Cafe Rio Chicken

2 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 a small bottle of zesty italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 pkt ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup of water)
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on High 5-6 hours OR on Low 8 hours. Shred with fork and serve in salads, burritos, tacos…etc. You can also double or triple this to make extras for freezing. Then simply thaw and reheat for a lickity split meal.

This is really good and really easy!  The chicken was juicy, tender and delicious!  I served these Burrito style tonight but it would be great in a salad or with rice & beans! 

From Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms.

Cinnamon Cheesecake

Crust:
1-1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Filling:
3 pkgs (8 oz each)Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1 heaping Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 extra-large eggs + 1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 325^ F.

Mix graham crumbs, butter and brown sugar; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and granulated sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream, flour and cinnamon; mix well. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Cheesecake is not my favorite dessert, but John loves the stuff and he says this was a winner! IMO, as cheesecakes go, this one was pretty good. I would have liked the crust to be a bit crunchier, but it'll do. I served it with a bit of the Blue Cranberry Sauce I made earlier spooned over each slice.

Next Day:  This cheesecake is REALLY good the next day.  I suggest making it ahead of time from now on!

I don't remember where I found the recipe, but I think it might have been on the Philadelphia Cream Cheese webpage. Or maybe Honey Maid graham crackers.

Foolproof Rib Roast

1 (5 pound) standing beef rib roast
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Allow roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small cup. Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan so that the fatty side is up and the rib side is on the bottom. Rub the seasoning onto the roast.

Roast for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Turn the oven off and leave the roast inside. Do not open the door. Leave it in there for 3 hours. 30 to 40 minutes before serving, turn the oven back on at 375 degrees F. to reheat the roast. The internal temperature should be at least 145 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving into servings.

This truly is a foolproof way to cook a rib roast. I've made this several times since finding this Paula Deen recipe on foodnetwork.com and it's always juicy, tender and perfectly cooked!

Sunday Gravy and Macaroni (Spaghetti, Really)

1 pound spaghetti
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 thin cut pork loin chops, 1/2-inch thick
Salt and pepper
2 each sweet and hot Italian sausage links
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup Marsala
1 pound meat loaf mix, ground beef, pork and veal combined
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for tossing pasta and to pass at table
1 loaf crusty Italian bread, heated just before serving to crisp crust

Heat a deep skillet or medium heavy bottomed sauce pot over medium high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Remove skin and cut sausages into 1" chunks. Add 1 tablespoon, 1 turn of the pan, extra-virgin olive oil to pan or pot. Place chops in pan or pot and brown 2 minutes on each side, remove. Add another tablespoon oil, 1 turn of the pan, and sausages. Brown sausages 2 minutes on each side and transfer to plate with pork. Add pepper flakes, 3 cloves chopped garlic and onion to the pot and saute 1 minute. Add broth to the pan and scrape up drippings. Add tomatoes and herbs and bring sauce to a bubble. Add meats back to the pot and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer sauce over a very low heat for a couple of hours, gently stirring every once in a while.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Lightly mix the ground meat, mayo, garlic salt, 1/4 cup cheese and some black pepper. Gently roll into balls, 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Place balls on nonstick cookie sheet. Roast meatballs 10 minutes, then slide into Sunday sauce.

In the meantime, heat water for pasta to a boil. Salt and cook pasta 7 to 8 minutes, to al dente.

To serve, place pork, sausages and meatballs on serving dish. Pour 1/2 of the sauce into a serving dish to ladle over pasta and meats at the table. Toss cooked spaghetti with remaining sauce in sauce pot, adding a few handfuls of grated cheese to the pot as you toss it. Transfer pasta to a serving dish.

Adapted from the Rachael Ray recipe. This stuff is GOOD!

Hurry Up Turkey Pot Pie

2 cups chopped cooked turkey breast
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350^F. Place the turkey and peas & carrots in a greased 2-quart casserole. Combine the soup, chicken broth and thyme in a small bowl until well mixed. Add salt and pepper if desired. Pour over the turkey. Stir together the Bisquick and milk and pour it gently over the turkey mixture. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

This was quick to make and tasted really good. Classic comfort food!  Adapted from Paula Deen's Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie.

Sausage Balls

Sausage Balls

3 cups Original Bisquick mix

1  pound bulk pork sausage

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

Barbecue sauce or chili sauce, if desired

 Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease bottom and sides of jelly roll pan, 15 1/2x10 1/2x2x1 inch.

Stir together all ingredients, using hands or spoon. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm with sauce for dipping.

Want to make these cheese balls ahead? Your options are many! You can:

·  Cover and refrigerate unbaked balls up to 24 hours. Bake as directed.

·  Cover and freeze unbaked balls up to 1 month. Heat oven to 350ºF. Place frozen balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brown.

·  Bake as directed; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Heat oven to 350ºF. Place frozen balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through.

·  Bake as directed; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Place 6 frozen balls on microwavable plate. Loosely cover with waxed paper. Microwave on High 45 seconds to 1 minute or until heated through.

Frosty The Cheeseball

Frosty The Cheeseball

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

4  cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)

2 tablespoons basil pesto

1 tablespoon grated onion

1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard

2 drops red pepper sauce

1 container (4 ounces) whipped cream cheese, softened

Decorations, if desired

Assorted crackers, if desired

Mix 3 packages cream cheese and the Cheddar cheese; divide into 3 equal parts. Combine 2 parts to equal two-thirds of mixture; mix in pesto. Mix onion, mustard and pepper sauce into remaining one-third mixture.

Cover each cheese mixture and refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape. Shape each cheese mixture into ball. Wrap each ball, label and freeze.

About 12 hours before serving, remove balls from freezer. Thaw in wrappers in refrigerator.

Arrange balls on serving plate with smaller ball on top for head of snowman. Frost snowman with whipped cream cheese before serving. Decorate as desired. Serve with crackers. Store covered in refrigerator.

You can make this cute little guy up to 1 month ahead!