Easy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

I cheated a little and used a jar of Alfredo sauce, but hey I was busy today! It was sooooooo good and creamy. I hope you like it, too.

Easy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

Box of pasta (I chose Penne)
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar alfredo sauce (what ever brand you like)
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
Cheese (whatever you like- I used a three cheese blend)
Broccoli (optional)

Place chicken breasts in crockpot and top with salt, pepper and 1/2 of a can of cream of mushroom soup. Cook on high for 3-4 hours then shred chicken. Add jar of alfredo sauce, stir and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. Cook pasta and top with meat mixture and cheese. Add broccoli if desired.

Recipe Swap: Holiday Salad with Berry Vinaigrette

It's time for another recipe swap via The Nest's What's Cooking? board. I was given Holiday Salad with Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette from the blog Fried Ice and Donut Holes. I'm not usually a big fan of salads with fruit but I liked this one. I could not find frozen cranberries so I decided to use mixed berries, hence the change in the recipe name. I am not in love with the dressing but I will play around with it and tweak it more to my liking. I made a few alterations (noted below) and also added some bleu cheese crumbles to my salad. Yum!!

For the Salad:
1 container Mixed Greens (used baby spinach)
1 Apple, cored and chopped (used 1/2 of a green and 1/2 of a red)
1 Pear, cored and chopped (used 1/2)
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries (used a dried cranberry and honey roasted pecan mix)
1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts, lightly toasted (used pecans)
1/4 cup Pepita Seeds, optional (I did not use)
Dressing (recipe to follow)

For the Dressing:
1 cup Cranberries, fresh or frozen (used frozen mix-strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Fresh Orange Juice
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

In a medium pot, heat the berries, syrup, and vinegar over medium heat until the berries burst, about 7-10 minutes. Slightly cool the cranberry mixture and place in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add the salt and pepper, to taste. Blend again, then adjust the other ingredients to taste, if necessary. Place in the fridge to chill. Keep in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 7 days.

Fried Pork Chops with Gravy

I had two pork chops left over from a recipe I did earlier (Pork Tonkatsu) and threw this together. I didn't measure anything and you can use any combination of spices. I just used what I had on hand. It was yummy!

Fried Pork Chops with Gravy

Garlic Powder
Pepper
Season All Salt
1 egg
Soy Sauce
Panko
Vegetable oil

In a bowl, beat egg and a splash of soy sauce and set aside. On a plate mix panko and seasonings (to taste). Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Coat pork chops on egg mixture then panko (press panko into the pork chop) and add to frying pan. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes or till brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel and serve.

I cheated and made gravy from a packet. The chops would be good without the gravy.

Honey Mustard Chicken

This is a simple and yummy recipe. I loved the honey mustard so much that I plan on making it just for salads. I did double the honey mustard and use some as a dipping sauce. The original recipe (here) called for the chicken to be grilled but I baked it. Next time I will grill it and see how it turns out. Delicious, I'm sure!

Honey Mustard Chicken

1/3 cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Honey
2 tbsp mayo
1 tsp steak sauce
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dijon mustard, honey, mayo, and steak sauce in a bowl and set aside. Place chicken in a baking pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper then top with honey mustard. bake for 30 minutes or until done.

Recipe Swap- Pork Tonkatsu

I am participating in a recipe swap from The Nest's "What's Cooking?" board. I was given the So Tasty, So Yummy blog and could choose any recipe from it to make. We had some pork chops in the freezer so I did a search and came up with several delicious looking options. I chose the Pork Tonkatsu recipe because I had all of the ingredients on hand. I followed the recipe but added a splash of soy sauce and a sprinkle of garlic powder to the egg mix. It was delicious!!

Pork Tonkatsu

1 egg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Splash of Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 boneless center-cut pork chops, pounded to 1/8" thickness
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Whisk eggs and mustard in a medium bowl. Combine Panko, salt, and pepper on a large plate. Dip in egg mixture, then in Panko, pressing to adhere. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook pork until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, adding 1 tablespoon vegetable oil after turning. Drain on paper towels.

Shepherds Pie a la Kristina!

Shepherds Pie a la Kristina! was created when my man asked for shepherds pie and I insisted on making it my way. You know I had to take a basic recipe and put my own stamp on it. It was AWESOME!! Next time I will put the ingredients in a smaller pan. It turned out kinda soupy/thin because I put it in a 9x13 pan.

Shepherds Pie a la Kristina!

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
Seasonings
1 can green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup ketchup
3 potatoes, cubed (to make into mashed potatoes)
1 can brown gravy
Shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring pot of water to boil and add potatoes. Cook until soft; drain. Put into a bowl and add butter, milk, and salt/pepper to taste. Mash till the correct consistency (I used a hand mixer). Brown ground beef & onion adding desired spices (I used garlic powder, Italian seasonings, season all salt). Drain and return to pan. Add can of green beans, ketchup, cream of mushroom soup and mix well. Put meat mixture into a baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Top potatoes with can of gravy (spread out over potatoes) and top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Bacon Ranch Chicken Bake

This is one of those meals that was created out of a "what do we have" kinda situation. Well, we had chicken, bacon and ranch and this is what I did with it. It was a crowd pleaser and will definitely be added to the rotation!

Bacon Ranch Chicken Bake

2-3 chicken breasts
2-3 strips of bacon
Ranch (dressing or packet)
2 medium potatoes; diced, cubed or sliced
can of sweet corn; drained
1/2 cup onions, diced
Pam (butter flavored)
Spices (garlic, salt, lemon pepper)
Cheese (whatever you want, I used a block of cheddar/jack)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add potatoes to a baking dish (you can cut them to your preference) and top with spices (you can choose whatever spices you like- I used the ones listed). Spray Pam (or any buttered flavor spray) on top of potatoes then top with corn and onions. Lay chicken breasts on top and add spices. Drizzle ranch on chicken (can be ranch dressing or a seasoning packet of ranch) and top with bacon. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover, increase oven temperature to 400 and continue to bake for 20 minutes. Remove and top with cheese and cook another 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting

I had a few old bananas and wanted to make something different than banana bread. I searched Allrecipes and found this recipe. I followed it pretty much but made a few changes and added the chocolate chips. My cake fell when I pulled it out of the oven. It was my fault though. I couldn't find the pot holders and used a hand towel. The pan was hot, causing me to drop it on the top of the stove.

Oh well. I had my man put the frosting on it. He's so cute when he's helping me in the kitchen. Yes, I did use frosting out of a can. Next time I will make it from scratch!
And here is the finished product. It was sooooooo moist and delicious!!

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 medium bananas, mashed
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Frost after it cools and cut into squares. Top with banana slices, chocolate chips or nuts if desired.

I have also posted this recipe on Sweet as Sugar Cookies blog. Click to check out all the delicious treats!!