I should not be allowed in the kitchen. I tend to mess up recipes despite the instructions staring me right in the face. Thankfully my husband does the cooking most nights unless he puts everything on the counter for me to throw in the crockpot.
Despite my inability to create edible dishes, there are a few recipes at which I excel and which are perfect for fall carnivals, holidays, or just as an extra treat. Even better, they won’t be ruined if you stray a bit from the recipe. Enjoy!
Holiday Puppy Chow
Do you call it Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies in your household? We refer to this messy and yummy treat as Puppy Chow. I love to make it for tailgating parties and bridal showers. I would make it at home but then I would eat the entire container and lord only know how many Weight Watchers points that would be. My favorite thing about Puppy Chow is that you can add in whatever extras you want to make it a bit more festive. I tend to gravitate towards the holiday theme M&Ms or marshmallows to jazz it up.
Ingredients:
8-9 cups of rice or corn cereal (e.g., Chex)
1 cup of baking chocolate chips
1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup of butter
a dash of vanilla extract
1-2 cups of powdered sugar
*You can add in extras like M&Ms, marshmallows, pretzel sticks, chopped up candy bars, nuts, etc.
Directions:
Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter on the stovetop on low until melted. Make sure to continually stir. Add the vanilla extract to the melted mixture and remove saucepan from heat. Pour the cereal in a large bowl and pour melted mixture over cereal and stir gently to cover. Transfer cereal into a gallon-size Ziploc baggie. Pour in the powdered sugar, close the Ziploc baggie, and SHAKE. Add in your extras and shake some more. Pour into a bowl and enjoy. Make sure to pack some napkins because it’s going to get messy.
Taco Tuesday Crockpot Chicken
We haven’t become members of the Instapot followers yet, but I am partial to my crockpot thanks to its ability to make delicious meals happen in four hours or fewer with minimum prep work on my end. One of my favorite meals is crockpot chicken to use for tacos of quesadillas. There is normally enough for my family of four and then some leftover for my lunch the next day.
Ingredients:
1-1.5 pounds of boneless chicken (we like to use strips)
1/4 cup water, plus 1 taco seasoning packet OR 2 cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies
1-2 chopped bell peppers
1 chopped onion
Directions:
Place chicken in bottom of crockpot and throw chopped veggies on top. Pour water/seasoning OR two cans of tomatoes and green chilies on top of chicken and veggies. Cook for 3-4 hours on low or two hours on high. Shred with fork and serve as tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, etc.
Apple Dumplings
I’m not even going to act like these dumplings are healthy. The apples are about the only healthy things happening in this dish. It’s made with crescent rolls, butter, apples, and soda. It’s delicious. Trust me. These are perfect for holiday potlucks because people can take as many as they want.
Ingredients:
2 apples (I like Granny Smith for cooking)
2 cans of refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 sticks of butter
3/4 cup of sugar
cinnamon to sprinkle on top
1 can of Mountain Dew or similar soda
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter the bottom of a casserole dish. Slice apples to make 1-inch slices. Roll each apple slice in crescent dough triangle to create individual dumplings. Place dumplings in casserole dish. Melt the butter in a saucepan on low. Stir in sugar and remove from heat. Immediately pour melted butter and sugar mixture over the dumplings. Pour can of soda over the dumplings. Bake for 30-40 minutes until dough is cooked and liquids are bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cinnamon when cooled. Serve with ice cream and enjoy!
