do you love cream cheese?  i L-O-V-E me some cream cheese!  i seriously eat it by itself… it’s soooo tasty.  BUT.  it’s way better when you cook it with something.  and this recipe showcases it perfectly!  we have had it twice, now, and both times there was literally none left in the crockpot.  oh yeah, that’s the OTHER great thing about this recipe – you can make it in your crockpot!  and it’s really, really easy – i have been trying out some new crockpot recipes for a few weeks now and it’s nice to just put everything in at the beginning of the day and forget about it until 5:00, and it’s really hard to screw up a crockpot recipe!!!

photo by sandi from CA via Food.com

it was gone so fast i didn’t even get to take a picture!!!  it’s really THAT GOOD.

this recipe comes from Dawn via Food.com.  she says:

I got this recipe from a nurse at work. We’re always sharing easy and family-pleasing recipes. The sauce tastes like a creamy alfredo sauce. This is great with noodles.

we served it with rice, here, and a side of green beans as well.  i think maybe asparagus one night, but it was a while back.  anyway, the sauce IS really good.  the chicken is very tender and flavorful.  the sauce mixes in great with the rice, too, but i might have to try it over noodles sometime, that sounds just as good

here is the recipe:  (thanks, Dawn!)

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken
from Dawn via Food.com
Prep Time:  20 mins.
Cook Time:  7 hours

serves 5-6.

INGREDIENTS:
* 3 lbs. chicken pieces (i used chicken breasts and chicken breast tenderloins)
* 1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix
* 4 tbsp. melted butter (divided)
* 1 small onion, chopped (i used 1/2 a medium white onion)
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* 1 (10 1/2 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
* 1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese
* 1/2 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place chicken pieces in crockpot and sprinkle with Italian dressing mix.  Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. butter.
2.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
3.  Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a saucepan and saute onion and garlic (and mushrooms, if you’d like!).  Add cream of chicken, cream cheese & chicken broth.  Stir until smooth.
4.  Add mixture to crockpot and cook on low for an additional hour.

easy peasy!!!

definitely worth a try, especially if your family loves cream cheese!  mine seemed a little burnt-ish after an additional hour in the crockpot, so the next time i made it i decreased the final hour to 1/2 an hour instead.  it seemed better after that.  i guess it just depends on your crockpot and how hot it gets – they are all different!

thanks for stopping by

who doesn’t love Mac N’ Cheese, right?

well… you REALLY have to love cheese to love this recipe – it calls for 2 1/2 pounds of it!  but it’s soooooooooo delicious… our entire family absolutely loves this meal and we never need anything to go with it! (but, being the “balanced meal freak”, i can’t not have a veggie with this!)  not to mention it makes a GIANT 13×9″ pan full, so we usually end up having it on a Friday and then eat it for the rest of the weekend!

i stumbled onto this little gem on Pinterest; i was looking for a really good, REALLY CHEESY mac n’ cheese.  i had to browse through several before i found this one, courtesy of The Hungry Mouse.  it was like a “EUREKA!” moment… as soon as i saw “2 1/2 pounds of cheese” i was like, YES.  anything that involves 2 1/2 pounds of cheese can’t possibly be anything besides the best meal. ever.  i mean, just look at all this cheese:

!!!! !!! !!!!

as Mouse says in her post, “resist the urge to jump in the pot and swim around with your mouth open.”  i almost did.  it’s a good thing she put that warning in there because i was really about to.  it seriously looks like a small, velvety yellow cheese hot tub on your stove.

when it came to my version of this dish, i only changed it minimally – instead of the taleggio, fontina and cheddar cheeses that Mouse uses in her recipe, i used fontina, cheddar and mozzarella.  i couldn’t find taleggio.  guess you have to go to one of those fancy cheese places to get that or something – WalMart and Albertson’s did not have any when i was shopping for this meal.  i *DID* also add a little touch of my own, though, again being the “balanced meal freak” i couldn’t stand that there wasn’t going to be any meat as a part of this meal so i reached for my secret weapon… BACON.  i added a whole package of Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits in with the topping mixture.  everything is better with bacon.  even chocolate.  just trust me on that.

here is the recipe for Mouse’s Ultimate Mac N’ Cheese.  she has FANTASTIC step-by-step directions with pictures.  even the least kitchen-savvy peeps could make this – it’s really easy.  and i love the sprinkling of wit that Mouse uses throughout the post as well.  it’s like dinner theater except you have to make the dinner yourself and you get the entertainment before the meal, but nonetheless an excellent post and a phenomenal dish.  she has TONS of other great recipes too, so if you like to cook, you should definitely check out her blog:  The Hungry Mouse.

well, what are you waiting for?!  go make this right now!!!  2 1/2 lbs. of cheese!!!  and don’t forget the bacon 

sounds fancy, huh?

it. is. SOOOO. delicious.

and thanks to Martha Stewart, it’s super easy, too. (it’s a good thing!)  i can’t even begin to describe how absolutely DELISH the sauce is… it adds a whole new dimension to chicken (and asparagus, too, which paired really well with this dish!)  as my BFF Ryan would say, “it’s like sex in your mouth.”

Dijon Mustard, a dry white wine, some tarragon…. such a great combination.  for the wine, i used Frei Brothers Reserve Chardonnay… prolly my favorite right now – for cooking and enjoying with a fabulous meal like this with my honey  serves well with rice or garlic bread – take your pick.  i’ve made it twice in two weeks, and went both ways.  even normally picky Courtney liked this one A LOT!  this recipe went straight into my collection without hesitation; we will definitely be enjoying it again several more times until everyone is sick of it!

check out the recipe on Martha’s Website.  i promise you won’t be sorry!  

yes.  you read that right.  read it again.

THIN. MINT. CUPCAKES.

fo’ real.  and they were pretty good too.  recipe courtesy of i am baker.  oh, also, a cake… she made a cake… i made cupcakes AND a cake, because well, i’m just not fat enough.  and i thought maybe i might have some friends who would be glad to help me polish them both off, but so far i haven’t had many takers – well, i mean *i* have been eating this stuff but… a little help from my friends would help me tremendously.  and my waistline.  and my self esteem.  and my willpower.  but if you’re not nearby or haven’t already been badgered by yours truly to indulge, you should definitely check this recipe out for yourself.  Amanda {i am baker} is like, a wizard of cakes.  oh, and if the idea in itself just wasn’t terrible enough, i decided to hollow the cupcakes out and stuff them with the included chocolate mousse from the cake mix i used prior to frosting.  and the cake?  four layers.  cake, buttercream, cake, mousse, cake, buttercream, cake.  yeah, that’s right, MOUSSE.  eat your heart out, Martha Stewart.

the only problems i had were:

1.  the frosting.  Amanda recommends her new favorite “buttercream” frosting recipe, which i totally do not find anything to favorite about.  it’s not even made with butter, it’s made with SHORTENING.  which, i guess if you like eating sugar-laden lard, is fine for you, but so far i’ve eaten so much of it that it’s making my hair greasy.  not really, but i think i’ll try a regular buttercream next time.  Amanda says, and i quote:  ”Yes its got shortening in it.  No I would not substitute butter. Just try it. Once.  Then you can go back to butter.  Trust me, I always go back to butter.  And no, I am not just talking about frosting anymore.”  i’m gonna go back to butter.  i mean, if you had been there for the first bite of cupcake and watched Courtney (my stepdaughter) dramatically GAG and then SPIT IT OUT IN THE TRASH CAN AND PROCEED TO THROW THE REST OF THE CUPCAKE AWAY WITHOUT ANOTHER BITE… well, let’s just say i was hurt.  and we won’t be doing shortening-based anything anymore.  (really, the frosting isn’t THAT terrible, the rest of us mature adults were able to manage at least one cupcake – some of us several, ahem, ONE of us – but as soon as she saw me drag out the dreaded can of shortening she started sweating.  i think if she’d have not known about it, the whole incident might have gone over better… but… well, you just never know with Courtney!)

2.  my terrible photography.  please excuse that in advance.  i guess it may not be *as* bad as i think, but it certainly leaves something to be desired.  but hey, leave me alone, i’m still trying to figure out this ginormous Canon Powershot that i’ve had for over a year and literally have no clue how to use.  also, i feel like there’s not really a place in my house (without carpet covered with dog fur) that is a nice “backdrop” for my photography.  so i make do.  don’t hate.

here’s a couple more pics of the cake/cupcakes in all their minty glory.  oh, and if you’re wondering whether or not they really taste like thin mints?  well… close enough, for a cake.  i will definitely use this recipe again in the future.   thanks Amanda!

(the best true-color shot i got of these, before it got dark)

(look at all that mousse!!!)

(cake AND cupcakes!)

(me trying to be artistic about it – ignore the door/windowblind background)

until the next time… 

so … lately, i’ve been looking through recipes, and i can’t seem to stay away from sweets – especially desserts.  especially cupcakes.  people make some killer cupcakes, i’ll tell ya.  i have found some of the craziest and most delicious cupcakes around the internet, and i thought i’d share.  i also found out in the process that Food Network has some type of cupcake competition… i’m going to have to look into that.

without further ado, many FANTASTIC cupcake recipes.  don’t be afraid, there’s something for everyone here.  maybe volume 1.  i’m sure i’ll find more in my travels

i apologize in advance for all the chocolate.  wait.  no i don’t.

Popcorn and Peanut Cupcakes

by Arleen Scavone – Food Network

Cinnamon Swirl Sour Cream, Maple Cream Cheese,
Strawberry and Bacon Breakfast Cupcake

by Hollis Wilder – Food Network

White Velvet Raspberry Cupcakes

by JavaCupcake

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

by JavaCupcake

Ice Cream Soda Cupcakes

by raspberri cupcakes

S’mores Cupcakes

by saucy’s sprinkles

Black Forest Cupcakes

by Susie Norris

Raspberry Trifle Cupcakes

by the Cupcake Recipes

Choca-Mocha Cupcakes

by the Cupcake Recipes

Rocky Road Cupcakes

by the Cupcake Recipes

Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes

by OVIEDOGIRL – allrecipes.com

Zucchini Chip Cupcakes

by Debra Forshee – allrecipes.com

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

by lovestohost – allrecipes.com

Black Bottom Cupcakes I

by Laura Duncan Allen

Molten Chocolate Cakes with
Sugar-Coated Raspberries

by USA WEEKEND columnist, Pam Anderson

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
(this is more like a cupcake, right?)

by Barb – allrecipes.com

Apple Banana Cupcakes

by Barbara – allrecipes.com

Lemon Cream Cupcakes

by Ruth Ann Stelfox

Red Velvet Cupcakes

by McCormick

Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate
Cream Cheese Icing

by BAKERAMA

Banana Cupcakes

by Wanda Thole

Blueberry Cupcakes

by Lilim – cutoutandkeep.net

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

by jojobeandesigns – cutoutandkeep.net

and last, but not least…

Rainbow Cupcakes !!!

by Phwarfcat – cutoutandkeep.net

i love all of these… i can’t wait to get started trying out some of the recipes!  maybe i’ll make another post when i find some more, but for now, enjoy!

who does this?

While I was on a mission for other things this evening, I stumbled across this. After LAUGHING MY ASS OFF for a while, I decided to share it here… because it was too funny to not share. Thanks a bunch to Jay Barnes for the content!!! And if you’re looking to laugh for a while, you should definitely read the rest of his blog! He’s a funny, funny guy!!

Anyway, onto the Cadbury Cake. Jay writes:

Experiment:
Replace ordinary eggs in cake recipe with Cadbury Creme Eggs and observe results.

Hypothesis:
THIS IS GOING TO BE SO AWESOME

CLICK HERE TO GO TO JAY’S BLOG AND SEE THE REST OF HIS RESEARCH!

For more Jay, check out his LiveJournal at Shmivejournal.livejournal.com, or his “best of” website at bigmixup.com.