Crock Pot Pizza Pasta

Bible study meal night is always a challenge. I want to make something good, and easy. You see before the study from 345-5pm (study at 6pm) there is an after school program with some great, yet rambunctious elementary kids, so there isn't a lot of time to whip something up. I then go to my handy dandy trusted crock pot. Word on the street is that this is amazing, had to make it, and the word was: delicious! 

Ingredients:
1 - 16oz pkg egg noodles
1 1/2 lbs ground beef 
1 small onion, diced
1 - 26oz jar of spaghetti sauce, I got one with olives, roasted garlic, mushrooms, etc. 
1 - 12oz jar of spaghetti sauce (omit if you don't like it saucy)
1 - 3 1/2oz  sliced pepperoni, halved
4-6C shredded cheese, I used the pizza blend

Method:
- Cook beef, and onion; drain off excess oil. Stir in spaghetti sauce.
- Cook noodles al dente,  for the noodles I picked it meant cooking time was 4 minutes. Drain.
-  In crock pot, coat with cooking spray, spread about a third of meat sauce, a third of noodles, third of pepperoni, and a third of cheese. Repeat layers.
-   Cover and cook on low for 4hrs or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Peanut Butter Cup S'mores

I have been blessed with being in charge of making meals for our Wednesday night bible study. Ok I was given this task by default, lets call it a perk of being the associate pastors wife ha! It's alright because I really do like to cook, bake, and try out new recipes. How could I not try out new recipes when I have a willing, and hungry audience. My goal for this bible study is coming up with easy meals. After all I am still adjusting to life with a freshly 6wk old bouncing baby boy, and trying to keep up with his big sister (3yrs old), and big brother (5yrs old). Life is exciting here for sure. 

I came across this dessert on pinterest, yes I find my recipe inspiration there. I did modify this recipe to make it easier. I hope you enjoy it, cos it truly is delicious, and easy.

Peanut Butter Cup S'mores

-serves 9

Ingredients:

1/2C butter, softened

1/2C brown sugar

1/4C sugar

1 egg

1tsp vanilla

1 1/4C flour

1tsp baking powder

1/4tsp salt

1C graham cracker crumbs, either purchase the crumbs or let aggression out with crushing whole graham crackers

9 peaut butter cups, regular size

1 1/2C marshmallow cups or enough to cover peanut butter cups (1 small jar will do)

8x8 greased baking dish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, set aside greased baking dish.

2. In a large bowl: beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Scrape down sides as needed. On low, mix in graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, flour, and salt.

3. Spread in 1/2 of dough mixture in baking dish. Place, and press peanut butter cups. Spread marshmallow fluff on top. Press remanding dough mixture on top, press down lightly.

4. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool for at least 3hrs to set. Once set cut into 9 squares with sharp knife.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

Want a quick, easy, tasty salad other than green, or pasta? Then this is the salad for you!
Goes great with an assortment of appetizers, burgers, etc!!

Ingredients:
2 - 14oz black beans, drained, rinsed
4 c frozen corn kernels
1 lrg red bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
4-8oz Italian salad dressing, like zesty Italian*
*If Italian dressing isn't for you, you can add juice from a lime, a tbsp or two of olive oil, some salt, and dash of tabasco, adjust to taste preferences and mix with salad

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well.
Let stand for 15 mins so corn defrosts

Peanut Butter Bars

Who doesn't like peanut butter and chocolate? If you don't you are wrong, unless you have an allergy, then I am sorry cos it's not your fault. I found a way to satisfy this craving without having to run to the store and buying some Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. You can use organic, homemade, etc ingredients too, which means you know exactly what goes into them, and who doesn't like that!

Ingredients:
1 -9x13 pan, if you want thicker do 9x9 pan, or double bottom layer
1 C butter, melted
2 C graham crackers
2 C icing sugar
1 C + 4 tbsp peanut butter, I used smooth
1 1/2 C semisweet chocolate

Method; bottom layer
-Mix melted butter, graham crackers, icing sugar, and 1 C peanut butter in food processor until smooth
-Press into bottom of your ungreased pan
-Refrigerate about 30mins to an hour before making top layer, you don't have to do this, but chocolate could melt peanut butter mixture when you spread it evenly

Method; top layer
-Melt chocolate chips with 4 tbsp peanut butter until smooth
-Pour evenly over pan
-Chill one hour before serving

This is great, easy, fast, and won't break the bank!

Sweet Roll Sandwich w/ Poppy Seed Onion Spread

Once upon a time a girl moved to rural America and learned how to improvise recipes. Improvising is one of the quick traits you learn to adapt too when the closest grocery store is 15mins away, and the next grocery store is 45mins away. I'm not complaining, the local grocery store is amazing... I just think people go in and stock up on supplies that they know I am wanting to buy. Yup it is a horrible conspiracy against me :P

Ok this recipe calls for poppy seeds, you don't have to add them. If you do random drug testing you might not want to use them. After all you don't want to have an Elaine from Seinfeld moment ha!

This has been another pinterest find: http://beyerbeware.net/2011/04/hunk-of-meat-monday-game-time-favorites.html

I followed the gist of it, however .. well just read and you'll see!

Poppy Seed Onion Spread

2 onions, finely diced

2 sticks butter

1 small jar of dijon mustard

6 tsp poppy seeds (I just kept shaking until I liked the look of it

Melt butter in pan, add onions, cook until tender

Add mustard, and poppy seeds

Simmer several minutes

Cool slightly, and spread on rolls

This was enough to make both batches of sandwiches below. You can top any remanding spread on top of the rolls, I didn't do this. I thought it would be too much.

King Hawaiian Sweet Roll Sandwiches w/ Ham & Swiss Cheese

16 king hawaiian sweet sandwich rolls, need to be sliced

Roughly 16 slices of ham sandwich meat

16 slices of swiss cheese

Poppy Seed Onion Spread

Line a cookie sheet with foil

Place bottom of rolls on pan

Spread Poppy Seed Onion Spread on buns

Top with ham slices

Top with swiss cheese

Place top of rolls on sandwiches

Cover with foil

Refrigerate until ready to be baked

Bake at 350F for 20mins covered

Roast Beef & Cheese Roll Sandwiches

16 sandwich rolls, sliced

16 slices of roast beef

16 slices of cheese, I used chipolte cheddar it gave a nice kick

Poppy Seed Onion Spread

Line a cookie sheet with foil

Place bottom of rolls on pan

Spread Poppy Seed Onion Spread on buns

Top with roast beef slices

Top with  cheese

Place top of rolls on sandwiches

Cover with foil

Refrigerate until ready to be baked

Bake at 350F for 20mins covered

Chimichangas & Sopapilla Cheesecake

Chimichangas:

I am wrap challenged. Seriously, if my life depended on successfully wrapping food in a soft tortilla shell, I would die. By some miracle I was able to get all of these wrapped correctly that the filling didn't fall out. Ok so I might have cheated, and exactly measured out the filling, but it worked. Victory is victory right :P
Now when I think chimichangas I think thinner, neater, than what these turned out to be. Mine were like short fat burritos, but the taste was amazing. I have even made these a few times. Only thing I did different was add cheese, and the second batch I made I added refried  beans. Ok I lied, I did something else different. I didn't butter them until I was ready to bake. I placed them in the fridge to firm up, and then buttered them as I went. If you want to rock out the deliciousness top them with sour cream and salsa.
These do freeze well, do not butter, and wrap individually. Place in fridge to defrost, butter, and bake.
http://www.food.com/recipe/streamlined-chimichangas-16371


Sopapilla Cheesecake:

I wanted a Mexican dessert, and found this gem! Even better it was super easy, and totally wonderful. It is a 100% cheatable recipe, I mean there is really nothing homemade about it. Flavour is amazing, and you can even have it as a sweet breakfast, with a nice cup of coffee. I did add more cinnamon, I love me some cinnamon!
http://myellowumbrella.blogspot.com/2010/10/sopapilla-cheesecake.html

Mexican Inspired Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are amazing. Typically with rice, tomatoes, seasonings, onions,  and ground beef. I wanted to try to mix it up a little. Who doesn't like to mix it up every once and awhile? I know I do.
Now this might be a shocker but I never really had Mexican / Tex-Mex before moving to the USA, and let me tell you it's some good food. I thought it's about time I try to make some more Mexican inspired dishes, why not? If it turned out bad, I can just blame it on my inexperience right. Happily this was not the case, and I was thrilled. I love stuffed peppers.

Ingredients:
16 bell peppers (I used yellow and green), sliced half from stem to tip (longways, vertical)
4 c cooked rice, any kind
2 onions, diced
4 - 15oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed
2 or 3 15oz canned tomatoes with chilies
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
4 c taco blend shredded cheese
3 or 4 - 28oz cans of red enchilada sauce, or if you can rock homemade go with that.
Large baking pan/s

Method:
Now when I cooked the rice, I added all the diced onion to it, and threw in a dash of red chili flakes.
Place rice / onion mixture in bowl, stir in black beans, tomato, salt, pepper. If it seems too dry you can add some olive oil, but I didn't need to.
Divide enchilada sauce into baking pans. To determine how many pans were needed I placed cleaned out peppers in pans. You want them to fit snugly.
Fill peppers with rice mixture.
Nestle stuffed peppers into enchilada sauce, and cover with shredded cheese.
Cover with foil, bake at 375 for about 20-30mins.
Remove foil, and bake until cheese is fully melted.

These do freeze well.
Do all steps but enchilada sauce, flash freeze in pan, and place into more airtight containers.
To bake: thaw in fridge (overnight), add enchilada sauce, and bake. Might need to add a few extra minutes.