Crock Pot Garlic Bacon Chicken & Couscous

5-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I cut them in half)

1 (3-oz) package precooked bacon bits (not artificial)

1 can roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

½ cup flour

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix all remaining ingredients together well and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over egg noodles, rice or couscous.

If Freezing: Place chicken in gallon-size freezer bag. Pour sauce mixture over chicken. Seal and freeze.

Basic Couscous
1 garlic glove, finely minced or pressed
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup couscous
1 1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat garlic, onion, and salt in sauce pan with olive oil over medium heat. Stir and cook until onion becomes translucent (about 2-4 minutes). Add couscous, toss until couscous is coated. Cook, stirring often, until some of the grains are just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate sauce pan (or in the microwave) heat broth, bringing to a boil. Once couscous has begun to brown and get toasted, remove from heat. Carefully pour hot broth over couscous, quickly stir to combine, and place lid on saucepan. Let set for 5 minutes. When 5 minutes is up, fluff with a fork and throw in parmesan (and S&P to taste). Serves 4.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

• 2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix (such as Bisquick or Jiffy)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together biscuit mix, cheese and garlic powder. Add in milk, and stir until well mixed. (Heads up – the dough will get very sticky!)

With a spoon, cookie scoop, or with your fingers, shape the dough into biscuit-sized clumps, and drop onto the baking sheet. (Note that the dough will pretty much hold its shape when baked, so feel free to pat down random peaks in the dough if you’d like them to look more uniform!)

Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until biscuits begin to brown slightly around the edges.

While the biscuits bake, prepare the warm butter mixture by mixing together the melted butter, oregano and garlic salt in a small bowl. As soon as the biscuits are removed from the oven, brush the biscuits (while they are still on the baking sheet) with the mixture until they are well-coated.

Serve warm.

(*This recipe usually makes about 16 biscuits for me when I use my scoop.*)

Tip: If you’d like to actually see more of the grated cheddar in the finished biscuits, opt for the more thickly grated cheddar (rather than the super-fine stuff!). Both of course taste exactly the same, but I love seeing the little whisps of cheddar.

Potato Casserole (Funeral/Yummy Potatoes)

Cook 6 medium potatoes in salted water. (Boil about 35-40 minutes or until soft). Cool and grate on large grater. Heat 4 Tablespoons butter, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 pint sour cream, ½ cup grated onion, ½ cup grated cheese, and salt and pepper. Stir. Fold in potatoes. Place in buttered casserole dish, sprinkle extra cheese on top, and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until warm.

Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

4 baking potatoes (These are much bigger than russet potatoes-you can use others, but adjust the amount according to the size you choose.)
1 Cup sour cream
½ c butter softened
1 3-oz pkg cream cheese
2 green onions chopped thinly including tops
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
¼ tsp thyme
(1 tsp) Milk if you need to thin it out (I usually find I don’t need it)
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
Paprika for color

Bake potatoes for 45 minutes to an hour (poke only a couple holes). (If you have a good microwave, you can do them in there to save time-I love this option). Cut in half lengthwise. Spoon potatoes in bowl and set shells aside. Add to potatoes all stuff except cheese. Whip until light with hand mixer. Fold in cheese and fill shells. Wrap shells in tin foil. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Sage, Sausage and Apple Dressing

Sage, Sausage and Apple Dressing

16-ounce bag stuffing cubes (OR: I used one 20oz loaf of French Country Artisan bread sliced to a #15 thickness at Harmons Grocery Store).
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan and topping
1 pound fresh sage sausage, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cooking apples, (Gravenstein, Rome, Golden Delicious) peeled, cored, and chopped.
1 to 2 ribs of celery chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
(I also added a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary-yum!)
½ cup walnut (or pecan) pieces, toasted (I did over a cup-I like the crunch)
2 eggs, beaten

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Put the stuffing cubes in a large bowl and set aside. If using fresh bread, toast the cubes 5 or 10 minutes to dry them out. Butter a 3-quart (9X13 casserole dish).

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it loses most of its pink color, but not so much that it’s dry, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and pan drippings to the stuffing cubes. Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the onion, apple, celery, and salt. Cook until the vegetables get soft, about five minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil.

Pour the vegetable mixture over the stuffing cubes and toss until evenly moistened. Mix in the walnuts and eggs. Loosely pack the dressing in the prepared pan and cook uncovered until the top forms a crust, about 40 minutes. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of turkey pan drippings or melted butter over the top. Cook until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Set immediately or warm.

To toast the nuts spread them on a baking sheet and toast at 350 degrees until golden, about 7 minutes.