Crock Pot Baked Beans

We are huge baked bean lovers in my family.

Whenever we grill out in the summer, we almost always have beans as a side.

Now, I have a pretty fantastic (if I do say so myself) recipe for Southern Baked Beans.

You can find that recipe HERE.

It is my favorite bean recipe to use.  But I got quite a few emails from folks who like that recipe but wanted something that was a bit easier to make and maybe didn't involve so many ingredients.  If you have the time, and don't mind turning on your oven, I really suggest that recipe.  The flavor is amazing and the sauce cooks down slowly in the oven, really giving those beans outstanding taste.  But I also understand keeping things easy and having a recipe that doesn't involve turning on the oven in the summer.

So, this recipe was created.  Just a few ingredients, and it is made in the crock pot!

That makes these beans perfect to take along to a BBQ but also doesn't heat up your house.

Weekend Potluck #67

Ok, had some technical glitches with Weekend Potluck this morning but we are now up and running!  Thank you everyone for hanging out and being patient until I could get it fixed.

I'll keep my intro. short so we can get on with all this yummy food!!

As you can see, we were loving dips this week!
First, let's take a quick look at some highlighted recipes from last week's potluck.

The recipe with the most views was...

Garfield's Favorite Lasagna and Easy Skillet Lasagna

I am so excited for today's recipes.

How many of you are Garfield fans?

I have loved Garfield since I was a kid. I looked forward to those Sunday comic strips in 

the newspaper.  And to this day I am still a huge fan.

Well, now two of my favorite things are joining forces.

Garfield and Gooseberry Patch have teamed up to create a cookbook!

It's called "Garfield...Recipes with Cattitude".

It's a match made in heaven. Garfield is a cat that knows good food.

And Vickie and JoAnn at Gooseberry Patch are known for sharing good food recipes.

I think this is such an adorable cookbook.

There are recipes for each meal of the day (including snacks, of course!).

And there is a whole section just for lasagna, pasta and pizza!

Also included are a few of the comic strips that we all love.

So you not only get food but a little laughter as well.

And we all know what Garfield's favorite food is, right?

Lasagna!

Vickie, JoAnn and Garfield are sharing with you this favorite, classic recipe.

Click HERE for the recipe.

Or click on the video below to see Vickie and JoAnn show you how to make it!

Note: When you have time, check this video out. 

There is a super easy shortcut for having lasagna noodles ready without
 boiling them first. Love that tip!

Now, I am going to share a different kind of lasagna.
This recipe is also in this cookbook.
It is Easy Skillet Lasagna. In the cookbook, it is titled Bachelor-Style Skillet Lasagna.
I changed the recipe up just a little by adding onion and garlic.
This is perfect when you have a craving for lasagna, but not really the time to make lasagna.
My whole family loves recipes like this and the leftovers heat up so well!

No-Bake Apple Pie

Now, I know you are reading the title of this recipe and thinking, "No way!".

"There is no such thing as a no-bake apple pie."

"And if there is such a thing, how can it taste good?"

I know, I know.

But I am telling you, this pie is really good.

If you are craving apple pie in the summer, but don't want to turn on your oven, then this is your pie.  It is surprising how the flavors really come together and you never have to turn on your oven.  Or maybe baking isn't really your thing.

Maybe you think there is too much involved in making an apple pie totally from scratch,

Then this is your pie!

The other bonus?

Hardly any dishes are dirtied making this.

And I love that.

So this goes at the top of my weeknight dessert list for sure!

This dessert recipe was adapted (with some changes) from Gooseberry Patch's latest cookbook, Game-Day Fan Fare.  Recipe was submitted by Deanna P.L. of North Carolina.

 

Weekend Potluck #66

Hi friends! I hope everyone had a good Derby Day and Cinco de Mayo last weekend.

The Kentucky Derby was on Saturday and Cinco de Mayo was on Sunday.

I heard one person refer to the weekend as Cinco de Derby. Ha!

So funny that there is so much build up and coverage over the Kentucky Derby and the race lasts 2 minutes.  But, it's the festivities of it all I guess. And really, it's kinda fun to have an excuse to celebrate, huh?

Well, unless you bet on the wrong horse.

I hope y'all enjoyed our potluck last week.
I tell ya, it gets harder and harder for us to choose recipes to feature, there are just so many good ones!
We sure do appreciate y'all hanging out with us each week.
So, let's start with a quick highlight of last week's potluck.

The recipe with the most views was...

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

I mentioned in my post the other week for Crock Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken, that I am always looking for new ways to make chicken.  We are one of those families who don't really consider a meal complete unless there is some sort of meat involved.  
It's an old-fashioned way of thinking, I know. But there ya go. 

It's just how it is.

It's kinda like my Dad who seems to think pizza does not count as a meal.

You can have pizza for dinner but you darn sure better have something else to go with it or it's not considered a meal to him.  It may be an odd way of thinking, I know. But there ya go.

It's just how he is.

This chicken recipe I'm sharing today is really going to surprise you.

You will never think these flavors might work together. 

But they totally blend together in the end dish.

And I will tell ya, right off the bat, this is not meant to replicate the sweet and sour chicken you get at your nearest Chinese joint.  This is not fried and it does not have a batter coating.

Instead the chicken bakes right in the sauce.

So the chicken itself is infused with the sweet and sour flavor.

And the bonus is it takes no time at all to throw together!

Serve the chicken over a bed of rice with some of the sauce drizzled on top. Mmmm.

And it heats up nicely the next day too, for those of you who enjoy leftovers.

I am thinking this would even do well in your slow cooker.

Combine all ingredients and pop in your Crock Pot for about 4 to 6 hours.

Then maybe during the last 30 minutes or so, add in the drained pineapple and green pepper.

This recipe was adapted  (with small changes) from the latest Gooseberry Patch cookbook, Game-Day Fan Fare.  The recipe was submitted by Kristin K. of Desoto, IL.

Double Crumb Cake

One of my favorite hobbies is to learn about regional cooking in America.
I love that everywhere you go in this country, you will find familiar foods but you'll also find foods that are unique to that region. Foods they are known for.
Like here in Virginia, we know pig. We like to cook pig. We are ham country here.
Down in North Carolina, they like to smoke the pig and make the most beautiful BBQ I have ever eaten in my life. I love me some Carolina BBQ.
Go further south and you get into low country boil territory and going even further south you will discover Cuban food and key lime pies. 
And in between all that are smaller regional pockets of  amazing and delightful foods.

If you love food and consider yourself a "foodie" then just traveling our country is a tastebud tantalizing experience. You don't have to go far to experience something new or different
And I love that. 

The particular cake recipe I'm sharing today has roots in New York and New Jersey.
Crumb cake or crumb buns can be easily found in most NY and NJ bakeries.
It is a staple and it is something those bakers have perfected.
I was introduced to this particular recipe by my friend Patti from Comfy Cuisine.
She is a New Jersey native so I trust her to know good crumb cake when she tastes it.
And after having made this, I gotta agree.
Patti suggests making this in an 8x8 pan so you have a really thick crumble topping.
And because my husband's favorite part of this cake is the crumble topping, I baked it in the smaller pan.  However, if you want a thinner cake with a slightly thinner crumb topping then this easily transfers to a 9x13 baking dish. It also will feed more people if you do it that way.
 I made notes in the recipe for the different pan sizes.