Sunday, November 20, 2011

Swiss Chicken and Stuffing - crockpot

4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 - 6 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
3 cups Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix (8 oz pkg)
½ cup melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place chicken breasts in crock pot.
Pour chicken broth over chicken breasts. Put one slice of Swiss cheese on each breast.
Combine both cans of soup and milk. Cover chicken breasts with soup mixture.

Sprinkle stuffing mix over all. Drizzle melted butter on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Contributor's notes: You can also mix the chicken broth with the soup and you get almost the same results. If you pour the broth over the chicken, it keeps the chicken moist and tender.

Judy Clarke

Glazed Carrots and Parsnips

1 ½ lbs carrots
1 lb parsnips
1 c water
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
½ c firmly packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp Madeira wine
½ tsp finely grated fresh ginger, fresh mint, parsley or sage (chopped or whole sprigs) for garnish

(These two vegetables complement each other nicely. They can be prepared in advance up to the point to glazing. Additional carrots may be substituted for the parsnips.)

Peel the carrots and parsnips. Cut into 3" lengths. Slice each piece in half lengthwise and slice the thick upper portions into quarters lengthwise, so the pieces are of equal size for cooking. Put them into a saucepan with the water, salt and 2 Tbsp of the butter. Cover tightly and simmer very gently over low heat until just tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a sautè pan or frying pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter. Add the sugar, wine, and ginger. Cook while stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until reduced and thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and parsnips and toss until well coated. Cook until the vegetables are heated through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish; garnish with mint, parsley or sage. Serves 8-10

Friday, November 18, 2011

Nutella Cookies



Our little one absolutely LOVES Nutella! She would eat a Nutella sandwich (Nutella and bread) every day if we would let her. She loved helping me make (and especially eat!) these cookies. Thank you, Pioneer Woman!


1 c. Nutella

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. all purpose flour

1 whole egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients. Form into 1" balls, and then smash flat with your hands (or the bottom of a cup). Bake for 7-8 min.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake

1 (3.9 oz) pkg chocolate instant pudding*
3 c. milk
1 pkg (2-layer size) chocolate fudge cake mix [and ingredients to make cake]
1/4 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. thawed cook whip [or try vanilla ice cream]

Spray 3.5-4.5 qt. slow cooker with Pam. Add pudding mix and milk to slow cooker and beat with whisk for 2 minutes. Prepare cake mix as directed. [Consider substituting strong coffee for the water.] Slowly pour cake mix over pudding. Do not mix or stir. Cover.

Cook on low 2.5-3 hours or on high 1.5-2 hours or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Turn off heat and let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.


*Next time I want to try this with caramel (do they make this?) or butterscotch pudding.
From Kraft Recipes

Swiss Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts [can use bone-in but may need to cook longer]
8 slices Swiss cheese
1 package stove-top stuffing mix, prepared
1/2 c. melted butter or margarine [can use less]
1 cup cream of chicken soup [just use entire can]
1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Layer the chicken, cheese and the prepared stuffing ina 9"x13" baking pan. Drizzle with butter. Combine soup and milk and then pour over the layers. Bake, covered with foil, for 1 hour. Yield: 8 servings

(We love to serve this with cranberry sauce and fixings for a "Thanksgiving" meal year-round.)