PW's Corn and Cheese Chowder Shortcuts

On my Cars and Ribbons Facebook page, I recently posted a link to Pioneer Woman's Corn and Cheese Chowder.  Here are a couple shortcuts to make this delicious dish that will lessen the time in the kitchen and leave more time to enjoy it!

The original recipe calls for 5 ears of corn with the kernels cut off and 3 whole bell peppers.  So, I bought 3 cans of corn with red and green bell peppers.  So much easier that cutting off all those kernels!

Since I love the flavor of bell peppers, I wanted to add more than just what was in the cans.  In the freezer section of the grocery store, you can easily find a bag of 3 pepper and onion blend.

I poured half the bag in a bowl and stuck it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  Then, I poured the peppers and onions in my handy dandy food chopper and "chopped" them.

The recipe also calls for 3 pieces of bacon, cut into pieces.  I headed to the condiment aisle at the store and picked up a bag of real bacon bits.  No extra cutting needed.

I followed the directions as written on the recipe, but used these shortcuts.  It saves time in the kitchen, but still tastes sooooo good!  Enjoy!

Creamy Mac N Cheese

How do you get this elbow macaroni...

...and all of this shredded cheddar cheese...

...to become this creamy mac n cheese dish?

I used a Pioneer Woman recipe. She is by far my favorite TV cook. I have never tried one of her recipes that I didn't like. She posts wonderful pictures of each step of the recipe. The first time I made this recipe, I baked the pasta and got the crispy topping. The second time, I stopped once the pasta was creamy and skipped the baking. It's whatever you prefer. You can find the recipe here. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Potato soup, when made the right way, can warm your whole body. It's tasty, creamy, and is a great comfort food. I found this recipe on Betty Crocker. It was so easy to make and we really loved it.

You just need a package of frozen hashbrowns, chicken broth, onion, celery, flour, and milk.

For extra toppings you can use cheese, bacon bits, and green onions. Yum!

In a slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, and broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

In small bowl, mix flour into milk and stir into potato mixture. Increase setting to high and cook for 20-30 more minutes until mixture thickens. Stir in some cheese until melted. I also added some pepper, salt, and garlic powder for extra flavor.

Add your desired toppings and enjoy the yumminess!

32 oz. bag frozen, shredded hashbrowns


1/2 cup chopped onion


1 medium stalk of celery, chopped


32 oz. carton of chicken broth


1 cup water


3 Tbsp. flour


1 cup milk


Shredded cheese


Bacon bits


Chopped green onion





In slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, and broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. In small bowl, mix flour into milk and then add to the potato mixture. Increase setting to high and cook for 20-30 more minutes. Add some cheese and cook until melted. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder if desired. Stir, then serve with additional toppings.

Spicy Mac N Cheese

Macaroni N Cheese is one of America's favorite dishes. There are soooo many ways to make it. In fact, I have 3 different recipes that I use and they all taste different, but are still very flavorful.

Spicy Mac N Cheese is such a delicious dish but don't eat if you're watching your carbs and fat intake. I usually only make this when my dad is in town because it's his favorite. It may be a little spicy for some, but it's just right for our family. Here's the recipe:

Spicy Mac N Cheese from Food Network
2 cups elbow pasta, cooked
16 0z cheddar cubed, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
8 oz pepper jack cheese, cubed
2 tsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dry ground mustard
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 Tbsp. sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half/half
4 slices bread
1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, toss cooked pasta with cheese cubes and pour in 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. In another bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard, nutmeg, sour cream, egg, heavy cream, and half/half. Pour over pasta. Cover with shredded Cheddar. Bake uncovered until top is beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, cut bread into crouton-sized squares. In skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add bread cubes. Toast bread until golden. Sprinkle bread on top of pasta and bake 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

Ravioli Lasagna

It's time for my first recipe post! Yay! Ravioli Lasagna! Double Yay!!

I first found this recipe in a Parenting magazine. I've made this many times over the years. It's quick, simple, delicious, and even my picky 5 year old son will eat it.

You just need these 3 ingredients: 1 jar of spaghetti sauce, 1-25 oz. package of frozen ravioli, 1-8 oz. package of shredded mozzarella.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 casserole dish.

Spread half of the package of ravioli on top of the sauce. Be sure the ravioli is in a single layer.

Top with 1 cup of the sauce. Use a spatula to help spread the sauce on top of the ravioli. Then sprinkle half of the mozzarella on top. Repeat layers.

Before placing in the oven, cover the dish with foil. I keep 2 types of foil in my pantry: regular foil and non-stick foil. I like to use non-stick foil when I have to cover dishes in the oven or when baking bread or biscuits. I use regular foil for everything else.

If you don't have non-stick foil, spray some cooking spray on regular foil and then cover the dish. This will prevent the yummy mozzarella cheese from sticking to the foil.

Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven. Uncover, then bake another 5-10 minutes. Serve with garlic bread, salad, and enjoy!

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1-25 oz. package frozen ravioli

1-8 oz. package shredded mozzarella

Preaheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce on bottom of a 13 x 9 casserole dish. Spread 1/2 the package of ravioli in a single layer. Top with 1 cup of sauce and 1/2 of the package of mozzarella. Layer the rest of ravioli, 1 cup of sauce, and the rest of the mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes.