Slow Cooker Apple Spice Cake

My husband is a huge fan of fruit cobblers, pies, crisps... All of that. Well this is probably the easiest version of an apple cobbler I've ever made. You've probably seen the Tasty video of this one on Facebook and it was because of that video that I wanted to make it. I've made other versions of this called "dump cakes" - a cherry walnut one, a peach one, and they are all yummy. This one is no exception. It was super yummy and it made my husband very happy. And vanilla ice cream on top is a huge must!

Slow Cooker Apple Spice Cake

2, 20 oz can apple pie filling
spice cake mix
2 sticks or 8 oz butter, cut into slices
vanilla ice cream

Spray the interior of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Add apple pie filling. Sprinkle dry spice cake mix evenly over the apple pie filling. Place butter slices evenly over the top. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Serve with ice cream on top of individual servings.

Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe is for real! It actually tastes like restaurant chicken tikka masala and I'm so happy about it!! I really love Indian food and chicken tikka masala and butter chicken are my top faves to order at Indian restaurants. The one thing about this recipe is that it requires quite a number of spices. I was able to find all of these spices and spice blends at my local grocery store, but you can also find good Indian spices on Amazon (love Amazon Prime!). This made my house smell fantastic as it was cooking all day. I served it with basmati rice and naan. Yum!!

Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
1, 29 oz can tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Garam masala
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (can increase this for a spicier dish)
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch

In a large bowl combine chicken and onion. In another bowl mix together garlic, ginger, tomato puree, yogurt, olive oil, Garam masala, tumeric, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and cayenne; pour this mixture over the chicken and onions and toss well. Spray the interior of a crockpot with cooking spray. Pour the chicken and sauce mixture into the crockpot and add the 2 bayleaves to the top. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. In a medium bowl whisk together the cream and cornstarch; pour into the mixture in the crockpot and stir well. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to let it thicken. Remove bay leaves and serve over cooked rice.

Easy Cilantro Lime Rice

This is probably the easiest version of a Chipotle or Cafe Rio-like cilantro lime rice. So this is probably the one I will stick with from now on! All it has in it is cooked rice, lime zest, lime juice, and chopped cilantro. It's great! I served this with our homemade Cafe Rio dinner - which is crockpot sweet pork that each family member either makes a burrito or burrito bowl with. It's a family favorite dinner. I hope you love it like my family does.

Easy Cilantro Lime Rice

3 cups uncooked long grain white rice, or basmati rice (basmati rice is what's pictured)
zest of one lime
juice of one lime
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Cook rice (I just use my rice cooker). When rice is ready and hot add lime zest, lime juice, and chopped cilantro and toss. Serve with any mexican dish.

Homemade Brown Gravy

Homemade gravy rocks! And this particular recipe is so darn good and not to mention easy! Almost as easy as making a packet of brown gravy. I made it from pot roast drippings, but you could also substitute butter for the drippings if needed. You can also substitute chicken broth and chicken bouillon for the beef broth and beef bouillon if you are making a gravy to go with poultry. A fat separator is a great gadget for making gravy, but if you don't have one, you can pour all the pan drippings into a large measuring cup, wait for the fat to separate from the juices, and then spoon off the fat with a spoon.

Homemade Brown Gravy

1/4 cup fat from pan drippings or butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup pan juices
1 cup beef broth
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons beef bouillon
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1/4 cup of fat from pan drippings or butter in a saucepan. Add flour and cook over medium heat, whisking, until the roux is golden brown, about the color of peanut butter. Add in juices, broth, milk, and bouillon, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mini Meatloaves

So this meatloaf recipe is awesome! It's from hugsandcookiesxoxo.com and it's just a nice change from your standard meatloaf. The flavors all mix well together. And my kids all loved the individual mini-loaves. If you don't have a mini-loaves pan, you can make this mixture into a regular loaf and then just bake it longer. I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans and it was a great comfort food dinner.

Mini Meatloaves

Meatloaf Mixture:
2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 eggs
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
ground black pepper
1 cup quick oates

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix all the meatloaf ingredients together in a large bowl. Take small handfuls and shape into mini loaves and place in an 8 mini-loaves pan.

Mix together topping ingredients. Place a heaping tablespoonful of the topping and spread on each mini loaf.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until meat loaves internal temp is 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let sit about 5 minutes before removing from pan and serving.