a bottle of bbq sauce and turn the crock pot on. The recipe called for cooking on low for 8 to 10 hours. I didn't get them in as early as I wanted, so I put it on high. We ended up heading to Casa Grande for Brian to work and our quick trip turned into him working and me visiting with Stephanie and then when our husbands were done with work, we all visited for a while. Anyway, that means that my ribs cooking on high for 4 to 5 hours ended up cooking on high for about 9 hours. They still turned out amazing and literally fell off the bones when I tried to take them out. I had to scoop the meat out and Brian said they were delicious. I was dealing with heartburn at the time, so I didn't actually eat any. I will probably use creole seasoning next time to give them some more kick for the hubby. While I enjoy spicy, spicy things have been wreaking havoc on my esophagus lately, so I may have to wait to try some spicy ones. We used these ribs for just eating ribs, but with how tender the meat ended up, they would be really easy to shred the meat and use it in tacos or chimichangas or enchiladas or bbq sandwiches or anything you could think of really. I will definitely make these again and again. PS - The ribs were on sale at the grocery store, so they were super cheap too!!!! :)

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

This is one of my favorite dinners and it is so easy to make! I usually make it with diced sauteed asparagus mixed in with the sauce or peas. Tonight I served it with some Italian Sausage which is good also!

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
Fresh Basil, Chopped
1-½ pound Fettuccine or whatever pasta you want

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water (i never use this but you can keep it and mix it in with the sauce to make the sauce a little thinner.)

Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

Peach Crisp

So I made this peach crisp tonight and it was a semi fail. I learned that next time I should use peaches that are a not still slightly green and not to make the peach filling the night before. The peaches tasted like celery which was totally weird but this has the potential to be really yummy. This would also be very good with berries or apples instead of the peaches.

Ingredients

5 whole To 6 Whole Fresh Peaches (best When Not Overly Ripe Or Soft but definitely not still partially green, lol)
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 cup Flour
½ cups Sugar
½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon


Preparation Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a fork or pastry cutter. Cut butter into small pieces and gradually add to flour mixture until evenly mixed.

Peel and slice peaches into a bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon. Squeeze juice from lemon half and stir in with peaches and zest. Add 2 tablespoons real maple syrup to peaches, stir well.

Pour peach mixture into a small pan (8” or 9” square) and cover evenly with crumb topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and brown on top.

White Chicken Enchiladas

Ok, here is another Pioneer Woman recipe! Seriously every recipe I have made of hers has been awesome. This one took a little bit of time to make but I thought it was worth it. I didn't take a picure but we all know what enchiladas look like!

Ingredients
■2-½ cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
■2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
■3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
■12 whole Corn Tortillas
■1 whole Large Onion, Diced
■3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
■1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
■1 teaspoon Paprika
■½ cups Heavy Cream
■2 Tablespoons Butter
■2 Tablespoons Flour
■1 cup Sour Cream
■2-½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
■Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions
Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

This is really good served with mashed potatoes! And again my picture sucks because I forgot to take a picture before we ate :)


-4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (either bake, crockpot or pressure cook chicken for easy shredding)
-1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Mix, reserve 1/2 teaspoon for topping
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 fresh cracked black pepper
-2 10 oz cans cream of chicken soup
-10 oz can cheddar cheese soup
-1 Cup chicken broth
-1 Cup milk
-3 15 oz cans Mixed Veggis, drained
-1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1 6 count can Pillsbury Homestyle Biscuits
-1/2 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt
-1/2 teaspoon reserved dry Ranch Dressing Mix
-1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place shredded chicken into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in ranch mix (reserve 1/2 teaspoon for later), salt and pepper. Toss to combine seasonings.

2. In a large rimmed skillet or dutch oven, place soups, broth and milk over medium heat; whisk until combined. Stir in mixed veggis then shredded chicken. Transfer to a large 9×13 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle bacon and cheese over top.

3. Open biscuits and place onto wax paper. Cut each biscuit into 10 little triangle pieces cut biscuit in half then cut each half into fifths(Make sure you cut them in half otherwise they won't cook all the way through and it is nasty). Place little pieces of biscuit over top of chicken mixture until it’s all covered. Sprinkle biscuits with remaining ranch dressing mix, garlic salt and 1/2 Cup cheese. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and biscuits are cooked through underneath. Cover with foil the last 25 minutes of baking to prevent too much browning. Let cool for 10 minutes then serve.