Apple chicken crockpot stew

I found this recipe online awhile ago and saved it. I decided to try it yesterday because my mother gave me about 2,385 gallons of homemade apple cider. It is very good.

Ingredients:
5-7 red potatoes, cubed (I used I think four large yellow potatoes...they were wicked big)
2-3 medium parsnips or carrots, cut into ¼ inch slices
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced (I used a yellow onion. Sue me!)
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1½ tsp salt
¾ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp caraway seeds
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 TBS olive oil
2 tart apples, peeled and cubed
1¼ cups apple cider
1 TBS cider vinegar
1 bay leaf

Directions:
1. In a slow cooker, layer potatoes, parsnips/carrots, onion, and celery.
2. Combine salt, thyme, pepper, and caraway; sprinkle half over vegetables.
3. In a skillet, sauté chicken in oil until browned; transfer to slow cooker.
4. Top with apple.
5. Combine apple cider and vinegar; pour over chicken and apples.
6. Sprinkle with remaining spice mixture; add bay leaf.
7. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until vegetables are tender and chicken juices run clear; discard bay leaf and stir before serving.

This turned out to be wicked good. I generally cook things in my crockpot on low so I don't know if you might be able to cube the chicken then cook all on low without cooking it beforehand...the chicken was just marginally dry when the stew was reheated for lunch the next day...but otherwise wicked good.

Chicken Porta Potti (OK, really? It's Chicken Pot Pie)

This is my mother's chicken pot pie recipe. Carlos loves it and calls it "chicken porta potti" (don't ask me). It's a good way to use leftover chicken from a whole chicken that you have cooked.

I use my "smaller" pyrex dish for this...I think it's the 9x13 one? My mom's recipe says 6x10 but I don't think my dish is THAT small? Whatever.

OK so I'm transcribing this just how my mom sent it to me. Gotta love my mother.

Cover bottom of dish w/chicken. Add whatever veggies you like (Mommy generally added some frozen mixed ones, like peas/carrots/corn/beans and the like. I do that too but I also chop onion and garlic and put on top. Whatever floats your boat.)

Sauce: (Mommy indicates to make DOUBLE THIS RECIPE, for that pyrex dish that she and I use, and she reiterates this later on...) Melt 2 T margarine in a sauce pan. Add 2 T flour; mix. Slowly add 1 cup milk, whisking as you add it. Bring to a boil over med-med high heat. Be careful w/that med-high, kids, or else your milk will scald and your flour will adhere itself to your saucepan. Badbadbad! Add 1 buoillon cube (you can smash it before adding). I buy the powdered chicken buiollon, msg-free and all, these days. Screw smashing those cubes. If you have the powdered stuff, add 1 teaspoon. Let buillon cube dissolve. Pour white sauce over meat mixture and combine.

Recap I kid you not, this is what my mother wrote, and this is where you need to pay attention, because the following instructions are what you REALLY need to follow....for this size dish, you'd use 4 T marg, 4 T flour, 2 buillion cubes and 2 c milk. (Why didn't you just say that before, Ma???) For a larger dish, make source accordingly. (I'll get right on that) You don't have to use a buillion cube fore EVERY cup of milk, i.e, if making 4 cups of sauce, use 3 cubes. (Awesome! Less smashing!) NOTE FROM AMY: I add some curry powder to this white sauce to kick it up a notch. If you don't want to, it's still fine.

*You can use milk, lactaid, or try using water. (Love the helpful hints from Momma. I use lactaid.)

Crust: I (That would be Susan Elizabeth, my mother) "eyeball" the top crust. Mix a smallish amt of bisquick with water or milk to make biscuits. (Less is more, people. Less is more.) Roll our dough onto flour covered board and plot atop meat (dude, are we doing math problems here? Truth be told, I never roll and plot. I smush between my hands and then, I guess, plot?) mixture. It may break, that's OK. For a large pan, I make the crust in small pieces so I'm not handling too much at one time. (Amy then sprinkles caraway seeds on top of her crust. Feel free to ignore this part.)

Bake at 400 for about 20 mins. I ofen place the pot pie on a cookie sheet 'cause if it runs over, the oven won't be ruined! (I myself just wield a can of EZ-off fume free afterwards if need be.)

Chicken creation

This is what I made for dinner last night. Owing to the tomatoes and the olives in it I guess it's rather puttanesca-esque, but...I don't know. I just went with what I had.

3 or so chicken breasts, diced/cubed
maybe 6 mushrooms, sliced thin
about 1/2 cup of onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med-large tomato, diced
Fresh snipped basil (I don't know how much, probably almost 1/4 cup? I had about ten leaves), chopped
1 cup of chicken broth
1 can olives, whatever size you like (I had small ones), chopped up
That Wildtree Herbs scampi mix I keep talking about...if you don't have that, you could use some garlic powder and some parsley, or some lemon pepper seasoning perhaps.
Pasta of your choice to serve over (whole wheat=yum!)

Put some olive oil in a saute pan, heat to medium. Saute garlic, onion, mushrooms, tomato, and basil until veggies are tender. Throw in the chicken and saute until it is no longer pink. Sprinkle some of the seasoning over the chicken while it is cooking. When chicken is no longer pink, add the broth as well as the chopped olives. Meanwhile start your pasta water. Bring the chicken mixture to a boil and then simmer on low until pasta is done. After pasta is drained add a bit of olive oil/butter/margarine and mix in a little seasoning. Serve chicken mixture over pasta.

Like Lasagna!

I made this one up today. It's good! Yes, I realize I'm on an eggplant kick. What can I say?

1 bag grown up (not baby) spinach (find in salad section of market), chopped
1 large purple eggplant (at least a lb), peeled (try not to lose any fingers)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce, tomato and basil or whatever the heck you fancy
1 16-oz container part skim ricotta (Supreme brand if you come to RI! Woo hoo!)
1 cup of shredded mozz/Italian blend cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
Some parm
1 egg, beaten
Olive oil
Spices like garlic powder, pepper, basil snipped from the garden, etc.

Preaheat oven to 375 at some point. Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with our good friend Pam. Saute chopped spinach in a pan for a short amount of time, you can add a bit of fresh basil or some pepper if the mood strikes you. Mix beaten egg, container of ricotta, 1 C of the shredded cheese, some parm (whatever looks good), some snipped basil, garlic powder, pepper...you know. Mix up and set aside. Spread a thin layer of sauce on bottom of glass dish. Cut the eggplant in very, very thin slices lengthwise, not unlike lasagna noodles. Arrange some slices on bottom of dish on top of sauce. Spread 1/2 the ricotta mixture over the eggplant slices, then distribute 1/2 of the spinach on top of that. Drizzle some sauce over this, spread gently with spoon. Repeat this process, using other half of ricotta mixture and spinach. Place one more layer of eggplant slices on top of this. Top with the last of the sauce. Sprinkle some shredded cheese and parm on top. Bake in oven for about 40-50 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and bubbly.

Stuffed eggplant

I have no clue if this is really how you make stuffed eggplant; I made this one up, too. but it's good.

1 med-large eggplant (about 1 lb)
rice, brown or whatever you like
1 can of Italian-style diced tomatoes
Mushrooms, sliced (about six?)
1/2 large onion, diced
A couple garlic cloves, minced
basil, pepper, and oregano to taste (add other spices if you feel like it)
Shredded cheese, if desired
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a glass baking dish, spread a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the meat, leaving a very thin layer (about 1/8") of meat inside the eggplant. Save scooped meat. Place eggplant halves in baking dish and put in oven. Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions, either on stovetop or in microwave. In a saute pan on medium heat add 1 1/2 T of olive oil. Saute reserved eggplant meat, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and spices until all are soft. Add vegetables to rice, and stir in can of diced tomatoes. Remove eggplant halves from oven. Spoon rice mixture into halves. Top with shredded cheese, if desired (if you go without the cheese, it's vegan!) Return eggplant to oven and bake for approximately 25-30 mins. The key here is to make sure the actual eggplant halves themselves are soft and not tough so you can eat them too. Generally if the skin gets all wrinkly, that's how you know, but it can take some trial and error. You will probably have some rice mixture left over too, yummy for the next day!

Eggplant Parmigiana

One day I decided to get over the dislike of eggplant I had as a child. And I wanted eggplant parm. I'm not sure if this is really how you make it...but it's good, and it works for me! Remember, I don't really measure things unless it's a "real recipe" so these things are all. Um. Approximate.

1 purple eggplant, about 3/4 lb-1 lb (if you have other types of eggplant from the garden or whatever, you can use those too. If they're small you just might need more.)
2 eggs
milk
Some white flour
Some wheat flour
Bread crumbs
Wheat germ
Oregano, basil, and pepper
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
About 1 1/2 jars of marinara or tomato & basil pasta sauce
Shredded mozz
Feta

Preheat oven to 350. Slice the eggplant into thin slices about 1/8 " thick. Spray some Pam (poor lady! Here she is again!) on the bottom and sides of a 9x13 Pyrex dish. Pour a light layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish and spread with a spoon. In one bowl, use a fork to beat the eggs and milk together. In another bowl, make a mixture of the flours, bread crumbs, wheat germ, parm, and spices. I couldn't tell you amounts at all but believe me you'll know when it LOOKS right. It should be...tan. A little heavier on the parm, germ, and crumbs than the flours. Heat about 1 1/2 T of olive oil in a saute pan over medium. Dip each eggplant piece in the egg mixture, then coat each side in the flour mixture. Fry eggplant pieces in oil, flipping once, until each side is golden brown. Arrange eggplant pieces in bottom of pyrex dish. Pour a thin layer of sauce over pieces, spread with spoon. Lightly sprinkle feta and parmesan cheese over sauce; you may add a very thin amount of mozz as well. Again saute more pieces of eggplant, arrange over first layer. Spread more sauce over the pieces. Sprinkle more feta, a larger amount of mozz, and some parm over the sauce. Place in oven and cook approximately 45 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

I'm thinking this would be pretty good if you incorporated some garden-fresh herbs like basil and oregano.

Chicken and green onion curry in the crockpot

I think I found this one online too. I tend to scribble recipes on sticky notes, ha!

1 med onion, thinly sliced
3 med garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 T fresh ginger root, grated (you can substitute 1 t of jarred ginger spice if you don't have fresh)
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 t ground turmeric
a dash of ground cloves
1/4 t ground cardamom
3 1/2 lbs chicken pieces with skin removed (I usually use chicken thighs as they are pretty inexpensive)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 T cornstarch, blended w/2 T of cold water
salt
1/2 c of green onions or chives, sliced

Combined sliced onion and all spices except salt in a 4-5 qt crockpot. Rinse chicken and pat dry, arrange the pieces over the onion mixture. Pour broth over chicken. Cover and cook on the low crockpot setting about 6-7 hrs, until meat is very tender and juices run clear when pierced. Geltly lift chicken to warm serving dish and keep warm. Skim and discard the fat from the cooking liquid if necessary. Mix cornstarch with cold water, blend into cooking liquid. Increase crockpot setting to high, cover and cook stirring 2 or 3 times until sauce thickens. Add salt to taste, pour broth over chicken. Garnish with cilantro and sliced green onions.

This is good served over the rice of your choice.

Easy Tofu Marinara

This is adapted from the various baked tofu recipes in a great vegetarian cookbook called Enemy of the Steak.

1 pound extra firm tofu, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1-1.5 cups marinara sauce (when I don't have time to make my own, my favorite is Newman's)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
optional: minced garlic, to taste
optional: other herbs or spices, to taste (I added fresh basil from the garden)
optional: grated romano or parmigiano cheese (if you leave this out, the recipe is vegan)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix sauce, vinegar, garlic, herbs, and spices.
3. Spread about half of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a shallow baking pan (9x13 or so).
4. Place the tofu in a single layer in the pan.
5. Top with the rest of the sauce mixture. Spread out the sauce so it covers the surface of the tofu - I find it's easiest to do this with a spatula.
6. Optional: Top with grated cheese.
7. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Serve with salad and the grain of your choice (suggestions: pasta, couscous, risotto), or use as a sandwich filling.

Braised Beef Pot Roast

I made this for my mom's Mother's Day dinner. I can't personally vouch for it, but everyone else was raving and pretending to swoon. The next day I fielded no less than eighteen calls asking for the recipe. Here's one for you meat-eaters.

4 lb beef pot roast
4 large carrots, cut into 2" pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into 2" pieces
1 large onion, cut into eighths
1 cup red wine OR 1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp salt and pepper

1. Trim fat from beef roast and tie with string. Heat 2 tbs olive oil in large pot or dutch oven, brown beef on all four sides. Remove from pot.
2. Sautee onions, carrots, celery in same pot over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Remove veggies, set aside.
3. Return beef to pot. Add broth, red wine, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Simmer beef in liquid for two hours, turning meat every 30 minutes to cook evenly on all sides.
4. Return vegetables to pot. Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes.

Let meat rest for ten minutes for cutting, as my daughter reminded me: "That's what Rachel Ray always says to do!"

I served it with the dijon-dill sauce which I usually use on my asparagus. My dad also made pan gravy, but everyone ate the dijon sauce instead.