Easy Peasy Crock Pot Roasts & Club House

I have a feeling that my crock pot will quickly become my best friend in a month or so when Squishy makes his/her arrival! Since I've been involved with Club House I have been loving trying all of their recipe mixes! The last meal that I cooked for harvest I decided on using these for my lineup:

A pot roast with carrots and potatoes all together in harmony in one happy space slow cooking for 8 hours - how much easier can it get?! Plus some Yorkshire pudding (which I always make with these mixes!) and some of Club House's new 25% less salt gravy. (I did not inherit either of my grandmother's gravy-making skills and have been using Club House for years! Shhhh!)

All you need:

• crock pot
• pot roast (3-4 lbs)
• carrots
• potatoes (~5 cups of veggies cut)
• 1 cup water

Directions:

• place roast in crock pot
• cut up veggies and place around/on top of roast
• mix Pot Roast Club House Recipe Mix in 1 cup of water
• pour mixture over roast
• turn crock pot on low for 8 hours
• voila!

 
I'm not sure you can make a crock pot roast look "pretty"but it was DARN good, I can testify to that!

Then you just follow the simple instructions on the Yorkshire package (I made 2 packages)...

Nom nom nom! I also made another pot roast last night with Club House products and it was a BIG hit! One of my girlfriends on Facebook posted a recipe for "Mississippi Style" roast. All you need:

• 3-4 lb pot roast
• Club House Ranch Mix
• Club House Au Jus Gravy Mix
• 1 stick of butter

That's it - no liquids necessary! Put the roast in the crock pot, sprinkle the ranch mix and then the au jus mix on the roast, place butter on top (I didn't use a whole stick as my roast was a bit on the small side) and turn on low for 8 hours. The gravy that the roast made smelled good...but with that much butter and meat drippings, I opted for the Club House Brown 25% Less Salt Gravy Mix again which is a can't-fail in my books!

Don't forget you can still enter to win a Club House Prize Pack & $50 gift card by clicking "Read More"or directly on the Rafflecopter Widget!

Giveaway: Club House Prize Pack & $50 Gift Card!

I love to cook. But when I'm stuck in a rut, like I am right now after cooking so much during harvest, I really don't like it or look forward to it! I like my meals to be flavorful and exciting...and I like trying new things! Club House has these new Flavourful Recipe Mixes that seemed like the perfect solution to my cooking rut. They have 6 brand new mixes to try:

• Flavourful Creamy Parmesan Chicken Penne
• Flavourful Herbes de Provence Roasted Chicken
• Flavourful Hickory BBQ Ribs Recipe Mix
• Flavourful Lemon Ginger Beef Stir-fry Recipe Mix
• Flavourful Lemon Thyme Pork Recipe Mix
• Flavourful Tuscan Chicken Recipe Mix

Each mix comes with a recipe on the back but you can also find more recipes on their website, or in your case - by clicking the links I've provided for you! I asked my farmer husband which mix we should try first and he picked the Hickory BBQ Ribs Recipe Mix...and we kept it simple and made the recipe on the back of the package and did ribs!

Instead of using pork spare ribs as the recipe suggests, we went with pork loin back ribs but followed the rest the same.

Ingredients

• 1 package Club House Flavourful Hickory BBQ Ribs Recipe Mix
• 2 packages pork ribs (your choice of cut!)
• 1 cup ketchup
• water

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Stir together Club House mix with ketchup - let stand 15 minutes
• Place 1/4" water in a roasting pan with a rack
• Baste ribs all over (~2/3 cup)
• Place on rack, meat side up and cook for 1 hour, covered
• Turn ribs and cook for 1 more hour
• Turn ribs meat side up, baste, and cook for another 20 minutes

I served with potatoes, green beans, and corn on the cob and it was a hit by all! I usually boil my ribs and then throw them on the BBQ for extra crispiness, but this oven method was VERY good too! The ribs were nice and tender and the sauce was very flavorful. We agreed that we are more fans of sweet sauces, but switching it up with this tangy, hickory sauce was a really nice change and we both all really liked it too!

We all loved it, in spite of my husband's "Friends" humor of rubbing his tummy and saying "mmmm!!!!" I think I will be using Club House recipe mixes a LOT during a lot of my post partum phase, I can't wait to try lots of new recipes. Now it's your turn to try!

Win! Club House is generously offering a Club House prize pack and a $50 gift card to get you started to one of my readers!

How To Enter All you have to do is go to the Club House website and tell me which recipe mix & recipe you'd love to try first! Just leave me a comment saying so and then you can fill out the rest of the Rafflecopter widget for more entries (if you don't see the widget, click the "Read More" link)! This giveaway is for Canadian residents only.

While this does not count as an official entry, I would really appreciate if you could spare 2 extra clicks to vote for us while you're here!

Layered Lemon Dessert

This is, by far, my favorite dessert at harvest time. I first came across it from one of the nurses I worked with in the pediatric operating room. She was a wonderful baker and cook, and even did catering, I believe. At one of our many potlucks (nurses love potlucks!) she brought this and I had to have the recipe! The family all loves it and I am a sucker for anything lemon or citrusy so I had to share with you now!

Since this is a layered dessert, each layer requires different ingredients, but for the purposes of your shopping list, here is what you need for them all:

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or margarine + 2 tbsp separated
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2   8 oz. packages of cream cheese
• 1 cup icing sugar + 2 tbsp separated
• 3 cups whipping cream separated 
• 2 packages lemon pie filling
• 4 eggs
• 2 lemons
• 2 tbsp vanilla
• Sliced almonds to garnish

And now the break down! But first, might as well preheat your oven to 350!

First Layer

• Mix 1 cup butter, 2 cups flour, and 1 cup chopped pecans well with electric mixer 
• Pat into greased 9x13 pan
• Bake at 350 for 15 minutes

Second Layer

• Beat both the cream cheeses and 1 cup of icing sugar together
• Whip 1 cup of whipping cream
• Mix whipping cream into cream cheese/sugar mixture (reeeeeeeally mix it up good!)
• Spread over crust (easier if crust is cooled, even slightly)

Third Layer

• Make the 2 lemon pie fillings according to package directions, but use whole eggs
• Add zest and juice of 2 lemons
• Cook and pour on top of cream cheese layer

Fourth Layer 

• Combine remaining 2 cups whipping cream, 2 tbsp icing sugar, & 1 tbsp vanilla
• Whip it, whip it good
• Cover lemon layer
• Garnish with sliced almonds!

Then you refrigerate it and EAT IT! It is divine I tells ya!

And for your ease of following the directions saving you scrolling up and down:

 First Layer

• Mix 1 cup butter, 2 cups flour, and 1 cup chopped pecans well with electric mixer 
• Pat into greased 9x13 pan
• Bake at 350 for 15 minutes 

 Second Layer

• Beat both the cream cheeses and 1 cup of icing sugar together
• Whip 1 cup of whipping cream
• Mix whipping cream into cream cheese/sugar mixture (reeeeeeeally mix it up good!)
• Spread over crust (easier if crust is cooled, even slightly)

 Third Layer

• Make the 2 lemon pie fillings according to package directions, but use whole eggs
• Add zest and juice of 2 lemons
• Cook and pour on top of cream cheese layer

Fourth Layer 

• Combine remaining 2 cups whipping cream, 2 tbsp icing sugar, & 1 tbsp vanilla
• Whip it, whip it good
• Cover lemon layer
• Garnish with sliced almonds!

 Thanks for stopping by, please let me know if you make it and what you think!
 

The Best Summer {Strawberry} Spinach Salad

My mother-in-law introduced us to this salad last year from a community church cook book...and it is ah-may-zing! Since summer is seemingly upon us I decided to share it with you, it is simply delicious!

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp raspberry vinegar (may use white to substitute)
• 1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp paprika

Mix well!

The rest:

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds or pecans
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1 bag of baby spinach

Directions

You need to candy the nuts. How? Cook sugar and water together in frying pan over medium heat until sugar melts stirring often with wooden spoon. When sugar melts to golden brown, add nuts stirring constantly until coated, about 6-8 minutes. Immediately turn onto tin foil to cool.

Finally, add all your ingredients together in a salad-like fashion, toss with dressing before you're ready to serve. Enjoy!

"Make Me Another Margarita" Lime Pie

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This seems like and odd time of year to post a recipe like this, but we've had such beautiful weather this year, I indulged in one of my favorite, most easy desserts to make early this year!

14 oz of condensed milk goes into the blender...

 

Next break off pieces of cream cheese, gradually add to blender and blend...

 

Add egg yolks and blend (so disappointed that 1 yolk broke!)

The best part - add the lime juice! I always opt for the higher volume of 5 oz vs the 4...

Blend until smooth!

What to do with the egg whites? I am not an egg-white omelet kind of girl, so I use a bit of the egg white, brush it on the prepared graham pie crust and bake for 5 minutes at 375 F.

Then pour mixture into the pie crust...

And bake for 10 minutes at 350 F. It might not look pretty, but it tastes DELICIOUS!

Enjoy!

Y3W: Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I cannot take credit for this recipe. It's not an old family recipe, but I found it off Pinterest and couldn't resist sharing! It won the LDS Living cookie contest and is worth making, trust me!

Ingredients:

• ½ cups butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 whole egg
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoons baking soda
• 1-½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 
• Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. 
• Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. 
• Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. 
• Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. 
• Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes. 

I doubled the recipe and still got about 3 dozen or so cookies. If you do double the recipe it works out to use the zest and juice of 1 medium lemon so it worked out perfectly! 

I hope you enjoy, everyone in my family who tried them loved them! 

Happy Chinese New Year with VH Sauces!

Did you know that Chinese New Year has come and gone? That doesn't mean it's too late to celebrate! This year is Year of the Dragon!


January 23 was Chinese New Year and we were travelling home from our vacation. We're a little late, but we're still going to eat some home made Asian inspired food! I love to cook and I'm always looking for ways to spice it up sauce it up in the kitchen! I was really excited to sign up for this blog tour, because now that Braden is a seasoned toddler, we are in full on fussy-ish eating! He, like many kids, looooove to dip their food in sauces. Enter, VH Sauces! I have long been a fan of VH plum sauce, it is a staple in my fridge so I was looking very forward to trying some new sauces. We got sent the new VH garlic hoisin sauce, VH medium garlic rib sauce, and VH sweet & sour sauce. Since it is new, I decided to use the VH garlic hoisin sauce first, using the recipe right off the bottle - how easy!

1. Spray large pan with PAM. 
2. Saute chicken for 10 minutes on medium-high until fully cooked. 
3. Add peppers & cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add VH Hoisin sauce & heat until warm.
5. Serve with steamed snow peas & rice topped with VH Soya Sauce.

Instead of just snow peas, I used a frozen pack of stir-fry veggies. Next time I'll definitely use all fresh - tastes much better!

My helper!



It got the approval from the boys! The sauce was very tasty, not bland, and not too strong or spicy! We'll definitely be doing this again and adding some more ingredients too, Jay wants cashews and I think that would be very nice.

I've gotta say, the VH Sauces website is pretty amazing and very user friendly. They have a good index of recipes and it's really easy to do a search using either ingredients that you have at home and/or VH products you have. A lot of the recipes look really easy and don't take very long at all! They also have a new Facebook page, so you should go like that too while you're at it!

VH has a new line of frozen meals called VH Steamers. This is a great option for me at work because I don't always have time (or food!) to pack a lunch or supper...or especially a lunch and supper when I work a 12 hour shift.

Now it's your turn to try VH! They are kindly giving away a Chinese New Year prize pack worth $60 to one of my Canadian readers! Please click the "read more" link to enter. This is a Rafflecopter entry, once you make a comment (mandatory) you will be able to fill out the rest of the form for more entries!

Y3W: Hot Bruschetta Appetizer

Looking for an AWESOME appy to make next time you have company over? Heck, I'd even make this just for me and hubs! Every time I've made this it's gotten rave reviews. I thought I'd share:

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette
• 1/2 cup mayo 
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese 
• 2 cups medium tomatoes, seeded & diced fine 
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1/4 tsp dried basil 
• (you can add olives too, but I don't like them!) 

Directions:

• Mix ingredients together
• Slice baguette into rounds and lightly butter
• Scoop bruschetta mixture onto bread slices
• Bake for 15 minutes at 350. 

Tips:

• Use roma tomatoes as they don't have as much "tomato guts"
• Make the mixture the night before and refrigerate
• Can substitute mozza cheese for cheddar mixture - I had to use a bag of shredded white/orange cheddar at Christmas this year and it was still delicious!
• Eat them fresh out of the oven for optimum deliciousness!

Pardon for the cruddy-ish picture...those were literally the last 4 pieces at Christmas this year and it was an "oops I forgot to take a picture of this for the blog!" moment, so it isn't all nice and artsy fartsy! And I'm glad to have a permalink for this recipe now so as not to bug my e-BFF Marie for the second year in a row for this recipe that I emailed her years ago!

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I hope you enjoy, let me know if you do!

Corn Flake Butterflies - Our Favorite Christmas Treat!

I used to absolutely love Christmas as a kid, my mom made it so fun for us - always had the house decorated "to the nines" and lots of Christmas baking and treats! I believe this recipe for "Corn Flake Butterflies" originated in the Charbonneau household...but I'm not 100% sure about that! Wherever they came from they are divine, and have been mine, Ben, and now Jay's favorite Christmas treat. I'm no Pioneer Woman but I thought I would share the recipe with pictures.

The ingredients:

4 bars (or 28 pieces of soft) Mackintosh Toffee
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
3 tbsp. of milk
2.5 cups of Corn Flakes
1/2 cup of coconut (optional)

Melt toffee, butter, and milk on low.

Remember to keep it on low or the toffee will burn to the pot!

Stir, stir, stir!

This process might seem to take forever - but that toffee will melt!

Next, add your Corn Flakes (and coconut).

Stir all the goodness together.

Get out your handy parchment paper or waxed paper, line in a container, and plop (official baking terminology) spoonfuls of the mixture, et voila! Butterflies!


Directions:

Melt butter, milk, & toffee until smooth. Stir in Corn Flakes & coconut. Make into clusters & chill!

They will be a little crumbly and seem like they want to fall apart, but do your best to make little clumps, as shown above, and then they have to be chilled in the fridge and kept chilled...or they'll fall apart. This is the hardest part about making these - you can't eat them right away when you're done! And it's even best to let them chill overnight, Jay tried them too early last night and said they were still good, but even after being warned, agreed that they needed more time to chill!

An interesting fact I've learned about Mackintosh Toffee bars is that they don't exist anymore!! I couldn't even find them last year so we didn't get any! But, I did find the Mack soft toffee at Co-op and they taste and work the same. Apparently Mackintosh was bought out by Werthers or something! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

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