Crock Pot Creamed Corn

November 14, 2011

CornCan I confess here that I never knew that you could make creamed corn from scratch?

My idea of creamed corn was the stuff you buy in a can by accident when you’re looking for canned corn.

Oh – but how wrong I was!

I discovered this gem recently and had to pass it on!

It’s rich and delicious and so easy to make!

We put it in the crock pot on low before we leave for church – and the corn is hot, creamy and ready to eat when we get home. It’s the perfect side dish for our traditional meat and potatoes Sunday lunch.

I took it to a recent potluck and brought home rave reviews and an almost empty crock pot.

It would be a great addition to a Thanksgiving meal, too!

Crock Pot Creamed Corn

16 ounces frozen corn (I used a fat quart of our home-frozen corn)
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon white sugar

Melt the butter and cream cheese. Add the milk and sugar.

Stir in the frozen corn and put everything in a crock pot.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cook on high 2-4 hours or low 4-6 hours.

It’s that easy folks!

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

By Country Gal | Posted in Cooking and Food, Crock Pot, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (6)

Apple Pie Bagels

November 1, 2011

Apple BagelI was pretty tired Saturday night and had forgotten to get bagels out of the freezer for Sunday morning breakfast.

Oops.

I also realized that the only cream cheese we had was still frozen.

Double oops.

And the kids had their friend Bethany overnight.

Triple oops.

We could all eat stale cereal and Bethany would see how we really live – or I could get creative.

As I tossed the frozen bagels on the counter, I thought, “Now what can I do with these?”

Then I remembered  of all the apples we still have left – and how my kids love apple pie and apple crisp – and thought to myself what a treat that would be for breakfast.

And so the Apple Pie Bagel was born.

I took diced apples tossed them in cinnamon and sugar and put them on top of a buttered bagel and sprinkled it all with a streusel topping.

Delicious!

Apple Pie Bagels

1 package bagels (I used plain – but I think cinnamon raisin or wheat would be great, too)
butter to spread
2-3 cups of apples, peeled and finely diced (Golden Delicious were perfect)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons oatmeal
3 tablespoons browns sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Cut the bagels in half and lay each half out on a baking tray. Butter them liberally.

Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and toss it with the diced apples.

Layer the cinnamon-sugar apples on the buttered bagels.

Combine the melted butter, oatmeal, flour, and brown sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle it on top of the apples.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the apples are soft and the streusel slightly browned.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

By Country Gal | Posted in Breads, Cooking and Food | Tagged , , | Comments (6)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

October 24, 2011

ChickenWe had never really tried sweet and sour chicken as a family until we attended a family business conference a few years back.

Every day during the 3 day conference we would walk across the parking lot from the conference room to the food court of a nearby mall to eat our lunch.

Every day – without fail – the two rival Chinese stands would be hawking free samples of sweet and sour chicken.

We would know we were near the food court when we heard the Oriental girls calling out, “Sweet and sour chick -en”

Of course we never pass up a free sample – and one bite had us hooked!

It has become a family favorite and even now, we can’t say the name without using an Oriental accent!

“Sweet and Sour Chick- en”

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 can pineapple chunks, drained (save the juice)
1 green pepper, sliced (optional)
1 onion, sliced (optional)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup water

Mix egg white, salt, and corn starch. Coat the chicken with the mixture and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients for the Sweet and Sour Sauce in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture boils and thickens. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Fry chicken until brown. Add pineapple chunks and other vegetables if desired.

Pour Sweet and Sour Sauce over all and heat through.

Eat over rice.

Chopsticks are optional!

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

By Country Gal | Posted in Cooking and Food, Main Dishes | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

Crock Pot Chicken Rolls

October 17, 2011

Chicken/HamHave you ever felt like you were in a rut in the kitchen?

Me, too.

It was time for something new and different.

Something that would raise eyebrows at the dinner table.

Something like these chicken rolls. :)

Although they were a little more involved than my usual recipes – they went together pretty fast and had a definite “wow” factor!

Dagmar made the rolls on Saturday and refrigerated them overnight. On Sunday morning I rolled them in the seasoned flour, browned them, and put them in the crock pot with the soup mixture before we left for church.

By lunch they were perfectly done and delicious!

I had planned for one roll per person – but they were so filling that we had enough left-overs for another meal.

Although I cooked them in the crock pot – you could also bake them at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Crock Pot Chicken Rolls

(original recipe from Taste of Home Slow Cooker Favorites)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 slices fully cooked ham
6 slice Swiss cheese (we used mozzarella chese)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth

Flatten chicken to 1/8 inch thickness. Place 1 slice of ham and cheese on each breast. Roll up and tuck in the ends; secure with a toothpick. (We needed multiple toothpicks to make them stay!)

Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. (I refrigerated them over night – and I think that at this point you could freeze them.)

Combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, sage, paprika, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken rolls on all sides.

Brown the bundles in the oil in a hot skillet. Transfer them to a 5 quart slow cooker. Combine the soup and the broth and pour over everything.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove the toothpicks and serve with the gravy.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

By Country Gal | Posted in Cooking and Food, Crock Pot, Main Dishes | Tagged , , | Comments (6)

Caramel Bars

October 10, 2011

CaramelI really should call these “panic bars” because I made them in a panic!

It was about 10:30 in the morning and I realized I had company coming at 1:00 – and that company didn’t like chocolate. (Poor kid.)

All of my favorite go-to quick recipes include chocolate (of course!)

To  make matters worse – I was out of butter and margarine.

A quick thumb-through my cookbook collection yielded this recipe – and a quick perusal of the pantry yielded the needed ingredients.

I was back in business!

With just five ingredients – not only were they fast to make -  but they were really rich and gooey and yummy!

Caramel Bars

1 package dry yellow cake mix
2 cups quick- cooking oatmeal (uncooked)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1- 12.5 ounce jar caramel ice cream topping

Mix together the cake mix, oatmeal, and brown sugar. Add the oil and egg; mix well.  Spread half of batter in to a greased 9 x 13 pan. Press a ridge around the edge; then spread with caramel topping. Sprinkle remaining batter on top. Bake 30 minutes ate 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at At the Well and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

By Country Gal | Posted in Brownies, Cookies and Bars | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)