The Caitlin Moss Blog

Look what my kids let me make this week? (ha. ha.) I meal plan every week. Now instead of having our menu for the week on a post-it on the fridge, I have this cute chalkboard sign to let the world know what we're eating. And it was easy - no stencil painting! I simply bought a large framed chalkboard for $9.99 from Joann's and hot glued twine in the grid pattern (after measuring and marking even spaces, of course), then Mod Podged scrapbook letters for the title and days of the week. And I love it. And I'm making dirty rice tonight - my husband's favorite.

Genius! A friend of mine mentioned it to me a while back and I thought it was so smart. I buy our ground beef in bulk from Costco and like to cook it all up then freeze it for later use. I do this so I don't have to deal with thawing raw meat, then cooking it, then turning it in to dinner, all in the same day. I prefer ease and efficiency when it comes to dinner time. The only issue was that using one frying pan to cook up 6 lbs. of meat is time consuming, usually pretty messy, and sometimes rather difficult with a 1 and 2 year old tugging at my legs. So I decided to give my crock pot a whirl and I'll never go back. Step 1: Put all the raw meat in the pot. Add fresh garlic, maybe some herbs and definitely a little Lawry's. (Don't worry about under seasoning. When you thaw the meat later on you can add more.) Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Step 2: When the meat is fully cooked, strain it. Make sure you put a large mixing bowl under so all the grease isn't sent down ...

I know I say it all the time but I love my crock pot. I use it so often I'm surprised it hasn't gone ka-put! But the crock has schooled me on more than one occasion. Sometimes I'm so excited for a meal and by the time it's dinner we're all completely disappointed by a sloppy, weird textured pile of food on our plate. I know recipes don't always turn out as pictured but come on! I've made some hideous entrees! Here are a few crock pot failures that I've learned from: 1. Never put noodles in a crock pot. Really. I've tried it many different ways and I never like it. The noodles don't cook evenly or cook too fast so they get overcooked or they cling to the side and burn (crunchy noodles...yum). I've come across many recipes saying to add the noodles right away or later in the cooking process or at the very end. Quite honestly, I never think it tastes as good as cooking it the old fashioned way in a boiling pot. This especially goes for torte...

As many of you know, I love my crock pot and I'm constantly experimenting with recipes in it. Sometimes they are complete failures. Other times they are the BOMB.COM. This week I made Mango Salsa Chicken Enchiladas and everybody had seconds (even my kids...my husband had thirds). Here what you'll need: 1 cup Mango Salsa (we used the kind you get from Costco but any kind will do) 1/2 cup Medium Salsa 3 chicken breasts (seasoned with cumin and chile powder) 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese 1 cup corn and/or black beans Cook in the crock pot on low for 6-7 hours. The chicken should easily shred/fall a part. That's how you know it's ready. Shred the chicken being sure to mix the salsa and cream cheese well. Fill 8-10 tortillas with the filling, sprinkle a little cheese, roll them up and place in a 9x13 baking pan(preferably). Leave behind about a 1/4-1/2 c of sauce and pour on top of the rolled enchiladas. Add more sprinkle cheese (yes, I call it sprinkle cheese...