Slow Cooker Favorites

Today I am making one of my favorite slow cooker recipes, Chicken Tacos. It is so easy and tasty and that is why I love it. You take 1 packet of taco seasoning and put it into the slow cooker bowl. Then you add one cup of water to dissolve. You add one package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (depending on your preference) and cover with one jar of your favorite salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring it and shredding the chicken every couple of hours if possible. Put it in taco shells and voila, you have chicken tacos. I love using the slow cooker whenever possible, especially if I have a long day out of the house or have a lot of cleaning to do. What is one of your favorite slow cooker recipes?

A Really Tasty Barbecue Sauce Recipe

I just wanted to share a really good recipe for barbecue sauce that I made the other day that I am now obsessed with. It is tangy and slightly sweet and spicy all in a good way. We put it on chicken but it would go great on ribs, pulled pork, or as a great condiment. The recipe makes quite a bit so you could save it and use it on many recipes.



Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce

Adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli



Ingredients:

3 cups ketchup

2 cups cider vinegar

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons dry mustard

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 cup chili powder (yes I know this sounds like a lot but it tastes great, trust me)

1 4 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into three pieces

5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 lemons, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices



Instructions:

In a medium sauce pan, combine the ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sugars, dry mustard, Dijon mustard, and chili powder. Whisk to blend and incorporate chili powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and lemon slices and stir to combine. Simmer for about an hour or longer, until the flavors blend. Discard the ginger pieces before serving. Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

The warm weather and lots of rain we have been getting here in Illinois has lead to an overabundance of HUGE zucchini in our garden. As a result, I have made 8 loaves of awesome zucchini bread and frozen a bunch of them. Every morning I have a slice with some cream cheese and it makes a really tasty breakfast. Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (use whatever you like, I used pecans in some, walnuts in others)
The zest from one orange

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 9x5 inch loaf pans really well with cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating until well blended. Beat in the oil and vanilla. Stir in the zucchini, nuts, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in the sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool in pans for about 5-10 minutes, and then cool on a rack. It can be served at room temperature but I really like it chilled.

Makes 2 loafs.

Maple Oat Scones with Flax

I don't eat fish. I wish I could but I just don't like the taste. So I am constantly worried about not getting enough Omega-3 fatty acids in my family's diet. I decided to try ground flax seeds after they were recommended to me by my nutrition teacher. I compiled a few different recipes for scones and decided to try the flax seeds out. The end result was delicious. Not super sweet but the glaze on top made them just sweet enough. Peanut and my hubby really loved them as well. Make sure that if you make these, you get ground flax seeds as whole flax seeds are not broken down in the body and you don't get any nutritional value from them. These were also the most sticky things that I have ever made but don't be discouraged. Just make sure your hands, the utensils, and your board are really well floured.

Maple Oat Scones with Flax
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup golden flax seed meal
1 cup quick-cooking oats
4 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. baking powder
4 tbsp. real maple syrup
5 tbsp. butter, cut into small chunks
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

For Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp. maple syrup

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place flour, flax seed meal, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse several times until the mixture is well blended. Add the maple syrup and butter and pulse until the butter is evenly distributed. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract and process until a sticky dough is formed.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Place the pecans in the center of the dough and knead well. Divide the dough into two even pieces and pat each into an 8 inch circle. Cut each into 8 triangle wedges.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the scones on the paper about a half inch apart and bake for 13-15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the warm scones.

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Tonight we had my mom, dad, brother, and future sister-in-law over for dinner and I made home made lasagna. For dessert I made awesome Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes I adapted from The Barefoot Contessa and they were a real hit. They were SUPER rich and chocolaty so I would save them for a special occasion. Here is the recipe:

adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

16 oz. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

For the Ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz good semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Cream the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and coffee granules and mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix or the cupcakes will be tough.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups. Fill almost to the top of the muffin cup as the batter will not rise much. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. Don't over bake. Let the cupcakes cool in the muffin pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring almost constantly until smooth and warm.

Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache. Do not refrigerate.

Yields 12-18 cupcakes, depending on the size of your muffin pan.

Corn Fritter Casserole

I am going to a bridal shower for my friend Laura today and we were asked to share a favorite recipe with the bride. I decided to share this recipe for Corn Fritter Casserole. It is a really tasty side dish that goes with just about anything, and my family loves it. I though I would share it here so everyone could try it.

Corn Fritter Casserole

adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of butter, softened

3 large egg whites

1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, softened

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can cream-style corn

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in onion, bell pepper, both canned corns, mixing well. Add muffin mix and black pepper, stirring until well combined. Pour into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 F for 50 minuters or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Lime Bars

Another Recipe I made for this 4th of July Celebration is Lime Bars. They are tart and sweet and really tasty. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
Vegetable oil, for greasing
1 1/2 sticks butter, diced, kept very cold
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for garnish
1/4 tsp. salt

For the Filling:
4 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp grated lime zest
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 8-10 limes)

1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with vegetable oil and line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; grease the foil with oil. Pulse the butter, flour, both sugars, and the salt in a food processor until the dough comes together, about 2-3 minutes. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared pan, making sure there are no cracks. Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the whole eggs and yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lime zest and lime juice. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 F. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes.
3. Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Lift out of the pan using the foil and slice. Dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Makes about 24 bars

Note: I know it is tempting to use bottled lime juice for this recipe but really use fresh limes. It is a little time consuming but so worth the effort. You really can tell the difference.

Curried Chicken Salad Wraps

These are one of the dishes that I am making this year for our Family 4th of July Picnic. I have made them before and they are a real crowd-pleaser so I thought I would share the recipe with anyone who wants to make them for their own event.

Ingredients:
3 whole or 6 split chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
Olive oil
Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup white grape juice
1/4 cup chutney(like Major Grey's)
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 cup whole roasted, salted cashews
8 burrito sized flour tortillas

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. When it has cooled, remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and dice the chicken into large bite-sized pieces.

For the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, grape juice, chutney, curry powder, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth.

Combine the chicken with enough dressing to moisten well. Add the celery and scallions and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Add the cashews.

Fill each tortilla with about a cup of the chicken salad and roll up. Cut up into 2 inch pieces and serve.

Note: To save time you can use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken instead of roasting your own and you can omit the nuts if someone is allergic.