It started simply enough with an idea to cook some bbq in the crockpot. Kim told me about a recipe for bbq sauce a while back, so I thought I'd try it. Turns out, the recipe is one Alton Brown used with some ribs on Good Eats. So, the sauce was loosely based on his recipe:
5 Chicken Breasts w/ Ribs & Skin
Dry Rub:
4 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Cajun Spice
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1/4 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp Cumin
Rub breasts with Dry Rub. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
Braising Liquid:
1 Cup White Wine
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
Heat braising liquid in crock pot. Brown skin of chicken breasts in frying pan (use 2 Tbsp butter if needed). Place breasts in braising liquid. Cover crock pot and cook until chicken is tender and cooked thoroughly. Remove breasts and wrap in foil to keep warm. Pour liquid in pot and reduce to thickened sauce. Add 1 Tbsp Mustard and 3 Tbsp Ketchup if desired.
This recipe was balish. We ate 3 of the breasts and I put the other 2 in the fridge to use later. Remember, the snow and ice was keeping us at home. Boredom overtook and the need to cook was overwhelming. So, I went to the fridge to see what I had to work with. With the chicken breasts, I also served creamed corn. There was some of it left too. An idea began to develop...
Chicken White Bean Chili
2 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Creamed Corn
3 Carrots, diced
2 Celery Sticks, diced
1 Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
2 Cans White Beans (I used Navy Beans)
1 Packet White Chili Spice Pack
32 oz Chicken Stock (I use reduced sodium, fat free, no added msg)
In a skillet heat oil, cook onions, garlic, carrots, celery until onions are clear and tender. Add corn to skillet and stir until corn is warm. Stir in spice pack Put in preheated crock pot. Add Beans and Chicken. Stir in Chicken Stock. Cook until veggies are soft. Add water and salt if needed.
The soup turned out delish and we have snacked on it several times. This got me to thinking that I love soups on cold days. RJ and L like potato soup...hmmm...so, we had to make a trip, on the icy roads, to the grocery store for more ingredients. The store was surprisingly well stocked, except for potatoes, but I managed to find some I could use. So, this is what I did...
2 Tbsp E.V. Olive Oil
1 Cup Chicken Stock
2 All Purpose Idaho Potatoes, chopped
8 Purple Fingerling Potatoes, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
3 Carrots, chopped
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
1 Qt Half & Half
1 Tbsp of your favorite spice mix. I use one from Mercier Orchards that I can't recall the name of right now.
Salt
Water
Heat Oil in a large pot. Add Onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook until onions are clear and tender. Add potatoes and chicken stock. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cook for a few minutes. Add half & half, spices and salt. Cook on low heat until potatoes are soft, stirring often to prevent scorching. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream and bacon if desired.
While this soup was cooking, I put a roast in the crock pot to cook. For the roast, I did the following:
1 4-5 lb. Rump Roast (you can use a different cut, but I really like the rump best)
1 Onion
2 Tbsp Garlic
2 Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
2 Potatoes, Medium
2 Tbsp Herb & Garlic Spice Mix
Cut into 3/4 to 1" pieces the Onions, Carrots and Celery. Place in preheated crock pot. Add Garlic and Potatoes. Brown the Roast in a skillet and place on top of veggies in the crock pot. Sprinkle with spice mix. cook on high until roast is tender. Add liquid if needed.
It smells really good, but I don't know how it tastes yet. My crock pot doesn't seem to be cooking as hot and quickly as I would like, so the roast is still cooking. Since we were supposed to have it for dinner, I had to scramble to prepare something for us to eat. I have been craving rice lately, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make my favorite Red Beans and Rice Recipe. I love this stuff!
1 Pkg New Orleans Johnsonville Sausage Wieners
1 Tbsp E.V. Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped small
2 Tbsp Garlic, chopped small
1 Tbsp Cajun Spice
1 Cup Basmati Rice (you can use any kind of rice, but basmati is so balish)
4 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cups Water
3 Tbsp Butter or Margarine
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook onions and garlic until they are tender. Add Cajun spice. Cut wieners into 1/4" rounds and add to skillet. Brown the wieners. Add Basmati rice and brown lightly. Combine Stock and Water and warm in a pot. (keeping it warm prevents the cooking process from being interrupted by cooling the pan with cold liquid.) Add 1 cup of stock/water to skillet and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed. Add 1 cup at a time until the rice is tender. Just before serving, add the butter, let it melt and stir it in well.
Dinner was a hit with RJ, L and CL (L's friend). We had a friend stop by while I was cooking, so I packed up some of the rice and some of the potato soup for him to take home. I bet he liked it too!
Somewhere in the middle of all of this cooking, I also baked a cake. Yes, me...baked a cake. You KNOW I must really be bored and have cabin fever if I take to baking. It was a box cake, so I won't add the recipe here. Just go to the store, buy a box, buy the ingredients pictured on the back, take it all home, follow the directions on the box, and viola', you have a cake.
The snow / ice is melting slowly, so it looks like we will only have another day or two to endure. It doesn't look like I will have a lot of time to cook. If that changes, maybe I will share the recipes for the meals I make.
Try some of the recipes...or all of them. Let me know how you like them. If you put your own stamp on them, let me know what you did. I love to change up recipes and try new things. Enjoy and have fun in the kitchen.
LYMI!
Taken from the Friday Five website...even though it isn't Friday...
