Corn Dog Delight ****

This is an old recipe from the BBC group, but it's been a year or two since we've had it.  The kids went crazy for it.  I really don't even like hot dogs, aside from the occasional corn dog, if it's done really well.  This does taste a bit like a corn dog, but with the sage and the celery, it really has a flavor all its own.  It's just plain awesome.

CORN DOG DELIGHT

(4kowbabies)

2 cups Finely minced celery

2 tbsp Butter

1-1/2 cups Sliced green onions

1-1/2 pounds Hot dogs

2 Eggs

1-1/2 cups Milk

2 tsp Sage

1/4 tsp Black pepper

1/4 tsp Salt

2-8.5 oz Jiffy muffin mix

8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

Sauté celery in butter for 5 minutes. Add onions and continue cooking 2 minutes. Dump skillet ingredients into a large bowl. Cut hot dogs in half lengthwise, then chop into bite size pieces. Sauté dogs in skillet; turning to brown. Add to bowl. Reserve 1 cup of hot dogs & veggies in a small bowl. Slightly beat eggs & milk together. Add egg mix and next 4 ingredients to bowl. Add 1-½ cups of cheese to bowl also. Mix all ingredients well. Spray 13x9 Pyrex. Pour in casserole. Top with reserved hot dogs and cheese. Bake uncovered 400* for 30 minutes.

Crockpot Country Ham Potato Casserole ***

If you're looking for the perfect cold-weather comfort food, look no further.  Honestly, it was nothing special for me, but the 11-year-old loved it.  It's obviously not healthy, by any stretch of the imagination, but it's quick and easy and decently tasty.  I can definitely see us having this again.

CROCK POT COUNTRY HAM POTATO CASSEROLE

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ RecipesThatCrock)

2 c cooked ham, diced

2 c milk

1 c boiling water

10.75 oz can Cheddar cheese soup

7.8 oz pkg cheesy scalloped potato mix, unprepared

2 (11 oz) cans sweet corn & diced peppers, drained

Spray your crock pot with cooking spray.

Pour all of your ingredients into your crock pot and mix well.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.

Crockpot Pierogi Casserole ****

This positively blew our minds.  I mean, yes, it was pretty obvious that with potatoes and cheese and dough, you really couldn't go wrong, but we were wowed.  The 13-year-old took it to school for lunch and said it was even better the next day.  As I was pulling this together to post the blog, I just noticed her notes on the page about adding in veggies.  I put them at the bottom of the recipe, so that I can remember to try that next time.  I'm all about one-dish meals!  But even if you have to add a side, this still takes hardly any time at all.  The only prep work is slicing the sausage.  I did double the sausage amount, and I think I had too many pierogies.  The store didn't have the boxes, just the larger bags.  So since I wasn't sure how much was in the boxes, I just used them both.  It was fine.  Obviously, the sauce was less "saucy," but I kind of liked it that way.  I'll probably do the same thing next time, unless I add in the veggies.  Whatever, though, this is now one of our favorite dishes!

The recipe below is with my adjustments, just because I needed to have enough for extras.

CROCKPOT PIEROGI CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ DailyDIYLife)

2 (2-lb) bags Mrs. T’s Cheddar Pierogies - regular or mini
6 cups chicken broth
12 oz cream cheese
1-1/2 cups cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 lbs kielbasa - sliced (or other cooked meat mentioned below)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in your crockpot. Cook on high 3-4 hours, or on low for 6 hours.
Serve with a fresh green salad and crusty bread.
OP's Notes: Yes, this family favorite recipe calls for kielbasa. To be completely honest with you I have also used crumbled cooked bacon, leftover cooked sausage, ham, chicken, or just vegetables a time or two. That’s one of the reasons this is such a go-to recipe that we just love. Add in your favorite veggies to make it a complete meal. Broccoli and snap peas are our favorite add-ins, but really anything will work nicely. A few reviewers even said they added sour kraut too. That might be an interesting twist.

Beef Stroganoff Ravioli Skillet ***

This one was pretty good.  Not my favorite, necessarily, but definitely worthy of making again.  It intrigued me to think of mixing ravioli and beef stroganoff.  It didn't disappoint.  I used a ton of mushrooms with it, but that's just our personal preference.  We all love us some mushrooms!  I would probably double it next time, though.  It was plenty for the four of us, but there were absolutely zero leftovers for lunches the next day.  We had it with a salad and some bread, and it was the perfect amount.

BEEF STROGANOFF RAVIOLI SKILLET
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ FoodFanatic)

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 8 ounce packages mushrooms
3/4 cup beef stock
1 package frozen beef ravioli, approximately 1 pound, 9 ounces
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, chopped

In a large skillet melt butter until foamy. Add onions and sauté for a few minutes until golden and soft. Add mushrooms and stir until well coated. Brown for 5-6 minutes.
Pour in ravioli, tossing to mix everything together.
Add beef stock, mix well. Cover and let cook for 5-8 minutes, or until ravioli are cooked, stirring half way through.
Pour in cream, mix until well blended. Remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Overnight Sausage, Egg, and Biscuit Bake ***

This was really good.  I didn't see the part about the overnight thing until the next morning, so I just made it fresh and popped it in the oven.  I'll definitely try it overnight next time.  I couldn't find the sausage crumbles at our store (very rarely can, unfortunately), and I was too lazy to actually cook the sausage myself.  I had some of the real bacon pieces, so I just used them instead.  It reminded me a lot of the Bacon-Cheese Pull-Aparts, but I think I preferred the additional eggs in this one.  I'll definitely be making this again, since it's such a simple and filling breakfast for school mornings!

OVERNIGHT SAUSAGE, EGG AND BISCUIT BAKE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ MessForLess)

16 oz container of biscuits
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups of shredded cheddar/jack mix
2 cups cut up breakfast sausage
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
Open up a package of biscuits and cut each into 6 pieces.
Spread cut biscuits in the bottom of the greased casserole dish.
Cook breakfast sausage according to package directions. Cut into bite sized pieces and spread over top of biscuits.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded cheese over the sausage.
Beat 6 eggs with milk and pour over the biscuits and sausage.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top and add a shake of salt and pepper.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the eggs are set.
(Once you pour the eggs and cheese on top, you can bake it or place it in the refrigerator overnight and bake it the next morning.)

Crock Pot Salsa Ranch Chicken Pasta ***

This was super yummy.  I found the cilantro lime dressing, but the 11-year-old is pretty adamantly opposed to cilantro (truthfully, I have to agree with him - yuck!).  Instead, I just went with the basic buttermilk ranch.  We all loved it!  It reminded me of some of the other ranch and chicken crockpot meals we've tried, but I really liked the addition of the salsa in this one.  The sour cream and salad dressing obviously soften the spice of the salsa, so I'm thinking that next time I might go with a hotter version (I typically stick with mild when it comes to salsa).  This took me all of 10 minutes to throw together on my lunch break, but the final result tasted like I spent some real time on it.  We'll definitely be having this one again soon!

CROCK POT SALSA RANCH CHICKEN PASTA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheCountryCook)

5-6 frozen chicken breasts
1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup salsa
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 (1 lb.) box rotini pasta, prepared

Place frozen chicken breasts into the bottom of a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, salsa and minced garlic.
Pour this mixture over frozen chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
About 30 minutes or so before this is finished cooking, begin preparing the rotini pasta according to package directions.
Once chicken is cooked, remove chicken breasts and shred them or cut into chunks.
Whisk sour cream and Hidden Valley Ranch dressing into cream of chicken/salsa mixture in the slow cooker. Add chicken back into the slow cooker and stir in prepared rotini pasta.
Stir well. Then serve with a yummy, green salad!

Crock Pot Apple Dump Cake **

I decided to do this one for breakfast, since it was basically just muffin mix and apples anyway.  Unfortunately, I have to give this two stars, even though I'd really prefer to give it three.  One kid loved it.  The oldest said it "tastes weird, but okay... I guess."  He then decided to go with a bowl of cereal instead.  Personally, I thought it was great.  But since I have to do my ratings on how the family digs it...   It's basically just an apple crumb cake, but I loved that I could start breakfast before bed and have it ready first thing in the morning.  Not to mention how amazing the house smelled when we crawled out of bed!

CROCK POT APPLE DUMP CAKE

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheCountryCook)

2 (7 oz.) packets Martha White Apple Cinnamon (or Apple Cider) muffin mix

2 cans apple pie filling

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Lightly spray a 4-6 quart slow cooker (crock pot) with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour in two cans of apple pie filling.

Evenly sprinkle two packets of muffin mix on top of the apple pie filling. Pour melted butter over entire muffin mix. Note: the butter won't cover all the dry muffin mix.

Cover and cook on low or 3-5 hours.

You want the top to be golden brown and the apple pie filling should be bubbling up from underneath. 

Serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!