Seasoned Potatoes

These lend themselves well to change.  Basically I use whatever seasoning I have around and it always turns out yummy.  A perfect side to a Sunday meal.   

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 c. oil
Seasoning-  onion soup mix packet/mrs dash garlic herb/Parmesan cheese and garlic salt
5-7 potatoes (cut into chunks/wedges)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toss potatoes in a bowl with the the oil until well coated
2. Add seasoning and toss some more
3. Bake @ 400 degrees for about 30-45 minutes (I usually bake them on tin foil so its easy to clean up)

Butter Pecan Crunch Cake

 I made this cake and didn't LOVE how it turned out but it was pretty good. The original recipe/picture shows the crumbs on top but for some reason mine sunk in the cake to the bottom.  I probably did something wrong :(

INGREDIENTS:

• Butter Pecan cake mix
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 4 Tbs. cold butter
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup toffee chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Measure 1 cup of cake mix and put it in a bowl.  Set it aside for later.
2. Beat the remaining cake mix, melted butter, milk and egg with an electric mixer till well combined.  Pour into a greased 9×13 pan.
3. Cut the cold butter into 1 cup of dry cake mix with a pastry blender or fork to make crumbs.  Stir in toffee chips and nuts.  Sprinkle on top of the batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe from:
http://eatathomecooks.com/2011/01/butter-pecan-crunch-cake.html

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

 Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pulled pork sandwiches are a favorite go to easy recipe.  The way I make them is so simple you can hardly even write out a recipe.

INGREDIENTS: 
We use:
Pork Roast (Shoulder, Butt, whatever I find at the grocery store for cheap)
BBQ Sauce (we prefer Sweet Baby Rays)
Onion

We could also use (but usually don't):
Garlic
BBQ Rub Seasoning
Liquid Smoke

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the onion and garlic into large rough pieces and place in the bottom of the crock pot. 
2. If you have it, season the pork with your seasoning and then place it on top of the veggies.
3. For added BBQ flavor add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke
4. Fill up the crock pot about 2/3 with water
5. Cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 3-4)
6. After its done cooking separate the meat from the fat/juices/onions and put the meat back in the crock pot.
7.  Use two forks to pull apart the meat
8. Add about half a bottle of BBQ sauce and mix it up
9. Allow it to warm up a little, but be careful not to let it burn now that there is sugar in the mix. I usually stick the lid back on and place the setting to warm while I finish setting the table etc.
10. Top with some more sauce to taste and serve on toasted buns 

Easy Pumpkin Cookies

Really Easy Pumpkin Cookies

1 Spice Cake Mix
1 Small (15 oz.) Can Pumpkin or 2 cups
Chocolate Chips

Mix pumpkin with the dry cake mix until well blended. Add choc. chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15min. until cooked through.

I am not a big fan of the chocolate chips and will usually make some cookies for me to eat without them.  They are yummy too!  Brett loves the chocolate though so the majority come out with the chips in them.  

Oatmeal

I love oatmeal.  When the weather starts to turn cold my breakfast routine changes a little.  It is hard to get out of bed in the morning when it is dark and nasty outside.  I'm often a little slower to get moving and make up the time in the kitchen.  It is so easy to stick some oatmeal in the microwave and continue getting ready.  I buy the large containers of plain oatmeal and then eye-ball the measurements when I make it.

Oatmeal
Water
Brown sugar

That is all.  Combine water and oatmeal and stick in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Stir in Brown sugar and some milk if it is too thick.

I usually add some brown sugar to sweeten it, but other options include: flavored coffee creamer, fruit like frozen blueberries or some sliced peaches, honey, nuts, yogurt, syrup, jam.  The possibilities are endless. 

This is a great breakfast when you are rushed for time but want something that will warm you up and stick with you past 10 am (read: cold cereal).

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Burritos

This easy recipe is good for breakfast or lunch and can be adjusted to personal preference and serving size.

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Burritos

1. Cook hash-browns in a large skillet. 
2. Add a few eggs and scramble them into the hash-browns.
3. Add meat- either left over bacon or ham or we usually just cut up some lunch meat ham and toss it in.
4. Top with some shredded cheese.
5. Wrap it up in a taco shell and enjoy.

Variations:

• Leave out the meat and add salsa on top.  
• If you don't have hash-browns just make scrambled eggs and add toppings. 
• Add any other variety of ingredients that you have around and sound good (ie: onions, peppers, etc)

Pot Roast

What a great Sunday dinner!   We love coming home from church to the smell of a pot roast cooking.  If I'm on top of my game I'll have remembered to get the bread machine going also.  My pot roast recipe is pretty simple.  It changes/adjusts depending on what I have on hand.  Usually my roast is frozen (because I don't often remember to think about those things the night before).  I've read that cooking frozen meat in the crock pot is frowned against because it might not get hot enough fast enough and/or it doesn't turn out as yummy, but I've never had a problem with it. 

Pot Roast

1. Stick the roast in the crock pot, add some carrots, potato chunks and some onion.  I just fill the pot up (about 2/3 full), but we usually end up with more veggies than meat.  So either I always make too much, or we just like the meat better than the potatoes and carrots.
2. Top it off with some sort of seasoning and a little bit of water.   Either a onion soup mix packet, or a beef gravy packet or today's choice was a beefy onion soup mix packet.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I'm not too smart with spices, so I like these packets as a simple and easy way to add flavor.
3. Cook the meat on for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  I check the meat temperature when we get hungry and it is usually plenty warm and falls apart easily so I know its done.