Black Beans

From: This one came straight from my husband's brain.  It's a Costa Rican recipe and it make me feel like I'm home no matter where I am.

Ingredients:

1Tbsp of salt
1/2 onion skewered
16 oz dry black beans

How to: 

Put all the ingredients in the crock pot and fill the pot one inch below top of slow cooker.
Cook until the beans are soft (overnight on low, or on high if you can observe it and test the beans after several hours).

Poor Man's Chili

From: A Year of Slow Cooking

How to:  Just click here.

Side notes:


I used 1 tsp of chili powder instead of the corriander and tumeric.  I also dusted it with cinammon instead of throwing in a cinamon stick and I substituted great white northern beans instead of kidney beans.  These changes were because it's what I had in the kitchen.  :)

Slower Cooker Chicken & Dumplings

From: AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
2 T. of butter
2 (10.75 oz) cans of Condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion diced
1 package of refrigerated biscuit dough torn into pieces

How to: Just click here.

Side notes:

I'm not a huge onion fan, and I was tempted to use only half an onion, but it is truly what gives this recipe its flavor, so throw it all in!

Green Bean Casserole

From: It's the classic Campbell's Kitchen recipe.

Ingredients: 

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

How to:  Just click here.

Side notes:  In this picture I topped it with mozzarella cheese and french fried onions. Yumm!!

Stromboli

From: Another great one from my friend, Annie

Ingredients:

frozen bread dough (I find it in the frozen foods section in a pack of 3)  Italian bread is best but plain white bread will do.
1 lb of ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp barbecue sauce
1/4 tsp of salt

1 Tbsp of ketchup

shredded mozzarella cheese (to your liking)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
optional:  mushrooms, turkey sausage, red pepper, cilantro or any other pizza toppings

How to:  

Set a frozen bread dough loaf on a cutting board dusted with flour to thaw for 3-4 hours (see package for length of time)

Brown the ground beef and onion with your favorite spices.  I use cinnamon, sugar, barbecue sauce, salt and ketchup.  Flatten the bread out by stretching or rolling it.  Lay it out in a 9x13 baking pan so that the dough stretches over the sides.  Along the center, place the browned meat.  Layer on top:  mozzarella cheese and half of the jar of spaghetti sauce.  You may also add mushrooms, sausage, pepperoni, red pepper, cilantro or any other pizza toppings.  Along the long sides of the dough, cut with scissors like this:

Then braid the dough strips over the meat as shown.  And don't make fun of my drawing.  ;-)  It was WAY easier than trying to explain.

Sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese on top.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350°F, or according to bread dough packaging, so that the bread bakes and the top is golden brown.  Slice and serve right away.

Fetuccini Alfredo

From:  Our Williams-Sonoma Pasta cookbook. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

5 tablespoons of unsalted butter (or regular, if it's cheaper and you don't care like me)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or the cheap canned stuff, again if you don't care like me)

salt and freshly ground (or not) pepper

freshly grated nutmeg (or the not-so-fresh kind)

1 lb homemade tagliatelle or purchased fresh fettuccine (Who are we kidding?  I buy the box off the grocery store shelf.)

alternative proportions for more sauce (heavy whipping cream is often sold in 15 oz containers):

16 oz of heavy whipping cream

7 Tbsp of unsalted butter

8 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese (for the sauce) 

How To:  

Start by cooking the pasta.  Generously salt the boiling water before adding the pasta.  

While cooking the pasta, in a large saucepan over high heat, bring the cream and butter to a boil.  Reduce to low heat and simmer for 1 minute.  Add 6 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and whisk over low heat until smooth, about 1 minute longer.  Remove from heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Be careful not to add too much salt, as the Parmesan cheese is salty.  Add a generous pinch of nutmeg.  

When the pasta is ready, drain it and place it in shallow bowl.  Pour the sauce over the top and sprinkle 6 more tablespoons of the cheese.  Toss well.  Serve immediately and pass the remaining cheese at the table.  

Side Notes:  

This dish should be eaten all in one sitting, as it does not warm well the next day... however if you find yourself with leftovers anyway, don't throw them out.  First re-warm the noodles.  Add a splash of milk to help prevent drying of the pasta.  Then add more Parmesan cheese to taste.  Not as good as fresh, but not bad at all.  

Makes the amount shown in the picture above.  That serving dish is similar to a 9x13 baking pan in size.

Decadent Hot Chocolate

*Picture provided by Sarah Valente.

From:  KingdomTwindom.com

Ingredients:  

milk

water

hot cocoa mix

chocolate chips

kosher marshmallows

peppermint candy cane

How To:  

I've lost the original link to Sarah's version of this, so I start by heating water in a teapot, while at the same time, filling about a third of the mug with milk.  Heat the milk so it's steaming hot.  Add your desired amount of hot cocoa and mix until smooth.  Then add the water when it's hot enough.  Drop in a small handful of chocolate chips and stir so they melt.  Top with marshmallows and mix it with a candy cane.