Category — Crockpot Recipes

I’ve had this little idea poking around in my brain for a couple of years now.  I know I want to write a cookbook, I’ve known it for a long time.  My problem hasn’t been motivation.  Frankly, I’m typically sharing at least one recipe a day with others -either one I’ve found and really liked, or one that I’ve tweaked, or one that presented itself to me in one way or another.  I like sharing my recipes, and I don’t lack motivation to help others cook.  Nope, that’s not an issue.  I think my problem has been that I don’t know what write.  I have recipes, but I don’t have one idea that gels together.  Crockpot?  Quick and easy dinners?  My goodness, there are hundreds of these out there already, and one thing I don’t want to do is be just like everyone else.

It happens like this sometimes; I’ll be sitting on my bar stool, and an idea will just be there in my little noggin.  I don’t really know where these food ideas come from, but when they happen, they’re usually good.  So, today, again - sitting on my bar stool, it finally came to me.  My first cookbook idea. 

You see, I’ve been planning for several months to host a Chinese New Year’s party this year.  As it turns out, I’m not going to get to have the party (of if I do, I won’t be able to have it around the Chinese New Year - it comes really early this year - February 7th), but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve spent the last 6 months testing, developing, and (sometimes not so kindly) insisting that my friends and family eat a lot of Asian food.  So, there it is . . . simple, really.  A Chinese (Americanized, of course) New Year’s cookbook - a collection of recipes that one could use to host the party I won’t be hosting this year.  Why didn’t I think of this sooner.  And then, well, then, I realized how perfect the whole thing is . . . I love to host themed dinners.  This could definitely be my niche.

So, I got busy straight away.  I had hubby go with me to the thrift store and I combed the bric a brac.  I mean, I need plates, platters, dishes!  I found some true gems, all sure to look fantastic in my cookbook pictures.  Then, I set hubby to calling around and recruiting folks for one more Asian dinner.  Tomorrow night we will feast on Chinese food, but not before I take pictures of all of the cuisine.  I sat a deadline to finish this e-Book and, with any luck, a week from this Friday my first cookbook will go live. 

The best part of all of this is (aside from how excited I truly am), the flood gates of ideas have opened.  I’m not going to share with you just yet what else is coming up, but I will say this - keep watching.  This could get really good.

Oh, and since I’m here, I’m giving you the recipe for the chicken I made for dinner the other night.  It was really tasty.  It was supposed to be “Sticky Chicken”, but it wasn’t.  It turned out not so sticky, so I changed it a little - added a nice sauce over the top and served the whole sha-bang on a bed of wild rice.  Sometimes it’s good when things don’t turn out right, this was one of those times.

Crockpot Rubbed Chicken w/onion gravy

2-3 pounds of boneless chicken breast

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. paprika

3 tsp. kosher salt

2 medium onions, quartered

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Combine all spices in a small bowl. 

Place chicken breast into a large ziplock bag and sprinkle spices over the top.  Shake the bag to distribute the spices well.  Place the bag in the fridge and allow the chicken to sit 24-48 hours, if possible, but no less than 8 hours.  Turn the bag every few hours to let the seasonings distribute well.

When ready to cook, place chicken breasts in crockpot and cover with onion pieces.  Place the lid on the crockpot and cook for about 5-6 hours on low. 

When chicken is done, remove the breasts to a plate and keep warm.  Turn the crockpot on high.

Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl.  Pour cornstarch mixture into the crockpot drippings, stirring to avoid clumping.

Serve chicken with the onion gravy over the top.

Today was the first day back to normal.  The kids have all returned to school, hubby went back to work (o.k., he retreated to the desk in the bedroom, but he was working), and I went back to being a housewife.  It was a good day; productive in that I got to clean a little bit around here, but also I spent some much needed time in the kitchen.  During the process, I discovered that my downstairs pantry and freezer are a mess and need some serious attention.  These projects excite me.  Tomorrow, I will put on my winter gloves and spend an hour digging around in the freezer coming up with all sorts of goodies and ideas!  I will place all the cans, bags, and boxes in little rows in the cabinets and I will feel peaceful and complete. 

It was dismal here today; warm, but rainy and grey.  Perhaps you could even say it looked foreboding outside.  Well.  When my kids got home today and dh turned off his laptop and called it a day, all hecky broke loose.  So much for my peaceful feeling.  Teen daughter was being a chaos monster, Aspie girl wet her pants at school and didn’t seem to even know where she was, and little one was hungry, coughy, and a bit snarky.

Dinner was a disaster.  Teen daughter threw a total fit because I made her eat a mushroom.  It was a major battle.  She’s still crying and it’s been over an hour ago.  You know that little saying “Pick your battles”?  It kept running through my head when that mushroom was sitting there on the end of her fork, but I had already picked this battle and quite frankly I’m tired of the constant food issues we have at the table.  I was aiming to win.

O.k., one thing you should know.  Dinner was a disaster, but the food was fantastic.  Give me my kitchen without hubby and kids poking in my way and I’ll work some magic.  Today did turn out that way.

So, lucky you!  You get the good part of dinner - the recipes.  I’ll keep the teenager, and her mushroom anger.

Crockpot Venison in  Mushroom Sauce - serves 6-8

2 pounds of venison, stew cut

1 pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used white button)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I used the low cal, low fat version)

1 medium white onion, cut into rings

1/3 cup red wine

1/2 cup apple juice

1 package of dry onion soup mix

1 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)

4 strips of bacon

Mix all of this together and cook it in the crockpot.  5-6 hours on high, or 7-8 on low.  I fished the bacon slices out at the end (these were just added for flavor, venison is very lean, which can make it taste ”gamey”, chewy, or bland).  You can leave the bacon in, but you really don’t need it.  This got thick and creamy and was super yummy.  I served it over egg noodles.  Now, if you aren’t lucky enough to be blessed with a freezer full of venison, use stew beef.  You won’t need the bacon if you use beef.

Oh, did I mention?  I also made a pie.  Hubby and I are dieting, so this is a lower calorie, lower fat option to Key Lime Pie.  And it’s good.  Make sure you make it the night before, or in the morning, because you serve it frozen and you don’t want to try to put this together right before you eat (unless you want soup pie).

Frozen Key Lime Pie

1/2 (0.3 oz) package of lime sugar free gelatin

1/2 cup of key lime juice

1 (14 oz.) can of fat free sweetened condensed milk

4 oz (half a tub) of fat free frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 graham cracker pie crust (reduced fat, of course)

Place the lime juices in a bowl and use a whisk to stir the gelatin into the juice, until it dissolves completely.  Then pour in the condensed milk and whisk until it’s all combined and light green.  Lastly, mix in the whipped topping.  Save the other half of the whipped topping to garnish the top of the pie later.  Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust, cover the pie, and place in the freezer until completely frozen.  Cut into 8 pieces and garnish with whipped topping.  Oh, yeah, then call me up and I’ll come over for some!