CROCK POT BROWN SUGAR CHICKEN

Crock pot Brown Sugar Chicken adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
1 cup brown sugar (it’s okay. you can brush your teeth after.)
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (stay with me…)
2/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine, but think regular white would be fine)
3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
2 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are GF)
1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:  Plop the chicken into your croc kpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Put the chicken down in the crock pot and add all of the other ingredients on top.

Here’s what you’ll end up with:

Our Thoughts:
This dish was really good.  It was sweet and the chicken was fall-apart tender.  I, personally, could have used just a touch of spicy . . . maybe some type of oriental-type pepper.  I ladled all of the sauce out of the bottom of the crockpot and put it in a separate bowl so everyone get put it all over their rice.

I served this with rice and one of Scott’s very favorite dishes-EVER.   Cheesy Cauliflower

Chicken Noodle Soup


2-4 packages of Ramen Soup mix
Boneless chicken
Bag of frozen vegetables
Water or Chicken Broth

I use this recipe to clean out the fridge…
Using leftover chicken, vegetables, rice, whatever looks good to add…


Simmer on stove…


Happy Eating…

Fire Day Friday: Grilled Steak Fajitas

I had a friend in college that met her husband in a fajita line.  Silly as it may sound, it’s true.  We went to this “Around the World” party at one of the fraternities and they had this fajita line.  That’s right…a line that forms and when you reached the end (or the beginning, however you want to look at it) you were handed a fairly well prepared fajita and a shot of tequila.  While my friend stood in line, patiently awaiting her turn to receive her fajitas (and shots), the guy standing behind her asked if she knew what time it was.  That was it.  Seriously, they started talking, found out that they were both psych majors…next thing I know it’s a year later and I’m at their wedding reception talking to them about …go on, you know I’m gonna say it…FAJITAS!!

Ok, ok…so that might not have been the greatest story ever told, but it felt like the appropriate time to tell it since we’re talking fajitas today!  I love fajitas, and used to make them all the time…isn’t it funny how you can have a favorite dish that you make over and over and over and than one day something else takes it place and that one goes away for awhile and than one day you’re thinking about something simple and fast to throw together after a long day at work and all of a sudden it hits you:  FAJITAS!!  I LOVE it when that happens!

So the other day, it hit me… why not throw together some simple, yet flavorful fajitas…a perfect post for Fire Day Friday!!  I’m sure everyone has a good fajita recipe, and there is nothing unusually different about this one, but it’s simple, it’s delicious, and it’s a perfect meal to throw together during crazy week nights!  You could use chicken in place of the steak…though I would marinate the chicken in something like lime and tequila…but that can be totally up to you!

Grilled Steak Fajitas
Ingredients:
1/4 cup beer (I used Bud Light)
3 Tablespoons Country Bob’s Honey Habanero Sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. flank or skirt steak
1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed
1 yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed
1/2 sweet onion, sliced into rounds
flour tortillas


Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the beer, honey chipotle sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Place the steak in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over it.  Let the meat marinate for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  Place the steak directly over the fire and grill for 4-5 minutes per side.  Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice into thin strips.

While the steak is resting, put the peppers and onion on the grill for 5 minutes or just until the veggies start to soften.  Remove from grill and slice into thin strips.  Place thin stips of beef and veggies on the flour tortillas; top with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream if desired.  Enjoy!

  

ZUCCHINI, PEPPERS & POTATO BAKE

This is a great side dish that I make often. What’s great about it is that you can adapt it to your own tastes. In the mood for spicy?  Add some cayenne.  Or do what I often do and add more garlic! 

This is healthy and delicious and goes with just about everything!
Zucchini, Peppers & Potato Bake 
3 potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut into bite size pieces
1 zucchini (about 1 lb), quartered and cut into bite sized chunks
1 onion (I didn’t use this but I usually do), chopped in large chunks
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/3 cup bread crumbs (I used garlic and herb)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toss together veggies in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss with bread crumbs. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Put on a baking sheet covered with cooking spray and cook in a 400 degree oven for about 1 hour or 1 1/4 hours. Stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender and lightly brown. You may need to adjust cooking time depending how done you want your veggies.

Total calories = 1170
6 servings = 195 calories

1 Orange Chipotle Rib + Zucchini, Peppers & Potato Bake = 595 calorie dinner

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Spaghetti Sauce.  A food that everyone seems to have their versions of.  This is the best spaghetti sauce that I have ever tasted.  It is my nana’s recipe and I have never tasted another remotely like it.  Everyone that has tasted it has enjoyed it and gone back for seconds.  I make a double batch and freeze the leftovers for busy weeknights.  Serve with a salad and big,crusty bread and you have a complete meal.  Nana’s recipe calls for ground beef but you can certainly lighten it up with ground turkey.  And please don’t leave out the Heinz 57 sauce.  It is crucial to the outcome.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Nana’s Spaghetti Sauce
3 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Brown onion and green pepper in a large skillet in a small amount of oil.
  • Add ground beef to the onion and green peppers; cook until brown.
  • Carefully drain the hamburger mixture and return to the skillet.
  • Add the tomato sauce, onion salt, salt, garlic salt, oregano, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Heinz 57 and Italian seasoning.
  • Stir well and simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours.
  • Serve over your favorite pasta with garlic bread and a salad.

TORTILLA ROLL UPS ~Perfect for upcoming Superbowl parties~CLASSIC GOOD EATS

TORTILLA ROLL-UPS
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/3 pound ham, chopped fine
7 ounce can roasted chiles, drained well
1 small can chopped olives
flour tortillas

  • In a small food processor blend all ingredients together until smooth.
  • Spread 4 tablespoons on each tortilla leaving 1/2 inch along one edge.
  • Roll up each tortill ending on the dry edge.
  • Lay side by side on a plate.
  • Cover loosely with saran.
  • Chill overnight.
  • Slice into 1/2 inch rounds just before serving.

Creamy Cheddar Potato Soup

 Join me at My Sweet and Savory and at Bizzy B. Bakes.  I would love to have you Cook with Chaya.

I am one of those gals who is cuddling by the non-existent fire place because outside, there are great mounds of snow, some weeks old and ice on the sidewalks.  One can slide from place to place.  Getting out of my car, the other night, I was greeted with a mountain blocking my way.  I wonder how many people threw their snow in that spot.

The truth is, there is no place left to throw snow for many of us.  We have piled up around the driveway, along the sidewalk, against the house.  You name it….there is snow.

These are days to stay home and make a warming pot of soup and what better than a creamy cheddar potato soup?

Cheddar Potato Soup adapted from Taste of Home Annual 2003
Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped celery
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups diced peeled potatoes
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • Dash paprika

Method:

  • In a large saucepan, saute onion, red pepper and celery in butter until tender. 
  • Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  • Puree in small batches in a blender until smooth; return to the pan. Stir in the cheese, milk, pepper and paprika. Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted.  I should have used my immersion blender but I forgot.  It would have been much easier than shlepping out the blender and then wash out the jar.


Cheeseburger Soup

CHEESEBURGER SOUP adapted from Recipes from Dawn’s Daily Life
1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup of chopped onion
3/4 cup of shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced, peeled potatoes (1-3/4lbs)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups (8oz) processed cheese (Velveeta)
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:  In a 3-quart saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onions, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour, cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream.

Modifications:
-I used 93/7 lean ground beef
-I used whole wheat flour
-I used light sour cream

Brown the ground beef.  Once browned, pull it out of the pan and set it aside.
Peel and dice the potatoes, dice the celery, shred the carrots, and dice an onion.
Throw the veggies in the same pan that the beef cooked in along with 1 Tbsp of butter.  Cook until tender (about 8-10 minutes).
Add the chicken broth and potatoes.  Put the ground beef back into the pot.  Cook on high until boiling, cover, and reduce.  Cook until potatoes are soft.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt the rest of the butter in a separte pan.  Add the flour.

Add the flour into the soup pot and stir well.
Add the milk.
Add the Velveeta and stir until melted.
Once the cheese melts, pull the soup off of the stove and add the sour cream.  Stir until the sour cream is mixed well.
Here’s what you’ll end up with:
I’m not sure it tastes like a cheeseburger but it does taste fantastic! 

Simple Saturday: Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Hello my foodie friends and welcome to Simple Saturday!

When I read Jenn’s post yesterday here at Our Krazy Kitchen featuring Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken it reminded me of an appetizer I made way back in 2009 that my kids just loved – Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites.

I found myself suddenly craving a sweet and spicy chicken dish!

I had some chicken cutlets in the fridge ready to go for last night but had no idea what I was going to make. I don’t have access to a grill at the moment and didn’t want to make appetizer portions for the chicken bites – and didn’t have enough bacon to wrap all the chicken bites anyway. I decided to wing it and come up with something similar. It’s more of a simple process than a recipe.
.
I washed and salted the cutlets, dredged them in a combo of brown sugar and a Cajun seasoning blend – lots of Cajun seasonings! I placed the cutlets in a baking dish, topped with crumbled  bacon (I used the precooked packaged kind), baked for 25 minutes at 350 and served with steamed broccoli and rolls.
It was a nice dinner, I love all the flavors of this chicken dish together, but to be honest there are a couple things I would change about this next time – I would cook the chicken on a rack instead of in a baking dish and instead of just coating the chicken in the brown sugar and Cajun seasoning I would top it with a heaping helping for more flavor – and  I know this would be even better on the grill!

Join me over at Seaside Simplicity for more quick and easy recipes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fire Day Friday: Sweet & Sticky Grilled Chicken

 

I’m sure that most of you have had this happen:  you find a recipe that you really want to try, so you print it out or bookmark it or whatever you do to save it, and than put it away with all the other recipes you want to try.  One day, you are scouring through those said recipes and all of a sudden, the one (you know the one…. the one you wanted to try so bad so long ago) is right there in your hand and you know this time you aren’t letting it go! 

That is this recipe for me.  I saw the original recipe for this on Comfort of Cooking.  If you have not seen Georgia’s site, I suggest heading over there as soon as you are done here (no, don’t go now…finish mine first, than go see hers…..thank you!!)…not only are her recipes fantastic but her pictures will leave your mouth watering!!

Anyway, this chicken turned out perfectly…it lived up to it’s name…it was sweet, it was sticky….it was FANTASTIC! 

Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken
Adapted from Comfort of Cooking
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/3 cup red wine (I used Chianti)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon Wondra (you can use cornstarch)
2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Bring wine, brown sugar, Wondra, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan.   Reduce heat and stir occasionally, until sauce becomes thicker. (it should not take long)  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce and set aside.

Place the chicken in a shallow dish or Ziploc bag and pour the remaining sauce mixture over the chicken, making sure to coat all sides.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  Remove the chicken from the dish or bag; discard the marinade.  Place the chicken directly on grill grates that have been rubbed down with oil.  Grill for 8-10 minutes per side, making sure to brush with the reserved sauce mixture, or until the chicken is cooked through, 165 degrees.  Enjoy!

 

CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET

CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, diced
1 pound fat sausages of choice, cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons butter
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, sliced
1/2 pound snap peas, washed and deveined
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
1 14-ounce can petit diced tomatoes, basil, garlic & oregano
1 tablespoon Classico sun-dried tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
2 +/- cups chicken stock
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs**
salt and ground black pepper

  •  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Brown the bacon until browned and crumbly in Dutch oven casserole dish.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • Add chicken and sausages and brown on all sides. Remove from fat and set aside. 
  • Add the onions and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. 
  • Add the carrots, snap peas and parsley, sauteing 3-4 more minutes.
  • Add tomatoes, tomato puree, spices and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add meat back in.
  • Add enough of the stock to just cover the meat and veggies, you don’t want things swimming around too much.  You can always add more stock during the cooking if needed. 
  • Cover dish and cook 1 hour.
  • Add more stock if necessary. Spread crumbs over the top and cook uncovered for 40 more minutes or until browned. 

**Try adding other vegetables such as broccoli or white beans for variety.   I used crushed Ritz crackers today and they worked reallllllllllllllly well as a substitute!