Christmas in the Crock Pot!! Orange Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Crock pot sweet potatoes to go along with the crock pot turkey! Merry Christmas:)

2lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2c packed dark brown sugar

1/2c (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

1t ground cinnamon

1/2t ground nutmeg

1/2t grated orange peel

juice of 1 medium orange

1/4t salt

1t vanilla

chopped toasted pecans

Place all ingredients, except pecans, in crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours (or high 2 hours) or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and toasted pecans before serving.

**to toast pecans place in a single layer on cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 10 min. Let cool.

**For mashed potatoes, mash with a hand masher or electric mixer and add 1/4c milk or whipping cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and toasted pecans.

Christmas in the Crock Pot!! Turkey with Pecan-Cherry Stuffing

This Christmas I cooked my first turkey. It had no bones, no skin, and no gross parts, but it was a TURKEY! And, I used a recipe for the crock pot!

1 fresh or frozen boneless turkey breast (about 3-4 lbs)

2c cooked brown rice

1/3c chopped pecans

1/3c dried cherries (or cranberries)

1t poultry seasoning

1/4c peach (or apricot or plum) preserves

1t worcestershire sauce

Thaw turkey if frozen. Remove and discard skin. Cut slices 3/4 of the way through the turkey at 1inch intervals.

Stir together cooked rice, pecans, cherries and poultry seasoning in lg bowl. Stuff rice mix between slices.

Place turkey in crock pot. Cover. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours (or until 170° in the thickest part of the meat)

Stir together preserves and worcestershire sauce. Spoon over turkey. Cover and let stand 5 min.

Tofu and Cheese Stuffed Shells

I'm not a huge tofu fan, but with the cheese and tomato sauce you can't even tell its there:)

• 12 jumbo pasta shells
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot
• 1 green onion, sliced (2 tablespoons)
• 8 ounces tofu (fresh bean curd), drained
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 14-1/2 ounce can tomatoes, cut up
• 1/2 of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan cook carrot and green onion in a small amount of water until tender; drain.

For filling, in a medium mixing bowl mash tofu with a fork. Stir in carrot mixture, ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, the egg white, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

For sauce, in a medium saucepan combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, basil,oregano, sugar, garlic powder, and, if desired, fennel seed. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Stuff each cooked pasta shell with about 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling. Place shells in an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish. Pour sauce over shells. Cover and bake in a 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. If desired, serve with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare stuffed shells but do not bake. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. To heat, bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until heated through. Serve as above

Baked Brie and Cran Apple-Chutney

2c fresh or frozen cranberries

3/4c water

1/2c granulated sugar

1/4c packed brown sugar

1/2t ground cinnamon

1/2t ground ginger

Dash ground cloves

Dash gound allspice

1 med. Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1/4c golden raisins

2 8-ounce rounds Brie

pita chips, sliced pear, toasted baguette

Rinse cranberries in cold water. Drain.

Chutney:

In a small saucepan, stir together water, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugars. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Stir in cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in apple and raisins. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until desired consistency. If desired, cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, place Brie in an oven-safe serving dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-15 minutes until cheese is warm and slightly softened.

Buckeyes

This one is for my friends who aren't from OH and don't know what a buckeye is! WARNING: super addictive!!!!

1lb powdered sugar

18oz jar peanut butter

1 stick butter

bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix powdered sugar, peanut butter and butter. Freeze.

Roll into balls. Freeze.

Melt chocolate chips in double boiler (or microwave at 1/2 power in 40second intervals). Dip peanut butter balls in chocolate covering all but the tops. Freeze and store in the freezer. Can be eaten straight out of the freezer.

BBQ and Cheese Crescent Squares

2 cans crescent rolls

1lb ground bison (or beef)

shredded cheddar cheese

bbq sauce

Cook ground beef then stir in bbq sauce (1/4c to 1/2c)

Unroll crescent rolls to make 8 rectangles, sealing seams.

divide meat between all rectangles in a line in the middle of the rectangle. Sprinkle with cheese.

Fold the sides of the crescent rolls in, making thirds. Do not fold in ends. Place rolls seam side down on baking sheet and cut into quarters. Bake 13-15 min until golden brown.

Peppermint Bark

Paula Deen's recipe

• Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
• 2 pounds white chocolate
• Peppermint flavorings, optional

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces

Kahlua Creamy Fudge

1 1/3 cups Granulated sugar
1 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme
2/3 cup Evaporated milk
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Kahlua
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Semi-sweet chocolate. pieces
1 cup Milk chocolate pieces
2/3 cup Chopped nuts
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Line 8" square baking pan with foil. In 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, marshmallow creme, milk, butter, Kahlua and salt. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring constantly for 5 min. Remove from heat; add all chocolate. Stir until melted. Add nuts and vanilla. Turn into prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm. To serve, cut in squares. Makes about 2 3/4 pounds.

Mommy's little helper:)

Nothing too fancy for dinner tonight....just a bacon and cheese omlet for Alyssa and I to share. Of course my little shadow was right there helping me:)

Halloween treat:)

This post is super late, but better late than never! These eyes were a hit with the preschool class! Even Logan aka pickiest eater in the world ate them!!!

ritz crackers

nutella

marshmallows

fruit loops

mini chocolate chips

Spread nutella on the cracker. Slice the top off a marshmallow (so there is a sticky edge). Put the marshmallow on the nutella, sticky side up. Put a fruit loop on the marshmallow. Put a chocolate chip upside down in the center of the fruit loop. YUM!

Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese

I loooooove casseroles:) This was delicious and made a TON!

1 box (1lb) elbow macaroni or rotini

1 lb ground bison (or sirloin)

1/2t salt

1/4t black pepper

1/4c ketchup

2T yellow mustard

1T unsalted butter

1T flour

1 can (12oz) evaporated milk

3c shredded cheddar cheese

8oz grape tomatoes sliced (or 2 medium tomatoes cored and thinly sliced)

2T seasoned bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350°. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boiling. Add pasta and cook 10 min, according to package directions. Drain.

While pasta cooks, cook meat. Season with 1/4t salt and the pepper. Remove from heat and stir in ketchup and mustard. Transfer to a bowl.

Return skillet to medium heat and add butter. Once melted, wisk in flour, then add milk in a thin stream. Bring to a simmer and cook 2 min. Remove from heat and wisk in remaining 1/4t salt and 2c of the cheese. Stir in pasta. Pour into casserole dish. Top with meat mix, remaining cheese, sliced tomatoes and bread crumbs. Spritz with olive oil (or nonstick cooking spray).

Bake at 350° for 20 min. Icrease heat to broil and broil for 2 min.

***I added a handful of chopped green pepper, a handful of chopped red pepper and 6 slices of bacon cooked and chopped to the meat after it was cooked.***

***I think it would be good with bbq sauce instead of the ketchup and mustard***