Okay, so I didn’t want to be left out…everyone else is posting their top posts for the year, so I thought I would check mine out as well.  And just to be dumb different, I’m posting my top ELEVEN for 2011. It’s been a super fast year, and filled with lots of yummy food.  Which explains why my pants are so tight….New Year’s Resolutions anyone?!

 
Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles (bacon is really popular)

Slow Cooked Sticky Chicken

Easter Cupcakes (one of my favorites this year too!)

Low Sugar/low carb Chocolate Eclair Cake

Biscoff Cookie Dough Dip (Biscoff = favorite find of the year!)

Strawberry Zucchini Marmalade

Homemade ‘King’s Hawaiian’ Bread

Deep Dish Cookie Pie (baking with chickpeas – another favorite discovery this year!)

Low Carb Pizza Casserole

Low Carb Homemade ‘Thin Mints’

Easy Chicken & ‘Dumplings’ in the crockpot

Now I’m hungry.  Thanks to everyone who has supported my blogging efforts this year.  It’s been a fun journey and one my family has appreciated (for the most part).  I’ve been slack recently, slipping back into old habits of reaching for convenience items and quick fixes – so I’m definitely going to be making an effort to do better.  More fresh ingredients and meal planning for 2012! And working out….lots of working out.  (I hope)  Gotta lose these extra pounds so I can be a hot mama this year too. L-O-L!

Christmas is over?! What!?  How? When?  What happened?!  The past several days are a blur.  It came fast and went fast and I don’t feel like I’ve had one peaceful, restful moment!  Since the holidays did go so quickly, I didn’t get half the baking done that I wanted….so I’m still at it!  But only until the end of the week…then those New Year’s resolutions will be strictly enforced.  For at least 72 hours.

If you are ready to kick the New Year off with something a little different, then this is the cookie for you.  It’s kinda like a shortbread cookie, with a kick of delicious lemon.  Meyer lemons really do live up to their hype.  This is my first time trying them, and I’m a fan.  However, I’m sure regular lemons would work in this, as would limes or oranges.  I’m pretty much loving all things citrus right now!

My kids are finally getting out of school.  I’m afraid it is going to come a day when Christmas is no more than an optional teacher workday on the school calendar.  But that’s a different rant story all together.  We got the teacher gifts together, and since it was late at night (b/c do I ever do anything ahead of time?! No.) the lighting is pretty bad.  Since I had several teacher gifts to do this year, we kept it cheap simple.  Hopefully, it really is the thought that counts!

Is everyone up to their eyeballs in cooking and baking and wrapping and all that comes along with the Christmas season?!  Not to mention my kids aren’t even out of school yet.  They go until WEDNESDAY!  How freakin’ ridiculous.  So it’s still the usual routine, on top of everything else.  And teacher gifts….well, that’s another post.  I hope they aren’t expecting a whole lot, b/c Christmas has just come much to fast for me this year!  So, my point to this little rant is this – we’re busy.  But we still gotta eat.  And even though I could get by with a bowl of cereal, my kids generally expect a little more.

I figured this would be a good time to share this super easy, yet pretty darn tasty, Chicken and ‘Dumplings’, made right in the crockpot – or slowcooker – whatever floats your boat.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs chicken tenders (can start these from frozen)
• 6 carrots, about 1 lb., sliced *I omitted
• 1-2 stalks celery, chopped *I omitted
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup *I used ‘homemade’ – recipe follows
• 2 cans chicken broth 
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 flour tortillas, cut into squares
• 1 Tbs. flour

1. Place chicken tenders in slow cooker, either thawed or frozen.
2. Add carrots and celery to slow cooker.
3. Stir cream soup, chicken broth, milk, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper together. Pour over other ingredients in crock.
4. Cook on high 7-8 hours.
5. Remove chicken and chop or pull apart with 2 forks.
6. Toss flour tortilla pieces with flour. Stir into soup 30 minutes before serving.

Have you ever had bread?  It’s delicious, and my girls absolutely love it.  Problem is, it contains eggs, so my son can’t eat it.  Therefore, I don’t buy it very often.  Plus, it’s a little pricey.

The other day, while searching for a bread to make for my son’s preschool teachers, I stumbled across this one for .  I was intrigued since it called for sweetened condensed milk, and I pretty much love anything with sweetened condensed milk.  I used my bread machine to make the dough, but it’s not necessary, or you can make the entire loaf in the machine.  I divided the dough and made 4 mini loaves.  It rose great, and the best part was that I was only planning on giving away 3 of them 😀  You see where I’m going with this right?  My oldest daughter and I felt compelled to cut into the freshly baked 4th loaf, b/c you never want to give something away not knowing how it tastes!

My daughter took one bite, and with a mouthful, she said, ohmygahhh, this is soooo good.  I told her to swallow her food and then she said “It tastes just like King’s Hawaiian!!”  That was one happy girl.  She asked me to make another loaf the next day, just for us.  And I did.  Because it was awesome.  And it was easy to make!  and it contains no eggs…score, score, SCORE!

Decadent Sweet Milk Bread (or Homemade ‘King’s Hawaiian’) 
source:

1 cup of water
½ cup of sweetened condensed milk *I used fat-free
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of butter
3 1/3 cups of bread flour*
2 teaspoons of yeast
Put ingredients in bread machine and set for dough cycle. When complete, remove and separate into three sections. Roll each out like snakes and mesh ends together. Braid and press ends together. Place in baking dish and allow to rise for 25-30 minutes. (Here’s a little trick: before braiding your bread, heat your oven to 175 degrees and then turn off. Put your braided bread in the warmed oven to rise.) Brush melted butter or egg white on top after rising. Bake at 340 for 30-45 minutes, until top is golden brown. 

*The first time I made this, I used all-purpose flour and a teaspoon of vital wheat gluten. The second time I used bread flour.  It was delicious both times, so I don’t think it makes much difference.


I’m planning on making rolls with this dough next time, and I’m going to take a loaf to my parents’ house for Christmas Eve Brunch, and I think I’m going to make a loaf for my neighbors as well. Yes, this is definitely a keeper in the Mo’Betta house!

I’m linking this recipe up with the following linkys – , ,   , ,

I made cookies the other day.  You wouldn’t know, as there is no proof.  Well, wait, there is this…

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
2 3/4 cups Heart Healthy Bisquick baking mix
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup nuts, chopped, (optional) *I omitted

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix butter, sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir in Bisquick mix, chips and nuts (if using). Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart; flatten slightly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

I don’t know about you, but it’s nice to have a quick and easy recipe to fall back on.  The only bad thing is my little man couldn’t eat them b/c of the egg.  Next time I’ll try subbing out the egg and see how they turn out.  I can’t believe I haven’t done hardly any holiday baking.  It makes me sad!  I just haven’t had time.  BUT – I will be making sausage balls and fudge very soon.  And I have to do something with the bag of Meyer lemons I just had to have.  Could someone clone me please?

Update: I have also made these with coconut oil instead of butter! Check them out here.

Participating in these recipe linkys – , ,  , , ,

I wanted a little something to give out to the kids in my son’s 3 y/o preschool class.  I decided on “” b/c it was cute, quick and easy. (and I would get to eat the extra candy. Always a bonus.)

I found a printable bag topper from , which was awesome, b/c it kept me from trying to figure it out on my own.  I used Whoppers for the brown noses and red Pretzel M&M;’s for Rudolph’s nose.

I’m linking this recipe up with ,Wow Me Wednesday at , , ,  , , , , , , , , ,, for Savory Sunday