All About Food

Okay so we are spending the weekend with lots of family so I thought I might blog about something other than the kids.  Because, you know, they are seeing them in person so I can get away with it.  (:  I did A LOT of cooking this week.  I cooked dinner for our small group on Wednesday and we did a food swap this week so I have been a domestic diva in the kitchen!  Ha!

For small group I made these chicken tacos--OH. MY. WORD.  This is the EASIEST recipe and it is SO YUMMY!!  Seriously Matt has raved about this recipe all week long and is now demanding that we always have these on hand ready to go in the freezer.  I used great value chicken, taco seasoning, and salsa (medium) and they turned out fabulous.  My friend Sydney recommended these from Pinterest and we are so happy that she did.  Oh, and just a heads up, they are messy...but so worth it! 

I also made Caramel Cake.  This recipe is from my great Aunt Lois. 

 This is one of those recipes where you here the ingredients and think, "Okay...that HAS to be good!"  You need a german chocolate cake mix, a 16oz jar of Caramel topping, an 8oz thing of cool whip and a bag of Heath bits (found in baking aisle next to chocolate chips). 

You start by baking the cake as directed.  While it is hot (I did this as soon as I took it out of the oven), poke big holes in the cake and pour the entire jar of caramel over the top. 

 Then, let that cool completely.  Once it is cool mix the cool whip and the heath bites together and spread it over the top.  Put in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve! 

 This is a bad phone picture of our very last little piece.  This cake is delicious!

 We did a last minute food swap today since my friend Lisa is having her 3rd baby boy Hayes next Friday!  Woohoo! 

I made Broccoli, Cheese, Chicken, and Rice Casserole.  I originally got the recipe for this from allrecipes I think but it was several years ago and I just added chicken to make it an entree.  Here is the recipe: 

• 1 lb chopped frozen broccoli
• 2 (10.75oz) cans of Cream of Mushroom soup
• 2 cups instant rice
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 15oz jar of cheese whiz
• 2 cups shredded chicken

1. Cook chicken and shred.  Cook rice as directed on box.  Cook broccoli as directed on package and drain.
2. Mix all the ingredients together and put it in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. 

It is funny this (minus the chicken) was the first potluck-type-of-side-dish that I learned to make and for a couple of years I made it for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!  Ha! 

I also made this Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I haven't made it before so I hope it is good!  Ha!  That recipe fills an up the entire 4 quart Crockpot so it makes a lot!  Next time I make it I will probably omit the extra water and drain the corn because I like my soup to be thick!  That is just a personal preference.  I did taste one little bite to make sure it wasn't gross and it tasted pretty good but I didn't have enough to give you a good review of it yet.   It definitely makes enough where you could eat half and freeze half and have plenty.  Also, I added an extra chicken breast. 

 Now my freezer is completely stocked and I am so thankful.  I think I am going to make a menu for the entire month of February and possibly not cook at all!  LOVE it! 

Oh and I have had several friends ask about this and for more details so there is this blog that has their rules and stuff.  We don't get THAT detailed with ours.  My friend Jenna wrote this post that explains ours but those are two options that you can look at.  I broke two of the first links rules today by making two dishes with the same kind of meat and making a recipe I hadn't tried yet.  Ha!  We are pretty flexible with ours!  I just send an email out to the people that have wanted to be a part of it.  They respond if they want to.  Once we have the number of people participating, we determine the number of meals (usually two but if we were to have 10 people than we would just make one recipe times 10).  We pick a swap date and email what we are making so we don't end up with duplicates or something we just won't eat.  Then on the date we all bring our food (already cooked and usually frozen) and swap and end up with a stocked freezer full of meals.  My tip would be to pick one labor intensive recipe and one easy recipe.  Also make sure that you make enough for the largest family in the swap. 

And then as a treat for all of the cooking I ended the week with a butterfinger blast from Sonic to celebrate.  (: