Crockpot Noodle Casserole

This recipe is basically an adaptation of my Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe that I made in the crockpot and substituted chicken and turkey instead of tuna. It was an easy two-hour meal in my pressure cooker crockpot, and turned out tasty and filling. I didn't have fresh chicken handy, so I used a can of chicken and a can of turkey for the meat. I also used a can of roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup instead of plain, which gave it a wonderful savory flavor!

Ingredients:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk or 1 can of evaporated milk mixed with water
1 cup water
1 cup shredded cheddar or fiesta blend cheese, divided
3/4 cup peas, frozen or canned
Garlic powder, seasonings as desired
1 1/2 cup cooked chicken, turkey, or tuna
3 cups dry medium egg noodles

Mix the soup, milk, and water together in the crockpot. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese with the peas, seasoning, and meat, and mix thoroughly. Add the noodles and stir to cover the noodles with the liquid mixture. Cook on low setting for 4 hours or high setting for 2 hours. Check that the noodles are tender and most of the moisture is absorbed, if not cook longer. Top with the other 1/2 cup cheese and cook for another half hour. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Orzo

Yummy!

I am part of a Facebook community called Big Truck Cooking, all about truckers cooking, that has a Chopped Challenge every month. For my entry this month, I'm submitting this easy, oh-so-delicious one-skillet recipe for Chicken Enchilada Orzo.

Since it can be difficult keeping enough fresh or perishable food in the truck to last us 3-5 weeks, I have been developing more recipes using mainly (or exclusively) non-perishable ingredients. The only perishable ingredient in this recipe is cheddar cheese, which can be substituted with shelf-stable cheese like Velveeta or omitted altogether.

Ingredients

Ingredients:
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 can mild Rotel
1 can chicken in water
1 1/2 cup dry orzo
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 package taco seasoning
Cheddar cheese

Pour the enchilada sauce, Rotel, and chicken into a skillet without draining. Add the orzo and about a cup of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until orzo is cooked. Add the drained black beans and corn, stir and continue to simmer. Add half a package of taco seasoning and mix in thoroughly. By now mixture should be thick. Reduce heat, pat mixture firmly down in the skillet, sprinkle cheese on top and let sit to melt cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serving hot from the skillet

Microwave Cakes

Of all the challenges we've faced learning to cook in the semi, probably the most frustrating to me was the apparent inability to bake desserts. Baking has always been one of my favorite forms of relaxation and stress release, and of course we enjoy eating the desserts, but I went nearly a year without being able to bake in the truck. We had a small toaster oven for awhile that was unreliable, and my pressure cooker/crockpot doesn't handle baking cake like some do. However, I finally found the solution: microwave cakes!

Chocolate cakes with chocolate frosting!

It's the same concept as mug cakes, but I usually make them in a disposable bowl made of heavy-duty paper. Styrofoam bowls or the regular ceramic kind would work just as well.  And, of course, the cake and frosting flavors are totally up to you! I buy a few flavors of cake mix and put each in a gallon sized plastic zipper baggie, so I can use them whenever I feel like making one. The topping variations are practically infinite! At the bottom of the post, I've included directions for a fantastically delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry cake mix
1 tsp oil
1/3 cup water

Mix all ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 90 seconds and check. If still wet-looking, microwave another 10-15 seconds. Let cool and top with frosting and/or fruit. Enjoy!

Strawberry cake, cream cheese frosting, banana, and peaches!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

1 chocolate cake, made according to above directions

2-3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup chocolate frosting 

2 Reeses cups, crumbled

Bake the chocolate cake according to the directions above. Microwave the peanut butter about 20 seconds or until melted into a smooth, thick liquid. Pour evenly over the cake and let sit 10 minutes. Microwave the frosting 20-30 seconds until also a thick liquid and pour evenly over the cake. Immediately top with crumbled candy pieces and let sit 1-2 hours to cool. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Nacho Chicken Bowls

This recipe was birthed from a recipe I had planned to make in the oven during home time: baked chicken with a cheesy corn and bean sauce, to be served over taco rice. Instead, I ended up making it on the road, in the crockpot. It turned out much less visually aesthetic, but oh so yummy and very filling, which are the main requirements for food in our family. The first day we scooped it out of the pot and wrapped it in tortillas for burritos; the second day we warmed it up in bowls and added extra queso and fritos on top. Either way, it's delicious and easy!


Ingredients:
3 large chicken breasts
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can Rotel, partially drained
1 package dry taco-flavored rice
1 jar queso blanco sauce

Cut chicken into smaller pieces for faster cooking time, if desired. Place chicken in crockpot with corn, beans, and Rotel. Cook 2-4 hours or until chicken is completely cooked. Shred chicken, add rice and cook another hour, checking regularly and adding water if additional liquid is needed. About 10 minutes before serving, add queso blanco and stir thoroughly. Serve with tortillas, Fritos, or tortilla chips, and additional taco toppings if desired. Enjoy!

Frijoles Con Queso

This is one of those really easy, quick, go-to meals that you can make in one skillet in about 15-20 minutes. I love those kinds of meals, don't you? And I can keep all the ingredients on hand, even in the truck. I use minute rice and canned refried beans, although you can easily substitute freshly cooked rice and homemade beans. One can of beans and one package of rice feeds my hubby and I, so if you are serving a larger family adjust ingredient amounts.

It's certainly not the most aesthetically pleasing meal, but it is certainly pleasing to the taste buds and the tummy!

Wrapped in a tortilla

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Taco seasoning
Rice
1 can refried beans
Queso blanco sauce

Spread a little olive oil in a warm skillet and fry the rice, adding water if needed to keep it moist. Sprinkle a small amount of taco seasoning over the rice. Add beans, stir and continue to fry until mixture is hot. Add about half a cup of queso blanco, more or less to taste, and stir thoroughly. When completely mixed and heated, serve with tortillas and extra cheese as desired. Enjoy!

Chicken Chili

After being out in snow and subzero temperatures this weekend, I came down with an unpleasant cold (is there any other kind?). Between the frigid weather and my sore throat, something warm and soft was definitely in order - and chicken chili hit the spot.

The nice thing about this recipe is its flexibility. Most of the ingredients are nonperishable, which means I can keep them on hand until I'm ready for them. It can also be made mild or spicy depending on your choice of ingredients. We use plain diced tomatoes, but using a can that contains chilies will add a zip to your chili.

 It can be made with raw or precooked chicken; simply adjust the cooking time appropriately. For raw chicken, plan to leave your crockpot on for 4-6 hours on high, or 7+ hours on low. For precooked chicken, however, an hour or two is plenty.

Also, if you're one of those people who is picky about leftovers, let me assure you that this chili is absolutely just as good the next day, or even better! The longer it sits, the more the flavors mingle and marry, resulting in leftovers that surpass the original concoction.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, raw or cooked
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can each: black beans, northern beans, and corn
1 8oz package of cream cheese
Dry taco seasoning
Dry ranch dressing mix
Optional: shredded cheddar cheese

Place the chicken in the crockpot and dump the can of tomatoes on top. Drain the excess fluid out of the beans and corn, then add to the crockpot. If using precooked chicken, add the cream cheese; if using raw chicken, wait till later. Add about half a package each of the taco seasoning and ranch mix. Stir everything together. For raw chicken, cook as directed above, and add cream cheese to the last hour of cooking. For precooked chicken, let all ingredients simmer about an hour. When ready to serve, stir thoroughly and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese on top. Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Crockpot Casserole

With colder weather setting in lately, we have been in the mood for comfort food. And I'm not sure what says "comfort food" better than chicken and rice, in a warm casserole-type dish. It's too thick to be called soup but too soft to be much else. If you find a better name for it, let me know!

On a side note, I used minute rice because it's easy to keep on the truck. You can use any brand of minute rice, or simply use cooked regular rice. Either way I'm sure it will be delicious! 

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts 

Can cream of chicken soup 

Can cream of cheddar soup

Dry ranch dressing mix 

Box of minute rice 

1 cup sour cream

Parmesan cheese to taste

Dab a little soup on the bottom of the crockpot. Lay chicken breasts on top and spoon the rest of both cans of soup on top, sprinkling in the dry ranch mix. Let cook in crockpot 3 hours on high, or whatever your crockpot needs to thoroughly cook chicken, while stirring occasionally. About half an hour before serving, use a fork or spatula to shred the chicken. Add the rice and sour cream and mix everything together. Let cook for another half hour to warm the rice. Serve and top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Muffin Pancakes

If you haven't heard yet, making pancakes from muffin mix is one of the best ideas of this decade. The texture comes out still very muffiny, and the flavor variations are ENDLESS. And they are super easy and cheap! The downfall? Each packet of muffin mix makes only 4 pancakes  (or 5 if you make small pancakes). Double, triple, quadruple, whatever you feel is necessary.

I did make these in our semi one morning, using an electric skillet. They were delicious, but waiting for them to cook feels like forever when you're hungry. The heat on the skillet needs to be low enough to cook them through as the sides turn golden brown - if the heat is too high, they burn before they are fully cooked.

Blueberry muffin pancakes

Ingredients:
1 packet muffin mix, any flavor
1 egg or 2 tsp oil
Enough water to bring the mixture to pancake batter consistency

Mix all ingredients while the skillet warms up. Pour by the ladlefull, spread out if too thick, and watch carefully. When the underside is golden brown, flip. Cook slowly to ensure they are thoroughly cooked without burning. Add butter or toppings as desired and enjoy!