Cowboy Casserole

 Original Recipe here

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef , (85/15)
• 1 cup corn
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 12 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 32 oz tater tots

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until browned.

3. Add the corn, cream of chicken soup, 1 cup cheese, milk, sour cream, onion powder, and bacon to the skillet and mix well.

4. In a 9x13 pan layer the beef mixture, then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese on top of the meat mixture, then finally pour tater tots over top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, uncovered.

5. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

Southern Apple Crumble

 Original recipe found here

Filling:

3 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

-Heat oven to 300°F. Spray bottom and sides of 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, toss filling ingredients. Spread mixture in baking dish.

-In same large bowl, stir cookie mix and melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling.

-Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with pecans. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature

Croissant Bread Pudding w/ Pean Toffee Sauce

Original recipe found here 

Bread Pudding:

6 jumbo croissants (8 large, or 12 small)

3 cups heavy cream

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Pecan Toffee Sauce:

3/4 cup brown sugar, tightly packed

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup toasted pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. For the bread pudding:
3. In a large bowl mix together the egg yolks and sugar.
4. Then whisk in the heavy cream and whisk until fully incorporated.
5. Tear croissants into pieces and place half of the croissants into a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with baking spray.
6. Pour half the custard over the bread pieces in the pan.
7. Press down the bread pieces with your hands until the bread is soaked with the custard. 
8. Add the remaining croissant bread pieces, and the remaining custard mixture. 
9. Bake the bread pudding for 45-55 minutes until golden on top.
10. Cool for 10 minutes and serve warm. While it cools, make the pecan sauce.

For the pecan toffee sauce:

1. Stir brown sugar and butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Add cream and almond extract and bring to a simmer.
3. Simmer for about 5 minutes and then add pecans.
4. Serve on top of bread pudding.

Pot Roast--Slow Cooker

 Original recipe here

3-5 lb chuck roast

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

4 cups beef broth

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

Gravy Slurry (add this at the end once the meat is out of the slow cooker):

2 TBSP cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

1) Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (depending on roast size)

2) Remove meat and let it rest while you make gravy slurry (leave slow cooker heat on). Make gravy slurry, and whisk into juices in the slow cooker. Whisk until it thickens. 

3) Shred meat, and serve with mashed potatoes and gravyyyyyyyyy.

Carrot Cake Pancakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Original recipe found here 

• 1 ¼ cup (6oz/180g) all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ Cup (1 ½ oz / 45g) brown sugar*
• 1 ¼ cup (10oz/280g) milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cup (5 ½ /150g) carrots, peeled chopped
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tsp vanilla

• In a blender add in chopped carrots and pulse until fine.
• To the carrots, add the vanilla, egg, milk, raisins and pulse until well blended and the mix turns orange. The mix will get thick.
• In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar.
• Add the carrot mixture and oil to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Don't over-mix or your pancakes will end up flat and tough.
• Heat a griddle to medium heat. It’s important to have a steady medium heat for cooking pancakes. When griddle is hot, add a little butter.
• Scoop a big spoonful of batter onto the griddle. Cook on first side until bubbles form all over the top of the pancake and the edges begin to change color. These bubbles are important to hold up your pancake.
• Flip pancake and cook 1 to 2 minutes on second side.
• For the Cream Cheese Frosting: Place the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer or hand mixer.
• Beat the ingredients until the cream cheese is smooth.
• Add in the cream and continue to beat until the mix thickens, around 2 minutes.
• Serve a big dollop of the Cream Cheese Frosting on top of your pancakes, drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle over some toasted walnuts. Everything combined makes the most incredible stack of pancakes.

Oatmeal Whoopie Pies

Original recipe found here

Filling recipe found here

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
3 TBSP boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
2-1/2 cups flour
2 cups quick oats

-Preheat oven to 350º.

-Cream brown sugar, butter, and shortening. Add eggs and mix. Add salt, cinnamon, and baking powder and mix. Mix baking soda and boiling water, then add to the bowl and mix. Add flour and oatmeal and mix well. 

-Scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets so that you have rounded heaping teaspoons. Bake for 10 minutes, being careful not to burn. Remove from oven, transfer to a cooling rack, and let the cookies cool completely.

Filling:

5 TBSP Flour

1 cup Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup Butter

1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

-In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens (you want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is).

-Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature (it must be completely cool before you use it in the next step).

-Stir in vanilla.         

-While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the completely cooled milk mixture and beat THOROUGHLY (if it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough!). Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.

-Using a small size cookie scoop, put a scoop of filling on one oatmeal cookie, then top with a second oatmeal cookie. Lightly press together. 

Easy Marinara Sauce

Original recipe found here

3 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onions
3 cloves minced garlic (1 1/2 tsp)
1/4 cup fresh basil (or 1-2 TBSP dried basil)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2-28oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 tsp white sugar
**optional: pork ribs cut into single rib pieces (the fat from the pork ribs is what REALLY makes this sauce awesome)

Instructions:
-Warm olive oil in sauce pan, then add onions and minced garlic. Let saute for about 5 minutes, until tender.
-Add in remaining ingredients and stir well.
-If you're using pork ribs, add them to the sauce now and make sure they're covered with the sauce.
-Allow sauce to come to a boil on medium heat, stirring every couple of minutes so sauce doesn't burn on the bottom.
-Turn down to low heat, and let it simmer for an hour or more.

Slow Cooker: add everything to the slow cooker and set it to low.