One Pot Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pasta ****

It was no surprise that this one was yummy. I mean, the name alone can bring the drool on, lol. We really enjoyed it. I don't often make Alfredo from scratch, so the kids were super impressed when I told them it was homemade. I didn't mention how easy it was to make, though. Ha! You can't beat this for something simple that tastes like it took more effort than it actually did. The original recipe only served 4, so I made a double batch to make sure we had leftovers. The recipe below is for 8 servings.

ONE POT CHICKEN BACON ALFREDO PASTA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ EverydayCooking)

16 oz fettuccine
3 cups cooked chicken, diced or cut into strips
2 tablespoon minced garlic (or 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped)
2 cups parmesan cheese
2 cups cream
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Place pasta, chicken, garlic, parmesan cheese, cream and broth in an 11″ saute pan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in bacon, garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
*Amy's notes: Recipe is doubled from original post, to allow for 8 servings.

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Spaghetti ***

I made this basically as written, except that I added crawfish and used angelhair pasta in place of spaghetti. Oh, and smoked sausage in place of andouille. Those are all just personal preferences, though. It was amazing. It technically does take a bit of prep time, but it's worth it. For me, it helped that I had cooked chicken on hand and used a frozen fajita pepper blend in place of the peppers. All I really had to do was cut up the sausage. I actually need to make it again soon, now that I think about it!

SLOW COOKER CAJUN CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Tablespoon)

10 oz (about 2/3 of a 1 lb box) dried spaghetti noodles
1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo sauce
1 medium (about 1 cup) yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 lb andouille sausage, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 can (14.5 oz) Muir GlenOrganic Diced Tomatoes Fire Roasted
1 1/2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

To start, cut the chicken into bite-size chunks and slice the andouille sausage.
Dice the whole onion, chop the bell pepper and mince the garlic. (Prep work over.)
Pour 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker and stir in the onions and garlic. Layer the chicken pieces on top of the saucy onions and sprinkle half of your Creole seasoning over the chicken.
Layer the bell pepper and sausage pieces over the chicken, then pour in the whole can of tomatoes (including the liquid). Top tomatoes with remaining Creole seasoning and Alfredo sauce.
Close the lid and cook on low for 4 hours. After 4 hours, give everything a stir and add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the sauce. Season with salt to taste, and add additional Creole seasoning if desired.
Break the spaghetti noodles in thirds and place them in the sauce. Stir until noodles are completely coated and submerged in the sauce, with no pieces sticking out.
Increase heat to high and cook, covered, for 20-25 more minutes. Give your pasta a good stir or two, and enjoy! NOTE: Keep in mind that once you turn the slow cooker off, the sauce and noodles will continue to cook for a few minutes. If you're not going to eat immediately, reduce the time you cook the noodles so that they are not overcooked by the time you're ready to eat.
*Amy's notes: I subbed angelhair pasta, smoked sausage, and a frozen fajita pepper blend. I also cut back on chicken and added crawfish.

3-Ingredient Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops ***

These are very basic, but they're good. We had them back in the winter, so they made for a nice, warming comfort food. I love that they're so easy to throw together in just a few minutes, but you still come home to a good meal. Add some green beans and mashed potatoes, and you're good to go!

3-INGREDIENT CROCKPOT RANCH PORK CHOPS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ SlowCookerKitchen)

4 thick cut pork chops bone-in seems to work better
2 to 3 tablespoons ranch dressing mix
15 ounces chicken gravy

Place the pork chops in a lightly buttered crockpot insert
Sprinkle with the ranch dressing mix and pour the gravy over the top
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours
Freezer Meal Directions:
Pour the chicken gravy and the ranch dressing mix into a large freezer bag. Close and knead to mix.
Open the bag, add the pork chops and shake to coat.
Lay flat and remove as much air as possible. Label and freeze for up to 8 weeks.

Crockpot Zesty Corn Dip ****

I've made this for our last two Christmas Eve get-togethers, and my youngest requested it again a couple of weeks ago. We all love it. I didn't realize until after this past time that I never posted about it. It's one of our favorite appetizers now!

CROCKPOT ZESTY CORN DIP
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ MealPlannerPro)

2 (12 oz.) packages frozen corn
1 (8 oz) brick cream cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced green onion, white & green parts
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 (2.5 oz) package fully cooked bacon, diced
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Place all ingredients in a 3-quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH 2 hours, stirring the dip at the half way cooking point.
Serve with corn chips, fresh vegetable, bread or bread sticks and enjoy!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Frito Pie ***

I'm usually not a huge fan of mayo-based meals, but the hubs and kids love them. I don't eat supper very often throughout the week, so I threw this one together on a night I knew that I wouldn't be eating. They loved it! There's nothing special about it at all, but it's super quick to get in the oven. I served it with salad, to make myself feel better about all of the less-than-healthy (ha!) ingredients. But they gave it rave reviews.

CHICKEN BACON RANCH FRITO PIE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ ThisIsNotDietFood)

3 cups chicken cooked, shredded
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup real bacon bits
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bunch green onions, chopped
5 cups Frito's corn chips
2 cups cheddar cheese blend, shredded
2 tbsp real bacon bits

Preheat oven to 400F.
Dump the shredded chicken, mayo, ranch dressing, 1/2 cup of real bacon bits, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl.
Add half of the chopped green onions to the mixing bowl and set the remaining half aside.
Stir all of the ingredients in the mixing bowl together until they are fully combined.
Dump the corn chips into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and spread them out evenly.
Spoon the chicken mixture over the corn chips.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the chicken.
Sprinkle the remaining chopped green onions and 2 tbsp of real bacon bits on top of the cheese.
Place the dish in the oven and bake until the cheese is fully melted and just starting brown around the edges. 23-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven, slice and serve.
Enjoy!

Cat Cora's Whipped Coffee ****

Now that I'm working from home for the quarantine, I'm cooking a lot more. Sadly, that apparently pertains to sweets as well. A friend posted this on Facebook a couple of days ago, and I instantly knew that I needed it in my life. I made two servings today, and I let the kids have them. I had a healthy taste test of each of theirs, though. THIS IS SO GOOD. I honestly didn't know for certain that I'd like it, just because I'm not generally a fan of cold or iced coffee. But I am seriously in love. We all are. Aside from the hubs, who wasn't around to try it. He's not a coffee drinker anyway, though. I served the kids' with a pretty decent amount of milk and some white chocolate sauce on top. Definitely a winner in our little world.

*You can check out the YouTube video as well. It shows how quick and simple this really is!

CAT CORA'S WHIPPED COFFEE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ CatCora.com)

8 tablespoons instant coffee
8 tablespoons granulated sugar you can use
8 tablespoons boiling water
4 cups milk of choice
4 cups ice

Optional: 1/4 teaspoon or to taste of cinnamon, cocoa or vanilla

Optional toppings:
caramel, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, sprinkles

In a bowl, add instant coffee, sugar, & hot water. You can add optional flavoring. 
Hand whisk or use an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. (About 5 minutes.)
Fill a glass with ice and milk of your choice.
Spoon the whipped coffee on top.
Add optional toppings.
Serves 4