Cowboy Caviar ***

This was loosely based on a few different recipes I pulled from Pinterest.  We loved it.  I can eat just about anything with corn, though.  Oddly enough, even though I normally don't care for mayo-based dips, I really liked this one.  The sour cream adds enough of a damper on the mayo taste that you really don't even notice it.  I used mild Rotel this time, but I think I might try it with hot as well.  The sour cream brings down the heat a lot, so I think I could get away with the hotter version.  All in all, a really easy and tasty recipe.

COWBOY CAVIAR
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

2 cans Mexicorn
1 can hot or mild Rotel (according to taste)
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
2-1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
6 green onion stalks, sliced
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
Fritos

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Flavors are best if refrigerated overnight.
Serve with Fritos.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Pie ***

This was pretty good.  It's really easy, which I obviously love, lol.  I let mine go about 6 hours, and that was honestly a bit too long. In my crockpot (which always runs hot), it probably would have been better around 5 hours.  But the kids absolutely loved it.  Hubby and I liked it too.  I used whole grain noodles, so they held up a bit better than plain ones would have.  I'll definitely make it again.

SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI PIE
(GetCrocked)

8 oz. spaghetti
2 eggs
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1 lb. ground beef
32 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
3 c. cottage cheese
4 oz. mozzarella cheese

Boil spaghetti until al dente, about 7 minutes.  Meanwhile, brown the beef, drain, and return to pan.
Next, add sauce to pan, cook on low heat a few minutes.
After spaghetti is done, drain, cut, and add to separate large bowl; add parmesan cheese and beaten eggs and stir to combine.
Next, pour 1/2 c. meat sauce to the bottom of the crock. Layer 1/2 pasta, 1/2 cottage cheese, 1/2 meat sauce, 1/2 mozzarella. Repeat layers.
Cover and Crock on LOW 6-8 hours.

Overnight Ham and Cheese Breakfast Enchiladas ***

These were a hit yet again.  I still subbed unsweetened almond milk for the half-and-half.  It tastes better that way, in my opinion.  I forgot that I wanted to use green peppers this time, and I ended up doing the onions again.  I'm just not a fan of the ham/onion flavor combo, though.  That's absolutely nothing against this recipe, because I absolutely adore it.  I just need to remember to leave out the onions.  I'm thinking ham and mushrooms would be a tasty idea as well.  I'm going to change it up some next week.  Still a keeper for us, and they reheat beautifully in the microwave.  I did leave out the salt this time, and it was perfect.  I don't see any need at all for the salt, since you have the salt from the ham.  Anyway, I'm already looking forward to trying them again next week. :-)

OVERNIGHT HAM AND CHEESE BREAKFAST ENCHILADAS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheGirlWhoAteEverything)

2 cups cubed and cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
10 flour tortillas (6-8 inches)
1 1/4 cup half-and-half
4 whole eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flour
salsa, sour cream, and additional green onions for serving

In a medium bowl stir together ham, green onions and 2 cups of cheese (save the remaining 1/2 cup for later). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Use a 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop out cheese mixture onto a tortilla. Roll up tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Roll up all tortillas and place them into the baking dish with the sides touching.
Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, salt, and flour. Pour over tortillas. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 350*. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over enchiladas. Bake for 10 more minutes or until tops are golden brown and the egg mixture is set.
Serve with salsa, sour cream, and additional green onions.
*Amy's notes: I leave out the salt and sub almond milk for the half-and-half.

Previous reviews:
4/10/13 ~ These were actually pretty good, and they took less than 5 minutes to throw together, since I used presliced onions.  I subbed almond milk for the half-and-half, and I would absolutely do that again.  Worked beautifully.  My only complaint was that it was a bit too salty.  There's honestly no need for the salt when you're using ham.  I'm going to leave it out next time.  I'm also thinking of subbing green peppers for the green onions, since that just sounds good to me for some reason.  I loved that I got to throw it together after supper last night and then throw it in the oven this morning while I was still in my zombie state.  I normally dread mornings, and this made it just a little bit easier.  :-)

Crockpot Cube Steak and Gravy *

Sorry for the lack of posting. I've been cooking, but with all of the holiday rushing around, I've basically stuck to the good old reliable classics (in other words, the ones I can make from memory, lol).

Let me start this by saying that I don't really care for cube steak all that much in the first place.  However, the OP made a point of stating that she normally wasn't a cube steak fan until she found this recipe.  She said it was unbelievably tender.  It was still dry and chewy, in my opinion.  The sauce was decent, but as you can see from the picture, it came out with way too much liquid.  Hubby liked it okay, but I just wasn't a fan at all.  The flavor of the gravy was good, but the chewy meat was just too much of a distraction.  I might actually try this again with pork chops instead of cube steak.  That might make it a little less icky.  I don't know.  I'll have to think about it. :-(

CROCKPOT CUBE STEAK AND GRAVY
(The Post-It Place ~ via Pinterest)

Cube steak   (I used a family size pack)
2 cans (10.75 ounce size) cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
3/4  cup water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low all day. Serve over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes or with your favorite side dishes.

Crockpot Taco Soup ****

This is one of my very favorite recipes.  It's kind of like a chili, but not quite as thick.  It's very hearty, thanks to the beans and veggies.  Even the boys like it.  Dh and I always eat ours over Fritos and topped the cheese.  The kiddos both like theirs topped with cheese and then use the Fritos to dip in it.  Whatever works, right?  ;) 
You can sub 1 lb of shredded cooked chicken and shorten the cooking time, but I prefer to cook the chicken directly in the soup. It comes out so tender and soaks in the flavors of the soup.  Amy has a happy tummy tonight.  :)

CROCKPOT TACO SOUP
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ inspired by Recipezaar.com)

3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 (16 ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (11 ounce) can niblet corn
1 (11 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 (1-1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning mix
1 (1 ounce) envelope Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
Sour cream (optional)
Fritos (optional)
Shredded cheese (optional)

Add all ingredients to crock pot. DO NOT DRAIN CANS. Stir.
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Shred chicken before serving.  Keep on low until serving to keep hot. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, or Fritos.
* Amy's notes: I've also used 3 frozen b/s chicken breasts and cooked for 10 hours on low.

Hormel Casserolé ***

This one was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it came out pretty well.  I had a craving for tamales in the store last week, so I picked up a can.  This recipe was on the back.  Next time, I'm going to use a smaller can with it as well, so that dh will have leftovers for lunch the next day.  We all liked it, but the 8-year-old requested that I serve it with sour cream next time, to cut some of the spice from the tamale/chili combo.  Overall, we all enjoyed it, though.  Definitely perfect for a quick and easy meal.

HORMEL CASSEROLÉ
(Hormel)

1 (25-oz) can Hormel Chili with Beans or Hormel Chili No Beans
1 (28-oz) can Hormel Beef Tamales
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Spread chili in a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Remove paper from tamales; place tamales on chili.
Sprinkle with onion and cheese.
Bake in 350*F oven for 30 minutes or until hot.

Kari's Smothered Burritos ****

We absolutely adored this one.  I couldn't find green chili in any stores in our area (and trust me, I looked everywhere I could think of), so I had to look one up online.  I decided on World's Best Chili Verde. It was perfect.  It made enough chili to do this recipe and then bag up and freezer two more servings for future meals.  I'm definitely making this one again soon, because every single one of us loved it.  I'm not sure what size pan was meant to be used, but I only had a 9x13 casserole dish.  I was only able to fit 9 or 10 burritos in there, and I squished those suckers in there tight, lol.  I had quite a bit of the meat mixture left over as well.  I did have to cook mine for about 20 minutes, but that was mainly because I was using ground turkey that I'd cooked in the crockpot earlier and placed in the refrigerator (see recipe for Slow Cooker Crumbled Beef).  Not sure how to fix that without messing up the other numbers, but I'll think on it for a bit.  This was most definitely a winner for us, though.

KARI'S SMOTHERED BURRITOS

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ my friend Kari)

Green chili of your choice (I made my own - World's Best Chili Verde)

1 lb ground beef...season with chili powder, garlic salt, and pepper.

1 (30 oz) can refried beans

1 (7 oz) can green chilies, chopped

1 (15 oz) can of regular chili with beans

1 lb package of shredded cheese

12 tortillas

Brown the ground beef with the seasonings; Drain grease from ground beef.

Mix in the can of regular chili, can of refried beans, and the chopped green chilies with browned ground beef.

Wrap the beef and bean mixture in tortillas; add some shredded cheese in if desired.

Put in a shallow baking pan. Smother with green chili, top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 400 for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

ENJOY!