Simple. Delicious. Fun. These yummy treats are so easy to make, even a child can do it. In fact a child did make these. All week long my girls have been taking turns preparing dinner and dessert. My two younger girls paired up for this tasty treat called Haystacks. The Internet is full of variations of Haystacks. We used a recipe from one of our favorite kid's cookbooks and want to share it with you!
Haystacks
2- 6oz. pkg. butterscotch chips
3/4 c. chopped or slivered almonds
5 oz. can chow mein noodles
In your slow cooker on High heat, melt the butterscotch chips. Using a wooden spoon, every few minuets stir the chips until they are melted. When the chips are completely melted gently stir in the chow mein noodles and the almonds. When the Haystacks are mixed well, roll out a sheet of wax paper. Carefully scoop a spoon into the mixture and drop a spoon full onto the wax paper. Keep the Haystacks on the wax paper until set. You may speed up the process by placing them in the fridge.
One of my favorite things on a crisp fall or cold winter day is a bowl of my yummy corn chowder. Often times I like to serve it in a bread bowl to add to the YUM factor!
Here is my recipe. You can find many other versions... this just happens to be what I threw together one day and was so glad I did!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Onion- Diced (I use half an onion)
Carrots- Chopped
Celery- Chopped (about 3-4 stalks)
(2) Cans Whole (or diced) Potatoes
(2) Cans Whole Kernel Corn
(2) Cans Cream Corn
Cooked Ham- Chopped (I buy Ham Steaks at Costco and keep them in my freezer HINT: if frozen I defrost it in a sink or bowl of hot water while still in the package.)
(one ham steak is enough)
Flour 1/2 cup
Milk (1-2 cups depending on the consistency of your chowder base)
Butter (1 stick)
Chicken Stock (3 Cups) (I buy the 32oz box so I have a little extra if I need to thin down the chowder)
Salt
Pepper
Grated Cheese (Sharp or a Cheddar, Monterey Jack mix)
What I do:
In a stock pot, melt the butter. Then add the onion, celery and carrots and saute. Salt and pepper to your preference. When the veggies begin to soften a bit, add the flour and let it cook (careful not to burn it). Once that mixture turns to paste, slowly add the chicken stock and then the milk (making sure you keep the chowder consistency and not that of soup. So you many not need all the milk or stock.) Keep stirring to keep from lumping. Once you have a good consistency for the base of your chowder add the corn, cream corn, ham and potatoes. Stir. At this point I pour the chowder in my crock pot so it can cook all day on low. Just before serving I add the grated cheese. You can choose to add it to the entire batch or per bowl. I chose to do it per bowl.
Note: If you did not prefer to use the crock pot, just add some saute time to your veggies in the beginning. Let the chowder simmer on the stove for about 20- 30 minuets.
Fall is in the air and Corn Chowder soon in my Crock Pot!
Hope you enjoy!
Well we have been at it again. Putting our Kid's Crock Pot cookbook to use (click here for post on the cookbook we use Kids In The Kitchen.) This time it was my seven year old's turn. She selected Potato Chowder that we served in bread bowls from Panera Bread Restaurant. She had fun serving everyone and playing hostess to our family. We are having great fun... if you have not already may I highly suggest you do purchase this book. If you have a kid's cookbook you love, I would love to hear about it.
With a random mix of recipes you never know how dinner may turn out. This was the place I found myself in as I was preparing dinner for my family the other night.
Early in the day I had dropped two large chicken breasts in my crock pot and covered them with a jar of salsa. Figuring once the chicken was ready and dinner time was approaching I would use the chicken one way or another. Well dinner approached, I added in half a block of cream cheese, only to realize I had no clue what to do next. Oh yes that is right, all tortillas have been consumed along with every other complementary ingredient I could think of. Leaving me to really be creative. As the, "mommy, I am hungry" began to escalate the pressure was on. Then I remembered I had Pillsbury Crescent Rolls in the fridge that were planed for another chicken roll recipe in days to come. This could be disastrous or delicious, but with a hungry family I just needed to try. I do have to say all turned out delicious! Everyone's taste buds were very pleased and my husband wants to keep this recipe in the rotation of meals. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Here is what I did and what you need... Ingredients
2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or 4 regular size
Jar of Salsa (leave some remaining)
Block of Cream Cheese
Sour Cream
Grated Cheese
2 cans of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (large size)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place Chicken Breasts in crock pot (frozen is fine).
Pour salsa over the chicken, leaving about 1/3 cup in the jar.
Cook on low for 5-6 hours
At the end of the cook time add in the cream cheese (I used half this time)
Shred chicken, mixing in the cream cheese.
Remove chicken from crock pot into a mixing bowl and mix in some grated cheese
Spoon chicken mixture into the crescent roll and roll up. Place into a greased baking dish
In a mixing bowl mix together sour cream and remaining salsa
Once baking dish is filled with all the chicken rolls, pour the sour cream mixture around the rolls. Leaving the tops of the rolls uncovered.
Bake for 15-20 minuets or until rolls start to turn golden. Then top with grated cheese and continue cooking for another 5-10 minuets or until rolls are golden.
Hint: I filled in the sides and edges of the baking dish with remaining chicken mixture before pouring the sauce over.
I had four crescent rolls remaining so I turned them into dessert. Ingredients
Butter
Cinnamon
Sugar
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Directions
Spread butter on the inside of Crescent Roll and sprinkle over cinnamon and sugar mixture. Roll up and then spread the outside of the roll with butter. Sprinkle the outside with the cinnamon and sugar mixture and then bake according to package directions.
A little girl's dream... to have a royal dinner with the Disney Princesses. We spent a week stomping all over Walt Disney World in Florida creating many wonderful memories. One highlight of our experience was dinning in Cinderella's Castle and getting to meet the Princesses. Each girl (except my nine year old who was not interested) picked out the princess dress of her choice for the occasion. This really added to the fun and splendor of the night.
When we returned home from our vacation we decided it would be fun to have Grace, my oldest be chef to her princess sisters. Grace selected her recipes from her crockpot cookbook (click here Kids In the Kitchen) and prepared her appetizer, entree and dessert. She then served us all and we enjoyed a Royal dinner at home in our "castle". What fun it was to have a wonderful memory extend into our "common" lives.
Princesses ready for their Royal dinner of Garden Salad, Creamy Lasagna, and Apple Crisp Ala mode for dessert.
We got to enjoy our vacation with cousins.
Two of my princesses dressed in commoners clothes in front of Cinderella's Castle.
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I love having my kids in the kitchen with me... most of the time. Sometimes I just need to get dinner on the table after a full day of non stop demands and mishaps with out added extra stress. I knew that the ideal scenario for me to have my kids cook dinner with me, is easy and early. Not at the end of the day when everyone is hungry, tired and needs my attention. When dare I say... my patience is low.
A while back I began searching for a good, EASY cookbook for kids. I really wanted a cookbook that did not require my kids, who are still very young to be over a hot stove or opening a hot oven. My ideal book would be recipes for the Crockpot. I was so thrilled when I came across this kids cookbook on one of our outings to the bookstore. The moment I opened it I knew I had found exactly what I had been desiring. The recipe instructions are easy for a child to read and understand. The pictures on the pages are not cluttered and overwhelming. The ingredients are not strange but rather kid friendly and adult appetizing as well. Recipes that my kids could make for the whole family to enjoy for dinner. Recipes that are made early in the day and ready when everyone is hungry! Fabulous!
I not only want my kids to have fun dumping ingredients in a bowl, I want the time they spend in the kitchen to be rich with learning. From measuring out ingredients to the responsibility of cleaning up, I want my kids to learn the joy of serving others. Each child has a turn to learn to be the servant of all when it is her day to be the family chef. That child is the one who prepares the meal, sets the table, fills the drinks, serves each person and helps clean up when dinner is done. The joy and pleasure my children have in doing this, is a great reminder to me that is the attitude I too need to maintain in my heart! Meal time does not just have to be one more task required of us as parents, but rather one more opportunity to teach our children the joy of serving others.
Grace chose to make a Taco dish that was not only easy it was yummy! As you can see she chose to serve dinner on paper plates... smart girl! Easy clean up!
Since I have more than one Crockpot, we decided it would be fun to have Grace make dinner in one and dessert in the other. For dessert she choose a Gooey Chocolate Cake that was oh so gooey good! The cake was warm, topped with vanilla ice cream that melted in and added to the yummy factor!
Does this picture make you want to purchase a cookbook for your kiddos?
