Crock Pot Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

This recipe is a tweaked version of another recipe. I didn't have the correct Progresso recipe starter on hand, so I improvised. The picture doesn't truly show off its' deliciousness. Looking back, I probably should have added some color to the pasta. Oh well, it was super delicious and I just wanted to eat it. I hope you feel the same when you try this out.

Crock Pot Chicken and Mushroom Pasta (adapted from Pillsbury)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 TBSP butter, cut into cubes
• 1 can Progresso Recipe Starters Creamy Portabella Mushroom cooking sauce
• 8 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 lb. pasta of your choice
• 16 oz. of mushrooms, sliced (use more mushrooms if you want!)
• 1 tsp. olive oil (to saute the mushrooms in)
• Chopped parsley, for garnish
• Parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions:

1. (Optional step) Spray your 5-6 qt. slow cooker/crock pot with cooking spray. (I skipped this)
2. Place chicken in the crock pot/slow cooker and then top with the butter. Sprinkle on ground black pepper, to taste. 
3. Pour the cooking sauce over the top of the chicken and butter. You can add the mushrooms now, or sautee them later. It's your choice. 
4. Cover and cook on Low for 4-6 hours (High 2-3 hours) or until the chicken is tender.
5. (Optional) Sautee your mushrooms in 1 tsp. of olive oil. They will shrink some and be fragrant. 
6. Shred the chicken in the crock pot/slow cooker. I recommend using two forks. If you chose to sautee your mushrooms, add them to the crock pot.
7. Add the cream cheese to the crock pot. Cook for 30 minutes on Low or until the cream cheese melts and blends into the sauce.
8. Cook your pasta according to the box directions while the cream cheese melts. 
9. Stir the crock pot mixture well and then serve over the pasta. 
10. Garnish the pasta with parsley and sprinkle on Parmesan, if desired. Enjoy! 

I couldn't find any reassurance that the cooking sauce was gluten free. If someone else finds out that it is indeed gluten free, please comment below and tell me. I hope you try this delicious recipe! 

Have you tried the Progresso Recipe Starters? What did you think? Let me know with a comment below! 

Love it? Hate it? Want to make it? Comment and let me know what sort of recipes you want to see next!

As always...

Bon appétit!

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Caesar Chicken Sandwiches

I have officially reached the "rip your hair out in stress" moment of my week. I thought it was bad on Monday and Tuesday, but this week just keeps throwing me more stuff to have done before Friday. Two of my classes gave me extra homework, and one involves having to call a client when I am on vacation. Yay. It is frustrating to have to deal with everything piling up, but I keep motivating myself by thinking of vacation. However, I think I will still have school stuff to do over vacation. Luckily, since I am completing certain work early, I am able to relax more than I would have if I stayed at school for that 4-day week. Hopefully it will all work out in the end.

I have less than 5 weeks until graduation. I am terrified. Everything is going so fast and I feel like my schedule is out of control! I am a planner naturally, but all this planning just has me super stressed. I think my eyes are feeling it too. Maybe eye strain? Too bad I don't have enough time to sleep enough and help my poor body fix itself. Another sad part of me being stressed and sleep deprived is that I get so hungry. This is not good when you are trying to have a healthier lifestyle and healthier eating habits! I know that my blog is filled with sweets and goodies, but everyone has to treat themselves once in a while. The main chunk of cookie recipes was from my cookie extravaganza during Christmas. So yea, that is life! Is anyone else having a stressful week at work or school?

Todays recipe is something I have literally been eating every day this week for lunch and dinner. I never realized how much shredded chicken 2 lbs of chicken could make. Luckily, it is simple, delicious, and mostly healthy (especially after I add 3 huge leaves of lettuce and 2 tomato slices!). The chicken is made in the crock pot/slow cooker, then you shred it, add the assorted add ins, and then serve up the way you like. I personally enjoy it as a sandwich, but you could expand to wraps, lettuce wraps, or possibly serving it as is. I used an oil based dressing instead of creamy, but you can use whatever you prefer. Hope you like it!

Caesar Chicken Filling- Slow cooker (adapted from Sweet Treats and More)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (whatever you have is fine)
• 1 bottle of your favorite Caesar Dressing

                                        OR
          1 (10 oz) can of cream of chicken soup mixed with 1 packet of Caesar dressing mix

• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (Shred your own or buy it in the cheese section with other shredded cheeses for best results. Try not to use the green can cheese.)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• a pinch of dried oregano, optional
• a pinch of dried basil, optional
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, optional

To make your sandwich:

• sandwich buns, bread, tortillas, etc.
• lettuce, optional
• tomato, optional
• other veggies
• any other sauces or seasonings

Instructions:

1. Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 2 cups of water. Sprinkle in salt and pepper with the chicken, if desired. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
2. Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon.  Place on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds.
3. Pour the dressing (or cream of chicken plus dressing packet), Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30-35 minutes or until mixture is hot, if you want. 
4. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto your sandwich or wrap and top with desired toppings. 
5. Eat and enjoy!

I hope you try this simple recipe! I find it delicious! You could even freeze individual portions to make meals easier later! 

Love it? Hate it? Want to make it? Let me know what you think with a comment below!

As always...
Bon appétit!

Chicken and Dumplings

I am still trying to figure out why I went to bed before 9 pm last night. I was hoping for a nap... and then my phone battery died... byebye alarm. I ended up waking up around midnight and set my real alarm, but it was still weird. I can only think that not getting enough sleep last week and cooking for about 8 hours straight might have caused me to just collapse. My stomach was feeling a bit sick this morning and I kept twitching, but I am fine now. Hopefully I am not getting sick again... otherwise I might just have to scream...

My speech partner decided that we should wait to meet on Tuesday instead of today and Wednesday. I honestly only think we need Wednesday practice, but we shall see. I am a bit stressed because one of my groups for our group project hasn't e-mailed or anything. I am freaking out because we have to present on Tuesday. This is a problem... This is why I tend to hate group projects. Luckily my other group project is going well. Two of these group projects will soon be over, thank goodness. It is kinda crazy to keep them all straight. I also have a group project for business, but we are half clueless about what we have to do. Evil group projects... 

Anyway, within that 8 hours of cooking stuff, I made a bunch of dishes. I made scones and "clotted cream" this morning because I was just done after cooking and baking for 8 hours straight. But yea, this recipe is a slow cooker (crockpot) recipe. I absolutely adore this recipe, but I will admit I was skeptical. I have never had chicken and dumplings, so I had no idea how it was made. My mom asked me if she was going to die from eating the chicken and dumplings... I said no... She just remembers my failure of squash macaroni and cheese... -.- That was truly disgusting... Anyway, she gave her approval for the chicken and dumplings, and my dad even had some, even though he had already had my pasta. I am glad I found something that was enjoyed.

Anyway, now that you are all caught up on my life happenings... here's the recipe:

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp. butter/margarine
• 2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 (10 oz) packages refrigerated biscuit dough

Instructions:

1. Place one can of the Cream of Chicken soup at the bottom of the crockpot. Put 3 of the chicken breasts over that.
2. Put the Cream of Mushroom soup over the 3 chicken breasts and lay the last 3 chicken breasts on top. Pour the last can of Cream of Chicken soup over top of that. 
3. Add 3 - 4 cans of water to cover. 
4. Put the onions and butter into the crockpot.
5. Cover and cook for 5 - 6 hours on High. Stir occasionally. 
6. While this is cooking, cook your biscuits according to the directions.
7. About 30 - 40 minutes before serving, put the biscuits into the slow cooker, on the top. Make sure to dunk them down in order to soak up some of the broth.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Again, I adjusted a different recipe. The original recipe is from allrecipes.com. Feel free to view the original recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings. I hope you all try this recipe and please feel free to leave a comment below! 

As always...

Bon appétit! 

P.S. it is just past 9 pm and I am so utterly tired. What is going on with me? :( I better not be sick! 

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken

Ah, how I wish I was on a plane to Tuscany... there would be delightful food, my friend to meet up with, beautiful countryside... but I am stuck here. However, I can enjoy a dish that makes me feel as if I was travelling to Tuscany. So for today, here is the recipe for...


Slow cooker Tuscan Chicken


Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (make sure they are thawed and not frozen!) 
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
•  ½ red bell pepper, diced
• ½ green bell pepper, diced
• 1 can (8oz or 220g) black beans, drained
•  2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 can of low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
•  ½ tsp. dried oregano
•  3 - 6 cloves garlic, diced (depends on how much you like) **I used the food processor to chop my garlic... just peel and put it in, pulse till chopped!**
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1.  Put the onion, peppers, and beans in the slow cooker.
2.  Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and beans.
3. In a bowl, stir together the olive oil, tomatoes, broth, vinegar, oregano, garlic, a bit of salt and pepper.
4. Pour the mixture over the chicken.
5. Put the lid on the slow cooker and set it to low.
6. Let it cook for 6 to 7 hours.
7. Serve over rice or pasta and enjoy! 

Servings: 4

I found the original recipe here, but I tweaked it a bit. This recipe is just fantastic! The smell while it was cooking was absolutely amazing! This dish is simple, and it has fabulous favor. I served this dish over rice and it was very filling. Definitely a recipe that I would make again!

“A cook she certainly was, in the very bone and centre of her soul. Not a chicken or turkey or duck in the bary-yard but looked grave when they saw her approaching, and seemed evidently to be reflecting on their latter end; and certain it was that she was always meditating on trussing, stuffing and roasting, to a degree that was calculated to inspire terror in any reflecting fowl living.”
A description of Aunt Chloe in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)

 As always...

Bon appétit!