Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

My friend Jill loves orange chicken. I found a recipe on "A Year of Slow Cooking" and decided we need to give it a go. The overall consensus was that it needs to be spicy to be extra delicious, but I was hoping a toddler would be eating some of it so we went no spice. I will be adding some thai chili paste to the sauce next time, as the toddler was not interested in anything but the rice. However, there aren't any leftovers which I always take as a good sign. And I was looking forward to leftovers too, darn it!

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour (I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen no pulp orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup

Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. You are not trying to cook the chicken, just sear it so the flour breading sticks once the sauce is folded into the chicken.

Put the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

Chicken and Mushrooms

• I discovered this recipe thanks to the AllRecipes.com dinner spinner - yum!
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• 3 cups sliced mushrooms
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup chicken broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place half of the mushrooms in a 9x13 inch pan. Dip chicken into beaten eggs, then roll in bread crumbs.
3. In skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Brown both sides of chicken in skillet. Place chicken on top of mushrooms, arrange remaining mushrooms on chicken, and top with mozzarella cheese. Add chicken broth to pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

I serve this over fettucini noodles (or any pasta noodles) that have been cooked in chicken broth. This reheats well, so make extra for lunch the next day.

Mexican Bean Pie

I LOVE beans, Reid loves beans and I am pretty sure Ben loves beans. I have made this dish, or some version of it a couple of times in the last month. The leftovers go great with eggs and salsa for breakfast or any other time of day really, it reheats well. I got it from the Allrecipes.com recipe spinner for the iPod and made a few changes. I will include the original recipe and show some adaptations I made.  I tagged it gluten free in the event you use corn tortillas.

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives (you can do without the olives if you are not a fan, they do not make or break this dish)
• 1/2 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (I set aside a small portion un-spiced for Reid and made him his own little pie - it you have little ones leave it out and just spice your portion up with salsa)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ground black pepper to taste
• 5 (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas (I used corn tortillas and layered them a few per layer)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used a fine grater and only use about 1 cup of cheese - only because we get enough cheese fat in our diet elsewhere ;-)
• 1/2 cup salsa (optional)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10 inch round cake pan or springform pan.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, mix black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, olives, corn, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper. Season with cumin, chili power, and black pepper. Cook and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. Lay one tortilla flat on the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread 1/4 of the bean mixture on the tortilla. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese lightly over the bean mixture. Repeat layering, ending with a tortilla. Top with remaining Cheddar cheese.
4. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with salsa and sour cream for garnish. (I also garnish with avocado, because we LOVE avocado)

Here we go, take 2!

OK, I am doing it. I need inspiration to cook now that the weather is behaving as though it is getting cool enough to cook and eat a decent meal. I probably need to go through the links list and verify that the websites are still active and add some new ones I love. It took long enough to figure out how to log into this darn site, so stick it out with me and soon I hope to have it up and running.

If you would like to join my quest to share good recipes, let me know!

PB&J Thumbprint Cookies

From the kitchen of Weelicious
These cookies make you feel heathly when you eat them!

PB&J Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies (Makes about 60 cookies)

1/2 Cup Butter (1 Stick), softened
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar OR 1/2 Cup Honey
1 Large Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp SaltJam, Jelly or preserves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the butter and agave (or honey) in a bowl or standing mixer and beat for 1 minute.
3. Add the egg, vanilla and peanut butter and beat another minute on medium speed or until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to incorporate.
6. Drop 1 tbsp of the cookie dough onto a silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet and using your thumb (or index finger if you prefer), make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
7. Fill the indentation of each cookie with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes.9. Cool and serve.

Double Cheese Delight

Valerie's Kitchen

*very simple dish
** Note-A couple of things to keep in mind with ALL of my recipes:
-I usually eyeball my ingredients so feel free to give a little/take a little according to your likes/dislikes

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 stalks celery; chopped
1 tsp salt
1-8oz can tomato sauce
3 ounces cream cheese; softened
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. sour cream
4 ounces wide noodles (I use the "no yolks" noodles)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Follow package directions to cook the noodles, drain and set aside.

-Brown ground beef, onions, & celery in large skillet over med high heat
-Once browned drain off fat.
-Transfer meat mixture to casserole dish.
-Stir cream cheese into meat mixture.
-Add cottage cheese & sour cream. Fold into cooked noodles and cover.
-Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until bubbly.
-Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes.

-Serve and ENJOY!!!

Yummy Tucson Tour de Restaurants

Here are a few suggestions to Tucson readers or anyone who may visit at any time (hint, hint)-
Andrea

Casa Vicente - Tapas and fabulous Sangria

Cafe Poca Cosa - Delish mexican food

Pico De Gallo - The BEST fish tacos and horchata in town

Zemam's - Ethopian food. No air and water here folks, pure tastiness!

Lovin' Spoonfuls - Vegan loaded with garlic, my poor afternoon students today!

Zach's Pizza - Great college pizza joint

Bison Witches - Best sandwiches and soups/bread bowls with an INCREDIBLE beer selection

Wildflower - I have only been there once, but Noel could shine some light on the tasty food. I had a great spinach salad with goat cheese, walnuts and a raspberry vinaigrette.

I will write more when I can gather my thoughts. The links are to a variety of actual restaurant links and some to reviews if they do not have their own page. Cheers!