Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Originally Submitted by Randi DeRoest

¾ cup butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup dark chocolate/mint chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, then stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir in the creamed mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 9 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Crock Pot Chicken

August 2009: Slow Cooker

2-4 Chicken Breasts
1 package Hidden Valley dressing (Ranch or Caesar)
1/3 cup butter
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 8 ounce package cream cheese softened

Place chicken breasts in crockpot. Sprinkle with seasoning packet. Place 1/3 cup butter on top. Cook in crockpot on low for 4-5 hours. Mix soup and softened cream cheese. Pour our chicken and cook for 30 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Submitted by Christy Pethel

Slower Cooker Lasagna

August 2009: Slower Cooker

1 pound uncooked lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 sheets of uncooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with hald of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finishe with remaining 1/3 beef mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover, turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.

Submitted by Kelli Callahan

Crock Pot Triple Chocolate Mess

August 2009: Slow Cooker

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 pint sour cream
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
1 small bag chocolate chips
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup water

Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients. Pour into crockpot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve in a bowl with ice cream.

Submitted by Melanie Rottweiler

Tater Tot Casserole

August 2009: Slow Cooker

32 oz Bag Frozen Tater Tots
1 pound ground beef or turkey, browned
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
(2) 14 oz cans green beans, drained
10 3/4 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 tbsp dried onions
1/4 cup milk

Line slow cooker with frozen tater tots. Combine remaining ingredients, pour over potatoes. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours.

Note: sprinkle individual servings with your choice of grated cheese or serve with ketchup.

Submitted by Shauna Cooke

Pulled Pork

June 2009: Picnic Foods

1 Pork Roast (3-4 lbs)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
4 cups water
Cajun Seasoning
BBQ sauce

Cut pork roast into big chunks. Liberally season with cajun seasoning. Brown all sides of the meat. Add to slow cooker. Roughly chop the onion and garlic. Add to slow cooker. Add water and liquid smoke over the pork. Cook on low for 10 hours. When it is finished, pull it apart and add your favorite BBQ sauce.

Submitted by Randi DeRoest

Sunset Salad

Originally submitted by Christy Pethel

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ teaspoon dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla

Salad:

Spinach
Sugared pecans
Bleu cheese
Pears

Add all dressing ingredients into a jar, bowl, cruet, etc. There are no specific measurements for the salad ingredients. You kind of just put in how much you would think would be a great salad.