Recipe Wednesday - EASY Pot Roast & Apple Dumplings w/ Cinnamon Ice Cream

I have family coming in town on Friday, so besides cleaning... I always try to find a new recipe to cook for them. It has been so cold here... and when I think of cold, I think of comfort food. (Did I mention they are from Florida? Trust me, they are going to freeze and need comforting.) Does there get any more comforting than Pot Roast and for dessert - Apple Dumplings with Cinnamon Ice Cream? Oh, and did I mention that cinnamon ice cream is my aunt's favorite ice cream. I will certainly get brownie points for this meal!!

We will be working on the baby's nursery and getting Kate's "big girl" bedroom ready. These are a couple of delicious and EASY recipes.. here they are.. enjoy!

Marie's Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
4 pounds chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I added this to the recipe)
1 cup water
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions:
-Take the chuck roast and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brown on all sides in a large skillet over high heat.
-Place in the slow cooker and add the soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, water, carrots, onion, potatoes and celery.
-Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

- Serve with Rolls (crescent rolls are always a fan favorite)

Apple Dumplings (from the Pioneer Woman)

She (the Pioneer Woman) is awesome at taking step by step photos with each recipe-which I am too lazy to post. If you want to see the step by step process.. click here.. but trust me - these are so easy, I think you can handle making them without the pictures.

Ingredients:
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda (I used less than 1 can )

Directions:
-Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.

-Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

-Serve with cinnamon ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

WARNING: Prepare this dish at your own risk. It is beyond imaginable.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

*Please note I have Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, which is what this recipe is for, and I highly recommend investing in one because seriously... who has time to mess with Ice and Rock Salt? Oh.. and you can make homemade ice cream in 30 min.. with little mess or fuss and all the deliciousness!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk, well chilled

3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups heavy cream, well chilled

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Cinnamon

Directions:

-In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and 3/4 cups granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar.

- Turn machine on, pour mixture into freezer bowl through ingredient spout and let mix until thickened, about 25 - 30 minutes.

PS - If you insist on using your old ice cream maker.. you can tweak your favorite vanilla recipe by adding two tablespoons of cinnamon and two tablespoons of granulated sugar to your mix.

Have you started potty training?

Kate is now 21 months old and cute as can be. She takes this little dance class once a week and another mother in the class asked me if Kate was potty trained. I quickly told her no, but that I had been wanting to start. I would love for her to be out of diapers before our second baby comes (in March).

With all that in mind.. we were snowed in our house last week from Thursday until Tuesday. On Sunday (or it could have been Monday - the days were running together) I decided that we should start potty training. I had done some preparation. My friend Amy has 4 kids and she gave me the potty training 101 low down. I bought everything she told me to, so I was ready (I thought). I read the Babywise Potty Training book and even though Kate did not show signs she was ready.. I thought I would just go ahead and give it a try (big mistake).

I won't go into all the details... like all the times she would sit on the potty, tell us she was done, and then pull her big girl panties up... walk away and start peeing all over our floor. (yes, that happened more than once.) We did have some breakthroughs (she did go pee a few times and even pooped once on the potty). It is amazing what bribing her with M&M's will do. Sorry, I know that is TMI, but this is my exciting life.

Potty training and going stir crazy being cooped up in a house is not a good combination... we (meaning Justin) hit a real low point on Tuesday... a low point that had me laughing so hard I was crying.

It was Tuesday night and we were getting Kate ready for bed. She was sitting on the potty (trying to go) one last time before bedtime. I was doing laundry, so I got up to go to the laundry room and of course Kate followed. Please note, she had just gotten up from the potty, so she did not have any pants on. Justin followed after Kate to try to get her back on the potty and this is what I witnessed...

Kate and Justin were in the Kitchen.. he was trying to talk her into getting back on the potty. I heard Justin yell, "Kate is peeing all over the floor!" He picked her up like he didn't know what to do... so he ran one way... then the other way. I told him to just put her in the sink. He stood her up in the sink, but she wasn't peeing in the direction of the sink.. it was still getting all over him... so he proceeded to hold her in the Superman flying position so her pee would go in the sink. Here is my poor child, crying because she doesn't know what is going on.. and her father is holding her like Superman over the sink... trying not to get any more pee on him... I will tell you... it was quite a hilarious scene. After the whole dramatic episode was over, we gave her a bath and put her to bed.

I was laughing so hard... I seriously couldn't stop laughing... and I am sure that it still funnier to me than it will be to anyone else, but I had to write it down.. so I would never forget. Even later that night when we were laying in bed, I started laughing about it and couldn't stop. BTW - Justin did not think it was as funny as I thought it was.

Needless to say... we are not pushing the potty training for a while. It may have to wait 6-8 months... until after the baby comes and I am somewhat coherent. It was the most stressful thing I have had to do as a parent so far. Don't worry, I'll be watching for the signs... and next time I'll make sure she is ready!

Going to a Superbowl Party? Need a good party dip recipe?

In case you didn't know.. the Superbowl is this Sunday. We are having a party at our church and I am going to bring this amazing Buffalo Chicken Dip. I made it for Justin's 30th birthday party and everyone loved it. Several people have asked me for the recipe, so I thought I would post it.

I combined two recipes I had for buffalo chicken dip and here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:
2 (10 oz) cans chunk chicken, drained (or you can chop up two cups of chicken breast)
2 (8 0z) packages cream cheese softened
1 (8 oz) bottle Texas Pete (you can add more or less to taste)
1 small bottle Blue Cheese Dressing (you can substitute Ranch if you don't like Blue Cheese)
1 1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:
Heat chicken and hot sauce in skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and blue cheese dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Cook on low until hot and bubble.

Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers and celery sticks.

Oh and go Colts!!

How does a Florida girl handle being snowed in?

We are snowed in here in NC. I have to admit that it is beautiful, but FREEZING! I have lived in NC for about 7.5 years, but I am still not used to it. Thank goodness, it doesn't snow or get this cold very often!

My husband thinks I am crazy. I had him go to the grocery store and stock up on everything- just in case we were stuck inside for a week. We have about 5 gallons of water sitting on our counter and our bathtub is filled up with water (he is a smart alec and keeps asking me when am I going to take a bath). Thank goodness we have not lost power (my biggest fear). I am a Florida girl... and I seriously don't know how to handle this weather (besides staying inside where it is warm).

We did take Kate out in the snow today (for about 10 minutes). She liked being outside, but didn't know what to do. Justin pulled her in her car and we let her stand in the snow, but she was terrified to move her feet.

Here are some pictures... and video... enjoy!

Kate standing in the snow... watching her daddy to make sure he doesn't leave her.

Kate riding in her car.

Kate and her daddy.

Kate and her mommy (me).

Our house.

I hope you are staying warm and dry! Have a great weekend! (We will be snuggling up inside!)

Recipe Wednesday - Turkey & Black bean Chili

As you know, I am trying to get back on the blogging bandwagon.. so I thought I would pick back up with my Recipe Wednesdays and this one you will love! I arrived home in NC yesterday to FREEZING cold weather!! This Florida girl seriously can't handle the cold.

Since it is cold in Florida and all over the US.. I thought this recipe would be perfect. It is so fast to make and really delicious. I am not a big Chili fan (mainly because of those huge kidney beans found in most chili), but I love this recipe. We make it a couple times of month when the weather turns cold. My husband requested it last night.. so it is what we are having for dinner tonight. For those of you who started your New Years diet.. this is a healthy meal (if you omit the cheese).

Here it is.. Enjoy!

Turkey / Black bean Chili

10 ounces lean ground turkey

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 (14 oz) cans Stewed Tomatoes (We don't like big tomato chunks, so I put them in a food processor or chopper to chop them up)

2 (14 oz) cans Black Beans (drained.. FYI - I don't usually drain them, I just dump the whole can in)

1 can tomato paste (you can use the whole can or less depending on how you like the thickness of your chili.. we like it thick)

1/4 cup of Taco Seasoning

2 Cups Shredded Mexican Cheese

Sour Cream (for garnish)

Chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)

Chopped Red Onion (for garnish)

Directions:

- In a large resealable bag, toss raw ground turkey with flour until it is absorbed into meat.

- Heat oil in a wide 2 quart pot over medium heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

- Crush the tomatoes and add tomatoes and liquid to turkey.

- Add beans, tomato paste and taco seasoning.

-Simmer over medium-low heat until chili is slightly thick, about 8 minutes.

- Add 1-2 cups of shredded cheese until melted.

Serve warm with a side of cornbread or corn chips.