Midwest Cooking

12/01/2025

Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Potatoes are an easy weeknight dinner that won’t heat up the whole house!

Recipe
1 lb chicken breasts
5 medium sized potatoes
olive oil + salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika (for potatoes)

1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
1 tsp each of paprika, onion powder, and Italian seasoning
2 TBSP minced garlic
Buffalo Wild Wings Garlic Parmesan Sauce (just enough to cover chicken)
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions
-Wash potatoes and cut up into small cubes.
-Spray a crockpot with cooking spray.
-Add potatoes the crockpot. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (I don’t use exact measurements for this part).
-Add minced garlic and stir potatoes and seasonings well.
-Cut chicken into cubes.
-Season chicken with 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, 1 tsp each of paprika, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.
-Add some garlic Parmesan sauce. I use just enough of the sauce to cover the chicken. You can always add more sauce if needed once everything is cooked.
-Cook on low for about 6 hours or until potatoes are cooked to your liking.
-Stir everything well.
-Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and let it sit just until the cheese is melted!

Serve and enjoy! We topped this with some ranch and it was delicious!

12/01/2025

Sloppy Joe Potato Skillet is a dinner the whole family loves!

Recipe
5 small/medium potatoes
olive oil + salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (for potatoes)

1 lb ground beef
1 chopped onion
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
1 tsp onion powder and paprika
1 TBSP minced garlic
1-2 TBSP Worcestershire
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of ketchup
1 TBSP of mustard
2 TBSP of bbq sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese

Steps
-Peel, wash potatoes, and cut them up into cubes.
-Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (I don’t use exact measurements for this part).
-Cook the potatoes in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes shaking them around at least a couple of times while they cook.
-Once the potatoes are cooking, brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet and add all seasonings.
-Add minced garlic, Worcestershire, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, and bbq sauce.
-Let simmer on low until the potatoes are ready.
-Add crispy potatoes to the skillet with the sloppy joe mix. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and put in the oven under broil just to melt the cheese.

Enjoy!

11/30/2025

Easy Crockpot Macaroni & Cheese INGREDIENTS 16 ounces of elbow macaroni noodles 3 cups whole milk 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese 1 cup shredded Parm 8 ounces of cream cheese 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper 1 tsp each of paprika, garlic powder, and dry mustard 1 cup of sour cream INSTRUCTIONS Boil macaroni for about 3 minutes and drain. This won’t fully cook the pasta. In a crock pot combine macaroni, milk, cheddar cheese, Colby Jack cheese, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard and paprika. Stir everything together and cook on low for at least an hour (I stir a few times during this hour). Stir in 1 cup of sour cream and cook for another 30 minutes. Enjoy!

11/30/2025

Air Fryer Steak Fajitas are super easy to make and so good! INGREDIENTS 2 large green bell peppers 1 red onion Olive oil Salt, pepper, garlic powder 2 New York Strip Steaks 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper 1/4 tsp cayenne 1 tsp each cumin and dried cilantro 2 tsp chili powder 1 Lime, juiced Fajita size flour tortillas Pico de Gallo Sour cream INSTRUCTIONS Slice peppers and onions. Season with a little bit of olive oil and salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour the veggies into an air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for about 13 minutes or until they are cooked to your liking. While the peppers and onions are cooking, slice the steak into thin slices and season with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, dried cilantro, chili powder, and cayenne powder. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the meat. Stir until the steak is well coated in seasoning. Remove the peppers and onions from the air fryer and set aside. Add the steak to the hot air fryer. Cook at 400 degrees for about 5-7 minutes or until the steak is cooked to your liking. Heat up flour tortillas and add a scoop of the peppers, onions, and steak. Top with homemade pico de gallo and some sour cream. Enjoy!

11/30/2025

Teriyaki Meatball Sheet Pan is an easy and delicious weeknight dinner! INGREDIENTS 2 lbs frozen meatballs 3 bell peppers, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 small head broccoli, chopped 1 tbsp oil 1 heaping cup pineapple, chopped Buffalo Wild Wings Teriyaki Sauce 2 green onions, chopped Sesame seeds INSTRUCTIONS First prep your veggies. Chop an onion, bell peppers, and broccoli. Chop the pineapple into cubes. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray. Pour the veggies on the sheet pan and drizzle them with some oil. Season the veggies with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add the frozen meatballs and drizzle the whole sheet pan with some Teriyaki sauce. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes. Stir everything together well. Serve over some white rice with chopped green onions and some sesame seeds. Enjoy!

11/29/2025

11/29/2025

Chicken Fried Chicken is one of my favorite meals for a Sunday dinner! INGREDIENTS 1 pound chicken breast salt, pepper, garlic 2/3 cup of oil 2 TBSP of butter 1 cup of flour 2 tsp each of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and steak seasoning (for flour mixture) 1 cup of milk 1 egg GRAVY 1/3 cup of grease from frying chicken 1/3 cup of flour 3 cups of milk salt and pepper to taste INSTRUCTIONS Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make them thinner. Season chicken on both sides with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a pan heat oil and butter over medium heat. While the pan is heating up mix together 1 cup of flour, 2 tsp each of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and steak seasoning. In a separate bowl or container mix together 1 cup of milk and 1 egg. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, egg mixture, and back in the flour mixture. Once the oil is hot fry the chicken for a few minutes on each side until golden brown Remove the chicken from the pan and pour out all but about 1/3 cup of the grease. To make the gravy add 1/3 cup of flour to the grease making a roux. Once grease and flour are well incorporated add 3 cups of milk and keep stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once thickened pour over fried chicken.

11/29/2025

Mini Pancake Muffin Bites are easy to make and a great breakfast prep! INGREDIENTS 2 cups of Pancake Mix + ingredients needed to make pancakes Blueberries Strawberries Mini chocolate chips INSTRUCTIONS Mix pancake mix according to the directions on the box. Pour pancake mix into a mini muffin tray making sure to only fill them about half full. Add any pancake toppings you like to the pancake mix. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy!

11/28/2025

A full week of dinners for my family of four! What recipe would you like to see? Sunday - French bread pizzas & salad Monday - Marry Me Chicken with spinach over mashed potatoes, rolls, & green beans Tuesday - Cheeseburger Garlic Bread, mixed veggies, & fruit Wednesday - Chicken Enchilada Tortellini & green beans (video/recipe posted already) Thursday - Grinder Salad Burgers & fries (video/recipe posted already) Friday - Chicken Mexican Pizzas

11/28/2025

Jalapeño Popper Wonton Cups are an easy and delicious appetizer for game day! O’Lakes INGREDIENTS 1 cup Land O Lakes® Co-Jack® Cheese Chunk, shredded 1/2 cup of pickled jalapeños, chopped 8 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 tbsp ranch seasoning 8 oz cream cheese, softened 24 wonton wrappers 2 fresh jalapeños, sliced INSTRUCTIONS Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Add the wonton wrappers to two muffin tins and bake for about 5 minutes. In a bowl, combine 1 cup of shredded Land O Lakes® Co-Jack® Cheese, the chopped pickled jalapeños, crumbled bacon, ranch seasoning, and softened cream cheese. Stir everything together well. Use two spoons to scoop the cheesy jalapeño mixture into the partially baked wonton cups. Add a sliced fresh jalapeño on top of each one. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 10 minutes. I was able to get about 24 wontons out of this, but you could fill them a little less full and make even more! Enjoy!

11/28/2025

Sheet Pan Chicken Thigh Fajitas are a super easy and delicious dinner! INGREDIENTS 2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 1-2 tbsp oil 1 tsp each salt and pepper 2 tsp each cumin, dried cilantro, garlic powder 4 tsp chili powder 1 lime, juiced 4 bell peppers, sliced 1 large onion, sliced Salt, pepper, garlic powder Fresh cilantro INSTRUCTIONS First, slice all of the peppers and the onion. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray and add the peppers and onions. Drizzle them with a little bit of oil and season them with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Next, add about 2 1/2 lbs of boneless skinlesss chicken thighs to a bowl and add some oil. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, dried cilantro, garlic powder, and chili powder. Add the juice of one lime and stir everything together well until the chicken is well coated in seasoning. Add the seasoned chicken thighs to the sheet pan. I like to make little holes between the peppers and onions for each chicken thigh. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 35 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of at least 165 degrees F. I personally like them cooked closer to 185 degrees F. Pour off any extra liquid (if needed) and broil for a couple of minutes if desired. We like to get a little char on the veggies under the broiler. Top the sheet pan with cilantro. Serve with tortillas, homemade guac, or some pico de gallo! This is also really good served over some Spanish rice if you aren’t feeling tortillas.

11/27/2025

Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies are an easy and delicious appetizer for game day or all of the holiday parties! Wild Wings INGREDIENTS 2 packs of bacon 3 lb pack of Little Smokies BBQ Rub Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Buffalo Wild Wings Honey BBQ INSTRUCTIONS Cut bacon into 3rds. Wrap a piece of bacon around a little smokie and place on a sheet pan. Once all little smokies are wrapped in bacon season then with BBQ rub. Drizzle with some Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing and Honey BBQ sauce and spread evenly over the tops. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes or until bacon gets crispy. For crispier bacon, you can also bake them on a baking rack.