Doublemint

"Double your pleasure, double the fun!" Anyone remember that gum commercial ? Even if you don't, you can still benefit from this post because I'm giving you 2 for the price of 1 because I have kind of dropped the ball on blogging. I promise you, I have been cooking and yes, my family has been eating...PROMISE ! I just haven't taken the time to sit down and share. So here for your viewing pleasure are two recipes I made recently. I think both are equally delicious. Give them a try and let me know what you think. (disclaimer) I'm not weighing in on how my family reacted to these because I'm determined to keep with the upbeat nature of the fun inspiring Doublemint gum jingle. All that matters is, I like these recipes and I think you will too !


MEXICAN PIZZA
1 6 oz can tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1 pkg taco seasoning mix, divided
1 tsp chili powder
1 16 oz can fat free refried beans
onion powder to taste
1/3 cup salsa
1/2 lb ground beef
shredded cheddar cheese
Premade pizza crust (I like Boboli brand or Frescheta whole wheat)

This recipe makes 2 pizzas so I usually freeze half of the above topping ingrediants and use later.

In a small bowl mix tomato paste, water, chili powder, and 3/4 pkg of taco seasoning; set aside. In another bowl mix refried beans, salsa, and a couple of sprinkles of onion powder; set aside. Cook ground beef and drain. Season with remaining 1/4 pkg of taco seasoning and a small amount of water to mix together well. Simmer a couple of minutes and remove from heat.

Spread a layer of the bean mixture onto crust, then a layer of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with hamburger meat and top with cheese. Bake to pizza crust pkg directions. Then top with your favorite taco toppings- shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, avocado, etc. So yummy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza Roll Up
1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
barbeque sauce
shredded cheese

Mix chicken with barbeque sauce to taste. On a lightly floured surface roll crust out into a rectangle. Spread the chicken mixture onto the dough and then top with cheese. Roll up jelly roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Can top with a little melted butter or cooking spray and then sprinkle on some garlic powder. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before slicing.

Not a Winner Chicken Dinner

I almost didn't post this next recipe. I would rate it just as "okay". The remaining 3 Perry's hope to never see this dish again ! I think it has potential and would just need a little tweaking to be really good. It was EXTREMELY simple and I love the idea of a complete meal in a crock pot. So, let me know if you decide to roll the dice and take your chances. Who knows? Maybe your family will take a bite and say "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner"!

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CARROTS AND POTATOES

1 medium onion (of course I didn't use a real onion, just a few dashes of onion powder)
4 medium size new potatoes
1 to 2 cups of baby carrots
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp minced garlic (I only dared to use 1/2 tsp with my family)
1/2 tsp dried thyme (this is where I would play around with different spices)
1 1/4 tsp salt divided
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
1 tsp paprika (which caused quite the alarm to my family seeing chicken with red sprinkles !!)
6 chicken thighs (I used skinless, boneless)

Cut onion and potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toss in a lightly greased crockpot along with baby carrots.

Combine the broth, next 3 ingrediants, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Pour over veggies.

Combine paprika and remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Rub over chicken and arrange chicken on top of veggies.

Cover and cook on love for 6 hours or until chicken is done and veggies are tender.

When Pigs Fly....

Porkchops....I think you either like em or you don't. I would normally fall into the latter category. Not my favorite piece of protein. HOWEVER, my friend Stacy kept raving and raving about this next recipe and I must admit, it is heavenly...yes I said HEAVENLY ! Picture yourself exerting very little effort and then at the end of a long stressful day at work, you open your slow cooker and find precious perfectly cooked tender piggies smiling back at you, smothered in their own gravy, just waiting to be paired with mashed potatoes. Oh ya, it's that good ! Hubby and I ate the leftovers today for lunch and I do believe I heard angels singing as we took our first bite once again.

Now as a side note, you'll notice in one of the pictures how sneaky I have to be when cooking for my picky perry's. This is normal protocol for me and I don't even think a thing of it, but for some reason, it just struck me as funny and I decided to catch myself in the act for your viewing pleasure. If anything resembles an onion in any shape or form, there will be mutany ! Therefore, the only way I altered this recipe was to "strain" out the little dried onion pieces from the dried onion soup mix. Welcome to my world. :)

SLOW COOKER PORK CHOPS AND GRAVY

4 whole thick cut bone in pork chops
1 envelope dry onion soup mix (or beefy onion as I used)
1 envelope dry pork gravy mix
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup

Place pork chops in slow cooker. Mix all other ingrediants in a bowl and pour into the slow cooker with the chops. Cook on low 6-8 hours until they are very tender. If they are not falling part, cook for another 30 minutes. ENJOY !

-recipe shared by permission of Susan Keirn

Ode to Dave....

"Famous Dave" that is. Upon hearing of our dearly beloved "Famous Daves" closing in Tulsa, tonight we feasted on barbeque brisket, baked beans, and corn on the cob. This is an easy oven method for cooking brisket that turns out great, as long as you follow the instructions and absolutely do NOT skip the step of letting the meat rest 30 minutes after baking. Tonight, our brisket was done a little early and so I wrapped the brisket in plastic wrap and kept it in a warm oven until we were ready to eat. I don't know if it was the extra resting time or just all of our warm fuzzy memories of our favorite restaurant, but tonight's entree was out of this world ! We will miss you "Dave"....but rest assured, wherever we wander, wherever we roam, we WILL be seeking out your other locations. Why? Because Perry's love them some goooooood barbeque, can I get a saucy AMEN ?! !

BEST OVEN BAKED BRISKET

1 (4 lb) beef brisket
1 can beef broth
liquid smoke
seasonings of choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle brisket liberally with liquid smoke and then rub your favorite seasonings onto all sides of the brisket. Place brisket in a roasting dish and cook uncovered for one hour. Remove from oven and add beef broth to pan. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees. Cover pan tightly with foil and cook three more hours. Take out of oven and let brisket rest in pan for at least 30 minutes before serving.