Shipwreck and Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

Hooray!  Another crockpot recipe!  What would I do in life without my beloved crockpot?? And since I used the crockpot, that means more time for side dishes.  So tonight's post is another "two-fer!"  The cheddar garlic biscuits are very similar to Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits but the oregano gives a little bit of an extra touch. 

Shipwreck
(Looks like it sounds but oh so good!)

Ingredients:
1 lb. beef, browned
4 potatoes, cut into french fry strips
1 onion, chopped
16 oz. can red kidney beans, drained
8 oz. Velveeta, cubed
10 3/4 oz. can tomato soup
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
1)  In slow cooker, layer (in this order) ground beef, potatoes, onions, kidney beans, and cheese.  Pour soup over top.  Season with salt and pepper.  Dot with butter.
2)  Cover.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.



Oh, and don't forget the Frank's!  I put that you-know-what on everything :)
Parmesan is also good sprinkled on top.


Cheddar Garlic Biscuits
(Recipe from Gimme Some Oven)




Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2/3 cup milk
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:
1)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2)  In a large bowl, mix together Bisquick, cheese and garlic powder.  Add in milk and stir until well mixed.
3)  Shape the dough into biscuit-sized clumps, and drop onto the baking sheet.  The biscuits will pretty much stay the same size and shape so try to make the clumps as pretty as possible :)
4)  Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until biscuits begin to brown slightly around the edges.
5)  While the biscuits bake, prepare the warm butter mixture by mixing together the melted butter, oregano and garlic salt in a small bowl (I just microwave the butter in a glass measuring cup and add other ingredients to the butter).  As soon as the biscuits are removed from the oven, brush the biscuits (while they are still on the baking sheet) with the mixture until they are well-coated.
6)  Serve warm.

Do not refrigerate! Just cover 'em up with saran wrap and microwave for 10-12 seconds the next day.  But if your house is like mine, there won't be many left!


Soundtrack:
Miranda Lambert- "Easy Living"
Pistol Annies- "Hell On Heels"
Little Big Town- "Little White Church"

Pulled Pork and Baked Mac and Cheese

Tonight is a "tofer" night, 2 recipes in 1.  Since the pulled pork is cooked all day in the crockpot, I figured I could spend more time on the side dishes.  And, boy, was it ever worth it!  Next time, I will half both these recipes since I could have had the entire United States Army over for dinner.  But this heats up great for lunch and was perfect for Chris to take to work the next day.



Pulled Pork

(Recipe from A Whisk and a Prayer)

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds pork loin

Salt and Pepper2 cups water

2 cups BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)

Directions:

1) Rinse the pork loin and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put in slow cooker. (I cut mine into 3-4 chunks so it would fit) Add water. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours until very tender.

2) Remove from slow cooker and discard remaining liquid. Using two forks, shred the meat.

**You can actually stop here if you prefer sauceless pork.  It's amazingly delicious with or without sauce, I think!

3) Place back in cooker with barbecue sauce. Cook until heated, about 20-30 minutes.

4) Put the pork on your favorite bun or roll and you're all set (kaiser rolls are my favorite).

Next...

Baked Mac and Cheese

(Recipe from Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3   eggs, beaten
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Cook and drain macaroni and put it in a large mixing bowl.

3) While macaroni is still hot, stir in cheese.

4) In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture.

5) Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

6) Top with additional cheese if desired.

Soundtrack:
Dorothy Moore - "Misty Blue"
Al Green - "Let's Stay Together"
Otis Redding - "These Arms of Mine"
Aretha Franklin - "Save Me"

Baked Swiss Chicken

I saw this recipe trending on Pinterest and figured I should give it a whirl. 

Baked Swiss Chicken
(Recipe from realmomkitchen.com)

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
6-8 slices Swiss cheese
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup skim milk
1 box Stove Top stuffing (There's lots of different kinds, this time I used traditional sage)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1) Pound chicken breasts to even out the thickness of the chicken. Cut each breast in half.

2) Place chicken breasts in a sprayed 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

3) Top chicken with slices of Swiss cheese.

4) In a bowl, mix soup and milk until well blended.  Pour mixture over chicken.

5) Top the chicken with the dry stuffing mix.  Drizzle stuffing with melted butter.

6) Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

Soundtrack:

Whitney Houston- "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

Whitney Houston- "Saving All My Love For You"

Whitney Houston- "So Emotional"

Whitney Houston- "Heartbreak Hotel"

Whitney Houston- "My Love is Your Love"

Rest in Peace, Whitney!

White Chicken Chili

This is comfort food at it's best.  My mom used to make this for us all the time.  There is a quaint little restaurant in Kimmswick, MO called The Blue Owl where they serve this and other soul-healing dishes. 




The Blue Owl's White Chicken Chili

3 cans Great Northern white beans
4 cups chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and chopped into cubes (or if you're pressed for time, 2 large cans Tyson chicken)
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 4-oz. cans chopped mild green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 cups chicken stock (I use Kitchen Basics)
3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (I buy 2 bags; recipe calls for 1 1/2 bags and I like to sprinkle more on top once in bowls)
sour cream (optional)

Prepare chicken and set aside.  You can either cube the chicken or I shred it just because I like the consistency better.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions and saute until translucent (about 10 minutes).  Stir in garlic, then chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne and saute for 2 minutes.  Add undrained beans and stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and add chicken and cheese to chili and stir until cheese is melted.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Ladle chili into bowls.  Garnish with sour cream and top with more cheese if desired.



I felt very sentimental making this dish and started feeling a bit homesick.  Naturally, the soundtrack included:

"Home" -Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
"My Hometown" -Charlie Robison
"Tattoos on This Town" -Jason Aldean

Cilantro Lime Chicken

I find a lot of great recipes on Pinterest, but so far, I must say this is my favorite. 

  

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
(Recipe from http://www.pipandebby.com/)


Ingredients:
24 oz. jar medium salsa (I used Pace Chunky Salsa)
Juice from 2 limes
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
4 boneless chicken breasts, thawed

 

Directions:
In a slow cooker, mix together the salsa, lime juice, cilantro, taco seasoning and jalapenos.  Add the chicken and coat with salsa mixture.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.  Serve chicken with salsa mixture spooned on top or shred and use as a taco filling.  YUM!!


And 'ya know what goes great with this meal?...




Cerveza, of course!
I also made spanish rice (recipe to follow) and added some lime juice and cilantro to a can of Ranch Style black beans.  MUY BUENO!!!



Soundtrack:
"Spanish Harlem" -Aretha Franklin
"Alejandro" -Lady Gaga