I found this recipe in Taste of the South Magazine in their Classic Southern Casseroles issue. I changed it up just a little bit and it’s an easy one for you to put your own stamp on as well by changing the protein or adding veggies like onions or mushrooms.

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Easy Kid Friendly Pasta Bake

Easy kid friendly rotini pasta bake. Cheesy comfort food goodness perfect for pasta night.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Kathy Penney

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole wheat rotini
• 1 pound Italian sausage crumbles
• 2 14 oz jars of your favorite pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup turkey pepperoni slices
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit
• Spray a 3 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray
• Cook rotini according to instructions until al dente and drain
• Add to casserole dish and set aside
• Brown sausage crumbles and drain
• Add sausage crumbles to casserole dish
• Pour pasta sauce, 1/2 the cheese, and half the pepproni into the casserole dish
• Stir to combine and spread casserole evenly in dish
• Top with remaining pepperoni and cheese
• Bake covered for 40 minutes and finish baking uncovered for 5 minutes

This dish is cheesy and so full of flavor with the pepperoni and Italian sausage, which smells amazing while it’s cooking by the way. The kids love the fun shaped rotini, which holds the tangy pasta sauce. We love Paul Newman’s Sockerooni. It’s a classic for a reason. This is also a yummy dish you can make ahead and it reheats great.

Give this Easy Pasta Bake a try and I think you’ll wind up putting it in your menu planning rotation. Meanwhile, we will be drying out in Houston, doing crafts, shopping our pantry and being grateful for simple comfort food.

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The first time I tried Artichoke Dip (or a version of it) was Cheddar’s Spinach Artichoke Dip. I could not believe two things I had turned my nose up on as a kid, spinach and artichokes, could bring this incredible tangy cheesy goodness. I was hooked so when I saw a recipe for artichoke dip in the slow cooker in my Entertaining: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry cookbook I knew I had to make it. And like a cherry on top I was so happy it was in the slow cooker!

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Slow Cooker Artichoke Dip

Author Penney Lane

Ingredients

• 2 12 oz. jars artichoke hearts drained and chopped
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a small slow cooker.
• Stir to thoroughly combine.
• Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
• Serve warm with pita bread, pita chips, or tortilla chips.

The recipe just says for the artichokes to be chopped, but I gave mine a quick couple of pulses in the food processor to make sure there were no big chunks. I also added the S&P and the crushed red pepper flakes, which was also in the Cheddar’s dip and the small kick is a nice pair to the rich cheese. You can also use purple onions instead of white if you want a pop of color. I had white on hand.

This Slow Cooker artichoke dip has gone in my spiral notebook of go to recipes for parties or get togethers. (I saw Giada had one on her show and figured if it worked for her….) It is so easy to put together and then two hours later have a beautiful flavorful dip that is sure to be a hit at parties or just as a snack for the family. Make this restaurant favorite at home and stop by Penney Lane for more easy recipes and while you’re there be sure and sign up for my weekly newsletter for cooking tips, recipes, and subscriber exclusives.

You might also like:

Cheesy Bean Dip Skillet

Chili Cheese Dip

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So here is my Easy Toffee Cookies recipe!

I found a Pecan Slice Cookie recipe in Taste of Home and changed it up a bit. I’m a sucker for toffee, especially with the “buttery melt in your mouth” kind of toffee. So, I thought my holiday cookie baking absolutely needs these toffee cookies!

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Easy Toffee Cookies

Course Dessert

Author Kath

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp. Butter Softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup toffee bits

Instructions

• Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.
• Mix in the egg and vanilla.
• In a separate small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Slowly mix in the flour mixture into the egg and sugar.
• Stir in 1/2 cup of the toffee bits.
• Shape the dough into two 7 inch logs and wrap them in plastic wrap.
• Chill for 2 hours or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Unwrap the dough logs and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
• Place cookies on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkle with the remaining toffee bits.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Let cool and enjoy.

These cookies remind me of making cookies with my mom as a kid. We made a lot of slice and bake cookies. They are so good- chewy and buttery and full of toffee goodness. With the seasons coming near, I hope you enjoy your delicious treats, and remember that a simply delicious cookie recipe can go a long way and bring smiles to those faces at your holiday parties!

If you liked this recipe, you’ll also enjoy these posts from my blog at PenneyLane:

20+ Hot Chocolate Recipes

Easy Pumpkin Quick Bread

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Hello there again MFP friends! Kathy back from Penney Lane with another easy recipe for you.

Happy Fall! Hands down the most popular recipe on my blog is a Lemon Blueberry quick bread. It’s moist and delicious and perfect warm for breakfast or with an afternoon hot chocolate or tea. Those flavors are more summery so I decided to create another delicious quick bread but with Fall flavors.

What says fall better than spiced baking? The smell and flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice are beautifully Autumn. This week I made Raisin, Nut and Spice Quick Bread.

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Raisin, Nut and Spiced Quick Bread

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsalted melted butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spray a 9 inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
• Pour the milk over the oats in a small bowl and set aside. Let soak for 10 minutes.
• While the oats are soaking, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice and salt in a mixing bowl.
• Stir in the raisins and walnuts in the dry ingredients.
• In a separate bowl whisk the sugar, eggs, melted butter and vanilla together and then add oat mixture.
• Stir to blend.
• Pour sugar mixture into flour mixture and mix until all ingredients are combined into a moist batter.
• Pour batter into loaf pan and spread evenly.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I adapted this recipe from a Crock Pot cookbook. While it’s cool to bake in a crock pot, you can’t beat 30-40 minutes in the oven. Your whole house smells like fall while this is cooking. The bread is to die for coming out of the oven and if you add just a bit of butter it sends it over the top. This bread is so easy and would be great to divide into small loaf pans for food gift giving season, or maybe for breakfast on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.

If you enjoyed this recipe, then you’ll love these:

Homemade Scones with Raisins and Nuts

Zucchini Muffins

Skillet Cornbread Recipe

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Hello Made From Pinterest friends! Kathy here from Penney Lane, happy to be back with you after a busy but beautiful summer. We lived in a hotel for 60+ days while we were building our dream house. We visited my in laws in Ireland for the first time. We took a trip to the happiest place on earth and finished our summer at Walt Disney World. Now we are settling into a back to school routine with my little guy starting kindergarten.

How was your summer? Are you through the back to school rush? Now the evenings consist of baths, getting outfits ready for the next day, packing lunches, signing school papers, and squeezing in cuddles and bedtime stories. Whew! Talk about hectic so I’m looking for easy dinners that can take care of themselves. My family has fallen in love with these Slow Cooker Beef Sandwiches and I love them because they are simple and they go a long way!

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Slow Cooker Beef Sandwiches

Slow Cooker Beef Sandwiches. Fork tender, juicy and full of flavor. Let your slow cooker make dinner for you.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Kathy Penney For Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 1 3 lb Chuck Roast
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon worsteshire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• dash of red pepper

Instructions

• Rub Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides of the roast.
• Place in slow cooker and pour beef broth over the roast.
• Add remaining seasonings and stir to blend.
• Cook on low 6-8 hours.
• Remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks.
• Serve on onion roll or hamburger bun with the au jus.

When I came home from a day that started at 6 AM and ended with us dragging backpacks through the door at 4:30 with dance class, a Special Ed meeting for my little guy, and grocery shopping in between and the gorgeous aroma of this beef roast fills the house, I wanted to hug my slow cooker. I served the sandwiches on an onion roll for another level of flavor and topped it with melted Swiss for a mouthwatering roast beef sandwiches.

Your slow cooker is your friend and wants to help you. Let it by making these easy and delicious Slow Cooker Beef Sandwiches.

You might also like:

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pork Tacos

The post Slow Cooker Beef Sandwiches appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

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Slow Cooker Glazed Walnuts Recipe

Delicious maple glazed walnuts in the slow cooker and finished with brown sugar mixture. Great for a snack or on a salad.

Servings 1 pound

Author Kathy Penney for Made from Pinterest

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 table spoons of vanilla
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 pound walnut halves
• 1/4 cup brown and white sugar mixed together half each

Instructions

• Turn on the slow cooker and melt the butter with the vanilla with the maple syrup.
• Stir to blend. (The butter only takes a few minutes to melt.)
• Stir in the walnuts to coat thoroughly and evenly.
• Cook on high for 1 hour and stir.
• Continue cooking for about 1 hour.
• Remove walnuts from slow cooker and spread evenly over baking sheet to cool.
• While the nuts are cooling, sprinkle or sift with sugar mixture.
• Serve as a snack or with a salad.

I did not prepare the recipe as a vegan one but you can pretty easily by following her original one. I doubled the butter because the 1/4 cup didn’t seem to be enough for the bag of pecans and I didn’t want them to burn. (Use your best judgement when preparing yours- if 1/4 cup melted butter looks enough don’t over do it and soak them in butter.) I also doubled the vanilla because I like the flavor of vanilla. I also added the sugar mixture at the end because I like “candied” nuts, but you can leave it off if you prefer them less sweet.

This recipe was incredibly simple and the nuts turned out just as her recipe said they would so it worked great. These glazed walnuts would be a delicious natural snack or yummy on a spring salad with some Raspberry Vinaigrette.  I will see you next month with another simple but tasty recipe!

Thanks so much for this great recipe Kathy!  We love recipes that we can put in our crockpot and this is the crockpot that we love!

The post Slow Cooker Glazed Walnuts Recipe appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I am normally a savory breakfast kind of person, but I do enjoy a good muffin or quick bread now and then. (And I’ve got two little beater lickers that have more fun making muffins than frying sausage.)  These snickerdoodle muffins were pretty easy to make even if they have quite a few ingredients and they really do bring to mind a snickerdoodle when you’re munching on one (or two).

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Snickerdoodle Muffins

All the goodness of the favorite cookie with these moist delicious Snickerdoodle Muffins.

Course Breakfast

Servings 1 dozen muffins

Author Kathy Penney for Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
• Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl with a hand mixer or using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.
• Add in the vanilla.
• Then add in the eggs one at a time.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and the one teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream to the butter and sugar mixture starting and ending with the flour.
• Using an ice cream scoop, fill each tin with the muffin batter leaving about 1-1 1/2 inches from the top to give room for the muffins to rise.
• In a small bowl combine the remaining sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
• Using either your hands or a sieve sprinkle the cinnamon sugar liberally over each muffin.
• Bake approximately 20-22 minutes.
• Let cool, carefully remove from the muffin tins, and serve.

I added cinnamon to the batter because to me a good snickerdoodle has that noticeable flavor of cinnamon. I also added brown sugar to the cinnamon sugar topping for a bit more of that crunch in the topping. They are moist and delicious and a perfect way to start the day.

I couldn’t have a dozen of these sitting around my house so I sent them to work the next day with my husband for a meeting that morning. I got a text mid morning from my husband saying “People liked those muffin thingys. There’s some of them wanting the recipe. I’ll just tell them about your blog.” I let him know that the recipe would be here and I took the text as confirmation of what I already knew: Whether it’s a cookie or a muffin, snickerdoodles are awesome!

If you like muffins or quick breads you should totally check out this Lemon Blueberry Oat Bread. It is by far the most visited recipe on my blog and I’m biased but it’s because it is absolutely delish!

This amazing post has been shared with Living Well Spending Less and Whipperberry.

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White Chocolate Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Delicious soft cookie made with white chocolate peanut butter complimented by a dark chocolate kiss.

Course Dessert

Servings 4 dozen

Author Kathy Penney for Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of butter softened
• 1 cup white chocolate peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cup sugar divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 4 dozen dark chocolate kisses wrappers removed

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Cream together the peanut butter and 1 cup of the sugar in a stand mixer.
• Add the vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, baking soda, and flour and mix thoroughly to form the dough.
• Add the remaining sugar to a small bowl or plate.
• Use a cookie scoop to form 1 inch balls from the dough.
• Roll the cookies in the sugar and add to a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• As soon as the cookies are removed from the oven, press 1 dark chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.
• Let cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy.

I swapped out the regular peanut butter for white chocolate peanut butter (Y’all did you know there were a ton of flavors of peanut butter- even a spicy one?!) because I luurrve white chocolate peanut butter. To balance out the sweetness of the sugars and the white chocolate peanut butter I traded the milk chocolate kiss for the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate one.

The cookies are so simple to make and the dough is so good I just kept “testing” it. The post from Cupcake Diaries said it was a family recipe and I can see why it was passed down- seriously one of the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever tasted. If white or dark chocolate is not your thing, I think the original recipe would be simply amazing too.

So the recipe makes 4 dozen cookies. I do not need 4 dozen of any kind of cookies in my house let alone ones as good as these cute little morsels. I took two pans of them to my daughter’s preschool and left them in the teachers lounge for all the teachers. I let my daughter’s teachers know where the cookies were. I came to pick her up in the afternoon and they handed me the two empty pans. I asked them how they liked the cookies and they said the cookies were all gone before they got any! There you have the testimony of 15 preschool teachers that these White Chocolate Peanut Butter Kiss cookies are the bomb dot com. I did promise her teachers I would make a batch just for them and said I would thoroughly “test” them.

This recipe was modified from this recipe by The Cupcake Diaries.

You might also enjoy from Penney Lane Kitchen:

Caramel Kiss Cookies w Almonds & Toffee

Cookies & Cream Dessert Dip

This great post has been shared with Living Well Spending Less and Whipperberry.

The post White Chocolate Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Dips are probably my favorite appetizer because there is a huge variety of them, they’re hardly ever hard to make, and well, they’re just plain good. Easy and eat it with a spoon delicious definitely describes this Slow Cooker Hot & Corn Chile Dip I pinned to my Appetizer Board by Damn Delicious.

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Slow Cooker Hot Corn & Chile Cheese Dip

Creamy and cheesy hot corn dip with a chile kick and a bacon crunch done in the slow cooker.

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 1 minute minute

Total Time 2 hours hours 11 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Kathy Penney

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon broken into bacon bits
• 3 15.25 oz Fire Roasted Corn (drained)
• 1 small can Fire Roasted Green Chiles drained
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 oz softened cream cheese cubes
• 2 tablespoons chives

Instructions

• Add corn, chiles, sour cream, Pepper Jack cheese, and Parmesan Cheese to the slow cooker.
• Salt and pepper to your taste.
• Stir well to combine.
• Place cubes of cream cheese on top of corn mixture.
• Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
• At 2 hour mark stir to blend in cream cheese.
• Cook an additional 10 minutes.
• Garnish with bacon bits and chives and serve immediately.
• (This dish is best served hot.)

This dip has so many wonderful things going on- the creaminess of the cheeses (How could anything with cream cheese be wrong??), the crunch of the bacon, the kick of the chiles, and the heartiness of the corn. Magic happens when you dump these ingredients in the slow cooker.

I have tried two other hot corn dip recipes and honestly, I don’t know if I will ever try another one. The other two recipes were good but this one from Damn Delicious had that something that the other two were missing that kept me from saying “Woah! Call in the search party we found it, boys! Hot corn dip perfection.” The ingredients in the 3 dips were pretty similar. The difference in this dip? Sour Cream. I truly believe that the sour cream in this dip is what gives it that zing and turns it into a full blown flavor party.

I kept the ingredients pretty close to Damn Delicious’ original recipe. My only changes were using microwave bacon (which does come out crispy) and I used Fire Roasted corn (You can find it next to regular and cream style corn at most stores.) and chiles instead of jalapenos. I also paired the dip with Fajita seasoned Tostitos scoops which went perfectly with the dip and for even more flavor it that’s possible. You could also use little crostinis for the dip as well. It’s that thick and hearty.

After having tried the other two corn dip recipes, this one is a keeper. Believe me, I took one for the team and tried it both with the chips and a spoon. I like to be thorough. This hot corn dip recipe would be so easy to throw in the slow cooker and let the magic happen before a holiday party or game day get together. You won’t have to worry about what to do with leftovers.

Thanks again to MFP for having me and letting me make one of my favorite types of comfort foods.

I hope you will stop by Penney Lane Kitchen (FYI Penney is my last name courtesy of my hubs from Ireland hence the blog name) where you will find more easy comfort food like this or give me a follow on Pinterest or Instagram so you don’t miss a drool worthy photo and hop over to Facebook for more recipes and fun.

Some of my most popular recipes are:

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Salted Caramel Pudding Parfait

Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

The post Hot Corn Dip Recipe appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.