Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T. dried onion
2 T. ketchup
1 T. oil
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 t. cornstarch dissolved in 3 T. water
Sesame Seeds

Put chicken in the crock pot.

Combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, and garlic powder. Pour over chicken.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on the high setting for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or till chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from crock pot leaving the sauce.

Dissolve 2 T. cornstarch in 3 T. water and pour into crock pot.

Stir to combine the water/cornstarch mixture with the sauce. Replace the lid and cook on high for ten minutes or until slightly thickened.

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and return to crock pot.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Great served with Fried Rice and Broccoli!

Grilled Shrimp and Bacon with Lemon and Crisp Red Potatoes wth Garlic-Herb Oil

Never underestimate the abilities of a man once you send him off to the kitchen with a Martha Stewart magazine. Over the weekend the Mister was hungry. It didn't look like I was going to let go of my work anytime soon, so as he usually does on the weekends the Mister cooked...and it was great.

Grilled Shrimp and Bacon with Lemons

16 large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds), shells split, but not removed, deveined
2 lemons
1 T. Old Bay seasoning
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
4 slices thick-cut bacon (about 6 oz.)

Toss shrimp in a large nonreactive baking dish with zest and juice of one lemon, the Old Bay seasoning and oil. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat grill to medium-high. Slice remaining lemon into 1/4-inch slices. Grill lemon slices, shrimp and bacon directly on grates until lemon slices are caramelized (2 to 3 minutes per side), shrimp are cooked through (about 3 minutes per side), and bacon is lightly charred and crisp (4 to 5 minutes per side). Transfer lemons and shrimp to a bowl, and the bacon to a plate. Let cool slightly.

Tear bacon into 2-inch pieces, and add to bowl with lemons and shrimp.

Toss until well combined.

Serves 4

Crisp Red Potatoes with Garlic-Herb Oil

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes
Large flake sea salt
3 T.  extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely grated

Heat grill to medium-high. Place potatoes in a large pot, and fill with cold water. Season with salt, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 12 to 13 minutes. Drain, and let cool slightly. Halve potatoes, and toss with 1 T. oil.

Meanwhile, whisk together parsley, garlic, and remaining 2 T. oil in a large bowl.

Grill potatoes directly on grates, flipping until slightly charred and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Toss with garlic-herb oil.

Season with salt.

Serves 4

The Easiest Roast Ever!

I'm a bit busy these days trying to keep several projects spinning in the air. Cooking has basically taken a back burner position. I'm not exactly happy about it, but for now I'm looking for the easiest way to prepare decent food for us to eat without spending two hours to prepare and watch over the cooking.

This roast recipe is simple as far as ingredients go, and it cooks in the crock pot while you can be off doing other things.

Take a three pound chuck roast

 

Brown the roast on all sides.  I used a little olive oil in my pan.

  



Open three separate envelopes - 1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing mix, 1 envelope Ranch Dressing mix, and 1 envelope Brown Gravy mix

Mix the dry ingredients from each envelope with two cups water.

Add the roast to your crock pot and pour the water/dressing/gravy mixture over the roast.

Add the lid to crock pot and turn it on.

The roast will be done in four hours on HIGH or 8 hours if you use the LOW setting.

All you need to do is add some steamed carrots and mashed potatoes or other vegetables.

This recipe is most certainly a keeper!

Chicken Casserole

Everyone seems to have their own version for a Chicken Casserole and my mom and my mother-in-law were no different when I first married. Each wanted to know that I was using their recipe with some regularity. 

It was a little stressful considering I wanted to put my own mark on the whole thing. After all......it was MY kitchen, right?

So....I combined the two recipes.  Well, actually I combined the parts of both recipes that I liked, and this recipe has seen us through busy school days, nights at the ball field, and serves as a type of comfort food when we need it.

It's one of those things I make with NO recipe.  I just know what it should look like.   So.....I'll try......TRY to get it written down here.

First take one box (16 ounces) of linguine and cook it according to the package.   I salt the water and add a little olive oil.  I sample the noodles while they cook to make sure I don't get them too done......I generally take the pot off the stove once the noodles reaches the al dente stage.   

Drain the noodles.

In the meantime chop one medium size onion.   Throw it in a bowl with 2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup.  

Mix in one 8 ounce container Sour Cream, salt and pepper to taste, a small package of slivered almonds.

Add in 2-3 cups of diced, cooked chicken.   I generally buy 2 packages of the diced, cooked chicken at the grocery store to save myself a step.   I stick to breast meat.....

Mix everything well.  

Add the noodles and mix again very well to coat the noodles.   

Pour the noodle/chicken mixture into a glass 13 x 9 baking dish.  

Melt 1 stick butter in a 4-cup glass container.  Once melted mix in 2 cups Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix. Coat the dried breadcrumbs with the butter.

Spoon the breadcrumbs over the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.   

I generally serve this casserole with a nice green salad and rolls.  

Pasta Primavera

12 ounces Spaghetti

1 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, 6-8 ounces, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes

12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium zucchini, cut into half moons

1/4 cup water

Salt

1 can (14-14.5 ounces) no salt-added garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

1 medium carrot, grated

1/4 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 T. )

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Heat 6-quart saucepan of water to boiling on high.  Cook pasta as label directs.  

Meanwhile in a 12-inch skillet. heat oil on medium.  Add onion and garlic; cook 2-3 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally.

Add grape tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until they begin to soften.   Add asparagus, zucchini, water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.   

Cover and cook 5-7 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst.  

Stir in beans and carrot; cook 2-3 minutes or until beans are heated through.  

Reserve 1/2 cup pasta; return to saucepot and add vegetable mixture, Parmesan, lemon juice, reserved cooking liquid, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss until combined.   

Divide among serving plates

Open Faced Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Tangy Broccoli Slaw

One night last week I decided I wouldn’t go to the store.  I had things in the freezer I needed to use, so I rummaged around and found a pork loin roast.  Well, actually it was half of a rather large one I had picked up from the grocery store when they had them on sale. 

I had seen a particular recipe in Simple magazine earlier in the day and it called for broccoli slaw….and I happened to have a package, and didn’t want to waste it.   To make this recipe even more interesting to try it involves the crock pot…..I was rather busy, and anytime I can work straight through and STILL have something cooked for dinner I jump on the opportunity.

1 medium red onion, sliced

8 T. cider vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 12-ounce package broccoli slaw (4 cups)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

¼ cup tomato paste (1 small can)

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1 T. Dion mustard

1 T. Cajun seasoning

1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2 pieces

4 thick slices sandwich bread, toasted

In a medium bowl, mix together the red onion, 4 tablespoons of the vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of the remaining vinegar, and ¼  teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Fold in the broccoli slaw and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

In a 4-to 6-quart slow cooker, mix together the yellow onion, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, Cajun seasoning, the remaining 2-tablespoons of vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Add the pork and turn to coat.

Cover and cook until the pork is very tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Using two forks, shred the pork and mix it into the cooking liquid.   Serve the pork and onions on the toast with the broccoli slaw.

Herb and Garlic Roast Pork Loin with Honey Mustard

1 ½ pounds boneless pork loin

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

1 T. chopped fresh thyme

1 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 ½ t. minced fresh rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/3 cup plus 2 T. Dijon mustard

2 whole heads garlic

3 T. honey

Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper.  Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oil, add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides.   Transfer the pork to a cutting board.

Return the skillet to medium heat.  Add the butter, thyme, rosemary, garlic; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the panko and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until the panko is golden, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the toasted breadcrumbs to a piece of wax or parchment paper.

Brush the pork with 2 tablespoons of the mustard and roll in the toasted breadcrumbs to coat.  

Return the coated pork to the skillet.  Halve the garlic heads crosswise and add to the skillet. 

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees, about 45 minutes.  Transfer the pork and garlic to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the skillet over medium-low heat.   Add the honey, remaining 1/3 cup mustard, and ¼ cup water and stir until combined.  Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Slice the pork and serve with the roasted garlic and the mustard sauce.

I served the pork loin with green beans and pierogies (Polish potato dumplings) filled with mashed potatoes sautéed in a little olive oil.

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

6 pork chops
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. season salt
2 eggs beaten
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
4 T. olive oil
1 (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
½ cup milk
1/3 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse pork chops. Pat dry and season them with garlic powder and season salt to taste.

Place beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge pork chops lightly in flour. Dip in egg and coat liberally with the bread crumbs.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Fry five minutes per side or till breading appears well browned.

Transfer to a 9 x 13 baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake 1 hour.

While baking the pork chops combine soup, milk and white wine. After 1 hour cover the pork chops with the soup mixture. Bake another 30 minutes.

Pair the pork chops with green beans and pierogies. If you aren’t familiar with pierogies follow this link.

Easy and Yummy Meatloaf

2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
3 slices bread, torn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar or part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil, thyme or sage, optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef

TOPPING:
1/2 cup Hunt’s® Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and bread; let stand until liquid is absorbed. Stir in the onion, carrot, cheese and seasonings. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.

Shape into a 7-1/2-in. x 3-1/2-in. x 2-1/2-in. loaf in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes.

Combine the topping ingredients; spoon half of the mixture over meat loaf. Bake 30 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°, occasionally spooning remaining topping over loaf. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

Tomato Chicken Stack Salad

12-15 fresh basil leaves (rinsed)

4-5 fresh Italian parsley sprigs (rinsed)

1 small shallot (rinsed)

4 large red and yellow (or heirloom) tomatoes (rinsed)

1 chilled rotisserie chicken plain or flavored

2 T white balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado) oil

½ t. dried Italian Seasoning

¼ t pepper

½ cup crumbled feta, goat, or blue cheese

Slice basil into thin strips; set aside. Chop parsley coarsely and shallot finely. Cut tomatoes into ¼ inch thick slices

Remove meat of chicken from bones (discard skin and bones). Chop chicken coarsely (wash hands); measure 2 cups (reserve remaining chicken for another use.)

Prepare dressing by combining in medium bowl, vinegar, oil, Italian Seasoning, pepper, parsley and shallots; whisk until well blended.

Arrange salad on serving plates, alternating tomato slices, chicken, basil strips, and crumbled cheese. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Chicken Divan

I love a good Chicken Divan casserole, but some of the folks at my house don’t like the broccoli, so I took this recipe and prepared it leaving the broccoli out. We had it on the steamed on the side drizzled with olive oil and minced garlic.

I boiled some chicken tenders, chopped them up and set them aside. I also prepared 4-6 cups of rice and set that aside as well.

To make the sauce I melted ¼ cup butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat until melted. I stirred in ¼ cup all purpose flour and 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg. Stir constantly until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.

I added 1 ½ cups chicken stock and 2 T. of white wine heating the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. I turned off the heat and added ½ cup to 1 cup shredded swiss cheese. In a chilled bowl I whipped ½ cup heavy cream until stiff. I then folded the cheese mixture into the whipped cream and stirred until fully mixed.

Add the chicken pieces and broccoli (optional) to the cheese sauce.

Serve the sauce over cooked rice.

Variation: Layer cooked rice in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole. Spread chicken, broccoli and cheese sauce over rice and top with additional shredded cheese. Bake until bubbly at 350.
Serves 6

Chicken Dijon

Melt 1 stick butter/margarine in sauté pan. Saute 4 boneless skinless chicken breast that have have been prepared with garlic powder, pepper and paprika till done.

Remove chicken, set aside

Add 1 cup Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing, 1/3 cup Dijon style mustard, and 1/3 cup dry white wine to the skillet and heat up.

Cook 1 pkg fettucine noodles, according to directions

Serve chicken over noodles topped with sauce.

Roasted Pork Loin

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup white wine

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil.

Place pork loin into oven for 2 hours, turning and basting with pan liquids. After 2hours remove roast to platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with pan juices.

Hot Chicken Salad

4-6 cups cooked/cubed chicken

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup chopped celery

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cheese nip crackers, crushed

3 cans cream of chicken soup

4 Tablespoons grated onion

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup mayonnaise

1 large can mushrooms, chopped

Worcestershire Sauce…..dash

Mix very well and pour into lightly greased casserole. Bake about 45 minutes in a 325 degree oven.

Feta Shrimp Kabobs

I found this wonderful recipe in a magazine while I was waiting at the doctor’s office.

It's a real keeper.

The meal is Greek-inspired….serve with couscous with bell peppers, tomatoes, and chopped parsley. It would also be great with a little hummus, Greek salad, and pita bread.

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon chopped rosemary

2 Tablespoons dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon red –pepper flakes

1 lemon, cut into wedges

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Place shrimp in a resealable plastic bag. Add lemon juice, oil, rosemary, oregano, garlic, salt, and red pepper; seal bag and turn to coat.

Marinate in the fridge 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Discard marinade, then thread shrimp onto skewers. Heat grill to medium and cook kabobs and lemon wedges, turning once, until shrimp is opaque and lemon wedges are lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Sprinkle shrimp with feta cheese.

Serves 6

Chicken Bryan....Carabbas Style

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. minced yellow onion

2 T. butter

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup cold butter……sliced

1 ½ cup sun dried tomatos

¼ cup chopped basil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

6 boned, skinned chicken breast

Extra olive oil

Salt – Pepper

8 oz. caprino or other Goat Cheese

Saute garlic and onion in 2 T. butter over medium heat till tender. Stir in wine and lemon juice into skillet.

Increase heat to medium high and simmer to reduce by half. Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time.

Stir in tomatos, basil, salt, white pepper. Remove from heat, set aside.

Brush chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Grill.

Place equal amounts of cheese on chicken…..Spoon sauce over each breast to serve.

Shrimp and Grits

At the end of July Dear Husband and I visited Savannah for the day as we were traveling home from St. Augustine. We had planned to eat at The Lady and Sons, however, we didn't get there early enough to get on the list. We opted for Uncle Bubba's Oyster House instead.....afterall, it is Paula's brother's place.

I ordered the Shrimp and Grits. It was great....to die for! Ever since I've been looking for a recipe that came close to Uncle Bubba's.

Here are a few pictures from my Creative Saturday....where I fixed the dish and the recipe follows:

The plate of veggies and shrimp I set aside while I made the cream gravy.

The cream gravy, shrimp and loaf of bread I baked.

Our table setting....

Shrimp and Grits

4 servings cooked grits
2 T. olive oil
½ cup diced tasso ham
2 T. diced leeks
2 T. diced onions
2 T. diced green peppers
20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined with tails on
1-2 T. dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Green onion tops, chopped

*****note: tasso ham is Cajun ham an often hard to find outside of Louisana….substitute salt pork, pancetta, or prosciutto. I used 4 slices of thick-sliced bacon….chopped. Then cooked the veggies in the bacon drippings.

Cook grits according to package directions; set aside and keep warm.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tasso and sauté until crisp. Add diced vegetables and sauté until onions are transluscent. Add shrimp and sauté for 30-45 seconds, or until pink. Remove from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Slowly add the cream and let reduce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Divide grits among four plates. Line plate edges with shrimp. Pour sauce over grits. Garnish with green onion tops.

For a great wedding idea, use martini glasses to serve shrimp and grits, with the grits on the bottom and the shrimp on top.