Super Easy Biscuit Pizzas

These are great if you want the taste of a deep dish pizza, but quickly and without much work.

Super Easy Biscuit Pizzas

Ingredients

1 package Pillsbury Grands biscuits (should include 8 biscuits)

1 cup pizza sauce

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning or various Italian spices

Desired pizza toppings

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Place biscuits about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet, pressing them down and flattening them a bit. Spoon a bit of the sauce on each biscuit, and spread evenly over biscuit. Sprinkle the parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce. Sprinkle each pizza lightly with Italian seasoning or various Italian spices (such as oregano, basil, fennel, etc.). Add any desired pizza toppings. Bake for 15 minutes.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Lasagna is not something I had ever tried in a Crock Pot. I saw a recipe for it recently, and I was a little nervous to try it because I wasn't sure how it would turn out with the noodles being uncooked. But, I should not have worried, because it turned out great! I made it using my own lasagna that I would use if I were making it in the oven, but I just put it in the Crock Pot and didn't cook the noodles first. I served it to some friends, who also thought it was pretty tasty. Here is the recipe:

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

¼ tsp. pepper

2 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (6 oz ) can tomato paste

1 (8 oz) pkg. lasagna noodles, uncooked

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese

½ cup water

Directions
Spray the inside of a 6 quart crock-pot with cooking spray. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, along with the chopped onion, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Stir the tomato sauce and tomato paste in with the ground beef. In a separate bowl, stir together the cheeses and the water, set aside. Spread about 1/4 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the crock-pot. Cover meat sauce with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (you will have to break them to make them fit.). Then, top the noodles with a layer of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers, beginning with the meat sauce again. Keep repeating layers. It will make 3-4 layers, depending on the shape of your Crock Pot, how thick you make the layers, etc.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

I am not one of those people who thinks soup is a winter food. I mean, it does taste good on a cold winter day, but anything I can make in my CrockPot, which doesn't heat up the whole kitchen, is a summer food to me. I've been wanting a good Chicken Wild Rice soup recipe for awhile. I found this one that looked pretty good while browsing through Pinterest, but I felt like it was missing a few things. I have had chicken/ wild rice soup with tarragon before, and it adds a unique flavor that I feel really makes the soup. So, that was one of the things I added to this recipe, and it made it so good. Here is the recipe:

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp tarragon
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half (I used fat-free half and half)
1 cup grated carrots (I diced mine)
1 cup diced celery

1 medium onion, chopped

Directions:
Combine broth, water, carrots, celery, onion, chicken and rice (along with seasoning packet), and tarragon in a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Take out chicken and shred, then add back into slow cooker. In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, and flour. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour mixture by tablespoon. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until smooth. Stir cream mixture into slow cooker and then let cook on low for 15 more minutes.

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

I

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.