Slow Cooker Crack Chicken **

I'm kind of undecided on this.  It's super good on the bread, but it's also pretty dang salty.  I wonder if it might make a difference if I used just a pack and a half of Ranch.  I may try that next time.  I also cooked the bacon crumbles in the crockpot along with the chicken from the beginning.  That would obviously up the salt content, so I would switch that too.  It would definitely be worth exploring again, so I'll have to give it a shot.  I just wish I could think of something to add to it to expand the flavor somehow.  Maybe green onion?  I'm going to have to keep thinking on it.  The OP mentioned that she liked to do one flavored cream cheese with one regular.  Might be good to try it with the veggie cream cheese... Anyway, we did like it, but it just wasn't one of our favorites.

SLOW COOKER CRACK CHICKEN
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ CookiesAndCups)

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese
2 (1 oz) packets dry Ranch seasoning
8 oz bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled

In a slow cooker combine place chicken, cream cheese, and Ranch seasoning.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours, until chicken shreds easily.
Once chicken shreds stir with a large fork or spoon, so the chicken shreds and all the ingredients combine.
Add in crumbled bacon and stir to incorporate.
Serve warm.
When making sandwiches, top with a bit more cheddar and place under the broiler.

Crockpot Meatball Stroganoff ***

I do my reviews on a 4-star basis.  1 stars are recipes that we hate so badly that I will review, but I don't link to them from my main page.  These are recipes that will never be made in my kitchen again, for whatever reason.  2 stars are good, but there's nothing special enough to guarantee that they'll be made again.  We didn't dislike them, but we didn't necessarily enjoy them either.  3 stars aren't super-stellar, but I would definitely make them again.  We all enjoyed them.  4 stars are self-explanatory and are typically regulars for us.

The reason for that long spiel is to say that this is probably just a 2-star recipe where taste is concerned, but the fact that it's so amazingly simple earns it an extra star from me.  I would make this one again.  We all liked it.  The flavor was good, even though it wasn't anything that would blow me away.  It actually reminded me a lot of one of my regular dishes (and one of hubby's favorites), Meatball Goulash, although the Goulash is definitely our preference between the two.  I mixed my noodles directly into the crockpot at the end, just because that's how we like our stroganoff.  Next time, I'm going to throw some fresh mushrooms in there.  It just really felt like they were missing.  Other than that, I don't really think there's anything I'd change, and I surprisingly didn't have to alter the recipe to fit what I had on hand, which is a miracle in itself. :-)

ETA: We later tried Crockpot Swedish Meatballs, and I definitely prefer that recipe to this one.

CROCKPOT MEATBALL STROGANOFF
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ JuliesEatsAndTreats)

1 bag (2.5 lbs) frozen, precooked meatballs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beef broth
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp A1 sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg (16 oz) egg noodles

In the crockpot, mix soup, broth, garlic powder, onion and A1 sauce; add meatballs. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.
When mixture is done cooking, add sour cream and mix; continue cooking in the crockpot another 20 minutes.
While your sour cream is cooking in the mixture prepare your egg noodles according to package directions.
Mix noodles and meatballs together, or serve meatballs on top of noodles.

Squash with Green Chilies ****

This was one of our favorites years ago, but according to my records, I haven't made it since 2012.  That was when my youngest was 7, and he wouldn't eat anything with any spice to it at all.  Once his tastes changed (he now loves Buffalo Chicken Pizza, lol), I had forgotten all about it.  Something on Pinterest the other day reminded me of it, so I put it on the menu.  Yum, yum, yum!  I love squash, and so do hubby and the youngest.  The oldest tolerates it, lol, but he likes it in this one.  There's something really good about pairing the slightly softened squash with the crisp corn.  It's just good stuff.  The 9-year-old kept saying, "I love these vegetables!"  Made me a pretty happy mama.  :)

SQUASH WITH GREEN CHILIES
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy )

2 yellow squash, sliced and quartered
2 zucchini squash, sliced and quartered
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz roasted green chilies
14 oz whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup (or more) shredded Cheddar cheese

Sauté squash, zucchini, and onion in oil in skillet until tender. Add green chilies and corn; mix well. Heat to serving temperature. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand until cheese melts.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Twinkie Strawberry Surprise ***

Oh, Twinkie Cake, how I love you!  My 9-year-old couldn't say "Twinkie" when I first started making it, so he always called it Weinie Cake.  We still tend to call it that around the house.  :-)

This cake is beyond simple, but it's oh-so-good!  It's almost like a creamier strawberry shortcake, but the cake doesn't get soggy.  It's crucial to let it sit in the fridge overnight, as that's when the topping firms up.  I wouldn't admit it to the kids, but in my opinion, it'd make the perfect breakfast, hehehe.  I have taken fresh strawberries and sliced them over the topping before, but the basic recipe is perfect as-is.  We took it for Easter lunch with the family today, and only one piece made it home.  We all had to fight for a bite, but it was worth it!

TWINKIE STRAWBERRY SURPRISE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Recipezaar)

10 Hostess Twinkies
1 (3 ½ ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
1 ½ cups milk
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 boxes sweetened frozen strawberries, thawed

Slice Twinkies in half lengthwise and lay evenly flat side up in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Pour strawberries all over the top. In a large bowl, mix pudding, milk and whipped topping until well combined. Spread over strawberries.
Cover and refrigerate several hours overnight.
*** Tastes just like strawberry shortcake, but the cake doesn't get all mushy!

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole ***

I say this every time, but I'm going to say it again.  Anything with "tater tot" in the name is a recipe that I am almost definitely going to have to try immediately.  This one was no different.  I jumped right on it, as soon as I came across it on Pinterest.  It's hard to find good breakfast casseroles, and as simple as this one is, it actually tastes pretty good.  I used Egg Beaters, since I had some to use up.  I'll absolutely do that again.  Super simple!  I think it would be great to use it as a jumping off point for adding veggies.  I'd love to try it with ham and mushrooms and green peppers.  The kids and hubs loved it.  We were leaving town that afternoon, so I took the leftovers to my parents.  They loved it too.  I'll definitely be making it again!

TATER TOT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ MessForLess)

6 eggs
2 packages of 10 oz sausage links
1 cup milk
16 oz Tater tots
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Brown sausage according to package directions and cut into bite-sized pieces. Spread cooked and cut sausage onto greased casserole dish.
In a large bowl, beat together milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Cover the sausage in the casserole dish with the egg mixture.
Cover with one cup of cheese. If you will be serving this the next morning like I did, cover and refrigerate at this point. You will be performing the next steps in the morning.
Spread 16 oz of tater tots on top of the cheese.
Add the remainder of the cheese on top.
Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frozen Lemonade Pie ***

I've made this several times, and it's always one of our favorites.  This is one of those awesome pies that you can throw together at the last minute before bedtime, and have a wonderful dessert ready to go the next day.  I always just use a premade graham cracker crust, which works perfectly for us.  The best part is that it makes too much filling for one pie crust, so we have leftovers we can eat from the bowl, hehehe.  To be honest, you could easily make two pies out of it.  It's not overly lemony, but it's just enough to cut back the sweetness.  I even use fat-free sweetened condensed milk and fat-free Cool Whip, and we can't tell a difference.  This year, I decided to use it for our festive St. Paddy's Day dessert, so I added a little green food coloring.  It's so, so good!

FROZEN LEMONADE PIE
(Amy - amylz - Recipe courtesy The Neelys)

Graham Cracker Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
7 tablespoons butter, melted
Lemonade filling:
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 (12 ounce) container whip topping, thawed
1 (6 fluid ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, keep frozen
1 teaspoon candied lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar, and the melted butter. Press firmly on bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake for 7 minutes and let cool completely. In a medium bowl, add chilled sweetened condensed milk and cool whip and fold gently. Add frozen lemonade and continue to gently fold. Do not let the mixture become soupy. Pour mixture into the pie crust and freeze overnight. Garnish with candied lemon peel.

Crockpot Apple and Brown Sugar Corned Beef ***

Well, we just finished our annual St. Paddy's Day meal, and it was a winner as usual. This makes the 7th year that we've had the same thing for SPD, and since we only have it the one time a year, it's always like a treat for us. The kids are always impressed that it's a "real Irish meal," lol. From the 9-year-old's first bite, he was thanking me for making it again and saying it was the best Irish meal he'd ever had. Again, remember that he also thinks that it's the only Irish meal he's had, so take it for what it's worth. We all devoured it, though. The sweetness of the apple juice really makes the whole thing. It even cuts the strong flavor of the cabbage, which is nice, even though I'm normally a big cabbage lover. This is just a nice change of pace and something exciting to look forward to every year. Plus, it's a one-dish meal, which totally rocks too. :)  The only difference I want to make is that it never has enough meat to leave leftovers for lunches.  Next time, I think I'm going to do two small briskets and cut back on the veggies some.

CROCKPOT APPLE AND BROWN SUGAR CORNED BEEF
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

1 corned beef brisket
1 quart apple juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
8 small red potatoes
2 medium carrots, pared, and cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled, and cut into eighths
1 small head cabbage, cut into chunks

Place all ingredients in a large crock pot (cut meat in half if necessary); stir to mix.
Cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
Remove meat and vegetables and some of the cooking liquid.
Slice meat thinly across the grain.
Serve with vegetables and some of the liquid.