Crockpot Rancho-Taco Chichen

Delish....

Y'all heard me say this before; this is one of my go recipes! No lie...I cook this just about every other week. I kick off my Sunday routine starting this in the crock pot. I usually start this right after breakfast and cook it slow. My sister introduced me to this recipe. I can't remember the original recipe name but I believe she came across it on Pin.  So I dubbed it the Crock Rancho-Taco chicken.

We eat it through the week; I make tacos with it. This recipe can be done in so many different ways. I've used the tortilla boats (find these at wally-world) and top it with black beans, tomatoes and cheese. Then bake them till cheese is golden. I do this with left overs because it's perfect for lunch.

Crock Rancho-Taco Chicken

• 1.5-2 lb. Chicken thighs (Chicken breasts are good too!)
• 1 pkg Fiesta Ranch season mix - fyi..most times I use regular Ranch season.
• 1 pkg taco season mix
• 1/2 C chicken broth

Place chicken in crock pot; single layer.

Sprinkle Ranch and Taco seasoning over chicken.

Pour chicken broth over. Cover and cook in crock pot on low for 6 hours of high for 3-4 hours. Pull apart and cook on low for a little bit longer; 1/2 hour. I like to pull it and let it cook low and slow while I start the rest of the dinner.

Here is a variation of this recipe I used the next day;

• Rancho-Taco Chicken
• 2 pkg Crescent Rolls
• Colby Jack cheese
• 1 egg

Heat oven to 350. Separate crescent rolls and place a spoon full of the chicken in the center of the dough.

Sprinkle with cheese. Place another crescent roll on top and seal with a fork.

Brush with egg and sprinkle with more cheese. Cook for 12-15 minutes, till golden brown. Its a wonderful thing!

Rice Krispies with a Twist!!

Who doesn't love Rice Krispy treats! During the Holidays my house sings snap, crackle and pop constantly.

I make these gooey little treats through out the year for birthdays, Easter, Christmas, and any time I need a marshmallow fix. I like any kind but my favorite are the treats made with a added ingredients. The most popular in my house is this recipe. My secret ingredient is;

Yep, Luck Charms marshmallows! The added marshmallow makes this treat so good! The marshmallows don't melt and are perfect for a little extra sweetness! You may be asking, do you really pick the marshmallows out of the cereal??

Yes I do, These treats are the best when you use the Lucky Charms cereal marshmallows. I have used these marshmallows in the past. It's something about the size and quantity of the mallows you get from a box of Lucky Charms that make them the best!

Drizzle some chocolate or make pops out of them; they are so versatile. I hope you enjoy this recipe and will have some more goodies top post as we move closer to the Holidays.

Rice Krispy Treats with a Twist

• 6 cups of Rice Krispies
• 1 bag of regular marshmallows or 6 cups of mini marshmallows
• 3 T of better
• 1 t of vanilla extract
• The Marshmallows from 1 box of Lucky Charms cereal (if you use the cereal mallows mentioned in the link above then use 2 C)

Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Add the marshmallows and continue to melt over low heat. Line a 9x13 pan with wax paper and spray with oil; set aside. 

Once melted, pull from heat and add vanilla and rice krispies and mix well. 

Then add the Lucky Charms mallows and mix well. 

Move mixture to the greased 9x13 pan. spread and let cool completely. 

Once cooled you can pull the formed krispies out of the pan, paper and all. Lay on a flat surface and cut into pieces using a bread knife. I find this knife gives you the cleanest cut. Any other knife and the gooey krispies will end up sticking to the knife. Enjoy!

Fall Harvest Chex mix

Our favorite time of year is here! Cooler temperatures, Halloween, Turkey and the big guy dressed in red! Even with the loss of an hour of day light we still enjoy the outdoors the most. Summer time takes us to the water and the fall time takes us to the farm. Check out my other blog; Just me to see how our Halloween was. Anyway, digressing there....

Holiday season seems to start earlier and earlier every year, or the years just go by faster and faster. Starting with Halloween, we love to spook out the house and get ready to scare the kiddies, I also love making lots of sweets. They are easy to do and I always have something to take to a party or to pull out for our weekend bonfires. This chex mix is a good mix of sweet and salty.

The recipe makes 3-4 gallon size zip bags! Please comment and tell me what your favorite Chex mix is. I love seeing all the different varieties and getting great ideas for my next batch!

Sweet & Salty Chex mix

• 1 box Honey Nut Chex
• Any type of nut; I used sliced Almonds for this batch
• Stick pretzels
• Chocolate M&Ms
• Chocolate covers raisins
• White Candy coating 

Start by mixing the dry ingredients. I used 2 really big bowls.

You will need a large surface to lay out the chex mix to dry. I have a flat surface oven so I lay out parchment paper to cover the stove.

Heat up the candy coating per the directions on the package. The coasting I used took approximately 3 min. to heat in the microwave.

Once fully melted, evenly divide the coating between the 2 bowls and coat well. Then pour out over your surface for drying. The mix will be completely dry in 1/2 hour. Then break apart and store in air tight containers. I use gallon size zip bags for my storing,  

Mama's Home Made Pickles

I love...love...LOVE pickles! The last couple of years my cucumbers haven't done so well in the garden so I would head to the farmers market to buy my cucumbers but not this year!! My plants have exploded and I was so happy to be able to make my pickles with the cucumbers I grew in my garden. It just makes me feel good that I know my cucumbers are fresh and organic. No pesticides, just a wonderful home grown vegetable that I didn't waste. Of course I had to give a few away but what I harvested at the end of my gardening season made 6 full jars that I can provide to my family and enjoy myself.

Because we love pickles so much, I do not do the whole canning process. I give a few jars away and they never last for more then a few weeks in the refrigerator. Even without the canning process they will hold in the fridge for 3-6 months easy.

I can't tell how easy this recipe is. To make things real easy I use the Mrs Wages Kosher Dill Pickles and add my own spices. You can usually find this with the Ball Canning supplies at your local Walmart. 

Here's the recipe:

• 1 package of Mr. Wages Kosher Dill Pickles
• Hand full of Fresh dill - For this recipe I only added fresh dill but I usually add fresh garlic cloves as well. You could add some mustard or celery seeds or spice it up with some red pepper flakes as well. I did that for a special batch for my step-father one year who loves spicy foods.  
• Vinegar
• Sugar
• Salt

Mrs Wages Kosher Dill Pickle seasons.

Put your jars and lids in a warm bath on the stove while you prep the cucumbers and pickle seasons. Follow the instructions on the back of the Mrs Wages season packet. When the seasons are ready, pull your jars and lids and dry them on a clean towel. 

Clean your pickles and then cut your them into spears. 

Add any spices before and after you fill the jars with your cucumber spears. Don't over crowd your jars, I like to give my pickles a little wiggle room so that they are nice and seasoned. 

Then ladle the pickle juice into each jar and seal with lids. I mentioned earlier, I rarely do the whole canning process. I stop at this point and let them cool completely before I put them in the refrigerator. They will last for a few months without being canned. I'd love to hear about your pickle recipes. Please comment. Enjoy!