Crockpot Refried Bean Soup

Tried this tonight with some trepidation. But we were totally blown out of the water by how good--and easy!--it was. I encourage everyone to give it a whirl.

Crockpot Smoky Refried Bean Soup
(Slightly adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking)
1 can of black beans
1 can of vegetarian refried beans
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup diced tomatoes (if you use canned, drain them)
1 cup diced carrots
1 tsp. garlic (I used a generous helping of garlic powder)
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Heaping 1/2 tsp. salt

Put your crockpot on high and dump in the refried beans to start "melting." Rinse the black beans and add them to the pot.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir a bit.  Cook on high 3-4 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. (I always cook on low...)

We ate this with tortilla chips and big glasses of water because its spicy!! And delicious.

Broccoli Chicken Rice Casserole

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
3 cups frozen or fresh broccoli, cooked
3 cups rice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup miracle whip dressing
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Layer broccoli, rice, chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Mix cream soup, miracle whip and milk together and pour over top. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie

1 cup ice
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 T sweetener (honey or sugar)
1 cup milk

Measure ice and strawberries and pour into the bottom of a blender. Add the remaining ingredients on top. Blend until completely smooth. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4.

Pizza Rolls

These will rock your world!!  You can use any kind of bread, or pizza dough for these.  This is the recipe that I really like though:

Dough:
5 C Flour
2 Tbsp Yeast
2/3 C Sugar
1 C milk
1/2 C water
1 egg

Combine 2 cups of flour, the sugar, and the yeast in a bowl
Heat the milk and water for about 2 minutes
Drop the egg into the heated liquids
Add the liquids and egg to the dry mix and beat it for about 2 minutes, until it's smooth
Stir in the remaining 3 cups of flour (sometimes it takes more, sometimes less.  You don't want the dough to be sticky, but you don't want it to be too floury either . . . if that makes sense.)
Knead the dough, let it rise until it's about double in size

Pizza Rolls:
Ingredients:
Dough
A pack of provolone cheese slices
A pack of pepperoni

Split the dough in half, sometimes I split it into thirds. Roll it out into a big circle, just like you would for crescent rolls.  Cut the provolone cheese slices in half and lay them around the outer edge of the circle.  Place about 4 pepperoni's over the cheese.  I wish I had taken pictures of all of this, so it would make more sense . . . Now cut the dough into triangles, like you would for crescent rolls, and roll it tucking the edges around the cheese and pepperoni.  Place them on a baking sheet and let them rise again for about 15 minutes.  Then bake them for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

The pictures a little blurry, but here's my final product!  Hopefully my instructions about  stuffing and rolling them made sense!! I might have to make them again, just to take pictures! I don't think my husband would mind! ;)

We love dipping them in ranch dressing.  And, these can be adapted however you want!  Sometimes if I run out of pepperoni I'll use cheddar cheese and provolone.  I think once my roommates and I even tried Canadian bacon and pineapple.  We also tried mozzarella cheese instead of provolone once, but the flavor got a little lost.

Sugar Cookie Bars

These are perfect for any holiday gathering!  And my husband agrees they taste better than the average "cut out" sugar cookie. SHOUT OUT to Mer who made these first (for Halloween) and inspired me to make them for Valentine's. 

Sugar Cookie Bars
(from SkimpyPantry)

1 cup butter, room temperature (We did half margarine, half butter)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla & mix well. In a separate bowl add flour, salt, and baking soda; stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet ingredients and mix just until combined.  Spread on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost. It is also advised to add sprinkles. 


We frosted with my favorite buttercream frosting--not the frosting that Skimpy Pantry posted.  Here's the recipe!

Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup margarine/butter
4-4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
2 Tsp. vanilla
Food coloring (if desired)

Blend all ingredients together.  Add more powdered sugar until frosting reaches desired consistency.  Add food coloring at the end. 

No-bake Macaroni & Cheese

Waaaaaayyyy better than the boxed stuff. And I'm a boxed Mac & Cheese lover, so that's saying something.

Mac & Cheese
(Adapted from Skimpy Pantry)

8 ounces (2 cups) elbow noodles
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli OR California Mix vegetables
1 3/4 cups milk, divided
3 tablespoons flour
skimpy 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
pinch nutmeg
A shake or two of Parmesan Cheese
1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Optional: Diced ham

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 4 minutes. Add frozen veggies and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and broccoli are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes more.
2) Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 cups milk in another large pot over medium-high heat until just simmering.
3) Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup milk, flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture to the simmering milk; return to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
4) Remove from the heat and whisk in Cheeses until melted.
5) Drain the pasta and broccoli when tender and add to the cheese sauce. Stir until combined. (Add the ham in this step if you're making it a meat-lover's delight)

Enjoy!