A Little Back Story....

Hey! Pull up a chair and sit for a while. I (Miranda) just wanted to back up and give you guys some history on how I got involved with cooking, crock potting, recipe blogging, or whatever you want to call it.

I was raised (until the age of 12) by a single mother who worked full time in the Air Force. I don't exactly remember when I started to cook for myself, but most of it I learned from browsing through cookbooks or watching cooking shows. My mom, bless her heart, is not a cook and was never meant to be one. Her idea of dinner? We call them "Soup Can Meals" and it usually involved something weird - like boiled macaroni noodles mixed with cream corn. Disgusting, right?

The first few things I learned to cook involved more baking than cooking - cakes, but more especially cookies. It wasn't until I was into high school that I actually developed a love for cooking itself.

Let me warn you first - I am not one of those people who ventures away from a recipe. I am pretty much a "stick-to-the-instructions" kind of girl. It drives me nuts to read a recipe that involves "a pinch" of this. What is that, really?

Now that I am a wife and mother and (as Amy said already) we both work outside the home and are actively involved in our church, it has become harder to find time to work with recipes that take up a lot of time and energy. And while I can't speak for Amy, I'm sure she would agree that the best recipes are the kind that are simple, most often involving a few ingredients and ready in less than thirty minutes, and (if we're lucky) can be cooked in a CROCK POT! (You'll find that Amy and I have a shared loved for crock pots, as well!) Most people assume crock pots are just for roasts. Well, hold on to your socks! Amy and I will share recipes beyond the usual pot roast!

And now that I've given you some insight into my development as a culinary genius (who am I kidding?) Here is one of my all-time favorite recipes The best thing about this recipe is you can cook it immediately, OR refrigerate or freeze it to use later! -

Chicken Spaghetti
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed and rinsed
2 cans cream of Mushroom soup
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I like sharp)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper

4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken in 2 in. pieces
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
1 tsp season salt
1 additional cup grated cheddar cheese

Fill a pot with water and add chicken breasts, bringing them to a boil. When the chicken is cooked through, cut it up into small cubes/pieces. Save two cups of the broth from this pot and then cook the spaghetti in the remaining broth until al dente. When spaghetti is cooked, mixed with all other ingredients except the additional cup of cheddar cheese.
Please mixture in a casserole dish (I used 13x9) and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Serve with salad and/or dinner rolls and enjoy!