Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Recipe found on All Recipes here.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound andouille sausage sliced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. Cajun Seasoning
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. frozen cooked shrimp without tails
Brown Rice

Throw everything except shrimp into a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. Add shrimp 30 minutes before serving. Serve over Rice.

Michelle's notes:

I browned the sausage first to get some flavor then de-glazed the pan with the chicken broth, then poured everything else into the slow cooker. I wouldn't let it cook longer than 4 hours or so because our sausage turned out a little soggy. (my original time was 1 hr on high before church, then 4 hrs on low) The rice is normally cooked in the Jambalaya, but I didn't want my rice to soak up all the liquid while we were at church, so I just whipped up some brown rice right as I threw in the shrimp and spooned the Jambalaya over it. Also, watch the seasonings. I'm usually light handed with dried herbs because they're so strong but when I went to taste everything all I could taste was the spicy andouille sausage so make sure to add the correct amount of seasonings.

Old-fashioned "Basic" Meatloaf

Picture and Recipe courtesy of the Food Network and Paula Deen

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
  
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Topping:

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.

Topping:

Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

Michelle's Notes: I don't care for big hunks of veggies in my meatloaf, so I chop my veggies pretty fine. I also usually hate waiting an hour for it to cook, so if I'm in a hurry I put the meatloaf mixture into a muffin tin. Bake at same temp for about 30 minutes (check after 15).

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Picture and Recipe courtesy of Our Best Bites

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (regular or thin crust is fine)
marinara/pizza sauce
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
mozzerella cheese
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package.

Unroll pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". Cut it into 24 squares using a pizza cutter.

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after) Just eyeball how much. You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with melted butter and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Check after 10 minutes to make sure the tops aren't burning.

Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.