Farmer's Crop Pork Chops

Ok, I admit it... Miss MMO Raider here has done it before. I used to get up early and tend to my crops. Corn, Fruit Trees, Peppers... Harvest it all, sell it, replant. Yeah even I played Farmtown once upon a time. I have since retired my plow but my Mom still tends hers regularly & is pretty adamant about reminding me that her crops are just as important as my dragons. Today's recipe reminds me alot of those farming days. Fresh Peppers & Onions and we all know you're gifted way too many pigs when you play. ;)

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 6 hours
Serves: 4

Skill Needed: Apprentice

Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, sliced
• 1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Mix onion, pepper, tomatoes, ketchup, vinegar and brown sugar.
2. Layer the mixture and pork chops into slow cooker.  Make sure there's some of the saucy mixture on bottom and on top of pork chops.  How many layers depends on the size of your crock pot so just divide mix accordingly.
3. Cook on low for 5 1/2 hours.
4. Mix water and cornstarch together and stir into crock pot.
5. Cook 30 more minutes.

Ranch /Chicken

Us Warcraft nuts understand the importance of a well timed /chicken.  Opposing faction interupts your fishing, you flag but they won't...  /chicken.  You challenge someone to a duel, they decline...  /chicken.  You are 1 pet short of an achievement & realize you never completed the quest !Cluck to get the Westfall Chicken... /chicken /chicken /chicken.  A well timed chicken doesn't have to end in Azeroth my gamers.  This recipe is like most all masterpieces from a Crockpot.  It's easy, fairly low maintenance...  except this is a weekender. 

A weekender needs a little attention.  These are slow cooker meals you can't leave unattended from assembly till time to eat.  I call these weekenders because you can start it and do your normal weekend chores... laundry, mow, clean, farm gold, whatever you generally do as long as you are back in the kitchen on and off as needed.  Let's look at this baby' maintenance...

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 6 hours
Serves: 4

Skill Needed: Artisan

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 dash paprika
• 1 package hidden valley ranch dressing mix
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts in bottom of your slow cooker.

2. Sprinkle paprika and dressing onto chicken.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

3. Cover with lid and let it cook 4 hours.

4. After 4 hours, in a large skillet mince your garlic and saute it in 1 tablespoon of butter. Add broth, soup, cream cheese, oregano and parsley.  Stir on medium heat until smooth.

5. Pour into slowly into cooker to cover chicken.

6. Cover with lid and let it cook 2 more hours.

   
   

   Really good with noodles!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

I can't take credit for today's recipe but guarantee this piece of heaven is a gamer's dream. My mom made this for years while raising 2 gamers of her own. It's so easy to make and few desserts I've had even held a candle to this one. It's quick enough to make that mom always had time to get it done, keep an eye on kids and still have time to get in a daily fix... of Tetris!

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 6 hours
Serves: 12

Skill Needed: Apprentice

Ingredients:

• 1 box Graham Crackers
  
• 2 small boxes Instant Vanilla Pudding
  
• 3c Milk
• 1c Powdered Sugar
  
• 8oz Cool Whip
• 1 can Chocolate Icing

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix pudding, sugar and milk till smoothe.
   
2. Add in cool whip and mix well.
   
3. Butter a 13x9 pan.
4. Layer graham crackers, then half mix of the pudding mixture, another graham cracker layer, then rest of pudding mixture, and add a graham cracker layer on top.
5. Spread chocolate icing over graham cracker layer.
   
6. Refrigerate 6-12 hours and serve cold!

Wrecked Cheeseburger on Flatbread

Gamers are like jellybeans, we come in many many flavors. Some play MMO's (like yours truly), some like the FPS [First Person Shooters]. some wee lads long for ye olde RPG [Role Play Game], but today we honor those quick thinking speed freaks. That's right boys, we're talking racing! Today we're cooking up some Wrecked Cheeseburgers on Flatbread. Seriously, this delightful meal looks like a cheeseburger that ran into Lightning McQueen headon! Only 1 piece of bread which is flat as a tire, the body has all hamburger staple toppings all crumbled together, and cheese strode everywhere. So grab your helmet, buckle up your seatbelt & Boogidy, Boogidy Boogity Let's Get Cookin' Boys!

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 50 Minutes
Serves: 6

Skill Needed: Apprentice

Ingredients:

• 1lb Ground Beef, Browned & Drain
• 1/2 Cup of Water
• 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 pkg Dry Onion Soup Mix
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 2 tbsp Mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 11 oz Can of Pizza Dough
• Package of Kraft Shredded Four Cheese

Directions:

1. If you haven't already, brown your Ground Beef and mince 1 clove of Garlic.
   
2. Add browned ground beef to a skillet, then add Water, Vinegar, Onion Mix, Ketchup, Mustard and minced Garlic. Mix well and let simmer on low heat.
   
3. For Flatbread: Open pizza dough and unroll it. Cut the dough into 6 squares. Roll each square into a rectangle shape.
4. In a new skillet add Vegetable oil and heat on low.
5. When oil is nice and hot, fry each piece of dough until each side is golden brown and bubbly. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel to cool slightly.
6. Top each Flatbread with our Meat and top with Cheese!
   

Poppin' Bacon Jalapenos

I think of a meal as a raid group. You got the tank, that main portion that definitely keeps alot of your attention. The DPS, the sides that totally need to be there to help chip away at your hunger and to compliment the tank (although the tank would never admit it). The healer, aka dessert, is there to make everyone feel better in the end without stealing the rest of the meals glory. How many times have you heard "That meal was amazing. Oh and the desert was devine"? Today though I give you an appetizer. To me an appetizer is a Leeroy Jenkins of the food world. They rush in before any of the others are ready, they aren't very filling, but in the end you seem to not forget them. And hey (depending on your menu), atleast you have chicken right? ;) Let me introduce you to your first Jenkins..err..I mean appetizer...

Prep Time: 40 Minutes
Total Time: 1 hour to 2 hours
Serves: 10

Skill Needed: Artisan

Ingredients:

• 4oz Cream Cheese
• 1/4 cup Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 9 Slices Bacon crumbled
  
• 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  
• 10 Slices Bacon uncooked
  
• 10 Jalapenos
  

Directions:

1. Cook 9 slices of your bacon. We fried ours, but I know some people prefer microwave cooking their bacon. When cooked crisp, set aside to cool.
   
2. Slice your jalapenos lengthwise. Make sure to protect your hands either with gloves, or use a clean plastic storage bag as a glove. Now here's your choice on how hot you want your poppers... Leave seeds in for "burn your mouth" hot, Scrape out seeds for milder poppers. Set to side.
3. Crumble your now cool cooked bacon.
   
4. In a bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon. Mix well!
5. Get your peppers and spoon filling mix into each pepper.
6. Get your uncooked bacon and cut each slice in half.
7. Wrap a piece of the cut uncooked bacon around each jalapeno using a toothpick to secure it.
8. Pop them into a 275 degree oven for 1 hour or until bacon is cooked. Alternatively you can grill on indirect heat until bacon is done. The choice is all yours!

So why would I give you guys a recipe that is so time consuming? These things can be completely preassembled the night before then refrigerate till time to cook!

Jacked Up Peach Chicken

Ahhh Jack Daniels has always been a sweet friend. Mostly after a horrible raid night to take the edge off but today we're hitting the sauce early! No not to drink (although if you do get a shot, I won't tell if you don't... my lips are sealed!). Today Jack is literally the sauce, atleast part of the sauce. Add some peach preserves and barbecue sauce and your chicken will thank you. Let's get cooking:

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 5 hours
Serves: 4

Skill Needed: Apprentice

Ingredients:

• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1 Bottle Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce
• 1/2 an Onion Diced
• 1/2c Jack Daniels Whiskey
• 12oz Peach Preserves
• 4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
  

Directions:

1. In a bowl mix barbecue sauce, Jack Daniels whiskey, and peach preserves.
2. Dice 1/2 of a medium onion and crush a clove of garlic then add to sauce bowl.
3. Stir well
4. Cover bottom of crock pot with half the sauce, lay chicken in bottom, then cover chicken with remaining sauce.
5. Cook on High 5 hours.

Sweet BBQ Pork Tenderloin

Summer is coming to an end, school is beginning, and in my current game we are mid patch content.  That means we are logging 6 hours a week to kill current content before new comes out.  Off nights have left us in old content grabbing achievements/gear, and let's not forget PVP.  I wish I had time to get those lasts sweet tastes of summer in...  but who has time to grill and in this 100 degree heat?  Not to worry hungry gamers we will not miss out!  Grab your materials, grab a crockpot & cook yourself up some Sweet BBQ Pork Tenderloin.  You'll thank me later.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 6 hours
Serves: 8

Skill Needed: Apprentice

Ingredients:

• 8 Pork Tenderloin
• Bottle BBQ Sauce 
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Mustard
• 3 Chipotle Peppers Minced
• 2 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce 
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Mince Chipole Peppers.
2. In a bowl mix Bottle of Barbecue Sauce, Honey, Brown Sugar, Mustard, Peppers and Worcestershire Sauce, Salt & Pepper.
3. Spray your crock with cooking spray and pour about 1/3 your sauce into bottom of Crock.  Add a layer of Pork Tenderloin. Add 1/3 more sauce.  Add a layer of Pork Tenderloin. Add rest of sauce.
4. Cook on Low for 6 hours.

 Delicious and longing for veggies to share their plate!