Crock Pot Green Chile Roast

Okay...so here's something I ran across the other day that I knew IT Guy would love. As I was scrolling through my Pinterest, this recipe popped up. It had no permanent link and no official directions...not even a name....but I KNEW I had to make it. I tailored this to fit our preferences and it turned out VERY good! The nice thing about this is that you can eat it by the bowlful, wrapped in a flour tortilla or use it as a topping for nachos. It's SUPER simple and SUPER yummy....what's not to love?

Crock Pot Green Chile Roast



2 cups dry pinto beans
1 2-3 pound chuck roast
1 small onion ~ diced
1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 teaspoons chili powder ~ divided use
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Water

Place dry beans in the crock pot.

Add the Rotel tomatoes, green chilies and diced onion.

Add 1 tablespoon of the cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder and the salt & pepper. Stir.

Place roast on top of beans and add enough water to almost cover the roast.

Season with the rest of the seasonings.

Cook on high for 6 - 8 hours until beans done and meat is tender.

Remove roast from the crock pot and shred. Return shredded roast to the beans and stir.

Serve in bowls or flour tortillas.

 

Here's the stuff!

 

Add the beans, Rotel tomatoes, 

green chilies and some of the 

spices to the crock pot. Stir.

 

Add the roast , the water and 

the rest of the spices. Cook!

 

Make sure the beans are done and 

the roast is tender enough to shred easily.

 

Serve it in a bowl, in flour tortillas or as nachos!!

Tropical Tacos

Tacos are always a favorite around here. But for me...one of my favorite ways is to slather a chicken taco with fruit! I LOVE IT!! If you're a fruit/meat kind of person then here you go...and you're welcome. These are so simple to make and the best part is this: if you have any fruit salsa leftover, break out the tortilla chips because it's yummy that way too!

Tropical Tacos



2 chicken breasts ~ pounded thin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup diced, fresh pineapple
1 mango ~ diced
1 - 2 jalapenos ~ seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 (or more) chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons oil
Shredded lettuce
Cotija cheese (found in the refrigerator section)
Flour tortillas

In a small bowl, combine the diced fruit, jalapeno, onion, lime juice, orange juice, oil, cilantro and salt and pepper. Set aside in the fridge to chill.

Heat a grill pan or your outside grill. (I used my Foreman grill.)

Pound chicken thin between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Season with salt and pepper.

Grill chicken until done and juices run clear.

Allow meat to sit for 5 minutes.

Dice chicken.

Build tacos starting with the shredded lettuce then diced cooked chicken then fruit salsa.

Sprinkle lastly with Cotija cheese. 

 

Who's hungry for tacos?

 

Mix together the diced fruit, jalapeno, 

onion, lime juice, orange juice, oil, 

cilantro and salt and pepper. 

Set aside in the fridge to chill.

 

Pound the chicken breasts 

thin, between waxed paper 

or plastic wrap.

 

Season then grill!

 

Allow to rest the dice.

 

Build your tacos! Enjoy!

Mixed Fruit Dump Cake

I love an easy dessert. And so does my family. Well...they just like dessert. I'm not sure they really care how easy it is. Ha! Using dry cake mixes as a base for a dessert like this makes the whole thing easier, I think. The nice thing about THIS little treat is that you can use just about any kind of fruit you like. I had mixed fruit in my freezer but fresh would work too. Peaches would be marvelous! Serve it warm with ice cream for an over the top experience!

Mixed Fruit Dump Cake



6 cups fruit (I used frozen peaches, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries)
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 white cake mix
1/3 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup butter ~ melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk until blended.

Stir in the fruit.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle DRY cake mix over the top of the fruit mixture then scatter the almonds on top.

Drizzle with the melted butter. 

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until golden brown. 

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

 

Let's go!

 

Pour all the fruit in your baking dish.

 

Mix together the evaporated milk, 

sugar, eggs and cinnamon.

 

Then pour over the fruit.

 

Sprinkle with DRY cake 

mix on top of the fruit then 

sprinkle the almonds on top.

 

Then drizzle the melted butter.

 

Bake...

 

...then enjoy with some ice cream!

Bacon Ranch Cheddar Hot Dip

Easy and yummy...yummy and easy. That's what this dip is. Or was. We ate it pretty fast. I like having things like this around for the two of us because IT Guy is a big snacker in the evening and I like to join in the fun while we're watching TV. This doesn't make a ton but would be great a party for everyone to have a small taste. Ha! Yeah...good luck with THAT! But it's super good no matter who you serve it to....or don't serve it too. Find a good hiding place in your fridge for the leftovers!

Bacon Ranch Cheddar Hot Dip




1 12-ounce package bacon ~ diced and cooked crisp
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 0.4-ounce envelope dry Ranch dressing mix
2 8-ounce package cream cheese ~ room temperature
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, cooked bacon, chicken stock and the Ranch dressing.

Add 1 1/2 cups of cheese and stir to blend.

Pour mixture into the prepared dish.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top and cook another 5 minutes.

Serve with crackers.

 
Let's make some dip!

 
Stir together the cream cheese, 
ranch dressing mix, chicken stock 
and the cooked bacon.

 
Then stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.

 
Pour into a baking dish 
and bake for 25 minutes.

 
Add the last 1/2 cup of the 
cheese and return to the oven.

 
Serve with crackers, chips or fresh veggies!

Strawberry Cheesecake Crescents

These easy and yummy little bundles might be just what you're looking for when the fam needs a snack. Canned crescents rolls sometimes can be a cook's best friend! I use them quite often for all kinds of things. Switch up the strawberries if you want....double the whole thing if you're feeding a crowd. These disappeared pretty quickly around here. I threw a few into IT Guy's lunch and I think he even sneaked one for breakfast one day!

Strawberry Cheesecake Crescents




1 8 count package Pillsbury Crescent rolls ~ the "Grands" size
1 cup diced strawberries
4 ounces cream cheese ~ room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the diced strawberries and the 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.

In another small bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Open the Crescent rolls and separate them into 8 pieces. Flatten out each roll with your fingers a little larger than normal.

Divide the cream cheese mixture between the rolls and spread evenly over the entire roll.

Place a heaping teaspoonful of the strawberries on top of the cream cheese at the widest part of the roll.

Fold the top over the berries and continue to roll and tuck dough over the berries, making a little package.

Place bundles on the prepared cookie sheet.

(Optional: Brush each bundle with a little heavy cream before baking)

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned and dough is cooked.

Glaze with powdered sugar glaze, if desired or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

 

Let's get started!

 

Combine the diced berries and the 

2 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.

 

Blend together the cream cheese, 

powdered sugar and the vanilla.

 

Open up the can of crescents and 

flatten them out a bit. In this photo, 

you can see the flattened one at the 

bottom and the top one is not flattened.

 

Spread some of the cream cheese 

mixture onto each crescents then 

add a scoop of the berry mixture.

 

Start rolling!

 

Place them on a greased cookie sheet.

 

Bake!

 

Glaze with some powdered sugar 

glaze or cinnamon/sugar! Yummy!

Chicken Potato Cheesy Bake

When you make this....and trust me, you will WANT to make this....you're going to wonder where it's been all your life because that's exactly what I thought! Aside from cooking a little bacon in a skillet, all of this goes into the pan you're baking it in for one simple, delicious dinner! This is something the WHOLE family will love...over and over!

Chicken Potato Cheesy Bake



2 large potatoes ~ diced
2 chicken breasts ~ diced
3 cups shredded cheese
3 green onions ~ chopped
1/2 pound bacon ~ diced and cooked crisp
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter ~ cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Scatter half of the diced potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish.

Then scatter half of the diced chicken on top of the potatoes then salt and pepper.

Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese then half of the bacon and half of the green onions.

Top with the remaining potatoes, 1 cup of cheese, remaining green onion and the rest of the bacon.

Pour the heavy cream over the top then dot with butter.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove foil, then top with the last cup of cheese.

Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

 

The line up! 

 

Scatter half of the diced potatoes 

on the bottom of the baking dish. 

Then scatter half of the diced 

chicken on top of the potatoes 

then salt and pepper.

 

Then some bacon.

 

Then some cheese.

 

Green onions....then more potatoes and cheese.

 

Pour the cream over all then dot with butter.

 

Cover and bake for an hour.

 

Remove the foil and sprinkle with 

the remaining cheese and pop back 

in the oven for a bit.

 

All baked!

 

Time to eat!!!