Becoming Betty - Italian Red Wine Roast Beef

So I knew I wanted to make pot roast for dinner.  The plan was the "regular" pot roast with potatoes, carrots, onions, and dumplings.  Well, so much for that plan when you don't have beef broth!

Then, I thought - there was a recipe that wanted to try that was a "three packet" recipes.  Once again, didn't have everything. 😡 Now I could have gone out and got what I needed, but I figured, "Let's check Pinterest first. Maybe there will be a recipe that I have all of the ingredients for on there."

Sure enough - there was!  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AYK1xnkFQ6T3neM4FAuIR6TVtjzOeR1ynKlE_WeXWk8Bgu8iQgAx_-4/

I had to check if the wine we had was red wine.  We end up getting wine as gifts and neither one of us drink wine.  Luckily, it was! 

First step - opening the wine.  I've NEVER opened a wine bottle before.  Yes, we have a wine opening that we also got as a gift.

SUCCESS!

The recipe was really easy.  I did have to look up Majoran - why didn't you just say Oregano!

Ready to cook!

This roast smelled so good all day long!

And the done meal!

This was SSSOOO GOOD!

Now, what do I do with the rest of the wine?

Becoming Betty: Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken

So I knew today that I was going to use the left over chicken that we had in the frig for dinner tonight, but I didn't know what I was going to make with it.

At first I thought I would do my bbq pineapple chicken, but then a friend posted this recipe on Facebook.  

http://pinterest.com/pin/73957618858135273/

I checked it out and had all of the ingredients.

The sauce

After 4 hours in the slow cooker.

After cornstarch was added - it was supposed to thicken up but really didn't.  I didn't bother trying to get it any thicker either.

Chicken back in the cooker until hubby got home.  I didn't cut the chicken in cubes like it said either.

Finished product!

This was really easy to make and we both liked it.  I'll definitely make it again.

Becoming Betty: Garlic brown sugar chicken

So, I was on Facebook this morning, and went to pin a recipe that a friend posted.  Pinterest knows me well, because this recipe was "picked" for me.

http://pinterest.com/pin/73957618858093427/

Perfect timing because I kind of knew what I was going to make for dinner, but this was a change AND we just happened to have all the ingredients (that's a first)!

This recipe was super easy.  I thought at first that I wouldn't do the thickening part (too much work), but it wasn't.  The (thick) sauce really made the dinner.

The sauce pre-corn starch and water.

After the corn starch and water - SUPER thick!

We both liked the chicken and sauce - however, it was really spicy.  Definitely too much black pepper.  I think next time, I'll use only 1 teaspoon instead of 2 teaspoons.

Becoming Betty: Barbecue Chicken Bubble-up Bake

I've been scrolling through Pinterest quite a bit lately and found this recipe.

http://pinterest.com/pin/73957618857464537/

I'm always looking for easy recipes and recipes that use biscuits since I usually stock up on them when they are on sale.  Speaking of which, I recently stocked up.

This recipe is easy-peasy.

Biscuits cut up

Chicken cut up and ready for BBQ. Oh, the chicken ended up kind of shredded since I didn't cut it up until after it was cut.

Sous Chef Zed overseeing the process (ok - waiting for some more chicken)

Chicken and biscuits mixed together.  Oh - the recipe called for a 3 qt glass container.  I only have a 2.5 qt container.

Then covered with cheese.

And after 30 minutes

It doesn't really present well on the plate

The verdict:

I would probably cook this a little longer.  There were a couple of biscuits that were gooey.  Hubby liked it, and I thought it was pretty good especially since it was so easy to make.

Becoming Betty: Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

So it seems like Spaghetti Squash is the big thing right now.  One of my friends posted that she made it and liked it, so I have been thinking about making it.

Off to Pinterest!  One of the recipes I found was Spaghetti Squash Alfredo.  I figured, hubby and I both like Alfredo, so this might work.

Monday, I picked one up and showed hubby the recipe.  Since my work week has been slow, today was the day to try it.  It actually didn't take that long to make.  I started at 3:45, but probably could have waited until 4 to start.  I just wasn't sure how long it would take me.

I really had no idea what to expect when I cut open the squash and didn't expect it to automatically become "noodles".

Getting ready to boil

the Alfredo sauce

cooked and cooled

forked out and ready to put into the sauce

empty shells

finished in the pan

and plated, served with chicken

This was an easy peasy recipe.  Both hubby and I didn't know what to expect when we tasted it.  Guess what?!  We both liked it!  It's probably not something that will be in the weekly menu, but definitely the monthly menu.

So here I am, a meat and potatoes kind of girl, eating squash as her main dish!  This is just too much!  It filled me up too.  I couldn't finish my chicken.  I am happy to say that hubby had seconds!

Becoming Betty: Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

I have been looking at this recipe for awhile and have had the ingredients so I asked hubby if he wanted to make it.

It was so easy to make.  Batter on the bottom and pudding on the top. 

I kept looking at it in the oven and the batter was surrounding the pudding.  It ended up like so:

Added the Cool Whip and ready to eat!

It was really good. Not too chocolatey and light.

Becoming Betty: Lawry's Hawaiian Sauce

Tonight, we tried something new - Lawry's Hawaiian Marinade on chicken.  I don't grill, so I baked the chicken in the oven and added pineapple chucks to it.  I thought it might be pretty good since that Pineapple BBQ chicken that I make in the crockpot is really good.

The finished product

Yeah, this really didn't come out that great.  It gave the chicken some flavor, but not that much.  Dan said, "It's alright."  Meaning, he'd pass on it for the next time.  I agreed.  I said maybe it would be better if the chicken was grilled, but I just went ahead and dumped the sauce out.

Maybe these marinades are more for grilling.  I have a couple of other flavors to try - lemon and pepper, lemon and garlic, and garlic herb.  We'll see how they are.   I'll say it, I like Ken's Marinades much better.

Becoming Betty: Slow Cooker Steak

So I headed to Pinterest to find a good slow cooker recipe for beef.  I ended up on crock pot gal's website.  I love this website!

I decided on this recipe.  Unfortunately, I didn't have dill spice, but I figured it can't be that big of a deal since it's only 1/4 teaspoon.

The end product.  

This beef was so tender, and I don't think there would have been any difference in the taste with the dill.  I put some juice on it and it was wonderful.  We had baked potatoes with it.

Becoming Betty Crocker: Honey Mustard Chicken

So yesterday, I got all caught up on my coupons - cutting them out and organized them.  In the flyer was this recipe.  I showed it to hubby and he said, "YEAH!  It sounds good!"  So that was on the menu for tonight's dinner.

This was so easy to make!  I cooked it on high for 4 hours and the chicken was done.  Now, I will say, I kind of got sick of smelling the mustard during the day and almost thought I wouldn't want to eat it when it was dinnertime, but it was good!

Becoming Betty Crocker: Sticky and Sweet Chicken Wings

I had found this recipe a couple of weeks ago, and finally got around to making it.  I seem to be in a rut on making dinner, so it was time.

The toughest part of the recipe was that stupid brown sugar!  I hate using it because it is always as hard as a rock!  So the first item was to find out what to do to soften that stupid stuff.  On Ehow.com, it said to grate it.  Wow!  That took time to grate 1/2 cup!

Next was putting all of the ingredients together for the sauce.

The sauce smelled kind of Asian, so I was thinking rice with the chicken wings.  Four hours later, DONE.

I  do the broiler part like it said in the recipe, but it was still good and falling off of the bone.

Hubby rated it an "It's ok"  He said that it didn't have that wow factor.  I thought it was good, and might be good with chicken breasts.  At least it was something different.

Becoming Betty Crocker: Creative Italian Sausage Sandwiches

Hubby worked today, so our schedule was a little off for the weekend.  Usually we go out for lunch on Saturday.

When Dan got home at 4 pm, we did the "what do you want for dinner?  I don't know, what do you want?" game.  So I went to the kitchen and just pulled out the italian sausage patties that we had.  I was thinking of doing this dinner next week (with real hamburger rolls and something on the side).  We also had a can of Pillsbury Grands, so I said - "here you go-dinner!"  Dan ran out to get some potato chips and we were set.

WORD OF WARNING - These are HUGE sandwiches.  I couldn't finish the second one.  And let's not even think about the calories.  LOL

The sausage patties
BTW - these are really good!

Pillsbury Grands flattened down to make hamburger rolls

Finished flattened Grands

 

The BIG ASS Italian Sausage Sandwich!

 

Now, we all know that it's not complete without the onions.  However, I am so sick and tired if CRYING when I cut up onions!  I keep on thinking, I need to get some (water) goggles.  Of course, it's out of season right now at The Dollar Store and there's no way I'm buying ones that are expensive just for the kitchen.  Then it it me - I HAVE WINTER GOGGLES!

Yep - I did it.  With hubby laughing the entire time, but with NO TEARS!  BTW, I couldn't really see well with the tinted goggles.  Didn't cut my fingers though!

 

 

Becoming Betty Crocker: Pineapple BBQ Chicken

Oh, I LOVE my crockpot!  This week, Crock Pot Girl posted this recipe on Facebook, so of course I pinned it!

This recipe was super easy AND I already had everything.  Oh - I did do this in 4 hours instead of the 6 hour that the recipe called for.

Whisked BBQ & soda

2 hours in - added the pineapple chucks

The finished dish.

 

 

This was YUMMY!  Half way through his plate, hubby said "You can make this again!"  LOL!  Success!  Hubby liked it!

Becoming Betty Crocker: One Pan Chicken and Potato Bake

Oh, I didn't know what to make tonight for dinner!  I had already left chicken out from this week's grocery trip, so knew it had to be chicken but no idea past that.  Actually, I did have an idea - Italian dressing. That was the end of it though.

Off to Pinterest!  This recipe caught my eye because we already had everything AND it had the Italian Dressing I was thinking of as an ingredient!

This recipe was super easy.  Cut the potatoes, put in the chicken, season with the dressing, cheese & seasoning and DONE.

Ready for the oven

 

Ready to eat!

The chicken was really juicy.  The potatoes though could have been cooked longer.  The recipe called for thin wedges, but I think next time I will just cut them thinner (like fries or slices).  Not all of the potatoes had seasoning so maybe season the potatoes separate from the chicken with a little extra.

Still, hubby liked it and I was ok with it (loved that it was easy).  I haven't been really had a taste for chicken lately so I've been struggling with how to make chicken that I will "crave".

Becoming Betty Crocker: Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

I posted this to Pinterest a few weeks ago and it looked good.  I even had a friend comment that she makes it at least once a month.  Time for me to try it.

BOY WAS THIS EASY and GOOD!

I think I have had this pie before, but I don't remember when or where.  I do know that we had Cheeseburger Pot Pie that was similar.

meat with onions covered with cheese

 

Hubby helped out since I was behind on cooking.

 

The Bisquick mixture poured in.

 

The finished product.

 

I will definitely make this again - very, very easy & very, very good.