Pizza Casserole

 

Ingredients 

16 oz rotini or penne pasta noodles (uncooked) 

3 1/2 C pizza sauce

2 1/2 C water

1 C grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 C grated cheddar cheese

24 pepperonis 

1/4 C onions

1/4 diced bell peppers

1/2 C sliced mushrooms (optional) 

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

2) Place uncooked pasta in a 13 x 9 in. baking dish. 

3) In a large bowl combine the pizza sauce, water, onions, diced bell peppers and mushrooms. 

4) Pour pizza sauce mixture over noodles, mix enough to ensure the noodles are coated. 

5) Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the noodles.

6) Spread the pepperoni on top of the cheese. 

7) Cover the casserole dish with foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. 

8) Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes or until noodles are al dente and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Serves: 12 

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Country-Style Pork Ribs

 

Ingredients 

2-3 lbs country-style pork ribs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

oil for browning

Sauce:

1/3 C soy sauce

3/4 C pineapple juice or lemon-lime soda

3 cloves garlic (crushed) 

1/2 C brown sugar

Gravy: 

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 C water

Directions

1)  Trim ribs of any excess fat. 

2) Heat oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. 

3) Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder; sprinkle over pork.

4) Brown pork well on both sides; place in a 5-6 qt crock pot. 

5) Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour over pork. 

6) Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours, or high 3-4 hours. 

7) If a thick sauce is desired, remove ribs to a serving plate and keep warm in a 200 degree oven, turn cooker to high (if you cooked on low) and heat until sauce begins to bubble. Mix the cornstarch and water and stir into sauce, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook for 5 minutes. 

8) You can return the ribs to the crock pot to coat with sauce if desired. Otherwise, ladle the sauce over ribs on serving platter.

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 6 hours 20 minutes

Total: 6 hours 35 minutes

Serves: 4 

Any variety of pork chops may be substituted but if using thin chops (less than 1/2 in thick) cook time will need to be adjusted down - approximately 4 hours low and 2 hours high.  

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Alfredo

 

Ingredients 

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb chicken breasts

1 lb smoked sausage (sliced into 1 in pieces) 

3 C heavy cream

4 C low sodium chicken broth

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp. coarse cajun seasoning

2 cloves garlic smashed

1 lb. uncooked penne pasta

1/2 C hot water

5 oz freshly shredded parmesan cheese

kosher salt and black pepper

garlic powder

Directions

1) Pat chicken breasts dry and season with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of garlic powder. Heat olive oil over high heat and quickly sear chicken breasts on both sides. 

2) Add chicken breasts, sausage, heavy cream, chicken broth, butter, garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, cajun seasoning and several turns of freshly ground black pepper to slow cooker. 

3) Cook on low for about 4 hours or high for 2-3 hours, until chicken has reached 165 degrees. 

4) Remove chicken from slow cooker and set aside to cool and slice. 

5) Stir in 1/2 C of hot water and uncooked penne pasta, cover and cook on high for 30 minutes. Just until pasta is tender. 

6) Once pasta is tender, stir in parmesan cheese, sliced chicken and additional salt and pepper to taste. 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 4 hours 30 minutes

Total: 4 hours 45 minutes

Serves: 8 

Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Ingredients 

2 tbsp. melted butter or baking spray

2 cans (12.4 oz each refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing -icing reserved)

4 eggs

1/2 C heavy whipping cream

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. vanilla

1 C chopped pecans

1/4 C maple syrup + 1 tsp. 

Directions

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. 

2) Pour melted butter into a 3 quart baking dish or spray it with non stick cooking spray. 

3) Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 6 pieces - place the chopped cinnamon rolls over the melted butter. 

4) In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, cinnamon & vanilla until combined. Drizzle the mixture over the cinnamon rolls. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1/4 C maple syrup.

5) Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove covers from the icing; microwave for about 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle. Stir in 1 tsp of maple syrup. Drizzle over the cinnamon roll casserole. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Cool: 10 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Serves: 8 

 

Oven Baked Honey Garlic Meatballs

 

Ingredients 

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 C dry bread crumbs or crushed crackers

1 egg

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 C shredded zucchini

salt & pepper to taste

Honey Garlic Sauce

1/4 C brown sugar

1/3 C honey

1/2 C ketchup

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. minced garlic

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2) In a large bowl, mix all ingredients by hand and form into balls. 

3) Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake in oven for 30 minutes. 

Honey Garlic Sauce:

1) In a medium pot, mix together the brown sugar, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic. 

2) Heat through and let simmer for about 5 minutes. 

3) Place cooked meatballs in a bowl, pour sauce over top and toss to coat. 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Serves: 38 meatballs

You can use this as either an appetizer for parties or you can make these and have them on top of rice or pasta. 

Honey Garlic Instant Pot Pork Chops

 

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops (about 1 inch thick; or two-three large pork chops) 

1/2 tsp. kosher salt (plus more to taste) 

3/4 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. ground white pepper

1 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tbsp butter

5 cloves garlic (peeled and pressed) 

1 C broth (vegetable or chicken) 

1/4 C honey

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Directions

1) In a small bowl, combine salt , chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper and all purpose flour. Season the pork chops with the dry rub mix, making sure to coat the edges as well as both flat sides of each chop. 

2) Set Instant Pot to saute and give it about 8-10 minutes to preheat. Add the butter.

3) When the butter is melted, quickly add the pork chops and sear until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the pork chops and set aside. Turn off the Instant Pot. 

4) Add the pressed garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. If you want the sauce to be thicker , add 2 tablespoons of flour, mix well, and continue cooking for 30-60 seconds or so, until the flour is slightly brown. 

5) Add the broth and scrape the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the honey and the white wine vinegar, and stir well. Taste for salt and adjust if needed. 

6) Return the pork chops back to the pot, placing them right in the liquid. They don't need to be submerged  all the way.

7) Cover the pressure cooker and make sure the pressure valve is sealed. Set for MANUAL, HIGH pressure for 7 minutes cook time. 

8) When the pressure cook time is up, let the pressure cooker naturally release for 10-12 minutes. After the 10-12 minutes, open the valve completely to quickly release all the remaining pressure. 

9) Remove the pork chops from the Instant Pot and let rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve the chops with the honey garlic sauce from the pot. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 11 minutes

Pressurizing/depressurizing: 24 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Serves: 4 

Instead of flour to thicken sauce, you can use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 C of cold water. 

Breakfast Crescent Dogs

 

Ingredients

8 fully cooked sausage links

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

3/4 C maple-flavored syrup

Directions

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate dough into triangles. Wrap dough triangle around each sausage link. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, seam side down.

2) Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with syrup. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Serves: 8 

This is one of those recipes where you are definitely gonna wanna double or triple the recipe so you have more. These can be heated up the next day too. 

Best Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey) 

1 lb. italian sausage (or turkey italian sausage) 

1 C minced onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

8 oz mini sweet peppers (stems and seeds removed - may replace with bell peppers) 

45 oz diced tomatoes, drained

24 oz tomato sauce

2 bay leaves

1 tsp oregano 

2 tsp basil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Crumble and brown ground beef and sausage, along with onion and garlic.

2) Drain excess fat. 

3) Place meat mixture into slow cooker. 

4) Add remaining ingredients. 

5) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. 

6) Serve over your favorite pasta or allow to cool completely and then freeze until ready to use. 

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 8 hours 5 minutes

Total: 8 hours 10 minutes

Serves: 8 

Easy Jack Chicken with Bacon

 

Ingredients

BBQ sauce (any kind )

1 1/2 C Colby Jack cheese, grated

3 slices of bacon , chopped and cooked

2 chicken breasts butterflied creating 4 thin breasts

salt and pepper

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray nonstick cooking spray in a casserole dish. 

2) Heat a grill pan over high heat. 

3) Sprinkle salt and pepper on each side of the chicken and place into the pan, turning the heat down to medium low. 

4) Allow to cook for three minutes, flip the chicken and cook for an additional three minutes. 

5) Place the chicken in the casserole dish. 

6) Spread a little BBQ sauce on each breast, top with cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes.

7) Sprinkle with bacon and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until cooked through. 

8) Allow to rest 5 minutes and serve. 

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Serves: 4 

This is one of those dishes your gonna wanna double the recipe to make more chicken, 

Brown Sugar Glazed Red Potatoes

 

Ingredients 

4 - 6 red potatoes, cubed

1/2 C water

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

parsley  or your favorite  herb/spice

garlic salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Bring red potatoes, water, butter and brown sugar to a boil in a pan over medium-high heat. 

2) Turn to low and simmer for approximately 6 minutes. 

3) Turn back to high and cook until all the water is evaporated and potatoes are tender. Another 10-15 minutes. 

4) Remove from heat. Salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!

Prep: 16 minutes

Cook: 26 minutes

Total: 42 minutes

Serves: 8 

You may have to add extra water if it needs it. I would use your best judgement on how much of the ingredients you would like because you can always add more brown sugar and butter if desired as well. 

Maple Cinnamon Pork Chops

Ingredients

4 Boneless, center-cut pork chops

2 red apples. sliced and diced

2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks

1/2 cup real maple syrup

ground cinnamon

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

2) Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then place the drumsticks in the pan. 

3) Add the apples and sweet potatoes around the pork chops. 

4) Evenly pour the maple syrup over the pork chops and evenly sprinkle cinnamon. 

5) Bake for 30 minutes, carefully remove and mix up the apples and sweet potatoes if needed to avoid drying and flip over the pork chops. 

6) Put back in the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes, then serve. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 4 

 

Grilled Potatoes with Rosemary & Smoked Paprika

 

Ingredients

1 lb. russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, cut into small chunks

6 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into thirds

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. crushed dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Directions

1) Preheat the grill to medium heat. 

2) In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, garlic and olive oil. Toss to coat the vegetables. 

3) Add in the rosemary, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and toss to coat again. 

4) Using 2 pieces of foil (each 24 inches long), form  an x by overlapping the foil. 

5) Place the potato mixture in the middle of the X , arranging so that it is an even height. Wrap the pieces of foil over the potato mixture, pinching the foil to seal. 

6) Use a third piece of foil to wrap around the package. 

7) Place the foil package on the grill and cook for 20 minutes. Flip the package over and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and starting to brown. Be careful when opening the package to test the vegetable, as hot steam will be released. 

8) The vegetables will stay warm in the package for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

Serves: 6 

Bacon Double Cheeseburger Stuffed Meatloaf

 

Ingredients

1 lb lean beef

1 C Panko bread crumbs

1/2 C milk

6 tbsp. ketchup, divided

1 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1 large egg

1 tbsp brown sugar

8 oz. milk cheddar cheese, shredded

1 lb. bacon, uncooked

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2) In a large bowl combine beef, bread crumbs and milk. Pouring milk directly over bread crumbs. Add 2 tbsp. ketchup, Worcestershire and steak seasoning. Set aside. 

3) In a small bowl, crack egg and beat it slightly. This helps prevent overworking the meat while combining, resulting in a tougher meatloaf. Add egg to large bowl with meat mixture. Combine well with hands, do not overwork the meat mixture. 

4) Gently press meatloaf into bowl and divide in half. Place first half into 7" x 10" (or larger) baking dish and form into a flat meatloaf. Gently press the center in to create a rim around the outside of the meatloaf. Add shredded cheese into the center of the meatloaf. 

5) Form remaining half of meatloaf in the bowl into a size similar to the meatloaf in the pan. Set on top and press the sides together to seal in the cheese. Form into a loaf shape about 1 1/2 - 2" tall. 

6) You may notice cracks in the loaf. Run your hands under warm water and then across the meatloaf to smooth the cracks out. Set meatloaf aside. 

7) In a small bowl combine 4 tbsp ketchup and 1 tbsp brown sugar. Mix well with a fork. Apply glaze evenly all over your meatloaf (except bottom).

8) Arrange bacon slices over the top of the meatloaf. Start by wrapping a piece of bacon across the front side and a second piece of bacon across the back side. Arrange remaining bacon over the top. Tuck the ends of the bacon under the meatloaf (this prevents curling). 

9) Place meatloaf in the oven and bake until bacon is crispy, about 1 hour.

10) Remove from oven. Allow to rest uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 1 hour 

Total: 1 hour 35 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Crock Pot Kielbasa Bites

 

Ingredients

26 oz Beef Kielbasa (2 pkgs 13 oz ea.) 

18 oz BBQ Sauce ( 1 bottle) 

1 oz dry ranch seasoning mix packet or 3 tbsp dry homemade buttermilk ranch dressing mix

Directions

1) Slice Kielbasa links into round pieces, approx. 1/4" thick

2) Place sliced Kielbasa pieces in crock pot. 

3) In a small bowl combine bbq sauce and dry ranch dressing mix and stir well.

4) Pour sauce mixture over kielbasa in crock pot.

5) Cook on high for 1 hour 30 minutes or on low for 2 hours and 30 minutes or until hot. 

6) Serve with toothpicks as a delicious appetizer or party treat. 

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 2 hrs 30 minutes

Total: 2 hours 35 minutes

Serves: 12 

You can also make this dish for dinner and make a side to go with it. 

Sriracha Honey Slow Cooker Meatballs

 

Ingredients

1 C sriracha hot chili sauce

1 C honey

1/4 C fresh lime juice (approximately 2 limes)

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 C panko bread crumbs

1/4 C milk

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 large eggs

Directions

1) Combine sriracha , honey, and lime juice in a slow cooker on high heat. 

2) In a large bowl add remaining ingredients , except eggs. Stir sriracha sauce in slow cooker until combined. Taste and add additional honey or sriracha as necessary to suit your heat preference. Add 1/4 c of sauce into meatball mixture, fold mixture together 2 times, then add eggs. 

3) Mix well, do not over mix or you will have tough meatballs. Place a sheet of wax paper (approximately 9" x 9" ) on your countertop. Using a 2 tbsp scoop, portion out meat and place on wax paper. After all meatballs have been scooped, roll into balls and place them into the slow cooker. Once about half of the meatballs are in the slow cooker, spoon sauce over the tops of them. Continue adding meatballs until they are all in the slow cooker. You may have to layer them, just be sure the bottom layer is thoroughly coated in sauce before you add the next layer. 

4) Reduce heat to low, cover slow cooker and cook for 4-8 hours. 

5) Serve and enjoy. 

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 8 hours

Total: 8 hours 20 minutes

Makes: 24 meatballs

If you lightly wet your hands the meatballs will form better and crack less. You can take the lid off after 2 hours to allow the sauce to thicken or you can transfer the sauce to a saucepan on the stove top and cook until reduced by half, or to desired consistency. The meatballs are perfect either way, this is more of a personal choice. Sriracha is a hot chili sauce. The recipe is a medium heat level. If you prefer it to be hot than decrease the amount of honey and increase sriracha or if you prefer milder heat than increase honey and decrease sriracha sauce. 

Italian Sausage Bake

 

Ingredients 

1 pint grape tomatoes (red, yellow, orange variety) 

1 lb. honey gold potatoes , quartered

1 red bell pepper , chopped length-wise 1 inch

1 orange bell pepper , chopped length-wise 1 inch

1 red onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

6 Italian Sausage links (sweet or hot ) 

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2) In a large 9 x 11 glass baking dish, toss grape tomatoes, quartered baby potatoes, bell peppers, and red onion with one tablespoon olive oil and chopped garlic. 

3) Mix well until incorporated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 

4) Place the sausage links on top of the vegetables. Place sprigs of thyme throughout the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. 

5) Remove foil from baking dish, mix vegetables around, and bake for an additional 30 minutes until sausage is golden brown. (You may need to turn sausage to prevent from burning). Serve immediately. 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total: 1 hour 45 minutes

Serves: 6 

You can cut the sausage links into smaller links if you like and this gives you a little bit more sausage. 

Cinnamon Roll Wrapped Sausage with Maple Dipping Sauce

 

Ingredients

1 can (17.5 oz) refrigerated cinnamon rolls with Icing (Grands- but can use two of the smaller size ones in place of that if desired) 

10 fully cooked pork or turkey sausage links (from 9.6 oz pkg) (more if needed)

10 toothpicks 

1/3 C maple flavored syrup

Directions

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Separate dough into 5 rolls. (if using the grands rolls). Spray thin, serrated knife with cooking spray. On a work surface, slice each roll horizontally in half, making 10 rolls (respray knife and reshape dough if necessary). 

2) Wrap 1 roll around each sausage link. Secure with toothpick (if needed). Bake, toothpick side down, 12-15 minutes or until sausage links are hot and roll is light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. 

3) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix icing and syrup until blended. Microwave on medium (50%) 20 seconds or until warm. Serve with warm cinnamon roll wrapped sausages. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Serves: 5 

With this I used regular cinnamon rolls (not grands) so I got a lot more out of it. Two cans of 8 cinnamon rolls each gave me 32 sausage wrapped cinnamon rolls. Because of this I also doubled the dipping amount since I was using two icing packs instead of one. I also drizzled the dip over the rolls once they were done cooking and they came out great. You can save any left over dip in a sealed container for later use (if you have any sausage rolls left over as well) This was definitely a family favorite. 

Crock Pot Chicken & Potatoes

 

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken legs , thighs or breasts (or any combination of the three) 

1/2 bottle garlic and herb marinade

6-8 red potatoes, quartered

6 garlic cloves

2 tsp garlic and herb seasoning 

1/2 C water

Directions

1) Place chicken in the bottom of the crock pot and pour the marinade over the top of the chicken. 

2) Place the potatoes and garlic over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle with the seasoning. 

3) Pour water over all the chicken, potatoes and garlic. 

4) Cook on low 6-8 hours. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook:  8 hours

Total: 8 hours 10 minutes

Serves: 4

3 Ingredients Meatballs

 

Ingredients

32 oz frozen fully cooked meatballs

18 oz jar Grape Jelly

18 oz bottle BBQ Sauce (any variety) 

Directions

1) Place the grape jelly and BBQ sauce in the slow cooker and mix together. Add the frozen fully cooked meatballs and stir together until evenly coated. 

2) Cook on high for 3 hours. Serve with toothpicks for a great appetizer or over white rice for a simple and easy dinner. 

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 3 hours

Total: 3 hours 5 minutes

Serves: 10 

Maple Bacon Pancake Bites

 

Ingredients

3 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

2 1/2 C milk

1 tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

2 eggs

1/2 stick butter, melted

Icing:

1/2 C cream cheese, softened

1 C confectioners sugar

1/4 C Real maple syrup

pinch of salt

Topping:

1 lb bacon, cooked crisp and finely chopped

real maple syrup

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

2) In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and baking powder. Mix and set aside.

3) In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. Stir and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk in the vanilla, eggs, and butter. 

4) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. 

5) Grease or spray two mini muffin baking pans. Fill cups 2/3 full.

6) Bake for 9-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.

7) While the muffins are baking, in a small bowl, whisk the cream cheese, sugar, and maple syrup until nice and smooth. 

8) Once the muffins are cool enough to handle, dip the tops into the icing and then the chopped bacon. Serve warm with additional real maple syrup. Enjoy!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 12 minutes

Total: 22 minutes

Makes: 48 mini muffins