Category: RECIPES

PB&J CHICKEN STEW

I first saw this recipe on a blog and thought, hmmm maybe. Then it kept showing up again and again so I finally tried it. I’ve adapted it from what I originally printed out and unfortunately I don’t know where I first saw it, but I’ll give you the original and notate my changes in red and then you can decide for yourself.  We LOVED it. Perfect for a cool winter’s night.

PB&J CHICKEN STEW
8 skinless chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks
1 large onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup grape jelly or berry jam/jelly
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 
1 knorr chicken gel boullion
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup creamy JIF
1/8 cup black and blue berry jam (courtesy of my SIL – YUMMY BTW)
2 tablespoons Classico sun-dried tomato pesto
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

  • Place chicken pieces in the slow cooker. 
  • Add onions, carrots, celery and parsley.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together stock, peanut butter, jelly, tomato pesto. Pour over chicken and vegetables.
  • Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours or high for **2-4 hours until chicken is cooked through.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes.

**I was in a hurry and my chicken was not quite thawed which made it easier to cut into chunks. I cooked it on high for 3 hours and it was PERFECT!

SWEET & SPICY MANDARIN TANGERINE CHICKEN

We are trying really hard to get tons of vegetables in our diet.This is one of those recipes that gets you your full days worth all at once and is so tasty too!

SWEET & SPICY MANDARIN TANGERINE CHICKEN
2 large chicken pieces, cut into bite sized pieces
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 bunch green onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, sliced diagonally
1 cup snap peas, cleaned and halved
2 tangerines, peeled, halved and sectioned
1 small head broccoli, cleaned and pieced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup Franks Sweet Chili Sauce
1/4 cup tangerine juice (orange juice is good too)
Juice of 1 lemon
Sesame Oil
Wondra flour
Soba noodles
rice

  • In a small sauce pan whisk together the lemon juice, tangerine juice, sweet chili sauce and red pepper flakes bring to a slow boil. Turn off the heat.
  • Heat sesame oil in wok or wok type pan over medium high heat.
  • Add garlic until fragrant.
  • Dredge chicken pieces in Wondra flour and add to pan when oil is hot. Stir fry until chicken pieces are brown and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
  • Add more oil if necessary and then stir fry the celery until starts to soften.
  • Add carrots, followed by green onions, snap peas and broccoli cooking until desired tenderness.
  • Add tangerine pieces to sauce, tossing to coat.
  • Add chicken back in.
  • Add sauce to pan and toss to coat.
  • Fold in Soba noodles.
  • Serve over rice.
  • ENJOY!

This meal is labor intensive, but really worth it. Chopping all those vegetables takes a bit of time.

SOUTH of the BORDER CHICKEN WINGS

SOUTH of the BORDER CHICKEN WINGS
GLAZE
1 cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Original)
1/4  cup light corn syrup
1 small can chopped green chiles, drained
1 bunch green onions, finely minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Juice of 1 lime

  • In a small saucepan whisk together the BBQ sauce, corn syrup, garlic powder and cumin.
  • Stir in green chiles and onions.
  • Bring to a SLOW boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
  • Whisk in lime juice and set aside.

WINGS
2 pounds chicken tenders
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh ground salt and black pepper

  • Preheat oven to 450°.
  • Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non stick spray.
  • Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper on chicken pieces.
  • Arrange chicken in a single layer.
  • Bake 25-30 until cooked through.
  • Brush with glaze last 10 minutes.
  • Serve with remaining sauce and ranch for dipping.

JALAPENO RANCH (FOR DIPPING)
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon crushed parsley flakes
2 tablespoons Penzey’s California crushed jalapenos
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

  • Whisk all together and chill overnight before serving

BEER BAKED BEANS
1 pound small white beans, soaked over night, drained and sorted
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
1 large shallot, sliced
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 bottles Angry Orchard Summer Honey hard cider or Shocktop
1 1/2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 KNORR chicken gel bouillon
Fresh ground salt and black pepper, to taste

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • In a large skillet cook bacon, reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease.
  • When bacon is done, add onions, shallot and garlic to bacon grease sauteing until opaque.
  • Whisk together the beer, hot water and bouillon. Add to onion mixture and bring to a SLOW boil.
  • Add honey, vinegar, salt and pepper.
  • Add beans and return to a boil.
  • Transfer to baking dish baking until beans are tender and moisture is absorbed.
  • Stir in bacon just before serving.

My family added some of the extra wing sauce from above to the beans and LOVED it.

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BAKING PARTNERS – RIGO JANCSI

This month challenge (since this is the month of Valentine’s Day and love) is to make a Hungarian pastry called Rigo Jancsi.  A popular Austria-Hungary dessert is named after Rigó Jancsi (1858–1927), a famous Hungarian Gypsy violinist who seduced and married Clara Ward, Princess de Caraman-Chimay, the only daughter of American millionaire E. B. Ward and the wife of Belgian Prince de Caraman-Chimay. Their love story never ended happily ever after though. This is actually a chocolate sponge cake filled with chocolate mousse, and topped with chocolate ganache.  I added some fresh raspberries and and a raspberry coulee.

This really is a time taking effort, you need at a least a day to make it but it worth all effort. This recipe is adapted from Joe pastry and stabilized chocolate mousse inspired  from here. This recipe makes about six 2 ½ inch pieces.

For the sponge cake:
2 ½ tablespoon (24g)  all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons (6g)  cocoa powder
5 tablespoon (71g) butter
2 ounces  (57g) semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
3 eggs, room temperature and separated
3 tablespoon (45g)  sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the chocolate glaze:
3 ounces (84g)bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon(26g)  butter
1 tablespoon (27g)  light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
3/4 tablespoons (5g)  cocoa powder
3 tablespoon  powdered sugar
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
¾ cup heavy cream + 1 tablespoon
¼ teaspoon rum extract( other wise use 3/4 tablespoon  rum)
¾ teaspoon gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon boiling water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the assembly:
Apricot glaze
1 tablespoon apricot jam
¼ cup water
  • Preheat your oven to 350. Line a 8  inch square pan with parchment paper and brush it with melted butter.
  • For the cake: Whisk together the cocoa powder and flour. 
  • Add the chocolate pieces and butter in a bowl and stir to melt, apply ten-second bursts of heat as necessary. When the mixture is smooth, set it aside to cool. 
  • In a mixer fitted with a whip, beat the egg yolks on high until pale and thick, about five minutes, then with the machine running add half the sugar in a stream. 
  • Continue whipping until the yolks and sugar fall from the whip in a ribbon. 
  • Transfer the yolk mixture to a medium bowl and fold in chocolate mixture. Set the bowl aside while you prepare the whites. 
  • Rinse and dry the mixer bowl and whip (If you have a second bowl like I do place it in the freezer while you do the above steps). Put the whites in the bowl and whip to soft peaks, add the salt, then add the remaining sugar in a stream. 
  • Continue to whip to the stiff peak stage, the foam should be very glossy. Stir 1/3 of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten the batter, then fold in the rest in two additions. Lastly, fold in the flour and cocoa. 
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and level it with an icing spatula. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and loosen the edges with a knife. 
  • Lay a second sheet of parchment and a wire rack over the layer, then invert the pan. Remove the pan and — carefully — the top sheet of parchment. 
  • Cover the cake with a clean kitchen towel and another wire rack and invert the cake again. Remove the parchment from the top and allow the cake to cool.
  • When the cake is cool, cut the sheet in half. 
  • Prepare the glaze by combining all the ingredients except for the vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the bowl for 20 seconds on full power, then apply as many ten-second bursts as needed to melt the chocolate completely, stirring in between to allow the residual heat to do most of the work. 
  • Stir in the vanilla and pour the glaze over the cake, spreading it promptly with an icing spatula. Allow the glaze to set, about 45 minutes to an hour. 
  • Divide into two equal halves, cut one half into 2 ½ inch 6 pieces. .Set the pieces aside or store in the refrigerator.
  • For the filling: melt the chocolate pieces with 1 tablespoon heavy cream in the microwave, using a 20-second burst, then as many ten-second bursts as needed until it’s completely smooth. Cool it until it’s just barely warm to the touch. 
  • Add ¾ teaspoon gelatin in 1 tablespoon cold water and set aside for 5 minutes.
  • Then add 1 tablespoon of boiling water into the gelatin. 
  • Add this liquid gelatin to  3/4 cup heavy cream along with rum extract, vanilla and whip very well. 
  • Stir together the cocoa and powdered sugar. 
  • Whip the cream mixture to just shy of soft peaks. Then, with the machine on, whip in the cocoa and sugar mixture. 
  • Add the melted chocolate all at once and quickly whip or whisk it in, whichever works better for you. 
  • Set the second cake layer on sheet of parchment paper and trim up the sides. Brush apricot glaze over it, then apply the filling, being careful to apply it evenly. 
  • Square up the corners. 
  • Gently lay the glazed top pieces on the top, then refrigerate the entire cake for at least an hour. 
  • When ready to serve, cut the cake into pieces using a sharp knife heated under hot top water. 
  • Enjoy

CHICKEN PICATTA ala SAVORY KITCHEN TABLE

Picatta, is possibly derived from an Italian word picchiare which means to pound, is a process, a method of preparing food, meat that is sliced, coated, sautéed and served in a sauce. though most people associate it specifically with capers, but it has more to do with the way the chicken is butterflied, flattened and the way it is seasoned and browned in butter or olive oil.  A sauce is made using the pan drippings, lemon juice and white wine which are cooked together until reduced. After reduction, butter is stirred in to finish the sauce. Shallots or garlic and/or capers can be added with slices of lemon. In the United States, it is usually served with a starch, such as pasta, polenta, or rice. Personally I HATE capers so I opt to leave them out ALWAYS, but you be the judge.  I also tend to avoid marjoram (just not a fan of that piney flavor in my food), but most picatta recipes call for it.  Both capers and marjoram are used A LOT in Mediterranean food, I guess it is a regional thing!

I normally make this with the Parmesan mashed potato recipe below, but the night I took the picture we had those cute Parmesan Potato Stackers that are all over the place right now.  They’ll be good for “company” dinners.

CHICKEN PICCATA
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Fresh ground salt and white pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter or avocado oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon marjoram (optional)
capers (optional)

  • One at a time place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of saran or wax paper.  Work from the center gently pound each breast until flat, about 1/4 inch thick.
  • In a shallow bowl whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. Coat each chicken breast with the flour mixture.
  • Heat the butter or oil over medium high heat until hot.
  • Add chicken cooking 3-5 minutes perside until cooked through and golden brown.
  • Remove chicken to heated plate and keep warm.
  • Add chicken broth to the skillet along with Worcestershire sauce nd cook until hot and well blended.
  • Add in lemon juice and parsley, stirring to heat and combine.
  • Serve over chicken with Parmesan potatoes.

PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES
6 medium red potatoes, washed and cut into pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 cup Buttermilk

  • Bring potatoes to a boil until tender. Drain.
  • Combine potato ingredients and beat until smooth.
  • Enjoy

HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES

These are always a crowd pleaser.
HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
1 1/2 pound beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon beef base

  • Heat olive oil and add ground beef.
  • Generously salt and pepper.
  • Brown beef, onion and garlic. Drain.
  • Add brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, steak seasoning and beef base. Cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste and tomato sauce.
  • Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
  • Serve on fresh baked buns.

PROPOSED EASTER MENU

Things are moving along well, so well that we decided to host Easter. I’m really excited about being far enough along host Easter and being able to really bake and cook again. This is my proposed menu. Any other ideas?

TROPICAL GLAZED PORK TENDERLOIN

2-3 pound pork tenderloin
1 cup apricot pineapple preserves
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pineapple juice

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Whisk together brown sugar and pineapple juice.
  • Blend in preserves.
  • generously salt and pepper the pork loin.
  • Spread a small layer of the glaze on the bottom of the roasting pan.
  • Lay the pork loin on top and spread the remaining glaze on top and along the sides.
  • Baste as necessary
  • Bake 45-60 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.
DEVILED EGGS

8 hard boiled Eggs
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon creamy horseradish
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
paprika

  • Cut eggs in half and scoop out yolks. 
  • In a mixing bowl mash the yolks to a fine consistency. 
  • Add the remaining ingredients except the paprika and mix well until smooth and creamy. 
  •  Fill egg whites and sprinkle with paprika. I have a Tupperware egg keeper that fits 8 eggs perfectly. I like to do these a day before serving also to allow the flavors to meld.

HOLIDAY APRICOT CARROT CASSEROLE

2 pounds carrots**
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cans apricot pineapple nectar
1 pound dried apricots
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup crushed walnuts

  • Clean and bake carrots until slightly mushy.
  • Cool, Slice lengthwise and set aside.
  • While carrots are baking, put dried apricots in a dutch oven and cover with nectar.
  • Simmer apricots until mushy – about an hour.
  • Add butter, brown sugar and walnuts to apricot mixture.
  • In a 13×9 greased baking dish layer carrots and apricot mixture twice.
  • Bake 30-45 minutes at 350°.

**Yams or sweet potatoes or a combination of can be substituted easily.

CHEESY AU GRATIN POTATOES
1/2 cup butter
16 oz. whipping cream
5 large russet potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups grated 4 white cheese mix (Gruyere, Muenster, etc…)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
Wondra Flour

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Peel and thinly slice potatoes.
  • Grease 9×13 baking dish.
  • In a large sauce pan, melt the butter.
  • Gradually add the whipping cream and spices. Blend well.
  • Gradually add the flour until the mixture thickens, but it is still pourable!
  • Mix the cheeses all together.
  • Layer the potatoes, cheese and cream mixture ending with cheese on top.
  • Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown.

CHOCOLATE BERRY BASKETS 
Chocolate 
Strawberries
Blackberries
Blueberries 

ROLLS OF SHARON aka CINNAMON RAISIN BUNS
ROLLS
2 packages Fleischman’s Rapid Rise Yeast
1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup WARM water
1 cup scalded milk (2 minutes in the microwave)
1/2 cup Crisco stick
5 cups flour, divided
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon salt

  • In a small bowl combine the warm water, 2 teaspoons of sugar and both packages of yeast until well blended. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl combine the scalded milk, Crisco stick, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Blend well.
  • Add yeast mixture and blend well.
  • Add the well beaten eggs and half the flour. Mix until well blended.
  • Add the remaining flour (a little more if too sticky) and mix well until dough leaves the sides of the bowl and is elastic.
  • With vegetable oil, wipe the inside of another bowl.
  • Place dough in bowl and turn once.
  • Cover with wax paper and a towel.
  • Let rest in a warm place until double in size.

 

  • Punch down and divide into 2 balls.
  • Put one on the pastry board and one back in the bowl.
  • Let rest 10 minutes.
  • While resting prepare the filling ingredients.

 

  • Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thickness in a rectangle about 18×24 inches.
  • Spread half the melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar.
  • Spread half the raisins over that.
  • Roll tightly jelly roll style and cut into 18 rolls.
  • Place rolls in greased pans 1/4 to 1/2 inches apart.
  • Cover with wax paper and a towel.
  • Let rise again until double in size.
  • Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
  • While baking prepare the icing.

 

  • When rolls come out the oven, put globs of icing on each one. Return to the oven for a minute or two to melt icing all over the rolls.

FILLING
1 stick melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup golden raisins

  • Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon until well blended.

ICING
1 stick butter, softened
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered vanilla
4-6 tablespoons milk

  • Mix all together until smooth.

When re-heating rolls, put a pad of butter on top of roll before microwaving.
These freeze really well. 

MOSCATO STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
1 bottle pink moscato
6 cups lemonade
1/4 cup strawberry vodka
Frozen Strawberry Slices
Lemon slices

  • Blend together well.
  • Enjoy!   

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BOSTON BAKED BEANS ala TEXAS and a mini update

You know how we plan things and also plan on them going the way we want them to? LOL That truly doesn’t seem to happen around here. We’re getting most things done, but I’m not accustomed to moving things down the list every single day.

  • MONDAY – Grout entryway, Paint walls in refrigerator alcove, Set tiles for under refrigerator so we can get it moved out of the living room, Texture kitchen wall and get it painted, Paint bathroom walls with gripper paint to get it ready for texturing, Finish sorting through kitchen utensils and organize 1-2 cabinets. I really wanted a simple farmhouse look so we changed out minds on what we will be doing on the kitchen walls (simple rough hewn cedar planking painted) and it will be so much easier, but required a trip to Home Depot and extra paint. It doesn’t look like much here, but I promise it will look great soon.

  • TUESDAY –  Get blood drawn, Walmart and grocery store. Work on kitchen wall. Make BBQ sauce for the baby back ribs and start Baked Beans.
  • WEDNESDAY – Grout entryway,. Set tiles for under refrigerator so we can get it moved out of the living room, Finish the kitchen wall and the migration of “things”.  Finish sorting through kitchen utensils and bakeware.

I LOVE to cook. It’s just that plain an simple.  I also believe one of the best things I can do for my family is to make things from scratch.  I’m a HUGE believer that just because we can, doesn’t mean that we should as in buying a canned product versus making it from scratch.

Our son will be here for one night only and then my uncle will be here the next night.  Both nights are weekend nights so we’re eating in to avoid crowds and noise. When we asked what our son wanted to eat he very definitely said BBQ!  So today I began my homemade BBQ sauce and Old Fashioned Boston baked beans ala Texas.  Both taste better if they have a few days to let the flavors meld together.

OLD FASHIONED BOSTON BAKED BEANS
1 pound Navy beans, washed and sorted
1/2 pound salt pork, diced small
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
1/4 cup JALAPENO ketchup
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup PURE maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses

  • Dice salt pork and layer on bottom of slow cooker.
  • Chop onion and scatter over salt pork pieces.
  • Wash and sort beans.
  • Place beans in slow cooker on top of salt pork.
  • Cover with 5 cups water.
  • Cook on low overnight for 12 hours.
  • Drain beans, reserving liquid.
  • Return beans to slow cooker.
  • Add vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, maple syrup and molasses and blend well.
  • Add in 1/2 cup of bean water as desired for consistency.
  • Heat through for an hour or so.

BREAKFAST BURGERS

I saw this Rachel Ray recipe in a magazine and then adjusted to our likes.  Hubby likes his with mayo, mustard and a dill flavored Havarti cheese I just butter my muffin with a plainer straight Havarti.

BREAKFAST BURGERS
1/3 pound ground beef per person
2 teaspoons  drained chopped green chiles per person
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce per person
1 green onion, minced per person
1 clove garlic, minced per person
fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to taste + paprika to taste
1 over medium fried egg, per person
1 slice cheese of choice, per person
1 English muffin, toasted per person
1 tablespoon butter

  • Combine the beef, green chiles, onion, garlic, Worcestershire, salt and pepper until well blended.
  • Form patties.
  • Melt butter in skillet.  Cook patties until browned and evenly cooked through to taste. Top with cheese during last few minutes (fold the cheese to the necessary size) and top each burger.
  • While the burgers are cooking in a separate pan cook the eggs to over medium (whites are cooked through and yolks are runny).
  • While burgers and eggs are cooking toast the English muffins and dress with desired condiments.

CHICKEN BLT SOUP

Since we arrived here, cooking has been a challenge.  Well tomorrow the challenge is over as my new range is scheduled to arrive between 8:30 and 10:30 AM.  I did however manage to make a new soup recipe that turned out awesome in the slow cooker, but will be better on the range.

I have always used a combination of onion, carrot and celery as a soup base long before I knew it had a name, Mirepoix. I didn’t know I’d been cooking French all these years.

CHICKEN BLT SOUP
1 pound bacon, thick sliced
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large sweet Vidalia onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine (I like a nice moscato)
6 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
homemade croutons
Torn romaine and or celery leaves
Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste 

  • Cook bacon until crisp.  Set aside to drain on paper towels. 
  • Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and then sear the chicken thighs quickly in the hot grease. Transfer chicken thighs to slow cooker.
  • Add onions, carrots and celery to bacon grease and saute’ until seared. Add to slow cooker.
  • Deglaze pan with wine being sure to scrape up all the bits and pieces.
  • Add broth to the wine and bring to a boil.
  • As soon as broth mixtures boils add it to the slow cooker.
  • Cover and slow cook on high 1 1/2-2 hours until chicken is fork tender and tears apart easily.
  • Stir in tomatoes.
  • Ladle into bowls.
  • Top each bowl with a handful of lettuce, bacon piece, croutons and grated cheese before serving.

CROCKPOT LASAGNA

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 ounce can Hunt’s Diced Balsamic vinegar, Basil and olive oil tomatoes
13.5 ounce can Popeye chopped Spinach
15 ounce can Contadina Italian Herb tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Classico Sun Dried tomato pesto
1 tablespoon Pampered Chef Italian Herb mix or equivalent
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
16 ounces ricotta cheese
8 Lasagna noodles, no boil bake
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
PURE

  • Brown hamburger with onion and garlic. Drain off fat.
  • Mix together the diced tomatoes and spinach, juice and all.
  • Whisk together the sauce,pesto and seasonings.
  • Pour the tomato and spinach mixture over the meat mixture and toss together. Allow to drain again.
  • Generously spray the crock pot liner with PURE.
  • Layer as follows & cook on low 3 hours
1/2 of the sauce
noodles broken to fit
meat mixture
noodles
ricotta cheese
meat mixture
noodles broken to fit
other 1/2 of sauce
mozzarella cheese

COUNTRY FRIED STEAK

A favorite of ours is “chicken fried” anything.  Chicken-fried steak (also known as pan-fried steak country-fried steak or CFS) is a piece of steak (tenderized cube steak) coated with seasoned flour and pan-fried. It is generally associated with the South and their hospitality. Its name is thought to be likely due to chicken-fried steak’s similarity in preparation to fried chicken, though the dish is also similar to the classic Austrian dish,  Wiener Schnitzel, a tenderized veal or beef cutlet, coated with flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs and then pan fried.  It is truly a comfort food.

The precise origins of Chicken Fried Steak are unclear, but many sources attribute its development to Germans and Austrians who immigrated to Texas in the nineteenth century and brought recipes for Wiener Schnitzel from Europe to the USA. Lamesa, the seat of Dawson County on the Texas South Plains, claims to be the birthplace of chicken-fried steak, as does Bandera, Texas’ favorite son, John “White Gravy” Neutzling.

The Virginia Housewife, published in 1838 by Mary Randolph has a recipe for veal cutlets that is one of the earliest known recipes for a food like chicken-fried steak. The recipe for what we now know as chicken-fried steak was included in many regional cookbooks by the late nineteenth century. The actual term “chicken-fried steak” was probably developed in the 1930s. It is thought that the  name change was due to the war with Germany.  Chicken-fried steak is among numerous popular dishes which make up the official state meal of Oklahoma, added to the list in 1988.

All that said, even being a Texan, I grew up with it being called Country Fried Steak which makes so much more sense to me!  There is nothing chicken about this meal.  I have over the years played with the flavor and this is how we like it.
COUNTRY FRIED STEAK
1 cube steak or thin top sirloin steak per person
Marsala wine
green onions, thinly sliced
1 egg per 2 steak, beaten
flour
salt and pepper
butter
  • Generously salt and pepper the steaks.
  • Slice your onions and marinate the steaks in just enough Marsala wine to cover.  Layer the steaks and onions into a tupperware and refrigerate for several hours.
  • Drain steaks on paper towels.
  • Heat large skillet with enough butter to evenly coat the bottom.
  • Dipped drained steaks in beaten egg and then flour.
  • Lay each steak in sizzling butter and salt and pepper again.
  • Turn steaks and season again.
  • Serve with Parmesan Potatoes and Peppered Gravy.