Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore January 10, 2014

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I recently adapted one of my favorite recipes ( Stovetop Chicken Cacciatore ) for the crockpot.  Why adapt ?  I find with the slow cooker that veggies “give up” far more liquid in the crockpot, and that chicken breast seems to dry out.  I reduced the amount of tomatoes, and swapped out the breast for bone in (skin on) thighs which contribute to the very flavorful sauce.   You can remove the skin if you want, it’s tasty either way.  This can be prepped the night before, and plugged in before you leave for work.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

6 Chicken Thighs (Bone in !)
2 Tbsp Flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
15 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 cloves garlic diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp crumbled thyme leaves
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 large bay leaves
3 large zucchinis, julienned + 1 Tbsp olive oil  *or* noodles/rice

Lay chicken flat on a plate, sprinkle half the flour over the top, Turn pieces over and do the same for the other side.   Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken to the pan, and brown both sides.  Remember the goal is just to brown (not cook!).

While chicken is browning, add mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, white wine to the slow cooker.  Sprinkle with allspice, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Add bay leaves.

Layer the chicken over the top of the veggies, cover, and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.

For the “Noodles” I julienned 3 large zucchinis, and sauteed over high heat in a little olive oil for a minute or two.  You can cook up a batch of real noodles (my kiddo likes penne) or rice for the rest of the family if they are not low carbing with you.

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The Jabberwock is back with an EASY Roasted Turkey recipe. December 21, 2013

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So, I am back from my blogging break !  I was off taking a College Algebra class at Portland Community College.  GREAT CLASS.  It was actually fun, but I found the whole work, life, school thing to be terrifically challenging.  Work is 40-50 hours a week (usually closer to 50).  Life is everything after work, and school was pretty tough to keep up with.  I dedicated just one Sunday a week to studying at Battle Ground Starbucks — my good buds Colleen and Taylor can attest to that !

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SO !  How does one fit a holiday meal into such a tough schedule ?

• I realized 2 days before Thanksgiving that I forgot to buy a turkey.  Sent the hubs off to Winco to see if they had any defrosted ones.  Thankfully they did !  Alternate game plan was to have him purchase Cornish game hens since they can be de-thawed in the sink.
• I generally have a decent amount of “good stuff” on hand, such as herbs and veggies since the hubs is an avid gardener.

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Getting down to business…  the turkey was about 12 pounds.  I took it out of the package and took all the “giblets” (aka GUTS) and saved along with all my veggie scraps for future turkey stock and gave the bird a little rinse.  You can take all your onion skins, apple peels, carrot peels, broccoli scraps, celery tops, WHATEVER and freeze until you have enough to make some rich delicious broth (https://locarbjabberwockey.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/homemade-chicken-stock/)

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I plopped the turkey into a roasting pan breast side up, and stuffed some fresh sage and thyme into the cavity.  We also had a ton of garlic so took an entire bulb, sliced in half, and stuffed in the cavity along with half a red bell pepper which was leftover in the fridge.  If I had any apples, oranges, or lemons on hand I would have put some in there as well to add moisture.

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Drizzle the breast side with a decent amount of olive oil, and heavily salt/pepper it.  ( I use Kosher salt and cracked black pepper).  No need to tie legs with string or any of that nonsense, but do tuck the wing ends underneath of the bird if you are able.

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Turkey went into the oven for the recommended time and temp off the package.  After about an hour and a half I checked it, and the breast skin was perfectly browned so just lightly covered with aluminum foil, and completed the cooking.

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And, for the MOST important step !  Always let the bird sit for 20-30 minutes after cooking.  It will retain the heat, and lock in the juices.  This is just enough time to get the gravy done, and layout the feast on the table or sideboard.  For the presentation, remove the herbs etc. from the cavity,  set the turkey on one of your favorite platters, garnish with leftover herbs, and arrange some pre-made stuffing (https://locarbjabberwockey.wordpress.com/2013/12/21/jabberwocks-quick-and-dirty-stuffing/) around the cavity to make it appear that you stuffed it.  (Don’t ever stuff a bird it’s a total pain in the XXX).

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Sausage, Spinach and Sweet Red Pepper Breakfast Casserole November 19, 2013

cals: 167kcal | fat: 10.62g | carbs: 2.12g | prot: 14.74g

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This recipe freezes well, and keeps for about a week in the fridge.

Sausage, Spinach and Sweet Red Pepper Breakfast Casserole

16 oz. chicken sausage (I used Isernios)
1 Box frozen spinach
1/4 Cup heavy cream
18 Eggs
1 Cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tsp. dried parsley
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced sweet red pepper
Olive oil
Kosher Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Cook sausage and set aside.  Sautee red pepper (add a little oil to the pan if needed), and add minced garlic in the last minute or two of cooking. Scramble eggs in large bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese to the bowl with the eggs.  Mix well.

Oil a 9×13 inch pan, and pour egg mixture in.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Garden goodies. July 9, 2013

The Jabberwock has been off vacationing for the last 11 days, and is finally back home!  Four days of boat camping plus 7 days of houseboating did take a toll on my way of eating.  Read S’mores, chips, bagels, sandwiches ….the list goes on.  The good news is that the garden didn’t die off while we were gone, and the better half harvested some cute purple potatoes today and stunted red onions.

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Recipe is very simple…thinly slice the potatoes – I used a mandolin slicer.  Over medium heat melt 3 Tbsp. butter, add potatoes and thinly sliced onion.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, thyme leaves, and paprika.  Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.  Remove cover and turn potatoes.  Cook for another 10 minutes, sprinkle with a bit of Kosher salt and serve.