Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwich

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing (I used Cardini's)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (if you don't have fresh use around 2 teaspoons of dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

1. Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.  (I omitted water.)


2. Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat.


3. Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. I really make sure that I discard any fat pieces so by the time I was done I only used about 1/2 cup of dressing but you make need more if you have more chicken. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot. 


4. Sprinkle cheese on one side of bun and broil in oven til toasted.  Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with lettuce to serve.


(Adapted from thegirlwhoateeverything.com)


This is so yummy!  My kids went on and on!

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Recipe adapted from Nestle’s Very Best Baking


Makes 40 brownies as adapted


1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 40 mini-muffin cups.


Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 1 heaping teaspoon). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.


Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still warm spoon about half a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 pickled jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons chile powder
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 bay leaf
Salt
3 lbs of pork butt shoulder roast, trimmed of excess fat
Hamburger buns
METHOD
1 Purée all of the sauce ingredients (everything except the bay leaf, the pork and the buns) in a blender until smooth. If you have extra time, marinate the pork in the sauce overnight or for several hours before cooking.
2 Put sauce, bay leaf, and pork into a large pot and add 1 quart of water. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, turning frequently, for 2 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
3 Remove from heat and cool pork in the sauce. When cool, remove the pork from the sauce and shred into small pieces. Set aside.
4 Reduce the sauce by two thirds. Add the pork back to the sauce. Salt to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving. Serve hot over open-face hamburger buns.
Serves 6 to 8.

Chocolate Buttermilk Zucchini Cake

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
4 Tbl. cocoa
2 cup grated zucchini
chocolate chips (I used 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 milk)
whipped topping (optional)

     In a large bowl, cream together sugars, butter, and oil.  Mix in eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.
     In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and cocoa.  Add to creamed mixture.  Stir in zucchini.  Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
     Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle top with choco chips.  Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.  Turn off oven and let cake cool inside.  The cake will be very moist.  Serve with whipped topping.

Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt 
1  16 oz. pkg penne noodles (I used whole wheat)
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

 2 teaspoons dried basil
 2 teaspoons dried parsley
1  teaspoon  sugar
1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.


Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a simmer.  Add basil, parsley, sugar, oregano and pepper.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won’t stick!) for about 10 minutes.


Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add about half of the cheeses to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the noodles.




Note:  We added 1 pound of browned, Italian sausage to the above.  It was yummy!  My kids loved this recipe.  Even the one who hates squash and zucchini....:)   It would be good with a parmesan crusted chicken too.  Good way to use those veggies!

Zucchini!

Came home from the family garden yesterday with lots of squash and zucchini and some beets.  Yum!  I love fresh veggies from the garden!

Zucchini Casserole


6 cups sliced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheese
1 pkg. stove top stuffing


Boil zucchini, onion, and carrots together until soft and drain.  (I steam mine.)  Make stuffing according to directions.  Mix soup, sour cream, and cheese.  Layer half of the stuffing on bottom of greased 9X13.  Add veggies, then soup mixture and top with dressing.  Sprinkle with more cheese if ya want.  Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes.


Rotisserie Chicken from Costco


Zucchini Orange Bread

4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil  ( I used applesauce)
2/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp orange zest
2 cups grated zucchini
3 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Beat eggs.  Add sugar, oil, juice, zest, and zucchini.  Mix well.  Combine dry ingredients and add to zucchini mixture.  Mix well.  Place in two greased 8x4 loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool.

Glaze (optional):
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbl. orange juice

Drizzle over bread when cool.

Summer!

So...you think you will have more time in the summer.  Not so.  Crazy!  And almost over.  So I am trying to remember things that I have cooked this summer that we have loved.  Here goes:


4th of July Layered Drink 
Sobe Pina Colada, Gatorade Fruit Punch, G2 Blueberry-Pomegranate


Start with a full glass of ice.  (Use clear cups.)  Pour sobe slowly through the ice-about 1/3 of the glass full.  Then slowly add the fruit punch-another 1/3.  Add more ice if necessary.  Finish with the G2.  It looks so cool!  Everyone loved it.  It even tasted good too.  I wish I had a picture.  I will start taking pictures.  I just forget!


(sisters cafe)