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.

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!

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

Crockpot Beefy Bean Burrito Casserole ****

I've been making the Beefy Bean Burrito Casserole for years now, and it never once occurred to me to try it in the crockpot. This was AMAZING. I will never make it in the oven again. The kids both had seconds and requested that we have it again immediately. Big winner for us!

CROCKPOT BEEFY BEAN BURRITO CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

12 frozen beef and bean burritos
2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken
1 cup sour cream
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers, drained
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (2.25 ounce) cans sliced black olives, drained
Tomato, chopped (optional)
Avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced (optional)
Salsa (optional)

Mix together soup, sour cream, and chiles.
Layer 6 burritos on bottom of crockpot. Spread half of soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese.
Layer remaining 6 burritos and remainder of soup mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Top with sliced black olives.
Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Top with condiments as desired, and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Cornbread Casserole ****

Wow. It has been ages since we've had this, but it is just amazing. I'm updating my recipe below to reflect all of my changes. You can click on the link to find the original recipe. I've just made enough changes to it that I want to remember it for the future. Anyway, I am vowing to never again let an entire year go by without having this. It's just so dang good. If I could ever remember to cook the sausage and peppers the night before (won't happen), it could easily be thrown together in just a few minutes on the cook day. I cook during my lunch breaks, so that would be pretty awesome. We'll see, lol. Tonight, everyone was raving about it. The kids both had seconds. And with my changes, it left plenty of leftovers for lunches tomorrow! Yay!

SLOW COOKER CORNBREAD CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ inspired by TheSassySlowCooker)

2 lbs ground sausage, browned
1 package frozen fajita blend with peppers and onions
2 cans corn, drained
1 small can diced green chilies
1 can creamed corn
3 packages of corn muffin mix
1-1/2 cups fiesta blend cheese, shredded

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
Brown meat with peppers and onions. Once fully cooked, add corn and chilies to the pan and stir until well combined.
Prepare corn muffin mixes as directed in a bowl. Stir in creamed corn.
Layer slow cooker with 1/2 corn muffin mix, all of meat mixture, half of cheese, and then the rest of corn muffin mix.
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
About 20 minutes before serving, sprinkle remainder of cheese on top of casserole and replace lid.


Previous Posts:
7/19/16 ~ As always, this was super tasty.  The kids think that Jiffy is my "secret cornbread recipe."  Seriously, my youngest asked me last year (when he was 9) if I'd pass it down to them before I die.  Bahaha!  So anything with Jiffy and corn was going to be a winner for us.  There was never any doubt.  We loved it, though.  I typically will use ground turkey sausage, and since it's leaner, I'll double the amount.  Then instead of messing with cutting up vegetables, I just grab a bag of the frozen fajita blend of peppers and onions.  Works perfectly.  I once again forgot about the note to try green chilies in it. Maybe I'll get around to it next time.  I'd considered maybe trying it with chilies and rotisserie chicken.  Just to see how it goes.  Who knows? 😊

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti****

I really, really, really want to love chicken spaghetti, but I just can't stand Velveeta. For years, I've been trying to find a good recipe that didn't use Velveeta. This is it! At first, I balked at the amount of shredded cheese in there, but you really do need a lot for chicken spaghetti. I don't know exactly the amount that I used, since I just went by what looked right, but I do know it was less than the full 6 cups. Maybe around 4.5-5? Anyway, it was excellent. This is going to be my go-to chicken spaghetti recipe from now on. You could sub Rotel for the chilies, but since I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes anyway, as written works pretty well for us. The recipe on the website was only for 4 servings, which never works for us (two teenage boys and a hubby who takes leftovers for lunch!), so I doubled the amounts. I am so excited to finally have a non-Velveeta chicken spaghetti recipe!

CROCKPOT CHEESY CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
*Recipe below is doubled from website, to allow for 8 servings*
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ LaurensLatest)

4 chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 small cans mild diced green chiles
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1.5-2 lbs cooked spaghetti
5-6 cups grated cheddar cheese
a few splashes chicken stock, optional

Place onion, bell peppers, green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chicken, mushroom soup and 1 cup of grated cheese together in a crock-pot. Stir to mix ingredients. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken breasts, shred and return to crock-pot. Pour in cooked spaghetti and remaining cheese. Toss to coat pasta in sauce and melt cheese, adding in a few splashes of chicken stock where necessary to get sauce consistency you want. Cook another 20-30 minutes on low and serve.
**Freezer directions: Place onion, bell peppers, green chilies, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chicken, mushroom soup and 1 cup of grated cheese together in a large plastic freezer bag. Seal and freeze. To cook, defrost in fridge, place in crockpot and cook according to directions listed above.

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken and Rice****

This was amazing. Hubby doesn't like black beans, so I usually sub pinto. This time, I went ahead and used the black, since it was such a small amount of the dish overall. We loved it! The only change I made was to sub a can of green chilies for the chipotle pepper. The rest of them would have liked the chipotle, but I'm just more of a green chilies kind of gal.  I needed a longer cook time for mine, so I started with frozen breasts and cooked for 6 hours on low. It was perfect! I am going to be making this one again soon.

SLOW COOKER SPICY CHICKEN AND RICE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ 5BoysBaker)

4 boneless , skinless chicken breasts
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Ro-tel tomatoes (mild or regular)
1 can (10 oz) mild enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper in adobo sauce , chopped
4 cups cooked rice (brown or white)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Garnishes: Sour cream , avocado, cilantro, sour cream

Place chicken in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, enchilada sauce, garlic powder, paprika, salt, cumin and chipotle pepper; mix well and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken to a plate and shred using two forks. Return chicken to the slow cooker. Add cooked rice and beans and stir well. Sprinkle cheese evenly across the top and cover. Let heat through about 20-30 minutes.
Garnish sour cream, cilantro and avocado, if desired.
*luckymommy/Amy's notes: I subbed a can of chopped green chilies for the chipotle. I also started with frozen chicken breasts and cooked on low for 6 hours.

Mexican Spaghetti ****

Back when I still had "little" boys (sniff, sniff 😢), they loved watching iCarly.  On the show, one of their favorite dishes was Spaghetti Tacos.  So after listening to my kids beg relentlessly for Spaghetti Tacos, I finally created a recipe for them.  And they loved it.  Six years later, they still do.  Well, the hubs and I never really wanted to waste the extra carbs with noodles and shells, so we compromised and ate ours without the shells.  And so was born this Mexican Spaghetti.  To this day, we still eat ours this way.  We top it with lots of lettuce and sour cream and black olives.  Sometimes salsa.  It's a pretty forgiving recipe, but it's so, SO good!

MEXICAN SPAGHETTI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup water
1 jar Sauteed Onion and Mushroom spaghetti sauce
1 box spaghetti noodles
Salsa, optional
Cheddar cheese, optional
Lettuce, optional
Black olives, optional

Prepare noodles according to package directions.  Drain and return to pot.
Brown meat in pan until no longer pink; drain.  Add taco seasoning and water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes, until sauce thickens.  Add spaghetti sauce and cook until warmed.  Add to noodles and mix thoroughly.
Add taco toppings to each serving as desired.
Very messy, but very yummy!

Crockpot Mississippi Chicken Thighs ****

We're big fans of the Crockpot Mississippi Roast, and we all love us some chicken thighs.  When this one popped up on my Pinterest board, it was basically a no-brainer that I would have to try it.  And I am so very glad that I did!  We all practically inhaled our dinner plates.  It was that good.  My local grocery store very rarely has the Au Jus packets, so I typically just use the brown gravy ones.  The Au Jus is definitely my preference when it's in stock, though.  There's nothing special about the recipe, but it's one of those that tastes like it takes a lot more effort than it actually does.  Always a good thing, lol.  I'm definitely going to be making this one again.  The kids have already requested that it go back on the menu for next week! 😊

CROCKPOT MISSISSIPPI CHICKEN THIGHS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ RecipesThatCrock)

3 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 envelope Ranch Dressing Mix
1 envelope Au Jus Gravy Mix or Brown Gravy Mix
1/2 Stick of Butter (1/4 Cup)
6 Pepperoncinis

Lay chicken thighs in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Sprinkle mixes on top.
Slice butter and place evenly on top.
Add peppers.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Pepperoni Lasagna ****

We have been firmly entrenched in baseball practices, school programs, and activities for about 2 months now.  Needless to say, I rarely get to cook, and when I do, it's always old T&T simple recipes.  That said, I finally had a day today where we had nothing to do after work and school.  Yay!  So to celebrate, I made this old family favorite.  In the old days (back before we were in so many sports and activities!), I used to make this a couple times a month.  It's a bit labor-intensive, but no worse than any other homemade lasagna.  Because of the time it takes to prepare, though, I just never really have the chance to make it anymore.  When we finally got some down time, I knew it was the perfect time for this one.  And boy, was I right!  The kids really didn't even remember how much they used to like it, so it was basically like a brand-new recipe again.  They devoured it and both asked for seconds! 

As a side note, I've also successfully tried this in the crockpot.  Click here to check out that review.

PEPPERONI LASAGNA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar.com)

1-1/2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2-1/2 cups water
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2 eggs
1 (12 ounce) carton small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Add water, tomato sauce, tomato paste, bouillon and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
In a bowl, combine eggs, cottage cheese and sour cream.
Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer with four noodles, the cottage cheese mixture and pepperoni. Top with remaining noodles and meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Cover and bake at 350*F for 35 minutes.
Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until heated through.
Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
*Amy's notes: I subbed ground turkey for ground beef and garlic powder for garlic salt. I also only cooked the sauce for 20 minutes, as opposed to 30.


Previous reviews:3/8/10 ~ I don't even know where to begin in describing how good this was! First of all, it's been ages since I've made a homemade lasagna, so you have to take that into account, lol. Even still, this was amazing. I had fears that the pepperoni would make it too salty, but it really just added an extra little zing of taste to each bite. The boys are not pepperoni lovers at all, but my 6-year-old even asked for thirds (which he did not get, obviously)! The cheese layer is perfectly baked, and the eggs actually add another dimension of flavor to it. It takes forever to throw together, but it is SO WORTH IT!!! I will be making this again and again. I'm thinking I could start putting it all together the night before and then just throw it in the oven when I get home after work. The only change I made was to use garlic powder instead of garlic salt. With the pepperoni and then the addition of salt already, I thought the garlic salt would be overkill. Oh, and I subbed ground turkey for ground beef, as usual. I also used the tiny pepperonis instead of the regular-sized ones, so there was at least a little bit of pepperoni in every bite.

Crockpot Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Tortellini ****

This is nothing special, but we all absolutely loved it.  I've made it twice now, and each time, it just seems to get better.  I love how simple it is, and you can use so many different add-ins to mix it up.  We like it as-written, though.  We're pretty plain-Jane when it comes to this one.  You could definitely use thawed chicken and just go for a shorter cook time.  My crockpot tends to run hot, so using frozen breasts gives me a little extra time to play with before supper.  I typically come home on my lunch break and throw everything in the crockpot, so I really need about a 6-hour cook time, if it's going to be ready to eat (and not overcooked or just warm) when we walk in the door after a full day at work and school and activities.  This one just works perfectly for us!

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND SPINACH ALFREDO TORTELLINI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

4 frozen chicken breasts
2 jars Alfredo sauce
1 bag fresh spinach
3-4 cups refrigerated cheese tortellini

Place chicken, sauce, and spinach in crockpot.  Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 4 hours (until chicken is fully cooked).
Once chicken is fully cooked, prepare tortellini on stovetop as directed.  Shred chicken in sauce.  Combine cooked tortellini and sauce and serve warm.
Note: You can also add the uncooked tortellini to the crockpot and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.

One Pot Crawfish and Shrimp Creole Pasta ****

This one was basically inspired by what we were craving tonight, lol.  It was such a winner, though.  I'm so ridiculously far behind on my postings, but I wanted to hurry and get this one down before I forgot how I did it.  We all know how that can be!  I love that it only uses the one soup pot on the stove, though, and even the noodles cook right in there.  It's super easy.  Plus, everything starts from frozen, meaning that it's easy to throw together at the last minute (which is where a lot of the inspiration came from tonight - ha!).  The kids are on Spring Break this week, and they're already asking if they can have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

ONE POT CRAWFISH AND SHRIMP CREOLE PASTA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 package frozen crawfish tails
1 package frozen extra small shrimp (precooked and deveined)
1 package frozen fajita blend peppers and onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
16 oz box angelhair pasta
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp Creole seasoning (we use Tony Chachere's)

Pour olive oil into the pot. Add frozen crawfish, shrimp, and peppers and onions.  Sprinkle with Creole seasoning. Cover and cook on medium heat until veggies are tender and everything is well-thawed, adding mushrooms and garlic about halfway through (about 10 minutes total).
Remove lid and let some of the liquid cook out, stirring occasionally to keep everything cooking evenly.
Add the dry pasta to the pot.  Pour in the chicken broth, cream, and Parmesan. Stir until everything is well-combined.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, keep covered and bring the heat down to a simmer for 10 minutes (stirring every couple of minutes).
If it's still soupy at the end (mine wasn't), you can either continue cooking, to cook out some more of the liquid, or you can add a bit of cornstarch to thicken it up.

World's Greatest Nana Puddin' ****

There are a zillion banana pudding recipes in internet-land.  I combined my favorite parts of each and came up with this one.  I let the 11-year-old come up with the name, lol.

This was another winner for us.  To show how far behind I am, this was actually my contribution to our Thanksgiving get-together.  What little bit was leftover from dinner was scarfed down at breakfast the next morning.  I think it's safe to say we'll be having this one again. ;-)

WORLD'S GREATEST NANA PUDDIN'
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

2 boxes Nilla Wafers
6-8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5 oz.) box French Vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.
Using a different bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together, and mix until smooth.
Line the bottom of a large trifle bowl with a layer (or two!) of cookies.  Layer sliced bananas on top.
Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.
Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.
Line the bottom of a 13×9 inch inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
Pour some of the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with another layer of cookies.  Alternate layers until you get the top.
For garnish, crumble a few cookies and sprinkle on top.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Croissant Breakfast Casserole ****

I have made this one nearly every Christmas morning since the first time I tried it back in 2007.  That's how much we love it.  It's become a tradition for us.  I do always change it up with the additions that I've noted, but that's mainly because I want to make it stretch further.  It's still basically the same as the original recipe (except for the added sausage and green pepper), so I keep it under Dottie's name.  She's the brilliant mind behind this one.  Our Christmas mornings wouldn't be the same without it!  Oh, and the last few times around, I've used Egg Beaters instead of eggs, since I almost always have some that need to be used up.  No difference at all, other than having to cook it for the full 60 minutes.  But the taste is still wonderful!  Just as proof of how great it is, I've been making it for 9 years now, and we're still every bit as excited to dig into it as we were the first time. :-)

CROISSANT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
This is a no fail recipe! Easy for the beginner cook, and looks very elegant. Can be doubled and tripled with no problem! Cook time does not take into consideration overnight sitting time, so plan ahead!!
Recipe By: Dottie (hokiesmom) ~ with additions by Amy (luckymommyto2boys)

4 plain croissants (I used 6)
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
¼ cup sliced green onions
4 eggs (I used 6)
1 cup milk (I used 1 ½)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I omitted)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used 2 cups)
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 lb sausage
1 green pepper, sliced

1. Split croissants in half and place bottoms cut side up in one layer in a rectangular casserole. (Brown sausage).
2. Melt butter in a fry pan.
3. Sauté mushrooms and green onion (and green pepper) until tender and liquid has evaporated.
4. Set aside.
5. Beat together eggs and milk.
6. Pour half over croissants, layer mushroom mixture, sausage, and cheeses on top, then pour over remaining liquid.
7. Position croissant tops over the bottoms, cut side down.
8. Let stand overnight in the refrigerator.
9. Bake at 350*F for 25 to 30 minutes (It took mine about 50-60 minutes) or until set.
10. Cover with foil if browns too quickly.

Biscuits and Gravy with Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole ****

Oh.my.word.  This was good.  I mean, what could be bad about it, ya know?  Eggs, biscuits, gravy, sausage...  What could possibly go wrong?  It was great, though.  Thanks to my dog, I was up super early this morning, so it was the perfect time to throw this together.  You could honestly get so much of it prepared the night before and then just combine it and throw it in the oven the next morning.  I made a few little adjustments, but nothing that would alter the end result.  I subbed the frozen sausage crumbles, Egg Beaters, and canned sausage gravy (2 cans).  It was crazy good.  I did have to cook mine for about 50 minutes, but other than that, it was perfect!  An awesome comfort breakfast for a cool fall morning!

BISCUITS AND GRAVY WITH SAUSAGE AND EGG BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ ScatteredThoughtsofaCraftyMom)

12 ounces of buttermilk biscuit dough (we used Grands, which are slightly bigger)

6 eggs

1 (2 3/4 ounce) package peppered gravy mix (makes 2 cups)

1 lb sausage, any flavor

1 cup cheese, shredded

1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13×9 pan

Brown the sausage in skillet and drain thoroughly.

Cut biscuit dough into 1″ pieces, and line the bottom of the pan.

Layer cooked sausage over the biscuit pieces,

Layer shredded cheese over sausage.

Whisk eggs and milk, add salt and pepper and pour over biscuit/layers.

Make gravy according to instructions, and pour over everything.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until eggs and biscuits are cooked through.

Serve warm (leftovers are excellent too!)

Crockpot Swedish Meatballs****

This was so stinking good.  I didn't realize until after we were already eating it that we'd had almost exactly this same recipe before when I made the Crockpot Meatball Stroganoff. In fact, the only difference was the addition of the dry onion soup in place of the chopped onions.  I think I prefer it this way.  I always use the dry onion mushroom soup, just because I love mushrooms.  I meant to add some mushrooms to the crockpot while it was cooking, but since work has been so crazy this week, hubby has had to do the cooking for me.  I bought the mushrooms, but I didn't think to add them to the recipe notes for him.  Oops.  But it was still another winner for us!

CROCKPOT SWEDISH MEATBALLS

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheCountryCook)

1 can cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup, low sodium

1 can beef broth, low sodium

1 packet dry onion soup mix

2 tbsp. A1 steak sauce

1 (2 lb.) bag frozen meatballs

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream (1 cup)

1 (16 oz.) package egg noodles

In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, mix undiluted soup with beef broth, onion soup mix and steak sauce. Stir well. Then add in frozen meatballs.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-5 hours.

After meatball mixture has cooked, stir in sour cream.

At this time, put a pot of water on the oven to boil for your egg noodles (make according to package directions.) Drain noodles well when done.Mix noodles and meatballs together. Or serve meatballs on top of noodles.

Tex-Mex Beef and Rice Casserole ****

This one just blew our minds.  I mean, it obviously wasn't anything special, but the flavors just go together perfectly.  When I picked it, I assumed it would basically be another version of one of our favorites, Mexican Chicken.  In theory, it is, but they taste nothing alike.  It's still just as yummy, just in a different way.  Hubby is job-hunting at the moment, so he made this one while I was working late one day.  He said he thought it would be good with one of the flavored rices, but I just loved the white rice with it.  I think anything else would pull the attention away from the other flavor players.  The chips give you just enough of a little salty crunch with each bite.  Just a great recipe all around!

TEX-MEX BEEF AND RICE CASSEROLE

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ KraftRecipes.com)

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread

1 pkg.  (1 oz.) TACO BELL Taco Seasoning Mix

2 Tbsp. milk

1 can (14 oz.) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (11 oz.) corn with red and green bell peppers, undrained

1/2 cup chopped onions

3 cups cooked long-grain white rice

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Colby and Monterey Jack Cheeses, divided

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 350*F.

Brown meat in large nonstick skillet. Meanwhile, mix cream cheese spread, seasoning mix and milk until blended.

Drain meat; return to skillet. Add cream cheese mixture, tomatoes, corn and onions; mix well.

Combine rice and 1/2 cup shredded cheese in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; spread to cover bottom of dish. Top with meat mixture and remaining shredded cheese; cover.

Bake 30 min. or until heated through. Top with crushed chips and cilantro.

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 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.

Slow Cooker Ham with Pineapple ****

You just don't get any easier yet flavorful than this recipe right here.  I always double the cola and the pineapple, since the kids are crazy about the pineapple rings.  I've made this for family birthdays and holidays, but my favorite thing is just that I can start it before I leave for work in the morning and not have to rush home and spend my lunch break putting together our supper.  The ham comes out so tender and salty-sweet.  We all adore it.  I've made it at least 30 times since Amylz first posted it, and I have never once had to make any changes to the recipe.  It's absolutely perfect just as it is!

SLOW COOKER HAM WITH PINEAPPLE

Amy (amylz)

All Recipes  Servings: 14

1 (6 to 7 pound) picnic ham

1 (15.25 ounce) can pineapple rings

1 (16 ounce) can cola-flavored carbonated beverage (such as Pepsi)

Place ham in slow cooker with the fattier side facing down. Use toothpicks to attach pineapple rings to the ham. Pour juice from the can over the ham. Pour the cola into the slow cooker.  Cook on Low 7 to 10 hours.

*luckymommy/Amy's notes: I doubled the cola and pineapple.

Previous reviews:
1/27/14 ~ This is crazy, scary good.  I could have easily kept eating it until I made myself sick.  I took Amy's advice and used two cans of pineapple, so that we'd have enough for everyone to have some.  I also doubled the Coke in it.  Mine cooked about 10 hours, and it was sheer perfection.  I have never, ever had a ham that was so yummy.  When you take into account that it took all of 2 minutes to throw together, it's practically the perfect recipe!  The kids both asked for seconds on the ham, which is just unheard of around here.  I served it with the Too-Tasty-to-Be-Good-for-You Cauliflower Mac-n-Cheese, and they went perfectly together.  I will definitely be making this one again.  Soon.