The Recipe:
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Packet Italian Dressing Seasoning Mix
5 cloves minced garlic
4 chicken hindquarters
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 block (8oz.) cream cheese - to add later
The Directions:
Put chicken in the crock. Mix soup, broth, garlic and seasoning packet together and pour over the top. Cook on low for 8 hours. Pull the chicken out and debone it. add the cream cheese and the chicken back to the crock and cook on high for another hour. Serve over noodles.
My Thoughts:
We did not like this. It came out very bland and almost greasy. The noodles I made to go with this were the best part of the dish. There was a bunch left over, and it went down the garbage disposal.
Sarah's Star Rating: * 1 out of 5. This is because the noodles were good.
*Don't make this one. :o)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Asian Peanut Pork (A Year of Slow Cooking)
This is another recipe from crockpot365.com.
Asian Peanut Pork:
My Thoughts:
As with all my crock pot meals, this cooked a little longer than the directions say. It was still excellent! I would reccomend putting the peanut butter in the microwave for a little while to start the melting process, then mix all the ingredients together and pour it over the top of the pork. I just threw everything in the crock like the directions say to, and I got globs of peanut butter and brown sugar. Yummy ... but probably not the way it's intended to be. That would be my only change! This was delicious!
Sarah's Star Rating: **** 4 out of 5 (because of the globby peanut butter and brown sugar)
Asian Peanut Pork:
1.5-2lbs pork tenderloin
1 onion, sliced in rings
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts (garnish; optional)
1 lime, cut in wedges (garnish; optional)
1 onion, sliced in rings
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts (garnish; optional)
1 lime, cut in wedges (garnish; optional)
Use a 4-6 quart crockpot. Put onion slices into the bottom of your crockpot. Put the pork on top. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and peanut butter. No need to stir--the peanut butter needs to melt before you can do so. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The pork will be more tender the longer you cook it. 1 hour before serving, flip the meat over in the crockpot to allow the other side to soak up the peanutbuttery goodness. Garnish with chopped peanuts, and serve with lime wedges.
As with all my crock pot meals, this cooked a little longer than the directions say. It was still excellent! I would reccomend putting the peanut butter in the microwave for a little while to start the melting process, then mix all the ingredients together and pour it over the top of the pork. I just threw everything in the crock like the directions say to, and I got globs of peanut butter and brown sugar. Yummy ... but probably not the way it's intended to be. That would be my only change! This was delicious!
Sarah's Star Rating: **** 4 out of 5 (because of the globby peanut butter and brown sugar)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
20-40 Clove Garlic Chicken
I apologize again for the lack of pictures! You'll just have to take my word on this one.
20 to 40 Clove Garlic Chicken
(From crockpot365.com)
3-4 pounds chicken
1 large onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact
Place onion slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into slow cooker, on top of the onion.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6.
Mt thoughts:
I didn't use that much chicken, I stupidly put a bag of non frozen chicken hindquarters in the freezer and was lucky to get the three pieces off that I did. I also used 2T of olive oil instead of just one. I felt I needed it to get all my chicken pieces coated correctly.
This stuff was AMAZING. My brother is staying with us right now, and almost licked his plate. C devoured everything I put in front of him! It was so good ... and I can't wait to make this one again.
Sarah's Star Rating: ***** 5 out of 5! Excellent!
20 to 40 Clove Garlic Chicken
(From crockpot365.com)
3-4 pounds chicken
1 large onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact
Place onion slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into slow cooker, on top of the onion.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6.
Mt thoughts:
I didn't use that much chicken, I stupidly put a bag of non frozen chicken hindquarters in the freezer and was lucky to get the three pieces off that I did. I also used 2T of olive oil instead of just one. I felt I needed it to get all my chicken pieces coated correctly.
This stuff was AMAZING. My brother is staying with us right now, and almost licked his plate. C devoured everything I put in front of him! It was so good ... and I can't wait to make this one again.
Sarah's Star Rating: ***** 5 out of 5! Excellent!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Slow Cooked Fajitas
Let me preface this post by saying ... I ADORE Mexican food. Seriously. I could eat it every day and never ever ever get sick of it. Two of my favorites are fajitas and chile rellenos. Yum!
Stephanie (from crockpot365.com) talked about doing fajitas in her crock pot, so I decided to try my hand at doing my own!
My Ingredients:
3lbs stir fry meat - very thin cut strips of steak
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 large onion
2 packets of fajita seasoning
2 cups of water
My Directions:
Dump the meat into the crock.
Strip cut the onions and the peppers. Throw them on top.
Mix up the water and fajita seasoning and pour it over everything.
Set the crock on low for 8 hours (I left mine more like 12! Whoops! But still good!) and walk away!
Yesterday was a weird day. We worked all day and then came home and had to run some errands. That's why our dinner cooked for almost 12 hours. The awesome thing about the slow cooking method though, is that you don't have to worry so much about things getting burned if you've got enough liquid in the pot. Nice!
My Thoughts:
I won't put as much water in next time. There was a ton of liquid in there, and I think it diluted the flavor too much.
I will use a normal steak and cut it myself next time, rather than going for the "stir fry meat." It ended up sticking all together and at the end there were no strips, just big chunks of meat that we had to break up with our serving spoon.
Overall though, this was a hit! I liked that I didn't have to stand over a hot skillet and cook all the meat and veggies. All that was left to do when it was dinner time was cut up a tomato, open a bag of shredded cheese, and heat up some tortilla shells in the microwave. Score one for me!
Here's what it looked like before it cooked:
Stephanie (from crockpot365.com) talked about doing fajitas in her crock pot, so I decided to try my hand at doing my own!
My Ingredients:
3lbs stir fry meat - very thin cut strips of steak
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 large onion
2 packets of fajita seasoning
2 cups of water
My Directions:
Dump the meat into the crock.
Strip cut the onions and the peppers. Throw them on top.
Mix up the water and fajita seasoning and pour it over everything.
Set the crock on low for 8 hours (I left mine more like 12! Whoops! But still good!) and walk away!
Yesterday was a weird day. We worked all day and then came home and had to run some errands. That's why our dinner cooked for almost 12 hours. The awesome thing about the slow cooking method though, is that you don't have to worry so much about things getting burned if you've got enough liquid in the pot. Nice!
My Thoughts:
I won't put as much water in next time. There was a ton of liquid in there, and I think it diluted the flavor too much.
I will use a normal steak and cut it myself next time, rather than going for the "stir fry meat." It ended up sticking all together and at the end there were no strips, just big chunks of meat that we had to break up with our serving spoon.
Overall though, this was a hit! I liked that I didn't have to stand over a hot skillet and cook all the meat and veggies. All that was left to do when it was dinner time was cut up a tomato, open a bag of shredded cheese, and heat up some tortilla shells in the microwave. Score one for me!
Here's what it looked like before it cooked:
Such pretty colors!!
And here's what it looked like after it cooked:
Not quite so pretty, but it sure tasted good!
Sarah's Star Rating: **** 4 out of 5 (just because there was too much liquid, and I needed to use a different cut of meat.)
I'll make this one again!
Happy cooking,
Sarah
Crockpot 365
I have to take a short minute to tell you where I'm getting my recipes. The bulk of them are coming from Crockpot365.com. This woman and her family eat gluten free, but I don't follow her recipes exactly so I can't say that mine will be gluten free like hers. But she totally rocks! I have so many meal ideas after reading her blog, and I'm excited to share them with you ... with my own little spin of course!
I'll be sure to let you know where my recipes come from in each post. And if they're my own creation ... well I'll tell you that too!
Happy (slow) cooking,
Sarah
I'll be sure to let you know where my recipes come from in each post. And if they're my own creation ... well I'll tell you that too!
Happy (slow) cooking,
Sarah
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta With Shrimp
Soooo .... Here I am, two weeks after starting my blog, and just now really getting into it.
I've finally got a game plan! I've made my menu for a month (A whole month! Who does that!? I do ... now!) and I am ready to rock the socks out of my kitchen.
No, really. C took his socks off in the kitchen last night. I've got to remember to get them out when I drag my tired caboose home.
Let me apologize in advance for the lack of original pictures in this post. It was late, we were all tired and ready to eat. It got dished up before I got a chance to grab my camera.
Ingredients:
3 cups Farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked
1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided
1 lb. uncooked peeled deveined medium shrimp
1 cup Fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. each garlic powder and black pepper
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
2 cups Grape tomatoes
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese
8 Fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
Directions:
COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until shrimp turn pink. Use slotted spoon to remove shrimp from skillet; cover to keep warm. Discard any drippings in skillet.
ADD remaining dressing, broth and seasonings to skillet; cook 2 min. or until heated through. Add Neufchatel; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted. Stir in tomatoes; cook 1 min.
DRAIN pasta. Add to ingredients in skillet. Stir in Parmesan and half the basil; top with shrimp and remaining basil.
My thoughts:
As I was cokoing this, I thought I would make double the sauce. I didn't end up doing it like that. I used 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock and a whole block of cream cheese (mostly because I didn't want it to go to waste in my refrigerator.). I cooked the cream cheese for a lot longer than 2-3 minutes; it was more like 10-15 to get it good and creamy, and not lumpy in the least. I also threw in a handful of the parmesean cheese, I didn't measure it. I chiffonaded 10 pieces of basil to stir in. I also stirred in the shrimp with the pasta and sauce, didn't serve it on top.
This was pretty good. It was rich, so it's not something we could eat once a week, like some of my other dishes. I will definitely make it again though, it was super easy to put together and really tasty. The dressing and the herbs gave it the perfect amount of seasoning. Both my boys had seconds, and when everyone was done eating I picked out the rest of the tomatoes (the best part of the dish in my opinion!) and tossed the 2 tablespoons that were left. It's probably enough to feed a family of 4, but I think my guys were extra hungry last night!
Sarah's Star Rating: **** 4 out of 5!
I've finally got a game plan! I've made my menu for a month (A whole month! Who does that!? I do ... now!) and I am ready to rock the socks out of my kitchen.
No, really. C took his socks off in the kitchen last night. I've got to remember to get them out when I drag my tired caboose home.
Let me apologize in advance for the lack of original pictures in this post. It was late, we were all tired and ready to eat. It got dished up before I got a chance to grab my camera.
Ingredients:
3 cups Farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked
1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided
1 lb. uncooked peeled deveined medium shrimp
1 cup Fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. each garlic powder and black pepper
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
2 cups Grape tomatoes
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese
8 Fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
Directions:
COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until shrimp turn pink. Use slotted spoon to remove shrimp from skillet; cover to keep warm. Discard any drippings in skillet.
ADD remaining dressing, broth and seasonings to skillet; cook 2 min. or until heated through. Add Neufchatel; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted. Stir in tomatoes; cook 1 min.
DRAIN pasta. Add to ingredients in skillet. Stir in Parmesan and half the basil; top with shrimp and remaining basil.
My thoughts:
As I was cokoing this, I thought I would make double the sauce. I didn't end up doing it like that. I used 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock and a whole block of cream cheese (mostly because I didn't want it to go to waste in my refrigerator.). I cooked the cream cheese for a lot longer than 2-3 minutes; it was more like 10-15 to get it good and creamy, and not lumpy in the least. I also threw in a handful of the parmesean cheese, I didn't measure it. I chiffonaded 10 pieces of basil to stir in. I also stirred in the shrimp with the pasta and sauce, didn't serve it on top.
This was pretty good. It was rich, so it's not something we could eat once a week, like some of my other dishes. I will definitely make it again though, it was super easy to put together and really tasty. The dressing and the herbs gave it the perfect amount of seasoning. Both my boys had seconds, and when everyone was done eating I picked out the rest of the tomatoes (the best part of the dish in my opinion!) and tossed the 2 tablespoons that were left. It's probably enough to feed a family of 4, but I think my guys were extra hungry last night!
Sarah's Star Rating: **** 4 out of 5!
Picture from the Kraft Foods website
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Brisket In A Crock Pot
Yeah. I know. What's original about a brisket in a crock pot? My answer: nothing. Except that it was our first time putting a cut of beef in a crock pot that was not clearly labeled "ROAST." I'll give N credit for this one, it was actually quite yummy!
A few weeks ago my little bro was in town and staying with us. We woke up on a Sunday morning, and the first thing we did was turn on The Travel Channel (normal, right?) and Man V. Food: Kansas City was on. Since we're from KC, we settle in to watch and drool over some of our favorite places in our favorite city. Now, if you don't already know, KC is famous (and I do mean FAMOUS) for our BBQ. Only place in the world the does it right. (No joke.) The first place Adam Richman stops is a BBQ place in Bonner Springs that is actually in the back of a convenience store. That's just how we do it in the mid west. My brother and I stare, drooling unabashedly, at the perfect brisket on the television and make the decision that indeed "Beef: It's What's for Dinner." I head to the store.
Now, I have never made a full on BBQ brisket all by myself. My dad does one a few times per year on his smoker, and I have never felt the need to try to improve on perfection. However, since my parents live in KC and I do not, this time the meat was up to me. Since I've never made a brisket before, guess what I've never bought? Brisket. Wow, you're fast. As I'm standing at the meat counter and perusing all the different cuts of meat, I land myself knee high in brisket heaven. That is really no exaggeration, either. The briskets they had available to purchase, when stood up on the ground, came up to at least knee high. WTH was I supposed to do with all that meat? The recipe (Paula Deen, y'all) I found called for 4 lbs, and the smallest cut I found that day was 12 pounds! So I take my monstrous half a cow home, stand in the kitchen and laugh with my bro about how big this thing is while he dissects it for me. It's cut into 3 pieces, and two are frozen for a later date. I slay the dragon known as Paula Deen's Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket. But, that is a story for another time. This is the story of one of the left over 4lb cuts of meat!
This thing took 2 days to thaw in the refrigerator. Even after the 2 day mark, it still had an icy center. Did it stop us from attempting to tame this beast into a roast? Nope. N throws it in the crock pot, along with god knows what, puts it in the sleeve, turns it on low (we were to be at work for 8+ hours) and we leave for work.
N ended up coming home because he didn't feel well. Thank goodness for that. Our electrical outlet is a little fussy, and had tripped itself into non-working oblivion. I guess whatever N had, the outlet had too. After moving the crock pot to another outlet, he turned it up on high and let the sucker cook.
I do not know what he put in there with that enormous cut of beef, but whatever he did, I want him to do again! It was delish! He made corn and mashed potatoes to go with it. Let me just tell you his mashed potatoes had me wondering why in the world I do the majority of the inside cooking when he can make things that taste like that!
So: Brisket + N + crockpot = success. Who knew? Now I am left with the decision to have N try to replicate his yummy roast (which we will be eating leftovers of for days!) or try to one up Paula Deen and attempt my own spin on an oven roasted brisket. Hmmmm .....
Until next time,
Sarah
A few weeks ago my little bro was in town and staying with us. We woke up on a Sunday morning, and the first thing we did was turn on The Travel Channel (normal, right?) and Man V. Food: Kansas City was on. Since we're from KC, we settle in to watch and drool over some of our favorite places in our favorite city. Now, if you don't already know, KC is famous (and I do mean FAMOUS) for our BBQ. Only place in the world the does it right. (No joke.) The first place Adam Richman stops is a BBQ place in Bonner Springs that is actually in the back of a convenience store. That's just how we do it in the mid west. My brother and I stare, drooling unabashedly, at the perfect brisket on the television and make the decision that indeed "Beef: It's What's for Dinner." I head to the store.
Now, I have never made a full on BBQ brisket all by myself. My dad does one a few times per year on his smoker, and I have never felt the need to try to improve on perfection. However, since my parents live in KC and I do not, this time the meat was up to me. Since I've never made a brisket before, guess what I've never bought? Brisket. Wow, you're fast. As I'm standing at the meat counter and perusing all the different cuts of meat, I land myself knee high in brisket heaven. That is really no exaggeration, either. The briskets they had available to purchase, when stood up on the ground, came up to at least knee high. WTH was I supposed to do with all that meat? The recipe (Paula Deen, y'all) I found called for 4 lbs, and the smallest cut I found that day was 12 pounds! So I take my monstrous half a cow home, stand in the kitchen and laugh with my bro about how big this thing is while he dissects it for me. It's cut into 3 pieces, and two are frozen for a later date. I slay the dragon known as Paula Deen's Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket. But, that is a story for another time. This is the story of one of the left over 4lb cuts of meat!
This thing took 2 days to thaw in the refrigerator. Even after the 2 day mark, it still had an icy center. Did it stop us from attempting to tame this beast into a roast? Nope. N throws it in the crock pot, along with god knows what, puts it in the sleeve, turns it on low (we were to be at work for 8+ hours) and we leave for work.
N ended up coming home because he didn't feel well. Thank goodness for that. Our electrical outlet is a little fussy, and had tripped itself into non-working oblivion. I guess whatever N had, the outlet had too. After moving the crock pot to another outlet, he turned it up on high and let the sucker cook.
I do not know what he put in there with that enormous cut of beef, but whatever he did, I want him to do again! It was delish! He made corn and mashed potatoes to go with it. Let me just tell you his mashed potatoes had me wondering why in the world I do the majority of the inside cooking when he can make things that taste like that!
So: Brisket + N + crockpot = success. Who knew? Now I am left with the decision to have N try to replicate his yummy roast (which we will be eating leftovers of for days!) or try to one up Paula Deen and attempt my own spin on an oven roasted brisket. Hmmmm .....
Until next time,
Sarah
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Lone Culinary Crusader
Okay, so maybe I'm not alone. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who are absolutely, positively, disgustingly BORED with what they make for their families to eat. Right?
This is me, trying to be a home-cooking hero. I want to incorporate things we haven't eaten before. I want to try new cooking styles. I want my hubby and kiddo to say "I don't know what you did to this, but it's awesome!"
I will warn you up front. I am a big time user of adjectives. Sometimes when I say them they don't even make gramattical sense. Ever heard someone say "Deliciously awesome?" I can promise you will see many comparable phrases appear on your screen. (Who are you, by the way? Is anyone even going to read this?)
I wish I had thought to create this eons ago, as I have tried countless "new" recipes and have made success stories out of very few. For now, you'll just have to be content with my work from here on. I can't promise the stories will always be pretty or even edible, but I do promise to try! Here are things I've learned so far in my crusades:
Sweet (and savory!) wishes,
Sarah
This is me, trying to be a home-cooking hero. I want to incorporate things we haven't eaten before. I want to try new cooking styles. I want my hubby and kiddo to say "I don't know what you did to this, but it's awesome!"
I will warn you up front. I am a big time user of adjectives. Sometimes when I say them they don't even make gramattical sense. Ever heard someone say "Deliciously awesome?" I can promise you will see many comparable phrases appear on your screen. (Who are you, by the way? Is anyone even going to read this?)
I wish I had thought to create this eons ago, as I have tried countless "new" recipes and have made success stories out of very few. For now, you'll just have to be content with my work from here on. I can't promise the stories will always be pretty or even edible, but I do promise to try! Here are things I've learned so far in my crusades:
- Paula Deen rocks ... if you want to weigh 400 lbs. My goal is to learn to make some of her dishes on a lighter scale.
- If you're going to make a new pasta dish ... try whole wheat. With sauce, you'll hardly notice a difference, and if you're going to do pasta, you might as well try to make it as healthy as possible.
- Vegatables are amazing! You can do SO much with them ... like substitute them for other starchy foods! Who knew??
- I'm a novice on the grill. I don't even know how to start it. No joke.
Sweet (and savory!) wishes,
Sarah
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