Crockpot Pizza Meatloaf

Love pizza but not the carbs? Try this...slow cooker pizza meatloaf.

Meatloaf gets a bad rap...dry, flavorless.

This recipe was definitely not dry!

Gotta work on the flavor...

The recipe calls for hot pork sausage, but doesn't specify whether it is to be ground up or not.

One can infer that it is meant to be ground...but that's hard to find.

I replaced the hot sausage with more ground beef...which was a fatal error.

RECOMMENDATION: try it her way...or try it with pepperoni instead of sausage!

That's my plan next time to really bring out the pizza qualities!

It was good but boring, moist but not interesting.

DEFINATELY follow her foiling instructions,

or else you'll have a heck of a time wiggling the meatloaf out!

Worth making again, but adjusting and substituting.

Difficulty Level: 2

Yum Factor: 2

Buffalo Chicken Dip

October calls not only for Oktoberfest food but for football/tailgate worthy treats!

A friend back home made a buffalo chicken dip that was so addictive,

I tried so hard not to consume all of it at gatherings,

for fear of being rude and looking like a pig!

Maybe I am slightly obsessed with buffalo flavored things...

this may be the third post about it.

Oh well. :)

Pinned this recipe for buffalo chicken dip recently. Thought it would be a winner because my guy

hates ranch, and this recipe did not include any.

(Who hates ranch?)

An uncomplicated recipe, but not specific. Calls for large cans of chicken. What is that?

I had 2 cans of chicken in the panty, about canned tuna fish sized, and used that.

The dip would have been better with shredded rotisserie chicken.

The recipe did not specify whether to stir or not stir the dip after it comes out of the oven.

I would say stir it, otherwise you'll have globs of cream cheese.

Though the recipe was poorly written, it was tasty.

The majority of the dip was consumed with celery, carrots, radishes, tortilla chips...

while watching an OSU win. :)

Difficulty Level: 1 yay easy!

Yum Factor: 3.5 Stirring and rotisserie chicken would make it a 4 easily.

Oktoberfest Fare

Fall is my favorite season. Doesn't everyone enjoy fall?

Sweater weather, foliage changing, hockey and college football...

it's a great time of year!

Being 100% Polish, I love Octoberfest. Yes, the food is German,

but it's Eastern European and usually delicious!

Typically I go to the Macy's Lakeshore Restaurant and enjoy some Jagersnitzel...

but the Macy's here do not have restaurants...weird.

So I was sad to not have a way to get my Octoberfest on...

This recipe for what the Poles call kielbasa and kapusta is really good.

Less sour than traditional kapusta, thanks to apple cider vinegar and apples.

Thinly slicing the apples is the most work you have to do.

Suggestion: Use smoked kielbasa ONLY!

The second time we tried this recipe we used bratwurst, and it was not yummy at all.

The bratwurst did make a good vehicle for mustard though!

We also used more cabbage than listed, which is fine because it fits in the crock pot and it shrinks.

Difficulty Level: 2

Yum Factor (with smoked Kielbasa) 5

Spaghetti squash 'spaghetti' and meatballs

Oh magical crockpot. How I love thee. Let me count the ways...

Looking for low-carb, paleo type recipes, this appears.

Was trepidatious about the squash turning into spaghetti...

but it did and it was delicious!

Definitely a great replacement for pasta! Didn't even miss it!

Finding the ground Italian sausage was a challenge...Fresh Market eventually had it.

Replaced the hot pepper relish with some red pepper flakes.

Also had more meatballs in the crockpot than the recipe suggests to place in there...

and again it turned out great!

The best comfort food recipe I've encountered yet, and best of all it's healthy!

Difficulty Level: 1+ Cutting the squash was no easy task!

Yum Factor: 4 My man and I agree! 

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Life is busy here. New state, new job, new life...not much time for anything it seems.

Thankfully my man owns a crockpot. I have never owned one. Judgement free zone!

Since I get home a a couple to a few hours before him, there is time to start the slow cooker up and

have a delicious meal when he gets home. Win for the newlyweds!

Prepared this recipe and multiplied it by .5

Used regular coriander instead of ground...big mistake! Use ground! (I didn't have it)

We used the low carb tortillas mentioned in a previous post from Trader Joe's and

added taco sauce and shredded Mexican cheese.

It was fairly easy to assemble. At the end when they want you to ladle out broth

and add honey and lime juice...not sure if it made a big difference.

Maybe adding the topping suggested of guacamole, cilantro, and sour cream would have amped it up.

The flavor? Decent. Not my favorite recipe.

Difficulty Level: 1+

Yum Factor: 3

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Woah! Why haven't I posted this month until now? Could've sworn I did!

Oh well...

Been seeing buffalo cauliflower bites all over Pinterest, so I tried this recipe.

There are many out there, but the idea of shake and baking them sounded fun!

You think it's a healthy version of chicken wings...

but it does not compare in the delicious department.

Man were they spicy! More spicy than I like any buffalo sauce ever!

My husband and I couldn't eat a couple without are sinuses running.

Even dunking in ranch didn't help.

Would I make it again? Not this recipe.

Just go out and eat wings to satisfy the buffalo craving.

Difficulty Level: 1+. As aforementioned, shake and bake.

Yum Factor: 2 maybe. Too spicy. Too many sinuses running.

Breakfast Taco

Second breakfast post in a row! Breakfast seems to be the most challenging to cook for:

limited options, too many carbs, etc.

As much as I love oatmeal and sausage, it was time for a change,

and not just the selection of oatmeal toppings!

A breakfast taco might be the perfect way to spice up your morning routine!

It is filling, satisfying, and delicious.

Made the following substitutions from Trader Joe's:

Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon

Tropical Mango Pineapple Salsa

Mediterranean Hummus

Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Difficulty Level: 1. frying the bacon (which I did ahead of time for the week) and frying the egg are the most labor-intensive part.

Yum Factor: 4.5 super yummy!

Cream Cheese Pancakes

How have I not posted this before? This goes out to all the lovers of pancakes.

Pancakes are great, except the whole high carb thing. These cream cheese pancakes are high in protein, low carb, and gluten free. Win!

Very few ingredients to create something that will not make you miss the real thing.

Apparently the serving size is 1 pancake, but I felt full after two pancakes and some sausage.

Adding fresh raspberries was a great addition as well.

Difficulty level: 1 portioning the batter and cook time takes practice

Yum Factor: 4

Ramen Noodle Salad/Slaw

Summer. Who wants to put in effort to cook, let alone cook at all?

Throw in your kitchen being helter skelter after a move and...

yeah cooking is challenging, if not impossible.

"Where's that pan again? Can I even get to the stove?"

Wanting to make meals easy and simple, in walks in the ramen noodle slaw.

They describe it as a salad, but it's more slaw-like.

This recipe has been haunting me, as I've enjoyed this at many a summer gathering,

wondering how to make it.

As always, being a loyal Trader Joe's shopper, I made the following swaps:

Toasted seeds for salted.

Vinegar for Red Wine or Rice Vinegar.

4 Tbsp Sugar for 3 Tbsp Cane Sugar

Regular slaw for Cruciferous Crunch.

What is Cruciferous Crunch you ask?

A most delicious collection of chopped kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and green & red cabbage!

Seriously better than any bagged slaw ever!

Difficulty Level: 1+  Breaking up the ramen is the most difficult part

Yum Factor: 4

Cucumber Caprese Salad

So after moving, the stove broke. What's a starving newlywed to do? Create this!

My guy doesn't like avocado or mozzarella,

so I ate copious amounts of it when first making this glorious twist on caprese.

I replaced the tomato with beets, as I am a tomato hater and we both like beets. Mmm!

It is a great summer dish, easy to put together, tasty, and no need to wait to consume!

Actually, the fresher this is the better.

After making it a second time, it is apparent that:

1. The measurements might be off in this recipe. Just eyeball it and use your best judgement.

2. Adding artichoke hearts makes is just as or even more delicious!

3. Adding radishes also provides a nice crunch.

The second time around, I omitted the avocado and mozzarella.

Didn't miss the avocado, but the cheese is necessary!

Difficulty Level: 0-1. Depends and how skilled you are cutting avocados (and the ripeness of it)!

Yum Factor: 4

Easiest BBQ Chicken Ever

Greetings!

After a brief hiatus,

hopefully I will be back to deliver you the best of Pinterest recipes,

and which ones to steer clear of!

Being married now (what a difference a year makes!)

will hopefully provide me more opportunities to test out recipes.

This recipe came about because my guy owns a crock pot.

It is advertised at the best and easiest ever...I would agree with the later.

Following the recipe with Trader Joe comparable ingredients for the most part,

the chicken was somewhat dry and not well seasoned.

My guy is convinced to improve upon it,

but I'm hoping to find a better recipe out there. What do you think?

Difficulty Level: 1. Dump in crockpot and wait 3-4 hours.
Yum Factor: 2. Sauce was decent.