Cooking & Crafting Thursday: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken & Current Project

 

Hello my Friends!

Happy Friday Eve and officially September. Yay! 

Kids are heading back to school, the nights are cooler, and football starts next week. I can just feel the anticipation of the Fall season ahead. 🍎🍁

If you saw my title, then you see that I thought I'd throw in some crafting on these Thursday posts with you. I always tend to be working on something. So let's begin with the crafting today, shall we? 

I have done lots of cross stitch things through the years...but I never tried my hand at embroidery. I thought it was time I taught myself so, I'm using some friends of mine as guinea pigs. 😂 I found a couple of cute Fall/Halloween kits (they both have Autumn birthdays) and I'm learning as I work on them for gifts. I've just begun on one of them and here it is. I will keep you updated on the progress I make (hopefully). Lol 

Speaking of Halloween, I caught this cute photo of Bubbs this morning. He is such a perfect Halloween kitty, isn't he?? :) 

And I'm SO excited to share this gorgeous gift we recently received in time for our 2nd wedding anniversary. My dear friend Alison made this for us. She lives with her sweet family in England. We met through blogging many years ago and started corresponding here. And then we started sharing letters and packages, and also lots of chatting and sharing photos on messenger too. We share a lot in common as she's about my age, has always been active in Mom life, and she also volunteers in hospice. She has a daughter about Annie's age and for several years they were pen pals too! I treasure Alison and her friendship so much. Matt & I were both touched (and I was so moved 😢) by this sweet and very thoughtful gift that must have taken her hours! We plan to hang it in our bedroom. It matches our wall color in there perfectly! And those sunflowers are stunning aren't they? Just like our wedding day. 🌻💛

I just love this blogland space for that very reason. To feel such a friendship with someone I've never even met in person. I just think it's something so special about blogging. 💗

And I think I may have shared a bit about this - it's a little mixed media piece I made and framed (I used the little black frame you see the edge of at the top). I forgot to take a completed pic of it all put together. But I sent this and a card I painted to a special Aunt for her birthday. That was my most recent completed craft. 

And I have another idea for a little decoration with a cute halloween jack-o-lantern pin I recently found at an antique store. So stay tuned and I will share that on another Thursday. 🎃

Ok, on to the cooking portion now which includes the honey garlic chicken I mentioned earlier in the week. This was such an easy recipe and was so tasty! I found it on social media and I included the person's name in the photo of the recipe below. First I put some boneless skinless chicken thighs in the bottom of the greased slow cooker. Then I made the sauce and put it on top and let it cook. Then towards the end of cooking time, I added a cornstarch slurry to thicken it. We had it with jasmine rice and some green beans from the garden and some broccoli. For the veggies - I just blanched them and then sauteed them in a little oil and with some garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and tiny bit of sesame oil. I then topped them with sesame seeds. 

we had a little sprinkle of peanuts on top for crunch too

The next day I thought it would be fun to make some crispy rice cups for our lunch (Matt works from home) and to have some of the leftover chicken on top of them. So I took the leftover rice and packed it in a sprayed muffin tin and baked them at 400* until they were crispy. About 15 minutes but keep an eye on them. I had jasmine rice which doesn't stick as well as regular rice so I actually added some cheese as a binder. But regular leftover white rice should stick just fine. Just push into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin tin wells.

 Then we put the reheated chicken on top along with some sriracha mayo and chili crunch (our favorite toppings!) They were so tasty and Matt said he loved the crispy rice addition to the leftovers.  

As you can see, I like to experiment and try different things. It's really become a hobby for me to have fun in the kitchen. Do you like to play in the kitchen too? And do you have any crafty projects in the works?? Curious minds want to know 😉

Oh, and last night I made a sheet pan chicken fried rice that was a stellar recipe! We have been on an Asian food kick here as you can see. I will share that recipe soon too! 

If you try - enjoy! 

xoxo

Cooking Thursday: Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

 

Happy Thursday to you Friends!

Do you love your slow cooker as much as I love mine? 

It is definitely a go-to tool in my kitchen. I just love the convenience of prepping a little, then throwing a bunch of ingredients in there, set it and then letting it cook all day. It perfumes the house, inserts lots of flavor into whatever dish I'm making, and at the end there's a wonderful soup, stew or other dish all ready in time for dinner. 

I had shared previously about slow cooker pork fajitas that I have saved under my recipe tab. This is a similar concept only with chicken breasts. I never really have a set ingredient list...more a method for making fajitas this way. 

I take the protein of choice (if it's chicken breasts they cook on low for about 4 hours. If it's bigger, like a pork roast, it might take more like 7-8 hours on low. (or obviously you could cook on high for less time). I let the meat slow cook in the seasonings salsa, citrus etc. Then when it's getting close to being done I like to sort of stir fry up the veggies in a skillet with the same fajita seasonings. And then add them into the slow cooker for the last few minutes of cooking. That way the veggies still have a little bite to them instead of getting mushy. 

So here are the ingredients and what I do:

*chicken breasts (size depending on your family - I only did 3 for Matt & I)

*jar of salsa (I used about 3/4 of a jar for the 3 chicken breasts)

*fajita seasoning (I like the McCormicks seasoning packets and did 1 packet for that amount of breasts but might want 2 packets for more or a pork roast)

*1-2 Tbsp of taco seasoning

*juice of 1/2 an orange

*juice of a lime

*drizzle of honey (maybe a tbsp or so)

*1/2 an onion, sliced

*red, yellow, green peppers, sliced (chose as many peppers or whatever color you like - for this dish I did 3 full sized peppers)

I add salsa to the bottom of the slow cooker to cover the bottom of the slow cooker. I sprinkled 1/4 of a packet of the fajita seasoning onto the salsa. Then I place the chicken breasts on top and salt and peppered them. I then poured a bit more salsa on top of each breast and sprinkled more of the fajita seasoning on top leaving about 1/4 of the packet left for the veggies later. I added the taco seasoning and the citrus juices and the honey. I stirred it up a little and then set the slow cooker on low for about 4 hours (or whenever the meat looks done). 

When the meat is cooked through shred it up and switch cooker to warm. Then put a skillet over medium high heat. Slice up the onion and peppers. Add a little oil to the skillet and add all the veggies. Saute them and add a little salt and pepper as you go. After about 5 minutes add a little more oil if needed and the rest of the fajita seasoning packet. Add a few sprinkles of taco seasoning as well. Saute until the veggies are getting soft but still have a bite to them.Turn off the stove and add the veggies to the slow cooker. Stir all together and keep warm until ready to eat. Serve with soft torillas. I like to wrap mine in damp paper towels and microwave for a minute to get them nice and soft. Add toppings of choice like sour cream, taco sauce, cheese, avocado etc. We had tomatoes to use up so I threw them on top of our tortillas too. 

It's such an easy and flavorful dinner. And versatile. If you want to add more salsa or more citrus or even a splash of chicken broth to the slow cooker then go for it. You really can't mess it up. I think it's just the profile of the zest of the fajita and taco seasoning, with the sweet citrus & honey, and the tang of the salsa that works together so well. It's one of my Hubby's faves and the leftovers always get eaten up too. 

If you try it I hope you enjoy!

xoxo

Cooking Thursday: Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup with an Italian twist

 

Hello Friends!

It is still freezing up here in the northwoods with below zero or single digit temps. Looks like next week we may finally crawl back up into the double digits. Here's hoping. :) 

Hubby & I both love soups in the winter. They are such a way to get in lots of veggies, flavor, and warm the body (& soul). 😋 And they are often easy to prepare too. 

Before we left on our trip I had made some meals and brought them for my Uncle post surgery...including this creamy chicken wild rice soup. I got this recipe from...can you guess?? Yep, another Pioneer Woman recipe! Lol I was watching her cooking show several weeks back and she made this and I liked the kind of Italian twist to it. She adds in red pepper and some pesto along with the cream at the end. We loved this flavor profile. 

And it couldn't be easier, as you just throw everything in the slow cooker and let it do its thing. And then when it's ready you just stir in the cream and pesto at the very end. I think if you wanted to be "extra" you could sweat the veggies down in a pan first and add a little flour to thicken it and deglaze with the sherry and stock - and then throw it all in the slow cooker. The slow cooker is a great way to make this, though, because wild rice needs hours to cook. 

Definitely recommend it! Here is a pic of the recipe I printed up:

If you give it a try I hope you enjoy!

xoxo

Cooking Thursday: Slow Cooker Curry Chicken and Italian Meatball Soup (comfort food time)

 

Hello Dear Friends! 

It's a nice chilly low 60's today and it gets me so in the mood to think comfort food thoughts. I'm picturing moments I loved last Fall:

We would take Ruby for a beautiful long walk. The air crisp and cold enough to need a sweatshirt. The trees really putting on a show with their glorious colors. And I'd have something in the slow cooker back home that had been simmering all day long. And we'd come in from the cold and smell the wonderful aroma of whatever was cooking and know that something comforting was going to warm us and feed our souls. 

Here are a couple of recipes that would be warming and comforting to make this Fall. 🍁🧡💛

The first is this slow cooker curry chicken recipe we had several weeks ago. I found the recipe on instagram and I don't remember exactly where? It was so flavorful and comforting and we both loved it! It reminded me so much of a takeout curry I used to get from a favorite Asian restaurant that isn't around anymore. It will definitely be a go-to on repeat over the season ahead!

slow cook the chicken and yummy veggies in a chicken broth that includes peanut butter, soy sauce, coconut milk, onion, garlic etc.  

take out the chicken towards the end and shred it...

then add in some sliced red pepper and cook a little longer and serve over rice of your choice (we had it over cauliflower rice) and we topped ours with some chopped peanuts for extra crunch

Here's the recipe for Curry Chicken:

The next recipe is one I made just last weekend up at the lake. It was a chilly 60's kind of weekend and this soup was perfect for it. I had taken a pic from this cookbook I had gotten in one of my Taste of Home boxes. 

Here it is cooking away in the slow cooker at the lake - I didn't take an after pic but the recipe shows part of a pic of the finished bowl. We topped ours with some parmesan cheese to serve. And we ate it with crusty french rolls right out of the oven with the pats of butter melting inside. The were perfect dippers for this tasty soup. Another one I will definitely make again! 

Here's the recipe for Italian Meatball Soup:

On a side note: please pray for MN. The horrendous shooting yesterday continues to sit on my heart. This one hits so close to home because it's only a few hours from where we live. And my son lives right next door in St. Paul. Also, the fact that I'm Catholic too. 

My heart breaks for those poor families and that this continues to happen and nothing changes!! What lawmakers are doing now isn't enough as it continues to happen with far too much regularity. I pray for real change to happen in some form - to at least try something different that may help with this constant terrible problem in our country. 😢🙏🏻

Cooking Thursday: An Oldie with Some Twists

 

Hello Beautiful Friends!

How are you doing this fine Thursday? 

The sun has been popping in and out and it's a bit cool and windy today. Just makes it feel more cozy inside. I've been doing some home projects, but also spent some time working on a cross stitch project. 

But late this morning I threw some yummy ingredients into the slow cooker and it's in the kitchen doing its thing. It's a recipe I have made many times through the years as it's an old favorite. It's also one Matt now loves too, so I continue to add it into the mix somewhat regularly. 

We love Asian food and this is a homemade version of yummy restaurant sweet and sour flavors - but healthier and made in our own home. To make it extra convenient it's a sweet and sour meatball recipe...so I just use frozen meatballs and it's that much easier! :) The flavor is SO good!! Here's a photo I took this AM of when it all first went into the slow cooker:

I usually use colorful peppers - but only had green today...so that's what we're doing. 😋

Here's a photo of what it looked like when I posted all about it the first time, which you can read here if you like. 

And here's the recipe - but here are the twists I make to it:

I added maybe a few more meatballs than the 28 oz bag (I had a 64 oz bag and added half). I don't add the whole can of pineapple so it's not so sweet. I do 1&1/2 times to a full double of the sauce because we like things saucy here. Today I doubled it, so today I did 1 c. of the ketchup, brown sugar & apple cider vinegar. And a 1/4 c. of the rest of the ingredients. I also added a little bit of sesame oil (just a tiny splash) as we always have this hand. And I added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes as Matt & I like things with a kick. But it's absolutely wonderful just as the recipe states too. 

We will eat it tonight over cauliflower rice to make it lower carb and add more nutrition and fiber. We will top with some cashews or sesame seeds for crunch. If we're feeling extra hungry I may air fry some veggie spring rolls we have in the freezer. 

This recipe is such a great go-to and I hope you give it a try! 

Enjoy!!

xoxo

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs, Mexican Corn Salad & Easy Roasted Veggie Hashbrown Hack

 

Hello Friends! 

Happy Friday Eve to you. 

The weekend is almost here - woo hoo! Do you have any plans? We're going to be spending some time with family and going to a fun show. I'm sure I'll have more details to share on Monday. 😉

The other night we had a delicious BBQ meal that reminded me of the flavors of summer a bit and I thought I'd share it and the recipes for each dish. 

Let's start with the main event - the ribs. I have been making my ribs this way for years. I usually prefer country style bone-in pork ribs, but any kind are fine for this. I know that a common way to make ribs is to do a dry rub, roast in the oven low and slow, and then do the BBQ sauce at the end. I think that way is so yummy too! 

But I sort of do the opposite...here's how I often do mine:

I brown the ribs in a little olive oil and butter and season with salt and pepper. Then put them in the greased slow cooker with a little beef broth in the bottom. I then cook up some onion in the "fond" (the browned bits left from the meat) with a little more olive oil if needed. I then take a little beef broth to deglaze the pan. I often make the broth from this better than bouillon jar that stays in the fridge a long time. It's useful in lots of recipes but so easy to make a quick broth instead of opening up a big container you won't use. You just add some boiling water to a spoonful of the bouillon mix, dissolve & stir. 

I let the onions cook & deglaze a few minutes until there isn't much liquid and the onions are filled with flavor and I've been able to get up all the browned bits from the pan. 

I then put the onions on top of the ribs and pour a little bbq sauce on top (we used sugar-free). I let it cook on low all day and they usually get really tender after 7-8 hours. Like fall apart tender and you can pull the bones right out. I place the ribs on a platter and brush on more warmed bbq sauce and dig in! 

 However if you wanted the sauce more of a sticky glaze you could always pull out the ribs after maybe 6 hours and put them on a tray, brush on more sauce and finish in the oven. 

Now for this amazing Mexican corn salad...oh my word, so flavorful!! Have you had Mexican corn? Matt and I fell in love with it a few years ago and often make our summer corn on the cob that way. Where we brush some mayo on fresh hot sweet corn on the cob and sprinkle on some cotija cheese (think like Mexican powdered parm), and a sprinkle of tajin (the chili lime flavoring we LOVE). It was a big thing a few years ago. Well I found this recipe from an influencer I follow on social media called Catben (short for Catherine Benson) and it's so easy because you can use canned corn and it's so good! 

Basically fry up some drained canned corn in a skillet with a little butter. Season it up a bit and get it good and toasty or even a little charred. Then put it in a bowl and stir in some mayo (we do lite or use avocado mayo), cotija cheese, tajin, paprika, and any other seasonings you want. Then add fresh cilantro. I made it just like her recipe only I didn't add any cayenne pepper. Matt practically ate this whole bowl. Lol If you can't find cotija cheese powdered kind of parm cheese works just as well. 

And finally this kind of healthier hasbrown hack. I saw a recipe like this a long time ago and I'm not sure where. But I just remember they took some frozen hashbrowns and mixed it with bagged broccoli slaw and some other finally chopped veggies and roasted it in a sheetpan. I thought what a great way to still get the hasbrown vibe (so good with bbq ribs) but add lots more nutrients and fiber and less calories. 

So here's what I did:

I took about 1/2 cup of frozen shredded hasbrowns (could do even more for bigger sheet pan) and defrosted it a bit in the microwave - to break up clumps. I then put them on a sheet pan that had been brushed with a little olive oil. I added 1/2 a bag of broccoli slaw, as well as about 1/4 cup of finely chopped cauliflower (as I needed to get rid of it). I drizzled olive oil over it all and seasoned it with laurey's seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt&pepper. I tossed it a bit and then put it in a 400* oven and roasted it until everything was getting nice and crispy (about 25-30 mins) I think I even broiled it a little the last minute or so to get more crispy. This was also so flavorful and really tasted and gave the texture of eating hasbrowns. You could put ketchup or sour cream or whatever you like on potatoes on top of this when it's time to eat. I think Matt put some sriracha mayo on his. They were awesome and you could literally add whatever finally chopped/shredded veggies you needed to use up. The thing is adding the hashbrowns in to get that flavor and texture. You could do more of the hasbrown and a little less of the veggies if you wanted even more potato taste. 

This meal was such a hit with Matt and we both loved it. I hope one or all of these recipes might work for you. We keep trying to find ways to make and eat our meals a bit more healthy. Matt has now hit 20 lbs down! I haven't weighed myself lately - working on things more before I step on scale again next. 

It continues to be such a fun journey together, but we don't want to sacrifice eating the things we like or crave. 😋

Blessings & enjoy!

xoxo

Perfect Valentine Brownies & Super Bowl Queso Dip

 

Hello my Friends!

Happy Friday Eve to you. :) 

Do you have any fun weekend plans - particularly any fun Valentine's plans? 

Matt & I are planning to snuggle in as more snow is on the way tomorrow night. But he's going to cook me a steak dinner. Yay me! 💝😋 

We also have some little gifts we plan to exchange together. And I ordered us some special gourmet chocolate covered cherries and a few chocolate truffles that arrived the other day that I'm chilling in the fridge until tomorrow. Isn't it wonderful to have an excuse to celebrate L❤️VE? 

I thought I'd share a couple recipes I had made for our little Super Bowl gathering last weekend. And one of them is for these amazingly decadent and delish blackberry swirl cheesecake brownies! They would be SO perfect as a valentine treat too. 

isn't the swirl so pretty? 

You can see the spread behind us with all the goodies. We watched on the big screen downstairs in our media room (& half of the downstairs is Matt's office as you can see too) 

You can find the full recipe for these brownies on my pinterest board "sweet treats" which you can find if you click here.  But here are parts of the recipe I was able to screen shot (it didn't have a print option which makes it nice and neat). I took a shortcut and made the brownie layer from a Ghiradelli brownie box mix which I highly recommend. So much easier and SO yummy. So I'm only sharing the rest of the recipe for the cheesecake layer and the blackberry swirl. 

*so basically make the boxed mix by the instructions and pour into the bottom of greased 8x8 pan. Then follow the rest of the steps shared here. Doing the boxed mix did add to the overall baking time for me. I think mine took more like 45 minutes or so. I topped them with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and fresh blackberries on top. They were a hit with everyone! 

Some other ideas the recipe gave were:

☀️ serve them in the summer with blackberry sorbet (doesn't that sound amazing?). 

🍂🍁Do an Autumn edition and add a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to the brownies. 

🎄❤️💚And even a holiday version by adding some orange zest the cheesecake layer. No matter which way you make them - I just recommend that you do! 

Another yummy snack at our super bowl table was a queso dip. I didn't get a good after pic but this was it looked like in the works melting in the slow cooker. We had done up a nacho bar with different chips, taco meat, and then queso dip and all the fixings - so everyone could build their own nacho plate. This queso was also a hit and wonderful to keep nice and warm in the slow cooker for the whole evening. You can find the recipe under my pinterest board "appetizers" if you click here. But I've also shared it below. 

Enjoy! 

xoxo