My New Slow Cooker was Christened with Linda’s Mexi Dinner Recipe

I am now in a steamy love affair with my new slow cooker! 

When I was working, I cooked my way through two slow cookers and really didn’t think about buying another one as we are retired now.   

Bubba mentioned that he uses a slow cooker now and then and it reminded me of how easy and convenient it is to utilize one.  So, I was seriously considering buying a new one when Linda at My Kind of Cooking posted “slow cooker tips.”  That sealed the deal and I knew I had to buy a new slow cooker! 

On days when I am out and about or days like yesterday when I was organizing the utility room and a couple of closets, a slow cooker has it advantages for getting a meal on the table. 

Just fill it, plug it in and let it do the cooking for you!  And then there are those days when maybe I just want an easy meal without a lot of cooking and pots and pans to clean.  Yes, I have those days once in a while; don’t we all?  A slow cooker is the perfect solution!

Then a cookbook that is filled with delicious-sounding slow cooker recipes came to mind ~ Linda’s “My Kind of Cooking.”  I christened my new slow cooker with “Mexi Dinner.”  It was easy, easy with just a few ingredients and thanks to the slow cooker Linda recommended. 

Mexi Dinner

1 pound 85% ground beef, browned, drained                         

2 (15 ounce) cans Mexican style corn

1 (14½ ounce) can enchilada sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese

In slow cooker, combine beef, corn, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and ½ cup cheese. 

Mix well.  Cover. 

Cook on low for 2 hours.

Top with remaining cheese.  Serve with corn chips, shredded lettuce and sour cream, if desired. 

Makes 6 servings

It’s delicious!

If you haven’t entered the realm of using a slow cooker, you should absolutely give it a try!  I bet you’ll love it like I do!

Do you have a slow cooker?

By the way, Linda is having a great giveaway now, so check out her blog!

Fast Food Friday with Linda, Hawaiian Bread and Blondies

A fun thing is happening this morning!  I will be joining Linda (“My Kind of Cooking”) on the radio, via telephone this morning during her cooking segment, “Fast Food Friday.” 

You can listen over the internet by clicking this link:  Passion Radio.  Click on the Listen Live button in the upper left hand corner of the website to connect.  We will be on around 8:20 a.m. mountain time, 9:20 central time. 

As you may have seen on my June 25^th post, I won her cookbook in a drawing.  Linda mentioned my winning the cookbook on the radio program as I was listening.  And then to my amazement, she emailed asking if I would like to join her on the air. 

With that, I made two recipes and shipped the “goodies” to Linda in New Mexico.  I had a hard time trying to decide upon what to make that would ship well in this heat. 

The first recipe I made was Chocolate Chunk Butterscotch Blondies.  It is a recipe that Mom made and I did some substituting.  It originally called for walnuts, shredded coconut and milk chocolate chips.  I bake it with pecans, butterscotch chips and semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

These blondies are about the brown sugar though.  They are similar to a brownie but have a brown sugar base instead of cocoa like brownies.  Blondies are a sweet thing!

Chocolate Chunk Butterscotch Blondies

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons vanilla

½ cup butterscotch morsels

½ cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chunks

½ cup pecans, chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease or spray an 8” baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the brown sugar and beat 3-4 minutes longer.

Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Fold in the butterscotch morsels, chocolate chunks and pecans.

Spread the batter in the baking dish and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Let cool about 15-20 minutes in the pan before slicing.

Makes about 16 bars

Yum!!!

Now, for the second  ~ Hawaiian Pineapple Bread is a great sweet bread that a friend at our church in Louisville gave to me.  I love pineapple and macadamia nuts so this fit the bill!  It’s easy and a great moist bread.

Hawaiian Pineapple Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups flower

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 beaten egg

½ cup milk

1¼ (8¼-ounce can) cups crushed pineapple, undrained

¼ cup butter, melted

¾ cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1-1/3 cups flaked coconut

Method:

Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan or two 7½ x3½ x2-inch loaf pans; set aside.

In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Make a well in center of dry mixture.

In another bowl combine the egg, milk, undrained pineapple and melted butter.

Stir just until moistened, batter should be lumpy.

Fold in nuts and coconut.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes for the 9 inch loaf pan or 45-50 minutes for the 7½ inch loaf pans; until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool bread in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Remove bread from pan and completely cool on the wire rack.

Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves.

I would have never dreamed in a million years that Linda and her friends at KPCL would be eating my homemade treats in New Mexico!

I Won Linda’s Cookbook ~ My Kind of Cooking!

Woo hoo!!!  I won, I won!

I am thrilled to say that I won Linda’s excellent cookbook, My Kind of Cooking!!!  The great thing with Linda’s cookbook is that ALL of the recipes are made with either 3-4-or 5 ingredients ~ they are hassle-free recipes.  It’s a wonderful thing! She has a drawing for it every month and you must check it all out at her interesting blog, My Kind of Cooking.   

See that delectable dessert on the cover of her cookbook?  It’s Butterscotch-Pecan Tart. You will be drooling at all the fantastic food photos, believe me!

The recipes are easy, making it great for a no fuss home-cooked meal.   Just to name a few of her recipes:  On Vacation Dip (yum!), Better than Baked Potatoes (this is a must try ~ I’m wondering how it works), Cabbage Casserole with Alfredo sauce, Tam-Tam Chicken (can’t wait to try this), Southwest Crescents (black beans!) and Doughnut Sundaes (sounds sinful to me and is another one I can’t wait to try!)

You know how aggravating it is to read a recipe out of a cookbook while trying to assemble it and the page suddenly flips over?  Well, that is not the case with My Kind of Cooking.  Its spiral bound and lays flat for easy recipe reading! 

I made her tuna salad.  The mix of ingredients intrigued me and I was flat out amazed!   The olives give it zing, the cottage cheese makes it creamy and the Italian dressing ties it all together.  It is good, REALLY GOOD!  

Here it is:

Italian Tuna Salad

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 teaspoons Italian dressing

2 (3 ounce) cans tuna in water, drained

¼ cup cottage cheese

8 green olives, sliced

In medium bowl, combine mayonnaise and dressing.  Mix well.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.

Makes 2 servings.

Bill looked at My Kind of Cooking also and “After Work Stroganoff” caught his attention.  It’s filled with browned ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and ketchup. It is easy ~ and fast also when you need a meal ready quickly.  It smelled so good when cooking and it was delicious.  Bill fell for it hook, line and sinker and so did I.

After Work Stroganoff

1 pound ground beef, browned

1 (10-3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

½ cup milk

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup ketchup

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Mix well. Cook over low heat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve over noodles.

Makes 4 servings.

By the way, when you visit her blog, you will notice that Linda has a segment called “Fast Food Friday” on Passion Radio 95.7 FM every Friday between 8:15-8:30 a.m. MDT.  Click on “radio” and you will hear via the internet.  She has a terrific radio voice and a great sense of humor also. 

My Kind of Cooking is now my “go-to” cookbook for delicious easy unique dishes.

Linda thanks again for the cookbook!  I am honored to have it and will enjoy it immensely!

Now, all of you hop on over to Linda’s website and check out her cookbook!