Cafe Rio Chicken over Cheesy Rice (Slow cooker)

OK! I know I haven't gotten a chance to post the Beef Chimichangas yet but tonight's dinner was SO delicious that I had to post it first. I was a little unsure of how I felt about the smell coming from my slow cooker but it turned out great! Even my husband made a point to say it was good. So, without further delay, here are two great recipes to add to your collection.


Cafe Rio Chicken
From Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

2 lbs. chicken breast

1/2 of a small bottle of zesty Italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 pkt (2 Tbsp.) ranch dressing mix
1/2 c. water
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on High 5-6 hrs OR on Low 8 hrs. Shred chicken using two forks and serve. Has multiple uses including in salads, tacos, wraps, or served over rice. Cheesy Rice below worked well.

Note: The original recipe suggested make a double or triple batch and freezing for a quick, thaw and serve meal. I did this since I had a jumbo pack of chicken breasts that needed to be used and I'm glad I did. It probably would have made plenty for a meal with a single batch, but now I have some on hand!

**For some reason the blog platform is not letting me comment on my posts so.... in answer to the comment, the recipe above is a single batch. My grocery store sells 3+ lb. packs for a discount (usually 4 - 4.5 lb) and I just used a whole pack to double the recipe. Hope that helps!**


Cheesy Cheddar Rice

2 Tbsp. butter
1.5 c. medium rice, uncooked, not instant
1 small can chicken broth + enough water to make 1.5 cups
about 1 c. shredded cheddar
Salt & Pepper to Taste
about 1/2 c milk

Melt butter in a saucepan that has a lid. Add rice and toast for a minute or two, tossing in butter to coat. Add chicken broth and water. Allow to come to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook about 15 to 20 min until water is absorbed. Add salt and pepper and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Add milk a few splashes at a time until your desired creaminess.



**Sharing on Melt in Your Mouth Monday & Menu Mondays**

Two-fer: An OK Entree but Delish Side

There's not a whole lot I have to say about tonight's dinner. There was nothing incredibly wrong with it, but there was also nothing to make me really jump up and down. Maybe it's just too overshadowed by the greatness of today's earlier post, Sweet & Sour Chicken which was amazing. While the side was delicious and will definitely be making an appearance back in my kitchen, the pork left a little to be desired. The flavor was decent, and it was great having it thrown in the slow cooker in the morning and being able to do something special to go next to it, but just wasn't something I'd rave about. I also seemed to have a problem with uneven cooking. I don't completely understand this coming from the slow cooker, but there were parts of the chops that were so incredibly juicy and tender while others weren't tough but a little dryer. It wasn't hard to chew and the meat did completely fall off the bone to the point where I had difficulty getting the chops out of the cooking liquid, but the texture was definitely different at some spots versus others. While I enjoyed it, I really don't think I'll be going back to this recipe considering all the other recipes that are out there in the world just waiting for me to dive in to.

Slow Cooker Smothered Pork Chops
I found this on Imperfect Happiness's Website but they gave credit to Cook's Illustrated The Best Slow & East Cookbook

4 oz (about 4 slices) bacon, cut into 1/4 in. pieces

3 medium onions, halved and sliced thin
4 tsp. light brown sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dry
Salt (use sparingly due to salt content of bacon and soy sauce)

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Minute tapioca
2 bay leaves             
6 bone-in blade-cut pork chops, about 3/4 in. thick
Ground Black pepper
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley (didn't use)

1. Cook the bacon in a 12 in. nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 min. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the skillet, and refrigerate until serving time.

2. Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. of the bacon fat left in the skillet and place over medium-high heat until simmering. Add the onions, 1 tsp. of the brown sugar, garlic, thyme, and 1/4 tsp. salt to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and caramelized, 10-15 min. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the remaining 2 cups broth, remaining Tbsp brown sugar, soy sauce, tapioca, and bay leaves until evenly combined. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and nestle them in the slow cooker. Cover and cook, either on low or high, until the meat is tender, 7-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.

4. Transfer the pork chops to a serving platter with a large spoon, tent with foil and let rest for 20 min. Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 min, then gently tilt the slow cooker and remove as much fat as possible from the surface using a large spoon. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Remember, go easy on the salt before tasting it.) Reheat the bacon in the microwave on high power until heated through and crisp, about 30 seconds. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the chops, sprinkle with the crisp bacon and parsley, and serve, passing the remaining sauce separately. (I kept all of the sauce separate and just poured on chops as desired by each person.)

The next recipe, I feel, was the star of the show. So simple, but definitely hit the spot for me. Unfortunately, I didn't think of the fact that I was offering the recipe for this also, so the picture really shows you how I felt about it. There are no words to describe this. I'll let the empty dish speak for itself.

                                                        Easy Baked Sweet Potatoes

From http://www.food.com/ submitted by The Range Rover

2 (15 oz) cans sweet potatoes, with juice (in 1/2 in. chunks) (I drained and left the size they were.)
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, (oops, forgot this)

1. Layer potatoes, brown sugar, and margarine in a casserole dish.

2. Sprinkle with cinnamon. (OOPS!)

3. Bake, uncovered, at 375F for 30 min. (I tossed them a few times during baking to make sure they were getting coated well with the sticky yummy goodness.)

ENJOY!

An A+ and a Needs Improvement

I've got two recipes for you today. The first is one that was delicious smelling while baking but, when I tasted it, it let me down. It's not that it was awful and I needed to dispose of it immediately. I don't know that I'd even say I'm going to throw the recipe in the trash bin. It just wasn't up to par. (Stay tuned in this post though, because the second recipe is definately worth EVERYONE trying!)

A note about this recipe: I originally found this recipe in one of those recipe magazine/booklets that they have in the grocery check out aisle that was put out specifically by Stove Top Stuffing. The recipe in there didn't not contain veggies and so that is how I made it. I have found several reprinted recipes since then that does contain veggies including the actual Stove Top website. That is the copy of the recipe I am posting here because I think it would be delicious and definately adds a little nutrients to the dish but you can easily remove these and serve a veggie on the side.

Stove Top Stuffing Easy Chicken Bake

http://brands.kraftfoods.com/stovetop/hearty-meals/easy-chicken-bake/

1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 in. bite-size pieces

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup, undiluted

1/3 cup sour cream (may want to consider using a light sour cream)

1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained (give or take as you prefer)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package and set aside.
2. Mix chicken, soup, sourcream and vegetables in 13x9 in baking dish and top with stuffing. (The recipe I used called to put the chicken down and then pour the soup mix over top and then top with stuffing mix. Other recipes I've seen directed you to mix chicken with 1 c. of veggies and then, again, top with soup and then stuffing.)
3. Bake 30 min or until chicken is cooked through.

The second recipe for posting today is a Tangy Pork Roast made in the slow cooker. This one, as I said, is definately a keeper. It was so tender and had a wonderful flavor. As the title says, it had a tang to it, but there was also this sweet in the background. I served it with Fontina Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole. (Thank you to Green Giant and their frozen boxed sauced vegetables for the casserole.) This meal was absolute heaven on a plate to me. My two year old son also gobbled it down. He even wanted a second helping of the pork which he doesn't normally ask for seconds of the protein. I WILL be making this one again.

Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/tangy-slow-cooker-pork-roast/Detail.aspx

1 large onion, sliced

2 1/2 lb boneless pork loin roast - (I used a regular petite pork roast, not a loin roast.)

1 cup hot water

1/4 cup white sugar

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. ketchup

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

A couple dashes hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1. Arrange onion slices evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the roast on top of the onion. In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce; pour over roast.
2. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours OR on High for 3 or 4 hours. (I choose the low and slow versions which tends to give a slightly more tender finished product.)

Something else I want to touch base on in this post is sales. I know I've mentioned it before but I think, as a mother and wife, it is partly my duty to save as much money as I can. Both these meals were products of using the sales flyer. It really does pay off to look through your local flyers and to clip coupons. Both the proteins used here were bought on sale. In addition, the side vegetables were bought with a coupons AND on sale. The stuffing mix was bought with a coupon. The potatoes were on sale. If you don't buy your local Sunday paper (which is the issue that usually contains both the sales papers and coupons) you can usually grab a copy of the flyer in the front vestibule of your local grocery store. Swing by a couple days in advance and take it home to plan your week's menu around the sales. Also, alot of the websites (such as Green Giant, Pillsbury, Kraft, and many others offer printable coupons on their website or join a coupon website where you can get endless deals.) I see it this way; there are lots of benefits to taking a little extra time to do things to save money including having a little extra money to buy that dress you were eyeing up in your favorite store window or an extra book to read to your child at night. Especially in this economy, who couldn't use a little extra cash.

Whether you look for the deals out there or not, I hope you all take the time to cook for your friends and family and try these meals and enjoy them as much as we did or more!

Happy Eating!

A good start!

Well, as promised, here goes the first post on the new blog. I guess the first recipe I'm going to start with is the recipe I made last night. I'm slowly becoming acquainted with my slow cooker. I've had it for years but I haven't used it often for a couple reason, the main one being that I learned from my mom to be cautious about keeping appliances (especially heat sources) plugged in while I'm not home. Also, let's face it, with my hectic schedule it's difficult to solidly plan ahead a few hours, let alone 8 to 10 hrs. I'm very good at planning a weeks worth of meals and doing the lists, coupon clipping, and shopping that goes with that, but that still leaves a little wiggle room. If I plan on having something Monday night and it doesn't get made until Thursday night, no harm done. But, with the slow cooker, if I start a meal that morning... I'm pretty much locked into having that that night or it just becomes another set of leftovers. So therefore, the slow cooker has been one of my trouble areas. An area to improve on. I've slowly been doing this over the last few months and I'm very excited that this recipe was such a success since that means I can add it to my list of go tos.

So, what recipe have I been talking about. Last night I made German-Style Beef Roast. It was so tender and had a slight tang accompanied by some sweet and was very delicious and EASY and got thumbs up from my husband and I'm pretty sure my son approved also. I served it with my roasted asparagus and brown sugar & cinnamon carrots. Look forward to these recipes in the future.

This recipe also had appeal for another reason, it was written as a rollover meal. You cook extra meat and gravy one night, to make another meal for a second night that week and hopefully take the ho-hum out of leftovers. The recipe this rolls over into is Roast Beef with Chive Roasted Potatoes. Also look for this recipe in a future post.

But, now for what this is all about....

German-Style Beef Roast for the Slow Cooker

From Taste of Homes Simple & Delicious - October/November 2010
Prep Time: 10 min          Cook Time: 8 hrs

1 (4 lb) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed
1 tsp. pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 (12 oz) bottle beer or nonalcoholic beer
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour, more if needed
1/4 cup cold water

1. Cut roast in half; sprinkle with pepper. Place onion and roast in a 5 qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the beer, ketchup, and brown sugar; pour over top. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hrs or until meat is tender.
2. Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. (I strained the onions from this liquid.) Bring liquid to a boil. In a small bowl, combine flour and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. You may need more flour and water mixture depending on how much water your get from the roast and how thick you like your gravy. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min or until thickened. Serve with roast.

Save leftover beef and gravy to roll over into Roast Beef with Chive Roasted Potatoes... recipe to follow in a future post.