I love my crockpot. It is the greatest thing ever invented, especially for busy people. So anytime I can find crockpot meals that the family loves I jump for joy.
I was talking to a friend today and telling her I was making
"Hawaiian Haystacks" for dinner. She had never heard of
Hawaiian Haystack. OHHH my gosh I told her that we have them at least once a week.
I love it when the kids come home and say "mom whats for dinner" when I reply with
Hawaiian Haystacks the usual response is "OHH SWEET"
This meal is so easy, very nutritious and each person can customized there own haystack. So have fun and play around with different toppings. There is no right or wrong to this recipe. Actually there is not a set recipe that I use, but this is how I do it.
Place three to four boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crockpot and cook all day on low (or just a few hours on high) while you go about your day. Make sure the breasts are covered with water.
SAUCE:1) When the chicken breasts are done take them out of the crockpot and dice them into small chunks and set aside.
2) Pour 2 cans of cream of chicken soup in a large saucepan. Add enough of the broth from the chicken to make the soup as thin as you would like. I usually add 3-4 cups of the broth. It all depends how thick you want your sauce. We like it fairly thick.
3) Add spices. I seriously just open my spice cabinet and add any spices that pop out at me. I usually add some garlic powder, seasoned salt, chicken bouillon, parsley, curry just to name a few. Just season to taste and heat
4) When sauce is warm, add the chopped chicken to the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.
RICE:1) Make some rice according to package directions. I use white rice, but just use your favorite rice.
TOPPINGS:This is a list of topping suggestions, but you can use as many or as few toppings as you want. Have fun and experiment with different toppings.
Cheese (this is a must)
Chopped Celery
Pineapple Chunks
Mandarin Oranges (if you are feeling really fruity)
Cashews
Diced Tomatoes
Diced onions
Peas
Chow Main Noodles (I use LaChoy)
Soy Sauce
HAYSTACK ASSEMBLY:Load plate with rice, pile some chicken mixture on top of the rice. Add the different toppings that you want on top of the chicken mixture. I then usually add just a little more chicken mix on top of the entire haystack to melt the cheese. YUMMY. I hope you enjoy as much as we do. If you have questions or topping suggestions let me know.
I made this cute little mailbox for my college daughter for Valentines Day. The inside contains some yummy chocolates of course and a gift card. The mailboxes can be found at craft stores or on orientialtrading.com. I decorated the mailbox with Topstitich level 2 paper pack, Colonial White mini medleys, Topstitch stickease, ribbon, sparkles and Dimensional Elements-Hearts.
Front of mailbox
Side view of mailbox
Ready for a fun and unique Valentine? This tri-shutter card is always a hit. It's very easy to make and tons of fun. Click on Tri-Shutter TUTORIAL to download my detailed 
instructions on how to make this fun card.
Well last week was full of tons of excitement, but also lots of emotions. Since Alyssa is a Senior this was our last Region meet. We have State this weekend. I know I will be a basket case as I watch her swim her final meet.
Of course this is every parents dream. To watch your child be so successful and in the end be so happy. Alyssa is accepting the girls trophy. Bingham girls team and boys team won the regional meet. It was one of the best moments ever,
and a great way for Alyssa to finish out the season.
Place three to four boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crockpot and cook all day on low (or just a few hours on high) while you go about your day. Make sure the breasts are covered with water.
