Thursday, September 22, 2016

Crockpot Sausage Green Beans & Potatoes

I'm a big fan of easy "all in one" crockpot meals! Nothing is better than putting in a little time of meal prep in the morning and ending up with a delicious dinner that the whole family will eat. You don't even need a piece of paper to remember these simple ingredients at the grocery store. Of course you could swap out the veggies to whatever you prefer but we loved the combo of potatoes and green beans. This made plenty of food for our family of five which allowed us to have yummy leftovers for lunch the next day. Enjoy this with a slice of French bread and a side salad......pure comfort food!!!
Crockpot Sausage, Green Beans & Potatoes

8-10 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 (14 oz.) packages smoked sausage, sliced
2 (28 oz.) cans cut green beans

Place potatoes on the bottom of a greased crockpot. Layer chopped onions and sliced sausage. Pour both cans of green beans (do not drain the liquid) on top. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder if desired. Cook on low for 8 hours.  
Original recipe from 


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Thursday, May 19, 2016

Paula Deen's Chocolate Chip Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Usually when you see the name "Paula Deen" beside a recipe, you would automatically assume that it isn't very diet friendly!! Of course this recipe is no exception and has a total of TWO sticks of butter plus a heaping side of powdered sugar and chocolate!!  I've been anxious to try this decadent dessert for awhile and used the excuse of my kid's last day of school to treat ourselves. I've made similar versions of this recipe in the past which include Paula Deen's basic Ooey Gooey Butter Cake and the Pumpkin Ooey Gooey Butter cake recipe. This recipe does not disappoint and provides the perfect combination of sweet chocolate with rich cream cheese. We tried our first bite a few hours after it baked while it was still warm and gooey. It was also yummy the next day cold right out of the refrigerator. This would be a great summer treat served along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or anytime you need a unique dessert for a pot luck!!!
Paula Deen's Chocolate Chip
 Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

For the crust:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1 stick salted butter, melted (8 tablespoons)
For the filling:
1 (8 oz.)package cream cheese, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 box powdered sugar (16 ounces)
1 stick salted butter, melted (8 tablespoons)
1 package semisweet chocolate chips (12 ounces) (original recipe only calls for 1 cup chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or spray Pam inside a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Pour cake mix into mixing bowl, add egg and melted butter. Mix until well combined with a electric hand mixer. Scrape batter into prepared baking dish. Using clean hands, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan; set aside. In the used mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until very well combined. With mixer at medium-low speed, gradually add powdered sugar until thoroughly combined. Gradually add 1 stick melted butter and then the bag of chocolate chips; mix well.  Pour filling mixture over the crust batter and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before cutting. 

Variations:
Pumpkin Gooey: Use a spice mix instead of yellow cake. Follow the original recipe, adding a 15 ounce can of pumpkin pie filling and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Bake as usual. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream. 
Peanut Butter Gooey: Use a chocolate cake mix instead of yellow cake. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and an extra egg to cream cheese filling. Bake as usual.