Drop Dead Cute

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

Here is our winner!! 
So you all know I made our favorites at least
twice before picking the winner. 
Just to be sure you know. 
This came from another friend of mine who also 
has four kids. She didn't give it a name so I 
dubbed it Balsamic Chicken.
Sorry for the lame photo - all I had at the
moment was my iphone.

 
 
Balsamic Chicken

1. Rinse 5lb chicken
 
2. Mix
 
2 Tbls dried rosemary
 
2 tsp sea salt/kosher salt
 
3 garlic cloves, crushed
 
1 Tbls ground pepper
 
3.  Rub on and under skin
 
4. Chop 1 red onion or sweet onion. Put in 
cavity and scatter around chicken
 
5. Mix 
 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
 
1/4 cup red wine
 
Pour over top of chicken and inside
 
 
Marinate a few hours and cook for 1 hour at 
350
 
Or don't marinate and put in crockpot, 
5-6 hours on high or all day on low 
 
When finished or the next day, if feeling 
ambitious, put all leftovers in stock pot 
with onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, 
pepper, salt, and simmer until chicken 
about to fall apart.  Let cool.  You are 
left with an amazing stock and probably 
enough chicken to pick off the bone for 
a great chicken soup.


After making this several times and 
learning a few tricks to using a slow cooker,
our favorite way of making this is using 
4 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs 
rubbed with
2 tsp powered rosemary
3 tsp kosher salt
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 TBS ground pepper
Place in slow cooker with 
1 sliced red or sweet onion
Sprinkle 3 TBS minute tapioca over 
chicken and onions.
Pour 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar and 
1/3 cup red wine vinegar over chicken & onions.
Cook 8 hours on low. 
Chicken should fall apart nicely and 
tapioca turns liquid into a nice glazey sauce.
Serve over rustic mashed potatoes. Yum!!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I missed a day. Yes I know. Hubby was working on the computer, installing updates, doing a virus scan, etc. and when I tried getting on the internet yesterday morning it didn't work :-(  I know how to cook, sew, garden and a few various other things but when it comes to computers...it's not my thing. But he got it working now and I'm back with a slow cooker pot roast recipe.

This is one I discovered over the last few months in my hunt for slow cooker recipes and I think I've made it three times...that's how much we like it. However, I will warn you, it's not one of those throw it together in 10 minutes kind of recipe. It requires browning the roast for one which I don't know about you but my whole kitchen, including myself, ends up smelling all smokey by the time I'm done browning anything. But it is well worth it. We all love this meal and I cook just as it says - exactly.

It comes from Cooks Country (the sister show/magazine to Cooks Illustrated). I have an online memberships to both and highly trust their recipes and equipment reviews.

Slow-Cooker Pork Pot Roast

Serves 8

If you cannot find 2 1/2- to 3-pound pork shoulder roasts, you can substitute one 6-pound pork shoulder roast but cooking two smaller ones is better. They cook quicker offering better texture and flavor.

2	(2 1/2- to 3-pound) boneless pork shoulder roasts , netting removed and tied with cooking twine
	Salt and pepper
2	tablespoons  vegetable oil
2	onions , chopped
6	garlic cloves , minced
1	tablespoon  tomato paste
1/2	cup  white wine
3	tablespoons  Minute Tapioca
1	28-ounce can diced tomatoes , drained
2	teaspoons  minced fresh thyme leaves
1	pound  carrots , peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 2-inch pieces
1	pound  parsnips , peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 2-inch pieces
2	teaspoons  white wine vinegar

1. Pat roasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roasts all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Add onions and additional 2 teaspoons oil to empty skillet and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in tapioca, tomatoes, and thyme; transfer to slow cooker.

3. Toss carrots, parsnips, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining oil in bowl until vegetables are well coated. Scatter vegetable mixture over pork. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, 9 to 10 hours (or cook on high 4 to 5 hours).

4. Transfer roasts to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Remove twine from roasts and cut meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices; transfer to serving platter. Using slotted spoon, transfer carrots and parsnips to platter with pork. Stir vinegar into sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing sauce at table.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here's another that my guys loved and rightly so, it comes from a friend of mine that has three boys and a hubby to feed. A few things I did a little differently; I don't rinse my green chilis, I saute my onions (if you cook this on high for a few hours vs all day), I use a garlic press, topped the soup with tortilla chips (instead of tortillas), fresh cilantro, avocado, shredded Mexican cheese and a dollop of sour cream. You can also throw in a handful of frozen corn and/or black beans. Boneless skinless chicken thighs would also work well in this.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 32oz box chicken stock
• 2-14oz cans diced tomatoes
• 4oz can mild chopped green chilis, rinsed and well drained
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• freshly ground pepper to liking
• 10 small corn tortillas cut into strips
• dried cilantro to liking
• juice of half a lime
• optional, sliced avocado and mixed Mexican cheese for topping

 

1. Put onions and garlic in bottom of crock pot.
2. Add Chicken with cumin and pepper.
3. Pour in tomatoes with their liquid and green chilis.
4. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or until internal temp of chicken reaches 160 degrees.
5. Take chicken breasts out of soup and shred using two forks. Return meat to soup.
6. Cook 30 more minutes.
7. Stir in tortillas, cilantro, and lime juice.
8. Top individual bowls with cheese and avocado if desired.
9. Serve with cheese quesadillas.
10. Enjoy!

 

Slow Cooker Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup

I have taken forever in getting these posted. I can blame it on the holidays, the 6 week stretch of no sleep, the near impossibility of getting uninterrupted time or all three. For some reason, in my foggy head this post was daunting because I was stuck on thinking I had to post all the recipes at once in one post complete with awesome photos. Then it just now occurred to me after a friend emailed me asking where the recipes were, why don't I just post one every day for a week and if I don't have a photo it's not the end of the world. I told you my head has been a bit foggy and I tend to have unrealistic expectations of myself - working on that one. So here is the first one and I'll post one everyday this week with the winning one on Friday.

We all really enjoyed this soup. This came from a sweet friend that has four adorable little ones so she knows all about maximizing her time and getting something tasty and healthy on the table quickly. I am posting it exactly how she sent it to me with all her notes.

Slow Cooker Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup

1 pound chicken, thighs skinless, boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces (I have used chicken breasts when I don't have thighs or shredded meat off a whole roasted chicken)

1 tablespoon oil (i use coconut oil)
2 medium carrot(s), cut into thin bite-size sticks

1 leek chopped (optional)
1 box or 3 cans broth (last time I used a little more - depending on how thick you want the soup or how many veggies & noodles you add)
1 cup water
4 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I use braggs aminos)
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

rice noodles, dried

pea pods, frozen (I used fresh), thawed and halved diagonally - 

bean sprouts (optional)

In a large skillet, cook chicken, half at a time, until browned. Remove with slotted spoon to a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker (skip this step if you are adding already grilled or roasted chicken) Add carrots, broth, water, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and pepper. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 3 hours. 

If using low-heat setting, turn cooker to high-heat setting. Stir in noodles & pea pods (& other veggies like bean sprouts)

Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more or until noodles are tender. 

I like to pour it in a bowl and serve with additional soy sauce/liquid aminos if desired.  I like to eat it with fresh sourdough bread & butter.  YUM! :)

Liebster Blog Love

I was nominated the other day for the Liebster Blog award! Thank you Natalie! She's a sweetheart and so thoughtful. I met her through the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild and she made Asa his little car seat quilt. I was talking about her the other day. She blogs about all her sewing and quilting adventures. One of my favorite projects she's made are these little pincusion fish.

The point of the Liebster Award is for us small bloggers (less than 300 followers) to give a shout out to other small bloggers. I'm honored Natalie nominated me and said such lovely things about me and my blog. Now it's my turn and I would like to nominate...

A Cup of Green Ginger

This is my friend, Jessica's blog that she shares with her sister in laws. Their blog has fallen silent over the months but I hope she/they can start blogging again soon! I miss her. They sell their lovely goods on Etsy and I've bought several for myself and as gifts. They are quite talented and have the most creative and beautiful space at craft fairs. I know she always has little projects going on but she does have 3 little ones that keep her quite busy.

Andrew+Carissa

Andrew and Carissa are ridiculously talented. He does video and she photography. I have no idea how many people follow them but I assume they have quite a following because they are just so incredibly gifted. But since I don't know, I'm nominating them. You just have to go check them out. Whenever I read their blog I'm just blessed by the beauty that shines from them. Carissa is in Africa right now...they're adopting a little girl from there...check out the story...and donate if you feel led. Oh, here's the crazy thing. Carissa is Jessica's sister in law too.

Sharaya Mikael

My sweet beautiful friend from back home in Oregon. She sings *beautifully* and recently moved to Nashville to pursue her dream. Her and a friend did a crazy road trip/tour last year throughout all 50 states. Check out the story here.

Oh I just remembered another...

Kim's Finds

Another friend of mine started a blog this year for moms. In her words, "Thoughtful research on things that matter most." She has some good info there worth checking out. This entry hit home the other week with all the storms we've been having.

So my friends, I’m passing the Liebster Love on to you. Wear the award proudly on your own blog and be sure to pass the award on to 3 blogs you recently discovered and link back to the person who tagged you with the award!

Hearts and Updates

With Valentine's coming up I've been getting a lot of hits on this post I did last year on these hearts. So if it's not too late, break out the crayons and get busy!

Also, I spent some time the other day updating a few things around here on my blog. I added some new links of sites I visit and friends blogs. I also added one of those following/followers things that I've been dragging my feet on but everyone seems to have one now that I'm finally getting with the program. So if you like to follow me (I know there's at least 3 of you) then click on that little guy and follow along :-)

Our Sanctuary

Here is a peak at my bedroom. It is not finished by any means but I've been wanting to share my headboard project. We decided we were going to make an upholstered headboard but my husband didn't want to try mounting it to the wall, which I don't blame him. These old plaster walls with cinder block immediatly behind makes it a pain to mount anything. Then we talked about making one with legs and mounting it to the bed frame. I did this once before but had loads of help. It's quite easy. Plywood in the shape you want, foam padding, spray adhesive, fabric and a staple gun. It's the mounting to the wall or making legs that gets a bit more tricky. Then my husband was off shopping at Costco one day and called me. Apparently they had a padded king headboard for something like $150, not in the fabric I wanted but all I'd have to do was staple gun some over it - and it would save him from having to build it. And that's just what we did (fabric is Tanya Whelan's Grey Marilyn Floral). We would've spent close to $100 anyway and this saved us the hassle. So not much of a project afterall. I love that I can just swap out fabric to my liking and my hubby liked how easy it was.

One helpful thing my hubs came up with all on his own was getting the rods that hide the power cords for the lights. They are fabulous. Sticky on one side to mount to the wall and you can paint them so they blend right in.

I finally got around to hemming up my curtains the other day and getting them up on the rods. We love how they allow the light to pour in. I *heart* my room and big bed but what I adore even more is all the cuddles, wrestling and giggles our family shares here.

Just for fun, here is a photo of the room when we bought the house. We refinished the floors, removed all curtains rods, painted, painted, painted and redid electrical and lighting.

Curry Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

I made this a few months ago but thought it was still worthy to share. I don't know about you but we still have snow on the ground so a pot of soup to warm the belly is heartily enjoyed. I gathered 4 butternut squashes from my garden last fall (I know, not a massive harvest but last year was the test year), anyway, I was trying to think of what to make with my precious bunch and was inspired by something I was reading. It mentioned the aroma of curry and coconut and that's all it took...I couldn't wait to get in the kitchen and see what I could come up with.

I started off peeling all the butternut squash and scooping out the seeds - I think I ended up with about 3lbs of squash. Cut them into 2" pieces and scatter them on a baking sheet. Slice up 4 or so good size shallots and scatter over squash. Drizzle melted coconut oil over squash and shallots and toss to coat. Make sure everything is in a single layer and place in a 425 degree oven for 40 minutes or so, tossing after 20 minutes. Roast until the pieces are cooked through and browning around edges. Roasting brings out a wonderful depth of flavor and natural sweetness so don't skip this step!

Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Use tongs to place squash and shallots in a blender. Pour in a can of coconut milk, cover and blend till smooth. If it's too thick to blend properly, add a little chicken broth till it can blended completely.

In a saucepan over medium high heat add a teaspoon of sweet curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger and cook for 30 seconds to release the aroma. Pour in the pureed squash and stir to combine. Add chicken broth till you get the consistency you want. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to your taste.

I kept this fairly simple so I could eat it while on our detox diet. But feel free to roast an apple along with the squash or add some heavy cream or a splash of apple cider vinegar or a spoonful of creme fraiche and a sprinkle of toasted coconut. This is a really forgiving soup that will let you play around with some wonderful earthy warm flavors so have fun with it.

Just a few notes: I always use kosher salt in my recipes. Also, whenever anything calls for chicken broth my go to brand is Pacific Natural Foods organic free range chicken broth (I get it at Costco b/c I go through so much and they have the best price). I just don't have time to deal with making broth from scratch anymore (I do have an awesome method for getting really flavorful homemade broth though). Likewise with canned diced tomatoes, I always use Muir Glen. Because broth and tomatoes are the base to so many dishes I don't mess around with other brands. These two are the best I've found flavor wise and offer consistent results with everything I cook.

Frebuary Starburst Block

Here's my February Starburst block for do. good stitches charity quilting bee. It's kinda crazy I know. All those colors! I hope it'll end up being a happy quilt for a special kiddo out there. I have one more block to make then I just have to wait for the everyone else's to come in. You can find the tutorial on this over here at FITF. She is amazing. I have no idea where she finds the time to do all she does.

Here are the fabrics I pulled for this project. I think I might end up adding a few more for the second block. I contemplated just sticking to a green/blue/gray color palatte and then changed my mind at the last minute and went with a combo of bright darks and gray. Will keep you posted as I get more blocks. I just put together my quilt board yesterday (I just need to mount it on the wall) so it's now ready to get some action.

A New Addiction

Several months back I joined the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild. Actually it was just a few days before Asa was born so I obviously haven't been able to do much. I'm just now starting to get more involved.

 
We recently recieved charm packs for a Robert Kaufmann challenge. Our guild is making quilts for preemies over at a local NICU. You'll be hearing more on those another day.

 

Anyway, I have managed to learn how to make hexigons thanks to Natalie (our NOVA guild founder). I don't know what I'll be doing with them yet but I think they're super cute, a great way to use up scraps, and a good little skill to have. Natalie also told me about a quilting bee, do. good stitches, which I have recently joined. The circle of quilters I'm a part of (the Joy circle) makes quilts for foster kids. Every month a different quilter designs a quilt, everyone in the circle sews up two blocks and mails them to that month's quilter and they finish up the quilt.

These are my blocks for January's quilt. BlueElephantStitches is the quilter and her design is a rainbow patchwork quilt. Once it's done and she posts a photo I'll post it here. It's always nice seeing the finished product.

February is my month and I chose this FITF Starburst Quilt. I initially had something else in mind but decided it would be easier to do it as a personal quilt than having others working on it. I'm hoping to get my blocks done today. Cross my fingers. If I'm successful I'll show you tomorrow!