Crock Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Crock Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 lb. Round steak, cut into bite sized strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 medium onion, sliced

1 can Campbell's French onion soup

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Garlic powder

4 Six-inch hoagie style buns

4 slices Provolone cheese

Butter or margarine

Directions

Place round steak strips, pepper strips, onion slices, French onion soup, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder into Crock Pot and stir together thoroughly. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Melt some butter or margarine in a small bowl. Brush the hoagie buns with the melted better, then place ¼ of the steak mixture on each bun*, and top with a slice of cheese. Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

*The steak mixture will be somewhat soupy, so when dipping it out to put on each sandwich, turn the spoon slighlty and let the broth drain out before putting it on the sandwich. You will have broth leftover in the Crock Pot at the end.

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

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I like to make cakes for my friends at work on their birthdays. My friend Laura requested a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. My love for Coca Cola  had led me to a recipe for chocolate cake that uses Coca Cola. I made it a few years ago, and it was pretty good. So, I got it out, but decided it needed some more chocolate and a few tweaks. So, I adapted it, and it was amazing. It's moist, chocolatey, and delicious. You would really have no idea it has Coke in it, just that it's an awesome chocolate cake. It was a huge hit at work. So, I ended up making another one this weekend. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE COCA COLA CAKE

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 ¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup Coca Cola
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions: With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Then, mix in eggs and vanilla on medium speed. Add flour, baking soda, and cocoa, and mix again until well blended. Mix in buttermilk and Coca Cola on low speed until thoroughly blended. Stir in marshmallows by hand. Pour batter into greased 13"x9" pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.

CHOCOLATE COCA COLA ICING: Once cake has cooled completely, combine 1/2 cup softened butter, 4-5 tablespoons cocoa, 1/3 to 1/2 cup Coca Cola, and 4-5 cups powdered sugar in small mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. (If it’s too thick, add more Coca Cola; if it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar). Spread on cake.

Asian Beef with Vegetables

This recipe was adapted from a recipe I found through Pinterest called Korean Beef. I liked the concept of the sauce used in that recipe, but it used ground beef, which I didn't think sounded as good, and also didn't really have vegetables in it except for the green onions. So, I changed it to the type of recipe I was looking for. It turned out very well. This is what I came up with...

Asian Beef with Vegetables

Ingredients

1 pound round steak, cut into bite sized cubes
Vegetable oil (enough to brown cubed steak in)

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cups frozen broccoli, thawed

Directions
Heat vegetable oil, mixed with the sesame oil, in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cubed round steak and garlic powder and cook until meat is browned. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and red peppers. Stir well, then add the green onions, green pepper, and broccoli. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Serve over steamed rice or sesame noodles.

Chilled Blackberry Pie

My parents have had wild blackberries growing in their yard for years. They have spread to become quite a crop each year. My mom makes them into jelly. A few years ago, I decided to try some recipes with them myself. I found and adapted this delicious pie recipe. I can even make it fairy low calorie by sweetening it with Splenda and using light Cool Whip. Yesterday, I picked several cups of berries, and came home to make this...

Chilled Blackberry Pie

Ingredients

2 ½ cups fresh blackberries

1 cup sugar or Splenda

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup cornstarch

Additional ¾ cup water

1 deep dish pie crust

1 container Cool Whip

Directions

Bake pie crust by itself according to package directions. Meanwhile, place berries in a saucepan along with the 1 ½ cups water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Measure out additional ¾ cup water. Stir in cornstarch, then set aside. When berries are finished boiling, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Pour berry mixture into baked pie crust. Refrigerate until pie filling has solidified (about 1 hour), then top with Cool Whip. Serve.

Chimichangas with White Cheese Sauce

My favorite Mexican restaurant serves chimichangas topped with white cheese sauce, and they are very good. I wanted to try to make them at home, but there didn't seem to be a recipe out there for them. So, by adapting a Taste of Home recipe for baked chicken chimichangas, and also adapting a recipe I found online for white cheese dip, I came up with the perfect recipe. I tried it tonight, and it was so good I liked it even better than the restaurant version! I will definitely be making this again soon!

Chimichangas with White Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

(Chimichangas)

2/3 cup salsa or picante sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 green onions, chopped

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

(White Cheese Sauce)

1 lb. Queso Blanco Velveeta cheese, cubed

½ cup milk

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chillies

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

Cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix chicken, picante sauce or salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions. Place about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold opposite sides over filling. Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush with melted margarine. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or until golden.

While chimichangas are baking, place Queso Blanco Velveeta cheese, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over low hear. Cook until cheese has melted, stirring often. Stir in green chillies and spices. If dip is too thick, more milk can be added.

When chimchangas are finished baking, serve with white cheese sauce poured over the top. Any extra white cheese sauce can be used as delicious white cheese dip for chips.

Corn Chowder

This is probably more of a winter recipe, but I eat things all summer that allow me to use a slow cooker that doesn't heat up the whole kitchen. I had leftover ham I was trying to use, and this was perfect. I actually normally make it with bacon, but the ham was just as good.

Corn Chowder

(Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:

4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 can cream style corn

1 can regular corn, drained (or 2 cups frozen)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium red pepper, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cans chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled, or one cup diced ham, whichever you prefer

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir together. Cook on low for 8 hours. Mash potatoes with a masher or fork before serving. Stir well, then serve.

It tastes great topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

Confetti Cake Sandwich Cookies

I have been on a cookie baking kick lately. So, thanks to my recent obsession with cookies, here is another amazing cookie recipe that is really pretty simple.

Confetti Cake Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients (Cookies)

2 boxes of Funfetti or Rainbow Chip cake mix

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Mix eggs and oil together thoroughly in a separate dish, then stir into cake batter. Drop dough into small, rounded teaspoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely before adding icing.

Ingredients (Icing)

¼ cup butter or margarine

¼ cup shortening

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 cups powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp. milk

Several drops of food coloring (if desired)

Directions

Cream butter and shortening together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add sugar, beating well and scraping down sides of bowl often. Add milk and beat until light and fluffy. If it appears too dry, add more milk.

Beat in food coloring, if using.

Finally, ice the bottom of the cookies, then stick them together like a sandwich.