Dining out by crocking in.

This week is "Restaurant Week". It's going to be a week of my go-to restaurant foods done in a crock pot.

Chili's. My other half and I went to Chili's A LOT in college. It was the restaurant we went to for birthdays, anniversaries, and "Margarita Madness". We would always get the same thing for dinner: Cajun Chicken Pasta. I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks and decided to make it based on name alone.

"Cajun Chicken Pasta" (3.5 quart pot)

~2 chicken breasts

~15 oz can crushed tomatoes

~1 6 oz can tomato paste

~1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

~1/2 cup onion, chopped

~3 t minced garlic

~1 1/2 t cajun seasoning

~1/4 t dried bay leaves

Mix all ingredients in greased crock pot.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve over cooked pasta. (I used penne.)

2 servings.

This was good, but it was absolutely nothing like Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta. Theirs is alfredo based. This, obviously, was not. This wasn't really cajun-y, either. If you like tomato saucy chicken, go for it.

This dessert has been on my MUST CROCK list ever since the first cheesecake I crocked came out so well. I love cheesecake. AND I love The Cheesecake Factory. (They serve things other than cheesecake there?)  My go to cheesecake is their Tiramisu Cheesecake. For this recipe, I stole bits and pieces from other recipes and mashed them altogether to make one crockworthy.

  

"Tiramisu Cheesecake" (6 quart pot)

~12 ladyfingers
~4 T butter, melted
~4 T Kahlua
~24 oz (3 pkg) Philly cream cheese
~8 oz mascarpone cheese
~1 C sugar
~2 eggs
~4 T flour
~1/4 C semi sweet chocolate chips

Mash ladyfingers into small crumbs.
Add melted butter and 2 T Kahlua. Mix well and form crust in bottom of 1.5 quart CorningWare dish.
In large bowl, mix cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar.
Add 2 T Kahlua and mix.
Add eggs and flour and mix.
Pour batter on top of crust.
Pour 3/4 C water into crock pot.
Place CorningWare carefully into crock pot.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.
Allow to cool for an hour.
Remove CorningWare from crock pot.
Place in fridge overnight.

"Kahlua whipped cream"

 ~1 1/2 cups heavy cream

~1 T sugar
~2 t Kahlua

Mix ingredients in a medium chilled bowl.
Mix on high for 1 minute or until stiff and fluffy.
Spoon on top of cheesecake.
Grate chocolate chips on top of whipped cream.

8 servings.

I'd comment on how AMAZING this was, but I'm too busy drooling all over myself and practicing some self control.