~ Dinner 5 Menu ~

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!

For Dinner 5 we were keeping the weather forecasts in mind.. Thinking that something warming and yummo would be a great idea.. We also wanted to make something with a very under appreciated veggie: CABBAGE!! :)  Well after brainstorming to come up with an idea, we found a great recipe from www.tasteofhome.com.  I hope you guys love cabbage as much as Stacy and I do!  Get your air fresheners ready, it's bound to be a stinky kinda love going on in the kitchen for this meal!

We will be making Cabbage Patch Stew!!
My stomach is rumbling as I type! :)


1970's picture courtesy of tasteof home.com

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 4 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 7 cups chopped cabbage
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (28 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 can (15 ounces) Hunt’s® Tomato Sauce
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Pepper to taste

Here is the link for the recipe : http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Cabbage-Patch-Stew

Now see, doesn't that just look deelish!! :) Get ready for a belly full of warm hearty Cabbage Patch Stew!

Okay on to dessert... 

Now, mind you.. while skyping last night we spent a good amount of our time on an amazing site: www.thepioneerewoman.com. Now when we picked this dessert, I just about DIED when I saw the name of it.. I sent the link to Stacy and couldn't help but giggle waiting for her response.. this is where I happened to ventured upon a dessert called Pig Cake! I love it! I was soo excited when Stacy loved it too!!! :)

Pig Cake, photo by thepioneerwoman.com

I can't wait to make this! Partly because it's called Pig cake and partly because it looks soo yummy~

Here is what you will need:

yellow cake mix

a can of mandarin oranges

a stick of margarine or butter

four eggs

vanilla extract

vanilla pudding mix

powdered sugar

Cool Whip

a can of crushed pineapple

I know.. sounds daunting doesn't it! lol! This is a much simpler recipe than the Red Velvet Whoopie pies!

Here is the link to the recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/pig-cake/

Lets get ready to get this dinner on the stove and in the oven!! :)

Can't wait to hear the feedback and tips and tricks for these recipes!

Happy Cooking!!



~ Lynnette's Dinner 4 Results ~

Happy Saturday Morning Everyone!! :)

Hope that you are all doing well!
I apologize for taking a while to post my Dinner 4 results, I have been slightly under the weather. Well, to no avail, I have completed the wonderful task of cooking Dinner 4!

Mushroom Chicken....



So, it didn't photograph very well... but my tummy didn't mind!

 I have to tell you, for me this really would have had to taste like motor oil for me not to like it.. I mean it has some of my most favorite ingredients in it! Mushrooms and Cream Cheese! lol! Oh' Man, this did not disappoint! It was fantastic! I mean mouthwatering over the moon yummy goodness! I don't think that even gives it enough credit! I agree with Stacy 100% that this is now our replacement for Alfredo sauce..

I mean it was so incredibly easy to prepare. I'm down for any recipe that I can use my crock pot for! I did make a few modifications due to what I had on hand in my pantry and fridge. (Yeah, we are rebels!) First off, I sauteed a pre-washed pre-sliced package of baby  portabello mushrooms, as well as using brown gravy instead of chicken gravy.. (this did discolor the sauce- but did not ruin the flavor)  Ry liked it so much that he had 2 servings and Bean ate her entire serving with ZERO complaining!! :) I served mine over egg noodles because that's what I had on hand. I'm sure it would be wonderful regardless of what you select! :)

This gets a definite A++

Country Apple Dumplings

Oh boy, I was sooo excited for this one, as you probably noticed by the posting of the recipe! :)  I mean it has Mountain Dew TM in it for crying out loud!  I did not cook these the day I cooked my Mushroom Chicken. I decided to test them out on the unsuspecting students of my husbands class. They were having a cookout and I didn't want to show up empty handed, so I decided to bake these!



this was the part where I was a little unsure.. they didn't look very appetizing here...


I have to be totally honest, I didn't even get one!!! Those boys ate them right up! And the consensus from the peanut gallery was that they were simply amazing! Perfect about of bite to the apples, and not an overly sogginess (if that's even a word.. if not, I'm making it one now) from the soda pop.

There were a few tips that I did, that may help.. First off, after peeling, coring and slicing my apples I placed them in a chilled bowl with some lemon juice. This kept them from oxidizing and turning brown.  I also used a small rolling pin to roll out the crescent dough so that they were wide enough to completely cover the slice without tearing. In addition to those tips, instead of using 1 1/2 cup of white sugar, I used 3/4 cup white sugar, and 1/2 cup light brown sugar. It made 16 perfect little dumplings!

and when I pulled them out of the oven, that's when I was was certain they were going to be wonderful!

I will keep this recipe and bake it again! I may just have to half the recipe depending on who I make it for..

I give this recipe a firm A


I just love receiving facebook messages and emails letting us know that you have tried or are going to try any of the recipes that we have selected!! We hope that you are having as much fun as we are! So far this has been quite the fun little journey!

Can't wait til next week! I will post recipes Sunday night! Be on the look out!

Happy Cooking  Ya'll!!

Stacy's Kitchen- Dinner 4 RESULTS

Happy Thursday, my wonderful cooking friends! I am so thrilled to blog about tonight's recipes! To say they came out amazing is truly an understatement!! Here is the run down on the recipes...

Mushroom Chicken

(for the recipe click here)

My goodness, I dont even know where to start!! Well, I guess I should first explain how much I LOVE crock pot/slow cooker recipes! I am always trying to find new recipes for slow cookers and this website (http://www.slowandsimple.com/) has so many options to choose from. I am so happy Lynnette and I chose this recipe. Since I am only cooking for myself and Brian, I used 2 boneless/skinless chicken breast but I kept the sauce amount the same as the recipe (which I am sooo happy I did, more sauce for the noodles). I used turkey gravy instead of chicken bc that is what I had in my pantry. I also used mushroom soup with a white wine from SutterHome (cheap but does the job!) I added fresh mushrooms and the cream cheese about 1 1/2 hrs before serving. I know the recipe called for only 30 minutes of cooking, but i changed the time due to some of the reviews of the cream cheese being all clumpy when it was served. I served it over bowtie pasta and my gosh, it came out AMAZING! Brian walked in the door from work and said "HONEY, What are YOU COOKING!?" haha! It smelled the entire house up! mmm mmm good! When B took his first bite, he said "I think we have officially replaced our chicken alfredo recipe" (Which, by the way, is his FAVORITE pasta recipe! If that tells ya anything about this dish...) I will say this, if yall dont try any other recipe, try this ONE! You will not be unhappy! It's easy and the results are truly amazing! Brian said after dinner, "Honey, you DID write this down in our cookbook, right?!" haha Well, Rest easy my dear, this recipe is here to stay!

The only thing I dont like about slow cooking food, is the clean up! The food can get all caked on and is such a pain to get off! Well I found these little liners at the store and I am soooooo happy I did! It makes the clean up as easy as making the dinner! Just pick it up and toss it in the garbage. The bag is plastic but it doesn't melt, not even on high. I highly recommend these liners to anyone with a crock pot!!

Rating: A++++

 Country Apple Dumplings

(recipe can be found here)

These little guys were sooooooo good too! Easy easy easy to make! I cut the recipe in half, since it's only B and I eating, which still came out to be alot. I followed the recipe to a "T" (Im so proud of myself... haha). I needed to redeem myself after my disasterous whoopie pie-saucers, and my goodness did I do so with this recipe! They tasted like a goey cinnamon  roll crossed with apple pie! I paired it with Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream and I seriously think my tummy is still in heaven from eating it!! Sooo sooo good! I cant say it enough!  

(They dont photograph very well, but they made up for it in taste!!)

Rating: A+

--------------------------------------------------------------

Now this wasn't on the menu for tonight, but I finally found dry packets of yeast for the dinner rolls in our Dinner 3 Menu! yay! Sooo, I decided to make them tonight as well! ( I mean heck, I am already overloading myself on carbs, might as well go out with a bang! haha!) Well I wish I could say these little guys were as great as the other two recipes I cooked today, but unfortunately they werent. Ive never made bread, or homemade rolls ever... pillsbury is my bestie when it comes to biscuits and rolls.... but I was up for the challenge! Im not sure what I did wrong, but they didnt rise and they came out looking like little hard ping pong balls! I dont know about you, but when I have a dinner roll, I want it to be soft and moist! I couldnt even taste it because they were so hard and crunchy... maybe I just overcooked them (which I totally wouldnt be surprised) BUT I did follow the recipe to a T!

I think from now on, I will stick with my pillsbury store bought rolls! lol!

Rating: C-



All in all, tonight's dinner ROCKED! The slow cooker Mushroom Chicken and the Apple Dumplings are by far KEEPERS! Try them and ENJOY them!!!! You will not regret it! Happy eatings!! :)

~ Dinner 4 Menu ~

Happy Wednesday everyone!
Hope you are all having as much fun as we are!!
Dinner 3 menu was selected because we all pretty much have the ingredients already.. and the dessert just sounded oh' so yummy! :)  We will be making... drum roll please......


Mushroom Chicken - this is for all you mushroom lovers out there!! :) We stand united! (teehee)


The absolute greatest thing about this dish... it's in your CROCKPOT!! :)

photo by susan

You will need:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 package of chicken gravy mix
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 can of cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup
• 8 oz. cream cheese

You will also need the proper amount of Pasta or Rice..  You can decide which you prefer. ;)

Here is the link to the recipe:
http://www.slowandsimple.com/Mushroom_Chicken-r-372.html

Now for dessert we thought we should do something neither one of us have tried.. and well, it just sounded too good to pass on..


Country Apple Dumplings  - Hello.. this has Apple and Dumpling in the title.. it should be AWESOME!


photo by Tricia Jaeger

You will need:

• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
• 2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew ™

Yup, that's right.. It calls for Mountain Dew™ that is just another reason why it should be pure awesomeness.. (not really sure that's a word.. but just for today, I'm going to pretend) :)

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Country-Apple-Dumplings/Detail.aspx

We look forward to hearing your feedback and seeing if you come up with your own tips or tricks! :)

Happy Cooking!!

Stacy's Kitchen- Dinner 3 RESULTS

Hello my fellow cooking friends! This dinner was definitely the comfort food of all comfort food! It's cold here in NC, about mid 20's, so a nice hot soup hits the spot for sure! Here is the run down on the recipe!

Cheeseburger Soup

Well, if any of you had Brian's first reaction, you're probably not

gung-ho on trying this one! When I told him what I was making, he said "maybe it's a pb&j night for me?" haha! Not quite, although, I did have peanut butter and jelly on standby!

To begin, I did read all the reviews before I started cooking. I was really worried on one of the reviews because it said it was similar to a potato soup, and B hates hates hates potato soup. So I went into this recipe with the mindset of making this more of a stoup (rachael ray term lol.. meaning a stew/soup) I doubled the hamburger meat to 1 lb. I browned up the meat with one whole yellow onion. I was confused on whether or not to drain the grease, as to the recipe didnt specify. I decided to just keep the grease, I used extra lean meat so there wasnt that much grease. Mixed in the basil and parsley according to the recipe and I added one can of chicken broth with one cup of water and 1 tsp of better than bouillon (my fav fav fave bouillon!... it's a little more pricey but DEF worth it!) I used red potatoes and I didnt cook it as long as the recipe stated, bc I did not want it to turn into mashed potatoes or even a creamy potato soup. I followed the rest of the recipe except I used half velveeta, half real cheddar. The results were DELICIOUS!! Brian even LOVED it! Say bye bye to the pb&j! It's a very hardy meal so you dont need to eat much else with it. It wasn't too cheesey and it came out exactly like I had hope... more of a stew-soup than a creamy soup. Yummy Yummy Yummy! It's quick and easy to make and most the ingredients are things we all already have in our pantries and fridges!

 I wasn't able to make the Dinner rolls because, again, I live in a small town and I could NOT find dry packets of yeast ANYWHERE! So I had to settle for some butter bread.... and it tasted just as great with the soup! I will definitely be making the rolls once i find those darn little packets! haha!

I will most definitely be making this again. I already wrote this recipe down in my cookbook, if that says anything! :)

rating: A+   Yummmmmmmy!

~ Lynnette's Dinner 3 Results ~

Alrighty.. I have been a little under the weather the past few days and was struggling with the motivation to actually go to the store and prepare this dinner.. However, I have to tell you that I was really looking forward to making this soup. Also, I was pleasantly surprised at the cost to make this soup. It was very inexpensive!

Cheeseburger Soup I

Hmm.. where do I begin on this recipe. The prep work was pretty easy.. I was a little skeezed out by the fact that you brown the meat with the veggies.. (so I did mine separately). I did really like the flavor. But I struggled with the consistency of the cheese.. mine balled up in the bottom of the pot.. (even after blending it with the rue). It was still pretty yummy.. but I'm thinking it would have been better with Velveeta.. or something creamier.. I also made a few step modifications.. I did not cook the potatoes until the last 15 minutes prior to serving/eating the soup. I wanted them to have a bit of a bite. I was really worried they would over cook. Instead of chicken broth I used Beef Broth, I also added an additional cup. :)  I loved the veggies, the celery, potatoes and carrots were perfect! Both Ry and I really enjoyed it! And I will say that I'm looking forward to having the left overs! :)

I will be keeping this recipe for sure.. I may make some minor changes.. but that's the fun of cooking!!
I give this recipe a B+

Classic Dinner Rolls

Okay. so I blame my results of this recipe on the fact that I felt like death warmed over last night.. These rolls were sooo good! I loved the semi sweetness that the tiny bit of sugar gives them. I also liked the consistency of the roll. My rolls did not rise.. well.. the puffed up a bit.. but definitely not doubling in size. The end results were these not so beautiful uber yummy little ball rolls! lol! Again.. I did think they were VERY tasty! Bean even had them this morning with butter and jelly for breakfast! :)

I give this recipe an A!

Can't wait to hear Stacy's feedback!
Be sure to let us know what you thought too!

Dinner 3 Menu

Happy Monday Everyone..
After a wonderful 3 hour skype session with Stacy, we have decided on the menu for the week.

So for Dinner 3 we will be making Cheeseburger Soup! With the chilly weather we thought it would be a nice comforting meal.  We also both had hamburger meat in our freezers! lol! Now mind you, this isn't like your everyday Sonic Cheeseburger. It has celery, carrots and potatoes in it.. I don't think I've ever ordered a cheeseburger from a restaurant that had those items in or even on it. :)

Since this is a pretty hearty soup/meal, we decided to nix the idea of a side and decided to make homemade yeast dinner rolls! :) ~ Can you say YUUMMOO! I can smell them now! (okay, I really can't, I have a terrible cold) :o)

Sound like fun? Sure should be! Come along and cook with us!!!

Here are both recipes with their links:

Cheeseburger Soup I

Cheeseburger soup photo by Missy Anne



• 1/2 pound ground beef (per the review/suggestions you can double the beef)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups cubed potatoes
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese ( per the review/suggestions you can double the cheese)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheeseburger-Soup-I/Detail.aspx

Classic Dinner Rolls

2 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter OR margarine
http://www.breadworld.com/Recipe.aspx?id=792

** TIP**

Don't be afraid to read the reviews and suggestions!