Crack Crackers - Cuz they are addicting like crack! ;)

These crackers are ADDICTING so I am letting you know in advance!

They are extremely easy to make and you can decide how spicy you want them.

In a XL bag (I have three gallon freezer bags in stock so I used one of those), or a large container of any kind....

1 cup canola, olive, or vegetable oil (feel free to add up to 1/2 cup more oil if you want to do more crackers)
2-3 Tbsp red pepper flakes (I use about 2 tbsp since my parents and kids eat it)
1 packet ranch dressing mix

Place these items in the bag and mix. Then add about 4 sleeves of crackers*. Shake, turn, whatever to your container until the crackers are covered. Lay down for about 20 minutes, then flip to other side. I just continue doing that until the crackers eventually suck up all the oil. 

They are instantly ready to eat, but taste a bit better after some of the oil is gone.

*Here is where you can really get creative. In the pic I used one sleeve of multigrain crackers, one whole box of mini saltine crackers, and half a box of four cheese cheese its. You really can use just about any type of cracker out there and it is going to turn out great.

(I also just made a pineapple cheese roll and they are perfect to eat with this. The spicy cracker really goes well with the pineapple cream cheese. I will post that recipe soon too.)

Now... I just want to end this by saying DON'T make these crackers if you are alone. You will sit and eat the entire thing over a few days and it isn't healthy. haha ;)

They are addicting like crack which is why I call them Crack Crackers!!!

M&M Christmas Story

I helped Jacinda make these bags for her class. She had fun making them and even more fun eating them!

As you hold these candies in your hand and turn them, you will see…

The M becomes a W, an E, and then a 3.

They tell the Christmas Story, it’s one I am sure you know.

It took place in a stable a long, long time ago.

The E is for the East where the star shone so bright.

The M is for the Manger where baby Jesus slept that night.

The 3 is for the Wisemen bearing gifts when they came.

W for worship, hallelujah, praise His name!

So, as you eat these candies, or share with your friends…

Remember the meaning of Christmas

It’s a love story that never ends!

Merry Christmas from Jacinda Lundy

Homemade Baby Food ? ? ?

I bought this nifty little thing on amazon. Click here if interested to buy   Holds 2 oz of baby food in airtight containers and you can take them on the go or stick them in the freezer.

I used my recipe for Shredded Chicken and then I put some of the chicken and some water in the bullet blender thing. (Mine isn't really a bullet, it is an "off brand" of that, but works great!)

I just added enough water until I thought the consistency matched the stuff I am feeding him now from the store.

And there you go... homemade chicken baby food. That was so easy and such a success I am now going to try veggies and fruit. :) Yay for homemade baby food!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti (crockpot) feeds 8-10

This one was ultra cheesy and, if you haven't already guessed, my family loves cheese!

When I first heard about this recipe I was under the understanding that you could cook it in the crockpot without cooking the spaghetti noodles first. This time around I decided to cook them first. I didn't have time to make something else if it turned out bad. ha  I promise to make it again and not precook the noodles to see if it works and I promise to post my findings! (If any of you do it before me please please post a comment!) I also had onions in this one and I will leave them out next time. I don't think they really added much flavor, and not one of us will eat them so it seems like a waste.

Heads up: I should have used my crockpot liners for this meal... it wasn't fun cleaning it.

I made this for my family of five eaters (the 5 month old doesn't eat yet duh). I also delivered a large helping for our two elderly neighbors. And STILL have enough left over for two more people. The total cost was around $8.

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti (serves 8-10)
2 to 4	shredded chicken	$1.81
1	can of diced tomatoes	$0.99
1	small can of diced green chilis	$0.99
1	can cream mushroom soup 98%FF	$0.99
1	can cream chicken soup 98%FF	$0.99
1/2	lb velveeta 2% cheese
1/2	cup water
16	oz spaghetti	$1.75
	TOTAL COST OF MEAL	$7.52
	Cook spaghetti according to directions, except
	cook it for 2 minutes less than what it calls for.
	Add ALL ingredients to crockpot.
	Cook on low for 2 hours.

Shredded Chicken (NOT on a bone!)

I decided to use my crockpot and cook up a bunch of chicken all at one time so that I could shred it and use it for multiple meals later. (It is always a good idea to have some cooked shredded chicken in the freezer!)

Most of the time you read about people doing this and they cook the chicken on the bone. That is definitely a cheaper way of doing it because chicken on the bone is a lot cheaper than boneless skinless chicken breasts. But, let me be honest with you, I HATE to pick meat off a bone. Seriously. Hate it. Gross. On the occasion where I buy a rotisserie chicken from the local store (geez those things are good!) I have my husband pick the meat off for me. He only does it because he loves me and knows how much I hate it.

So I decided to make the chicken with my boneless skinless chicken breasts. I bought a pack of 6 (though now I know to go ahead and get about 12 since I still had plenty of room in my crockpot). 

Place the chicken in the crockpot like so:

Add 1/2 a cup of water.

Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours remove chicken from the crockpot. It will start to fall apart when you pick it up. I got one piece out a time because I decided to freeze mine by the piece. If I want to make a lunch for just me I can get just one out, if I need more for a recipe I can take out as many as needed.

Use a fork to shred the chicken. It shouldn't take but a minute... like so:

You have a couple of different options on how to freeze the chicken. You can use an airtight container. I used normal sandwich baggies and then wrapped that with my precious Press N Seal.

Don't forget to write what is inside and the date you made it. Like so:

Now you have you some yummy, juicy shredded chicken. You can use it for tacos, casseroles, spaghetti (our meal for tomorrow night so stay tuned!), salads, sandwiches, etc.

Thanks and hope you enjoy!!

Puppy Chow Dessert

I have had this dessert from other people and, just being honest, NONE of them compare to the way my amazing mother taught me to make it.

Here is the recipe for the yummy deliciousness that we lovingly call Puppy Chow.

Ingredients

1 stick butter or margarine

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter

powdered sugar

crispix cereal

++ and yes that is a massive container of peanut butter... we go through a lot of peanut butter!

In large stock pot melt butter, choc chips, and peanut butter.
Remove from heat and slowly add box of crispix while mixing good and slow until all are well covered.
Take a paper grocery bag and cover bottom of bag with powdered sugar.
Pour crispix mix on top of sugar. Generously cover that with more powdered sugar. (This is the step where I think people just aren't generous enough. And that is what makes ours so good.)
Roll down bag and slowly shake contents of bag until all is covered.

Now enjoy the amazingness of it. And share if you can. :)

If you know what this is but have a different name for it leave me a comment and let me know what it is!

Marinara Baked Ravioli - serves 6 $8.02

This was oh so yummy. :) And easy easy easy. It feeds 6 people (large helpings) and the total cost was $8.02 not including tax.

Ingredients

1 bag frozen ravioli $2.72

1 26 oz jar marinara $2.98

2 cups mozzarella $2.32

parmesan for sprinkling

TOTAL COST $8.02

feeds 6 people

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread 3/4 a cup of marinara on the bottom of the dish.

Arrange half of the frozen marinara in a single layer.

Top with half of the remaining pasta sauce and then top with half the mozzarella cheese.

Repeat those layers ending with sprinkling parmesan cheese on the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

I served this with some sauteed green beans and onions. It would have been great with a nice salad too.

Comment if you have any questions on anything and I hope you enjoy!

How long will frozen food keep?

I recently made a post showing the 26 meals created, bagged, and frozen for use later with the crockpot. I figured there might be some questions about how long it will keep, how to thaw it, etc....

Spoiled Food
The truth is that it never really "spoils" as long as stays properly frozen (0 degrees). You start to lose quality after a certain amount of time. Raw meat will last longer than cooked meat because you lose moisture during the cooking process.

Packaging
Another thing to remember is the right kind of packaging. You can freeze meat in the container it comes in, but air can get inside and cause freezer burn. Most of the time I take my meat out (since I buy in bulk) and freeze it in smaller portions. I wrap mine in saran wrap, then I use Press N Seal Freezer over that to make sure it is nice and covered. I also like to write the date of when it was put in the freezer so I use my oldest items first.

Thawing
The best way to thaw your food is to get it out the day before and leave it in your refrigerator until you are ready to cook it. You can also put it in the sink with cold water let it thaw there. If you need a quick thaw method then stick it in the microwave on a defrost setting. If you use the microwave be sure and cook it immediately because the microwave starts the cooking process.

Refreezing
I didn't know this until I started the research for this blog (didn't want to give false information!) but you can refreeze food that has been thawed in the refrigerator.  (I thought once it was thawed you couldn't freeze it again... but that only pertains to microwave or sink thawing)

This is for a freezer kept at 0 degrees. (Remember, after this amount of time the food is still safe to eat it just starts to lose quality.)

Item Months
Bacon and Sausage 1 to 2
Casseroles 2 to 3
Egg whites or egg substitutes 12
Frozen Dinners and Entrees 3 to 4
Gravy, meat or poultry 2 to 3
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats 1 to 2
Meat, uncooked roasts 4 to 12
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops 4 to 12
Meat, uncooked ground 3 to 4
Meat, cooked 2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked whole 12
Poultry, uncooked parts 9
Poultry, uncooked giblets 3 to 4
Poultry, cooked 4
Soups and Stews 2 to 3
Wild game, uncooked 8 to 12


This information was found at  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Focus_On_Freezing/

Comment if you have any questions or any of your own ideas for keeping food fresh longer. Thanks!

Few hours, Great friend, 26 meals!!

My friend Christi and I got together and chopped chopped chopped!!! (Well I did a lot of garlic mincing. My hands STILL smell like garlic!)

We ended up making 26 meals to be frozen. When ready to use them just get them out the day before to thaw then stick in the crockpot for 4-6 hours. 

We had a ton of fun making these. Next time though we will stick to making about 10 so it won't take as long. :)

Meals we made:
Teriyaki Chicken (4 meals)
Teriyaki Pork Chops (2 meals)
Lazy Day Stew (4 meals)
Chicken Fajitas (2 meals)
Savory Chicken (4 meals)
Hawaiian Chicken(2 meals)
Ranch Pork Chops (2 meals)
Taco Soup (2 meals)
Honey BBQ Wings (2 meals)
Sweet and Tangy Chicken Legs (2 meals)

Directions for Bulk Preparation
1. Gather all the ingredients needed.
2. Chop all of the veggies first. Dice all your onions, carrots, peppers, and mince your garlic.
3. Label your bags with the directions.
4. Add your meats. (I cut my chicken breasts longways before placing in bag.)
5. Add your veggies.
6. Add all other ingredients.
7. Let out air, seal bag, and lay flat.
8. Freeze.
Pull the bags out of the freezer the night before you want to use them so they will be thawed
when they go in the crock pot the next day.
Each recipe will give two gallon size bags. Each bag is enough to feed a family of 4ish for dinner.
Can use any leftovers for lunch the next day.  Don't forget to write the name of the recipe, the amount of people it will feed, and how long to put it in the crockpot.

IDEAS WE LEARNED WHILE DOING THIS:
1. Some of the recipes we could add more chicken than it said so it would feed a bit more.
2. Spend the extra $ and buy the pre-minced garlic!! :)
3. Remember to write on the bags before putting the stuff in them.
4. Stick with 4 or 5 recipes and make multiple bags rather than trying to do so many different kinds.
5. Buy pre-minced garlic.
6. Have lots of chopping boards.
7. If transporting them to another house after, be sure and bring an ice chest or crate to transport.
8. Buy pre-minced garlic! ;)

One Dish: Potatoes, Chicken, Green Beans

My sweet kids helped make dinner tonight. Zarek cut the potatoes, Zander prepped the chicken, and Jacinda melted the butter.

The recipe called for a whole stick of butter. I went ahead and followed that... But it was a bit buttery in the end. Still tasted great, but I will try cutting the butter in half next time to try. 

I also had a bunch of potatoes and used one can of green beans. Next time I will use fresh green beans because they were so moist I think fresh ones would be great (and I will do more too!).

This one was very simple, easy to clean since all in one dish, and it was SO good.

 

 

One Dish: Potatoes, Chicken, Green Beans (serves 4-6 people)
4 to 6	chicken breast	$5.43
	fresh green beans (or one can)	$0.99
	red potatoes	$1.00
1	packet of italian dressing seasonings	$1.49
1	stick of butter (melted)	$0.89
	TOTAL COST OF MEAL	$9.80
	Place chicken along center of 9x13 dish.
	Place green beans on one side and potatoes
	along the other side of chicken.
	Sprinkle italian dressing over top of all of it.
	Pour butter over all of it.
	Cover in foil.
	Place in preheated oven at 350 for 60 minutes.

Crock Pot Liners! Where have you been all my life?

Ok so I know the title of this one is a little extreme... but seriously!?

I love to use my crock pot and now I don't even have to WASH it. haha 

Honestly I won't use these a lot of the time because I don't mind washing one dish. But, there are those recipes that ALWAYS stick to the pot and takes me 10 years to clean and on those this would be perfect!

If you are interested in buying some and can't find them at your local store you can buy them here:
http://www.amazon.com/Reynolds-Metals-00504-Cooker-Liners/dp/B00578EKRY/ref=lh_ni_t

Chicken Cream Cheese Chili

This recipe works great as a dip, served over rice, or in taco shells. It is super easy. And this is just one of the many crockpot recipes I will be posting. I love my crockpot! The meal cost around $9.66 (not including tax). Since I already owned the spices I didn't include that in the cost. I hope you enjoy it!

	Chicken Cream Cheese Chili (serves 4 people)
	2	chicken breasts	$1.81
	1	can of rotel	$0.68
	1	can of corn (don't drain)	$0.99
	1	can of black beans (drain & rinse)	$0.99
	1	pkg. ranch dressing mix	$1.42
	1	Tbsp cumin
	1	tsp chili powder
	1	tsp onion powder
	1 -	8 oz package of cream cheese	$1.78
		tortilla chips or taco shells	$1.99
		TOTAL COST OF MEAL	$9.66
		Put the chicken in the crock pot. Top with all
		ingredients except the cream cheese. Mix.
		Top with cream cheese. Cook on low for 6-8
		hours, stirring once or twice to blend cheese.
		Shred the chicken and serve with chips or in
		taco shells. Serves 4.

Split Decision Penne

For people like me who sometimes can't decide between alfredo and marinara...
I made this dinner tonight and the family and friends loved it! It feeds 10 people and the total cost was $12.37!!

	Split Decision Penne (serves 10 people)
	1	bag of penne	$1.85
	1	cup shredded mozzarella	$1.05
	1	cup grated parmesan	$1.20
	15	oz jar alfredo sauce	$3.49
	24	oz jar marinara sauce	$1.89
		garlic bread	$2.89
		TOTAL COST OF MEAL	$12.37
		Cook pasta according to directions and drain.
		Mix sauces together in a large bowl.
		Add the mozzerella and stir to combine.
		Toss in penne and toss to coat.
		Pour pasta into 9x13 baking dish and cook on
		350 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
		Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan
		then mix it.
		Serve w/ garlic bread.