Honey Sesame Chicken
2 Large Chicken Breasts
3/4 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Apple Juice
1/4 Cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Pinch Crushed Red Pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch (mix with a little water to make a paste before adding)
Add in everything except the cornstarch to the crock-pot and cook on low for 4 hours.
Then, take out the Chicken, add the cornstarch (stir until blended). Cook just the sauce for 15-30 minutes, uncovered. While sauce is cooking, chop up the chicken. After sauce has thickened up, add the chicken back in just to coat.
Serve over rice.
Freezer version: Combine everything in a freezer bag except cornstarch. Thaw overnight in the fridge when you're ready to make it. Then you can continue to use the above directions concerning the cornstarch.
Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
This recipe has nothing too unique in it, and you can add other veggies you might like better... however, it's super simple and super delicious. The perfect winter meal!
2.5 - 3 lbs Beef (Chuck Roast or Rump Roast)
5 Large Carrots, chopped
4 Idaho Potatoes, chopped
1 Sweet Onion
1 Package Dry Pot Roast Mix*
1 Cup Water
*Instead of the beef stew mix and water, you could use two cans beef broth, minced garlic, salt, and pepper... or even some dry red wine.
Place your Roast and Veggies in the Slow-Cooker. Mix the Pot Roast spice mix with the water until all blended, then pour over the meat/veggies.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Derek's rating: 9/10
Slow-Cooker Ham and Northern Bean Soup
It's Super Bowl Sunday. And what am I doing? Why, watching Netflix, of course! I am also making some delicious Ham and Northern Bean soup. I had read quite a few recipes and here is what I ended up deciding on including in my recipe.
One recipe called for basically double of the beans/ham... and I thought, well I'd love to have leftovers - I'll do that. Well whoever wanted to do that must have had a crockpot that can feed a stinking army! (I didn't find this out until after I'd soaked two bags of beans only to discover there's never going to be enough room in my normal-person crockpot!)
On the plus side, I ended up with a second batch of this I put in a freezer bag! I put everything in except the water and spices and wrote the cooking directions on the freezer bag.
2 Cups (1 Bag) Northern Beans, Dry
1 lb Pre-cooked ham or smoked ham (I used honey ham)
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced (from the jar works just fine)
1 Teaspoon Kosher Slat
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
Just a pinch Ground Cloves
12 Cups Water
Start with soaking the beans overnight according to the directions on the bag.
Then in the morning, chop up the ham, onion, and garlic. Dump everything in the crockpot and cook for about 8 hours on low.
(The cornbread in the picture was just Jiffy mix with one extra egg, a little less milk, and a couple tablespoons of honey)
Derek's rating: 5/10. Note: use less cloves next time.
Tangy Mandarin Pork
Ok, it really doesn't get easier than this! Which, today, was absolutely perfect. We had a week off of school and I'm dead tired after my first day back of getting up, working out, and then teaching for 8 hours. I don't think I could have handled anything more complicated. It also helps to have an amazing husband who will dump it in the crockpot for you at the perfect time.
2 lbs Boneless Pork Chops
1 Green Pepper
1 Red Pepper
1 Bottle BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 Can Mandarin Oranges
Chop up the peppers. Drain the can of mandarin oranges. Then, dump everything into a crockpot. Stir so that everything is coated.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
That's it.
P.S. I know the pictures aren't as pretty, but I promise, it tastes yummy!
Changes for next time: More veggies! The sauce is really delicious on the peppers, I just wanted more! Also, maybe making the sauce just a tiny bit thicker (cornstarch, perhaps?).
Derek's rating: 7/10
Easy Chili
I used to hate chili as a child - probably something to do with my picky taste. I hated beans. I hated onions. But over the past few years I have come to love beans and [cooked, chopped, small] onions. Chili is a wonderful comfort meal on a cold winter day... or week in our case. This weather in Northern Indiana is crazy right now! In any case, my husband and I love this super simple recipe.
1.5 - 2 lbs. Ground Beef [or Turkey]
1 Large Yellow Onion
1 Green Pepper
2 Cans Chili Beans*
2 Cans Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Tomato Sauce
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Hot Sauce [optional]
Dash of Cayenne Pepper [optional]
Salt & Pepper to taste
Brown your meat, and drain any fat/juices that come about as a result.
While browning your meat, chop up your onion and green pepper.
Put all of the ingredients in a slow-cooker for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
ENJOY!
Homemade "French" Bread
This bread will take you just over an hour from start-finish. No bread machine needed, no dough hook or fancy mixer. No sore arms from tons of kneading. Just lots of flavor for just a tiny bit of work!
A friend sent me a link (which I'll provide below) to a really easy recipe for Quick French Bread. It was good - and I have made it countless times as a nice side to many different recipes. However, I have changed the recipe to make it more of my own, a lesser amount (the original recipe made way too much for a family of 2), and even more delicious! The crust is crunchy, salty, and flavorful while the inside of the loaf remains soft and moist.
1 Packet of Rapid-Rising Yeast
1 1/4 Cups [Hot, not boiling] Water
2 Teaspoons Sugar
2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons+ Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Table Salt
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Pour the hot water into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the sugar and yeast packet to the water. This should stand about 5 minutes so the yeast can bloom.
Once you've patiently waited these 5-minutes, add in the 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 Teaspoon table salt, and the 2 1/4 Cups Flour. Add the flour into the other ingredients slowly, mixing after each 1/2 Cup. (I use a fork to mix the ingredients).
Coat a large mixing bowl with olive oil. Add the dough from your small mixing bowl. Turn the dough over a few times to get it nice and coated in the olive oil. Cover the large bowl with cling-wrap and let it hang out somewhere warm for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place a piece of foil on a cookie sheet (because, really, who likes cleaning cookie sheets?!). On the foil, put about a tablespoon of olive oil (I don't actually measure this, just make sure it coats everywhere the dough will touch while baking). Sprinkle about half of the Kosher salt on top of the olive oil.
Put your risen dough on the olive oil-greased foil, shaping it into a french loaf. Sprinkle the other half of your Kosher salt on top. (I often sprinkle fresh Ground Pepper and Rosemary on top when I serve it with Beef Stew or Spaghetti... I added Pepper and Savory Seasonings to go with the Chili)
Bake for 28-30 minutes until the top of the crust is lightly golden in color.
This bread doesn't reheat well. Not to say it doesn't taste good on day 2, but the texture is different and not as delicious. This bread is best consumed the day it is made.
Derek's Rating: 9/10
Original French Bread Recipe
