Zucchini and Cheese Casserole

I have an abundance of zucchini right now so I made this from the current Taste of Home magazine this evening. The whole family loved it!

ZUCCHINI AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 6 small zucchini, chopped (about 7 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups crushed Rice Chex
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onion, cook and stir 10-12 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer to a bowl, cool slightly.

In a microwave, melt remaining butter. Drizzle over cereal and toss to coat.

Stir cheese, eggs, salt and pepper into zucchini mixture, transfer to a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with cereal mixture.

Bake casserole, uncovered 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Mississippi Roast

This is a Pinterest recipe that my family tried about a year ago and has become a HUGE hit. We make it at least once a month and also whenever we have company over. It's so delicious and adding pepperoncini's to a the roast is pure genius! This is the only way we'll make a roast now.

MISSISSIPPI ROAST

• 1 3-lb chuck roast
• 1 Au Jus packet
• 1 Ranch dressing packet
• 5-8 pepperoncinis
• 1 stick of butter

Put the roast in a slowcooker and sprinkle it with the Au Jus and Ranch. Place the butter and pepperoncinis on top. Don't add any water! Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Oreo Popcorn

After a year hiatus, I've decided to return to recipe blogging! What better to start back up again than with a party treat. =)

Every time I host a party or are asked to bring a treat to a party, this is the one I always take with me and it's a HUGE hit. My sister Jill gave me the recipe, and she's a popcorn expert. If you ever want a delicious savory or sweet popcorn recipe, go to her! Anyways, this has probably been my most requested recipe from the past year.

P.S. It's also great for breakfast the next morning. Not that I would know or anything.

OREO POPCORN

• 2 bags of popped microwave movie theater popcorn (You HAVE to use this kind to balance out the sweet that is added....trust me on this one.)
• 1 package of Oreos (I like the Double Stuffed ones but really you could use any kind of Oreo. The Birthday Cake Oreos are awesome in this!)
• 1 package of white chocolate or vanilla chips

First you want to crush up that package of Oreos....either by hand or put into a Ziploc bag and crushed with a rolling pin. Either way works, just depends on how messy you want to get. Put the crushed up Oreos in a large bowl. Add the bags of popped popcorn (be sure to remove the unpopped kernels!). Next you want to melt the bag of white chocolate or vanilla chips. Follow the directions on the bag for that since every brand is different. Last, pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn/Oreo mixture and stir to coat. That's it! 

Deli-Style Cucumber Salad

I signed up to be a recipe tester for American's Test Kitchen and they sent me this recipe as my first to try out. I decided it would be perfect for a BBQ and to test it on my family. Colton helped me make it and I loved how easy it was to put together. Everyone loved how this tasted! I thought it tasted like I was eating pickles. I will definitely use this recipe again, especially during the summer.

DELI-STYLE CUCUMBER SALAD

3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

3/4 cup cold water

2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1 garlic clove, minced

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 cucumbers, sliced thin

1 onion, halved and sliced thin (I used a Vidalia)

Whisk vinegar, water, sugar, salt, dill, garlic, and cayenne together in a large bowl until salt is dissolved. Stir in cucumbers and onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Serve chilled. 

Mississippi Roast

This recipe I originally found on Pinterest and then my sister-in-law sent me a cookbook her church made and it was in there too. We love it! I think we've eaten it 3 times in the past month. It's so simple to make and tastes like you slaved over it all day.

MISSISSIPPI ROAST

• 1 3-5 lb. chuck roast (make sure you get a chuck!)
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 package Au Jus dry mix
• 1 package dry Ranch Dressing mix
• 6-10 pepperocinis

Place roast in your slow cooker. Sprinkle with both mixes, place stick of butter on top of the roast, and then place the pepperocinis in a circle around the butter. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

*Last time we ate this Joe made a gravy with the juices in the slow cooker and I didn't watch him make it so I don't know what he did. It was delicious!! I did see flour and cornstarch out though.

Crepes

One of my favorite traditions on Valentine's Day is making crepes for breakfast. I make them at other times throughout the year but on Valentine's it's a must! Our two favorite fillings are lemon juice with powdered sugar and Nutella with strawberries. And whipped cream on top of both kinds. I've tried various recipes for crepes over the years and this is my favorite that I've come up with. They are super easy to make and are a fun change from pancakes and waffles.

CREPES

• 6 eggs
• 2 cups of milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour sugar and vanilla until smooth. Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter. Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Caramel Pirates Booty

My sister-in-law sent me a recipe book that her ward made for Christmas this year and I love it! I love collecting family favorite recipes. I saw this recipe in the snack section and knew it would be perfect for that half bag of Pirates Booty sitting in my pantry. This didn't disappoint...it was very good and addicting! Joe and I didn't even share it with the kids, it was that good.

CARAMEL PIRATES BOOTY

• 8-10 ounces Pirate's Booty or other white cheese puff snack
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Karo light corn syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Melt butter. Stir in the corn syrup and brown sugar until bubbly. Add baking powder. Pour over and stir into the cheese snacks.