Best Pot Roast Ever ***

I'm torn between two stars and three stars on this one.  It's good, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it the "best" pot roast I've ever had.  I used a Boston Butt, since I'm not a huge fan of beef roast.  The roast itself was divine.  However, the gravy/sauce was just too peppery for the kids and me.  Hubby loved it.  I doubled the recipe when I made it, so that we'd have lunch leftovers.  I'll do that next time as well, but I'll stick closer to a 4-lb roast and only use one envelope of Italian dressing.  I think that's what put it over the edge.  I used a 5-lb roast, and it was just a bit too big when I put it on top of the potatoes.  4 or 4.5 even would be much better.  I'll definitely make it again, though.  It doesn't get much easier than this.  I cut my potatoes in quarters so that they would lay better in the pot.

THE BEST POT ROAST EVER
(Marie's Cooking Adventures ~ via Pinterest - recipe has been doubled)

4-4.5 lb roast. (any kind)
2 envelopes ranch dressing (dried)
2 envelopes Italian dressing
2 envelopes brown gravy mix
14 baby red potatoes
1 lb carrots
2-3 cups water

Put any carrots and potatoes in the bottom of your CrockPot. I usually quarter my potatoes and use baby carrots.
Put Roast on top of vegetables.
Sprinkle all 3 spice envelopes on top.
Add the water.
Cook on LOW for 6-10 hours until tender and veggies cooked through.It is better to cook the roast longer. This will be sooooo tender and yummy!!

Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies ***

Oh wow.  I found this one on Pinterest earlier this week, and I just knew I had to make it.  I love brownies and pumpkin, so I was dying to see how well they combined.  They were delicious.  The texture is very strange.  It's kind of like a dense, moist pudding.  The slices separate and hold together easily, though.  I tried the OP's suggestion of lining the pan with foil, and it worked really well for me.  I didn't bother with the frosting, since I wanted to get the full effect of the brownies themselves.  You can't really taste the pumpkin, but you get a whiff of it every now and then.  I did use a 9x13 pan, since I prefer more brownies over thicker brownies.  It makes them last just a teeny bit longer.  :-)  Overall, this was definitely a winner for us, simply because of how easy and yummy it was.

TWO-INGREDIENT PUMPKIN BROWNIES
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Cookies and Cups)

1 "Family Size" box (19.5 oz) brownie mix
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
Frosting - optional:
     1/2 cup butter
     2 cups powdered sugar
     1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350°
Line a 9x9 pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
In a bowl mix together brownie mix and pumpkin until smooth.
Spread batter into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until set.
Let cool completely. Frost if desired.

Frosting:
Cream butter and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.
Turn mixer to low and add in powdered sugar
Turn mixer up to medium and beat until fluffy.
Spread on brownies, if desired.

Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes **

We all agreed that this was good, but it's missing something.  It's based on a Tastefully Simple recipe, but I had to make several changes to make it work for us.  I still want to change a few things around, but I'm not really sure how yet.  The flavor is wonderful.  I'm thinking I might try it with noodles instead of potatoes, but I'm not 100% on that yet.  I need to do some more thinking.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND POTATOES

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

6-8 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

18-20 miniature red potatoes, quartered (or 6 medium potatoes, cubed)

2 (10.75-oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

2 (10.75-oz) milk (use soup can to measure)

2 packets Knorr Vegetable Mix
1-2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Put the chicken and potatoes in a greased slow cooker. Whisk remaining ingredients together; pour over chicken and potatoes.

Cook for 8-10 hours on low.  Makes 6-8 servings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Original recipe:

CHICKEN AND POTATOES

(Tastefully Simple)

6-8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

6 potatoes, cubed

2 (10.75-oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

2 (10.75-oz) milk (use soup can to measure)

2 packets Artichoke and Spinach Warm Dip Mix

Put the chicken and potatoes in a greased slow cooker. Whisk remaining ingredients together; pour over chicken and potatoes.

Cook for 8-10 hours on low.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Amy's Easy Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings ****

I've been making my chicken and dumplings the same way on the stovetop for years and years.  Hubby loves it and begs for it all the time.  It normally just takes too long to mess with, though.  This was my lazy way of trying to avoid all that hassle, lol.  I will never make them stovetop again.  These were delicious!  I normally do regular mashed potatoes to serve with the dumplings, but at the last second, since we were having to head out to football practice with the oldest, we decided just to add them to crockpot instead.  Absolute brilliance (and it was actually hubby's idea!).  With such a long cook time (thanks to using the frozen chicken), this is now one of my favorite weeknight meals.  :-)

AMY'S EASY CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, frozen
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups water
2 (10.75-oz) cans cream of chicken soup
2 tsp pepper
1 tin Grands flaky layered biscuits
1 (4.1-oz) packet Idahoan Baby Reds Instant Mashed Potatoes

Spray 6-7 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and turn to LOW heat.
In crockpot, mix together broth, water, soup, and pepper.  Slide frozen chicken underneath mixture so that it's completely covered.  Split each biscuit in half along the layers, and then tear or cut each layer into 3-4 strips.  Add to crockpot, stirring a bit to moisten each of them.
Cook for 8 hours on LOW.  When there are 30 minutes remaining, shred the chicken and add the mashed potatoes.  Stir well to combine.
* Amy's notes: You can sub 1-2 cups prepared leftover mashed potatoes.

Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Casserole **

We all enjoyed this, but it really needs even more than 8 hours, in my opinion.  The cabbage was still pretty firm at the 8-hour mark, even though my crockpot normally runs pretty hot.  I loved that I didn't have to cook the ground turkey beforehand, though.  That was absolutely wonderful.  I do hate browning ground turkey or ground beef.  Plus, I hate dirtying up an extra pan.  Overall, though, it was pretty good.  I would make it again, but I'd probably cook it for 9-10 hours instead.

SLOW COOKER CABBAGE ROLL CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

1 -1 1/2 lb lean ground turkey or 1 -1 1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 small head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce, can add another 8- 15 oz if you like more sauce

Spray crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.
Crumble the raw ground turkey (or beef) and spread along bottom of crock pot.
Add the onions, green pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and cabbage.
Pour the diced tomatoes over top.
Mix the sugar into the tomato sauce and pour over everything. If you like more sauce, add another 8-oz or 15-oz can of tomato sauce.
Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours or on high for about 4 hours.
When done, remove lid and stir to mix well.

Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sandwiches *

I just really wasn't impressed with these.  They were WAY too cheesy, in my opinion.  And that's coming from a gal who is really crazy about her cheese.  They would have been much better without the cream cheese layer.  That's just a bit too much.  The topping didn't spread very well either.  I expected it to spread out and be kind of even, but it just stayed right on top.  I think maybe I'd cut back the Parmesan a bit.  Honestly, though, this just needs a lot of work.  I made 24 rolls, since they were 12-packs.  I only used half a slice of Provolone cheese on each sandwich, so I used a total of 12 slices.  Even with doing that, it was still far too cheesy and rich.  I won't be making them like this again.  I do like the idea, though, so I plan to play around with that.

HAWAIIAN HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES
(Pinterest)


20 small Hawaiian sweet rolls
1 pound of black forest ham deli slices
20 slices of provolone cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dried minced onions
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with the bottom halves of 20 small Hawaiian sweet rolls, setting the top halves aside.
Top with 1 pound of black forest ham deli slices.
Top with 20 slices of provolone cheese. Yes, that is a lot of cheese, but you will thank me in about 30 minutes.
Generously spread cream cheese onto the bottoms of the sweet roll tops (one 8-oz. container will take care of them all). Place the tops over the cheese slices in the pan, lining them up with the bottoms of the rolls.
In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, minced onions, and Parmesan cheese.
Mix well and pour evenly over the tops of the sandwiches in the pan.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and sandwiches are warmed through. Cut at the seams with a sharp knife and serve warm! These are addicting, to-die-for snacks or appetizers and can even be a satisfying meal.
(Refrigerate leftovers, if there are any.)

Double Trouble Banana Bread ****

Wow.  This thing was GOOD.  I combined several recipes I found online, and this is what I came up with.  Hubby has been begging for banana bread, but all of my old recipes use applesauce.  This way uses a little extra banana to compensate for no applesauce.  It comes out so moist and flavorful.  I didn't do the part about letting it cool, though.  I popped that sucker out of the pan as soon as it came out of the oven, and we dug right in.  Nothing like warm banana bread. :-)

DOUBLE TROUBLE BANANA BREAD
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
4 medium size overripe bananas, mashed
2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350*.
Lightly grease 9x5 loaf pan.
With mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar.  Add in eggs and bananas, and mix until well blended. Slowly mix in flour and pecans, just until moistened.
Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.
Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.