Crock Pot Sesame Chicken

Today was my middle daughter's birthday, and she had a special request that we eat Sesame Chicken.  Going out to eat is so expensive these days, and since we are on a budget, I did what I like to do and found a recipe on the internet.

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)

1 bag (16 oz) ready-to-eat baby carrots

2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 to 1/3 cup honey (depending on how sweet you want it, we added extra)

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp dried minced garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp cold water

3 Tbsp corn starch

1 Tbsp sesame seed, toasted

2 green onions, sliced with tops

Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker. Add carrots; sprinkle with ginger root. In small bowl, stir broth, honey, oil and dried minced garlic. Pour over chicken and carrots.  Cover and cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

With slotted spoon, remove chicken and carrots to serving platter; cover to keep warm. Strain cooking liquid; pour into 1-quart saucepan. In small bowl, mix soy sauce, water and cornstarch until smooth; add to liquid in saucepan. Cook and stir over high heat until thickened and sauce begins to bubble.

To serve, pour sauce over chicken and carrots. Garnish with sesame seed and onions.  

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

So I made this a few weeks ago and meant to post pictures, but I never got around to it. Mike loved it so much that I made it again tonight for dinner. I tweaked the recipe and tonight's dinner was DELICIOUS!!!! Mike loved every bite.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package of bacon
1 8 oz package of Philadelphia Cooking cream cheese
salt
pepper
garlic powder
toothpicks

Directions:
Heat oven to 400*

Pound out the chicken to about 1/4 inch thick (so you are able to fold/roll it)

 Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In the middle of the chicken breast put a good sized amount of cream cheese in the middle.

 Roll the chicken breast up and pin with toothpicks. Wrap bacon around the stuffed chicken breast. I used about half the package on each chicken breasts. I know that sounds excessive and you can do it as you like, it just gives it so much more flavor!

 Pop it in the oven for 40 minutes. Dinner is done!

Dinner was served with sweet mashed potatoes and a cucumber & tomato salad.

Italian Cheese Bread Dunkers with Sauce

Are you looking for a super simple easy meal for your kiddos, and don't really feel like spending tons of time in the kitchen?  My kids love this, keeps them happy, and I love that it only takes me like 10 minutes from start to finish :)

Ingredients:

• 1 French Bread loaf (the kind your grocery store bakes)
• 2 cups (8 oz) of italian style cheese, shredded
• Italian seasoning, or any spice you want to put on it
• Sauce of your choice (We like to use leftover homemade spaghetti sauce, and this time we tried pizza sauce)

First, you will need to slice your loaf of bread down the middle lengthwise using a good bread knife, and place on a baking sheet.

Next, put the shredded cheese all over the 2 halves of bread and sprinkle with the italian seasoning.

Now, you are ready to place your bread into the broiler (my broiler has a HI temp and a LOW temp, my sister's only has one temp setting, so you will just have to adjust the temp to how your broiler works)..using my broiler, I set it on HI temp, and the bread cooks in about 5 minutes!  Becareful not to burn it, so watch it closely ;)

Viola!!! Dinner for your kids is served in a jiffy! :)  I never said it was the healthiest, but it so easy, and they will love it!!

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

We come from a German family and have grown up with TONS of German cooking. I've made a pork roast before, I don't know why I never published the recipe. It's so easy and within 15 minutes you have dinner cooking in the crockpot and the headache of making dinner at 5:00 is all taken care of for you.

Ingredients:

1 pork roast
1 jar of sauerkraut
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large apple (any color)

I brown the meat before putting it in the crockpot. It gives it a nice flavor. I season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and minced garlic.

Once all sides are browned I put it in the crockpot and covered it with the sauerkraut & apples.

Then I seasoned with caraway seed and sugar and that't it! You are all done. Set it on low for 6-8 hours and dinner will be ready when you get home from work! So Easy!!!!

Best-Ever Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from the recipe of Anna Olson, Food Network Canada)

I'm not much of a fan of chocolate chip cookies, in fact I don't like them at all (not joking) ;)...but I know that my kids love them and so does my husband!!  They thought these were awesome!!

Ingredients:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 c. brown sugar 

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

1 egg 

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

2 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips



(I forgot to include the chocolate chips in to this picture)

  Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (I used a regular hand mixer), cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

Beer Cupcakes

Yep, you read that title correctly. Exciting, right? I found a recipe online for beer cupcakes and since my husband has a passion for beer I thought I would give it a whirl. They didn't turn out how I expected, but I'm not sure what I was expecting. I used a Chocolate Stout and I guess it added to the chocolately flavor more than it made it taste like a beer. I will give it another shot with a different beer, my husband suggested a porter just in case you wanted to try these little gems.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purposeflour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 bottle stout beer (I used Rogue Chocolate Stout)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

To make the icing:

In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream. On low speed, slowly mix in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Icing can be made several hours ahead and kept covered and chilled.

Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and dust with cocoa.

Spicy Black Bean & Tomato Salad

I found this recipe a while ago, and it sounded yummy, but I just haven't found the time to make it!  So, I'm gonna post it anyways so you can try it, and I since I tend to lose EVERYTHING, it will be jotted down when I'm ready for it ;)


Ingredients:

2 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, drained
1 (15 oz) can blackbeans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup red onion, diced small
1 (4 oz) can diced jalapeno
1 cup italian style salad dressing
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix & Serve

yield: 8 cups
prep time: 15 minutes

Egg, Bacon, and Toast Cups!

My kids raved about this awesome breakfast they got to eat!  They absolutely loved it, and kept telling me that I need to make this more often!  I loved that my kids enjoyed their breakfast...cereal and pancakes can get old really fast! (recipe from Pinterest) 


Ingredients:

3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
8 slices of bread
6 slices of bacon
6 large eggs
salt and pepper


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*, lightly butter 6 standard muffin cup pan (if you are using a 12 cup pan, butter every other cup).  With a rolling pin, flatten the bread slightly, and with a 4 1/4 in cookie cutter, cut 8 rounds.  Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into the muffin cups, overlapping slightly, and making sure the bread comes up to the edges of cup.  Use extra bread to patch any gaps.  Brush bread with remaining butter.


In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat, until almost crisp, about 4 minutes, flipping once (bacon will continue to cook in the oven).  Lay one piece of bacon in bread cup, and crack one egg over bacon.  Season with salt and pepper.


Bake at 375* until egg whites are just set; approximately 20-25 minutes.  Run a small knife around cups to loosen the toasts.  Serve immediately.

Homemade Barbeque Sauce

Last night I cooked Country Style Boneless Pork ribs, wasn't really sure how to, so as usual I go on to the web and search for recipes ;)...Came across this recipe for bbq sauce, and it actually turned out quite tasty!  I'm sure it will go well with any meat you are looking to bbq.  I didn't have all the exact ingredients, so I made some changes ;) and it still turned out yummy!  **You may want to double this recipe depending on how much meat you will be bbq'g..this recipe calls for 3/4 lb of meat**


Ingredients:

1/4 cup onion, chopped small
2 tsp butter
1/4 cup kechup
2 Tbsp celery, chopped small
1 Tbsp lemon juice (I used lime juice)
2 tsp brown sugar (I used white sugar)
2 tsp cider vinegar
3/4 tsp worchestershire
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp prepared mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp chili powder (I used hot sauce, thats all the "heat" I had in my cupboards/refridgerater)

Saute the onion in the butter....Place all other ingredients into a sauce pan while the onions are cooking...Cook on medium heat and add onions into mixture.  Bring to a boil, and make sure to keep stirring it so it doesn't burn...Cook 10 minutes! Pour over your meat and bbq!

My version of Red Beans & Rice

Happy Weekend Everyone! I am sure you all saw on the news the gigantic power outage that covered all of Southern California, parts of Mexico and a little piece of Arizona. It wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't have dinner on the stove and we just went grocery shopping. Oh Well...that's life! My dinner turned out amazing regardless of the freak blackout, so I wanted to share it with you.

Ingredients


1 pound dried red beans, rinsed
3 tablespoons bacon grease
1 package of bacon
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3 bay leaves
1 can of diced green chilis
1 package turkey kielbasa, split length wise, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons minced garlic
6-8 cups chicken stock
white rice (adjust depending on your family size)

Directions:


Place beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside

In a skillet, cook up bacon, set aside and keep approximately 3 tablespoons of the grease. Over medium-hugh heat add chopped onions and bell peppers. Season with pepper. Cook until veggies are soft. Add crumbled bacon, turkey kielbasa, bay leaves, and garlic. Brown the kielbasa.

Add the beans and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to sit uncovered for appx 2 hours (beans should be tender) and sauce will thicken.

Serve over rice or with cornbread like I did. My family LOVED it and I hope yours does too.

Sorry for no pictures this time around, it was a hectic day.

Guinness Stew

Ok, so I don't always make foods based off the season. To me, food is food no matter if it's supposed to be a fall, winter, summer or spring type meal. I just love to eat. I made this for my husband because he has a passion for beer. I found a recipe online and then tweaked it to my liking. I hope you give it a shot, and if you do, let me know how it turned out for you!

Ingredients:

• 6 red potatoes, skin on, quartered

• 6 carrots, peeled, sliced into thick chunk

• 2 stalks celery, cut in chunks

• 3 bay leaves

• 3 lbs stew meat, cubed 

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1 dash salt

• 1 dash pepper

• 1 dash garlic powder

• 2 -3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 4 large garlic cloves, minced

• 8 ounces mushrooms, halved

• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

• 10 3/4 ounces beef broth 

• 1 (13 g) envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon creole seasoning 

• 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning 

• 12 ounces beer (Guinness, draught or stout)

 Directions:

Put potato, carrot, and celery chunks in the bottom of crock pot. Top with 2 bay leaves.

Season flour with a dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder and coat the beef with the flour mixture. Heat a couple of tbsp of olive oil over med-high heat in a large skillet and add 1 bay leaf. Sauté beef in batches, just until browned.

Add onion and garlic to the same pan and sauté over med heat for a few minutes, then add about half the can of beef broth to deglaze, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add meat and onions to crock pot, top with mushrooms.

 Mix remaining beef broth with tomato sauce, onion soup mix, remaining seasonings, and add to crock pot. Pour in bottle of beer.

 Cook 8 hours on low heat.

Enjoy! I served it with slices of french bread! Sorry that last picture didn't turn out well. I was hungry and didn't have the energy to remove the flash. 

Stay tuned for a new recipe for stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon. Oh man...this one was delish! I am making red beans, quinoa, bell peppers and turkey sausage tonight. I will let you know how it goes! 

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