Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken

This was really great and so easy.  I made another crockpot of scalloped potatoes and we had a delicious easy meal all ready when we got home from an evening of soccer games.  I also thought this would be yummy with more veggies- carrots, mushrooms etc.

Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 12 or so tenderloins- i just put them in frozen.
• 6 ounce jar pesto (I used basil pesto) I love the Sam's club brand, all pesto's are not created equal, so pick one that is not dry, and I think the refrigerated pesto is much tastier.
• 1 package ranch dressing seasoning mix or 3 Tablespoons
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 -2 cups frozen green beens or you can use canned- add this the last half hour.

1.  Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and place chicken breasts in the bottom.

2.  Sprinkle ranch packet over the chicken breasts, pour pesto over the top, and lastly pour the chicken broth over the top.

3.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Recipe adapted from Picky Palate 

Peach Vanilla Bundt Cake

This cake was heavenly!  I didn't use the vanilla bean because mine had all dried out, but I did use pure vanilla extract.  It was vanilla, peachy perfection!

(recipe and photo from justapinch.com)

Ingredients

	Cake
	Ingredients
3	cups all-purpose flour
½	teaspoon baking powder
½	teaspoon baking soda
½	teaspoon salt
1	cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1¾	cups granulated sugar
4	large eggs, room temperature
1	vanilla bean, split, seeds
1	cup sour cream
1½	cups diced fresh peaches
	Syrup
	Ingredients
⅓	cup fresh peach puree, strained
⅔	cup granulated sugar
1	tablespoon orange juice Directions Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour inside of 10 inch bundt pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Using either a stand mixer (paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating for 30 to 40 seconds after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla bean. At low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with sour cream. (Add a bit of flour, a bit of sour cream, a bit of flour, a bit of sour cream, a bit of flour.) Scoop half of batter into pan and spread with spatula. Sprinkle with peaches. Scoop remaining half of batter on top of peaches. Smooth with spatula. Bake cake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto another rack. Place the cake, on the rack, over a baking sheet. While cake is baking, make syrup. Combine peach puree, sugar, and orange juice in a small non reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Using a pastry brush, dab syrup generously all over surface of the warm cake, allowing it to soak into the cake before reapplying. Let the cake cool completely.

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Having been in Chicago recently I was interested in making some deep dish pizza with a buttery cornmeal crust.  This was really good.  I will have to try it again soon following the directions properly.  As it was I just didn't have the time to "laminate"  the dough, and I didn't pay great attention to the recipe.  I ended up dumping all of the butter into the flour mixture (melted and softened).  I also only let it rise once.  It made a beautiful, soft, fun to work with dough.  I did stick it into the fridge for about 10 minutes while I finished up the rest of the sauce.  With the sauce I didn't add the extra sugar. We are not big fans of sweet tomato sauce, I did use tomatoes and basil from my garden.  The result was delicious.  This recipe is a definite keeper.

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

For the Dough:

3¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1¼ cups water, room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon + 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup grated onion
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Toppings:
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
(Pepperoni)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the Dough: Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed, using a dough hook, until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (You can easily make this by hand, mixing in the water and butter with a spatula and then kneading by hand.)

2. Coat a large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Using greased spatula, transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat the dough in oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.

3. Make the Sauce: While dough rises, heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to about 2½ cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

4. Laminate the Dough: Turn the dough out onto dry work surface and roll into a 15x12-inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border along the edges. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten the cylinder into an 18x4-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Working with one half, fold into thirds like a business letter; pinch seams together to form ball. Repeat with remaining half. Return balls to oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

5. Bake the Pizzas: Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Transfer 1 dough ball to dry work surface and roll out into a 13-inch circle. Transfer dough to the pan by rolling the dough loosely around a rolling pin and unrolling into pan. Lightly press dough into pan, working into corners and 1 inch up sides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.

6. For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. (If you're using any meat or veggie toppings, add them now, on top of the cheese.) Spread 1¼ cups tomato sauce over the cheese (or toppings) and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

(Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Tomato Soup

I am always on the lookout for yummy crockpot recipes.    This was a winner.  It made a lot, but could be easily halved.   I served it with Jasmine rice and steamed broccoli and carrots- all in the bowl together.  It has coconut milk.  How could you go wrong with coconut milk!?!   I also added more chicken bouillon- just add it to taste.


"Creamy" Crockpot Chicken and Tomato Soup

8 frozen skinless boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 14 oz. can of coconut milk (full fat), shake before opening can to avoid separation
2 14 oz. can diced tomatoes and juice
2 cups of chicken broth 
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 jar of your favorite tomato sauce 
Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Put all the above ingredients into the crock-pot, cook for 9 hours on low. After 9 hours take two forks and shred the chicken, set the crock-pot on warm till ready to serve (making sure to taste it before serving to make sure there is enough salt and pepper)

Broiled Salmon with Mango Salsa and Rice

Yummy.  The mango salsa was perfect with wild rice.  Great, fresh meal!

(Recipe and photo from juliasalbum.com)

Ingredients for mango salsa:

• 2 cups pineapple, chopped in small cubes
• 1 cup mango, chopped in small cubes
• 1 cup tomato, chopped in small cubes
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
•  Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, chopped

Ingredients for rice, salmon, and glaze:

• 2 cups uncooked rice or wild rice
• 1.5 pounds salmon, or 4 6-ounce salmon fillets
• garlic salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

1) Mix all chopped ingredients for mango salsa in a large bowl, add lime juice, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to let the juices do their work.

2) Cook 2 cups of uncooked rice according to instructions for the type of rice (or even quinoa) you’re using.

3) To prepare the glaze: combine honey, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small pan on medium heat until honey is softened and well incorporated with other ingredients. Set aside.

4) Preheat broiler. Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Before broiling salmon in the oven, I like to sear it a little bit on the stove top: this will add nice color and will also allow to easily remove the skin. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on high heat in a skillet until very hot. Add salmon, non-skin side down and sear on high heat for 2 minutes, constantly moving the salmon in the skillet so that it doesn’t stick. After it’s nicely seared, flip the salmon skin side down and continue searing for 2 more minutes on its skin side, constantly moving the salmon to avoid sticking to the skillet. After it’s nicely seared on the skin side, remove the skin easily with spatula.

5) Place the salmon in an oven-proof dish skin-less side up (with the side that used to have skin – down). Brush the top of salmon with half the amount of glaze prepared in step 3. Broil for about 3 minutes, brush with the remaining amount of glaze and broil for additional 2-3 minutes until nicely charred. Watch to make sure salmon does not burn because of the sugar in the honey. Remove from the broiler, cover with foil and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving. This will allow salmon to cook through but not be overcooked.

6) To serve, place a scoop of rice (or quinoa) on one side of the dish and a scoop of mango salsa next to it. Top with salmon.

Greek Flat Bread- Perfect for Souvlaki

Our store was out of flat bread so we had to make our own last night and I am afraid we have been ruined.  The texture of this was so soft and delicious, nobody wants to go back. :)


Ingredients
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling, see Cook's Note*
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Melted butter for slathering on the finished bread
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with 3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large, deep bowl.

Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. It will feel like there isn't enough flour at first, but keep going until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2 to 4 hours.

When you're ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls on your counter: one with extra flour in it, and one with water. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky-this is good! Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.

Shape the bread into a round circle. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circular shape.

Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter at the ready.

Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your circles, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.

After about 1 minute, flip the bread.  Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Remove the bread from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Place the bread in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest and serve.

Mango Berry Salad

I just ate this rececently at Zupas.  It was so fresh and delicious.  Loved it!

Mango Berry Salad
created by Sugar.Betty

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2  cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh, ripe-firm mango, peeled, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons cinnamon almonds, chopped
6-8 cups mixed greens

Toss greens with mango yogurt dressing. Plate dressed greens and divide fruit and nuts among plates. Drizzle lightly with more dressing, if desired.

Mango Yogurt Dressing
1 large ripe mango, pitted and roughly chopped
1 heaping tablespoon plain yogurt
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (regular distilled vinegar is too harsh)
1 tablespoon honey, optional (depending on sweetness of the mango)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients except honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste. Add honey and blend again if dressing is too tart.

Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham

I found this recipe for ham at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I love the crockpot so I thought I would give it a whirl.  The ham was very moist and so so easy to put together.   It was fantastic!

Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham

Ingredients

• 7-8 pound spiral-cut ham (bone-in or boneless)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 cups pineapple juice

Directions

1. Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Unwrap the ham and discard flavor packet. Place the ham into the slow cooker stoneware, flat-side down. Rub brown sugar on all sides. Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice.
2. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. An hour before serving, baste ham with the collected juices from the bottom of the slow cooker. When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving.

Chicken Bellagio- Cheesecake Factory

Pasta and Sauce 

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1/2 C Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

5-6 Fresh Basil Leaves Minced

Juice from 1 lemon

salt and pepper

1 pkg. Spaghettini (thin spaghetti)

Whisk heavy cream and garlic in sauce pan over medium-high heat until it begins to thicken. Add in Parmesan cheese and whisk til incorporated. Lower heat to medium-low careful not to scorch. Add in basil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Whisk thoroughly and reduce to a low heat to keep warm. When ready to serve toss with Spaghettini that has been  cooked at pkg directs. 

Chicken 

3-4 Chicken Breast

1 C Flour

2 Eggs

1 C Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 C Parmesan Cheese

Oil {Vegetable oil works great, but olive or grape seed oil is a nice alternative}

You will need 3 bowls. In first bowl place flour. The second whisk the eggs and third combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside. If chicken is frozen, allow to thaw completely. Butterfly the cutlets, or cut them in half by cutting through the middle of the meat so you have 2 thinner pieces. Then place in a large sturdy zip-lock bag and with a meat mallet gently hammer chicken so that the piece is an even and thickness. 

About this time, begin to heat your oil in a large skillet over medium -medium/high heat. You will want to fill your skillet about 3/4 inch deep with oil. You will know when ready if you flick a few drops of water on the oil and it crackles. Take each piece of chicken and first coat them with flour, then dip in the egg, then last coat with bread crumb mixture. Do this to each piece.

 Then place 2-3 pieces of chicken at a time in skillet. This will depend on how big your skillet is. Don't over crowd. Allow to cook a few minutes, sides will start to turn a golden brown. Then flip and cook the other side. When finished remove and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining pieces. 

Garnishes

Prosciutto at room temp.

Arugula Lettuce washed and dried (Pictured is baby Arugula)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 Lemons

Assembly

To assemble this dish in true Cheesecake Factory Style.. 

Place generous serving of pasta in middle of plate. Layer with two pieces of chicken side by side. Ribbon 1-2 pieces of Prosciutto over top of chicken. Then place a generous handful of arugula over prosciutto. Drizzle a little evoo over arugula followed by juice of a lemon half. 

Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

We had this cake for dessert today and it was divine.  A perfect Fall recipe!  

We served it with ice cream.

INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium apples, for about 3 cups chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla

Caramel Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Generously grease and flour a 9 or 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. Peel, core and dice 3 cups of apples. Toss the apples with the tablespoon of lemon juice to keep from browning. Add the dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla and toss to combine. Set aside.

Using a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. The batter will be quite thick. Drain any excess liquid from the apples (if any) and stir the apple mixture into the batter. Don’t overmix! Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese just until smooth. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla and egg and beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth.

Using a spoon or butter knife, make a trench in the center of the cake batter (going around in the circular shape of the bundt pan) about 1-inch deep (just scoop the excess batter to either side. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the trench. Try and keep the cream cheese mixture in a ring in the center of the cake so it has cake batter on either side around the circle. Once the cream cheese mixture is in place, use a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the surrounding cake batter.

Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (checking often as you may need to decrease or increase time based on your pan and exact oven temperature). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

While the cake is cooling, mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small pan over medium high heat. Allow the ingredients to come to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour the glaze over the cake while the cake is still in the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan before removing. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature, drizzling caramel sauce over each piece.

For the caramel sauce, mix the butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold (or use slightly warm but not hot). If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on cake.

Recipe Source: from my brother, Nate, who has made this recipe many, many times, perfecting it along the way