Chicken in the Crockpot

My friends and I have been ordering boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Zycon foods for sometime now and we love them! Instead of adding another 10 bags of chicken to the shelves we are trying out some freezer crockpot meals. Most of them say to thaw for 24 hours before adding to the crockpot but I think it's mainly just to make getting the ingredients out a little less tricky.

None of these are our original recipes - we troll blogs and Pintrest looking for the ones we think our families will like and this is just an easy place to store them. If you see yours and want a link back to a blog or pin just let me know!!

We'll continue to add to the list and make notes as we try these out. Feel free to comment and leave more recipes!

Honey Sesame Chicken

1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

green onion, thinly sliced for garnish
sesame seeds, for garnish

Combine everything but the garnishes in a ziplock bag. Freeze.

To cook, thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Place into crockpot and cook for 3 1\2 hours on low. Remove chicken and shred, return to crockpot and cook an additional 1\2 hour.  Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.


Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken

1 1\2 lbs chicken
1 cup dijon mustard
1\2 cup maple syrup
2 T red wine vinegar

Combine in ziplock and freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge. Cook in crockpot at low for 8 hours.


Chicken Cacciatore

1 lb chicken
1 26oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped

Combine in ziplock and freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge. Cook in crockpot at low for 6-8 hours. Serve over noodles.


Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

1 1\2 lbs chicken
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli
2 - 16oz jars Alfredo sauce
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 4oz can sliced mushrooms, drained

Combine in ziplock and freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge. Cook in crockpot at low for 4-6 hours. Serve over Fettuccini noodles.


Mandarin Chicken

4 chicken breasts, chunky
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1\2 red bell pepper, diced
1\2 green bell pepper, diced

Combine in ziplock and freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge. Cook in crockpot at low for 7 hours. Serve over rice.


Cilantro Lime Chicken w/corn & black beans

1 1\2 lbs chicken
Juice from 2 limes
Fresh cilantro, chopped
1 16oz bag frozen corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
1\2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drain and rinsed
1 tsp cumin

Combine in ziplock and freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge. Cook in crockpot at low for 8 hours.

Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken

1 lb.  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips

2 Tbsp.  (1/2 of 1-1/4-oz. pkg.) TACO BELL® Taco Seasoning Mix

2 Tbsp.  flour

1  each green and red pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips

1 cup  frozen corn

1-1/2 cups  TACO BELL® Thick & Chunky Salsa

2 cups  hot cooked long-grain white rice

1 cup  KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

2  green onions, sliced

TOSS chicken with taco seasoning and flour in slow cooker. Stir in vegetables and salsa; cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours).

STIR just before serving. Serve over rice topped with cheese and onions.

Italian Crockpot Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1 Italian dressing seasoning packet 

1/2 cup water

1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

2/3 cup water

Enough rice to feed whoever is eating.

Place chicken in a crockpot and season evenly with Italian dressing.

Add the water and let cook on low for at least four hours.

When chicken is cooked all the way through, shred with a fork or in a mixer - just something to get it shredded.

Place back in crockpot and add cream cheese, chicken soup, and water.

Mix thoroughly and let sit for another 30 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Teriyaki Chicken

Medium to large bag of mini carrots

Red onion in large chunks

2 large cans of pineapple chunks, undrained

4 garlic cloves

4 chicken breasts

1 cup teriyaki sauce

Split between 2 bags and freeze. Cook on low 6-7 hours, adding additional sauce if needed. Serve over hot rice.

Shredded Chicken and Stock (I also cook this while I’m throwing other meals together)

4 large chicken breast

2 large onions, sliced

3-4 large carrots

4-5 stalks of celery

salt & pepper as desired

Chicken Tortilla Soup

-4 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts, not frozen

-1 can diced tomatoes (not drained), 14.5 ounce

-1 can black beans (drained), 14.5 ounce

-1 small onion

-2 Tbsp minced garlic

-1 cup frozen corn (or a 14.5 ounce can of corn will work too) – we buy our corn in the summer when it is really inexpensive from a local farmer and freeze it.  So, I just cut the corn off the cob and use it which is why you see whole cobs here.  If I didn’t do that I would just buy frozen corn or use canned.

-1 jalapeno, finely diced (vary to taste – this will be a little bit spicy – about medium heat.  If you like mild food start with 1/2 jalepeno).  You can also use canned jalapenos if you don’t have fresh on hand.

-2 limes, juiced OR 2 Tbsp lime juice (fresh will taste better)

-1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (dried will work if that’s all you have on hand)

-3 14.5 ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth (Note: this will make a relatively thick soup – if you want your soup to go a little further you can add an extra can of broth and make it slightly thinner but a larger batch)

-salt/pepper to taste (I used about 1 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp sea salt)

-Sriracha sauce to taste – just because everything tastes a little bit better with sriracha :)  (I used about 2 tsp)

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

http://pinterest.com/pin/283797213991797532/

Confetti Breakfast Muffins, Confetti Tortellini Soup and One Hour Bread

I let you in on a secret... Confetti is a code word when I am cooking. It means "everything but the kitchen sink". As in; the refrigerator is full of things needing to be cooked, or things that have been cooked and need to be eaten immediately (leftovers). So rather than telling my family that I have no idea what I am doing, I just need to use up everything in some manner - I call it confetti. It sounds better than "Everything but the kitchen sink muffins" anyway. More festive.

So, I started these breakfast muffins with a dozen eggs, about 1/4 cup of milk, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking powder. The rest is optional and just depends on what you need to use up. These have a generous cup of shredded cheddar cheese (generous as in it was probably more like a cup and a half). Then I had some veggies leftover from an appetizer I made (I threw the leftovers in the freezer)- bell peppers, green onions, broccoli, cauliflower. So I thawed those out and added them. I also had 1/2 of a grilled pork chop and 1/2 of a piece of steak. Those got chopped and added as well. I thought I had some bacon bits in the fridge, but couldn't find them so stuck with what I already had. This was all mixed together and divided into 20 muffin tins. 

Be sure to spray your tins with non-stick spray, no liners! Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until everything is set and browned.

Two makes for a satisfying breakfast. They freeze well and can be reheated in the microwave. I like mine topped with green chili sauce. Yum

Confetti Tortellini Soup

This recipe started because I had a pound of Italian sausage and a refrigerator in desperate need of clearing out (I'm seeing a pattern here!) The peppers and onions were pretty much a given. I browned the sausage in some olive oil, drained it leaving just enough oil/grease for the peppers and onions. I added a some fresh garlic as well. Then I went searching... a bit of kale, a few mushrooms, roma tomatoes, some leftover chicken and roasted cauliflower, fresh oregano that was looking pretty dodgy ... it all was then thrown into the pot. I started thinking of using it as a pasta sauce, but another look through the fridge and I had about 1/4 cup of beef broth and 1 cup of chicken broth that was getting ready to expire. Oh, and a package of fresh spinach. I started thinking of Italian wedding soup which has rice in it. I went searching for rice but came up with a small bag of cheese tortellini noodles. Perfect. Those were cooked up and tossed in with a bit of herbs from the cabinet (some basil, thyme, onion salt, bay leaf, parsley). It smells good and everything is coming together nicely.

At this point Brian comes in to see what I am doing. I was about to admit I had no idea and then I exclaimed it was "Confetti Tortellini Soup". He did a quick taste test and it was deemed a success! Until he asked me about the bread.... he knows I don't make soup without bread! I pulled out a one hour bread recipe and went to town. Everything was done just in time to pick up the kiddo from school and then pack up the Hubby and send him off to work. Whew. 

One Hour Bread
(makes 2 loaves)

5 1/4 cups of flour
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons quick-rise yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons oil
2 cups warm water

I use my kitchen aid to mix, but a bread machine on dough cycle or by hand would work too. Mix all the dry ingredients together until blended. Incorporate the liquids. I slowly pour them into my mixer while it is going on a low speed. At medium speed blend together for 5 minutes. Pull out the dough and form into two large loaves. Let rise on greased baking sheet for 25 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees. After bread has risen, cut in slits and then bake for 25 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

Hope you enjoy! What kind of "Confetti" recipes have you tried?




  

Tom Ka Gai (Thai coconut soup with chicken)

or Tom Ka Kai, is a soup that is very very popular in Thailand and pretty much anywhere that embraces their cuisine. Most people new to Thai food are first introduced to Pad Thai Noodles (sweet/spicy rice noodles with crushed peanuts on top) and then to this soup. It is the perfect balance of sweet - spicy - savory - and sour.

 I read dozens of recipes of how to make this soup. I read the very traditional ones that use Galanga, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves- these all add flavour to the soup and are pretty, but they are inedible and nearly impossible to find, not to mention expensive. I read the non traditional ones which used easy to find, but strange ingredients like soy sauce, turmeric, lemon juice or vinegar. Ick.

So I began to play around and shoot for something in the middle. We love this recipe! It is far from traditional but anyone would recognize it for what it represents and it is easy to make. So, with that in mind, take it for what it is and then tweak it to make it your own.

Ingredients:

2 cans coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, pealed and slightly smashed but whole

fresh ginger (see below)

One lime and True Lime packets (see below) or 3-4 limes

2 -4 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 Tablespoons fish sauce (see below)

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 t. Cayenne pepper or finish with Thai sweet chili sauce or sriracha

Chopped cooked chicken

rice or noodles

In a large pot combine together the cans of coconut milk and the chicken broth. Start to heat gently taking it to just a simmer. Add in the garlic, I leave the pieces whole and fish them out before serving. The ginger - fresh ginger root keeps in your freezer for months. Buy a nice big root and peel it. Chop off a good sized chunk and then ziplock and store the rest in the freezer. I retrieve mine from the freezer and chop off a chunk, I add about 1 Tablespoon of it finely grated and then throw in the chunk of what ever is left. I fish this out and throw away before serving. Next is the lime and the packets:

These are completely optional, but I always keep them in my cupboard to add extra lime flavor to fajittas, margarita chicken, my water, etc. I buy one lime and cut it in half, half is squeezed into the broth and then the piece is thrown in to be removed later. The other half is cut into slices and used to garnish the bowl at the end. For the additional lime flavor I also add two or three of these packets to the soup. You could intead just buy two or so extra limes and squeeze the juice and float the rind in it.

Chop up about 1/2 a bunch of cilantro. I add 2 or more tablespoons to the soup while it cooks and I save the rest to top the bowls just before serving.

Add 4 Tablespoons of fish sauce.

Yes, it smells awful to most people other than myself. Yes, you really do need it. It will keep in the fridge for ages (not like it can really go bad) and is a flavor that you just can't substitute. I know, you are thinking you already own soy sauce. Don't do it. Get some fish sauce, trust me.

Fish sauce is almost always used in conjunction with sugar. If you have a problem with sugar or just don't like your food too sweet - this is where you start tasting as you go. Try your soup now and see what you think. Sometimes just the coconut milk can be sweet enough for some people. Add one tablespoon of sugar and let it dissolve, see if you can tell the amazing difference that it adds. If you are brave enough, add another tablespoon. Here is a good place to stop if you are satisfied with the sweetness, we like ours a little more on the sweet side so I will usually add a third tablespoon unless I plan to top of the soup with Thai sweet chili sauce. If you are using that for your heat, then stop after 2 T. of sugar.

The heat is an important element to Thai food and the balance. However, some people have small kids and like to adjust this accordingly. I use 1/4 t. cayanne pepper while the soup is cooking, and that works for my 9 year old as well as my hubby. I will add a bit of hot to mine after dishing it up into the bowl. You can use Thai hot sauce or sriracha to add heat after it is served if desired.

Finally is the chicken, or shrimp, or mushrooms or ..... I like to cook chicken separately and add at the end to just warm it up. I also like to add cooked shrimp at the end. You can cook the chicken in the broth if you are willing to keep it at a low simmer for longer and check extremely well to make sure it is cooked all the way through. 

Serving: In a deep bowl place cooked rice or noodles and spoon the soup over the top. Garnish with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and a little hot sauce if desired. Enjoy!!

Camouflage Cupcakes

That's what AJ asked for his birthday this year, camouflage cupcakes. Thankfully, I already had this one figured out. I made these cupcakes

back in February for a Cupcake Rodeo and knew the technique was going to be used again. A few people asked how I accomplished these, so this time I took a few pictures to try and explain the technique. (this is NOT my original idea, I saw a gal doing it on a youtube video and for the life of me, can't find the video again!! Whoever she was, she's brilliant!!)


After making the frosting and tinting it three different "camouflage colors" I spread each color out onto plastic wrap. 

Pull the edges together to make sure it is completely enclosed. Grab the two ends, one in each hand and twirl in the air. This twists the ends closed and makes a burrito:

Now take one end of your burrito and put it into your decorating bag, it takes a bit of maneuvering.

Pull the plastic wrap out of the metal tip, as far out as you can get it,

Now cut off the plastic sticking out, you are ready to use the bag as you normally would.

Here is an alternate design:

When you are done, just pull out the plastic and toss! The inside of your bag will still be clean and all you'll need to wash is your decorating tip.

Nice! I bought the army men and washed them up before putting them on top. The background is melted chocolate, unfortunately - it wouldn't hold up to the heat so wasn't used. The kids didn't seem to miss it!!

Hope you get a chance to try this, it was so much fun! Happy Birthday, AJ!!

April in review

It's May. I did stuff in April, I really did - it just didn't make it on here. I was a bad blogger, a very bad blogger. Oh well. Life goes on... did I mention I turned 40 yesterday? Yep, life goes on and it goes by FAST!!

So here are just some pictures of the stuff I did do in April. Jewelry and calligraphy mostly.

First I'll start with the jewelry. My mom wanted one of those long blingy necklaces and sent me a bunch of stuff she found so I could put one together. I bought a few additional things and made a set of earrings to go with it.

My mom also loves flashy earrings and I try to make a pair in every color to go with whatever she's wearing, here are a few I made this month:

. 

I also joined a couple of calligraphy exchanges with an online group. Something fun to welcome spring. I'm not very good, but I love playing. I blocked out parts of the addresses for privacy. One of the exchanges was to do a zentangle envelope and exchange (black and white doodles).

zentangle card

front of zentangle envelope

back of zentangle envelope

And finally, just a few odds and ends. I made some funky cupcakes for a Mother and Son cupcake rodeo, some spring postcards and a couple of cards with gift certificates for teacher appreciation week. 

Outside of teacher's card

Inside of teacher's card

Hope you had fun glimpsing into my month of April!!

Use your Mace!

A friend and I took a trip to a spice store awhile back, before making the trip I thought I should go through my two (yes two) spice cabinets and see what all I was running low on. I found a small container in my "sweet spices" labeled ground mace. It had been opened and I kind of remember buying it and using it for something, but couldn't remember what. I opened the jar and took a sniff. Oh my. I LOVE that smell!! How am I not eating this on everything??

I read the back of the jar and sure enough - you CAN eat it on everything! From chocolate and pound cakes, to fish and veggies. So I began to add it to more and more foods, sprinkled on my broccoli - good. Mixed in the doughnut batter - good. Sprinkled on chicken and in my coffee.... good!! How have I been missing this and why does it taste and smell so familiar?

Time to Google. (Yes, I am one of those people. I cannot have a conversation with an unanswered question looming. I love my iPhone, I may not know what else that actor played in - but I will find out and tell you and I have to do it NOW. I know there must be a self-help or Anon group somewhere for me - I'll Google it. Later.)

No wonder I love Mace, it is from the nutmeg fruit. Nutmeg, another favorite flavor. The nutmeg is the center seed, mace is a lace-like membrane that covers the seed. It is quite beautiful.

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The outside fruit is edible, the red membrane becomes Mace and the seed is the Nutmeg pod. Mace is much milder in flavor than nutmeg, not as peppery, but still has that wonderful taste and smell. I just finished baking some banana bread and the house smells wonderful! I also found out that mace is one of the ingredients in hot-dogs. Can't get more versatile than that!

So, if you've been looking to mix it up a bit in the kitchen, start with a small jar of mace and sprinkle away - please let me know if you find something it DOESN'T work with. I'm having it on my popcorn today for a quick snack. Oh, and in case you are wondering - Mace is now a brand name for pepper spray and it's made out of the capsaicin found in chili peppers, nothing to do with ground mace or nutmeg.

Catching Up on Pancakes

I've fallen a bit behind lately and am now trying to catch up! My hubby right now is working nights though, so during the day I have to keep it down.... today was "Catch Up on Pancakes " day.

We love pancakes! I love having them ready so making breakfast in the morning takes less than 1 minute. There is a bit of prepping ahead of time, but once you have a freezer full of pancakes - the family is happy!

Use whatever recipe your family loves, they all freeze well. Here a couple of quick hints though -

• If you are going to do it - do it big! I figure if I'm going to get out the griddle, mix them up and wait for them to cook and cool - I'm going to make the most of my time. I made 4 batches today, that's about 48 pancakes.

• If you are going to be making a big bunch, buy some powdered milk. I needed three cups of milk for my four batches. I used one packet of instant non-fat milk (out of my box of three) and instead of mixing it with 3 3/4 cups of water like it called for, I mixed it with just 3 cups. Much richer and still non-fat.

• Use this THING my BFF got it for me for Christmas a few years ago and I LOVE it!! I use it for cupcake batter and pancakes. 

• Cool them completely! This part is important. I spread them out on cooling racks and let them cool completely before stacking them and double bagging them in freezer bags. If they aren't cool, steam will condense inside the bags and will create ice inside the bag, or cause them to stick together. Not good.

• AJ usually eats two at a time. I spread them each with peanut butter, stack them on a plate, top with a bit of syrup and into the microwave they go for 30 seconds, the time it takes me to pour a glass of milk.

Don't forget to mix it up once in awhile to keep the kiddos from getting bored. We especially like berries, sliced apples with caramel, and sliced bananas. Try other flavors of nut butters, jam, or yogurt. Use as the base for a breakfast sandwich with a few slices of ham and a slice of cheese. Oh .... and occasionally surprise them with a few chocolate chips before heating, then top with whipped cream and sprinkles!

Just a few things...

Well, now that Thanksgiving is over I have a little time to post a few things that I've been working on.

The very first thing I'll share is my super secret recipe that everyone raved about this last week. I made turtles for AJ's class and also to take to Thanksgiving at our friend's house. It's one of those recipes that isn't even a recipe because it is just THAT easy, but they taste oh-so-good!!

First buy a bag of pretzels, I like the ones called Snaps, they are a little square grid shape and perfect for this. Next, buy a bag of Rolos (or three actually!) If anyone out there knows the manufacture personally, please let them know of a need for these to come bagged but NOT individually wrapped. Until that time, you'll have to unwrap each little golden treasure. Layer like so:

Parchment paper makes this so much easier and less messy. I also did aluminum foil and it worked, but they stuck a bit and were harder to pry up. Top each of these with a pecan half and place in the oven at 300 degrees for 5 minutes.

Once the chocolate is melty and the caramel soft, press down on the warm nut to squish it all together. WA-LA - very addictive little bites.

The next thing I'd been working on is a pennant banner. My friend wanted to make one since she hosts Thanksgiving at her house each year, so I ordered the same paper packet and made one with her. I must say it turned out very cute!!

Here are a few close ups:

We've also been working on a few tags for a swap. I signed up for three spots hoping to coerce my friend into her first swap and it worked! We had to make 10 tags each. The first one is the ones my friend did, they are soooo cute! Love the little snowman.

These next two are the ones I did, I love the colors of the tree one!

Well, that's it for my creativity right now... next in my future is decorating for Christmas! My husband thinks I need to purge a bit.... what do you think??