Cowboy Beans

We made these cowboy beans for my mom's birthday and I have to admit... we were pretty impressed with ourselves :) They definitely have a kick to them. We searched around and  combined a few different recipes to put together the following:

Ingredients

4 thick slices bacon, cooked and cut in small pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

15 oz. can diced tomatoes, in juice

1 cup BBQ sauce

1 tbsp Worc. sauce

2 15 oz. cans pinto beans (don't drain)

2 jalepenos, seeded and chopped

1 tbps chili powder

1 tsp gr. cumin

1 tsp salt

In a large saucepan (really - large. this is a lot more beans than I anticipated.), cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Add garlic, onions, and jalepenos for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, cook 3-4 minutes. Add BBQ sauce and Worc. sauce, cook 1 minute. Add beans and simmer over medium-low for 15 minutes. Add seasonings. Serve and enjoy - Happy birthday, Mom!

Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ

Ingredients

6 frozen chicken breast halves

12 oz. BBQ sauce

1/2 cup Italian dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp Worc. sauce

1/2 cup diced onions

garlic powder, salt, and pepper

Directions

Place chicken in slow cooker.

Mix BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, and Worc.

Pour mixture over chicken.

Cover, cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

I cooked on high while at work, then took out and shredded the chicken. I returned the chicken, along with the onions, and some additional BBQ sauce to the slow cooker and kept on the "warm" setting until we were ready to eat, about an hour or so later. Worked out great!

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

From Real Simple Online
This makes a great side as well as a yummy snack!
It is also suggested to serve these with pesto for dipping.


2 pounds medium red potatoes, cut into one-inch pieces
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (4 oz.)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper


Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large roasting pan, toss all ingredients.
Roast 45ish minutes, stirring once, until golden brown and crisp.

Meatballs

Chris usually makes the spaghetti for us, so I decided to "take advantage" of the fact that he is away by making homemade meatballs for spaghetti. We'll see if there's any left for him when he gets home... :)

Ingredients

(makes approx. 25 meatballs)

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 egg

Directions

Mix all ingredients.

Shape into approx. 1-inch meatballs.

Place in ungreased rectangular pan.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until light brown.

Served with spaghetti noodles and homemade sauce. Yum!

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!

It's FALL and I love, love, love cooking anything with pumpkins! Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, roasting pumpkin seeds.... I love it all!

:-)

Stuffed (Poblano) Peppers

Recipe from Real Simple

You'll Need...

3/4 cup long-grain white rice

4 poblano chili peppers (or green bell peppers, if you prefer not as spicy of a dish)

1.5 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

4oz. crumbled goat cheese

To Do...

1. Cook rice according to directions.

2. Adjust oven rack to highest position and heat broiler.

3. Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds. Place skin-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil until skin is blackened, 2-3 minutes. Let cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine the corn, beans, cooked rice, oil, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

5. Using a paring knife, peel the peppers and discard the skins.

6. Spoon the rice mixture into the pepper halves and sprinkle with the cheese.

Pizza Bites

We made these pizza bites to go along with linguine & meat sauce. Yum! They are very fun and easy to make as an appetizer or for a potluck.

Ingredients

makes 48 bites

2 (13.8 oz) cans Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 48 cubes

48 slices (3oz) of pepperoni (well, we used 2 slices in each bite instead of just 1)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 jar of pizza sauce, heated

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray.

3) Remove dough from both cans. Unroll dough, pressing out rectangle (one on each cookie sheet). Cut each rectangle into 24 squares.

4) Top each square with 1 cheese cube and 1-2 pepperoni.

5) Wrap dough around filling to completely cover, firmly press edges to seal. Place seam side down.

6) In a small bowl, mix oil, seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Drizzle over pizza bites.

7) Bake until golden brown. The recipe said 16-22 minutes... ours took only 10 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce.