Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken
So I'm having a little bit of trouble finding my groove again after vacation. It hardly seems worth it when I know that Christmas - and another major disruption to our schedule - is just around the corner... But alas, my family must eat. And wear clean clothes. And all that other stuff :)
Anyway.
Yesterday, I found a chicken in my freezer. And I remembered that there was a super easy recipe for
Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken that I'd bookmarked to try. THANK YOU, UNIVERSE. I ended up making a totally delicious dinner (with leftover chicken... YES!) that was stupidly easy. And it was so good that I had to share.
It sounds spicy. It's not AT ALL. The only work was mixing up the spices, but our whole family enjoyed this so much that I think I'll probably just mix an extra-large batch next time and have it ready to use in the cupboard - which would officially make this the Easiest Dinner Option Ever. You can tell that it's healthier than the pre-made chickens you can buy at the store, and Geoff declared it to be a perfectly acceptable substitute. Awesome.
(I used a frozen organic chicken from Superstore that I threw in the fridge the night before. I pulled it out of the fridge just after lunchtime, left the skin on, and put the chicken on the rack inside my slow cooker on high. And I didn't put the garlic or onion inside because the chicken wasn't 100% thawed and because that's just gross. But it turned out perfectly!)
Labels: Being Domestic, Recipe, Slow Cooker Recipes
Yummy
I just made the easiest, yummiest banana muffins ever. TRUE STORY. This is not my usual recipe, but I came across it this morning and had everything in my cupboards... The rest is delicious, delicious history.
In fact, they were so delicious that I am compelled to share. Enjoy! It's a banana muffin kind of day out there. And I know you have a couple of sad-looking bananas sitting on your counter RIGHT NOW, don't you? It's okay. I don't judge :)
Banana Graham Muffins
(an old Company's Coming recipe)
Combine in large bowl:
3/4 c flour (I used 1/2 c white and 1/4 c whole wheat)
1 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Combine in small bowl:
1 egg
1/4 c cooking oil
3 bananas, mashed
2/3 c chopped walnuts (I used pecans... REBEL!)
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fill lined or greased muffin cups almost full. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
The recipe claims to make 12 muffins. I got 8 muffins. *shrugs shoulders*
Labels: Being Domestic, Recipe
Feeling Like Fall
It's that time of year again, when my mind moves to thoughts of filling my freezer with casseroles and make-ahead meals. I'm starting to plan a cooking day... I'd love to hear about your favourite make-ahead meals for the freezer. Ready... Set... COMMENT!
Labels: Can You Help?, Recipe
The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook
So just in case you've ever paused and wondered, 'Just how nerdy is Lindsay REALLY?...' - I totally have an answer for you. I'm nerdy enough that I had a copy of the new Jillian Michaels 'Master Your Metabolism Cookbook' in my grubby little hands by 10 am on the day it was released. Yup. And so far, I'm really impressed with it.
Our family has enjoyed two dinners from the cookbook so far, and they turned out so fabulously that you know I'm gonna share at least one of them with you :)
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Grilled Lemon Chicken
1 tsp lemon zest
juice from one lemon
1/4 c chopped fresh basil or oregano
*I used basil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 to 5 ounces each)
1/4 pitted kalamata olives, halved
*I skipped the olives to make my family happy
Prepare dressing by whisking together the lemon juice and zest, then stirring in the basil, honey, mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a slow stream. Set aside.
Marinate the chicken in half the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 8 hours), turning at least once.
Stir the olives into the remaining dressing and set aside until ready to serve.
Grill the marinated chicken breasts (5 to 6 minutes per side). Place the chicken on a platter and drizzle with the dressing.
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I was particularly happy with this recipe because it worked so well to make it ahead. I ended up just making half the dressing and throwing the chicken + marinade in a freezer bag together when I got home from the grocery store. When I took the bag out of the freezer to thaw a few days later, it marinated in the fridge and was ready to go in the evening for dinner. It was super yummy without the extra dressing (though I'd imagine it would make it even better)... I'm just a huge fan of doing as much prep work as I can ahead of time.
There's nothing super-special about it... It's just good. And it's clean. And the leftovers were ridiculously good in a salad. It's one of those perfect solid recipes that I know I'll be using for a long time.
Enjoy!
Labels: Bookworm, Clean Eating, Lindsay v Jillian, Recipe
Recipe: Avgolemono Soup
This soup is yummy comfort food at its finest. It thickens almost to an oatmeal-like consistency and tastes rich and decadent, but - without chicken - it's only 140 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving. You can also add onion, celery, and carrots if you want - but I kind of like it straight-up (with veggies on the side, of course).
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Avgolemono Soup3 cans condensed chicken broth
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 cup short grain white italian rice
Parsley
Paprika
Combine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil then simmer on low until rice is cooked.
3 eggs
1/3 c lemon juice
Whisk eggs and lemon juice together. SLOWLY add a little bit of broth at a time to the egg/lemon mixture until the mixture gets very warm. Pour into pot and stir as you bring the soup back up to a boil - then take the pot off the heat IMMEDIATELY.
Labels: Recipe
Holiday Recipes
As promised...
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Sweet Potato Casserole
Casserole:
4 c sweet potato, cubed
1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 c chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Put sweet potatoes in a saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium-high heat until tender. Drain and mash.
In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Stir in butter and pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.
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Hot Apple Cider
Put in slow cooker:
4 L natural apple juice
1/2 large orange, cut into 4 slices with peel
2 cinnamon sticks
Put in spice ball or tied-off cheesecloth/filter:*
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
1 pinch nutmeg
Heat in slow cooker on LOW. When mixture reaches drinking temperature, change setting to WARM and enjoy.
Apparently, you can also rapid heat this recipe by running it through your coffee maker with apple juice in the water reservoir and the orange, cinnamon sticks, and spices in a coffee filter. It sounded like a lot of work to clean my coffee maker twice in one day, though - and I love how it smells while it heats in the slow cooker all afternoon.
*I folded the spices into a coffee filter and then put that little package in my spice ball because I was using some ground spices and didn't want the cider to get gritty. It worked great!
Labels: Recipe, Slow Cooker Recipes
Day Four
Today is Day Four in a nasty ten day stretch of shifts for Geoff. By default, it's kind of a nasty stretch for all of us. I'm trying to focus on the fact that we're now almost halfway through instead of thinking about the - count them - FIVE night shifts that are still coming in the next six days.
I tried very hard to be zen yesterday, and failed miserably. I wasn't really feeling any better, and it was a long, tough day. Thankfully, Geoff was home to help with Briony in the morning - and even picked up groceries while Briony was napping and I was trying to hammer through a few client deadlines.
Today was a better day... There were probably a couple of reasons for that, specifically:
1. Briony slept straight through the night - no teething shenanigans - from 7 pm last night until 8.30 am this morning. Perfect. I love this kid.
2. Geoff brought me Starbucks this morning when he got home from his night shift.
3. We all cuddled on the couch in our pj's and watched last night's episode of The Big Bang Theory before Geoff headed off to bed and Briony and I got dressed and ready for our day. There's no way that a day with that kind of start could possibly end badly.
4. Oh, and did I mention that today was a Katie Day? :)
5. I got to work on a fun new project for a client with a super-urgent deadline (my favourite... is that sick?).
6. I called yesterday and found out that my massage therapist had a cancellation for today - so I took a break from work and went for a massage this afternoon.
7. I managed to get a bunch of things crossed off my list for the first time in DAYS today.
I'm definitely feeling better than I was yesterday, but I'm definitely still flared up. I'm using all of my energy to keep my focus on worrying only about necessary and imminent things, and making sure that I'm taking care of myself.
Katie's gone now, but dinner's in the oven - my go-to easy peasy recipe - and Briony's napping. I feel like I *should* be working... But I think I might go make a cup of tea and read a book for half an hour.
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Tomato Parmesan Chicken
1 jar pasta sauce
6-8 chicken thighs or 3-4 chicken breasts
parmesan cheese
chopped veggies (optional)
Pour just enough sauce in a casserole dish or glass baking pan to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place chicken on top (if using breasts, cut in half to make smaller pieces). Add veggies if using. Cover with the rest of the sauce, and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30-45 minutes. Serve over pasta.
The reason this recipe is so brilliant is that it uses things you already have. It's totally the thing I make right before we go grocery shopping. Today, I added cherry tomatoes and chopped zucchini and used the Newman's Own Marinara Sauce (one of my favourites because it's yummy AND all natural - we always stock our pantry from Costco). It takes about three minutes to prep - but it doesn't look like it - and it's seriously one of Geoff's favourites. In fact, I have yet to encounter someone who doesn't like it.
Labels: Arthritis/Fibromyalgia, Family, Going Rogue, Recipe
The Best Chicken Soup Ever
Yeah, that's right. I said it. I make a MEAN chicken soup. And it's easy too. I'm sitting here surrounded by Kleenex and Tylenol Cold, enjoying yesterday's leftovers for lunch today, and realizing that I probably have some sort of social obligation to share it.
Bring to a boil:
2 cans condensed chicken broth
1 cube vegetable stock
6 cans water
While the stock is heating, chop:
1 cup chicken
2 cups vegetables (onion, carrots, and celery)
Add chicken and veggies - along with 0.5 cup pearl barley - to the stock. Simmer at least an hour. Add other seasoning (thyme, poultry seasoning, pepper) to taste if you want to, but it's pretty darn good as-is.
A few notes:
- Superstore sells a really great - and inexpensive - organic chicken stock.
- Be sure to read the ingredients carefully on the vegetable stock. A shocking number of them contain MSG (ew).
- Barley expands like crazy, so 0.5 cup is lots.
Labels: Recipe
Inspiration
I'm always on the prowl for great new recipes, and I've found a few lately at
Prevention.com - along with some nifty search tools so you can really find what you're looking for or just browse for some new ideas. I'm trying out a recipe for Rhubarb Coffee Cake tonight.
Also on their website, I found
this great little list of 100 ways to cut 100 calories out of your daily consumption. There's nothing really earth-shattering on it, it's just a nice little reminder and a push in the right direction.
Labels: Feeling Good, Recipe
Flop
So I've been hanging onto this recipe for about a month now... All the ingredients can usually be found in my cupboards, but I just hadn't gotten around to actually trying it. I decided that today would be the day.
Here it is:
Coconut BallsCombine in food processor:
1/2 c raisins
3/4 c walnuts or pecans
1/2 c dried dates
1/2 c dried apricots
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
Form into 1" balls and roll in 1 c unsweetened coconut.
Yummy, right? Well, I'd love to tell you, but this crumbly concoction is currently pressed into the bottom of a container in my fridge because it sure as heck could not be formed into 1" balls. I'm so sad! I sprinkled some coconut on top and I'm going to check on it later. I'm sure it will still taste good, it just wasn't what I was expecting. And I'm not really acccustomed to flopping in the kitchen. Boo.
Does anyone out there have a similar recipe that actually works??? I had my heart set on these little portion-controlled snacks, and I'm now officially (but temporarily) distrusting all recipes that haven't been proven awesome by someone I know.
Labels: Recipe
Recipe: Easy Beef Stew
Did you hear? It's Slow Cooker Week here at RunLindsayRun. All week, I'll be testing recipes for your culinary enjoyment.-
The Recipe:EASY BEEF STEW
*Modified rom Crockpot365.blogspot.com
12 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 c carrots, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can corn
1/2 can water or beef broth
2 lb stewing beef
2 tsp salt
2 pkg onion soup mix
Stir ingredients together in a slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then turn to LOW and cook an additional 4-5 hours.
The Evidence:The photo is on my camera. Will add it here soon. Trust me, it just looks like beef stew :)
The Review:Stew is pretty easy to make. Let me tell you, it is even easier in a slow cooker. It was easy peasy, other than peeling all those potatoes.
I felt kind of obligated to try a beef stew recipe as part of slow cooker week, because it's one of those classic slow cooker meals. I have a recipe I've used before, but I thought I'd try something new - in search of a *perfect* stew recipe.
This wasn't it. But it was still pretty good. I wasn't the biggest fan of dumping in all the sodium and junk in the onion soup mix, but it was a super-easy way to add lots of flavour to this recipe without putting any effort in at all (plus it's something I often have on hand). I'd make this again because it had a really good stew texture and consistency, but I'd play around with the seasoning.
The Verdict:No boy ever complains about beef stew. Geoff liked it. And my parents liked the leftovers that I brought along with me the next day.
I need to play with this one a bit before I'm happy with it, but it was a good start. I'd make it again, but not exactly the same way. If you're a little less picky about preservatives and all of that fun stuff, then by all means - give this one a try, and let me know what you think.
What's still on my list, you ask? Lemon Chicken. African Peanut Soup. And Creme Brulee (which will either end in brilliance or giggles - there's no middle ground on that one, I'm pretty sure).
Labels: Recipe, Slow Cooker Recipes
Recipe: Beef Stroganoff
Did you hear? It's Slow Cooker Week here at RunLindsayRun. All week, I'll be testing recipes for your culinary enjoyment.-
The Recipe:SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF
*Modified from a Kraft recipe
2 lb stewing beef
2 c mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 c beef broth
1 tsp salt
1 c sour cream*
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp Dijon mustard*
Place meat, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in slow cooker. Add broth, paprika, and salt. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Mix sour cream, flour, and mustard. Add to slow cooker and stir until blended. Cover and cook an additional 15-30 minutes. Serve over hot egg noddles with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
*If you're feeling extra lazy, you can substitute a tub of Herb & Garlic Light Cream Cheese for the sour cream and dijon mustard.
The Evidence:No picture available, so you'll just have to make it yourself and then you'll know exactly what it looks like :)
The Review:Full disclosure: I wasn't home for dinner tonight, so I pulled out this recipe from a couple of months ago.I'm always looking for lazy ways to make comfort food. Enter the slow cooker. And enter a simple Beef Stroganoff recipe.
There is nothing special about this, but it's a delicious smell to come home to - and it's one of those recipes that's super-easy to freeze and enjoy as leftovers later.
The Verdict:Geoff complained about the mushrooms, of course. But he still eats it whenever I make it. (I'll admit to putting extra mushrooms in... It's my favourite part of this dish.) And everyone else I know who's tried it loves it.
This is in my recipe book, and I will be making it again. It's foolproof.
Labels: Recipe, Slow Cooker Recipes
Recipe: Cranberry Apple Pork
Did you hear? It's Slow Cooker Week here at RunLindsayRun. All week, I'll be testing recipes for your culinary enjoyment.-
The Recipe:CRANBERRY APPLE PORK
*Modified from a recipe I found at JustSlowCooking.com
2 apples, chopped into cubes
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
2 tbsp honey (or brown sugar)
6 to 8 pork chops or cutlets
1 can whole cranberry sauce
Salt
Black pepper
Place apple and sweet potato cubes in the bottom of your slow cooker. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pork chops on top. Lightly sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Spoon cranberry sauce over pork. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours.
The Evidence:No picture available, so you'll just have to make it yourself and then you'll know exactly what it looks like :)
The Review:Full disclosure: It's so beautiful outside again today that Geoff *really* wanted to fire up the barbecue... So no slow cooker dinner tonight. I pulled out this recipe that I tried for the first time last week.I was really excited to try this one because I like sweet potatoes but don't always know what to make with them beyond mashing them or baking them as fries. Plus anything with cranberry sauce is usually awesome. Geoff really likes pork but it's not my favourite - so this looked like a way that both of us could be happy.
It wasn't awesome, but it was really good. I was a little too light on the salt for the bottom layer of apples and sweet potatoes - when I added some more later, it was definitely better. I'd add more next time. And I think I'd consider a few onions too, just to make the flavour a little more interesting.
The only real surprise for me was that the cranberry sauce did NOTHING while it sat on top of the pork. I guess I was expecting it to 'melt' and spread out, and it didn't. At all. Next time, I'd spread it over the meat more thoroughly instead of just spooning a clump onto each chop.
The Verdict:Geoff wasn't super-psyched about the texture of the sweet potatoes. But he still ate half of the leftovers the next day :)
I would definitely make this one again. This is one of those recipes that is basically good, and once I've tried it once or twice and tweaked / perfected it, it's going to be great.
Labels: Recipe, Slow Cooker Recipes
Recipe: Crockpot Indian Curry
Did you hear? It's Slow Cooker Week here at RunLindsayRun. All week, I'll be testing recipes for your culinary enjoyment.-
The Recipe:CROCKPOT INDIAN CURRY
*Modified from Crockpot365.blogspot.com and Rachael Ray
1 can coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 can garbonzo beans
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin
ginger, garlic, and hot sauce to taste
4-6 chicken thighs
*I used 12 small ones, so that we'd have leftovers
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 eggplant, chopped
1 sweet potato, chopped
Mix sauce ingredients together in slow cooker. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Add chopped vegetables on top. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours (or HIGH for 4-6 hours). Stir gently and serve over rice.
The Evidence:
Wow. That doesn't actually look very appetizing, does it? Well, it tasted better than it looked :)
The Review:Big shock, but this nice little Mennonite girl has never attempted to make curry before... This seemed like a pretty safe way to experiment. I've always enjoyed these types of dishes, but was too intimidated to try it at home. Turns out, this was the easiest thing EVER.
It was really good. Next time, I wouldn't be as cautious with the hot sauce - without enough of it, this recipe is very flavourful but a little flat. We added some after the fact, and it was yummy.
I was a little surprised at how much liquid was left in the curry once it was all finished cooking, because it seemed very dry when I was mixing up all the ingredients. When I started the rice, I cranked up the slow cooker to HIGH and took off the lid in hopes of evaporating some of it. Next time, I'd let it cook like that just a little bit longer. Not a big deal, just something to note.
Oh, and the best part of cooking with eggplant is chopping it up. Seriously. There's just something about the texture that makes me want to cut it. (Don't judge me. At least not until you've gone to the store, purchased an eggplant, and tried it for yourself.)
The Verdict:Geoff and I both liked this recipe. He complained about the eggplant a little bit (I left it in big, easy-to-remove chunks - notice a pattern here? hehe) and he added the hot sauce pretty liberally, which I took as a bad sign - but he went straight back for seconds.
Another one to add to my recipe collection. Though I'm also planning to try
this Thai curry recipe someday soon - and I'm curious to compare the two.
Labels: Recipe, Slow Cooker Recipes
Recipe: Pizza Soup
Did you hear? It's Slow Cooker Week here at RunLindsayRun. All week, I'll be testing recipes for your culinary enjoyment.-
The Recipe:PIZZA SOUP
*From Crockpot365.blogspot.com
1 jar pizza sauce
3 jars water
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 c mushrooms, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2-3 italian sausages, cooked and chopped
1 c pepperoni, chopped
basil
oregano
1/2 c dry pasta
cheese (for garnish)
Combine all ingredients (except the pasta and cheese) in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours. 30 minutes before serving, stir in the pasta and switch to HIGH. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese on top.
The Evidence:
The Review:I was totally intrigued by this recipe because pizza = yummy, but carbs = eternal baby fat. And this recipe was *exactly* what it promised to be: pizza in soup form. I realized later that once I added the pasta and served it with bread (a new cheese and onion ciabatta bread from Safeway that was ridiculously good), I may as well have had the crust. Oh well.
I didn't have pizza sauce on hand, but I used a jar of pasta sauce and it was great. And I replaced the basil with some Italian flavour Mrs Dash. (I couldn't find mine... What the heck?)
This soup was super-easy to make and impossible to screw up, because everything was pre-cooked (I microwaved the sausage for a couple of minutes - easy peasy). You're basically just slow cooking it to warm it up and let the flavours mingle. And it will make your house smell sooo good.
The Verdict:Geoff whined about the mushrooms, but I left them in huge chunks so that they were easy to pick out. Sigh. But we both really liked it. It's not fancy at all, but it really fills you up - and it had a lot more flavour than I thought it would.
I will definitely make this one again. And I suspect that it will be an awesome way to sneak veggies into a skeptical toddler... Seriously, it's called PIZZA SOUP. The kid in all of us is automatically kind of excited about it.
Labels: Recipe, Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker Week
Is this blog getting *way* too nerdy for you?
I have declared this week Slow Cooker Week at the Wright household. I've been trying to use mine once a week this winter, and it's been great - but I have a list of recipes that I want to try, and so I've decided to use mine every night this week.
I chose five *new* recipes and we went shopping this afternoon - so we're good to go. Stay tuned for reviews of this week's dinners. In addition to this, I'm planning to post two recipes that I tried earlier this month, so it will be a full week of slow cooker recipe reviews here at RunLindsayRun (because a recipe's really no good if you don't know what to expect). If you have a few goodies of your own, please share them in the comments.
Are you excited? I don't really care, because I am currently excited enough for *all* of us :)
Labels: Recipe, Slow Cooker Recipes
Recipes for a Snowy Day
This one's for Jobina...
Baked Potato Soup6 medium potatoes
1 carton chicken broth
2 cups milk
6 slices chopped, cooked bacon (or substitute ham)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
4 green onions, chopped
Chop potatoes into small pieces, leaving the peel on. Add to cooking pot with chicken broth, milk, bacon, and onions. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are soft. Mash potatoes lightly. Add seasoning to taste (I've used a little bit of onion soup mix, garlic powder, and pepper). Stir in cheese, and let simmer until ready to serve (it's yummier if you leave it for a while).
Serve plain, or top with some extra bacon, cheese, and onions and a bit of sour cream.
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And this one's just because I'm feeling generous today as I feast on a particularly delicious pumpkin muffin that I made the other night :)
Pumpkin Muffins3 cups flour
1 can pumpkin pie filling (NOT plain canned pumpkin)
4 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup margarine
2 tsp baking powder
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Cut in margarine. Add pumpkin and eggs, and stir until blended. Pour into greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.
These muffins are great on their own, but they're also great with pecans or cream cheese icing on top (or both!).
This muffin recipe *easily* becomes a recipe for two pumpkin loaves - just pour into greased loaf pans instead of muffin tins, and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.
And if you're feeling ambitious, these already yummy muffins become even more delicious if you combine one package of light cream cheese, 2 tbsp sugar, and 4 egg whites. Spoon half the batter into muffin tins or loaf pans, then drop some of the cream cheese mixture over top. Cover with remaining pumpkin batter, and bake as usual (be careful to check that it's baked all the way through - for some reason, the loaves seem to take a few minutes longer with the filling inside).
Labels: Recipe
Recipe: Glazed Stuffed Pork Chops
By popular demand...
This was modified from a Kraft recipe. It was yummy and easy and made Geoff happy. My only issue with it is the boxed stuffing... Everything else could be easily modified to be organic. I shall need to do some more research - or just make it myself next time instead of enjoying the glorious convenience of a box.
Glazed Stuffed Pork Chops1 box stuffing mix for chicken
1 cup apple juice
2 apples
4 pork chops
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette dressing
(NOTE: I used an organic sweet onion dressing instead, and it was awesome)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Prepare stuffing as directed on package, substituting apple juice for the water. Cut one of the apples into 1/2-inch chunks and stir into prepared stuffing.
Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Carefully cut pocket in each chop (slice almost all the way open from the side). Close back up, sprinkle with pepper, and cook 2 minutes on each side. Remove chops from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet. Spoon 1/4 cup of the stuffing mixture into pocket in each chop. Spoon remaining stuffing into 13x9-inch baking dish. Place chops over stuffing in baking dish.
NOTE: It works just as well to skip the 'pocket' step and just put the chops over all of the stuffing and call it a day. It just doesn't look as fancy :)
Core remaining apple and cut crosswise into four rings. Place 1 apple ring over each chop. Brush evenly with 1 tbsp of the dressing.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until chops are cooked through. Meanwhile, mix remaining 3 tbsp dressing, brown sugar, and mustard in same skillet. Cook on medium-high heat 1 minute or until bubbly and thickened. Serve spooned over the apples and chops.
Labels: Recipe
Fall Baking
Mmm... I'm probably the only person in Manitoba who's actually excited for this week's fall weather. I pulled out a sweater from my closet this morning - somewhat gleefully, I'll admit. Don't get me wrong - I love summer. I just REALLY love fall. Even more so this year, having experienced the intense discomforts of summertime pregnancy.
I decided to mark this first fall-feeling day with some fall baking. And just because I'm in a particularly generous mood, I'm going to share tonight's recipe with all of you.
Ginger Pear MuffinsMuffins:2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups chopped peeled pears
Topping:1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp butter (melted)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, and cinnamon. In separate bowl, combine brown sugar, oil, egg, and buttermilk - and pour over dry ingredients. Sprinkle in pears and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin cups.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, and ginger. Sprinkle over batter.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
Labels: Recipe
I Heart Food
I was more than a little amused by the number of people who've let me know that they actually try the recipes that I post on here. I stumbled upon a new one this month that was so ridiculously easy to prepare (and so delicious) that I had to share... It's modified from a Campbell's recipe - such an awesome source for comfort food recipes.
Oven-Baked Smothered Chicken4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package mushrooms, sliced
0.5 cup onions, sliced (we made it with shallots instead)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (we made it with the 98% fat free version)
0.5 cup milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
0.25 tsp thyme
0.25 tsp pepper
0.5 cup shredded cheese (we used a little less and chose reduced fat)
Place the uncooked chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish. (Here's where we modified: Wrap the chicken breast in proscuitto or Westfalian ham and make up for all the calories you saved with your earlier low-fat choices... hehe.)
In a small bowl, combine the soup, milk, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the chicken and veggies. Cover the dish with foil.
Bake at 400 F for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Top with cheese.
Labels: Recipe
