The Recipe
500g chicken breast - cut into 1" cubes
1 (14oz) can white beans
340g (~1.5 cups) spaghetti sauce
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
In a crockpot, layer onion, garlic, carrot and bell pepper on the bottom. Add the chicken on top, beans, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Add spaghetti sauce and water. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender and cooked.
Serve with pasta or spaghetti.
The Verdict
I think I would have preferred using dark meat - the chicken did get a tad dry.
That's my only complaint though. It was easy to make and tasted lovely - the sauce was delicious :)
Monday, October 29, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Week 42: Skillet Chicken
The Recipe
4-5 pieces of chicken (I used 3 drumsticks and 2 breast fillets - dark meat for me, white meat for DH)
Various root vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces (e.g. potatos, carrots, parsnips, onion, celery)
4 cloves garlic, minced
butter/margarine/oil
2 tsp corn starch
1 cup chicken stock
Hardware: Two ovenproof skillets.
Preheat the oven to 230C. Put the skillets in the oven to preheat too. When the oven is heated and the skillets are hot, do the following:
Remove the skillets from the oven and add a goodly amount of margarine/butter/oil to each. Add minced garlic to each skillet and stir it around in the butter. Put the dark meat, skin side down, in one skillet and the light meat in the other. Put some sort of lid onto the skillet with dark meat (e.g. pizza pans) and slide it into the oven, still at 230C. Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from oven, devide the veggies evenly across the two skillets and put BOTH back into the oven for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir the veggies and turn the chicken. Preheating the skillet means that the skin should be golden brown and delicious-looking. Leave the lids off and slide the skillets back into the oven for a final 15 minutes.
OPTIONAL: When the chicken is done, pile the chicken on top of the veggies. Combine cornstarch with chicken stock. Put the skillet that held the chicken over high heat. Add the cornstarch/stock. Stir it well, and almost constantly, to get all the good brown bits and garlic off the pan. When the sauce is thickened to your liking, pour it over the chicken and veggies.
The Verdict
I never can get thickening to work, and this was no exception. Ah well, despite the very liquid sauce it was still ABSOLUTELY delicious! Definitely something I'll be making again. I don't make oven-baked chicken much as it tends to dry out on me, but this turned out all kinds of yummy (of course the white meat might have been dry... after all, I didn't try that). Really, you can use any kind of veggies for this - parsnips or pumpkin would go nicely with it too.
Edit 2023: I made this without the thickning this time, and it really didn't need it - so I'll just do without as that makes it a lot easier anyways. The veggies got a tad too mushy, and the white meat was borderline dry, so I've adapted the recipe to hold off a bit on putting the light meat into the oven. I think these times will work - otherwise I'll adjust again. But REALLY good - even my DH approved.
4-5 pieces of chicken (I used 3 drumsticks and 2 breast fillets - dark meat for me, white meat for DH)
Various root vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces (e.g. potatos, carrots, parsnips, onion, celery)
4 cloves garlic, minced
butter/margarine/oil
2 tsp corn starch
1 cup chicken stock
Hardware: Two ovenproof skillets.
Preheat the oven to 230C. Put the skillets in the oven to preheat too. When the oven is heated and the skillets are hot, do the following:
Remove the skillets from the oven and add a goodly amount of margarine/butter/oil to each. Add minced garlic to each skillet and stir it around in the butter. Put the dark meat, skin side down, in one skillet and the light meat in the other. Put some sort of lid onto the skillet with dark meat (e.g. pizza pans) and slide it into the oven, still at 230C. Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from oven, devide the veggies evenly across the two skillets and put BOTH back into the oven for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir the veggies and turn the chicken. Preheating the skillet means that the skin should be golden brown and delicious-looking. Leave the lids off and slide the skillets back into the oven for a final 15 minutes.
OPTIONAL: When the chicken is done, pile the chicken on top of the veggies. Combine cornstarch with chicken stock. Put the skillet that held the chicken over high heat. Add the cornstarch/stock. Stir it well, and almost constantly, to get all the good brown bits and garlic off the pan. When the sauce is thickened to your liking, pour it over the chicken and veggies.
The Verdict
I never can get thickening to work, and this was no exception. Ah well, despite the very liquid sauce it was still ABSOLUTELY delicious! Definitely something I'll be making again. I don't make oven-baked chicken much as it tends to dry out on me, but this turned out all kinds of yummy (of course the white meat might have been dry... after all, I didn't try that). Really, you can use any kind of veggies for this - parsnips or pumpkin would go nicely with it too.
Edit 2023: I made this without the thickning this time, and it really didn't need it - so I'll just do without as that makes it a lot easier anyways. The veggies got a tad too mushy, and the white meat was borderline dry, so I've adapted the recipe to hold off a bit on putting the light meat into the oven. I think these times will work - otherwise I'll adjust again. But REALLY good - even my DH approved.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Week 41: Smothered Beef Patties
The Recipe
1 pound ground beef
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt, pepper
Form the ground beef into 4 patties. Warm some butter or oil in a skillet and cook the patties until done. Put aside and keep warm.
In the same skillet, add butter and olive oil and let butter melt. Cook onion and bell peppers over medium heat until tender. Add mushrooms, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Heat until mushrooms are hot and cooked through.
Serve with halved baked potatoes.
The Verdict
I am not really all that much into beef patties, but the mushroom-onion mix did add a nice touch. That part I could definitely see myself making again.... but probably as a side to a different main.
1 pound ground beef
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt, pepper
Form the ground beef into 4 patties. Warm some butter or oil in a skillet and cook the patties until done. Put aside and keep warm.
In the same skillet, add butter and olive oil and let butter melt. Cook onion and bell peppers over medium heat until tender. Add mushrooms, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Heat until mushrooms are hot and cooked through.
Serve with halved baked potatoes.
The Verdict
I am not really all that much into beef patties, but the mushroom-onion mix did add a nice touch. That part I could definitely see myself making again.... but probably as a side to a different main.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Week 40 - Western Glazed Pork Chops
The Recipe
2 pork chops
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup salsa
2 tbsp orange marmalade
1/3 cup shredded cheese
Aluminum foil wrap
Preheat oven to 200C. Place pork chops in a shallow baking pan lined with foil. Sprinkle with chili powder. In a small bowl, combine salsa and marmalade and spread half of the mixture over the pork chops. Bake for 15 minutes, then spread remaining salsa mixture over pork chops and continue to bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Sprinkle cheese over pork, return to oven and bake for 2 minutes longer or until cheese has melted.
Serve with potatoes and beans.
The Verdict
There's a first for everything, and this was a first for me - making something even I wasn't able to eat. Fortunately I was home alone, so I didn't subject Lars to this as well. The glazing just did NOT taste good. Possibly it might be a hit for somebody fonder of orange marmalade than myself, but as it was, I had to scrape off the glazing before I could eat the meat. Suffice to say this is something I WON'T be making again.
2 pork chops
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup salsa
2 tbsp orange marmalade
1/3 cup shredded cheese
Aluminum foil wrap
Preheat oven to 200C. Place pork chops in a shallow baking pan lined with foil. Sprinkle with chili powder. In a small bowl, combine salsa and marmalade and spread half of the mixture over the pork chops. Bake for 15 minutes, then spread remaining salsa mixture over pork chops and continue to bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Sprinkle cheese over pork, return to oven and bake for 2 minutes longer or until cheese has melted.
Serve with potatoes and beans.
The Verdict
There's a first for everything, and this was a first for me - making something even I wasn't able to eat. Fortunately I was home alone, so I didn't subject Lars to this as well. The glazing just did NOT taste good. Possibly it might be a hit for somebody fonder of orange marmalade than myself, but as it was, I had to scrape off the glazing before I could eat the meat. Suffice to say this is something I WON'T be making again.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Week 39: Sun-dried Tomatoes and Chicken Pilaf
The Recipe
450g chicken breast
2 gloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can (400g) stewed tomatoes
1/2 squash, chopped
50g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (use scissors - that's easier)
2 tsp pesto
6dl chicken stock
200g brown rice
Heat oil in a pan and brown the chicken on one side only. Transfer to a plate and quickly cook garlic and onion in the pan. Add chicken stock and get all the bits and pieces off the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Add squash, stewed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and rice. Stir to mix up everything. Place the chicken breast on top, cooked side up, pushed down just beneath the liquid to keep them from drying out. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
The Verdict
First of all, I made a rookie mistake - I assumed that HIGH for 3-4 hours would equal LOW for 6-7 hours. Not the case at all, and thus the rice wasn't properly cooked through. Not that they were 'raw', there was just a bit more of a bite to them than usual. Fortunately that was the only problem with this dish and easily remedied. Everything else worked out really well. The tastes meshed wonderfully, and the chicken was more moist than I've ever experienced white meat being before. I might add a tad more pesto and sun-dried tomatoes next time as those two ingredients seemed to disappear altogether, but otherwise it was perfect as-is.
450g chicken breast
2 gloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can (400g) stewed tomatoes
1/2 squash, chopped
50g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (use scissors - that's easier)
2 tsp pesto
6dl chicken stock
200g brown rice
Heat oil in a pan and brown the chicken on one side only. Transfer to a plate and quickly cook garlic and onion in the pan. Add chicken stock and get all the bits and pieces off the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Add squash, stewed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and rice. Stir to mix up everything. Place the chicken breast on top, cooked side up, pushed down just beneath the liquid to keep them from drying out. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
The Verdict
First of all, I made a rookie mistake - I assumed that HIGH for 3-4 hours would equal LOW for 6-7 hours. Not the case at all, and thus the rice wasn't properly cooked through. Not that they were 'raw', there was just a bit more of a bite to them than usual. Fortunately that was the only problem with this dish and easily remedied. Everything else worked out really well. The tastes meshed wonderfully, and the chicken was more moist than I've ever experienced white meat being before. I might add a tad more pesto and sun-dried tomatoes next time as those two ingredients seemed to disappear altogether, but otherwise it was perfect as-is.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Week 38: Salmon Poached in Elderflower juice
The Recipe
3 salmon steaks (~125g each)
0.5 dl canola oil (could probably be substituted for any other)
1.5 dl elder flower juice
1 tbsp acacia honey
3 bay leaves
1 leek in thin slices
2 carrots (or the same amount of squash), sliced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
Salt and pepper
Place the salmon steaks in a small ovenproof dish coated with the oil. Add juice, honey, bay leaves, leek, carrots and ginger (optional). Bake for 10-12 minutes at 220*C in a pre-heated oven. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
Serve with wild rice and bread
The Verdict
Absolutely delicious! The sweetness of the elderflower and honey matched the salmon perfectly. I don't think this would be a hit with my DH, but my Mum would love it :) We forgot the ginger, but I didn't miss it any.
3 salmon steaks (~125g each)
0.5 dl canola oil (could probably be substituted for any other)
1.5 dl elder flower juice
1 tbsp acacia honey
3 bay leaves
1 leek in thin slices
2 carrots (or the same amount of squash), sliced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
Salt and pepper
Place the salmon steaks in a small ovenproof dish coated with the oil. Add juice, honey, bay leaves, leek, carrots and ginger (optional). Bake for 10-12 minutes at 220*C in a pre-heated oven. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
Serve with wild rice and bread
The Verdict
Absolutely delicious! The sweetness of the elderflower and honey matched the salmon perfectly. I don't think this would be a hit with my DH, but my Mum would love it :) We forgot the ginger, but I didn't miss it any.
Week 37: Cheesy Enchilada Casserole
The Recipe
500g ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can (8oz) of salsa
1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) beans
3/4dl Italian salad dressing
2 tbsp taco seasoning
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4 flour tortillas
1 can corn
1 dl sour cream
250gr shredded cheese
Garnish:
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
guacamole
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in the salsa, stewed tomatoes, beans, dressing, sour cream, corn, taco seasoning and cumin.
Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Repeat as many layers as you like.
The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 200°C for 25 minutes.
Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and guacamole.
The Verdict
I forgot to cover with foil, but don't really think that made too big of a difference.
I also didn't have any guacamole - that was a mistake!
Apart from that I really liked it though. I think I'd also add chopped bell pepper another time, but that's about the only alteration I'd make. Definitely worth making again.
500g ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can (8oz) of salsa
1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) beans
3/4dl Italian salad dressing
2 tbsp taco seasoning
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4 flour tortillas
1 can corn
1 dl sour cream
250gr shredded cheese
Garnish:
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
guacamole
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in the salsa, stewed tomatoes, beans, dressing, sour cream, corn, taco seasoning and cumin.
Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Repeat as many layers as you like.
The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 200°C for 25 minutes.
Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and guacamole.
The Verdict
I forgot to cover with foil, but don't really think that made too big of a difference.
I also didn't have any guacamole - that was a mistake!
Apart from that I really liked it though. I think I'd also add chopped bell pepper another time, but that's about the only alteration I'd make. Definitely worth making again.
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