Honey Soy Chicken in the Crock Pot

I love my crock pot.  It is such a great kitchen tool.  I go through phases where I'll use it 3-4 times a week.  Then I forget about it, and when I remember to use it again, it's like reconnecting  with a long-lost friend.  So, I'm in a crock pot phase right now.  This recipe is a yummy teriyaki-style chicken.  It's a little sweet and sour.  It's just yummy.  Oh, it's a shorter cooking time than most crock pot recipes--3 hours at longest.

You need:

4-6 Chicken breasts (or as many as  you need to feed your fam)
1 c. honey
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. vegetable oil
1-2 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 small chopped onion
Salt and Pepper

FOR SERVING:  Hot, cooked rice and some steamed veggies (I like the Asian style with carrots, broccoli, and snap peas).

Mix together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, vegetable oil,  garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Place chicken breasts in the crock pot, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle chopped onions over the chicken.

Pour sauce over the top of the chicken.

Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours or low for 3 hours.  Serve with hot cooked rice and steamed vegetables.

Yummy rice-bowl to hit that craving easy peasy!  Plus it's a lot cheaper than take out!

Easy Jambalaya

I love jambalaya.  It's so yummy and a great warm meal for these cool fall nights.  It'll warm you right up and make your family feel loved.  Big bonus:  This will have you eating in about 30 minutes!

You Need:

4 cups rice
1/2 lb. chicken breasts
1 smoked sausage
1/2-1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 12 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can condensed French onion soup
1-3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup butter

 Heat about 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.  Dice the chicken breasts and sausage into smaller-than-bite-sized pieces.  Cut each shrimp in half.  Begin browning the chicken in the skillet.

Start cooking the rice according to package directions.  I am sure you could use Minute Rice, but I never have, so I don't know quite how that goes. 

Once the chicken is browned, add the sausage.  Let it brown until it gets kind of puffy and carmelized.  While these are browning, dice the onion and the green pepper.

Add the diced green pepper and onion.

Let all of this work together in the pan for a few minutes, until the onion and green pepper start to get soft and you can really start to smell them. 

Now, add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, and French onion soup.  Cut the butter into several pieces, and add that too. Add the Cajun seasoning a teaspoon at a time, tasting it as it is mixed in.  I usually add about 2 teaspoons of the brand pictured above.  Then I let it cook for a few minutes and taste it to see where I am spice-wise.  However, all brands of seasoning are different.  I have another brand that I only use about 1 teaspoon of because it is super spicy.  Taste as you go!

 Stir to combine.  Now, I'm going to let you in on a little secret:  I love this sauce:

Tastefully Simple's Bayou Bourbon Glaze.  It's Bayou.  It's Bourbon.  It screams to be in jambalaya. You can order this sauce from this website:  www.tastefullysimple.com/web/catchley or email me cynthiattchley@gmail.com to find out more about Tastefully Simple.
I add about 1/4 cup to my sauce.  It just takes the sauce to the next level.  SO YUMMY!

After the sauce has simmered for a bit, and the butter has melted, add the shrimp and corn to the sauce.  (Your rice should have about 5 minutes left at this point, if you are using regular white rice.)  Let the corn and the shrimp heat up.  You can thicken the sauce a bit with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons cold water, if you would like it thicker.  I like it juicier so that it really soaks into the rice. 

Serve a big scoop of rice with lots of jambalaya goodness on top.  We like this with corn bread and honey.  Enjoy!  It's delicious!

At my house, this feeds mom, 3 kids, 2 hungry working men (my hubby and brother), with enough for lunch leftovers for mom, dad, and brother the next day.  If you wanted to make a big batch of the jambalaya, it would freeze very well so that on a busy day, all you'd have to do is cook the rice and re-heat the jambalaya.  Hope you like it!

Clam Sauce Spaghetti

This is one of my go-to meals for a weeknight when I'm tired and need something easy.  It's simple, creamy, delicious pasta that fills those hungry bellies and makes people want to know how you're so amazing. 

You Need:

2 T. olive oil
1 bunch green onions
2 c. white wine
1 pint cream
1 can sliced olives
2 cans chopped or whole clams, drained
Spaghetti noodles (I use about 10 ounces for my family.)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Cut the green ends of the green onions into 2-inch pieces.  Heat in the olive oil.

Remove the green onions from the oil when browned.  They'll look like this:

Discard these onions.  These just help to begin the flavor of the sauce to develop.

Pour in the 2 cups of white wine.

Let simmer on medium heat until it is reduced by half and it turns cloudy.

Start your water for the noodles now.  Cook them according to package directions.  By the time they are cooked, the sauce should be ready.  Quickly whisk in the cream.  Simmer on medium until thickened.  The bubbles will start to get bigger as the sauce gets thicker.

 

 Slice the green onions that are left (the white parts).  Add the green onions, olives, and drained clams to the cream sauce. 

Drain the pasta and coat with the sauce.

Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Here's the whole plate of deliciousness.

Here's a close-up of the sauce-y noodles and good stuff.  This is a happy, loving, comfort food that will make you feel warm and fuzzy all over. 

Navajo Tacos

We love tacos at our house.  Sometimes, though, I like to switch it up and make them on scones.  It's no more difficult than regular old tacos, but it's fun and new and soooooo yummy!

You need:

1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
12 frozen Rhodes rolls (double recipe if you need more)
Oil for frying scones
Taco toppings:
cheese, olives, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, taco sauce, sour cream, refried beans...)

Thaw rolls and let rise.  I almost always use the quick-rise method on the back of the bag.

Cook ground beef with the taco seasonings as per directions on the seasoning packet.

Heat oil in a large skillet.  I test my oil by dropping a one-inch piece of bread into the oil.  If it fries to a golden brown in about 30 seconds, I know it's ready.  Stretch each roll into a 3-4 inch circle.  You can also combine two rolls for a larger taco.  Fry on each side until golden brown.

Remove to a plate that has a couple paper towels on it to collect the oil drips.  Let everyone build the taco of their dreams with the toppings,

Here's my favorite:  scone, meat, cheese, onion, olives, lettuce, taco sauce.  So yummy; so fun!

Lasagna Fake-Out

My kids love lasagna.  I hate how long it takes.  Once in a great while, I'll resort to frozen, but I really don't like it.  This easy recipe has all the great flavors of lasagna, MUCH less time, and has spinach hidden in there for nutritional value.  Big score for moms here!

You need:

1 box medium-large style pasta (shells, penne, rotini)
2 T. olive oil
1 box frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and wrung out in a towel
3 T. butter
1/2 onion chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes (Total of 28 ozs.)
1 c. (or one container) Ricotta cheese
1 c. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
salt and pepper
dash nutmeg (freshly grated, preferably)

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook pasta according to package directions, but about one-two minutes shy of the recommended cooking time.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.  Saute the onion for 2 minutes, or until golden.

Add the spinach to the skillet.

Add about 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Remove the spinach to a small bowl.  Add canned tomatoes to the pan.  Bring to a simmer and let thicken slightly.

Add basil to sauce.  Let simmer while you spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Drain cooked pasta and return to the pot.  Add the spinach mixture to the noodles

Add the Parmesan and ricotta cheese to the noodles.  Stir well.

Spread this mixture into the prepared pan. 

Pour the sauce over the top of the noodles.

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until it is piping hot with melty, bubbly cheese on top.  I forgot to take a picture of the dish right out of the oven.  We served ours with green salad and garlic bread.

This is yummy comfort food, and is seriously done in about half an hour.  That's less time than it takes to cook a frozen one!!!

Chicken in Creamy Sauce

I am a sucker for a rich, creamy sauce, and I don't skimp on the cream.  I love it.  Plus, I figure that as long as I'm not making them EVERY NIGHT, it's ok to indulge in real cream sauces every so often.  This is a new recipe I tried recently, and it's truly lovely. 

You Need:

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 eggs
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
2 T. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
1/2 c. flour
3 T. olive oil
1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. cream
3 T. cold butter

Preheat oven to 375.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Pound chicken breasts to about 1/2 inch thick.  Combine eggs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.  Put flour on a plate.

Dip the chicken breasts in the egg mixture first, coat well.

Lightly coat the chicken breasts with flour.

Brown the chicken in the oil until golden.  Don't worry about cooking through, as they will bake in the oven to finish.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 15 minutes.  In the pan that you cooked the chicken in, saute the onion for a minute.

Add the white wine, and reduce by half.

Add the cream, stirring quickly to incorporate.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve over the chicken.  We like it with Green Bean Rice Pilaf, too. 

Chicken on a Can

Ok, this chicken changed my life.  BBQ has never been the same since I learned this way of cooking a chicken!!!  I LOVE THIS CHICKEN!!  It turns out so flavorful, moist, and flat-out delicious that I can hardly contain my excitement when I cook it.  So good!  A must try.

You Need:

Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
A Spice Rub (I love Famous Daves Rib Rub or Durkee Rib Rub)
A Whole Chicken
A Soda or Beer (NO DIET!)

Now, this recipe requires you to get up close and personal with your chicken.  You are going to give this chicken a nice massage.  Pour some olive oil in the palm of your hand and rub it over the inside and outside of the chicken.  Next, loosen the skin from the chicken.  Right above the cavity, the skin has a natural opening.  Put your hand between the meat and the skin and loosen it.  You need to make sure to get in the legs too.  Then, pour your rub in the palm of your hand (I used the spice rub for one and Lemon Herb Rub for the other).  Rub the rub in between the skin and meat, on the outside of the chicken, and on the inside.



This is between the chicken breast and skin.



This is between the chicken leg and the skin.

See how relaxed they look??  Ha ha!

Open the soda and drink about 1/4 of it.  Set it on the counter and place the chicken over it, firmly.  There are little stands available that the can sits in, and they make it more stable for the chicken on the grill. 

I have one, but when I cook for all the fam, I need two chickens.  The pictures show one with the stand and one without.  Turn your grill to a medium heat.  You can place your chickens on the grill immediately.

Grill over a medium heat for about 45 min. to 1 hr.  Use a meat thermometer in the thigh to test for doneness, or carefully slice the chicken open.  While it's cooking, check for small flare ups.  I use a spray bottle of water to tame the flames and keep my chickens cooking without scorching (most of the time!).

This is the beautiful bird.  So yummy!  As you can see, a flare up took out the botoom of the legs--oops!  Carve up the bird.  It should easily slice and come apart at the joints.

I served ours up with grilled asparagus and Macaroni Salad.  Such a great summer meal!