When Justin and I got married, we knew we wanted to start a new tradition of Christmas morning at home when we had kids.  We wanted to enjoy them opening presernts and have a time that was just for our family amidst all the Christmas time fun.  My mom always made mornings on holidays special with the perfect breakfast and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. Along with locs and bagels I like to have an easy warm dish to pop in the oven on Christmas morning (or scoop from the crock pot!) Here are some delicious dishes that definitely fit the bill!

Christmas Morning Casserole by Heather at SugarDishMe.com

Made with refrigerated biscuit dough, this one is super easy. Just mix it all up and bake for 30 minutes! No sweat!

Paula Deen's Baked French Toast with Maple Syrup

This was on our Christmas breakfast menu last year and did not disappoint. It is a FULL FLAVORED casserole. A very sweet treat to indulge in while watching A Christmas Story in your jammies on Christmas morning.

Crockpot Overnight Breakfast Casserole by Michelle at TheGraciousWife.com

I love a good crock pot recipe and this one will have you waking up to the smell of breakfast! Like your mom was up before you cooking! It's ready as soon as your hungry in the morning! YUM!

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake  by Sherri at MadeFromPinterest.com

I think if you are drinking a hot cup of coffee, you need something to dunk it in! This is a perfect complement for that Christmas morning coffee or hot chocolate!

Ree Drummond's Make-Ahead Muffin Melts

When I first got my copy of Ree's  Food from My Frontier for my birthday I flipped through every mouth-watering page. This breakfast recipe is perfect for Christmas morning. It's comforting, filling, yummy, and great to make ahead of time and pop in the oven the morning you'd like to chow down.

Along with these, I always get a Hickory Farms Sausage and Cheese box to munch on while breakfast is warming up and have mimosas for Justin and myself... both traditions that started with my mom.

This is what Christmas morning is all about: spending time with family, not slaving away in the kitchen!

For these and a few other Christmas recipes visit my Pinterest page!

Linsley's Christmas Pinboard

easy slow cooker chicken adobo-- a taste of home

I grew up having my grandmother and mom cook chicken and pork adobo for us. I am half Filipino (mom's side) and half Caucasian (dad's side). We would always joke with my dad, asking him if he loved being Filipino. Of course he said he loved it!
Adobo has always been one of my favorite Filipino dishes, especially when my grandmother makes it, and it is one of my comfort foods.  When people ask me to try Filipino food, it's the one I recommend.
I have awesome memories of when my great aunt babysat my sisters and me.  My mom would leave a typical much for us, like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Mama Mart would bring some of her adobo from home for her lunch and my sisters and I would bribe her to trade lunch with us.... and she did everytime. Aaah, the good ole days!
The version I've started making for my family is a bit simplified and super easy.  My sister was actually the one who gave me the idea to use the crock pot to make this easy chicken dish even easier. I usually serve it over white rice and with a side of green beans, just like my mom did when I grew up.  Everyone in my family, including Ty, loves it! Here's the recipe:

Grocery List

1-2 lbs. frozen chicken thigh (I've also done it with breast, but thigh wins for flavor!)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 bay leaves

1 cup chicken broth

4 -5 cloves of garlic

black pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and set it on LOW for 6-8 hours.

When it's done, serve over hot rice and ENJOY!

Told you it was easy. Prep is under 5 minutes... you can't beat that!

Now do yourself a favor and go try it! You might love Filipino food now, and have a new weeknight meal!

my top 6 favorite slow cooker meals

The girls on my culdesac joke that I am the crock pot queen and it might be true.  I use my crock pot at least twice a week and am always scouring Pinterest for new recipes.  These are six that I always come back to because they are so darn good and I love a quick and EASY meal!

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal 

The day we arrived home from the hospital after having Elena, my sister had this warm, hearty breakfast for us in the crock pot. Not only are steel cut oats a power food for nursing mothers, but it was such a filling treat after the marathon of having a baby and settling back at home.  I like to make a big pot of this regularly and eat it through out the week! The yummiest parts are the toppings you can add to it-- golden raisins, almonds, chocolate chips... whatever tickles your fancy!

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings: 

This crock pot meal screams comfort food and is something my whole family loves.  Ty, who can be picky loves this one and, of course, gobbles up the dumplings!  The leftovers make a great lunch the next day too! 

Mexican Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

Whenever I get a good deal on pork at the grocery store I stock up and use at least some of it to make these carnitas.  I love carnitas in a corn tortilla with red onions and squeeze of lime on top.  This recipe is also weight watchers friendly and it has the perfect blend of spices.

Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowl

Sometimes I like to change up 'Taco Tuesdays' (or Taco Mondays, Sundays, Wednesdays...) with this burrito bowl recipe.  The rice makes this nice and filling and the aroma that fills the house at this cooks throughout the day is mouthwatering! Yum!

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

This is another yummy chicken filling for a sweet Hawaiian roll and a side salad!  Sometimes I make enough to freeze some and have again the following week or as a pizza topping for our Friday night pizza!

Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Wraps

On days where I can't seem to get enough done around the house, this is the perfect QUICK meal.  Justin loves chicken Caesar wraps and the slow cooker makes the chicken so tender.  We just put them in a tortilla and call it a day!

What are some of your favorite slow cooker recipes? Please share them with me in the comments so I can try them!