Nutella Cupcakes

Here is a fun and yummy recipe. I mean cupcakes and Nutella, how can you go wrong? Plus you don't need to icing these, unless you really want to. I love Nutella and this is one great way to enjoy it!
 

Nutella Cupcakes
1/4 cup butter at room temperature.
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Nutella at room temp.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a bowl beat butter, oil, and sugar with mixer till light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat till smooth.

In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat on low till all combined. Batter will be thick. It needs to be so you can swirl the nutella.

Divide Batter in 12 paper lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top and swirl through batter with a Knife or bamboo skewer. Bake 25-30 minutes. Let them cool.... then hide them because they will be gone soon!=)

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken

I love rotisserie chicken! I love all the flavors, the crunchy skin and I love Stores that have them HOT and ready to go so you don't have to think of something for dinner. But living in the bush there are no stores that have them hot and ready to go and I don't have one of those cool Rotisserie Ovens either. But I found this recipe that says it is JUST like Rotisserie chicken except you cook it in the Crock Pot. So I saved it and save it and saved it. I never tried it. Mostly because Whole chickens are a little hard to come by here. Yes I could use grouse(a small bird) or Ptarmigan (another small bird) but since this winter we have not found many, this was not really an option. But thankfully the last time we were in town shopping, we bought a few whole chickens and brought them out. I kind of forgot we had them till I was re-arranging my freezer. So I pulled one out and planned to try this recipe. Keith was a little skeptical of my seasoning ability. He is usually the one who seasons any meat we are eating. He is also one of those people that don't need a recipe and everything they cook turns out yummy. Unlike me, who has to follow a recipe till I know it well enough to branch out on my own. So despite his weird look that I was going to season it, he let me. Then I prayed that I would not mess this up and that it would taste GREAT. If not my life as a seasoner would be finished! I know that is a lot of pressure on ones shoulders....hehehe. I just hoped my chicken would taste great and I would not have to admit that I can't season meat. But thankfully this recipe worked great! The chicken literally fell off the bone. It was actually really hard to get it out of the crock pot with out it falling to pieces. Though the skin was not crunchy when I took it out, I put it under the broiler to give it a nice crisp.

I am so glad this chicken turned out so yummy and my kids gobbled it up. Plus I set it up in the morning and had a long day at our local Spring Carnival with snow shoe races, ski races and dog sled races. And yes, to us in Galena, that is considered  Spring... anyways. After a long day, it was wonderful to come home to a cooked meat and all I had to do was make up the sides. So if you don't have one of those cool rotisserie cookers, you can make a delicious chicken in your Crock Pot! Try it! Easy and delicious! It is wonderful!

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken
1 whole chicken
2 TBSP paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix all spices in a small bowl. Add water by the teaspoonful to spices mix till there is a paste. Rub paste all over the chicken. Inside and out. I even did what my husband does and cut a few small slits into the breasts and rubbed spices in that too. That gives more flavor to each bite. Coat chicken well with paste. Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray and place chicken in pot, breast side up. Cover and cook 6-7 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

I love this soup! It has so many yummy flavors all incorporated into it!It is really delicious!

Chicken Enchilada Soup
3 cups chicken stock
2 skinless chicken breast
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ancho chilli powder( I don't have this so I used just plain Chili powder)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes( You can use fresh tomatoes too.probably about 2 cups)
4-6 jalapeno peppers minced(I don't have fresh ones so I used canned green chillies)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained (You can use homemade beans too, about 1 cup)
2 cups frozen, canned or fresh corn
1/2 cup tomato paste
8 oz cotija cheese, crumbled(you can use Queso Blanco or just use more Pepper Jack)
8 oz Pepper Jack Cheese
1 cup cilantro chopped
Tortilla Chips

In a large stock pot, add chicken stock and heat over medium heat. Add Chicken breast, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Simmer about 20-25 minutes till chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside. Add tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to pot. Simmer about 30 minutes, covered until tomatoes have begun to break down. Add black beans, corn tomatoe paste and stir to incorporate. Add cotija cheese and half of Pepper Jack. Stir to melt. Chop chicken and return chicken to pot and cook about 20 more minutes till desired consistency. Serve with corn tortilla chips, sprinkle with cilantro and pepper jack cheese.

Pancake Mix

I love pancakes!  We like to make them for dinner when I have not really planned dinner in advance. They are quick and easy and who doesn't like a nice stack of pancakes with syrup? You could always use Bisquick to make pancakes but I like to make a pancake mix up from scratch.  It is really simple. You mix up the dry ingredients and then when that is mixed you can take out what you need from the mix and make pancakes. Here is the pancake mix that makes some nice fluffy pancakes.

Pancake Mix
Mix together:
12 cups flour
2 TBSP salt
3/4 cup baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups powdered milk

Combine well. Store in a airtight container.

To make Pancakes:
1 1/2 cup pancake mix
2 TBSP melted margerine
1 cup water
1 egg
Combine all ingredients and beat till smooth. Cook on hot griddle.

*After evacuating to Puerto Rico for the summer after our major flood here in Galena, I learned to make pancakes like my mother in law did. They are delicious!! You add a little vanilla and some cinnamon to you mix. Cook and top with some blueberries syrup and whipped cream.... May not be really healthy but it is REALLY DELICIOUS!!!

Blueberry Pie

Happy Pi Day!!!! 3.14 deserves to have it's own holiday.... at least in my house it does! So when March 14th comes around on the calender our family gets to eat pie in honor of that weird never ending number. I mean do we really need any excuse to eat pie? Nope. I am NOT an expert on baking pies. I wish it was an easy thing to make pie crust, but they are a bit tricky. I have already blogged the amazing Tomato Pie which my family LOVES. You can find the recipe in the Main meals category. But today we are having Blueberry Pie. The first thing you need is a pie crust. Here is a recipe for my favorite pie crust recipe.

Pie Crust
1 1/2 cup Crisco
3 cups flour
1 egg
 5 TBSP cold water
1 TBSP vinegar
1 tsp salt

Mix Flour and salt. Cut in Crisco till crumbly like corn meal. Beat egg and add to flour mix, Add water and vinegar. Stir till all incorporated. Separate in to 3 parts.( You can put the ones you don't need in a zip lock and roll slightly and freeze them for when you need them.)  Let the dough chill 15 minutes before you use it. It will make it easier to handle.  Flour a surface and roll out to use for  a pie.

For the Pie

Blueberry Pie
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP water
4 cups blueberry
Mix sugar, corn starch, and cinnamon. Add the Vanilla and water. It is a bit clumpy but I mixed it really good. Mix in the blueberries. Put in pie crust. Make a lattice or top crust for top. Brush with a little water and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup

This is a delicious soup that is a good crowd pleaser. It is rather easy and is a pretty quick recipe to make. You can adjust the spice level to your liking. I actually don't make it spicy just so my boys will eat it.

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup
1 1/2 cup water
2 cups peeled and chopped potatoes
1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
 1 TBSP Beef Bouillon powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb ground beef, cooked
2 1/2 cup milk (divided)
3 TBSP flour
8 oz velvetta(you can use cheddar cheese too)
1/4 -1 tsp cayenne pepper(to your taste)
1/2 lb bacon cooked and chopped

In a sauce pan combine water, potatoes, onion, green pepper, jalapeno, garlic, Beef bouillon, salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes till potatoes are tender. Stir in beef and 2 cup milk. Heat thoroughly. Combine flour and remaining milk in a small bowl till smooth. Add the flour mixture to the soup. Bring to a boil, cook and stir about 2 minutes till it starts to thicken. Reduce heat and add cheese and cayenne. Stir till cheese is melted and soup is heated thoroughly. Serve and top with bacon. This serves about 6-8 people.

Cranberry/ Blueberry Nut Bars

I made these the other night for the first time. They were super easy to make and quite delicious. However they were NOT the type of bar I was thinking they would be. They were more like a cake. A delicious cake! I think if I want more of a bar, then I would pour it into a bigger pan to make it more thin, but if you like a berry kind of a coffee cake this is a good one. I used Blueberries instead of the cranberries that the recipe called for and it was so yummy. It would be a good for a breakfast or a dessert. For a dessert it would be good with some Cool Whip.

Cranberry Nut Bars
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pecans

Grease a 8 in pan. Beat eggs in mixture bowl till thick. Gradually add sugar beat till blended. Stir in flour and melted butter. Blend. Add in Cranberries and nuts. Hand mix softly to avoid smashing the berries. Spread in pan. Bake 40-45 minutes till golden brown. Cool and cut into bars.