Creamy Crockpot Chicken

I am in charge of dinner in our house because if I left it to my husband, we would have cereal every night.  Plus, I love to cook.  However, my least favorite part is trying to think of what to make.  Have you ever asked the people in your household what they want for dinner?  I always get, "I don't know" or "I don't care" or the ever dreadful "Food".  Pinterest has been a great help to inspires me to try new things, including this delicious looking recipe.

The original recipe can be found HERE.  I changed a few things because the first time I made this, it needed something else.  AND, I got my picky husband to agree to let me add in some peas.  He actually liked them.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken

1 packet Chicken Gravy Mix

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

2 cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

3-4 Chicken Breasts

1 cup frozen Peas

1/2 cup Sour Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Either in the Crock of your Slow Cooker or in a separate bowl, combine the gravy mix, soup, broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Don't add too much salt because the broth and gravy mix are already salted.  I used frozen chicken breast and just placed them in the bottom of the crock and poured my mixture over the top.  If you mix in the crock, just make sure each piece at least has a thin layer of the sauce.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

When you get home, shred the chicken.  You can do it either in the crock or on a plate and toss that back in with the peas and sour cream.

The peas just need to warm up and the sour cream just adds a nice tangy, creamy consistency.  Serve over rice, noodles or potatoes.

We really enjoyed this dish and it made for excellent leftovers for lunch the next day.  I served with egg noodles this time but the first time, we served over rice.  Both were a good option.  Mashed potatoes will be my next side.

Eggless Edible Cookie Dough

"Don't eat that dough.  You'll get salmonella poisoning."  I am sure you have heard that from a concerned mother at least once in your life.  I have ate my share of cookie dough in my time but that mysterious salmonella steered clear.  Just to be safe, I thought I would make this Eggless Edible Cookie Dough.  It's not as satisfying as real cookie dough but it will do in a pinch.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Eggless Edible Cookie Dough

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugars together until smooth, then add in the milk and vanilla until combined.  Mix in the flour until smooth and finally fold in the chocolate chips.  You can add more chocolate chips if you want.  I think nuts would be a good addition as well.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

I am a chicken fiend.  I could eat it everyday.  (Except Sunday, that's my steak day.)  So, I am always looking for new ways to prepare it.   I am partial to thighs or whole chickens because I find the breast to become too easily overcooked.  I have been toying with this recipe for about 6 months now.  I started with this Amish Chicken recipe.  It takes a few spices and a mix of heavy cream and water to bake the chicken in.  It was a good recipe.  The chicken was super moist but I was looking for something with more flavor.  I think I finally have it down to a great recipe that you will love.

Creamy Ranch Chicken
6-8 chicken thighs
1 cup flour
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 tbsp Johnny's seasoning salt
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
3 cups heavy cream (1-1/2 cups heavy cream and 1-1/2 cups water)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying with pan spray.  In a large paper bag or 1 gallon ziploc, mix your flour, ranch mix, johnny's and garlic powder.  Put your chicken pieces in the bag and shake, shake, shake until thoroughly coated.  Place the chicken in the pan, skin side up.  Then, pour the heavy cream over the top of the chicken.  it should cover the chicken about 3/4 of the way up.  You can adjust to your pan size or chicken amount.  Bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and done.

I usually fish the chicken out of the pan and use a whisk to get all the yummy bits mixed in with the pan juices.  It makes a fantastic gravy for mashed potatoes or pasta.