Cheese and Bacon Potato Rounds

From: Here

Ingredients:
4 baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup melted butter
8 slices bacon - cooked and crumbled
8 oz shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Brush both side of potato slices with butter; place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning once. When potatoes are ready, top with bacon, cheese, and green onion; continue baking until the cheese has melted.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Okay, people, this is one of Stephen's new obsession. I've been making these for a few months now and they are super easy. We always have all of these ingredients in the house, so I can whip them up whenever he gets a craving for them. I strongly urge you to butter both sides of the potato like the recipe states. Stephen tried to make these on his own one time and didn't think that was a big deal... it is. It helps with cooking the potatoes, and anyway, why would you want LESS butter!?!? A huge thumbs up from our family! 

Cook Bacon in the Oven

Save time! Save the hassle of cleaning up - washing a skillet full of grease, getting popped by the grease while the bacon is cooking...

You, too, can cook bacon in the oven. I first heard about this on Our Best Bites and I have done this multiple times now, with great results.

Turn your oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. It doesn't need to be nonstick. Lay out bacon slices in a single layer. You don't need to wait for your oven to preheat. Place pan in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, and then start watching it until it's at the crispiness that you like.

You can save the drippings or wrap them up and toss them!

I LOVE this way because it doesn't take up an extra stove eye and it is SO easy to clean up. The picture above is turkey bacon but I've done regular bacon as well. They both turn out perfectly.

You're welcome.

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Southwestern 2 Bean Chicken

From: Gracious Pantry

Ingredients:
4 raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 15-oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/3 home cooked beans)
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/3 home cooked beans)
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice (low sodium if possible)
1 lb frozen and thawed corn
1 12-oz jar of your favorite salsa

Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour the tomatoes and salsa over that and then layer on the beans and corn. Cook on low for 5-7 hours, or until the chicken easily falls apart when the pot is stirred.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! You cannot get any easier than this, people. And this is such a delicious meal! So filling and tasty. I used my canned tomatoes from last season and they were so yummy! Also - full disclosure - I didn't have any salsa in the house so I used taco sauce! Haha! It didn't matter. This is such a great meal. Freezes great too! I will definitely be making this again in the future!

Slow Cooker Little Smokies

From: Here

Ingredients:

1 pound Little Smokies sausage

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Dump it all in! Stir well and cook on low for 4 hours, or high for about 2. Make sure the smokies are hot throughout and serve out of the crock with toothpicks.

  

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I will make this again and again - perfect for appetizers, potlucks, and parties! These were really delicious and I highly recommend them! 

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

In my quest to feed my family more homemade foods - foods that I know all the ingredients - I realized I had forgotten how much we love muffins! I know I've made homemade muffins before but I was looking for a new recipe - one that made big, fluffy, blueberry-popping muffins. If you've made muffins in the past you know they have a tendency to be very dry. This recipe is a definite winner. I'll never buy muffins at the store again. My next flavor with this recipe will either be apple cinnamon or cranberry orange! Or strawberry! Who knows!?

From: One Fabulous Mama

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
2 cups AP flour
2/3 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh blueberries

Mix together the milk, oil, vanilla and egg. Add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the batter is cake-like. Fold in one cup fresh blueberries. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

She notes that these freeze really well. Also, if you use self-rising flour you can omit the baking powder! Also, I used fresh blueberries from our blueberry bushes last season. YUMMY!

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake

From: Buns In My Oven

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package directions, but not baked
1 1/2 cups dulce de leche (or caramel sauce)
1 cup hot fudge sauce
 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Pour half of the prepared cake mix into the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and pour warmed dulce de leche and hot fudge sauce over the cake. Spread to cover the entire cake.
Pour remaining cake batter over the top of the cake and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until the cake is done.
Cool for 20 minutes (or more) before serving.

Verdict:
THUMBS UP! Doesn't get any easier than this and this cake is so moist and delicious. Seriously, my new favorite dessert. P.S. Mine does NOT look anything like the original website's picture but the taste is incredible anyway!

Homemade Biscuits (And You Can Freeze Them!)

From: Here

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 to 1 cup milk

Add all the dry ingredient together in a bowl or food processor and mix together. Add the shortening and use the metal blade on the food processor until the mixture is crumbly or mix by hand, with a fork or with a pastry cutter until the shortening is fully incorporated in little pieces.

Next add just enough milk to bring the mixture together. Stir by hand or pulse in the food processor. Once it forms a ball it’s done, don’t over mix.

Flour your hands, rolling pin and counter and drop the dough on the counter. With your hands bring it together to form a ball and knead once or twice if you need to bring the dough together more.

Roll from the center out until the dough is your desired thickness. Generally about ½ inch thick is good. And use a small, 2 inch cookie cutter to cut out the biscuits. Give the cookie cutter a gentle twist against the counter to help it cut through the dough.

Place the biscuits on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet to flash freeze or a greased cookie sheet to bake.
Gather extra dough and re-roll it to the same thickness as before then cut more biscuits. Repeat until you use all the dough.

Bake at 450 for 8-12 minutes until golden brown and flaky.

How To Freeze
Freeze on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet for an hour or two, just until the biscuits are solid then place in a freezer bag. Label and date; use within six months.

How To Thaw Or Reheat Homemade Biscuits
Cooked biscuits can be thawed in the fridge or on the countertop. They can also be placed in the microwave for a few seconds or in the oven for a few minutes to reheat.
Frozen biscuits that are uncooked can be baked from frozen or thawed in the fridge. Add about 50% cooking time for frozen items, thus at 450 they should take 12 minutes or so. Check them after 10 minutes but allow up to 15 minutes to bake.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I made these by halving the recipe and making them in the afternoon just in case they failed for dinner. Now I wish I had made them closer to dinner time...  Definitely an EASY recipe, basically no-fuss. And the fact that you can freeze them? BONUS! I see homemade biscuits and jam in my future... homemade bacon, egg and cheese biscuits in my future... lots of new breakfast ideas in my future since I am too cheap to buy store-bought biscuits!