Pampered Chef- Savory Herbed Stuffing

For years my family has made an italian stuffing for Thanksgiving. It's a tradition.  While I love my family traditions, this one is not my favorite. A few years ago when hubs starting joining us, he felt the same way as I did.  So, this year we decided to add another stuffing to our Thanksgiving feast. I decided on this Pampered Chef recipe and am so glad I did.  Hubs loved it and it will definitely be our new tradition for Thanksgiving.  

* Changes I made: I omitted the onions and did not sauté the celery.  I liked the extra crunch the celery added.  I only added 2 Tbs of butter to the stuffing mixture since I didn't saute any veggies.  

*Next time I will make the following changes: I will chop the cranberries so that there is more sweetness in each bite.  I will also add some chopped walnuts to the mixture as well.

Savory Herbed Stuffing

Ingredients:
1	package (14 ounces) herb-seasoned cubed stuffing
1/2	cup sweetened dried cranberries
1	tablespoon Pantry Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix
1/2	cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1	cup sliced celery
1	cup chopped onion
2	cans (14-141/2 ounces each) chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In Stainless (6-qt.) Mixing Bowl, combine stuffing, cranberries and seasoning mix. Melt butter in Professional (10-in.) Skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add vegetable mixture and broth to stuffing mixture; toss until moistened.

Spoon stuffing into Rectangular Baker; cover with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until stuffing is golden brown and heated through.

Yield: 16 servings

Pampered Chef- Pecan Crumble Sweet Potato Casserole

If you're still in search of the perfect sweet potato casserole, search no further.  This is one that I shared with all my Pampered Chef customers in my Thanksgiving recipe book. I love it because it takes less than 20 minutes to make and is a family favorite.  The only change I make is adding half of the pecan crumble in the middle of the sweet potato mixture. Just spread half of the sweet potato mixture onto the bottom of a casserole dish.  Then, pour half of the pecan crumble on top of the sweet potatoes.  Top with remaining sweet potato mixture and finish it off with the rest of the pecan crumble mixture (a layered effect).  Last, use the bottom of a glass to press the pecan crumble mixture down.  This will leave you less of a mess when serving.  Enjoy! 

Pecan Crumble Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
5	pounds (2.2 kg) sweet potatoes (4-5 large potatoes)
1/2	cup (125 mL) butter, divided
1	cup (250 mL) coarsely crushed graham crackers
1	cup (250 mL) pecan halves, coarsely chopped
1/2	cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
1	tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/2	tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4	tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Prick sweet potatoes with fork. Microwave on HIGH 18-20 minutes or until very soft. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, melt 5 tbsp (75 mL) of the butter. Combine melted butter, graham crackers, pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; set aside.

Peel sweet potatoes and place in large bowl. Using Mix 'N Masher, mash sweet potatoes with remaining 3 tbsp (45 mL) of the butter, salt and black pepper. Spoon sweet potato mixture into Oval Baker; top evenly with pecan mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Yield: 12 servings

Thanksgiving Treats

Last week I had a Thanksgiving feast in my classroom.  I've seen so many cute ideas for sweet treats on Pinterest, I decided to try a few.  

*These are IPhone pictures, so not as good as they could be*

Acorns

Vanilla Wafers, Hershey Kisses, Butterscotch Morsel & a little frosting to hold it all together. 

Pilgrim Hats

chocolate cookies, Rolos, frosting 

Turkey Sugar Cookies

sugar cookies, candy corn, mini chocolate morsels, frosting 

 Not as perfect as the ones on Pinterest, but the kids and parents loved them!

Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

A few weeks ago we had some pretty chilly temps here in FL.  Right when I got home for work (on the one day it was cold) I made sure to light candles, bring out the blankets and made some hot chocolate.  I didn't just want the usual hot chocolate and I remembered this recipe from Pinterest.  It's from one of my favorite sites, Cookies and Cups.   Took only a few minutes to make and was a great spin on the old boring hot chocolate! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter?  It's one of my favorite combinations.  So, when I cam across this easy recipe I knew I had to try it.  Of course, I first found the recipe on Pinterest.  It was easy to make.  Make sure the dough is cooked through all the way before you take them out.  I had to leave mine in a bit longer.  These treats are very rich.   Just a small piece did it for me.  These would be great to cut into small pieces and serve at a party. Enjoy! 

1 (18.25) package plain yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) Combine cake mix, melted butter, peanut butter, and eggs in a large bowl using a mixer or spoon. Press this into a 9X13 pan reserving 1 1/2 cup of the mixture to crumble on top.

3) In a small pot, melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
4) Spread chocolate mixture over the mixture pressed in the pan and then crumble the 1 1/2 cups of reserved cake mixture on top evenly.
5) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Almond Chicken Casserole

Last weekend my mom was in town spending some quality time with me.  We had spend the day out and about on Sunday and I realized I had nothing planned for dinner.  Luckily, we were at Super Target and I have an All Recipes app on my phone.  It took me less than 5 minutes to find this recipe and all of the ingredients I needed for it.  Oh how I love technology! Since the recipe makes TONS, I cut it in half.  It still provided lots of food for hubs and I.  Next time I make it, it will probably be for a get together.  

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
• 3 cups water
• 5 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 cups cornflakes cereal
• 1 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Combine rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a large bowl stir together the cooked rice, diced chicken, mayonnaise, yogurt, cream of mushroom soup, and chicken broth. Mix in the lemon juice, onion, water chestnuts, 1 cup of sliced almonds, and celery. Season with white pepper and salt. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
4. In a bowl, toss the remaining 1/2 cup sliced almonds and cornflakes cereal with the melted butter. Spread evenly over the casserole.
5. Bake 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

It's been a while since I've made a recipe from AllRecipes.com.  I used to go on the site all the time to find recipes, but with Pinterest I haven't had to do that much searching.  This week I wanted to use a pork tenderloin that I already had purchased.  I'm trying my best to plan recipes with food we have to save $. I knew I wanted a slow cooker/ crock pot recipe, so that is what I searched for. When I came across this recipe, my searched stopped. I have to give credit to my sweet husband for making this creation.  He was off today, so he volunteered to make dinner.  Sweet, right?  He said he did double the recipe, as it was recommended by many reviews.  This pork was amazing.  No knife was needed, but it wasn't falling apart coming out of the crock pot.  He served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli. This was an A+ dinner! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 fresh red chile pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown tenderloins on all sides, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together teriyaki sauce, chicken broth, and brown sugar in a bowl. Stir in garlic, red chile pepper, onion, and black pepper.
2. Put browned tenderloins into slow cooker, cover with the teriyaki sauce mixture. Cook on High for about 4 hours, turning 2 to 3 times during the cooking time to ensure even doneness.
3. Remove tenderloins from the slow cooker and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. If desired, spoon liquid over slices when serving.

Cheesy Cornbread Casserole

This casserole reminded me of the cowboy casserole that I recently made. Mr. liked that one so much, I decided to give this one a try too. It's the same kind of meal, meat at the bottom with a bread topping. This recipe used cornbread from the box, which I'm not a huge fan of.  So, I wasn't in love with this meal.  But, Mr. enjoyed it, and that is all that matters.  Click on the recipe below to go to the original Kraft recipe.  

  Cheesy Cornbread Casserole

what you need

1 lb. lean ground beef

1   onion, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely chopped

1 can  (15 oz.) enchilada sauce

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained

1 tsp.  garlic powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 pkg.  (8.5 oz.) corn muffin mix

1 pkg. KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided

make it

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

BROWN meat with onions and peppers in large skillet. Stir in next 4 ingredients; cook and stir 3 min. or until heated through. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish.

PREPARE muffin batter as directed on package; stir in cheese. Spread over meat mixture.

BAKE 20 min. or until toothpick inserted in center of cornbread topping comes out clean. Cool slightly.

Cheesy Potato Soup

I've been on a soup and crockpot kick lately.  The weather here has been a little cooler which makes me want to eat warm cozy meals.  Soup= warm and cozy.  I love potato soup, but have never made it at home.  I usually just go to Panera.  After finding this recipe from Betty Crocker and noticing there weren't too many ingredients I decided to give it a try.  Actually, I asked hubs to give it a try since he was off work the day it was on the menu =-).  He said it was pretty easy to throw together.  It was also a very cheap meal that ended up providing dinner for us for two nights.  I was in love with this soup. In my opinion,  it gives Panera a run for their money.  I will say that if you like your potato soup with pieces of potato, this is not the soup for you.  The potatoes were very soft, which I loved.  Hubs also enjoyed this meal.  At first, he asked "where's the meat?".  But, he was definitely satisfied once dinner was finished.  We usually only take leftovers for lunch, like I said before, we ate this two nights in a row.   Do yourself a favor and make this recipe, you'll be a hero in your house! Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

1

bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed

1/2

cup frozen chopped onion (from 12-oz bag), thawed

1

medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1

carton (32-oz) Progresso® chicken broth

1

cup water

3

tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1

cup milk

1

bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups)

1/4

cup real bacon pieces (from 2.8-oz package)

4

medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1. In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
3. In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

Makes 6 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

This treat has been floating all over pinterest lately. Here is the recipe I used as my guide.   I decided to make them at the last minute to take to work for my team. I followed normal rice krispie treat directions.  After the marshmallow is melted, I added yellow and red food coloring to create the orange marshmallow.  I added the rice krispies and made sure they were coated with marshmallow.  After the mixture had cooled a bit I shaped a handful of the mixture into a round ball.  I used a Tootsie Roll as the stem and stuck it in the middle of the ball.  I used green icing to make the leaf and vine.  I will say that these were a lot easier to make than I thought they would be.  Enjoy!