slow cooker old fashioned chicken noodle soup

Sisters are funny.  They are your strongest relationship but, they are also the hardest on you.  They can poke fun to no end because they know you are not going anywhere.  As I have grown older my relationship with my sisters has evolved and grown and it is truly great.  We are all very different which makes it nice to settle into your spot in the family.  There are many things my sisters tease me about but, I am not here to talk about that.  I am here to talk about how one of my sisters is OBSESSED with her crock pot.  My other sister and I send text messages to each other joking about her latest crock pot creations.  She is doing everything from breakfast to dessert in the crock pot.  I like to make fun of her but, honestly I am kind of jealous.  Everything she makes in the crock pot tastes good.  She is always saying oh I just threw this and that in and voila dinner served.  I throw things in and it is disgusting I mean rubbery, watery meat with bland flavor.  Just plain gross.  I decided not to hide my jealousy anymore and I asked for The Slow Cooker Revolution for my birthday.  The family is starting to get the sniffles so, I decided to try the chicken noodle soup.  It does involve a bit more work than toss this in but, the end result truly taste like old fashion chicken noodle soup.  It has a deep flavor with soft pieces of juicy chicken and perfectly cooked vegetables.  I could not believe this came out of my slow cooker.  I kept patting myself on the back.  This recipe makes a ton so, I froze half the batch for next time the sniffles hit.  I also made a second foil pouch with an additional chicken breast which I kept for lunch.  If you like a lot of noodles in your soup you may want to up the amount because this is definitely more chicken heavy.  This time the slow cooker paid off.  I am not going to swear by the slow cooker like my sister until I pull off a few more slow cooker kitchen wins but, I am off to a good start with my new book in hand.

old fashioned chicken noodle soup

 source: slow cooker revolution


1 1/2 pounds bone in, skin on chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 carrots, peeled and medium chop
3 celery ribs, medium chop

1 onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 cups low sodium, chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 (12 ounce) bone in skin on, chicken breast

1 1/2 ounces egg noodles

1/2 cup frozen peas

Dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Brown chicken thighs for ~4 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate let cool and discard the skin.


Pour all but one tablespoon of the fat in the pan.  Add carrots, celery and onion and cook until vegetables are soft ~8-10 minutes.  Stir in garlic - red pepper flakes and cook ~30 seconds.  Stir in a cup of broth and loosen up browned bits and transfer all to the slow cooker.  


Stir in remaining 7 cups of broth and bay leaves to the slow cooker.  Nestle the cooked chicken into the slow cooker.  


Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and wrap in a foil pouch.  Lay the foil pouch on top of the soup.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

After 4-6 hours remove the foil packet and transfer to cutting board.  Transfer the thighs to the cutting board.  Let it cool to the touch and then shred into bite size pieces.  Discard the skin and bones.  Skim the fat off the surface of the soup and remove the bay leaves.  

Cook the egg noodles in boiling salt water until tender.  Stir in the noodles, chicken and peas.  Let them heat through for approximately 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper if needed and serve!

southwestern cobb salad

 

There really is no reason for a recipe when it comes to a salad.  I have to document the salads that pass standards at my dinner table or I will forget the combination of vegetables that my husband allowed to pass his lips.  I may have cracked the husband salad code.  If it has lots of tasty hearty toppings (read bacon, avocado and cheese) and each bite is filled with various flavors it works.  The salad has to have enough heft to it that it does not require him to make a sandwich 20 minutes after I finish the dishes.  Wait why isn't he doing the dishes?  Oh yeah he is bathing the kids.  I like to give him a hard time but, I actually prefer him to stay out of my kitchen. 

This is an easy week night meal that you can have on the table in less then 30 minutes.  The dressing is light and spicy with a hint of sweet.  Even though it has lots of yummy topping it is actually light so, it keeps the health conscious happy as well.

southwestern cobb salad

adapted: cooking light

Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil

Salad:
3 slices turkey bacon
cooking spray
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
8 cups torn romaine lettuce
1/2 cup refrigerated fresh pico de gallo
1/2 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled queso fresco
1/2 cup corn (~1 ear)
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation

To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk; set aside.

To prepare salad, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Increase heat to medium-high. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until done.

Place lettuce in salad bowl. Start adding toppings in lines side by side.  Drizzle vinaigrette and toss.

crunchy cheddar chicken

Chicken has never really been my thing.  I don't hate it but, if it is on a menu I go right over it.  My mom made this wonderful discovery one night when Brad and I were out.  My kids both love rotisserie chicken.  I mean devour it.  Then Brad made a follow on discovery that if you toss it in barbecue sauce the kids are in heaven.  I would have never made these discoveries because I skip over chicken and don't like barbecue sauce.  Since this love of chicken has been revealed I find myself seeking out family friendly chicken recipes.  These are recipes that I would have skipped right over a few months ago.  As I have said Brad eats like a child as well so, when I stumbled upon this combination I knew it was a meal both Brad and the kids would like.  I nailed it.  Every bit of chicken was gone (I even enjoyed it) and Brad must have said 2 or 3 times how good it was.  Is this gourmet no but, a super simple  meal that puts smiles on my kids faces and fills their tummies is exactly what I need in my working mom life right now.

crunchy cheddar chicken

adapted: real simple


16 buttery crackers (such as Ritz or social snackers), crushed ( 4 crackers per chicken breast)
4 ounces cheddar cheese grated (1 oz per chicken breast)
1 clove garlic; minced
kosher salt and black pepper
4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1 tablespoon per chicken breast)
 

Heat oven to 350° F. 

Melt butter with the pressed/minced garlic.  Mix to combine.

In a bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken in the garlic butter, then in the cracker mixture, pressing gently to help the crackers adhere. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Mound any remaining cracker mixture on the chicken and drizzle with any remaining butter. 

Bake until the chicken is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

quick chicken gumbo

Fall is my favorite season, my favorite flavors in both cooking and baking and my favorite type of food.  I am so excited for fall.  It keeps starting to show its face around here and then we get shocked with a warm Indian summer day.  Last week we had two chilly days so, I was ready to smell cinnamon in the house, make pots of soup, braise meat and roast vegetables.  Work is getting very busy as is the kids schedules so, I am going to need to rely on the slow cooker, the dutch oven and quick staples like rotisserie chicken and pre cut veggies to get dinner on the table these days.  I love gumbo the spicy smoky sausage, the creamy broth, the shredded chicken and okra.  I eat it kicked up with hot sauce and warm corn bread.  I realized that I am the only one in this house that feels that way.  This is quick and yummy.  I froze this in single servings for nights Brad is gone or working late so, I don't have to stomach another dino nugget.  Looking forward to more one pot meals this fall.

quick chicken gumbo
adapted: everyday food
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups of water or chicken broth
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut okra
8 ounces smoked (precooked) andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1 inch thick
1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

1.In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bell peppers, onion, garlic, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes.


2.Add 4 cups water or broth; stir in okra and sausage. Bring to a boil. Stir in shredded chicken, and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

chicken, apple and gouda salad

I love the chicken apple gouda sausages from Costco.  I seriously should be a sales rep for them because I sell everyone on them.  We always have them in our freezer ready to throw on the barbecue.  I love the combination of the flavors in the sausage especially the little pockets of warm gouda cheese.  When I saw this salad had the same base primary flavor combination I knew I had to try it.  It was a great salad.  There are layers of flavors and textures.  There is sweet, salty, and smokey and the salad has a lot of crunch to it with the apples, celery, and nuts.  I brought this to our summer book club at the beach and it was a perfect summer meal with a cold glass of wine in hand, amazing sunset on the horizon and the air filled with laughter from my girlfriends.

The other day when I was at Costco I wanted to buy one of the yummy rotisserie chickens they sell but, I often get them home and then have no idea what to do with them.  I am starting a tag on my posts to rotisserie chicken because I am certain I can come up with 100 great things to do with the chicken once you get it home so, you can get a good dinner on the table in a flash.  This is the first contribution to the category.

chicken, apple and gouda salad
adapted: southern living

• 2  large Gala apples, thinly sliced or chopped
• juice of one lemon
• 1-2  (6-oz.) package(s) baby spinach and spring greens mix
• 3  cups  shredded cooked chicken
• 1/2  red onion, halved and sliced or chopped
• 1 1/2  cups  (6 oz.) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1 1/2  cups  thinly sliced celery
• 1  cup  sweetened dried cranberries
• 1  cup  salted roasted pecans

1. Toss apple slices/pieces with lemon juice.
2. Layer salad greens, apples, chicken, and next 5 ingredients in a large glass bowl. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 8 hours.
3. Toss salad with Honey-Mustard Dressing just before serving.

red chicken curry

Almost 10 years ago if you asked me to go grab some curry I would have refused.  I don't know why I thought I didn't like curry.  I just had it in my mind that I didn't like curry.  My husband took me out for curry when we started dating.  We were at that point where I could say I hate curry.  Well I am glad that we were in that awkward stage because I realized that evening that I loved curry.  I liked the hot spicy mix of this new flavor combination I had never tasted before.  I was getting chiles, lemongrass, corriander... and I was hooked. I have not been very successful making curry at home.  This recipe is very simple and has a good balance between sweet and spicy.  Hoping that this is just the first step into the world of Thai cooking. 

red chicken curry

source: Cooking Light

1 tablespoon canola oil

3 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups green bell pepper strips (about 1 large)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons red curry paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk

3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes or until browned, turning once. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken mixture from pan. Combine juice, soy sauce, curry paste, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add juice mixture and coconut milk to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 12 minutes or until slightly thick. Return chicken mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.

pulled chicken sandwich

I am always looking for solid, go to, easy, healthy, everyone will enjoy meals.  These sandwiches fit the bill.  They are so easy to make.  You can even make them while feeding a baby and monitoring a paint project with your three year old.  That is how easy they are. I had my pulled chicken over a salad.  The boys enjoyed them as sandwiches on rolls with potato wedges and melon.  Nothing fancy but, it is an easy weeknight meal I know the family will love.

black pepper and molasses pulled chicken sandwich

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons  ketchup
• 1  tablespoon  cider vinegar
• 1  tablespoon   honey mustard
• 1  tablespoon  molasses
• 3/4  teaspoon  chili powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 12  ounces  skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4  rolls, cut in half horizontally
• dill pickle chips, cheese (optional)

Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 23 minutes or until chicken is done and tender. Remove from heat; shred with 2 forks.  Toast rolls and melt cheese under broiler.  Place 1/2 cup chicken on bottom half of each roll. Top each with pickles and other half of roll.