What's For Dinner

Tonight I'm going to try a recipe from the website "A Year of Slow Cooking." I just put together a Chicken and Dumpling Soup recipe in the crockpot. It was super easy to throw together. It only took 5 minutes to assemble all the stuff. Here's the recipe:



Here's what the website shares. My favorite part is reading her "verdicts."

Chicken and dumplings! Finally! I don't know why it took me so long to make this----it was terribly easy, and very tasty. Thank you so much for all of the recipes that were sent in. This is a compilation of recipes from Tamara, Kimberley, Danette, and Renee. Thank you!

The Ingredients.

--3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (I used frozen thighs)
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1 cup mushrooms, chopped (I used baby portabellas)
--16 ounces frozen vegetables

--2 cans cream-of-something soup, or combine in a saucepan:
4 T butter
6 T flour (I used Pamela's baking mix)
1 cup milk (I used soy)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning

--1 can refrigerated biscuits, or one batch drop biscuits (I used Pamela's Baking Mix, and used the drop-biscuit recipe listed on the back of the bag)

The Directions.

I used a 6.5 quart crockpot. Anything 4 quarts and up will work. Put the chicken and vegetables into the bottom of the crockpot. Add the cream-of soups, or your homemade substitute. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. I cooked ours on high for 4 hours, and on low for another two. An hour before serving, shred chicken with two large forks, and drop in the biscuit dough.

Cover and cook on high for another hour. The bisquits are done when you can insert a knife and it comes out clean. They will be spongey and will brown a bit on the sides and top.

Serve in bowls, with a biscuit or two per person.

The Verdict.

Delicious. I've never had chicken and dumplings before, and really enjoyed this a lot. Adam and I each had two bowls. Dinner wasn't ready until almost 7, so the kids ended up eating leftovers. My four-year-old thought it looked weird, so fingers are crossed she's feeling adventurous for lunch.


We'll see what my family's verdict is in 8ish hours :)

So dinner was great! For such a small job it was quite a big meal!! The recipe makes enough for about 6 portions so I froze half of it and we will be able to enjoy it some other evening. Perfect for a freezing cold day. I used one can of cream of chicken and one can of cream of celery. Oh my yum!!

Father's Day 2010 Pictures

It's amazing how much he grew in a year. Even though it's been months since Father's Day, I thought I'd post the 2010 edition of D A D that was photographed for my hubby. Maybe next year we'll be able to convince him to sit still... maybe not...

What's For Dinner

Recently I've been trying to "switch it up" with what we've been having for dinner. Last night, on the recommendation of my sister, we tried pulled pork in the crock pot. It was good... a little spicy (I think we're used to less spice, more sweet), but very delicious. Per my sister's advice I cooked it in the crockpot for 8 hours on low. She said that it comes out tough if you cook it on high for less time.

For the recipe I used a McCormick flavor packet and the recipe below (which is also on the back of the packet).




Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
Makes 10 servings.

You Will Need
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, well-trimmed
1 pkg. McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar


PLACE pork in slow cooker.

MIX Seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.

COOK 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.

SHRED pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker; mix and heat with sauce before serving.

Products I Can't Live Without

When I found out I was pregnant with my first, one of the hardest things was trying to figure out what the heck I would register for. What products would I need? What was just a gimmick and would I really find useless. Here are some of the things (past and present) that I could not live without!

Munchie Mug

http://www.munchiemug.com/

You can not beat this product! It keeps the snacks CONTAINED. My boy has easy access to his snacks on the go, the top has a spandex top that stretches to go around my kiddo's hand and unlike other products, I have never had the goldfish (or other contents) spill. It is STURDY and even after a year of daily use, it is still in tip top shape. It is worth every single penny.



Mabel's Labels

http://www.mabel.ca

Even though the boy is not in daycare, there are plenty of situations where we have to leave him with other kids and he needs his belongings labeled. This has been a particular challenge with his food containers (his Munchie Mug, sippy cups, etc.) and no matter how many times I use a Sharpie, it doesn't seem to work very well. Mabel's Labels sells a variety of different labels that you can use to keep track of your kiddo's things. Recently we purchased the labels below, they are dishwasher and microwave proof and will be marking his things for months to come!



Exergen Temporal Thermometer




Nothing about taking a child's temperature is easy, until this product. When I was registering I thought that getting a thermometer like this was unnecessary... then I had a screaming child who was burning up and was impossible to measure. Enter, stage left, the exergen temporal thermometer. Hallelujah! One pass over the forehead and behind the ear and we had an accurate reading. No rectal thermometer reading or holding down the arm. If you get one of these DON'T get it at a baby store. They are GROSSLY overpriced. Walmart and Costco have the same product in different packaging.

I'll post more at another time. In the meantime, what products have been lifesavers for you?