Chicken A La Crock-Pot with Creamy Roasted Garlic Sauce

Hello there again, friends!!

I seem to recall promising to use my brand new Crock-Pot to "roast" a chicken. I say that loosely only because the cooker doesn't leave that nice, crispy skin that roasting in an oven would do. If that's what you're after, throw it under the broiler to crisp the skin, otherwise, it's good as is (at least to my taste buds).

Ok so I didn't truss it and it looks a bit strange but it was mighty tasty!! 

I created a creamy roasted garlic sauce to go with the chicken. Who doesn't love the smell and taste of roasted garlic? I mean, seriously - c'mon! Not only is it delicious, it's EASY to do!! Cut the top of the head off, put the heads in individual foil packets, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Into a 350℉ oven for about 45 minutes and POOF!! DONE! It's THAT simple!! If you love garlic as much as I do - try it, you won't be disappointed!

To make the sauce, I used ingredients I have on hand; like evaporated milk, sour cream (the last of my container, perhaps it was about a cup and a half), shredded Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the stuff out of the can), obviously the roasted garlic, and various herbs and spices to my taste. I heated this all in a small pot. That's the nice thing about cooking as opposed to baking - you don't need to measure. It's all by taste and it ISN'T rocket science!! Try it yourself - mine turned out... AWESOME!!

I had no clue what to do with the giblets and I didn't want to waste them; so I browned them in olive oil and butter then threw in about a third cup of flour and cooked that for a few minutes (this cooks off the flour taste and reduces the chances for lumps). Then I pulled it from the heat and added leftover broth from chicken I boiled last week. Back on the heat it went with some additional herbs and spices: thyme, sage, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I let it simmer on the stove for two hours to develop a nice, deep, rich flavor. The extra liquid in the slow-cooker was a bit much, so I grabbed a ladle and added about five ladle-fulls into the pot simmering with giblets. This made way too much!! What do I do with all that?!

SOUP!! That's right!! I grabbed the half bag of egg noodles I had in the cupboard, a can of green beans, and a can of mushrooms. Right into the pot it went - liquid and all! I chopped up the giblets as well and threw them back into the pot. That simmered for another hour while I skimmed the fat off the top with the ladle and... POOF!! VIOLA!! Incredible tasting SOUP!

So now... not only do I have the French Onion Soup I made yesterday but I also have mushroom noodle soup! Put THAT on a spoon and slurp it!

Let's face it... I don't think I'll be cooking for a few days. Leftovers are always delicious!!

Julia Child's French Onion Soup?? Well... not exactly...

I have to admit - I have watched a few of the old black and white seasons of The French Chef with Julia Child. Okay, more than a few but who's counting?! She makes me, quite frankly, laugh my ass off - almost hysterically at some points. I don't know, maybe it's her mannerisms, or perhaps it's the way she says things at times. At any rate, she was so full of life and her knowledge and joy of cooking enraptured millions. It is definitely safe to say that she knew what she was doing. So this blog post I guess is a small homage to her.

Watching the shows brings me to this post. I watched with fascination the episode on French Onion Soup and I definitely recommend you all check it out. I have it linked, just click on the title.

Now, let me make myself clear... what I did is NOT her recipe... only the procedure. Mainly because I don't drink wine or cognac so I have none of that on hand and I don't plan to buy any either. That would be a complete waste.

My big difference was using beef stock in place of the wine. Someday perhaps I WILL get a bottle of red and make it but until then... beef stock works. Don't forget I also omitted the cognac. To take the place of those two flavors, not to mimic, but to add an extra kick that I thought would suffice, I added a bit of Kitchen Bouquet and worcestershire sauce - not a lot but enough for added depth.

The soup turned out FANTASTIC! It had great depth of flavor. I bet Ms. Child's would have approved. This is a soup that I do believe I will make again at some point.

This shot was while it was simmering on the stove with the topping ingredients ready to go.

Final tasty French Onion Soup!

Looks good, aye?!?!

New Toy!!!

Roughly six months ago my slow-cooker stopped working. For the life of me, I can't remember what I was cooking in it at the time (which goes to show how long ago it went to slow-cooker heaven) but I have missed having one ever since.

I can say that I had that thing for over twenty years ( I THINK it was a wedding gift in '94) and I thought it would last another twenty. My thought process was that it had the Crock-Pot name on it and my Grandma has one of the early models from the early 70s and hers is still going strong. I know hers is that old because she told me roughly about the time my grandfather bought it for her (before I was born). I know it's still going strong because it is the holy vessel in which her fabulous Crock-Pot Stuffing is cooked in every Thanksgiving. So those two things combined had me convinced that mine would last much longer than it did. WRONG.

The biggest reason I missed having one (other than the convenience of setting it and forgetting it) was the fact that my oven also quit working - probably a few months prior, so it was my main cooking vessel for larger recipes. I have since, as you may know if you have been following me, bought a small toaster oven with convection heat to compensate the loss of my regular oven. I will fix it sooner or later, that is a promise I make to myself.

Anyhow, last night I had to make a run to town and stopped by Ollies to see what their prices were. I was happy to see a few different sizes of the Crock-Pot brand name that I trust. I mean, let's face it, if mine lasted as long as it did and my grandma's is still going strong - why switch to a different brand? I also liked the decent price. I bought the larger one because I knew a six-pound chicken would fit into it. There may eventually be the need to pick up a smaller one at a later time but right now, this one is plenty. Let me be clear that I am NOT being paid to plug the product even though journalism and public relations IS what I hold a bachelor's degree in. I just feel that the product is solid and well-built based from my own experience (and Grandma's).

You probably guessed correctly that I will indeed be doing a whole chicken in it. That food adventure will have to wait a few days (probably Tuesday) because my chicken is thawing in the fridge.
So stay tuned for that and here is my beautiful new, sleek Crock-Pot:

"Green Bean Caesar" Recipe Review

I thought this afternoon that I would thaw a Cornish Game Hen and cook it in the rotisserie. While it was thawing, I went to SuperCook to find something different. I was not in the mood for potatoes so I thought I might try to find some sort of green bean side dish to go with my hen. Sure, green beans smothered with butter would have sufficed but I didn't want something that simple.

The site gave me a lot of recipes that seemed to be like Green Bean Casserole only without the condensed soups and milk. That didn't appeal. Other recipes had tomatoes or potatoes in them and those didn't appeal either. I wanted to try something DIFFERENT... not the same old stuff.

I found this one and thought I'd try it. It is called Green Bean Caesar. In this post, I am not going to link the member who posted the recipe out of respect for the family. Her profile said she passed - I feel that would be in bad taste.

But anyhow, it sounded very interesting to me, especially the use of salad oil and vinegar. Since the recipe doesn't specify the TYPE of salad oil or vinegar, I used a sub oil I had in the fridge and red wine vinegar.

I have to say, paired with the Cornish Game Hen that I used cajun seasoning on (make your own, I did!) the green beans were tasty. I'd recommend giving it a try. It is easy to make... just mix it up and throw it in the oven to heat - or in my case the toaster oven. The parmesan/butter/bread crumb topping while giving it some of the cheese flavor, did not look that great and left a gritty texture on top. But that's my own opinion and preference. I usually don't add breadcrumb toppings to things BECAUSE of this. Maybe I should have used the cajun seasoning in it as well but I wanted to keep it as close to original as possible - next time!!

But this is how it looked:

How about you try it and let me know!!

"Amazing Baked Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs and Potatoes" Recipe Review

I remember years ago having a computer program that I could plug my pantry items in and get a recipe - this was back in the early days of Windows operating systems. Back in the days of 3.25" floppy discs... yeah, remember those??

Anyhow, a few months ago I wanted the same type of thing with the minimal amount of items I had on hand. I was looking for variety in my food since I was tired of the same things all the time. I figured there had to be websites out there in today's day and age that would serve the same function as that old computer program. 

So I found this website: www.supercook.com. which is a reverse search engine. Basically all you do is register (which you have to do in order for your pantry to be saved) and then once you enter all your pantry items, it gives you all the delicious recipes you can make with those ingredients. Pretty neat, huh?! I think so!! :)

This morning I used the site to find a recipe for bone-in chicken thighs and found this one:

Amazing Baked Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs and Potatoes. It is rated five stars and looked pretty good. Shout out to Marie for contributing it to www.food.com!

Incidentally, since this revived blog will encompass my own creations plus others' online recipes, I will be throwing in the links as needed and crediting where it is deserved. 

I figured since I had all the ingredients (obviously, supercook told me I did), I would try this out. Of course since I love garlic so much, I definitely added more. I also added a sprinkle of parsley over the top before placing it into my toaster oven. But everything else is identical to the recipe. My two tiny changes aren't going to change the flavor dramatically. 

But here it is:

I will have to say... absolutely DELICIOUS!! The chicken was nice and moist. The skin crispy. The potatoes were cooked to perfection. My little toaster oven with the convection feature did pretty well! This is definitely one to keep in my files... and YOU should add it TOO!! 

YUM! 

Oyster Stew

Well hello everyone!! I'm back!!

It has been five years but I figured it was time for some writing for myself and perhaps to entertain the few people who actually read this blog.

I know, I know... what could possibly bring me back to this food blog? FOOD!! Plus I now have the time to actually dedicate to it. I hope everyone will get a kick out of my new musings about food, cooking, and life in general.

So sit back and enjoy the ride!!

First up...Oyster Stew.

I used canned oysters for this as I am in Western Pennsylvania and the fresh ones are kind of hard to come by. These are tasty in their own right. I stayed away from the smoked ones this time but next time I make this, I may use smoked to add a different flavor profile.

I made a blond roux... YES!! I made a roux - half flour and half some sort of fat. I used butter since that is what I had on hand and I thought it would make it taste better... doesn't everything?!

In a separate skillet, I sauteed garlic and onion and set that aside. Once the roux was bubbling, I added a combination of evaporated milk, milk, the juice of the oysters, the juice of a can of mushrooms and the onion/garlic mixture.

I also added a bunch of herbs and spices. This really was to my own taste so I am sure that everyone who wants to make it can throw in whatever they want. I like things on the spicy side so you can get the idea that is what I added.

I have to say... I am still surprised at times by my own creations. :)

I think the next time I make this, I will add corn and potatoes to make it more of a chowder. What do you all think??

A picture to get everyone salivating??

40? I turned 40??

What is it with women and turning a specific age, isn't it just a number? Some people would consider it as being half-way to dead. I have to admit, I almost panicked about it, but then I thought, you know what? It IS just a number and I'm nowhere near being half-way to dead. College has put a new spin on things for me, and I can't wait to graduate next year and begin the next chapter of my life. I can rewrite it as many times as I want, this one was a big one.

I bet you're all waiting to hear all about the food. I won't disappoint, trust me. 

In terms of friends, I have been truly blessed. I couldn't as for a better group of women to share my life with, they truly are the best. Thanks to them, this was one of the best and most memorable birthdays I have ever had, my mom even joined in, which I thought was really cool. 

So, we went to a place called the Train Station. It's exactly what it sounds like. It was an old station converted into a restaurant some years ago. I would say the prices are fair, and the food is delicious. So delicious in fact, that we all had pretty much the same thing. How often does that happen? The only difference was two out of five of us had a different sauce. 

You get a full meal at this place, salad, bread, entree, and dessert if you have room for it. 

Ok, I'll stop teasing and get on with the food. Our table had a dish which I believe they called; Langostino's with Angel Hair pasta. You had your choice of a sauce: garlic butter or a cream with wine sauce. I had the garlic butter of course since I have this love affair with garlic. It was really good! Not too much garlic (not that I would have cared), and the perfect balance of pasta and langostino's. 

Since it was my birthday, I got a free dessert, and that definitely didn't disappoint. Who can pass up Turtle Cheesecake?? Not me. I started a trend that night with the desserts - everyone had one, lol. Not that we can't splurge every once in awhile, because we made the most of it. 

I enjoyed that dinner so much that when the family was going to take me out to lunch on Sunday, I picked to go there - bummer that it was closed. Oh well, next time. 

I'm going to shamelessly plug this place, I really think people will like it. It has a great atmosphere, even includes a model train that runs above you, the staff was awesome, and the prices were right. 

So without anymore delays, here are the pictures. 

                                                     Langostino's and Angel Hair Pasta

Turtle Cheesecake 

Oh... I should also mention for my birthday... I had the delicious idea of buying myself an Ice Cream Cake from Dairy Queen... Those things are incredible! Maybe I'll attempt to make one, someday! :)

The cake:

From bottom to top: Chocolate, a layer of chocolate sauce with crunchies, and vanilla... Topped with icing! YUM!

I would say the rainbow design is so fitting. Agree?! Lol. 

Shawna's Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

I decided last week to share this link with my peeps... This is a recipe that was published in a Taste of Home cookbook. At this point, I have no clue which one, but it shocked me when I received the cookbook. They never notified me that it was published, just sent it to me.

Now I find it available on the web for the world to see, and I think that's pretty neat.

Here it is...

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Grilled-Chicken-Cordon-Bleu

Surf N Turf

I decided this morning that I wanted to cook up some of those scallops I had in the freezer. So, the idea came to me to do the scallops, salmon, and steak... my own version of surf n turf. 

I did it a bit different, blackened salmon... in a cast iron skillet. The steak in a cast iron skillet as well. There's just something about it that doesn't beat the flavor. Well, in the kitchen, at least... everything's better on the grill, lol. 

The spices I used to blacken the salmon were: ground chipotle, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. 

The steak got the leftover spice rub and the scallops just seasoned salt... just a touch. 

Perfection was achieved!! 

Grill Time

You know, for me, I don't think there is anything better than the taste of grilled food. The change of the seasons around here and not being able to use the grill part of the year, there's just something about the flavor. 

I know, I know... there's always the debate about which tastes better, charcoal or propane. I'm not going to get into that, as I do use gas because of the convenience. 

Tonight I decided to thaw a chicken thigh and grill it up with some barbecue sauce. Round out the meal with a salad and mashed potatoes, and you're good to go. 

Now... I used to always wrestle with the timing of cooking chicken on the bone on the grill. I used to burn it before it would ever get cooked through. I tried everything I could think of. No sauce until the very end. Indirect heat. To no avail could I cook it where it had the nice delicious crispy skin and juicy inside. Well, I solved my problem.

I got this trick off a friend of mine, and it truly does work. Here's what I do:

Boil it first. 

You heard me, boil the chicken first, preferably with some spices and herbs in the water. Tonight I used a garlic clove (whole), white pepper, and cumin. 

When that grill is nice and hot, throw the cooked chicken on there, dump some barbecue sauce on the top side, let it cook for a bit, flip it over, dump some sauce on, and let it cook... Let it go until you've got the desired crispiness. That's all there is to it. 

Trust me, it works. 

On the grill... 

On my plate along with parsley mashed potatoes.

 
YUM!

Lent

You know, I'm not Catholic.

But I have to say... those people in the churches around here are terrific cooks.

I went for a Lent dinner after classes last night with a couple of friends, and I have to say, I was completely impressed with the way the food tasted. Hell, I was impressed with how they ran entire operation.

First you tell someone which meal you want (I think there were five or six choices), they highlight it on a sheet and give it to you. Then you pay for it at the next 'station'. Next is the food line, you hand the paper to the first person, and down the line it goes. Grab a tray and you move too... Pretty neat. You also had a choice of deserts.

My choice: Baked crusted cod, haluski, green beans, salad, a dinner roll, iced tea, and a small piece of white cake.

The entire dinner was only 921 calories, and let me tell you, this was a LOT of food. I was stuffed!

I was also surprised to see one of my favorite professors there. I think more surprised that she was working as a server. Well, not really working, but volunteering her time. It's great to see them take the time out of their busy school schedules to do something they love.

It was definitely a good meal, with great company, and even included a nice 15 minute walk to burn off some cals, lol.

I do believe I'll be making a dinner trip over there this coming Friday. :)

I'll be sure to take a picture of the food next time! ;)

Updates and New England Clam Chowder

How far I have come since the last time I posted to this blog. I'm reviving it because of a PR class requirement and that's good because I love to write. I also love food, which was the purpose of this to begin with.

There have been many ups and downs since the last post I made here and I've taken them all in stride. I am now into my last year of college and what an adventure it's been. I've made some really good friends, had some spectacular classes and am looking forward to making the dean's list as a full-time student for the first time this semester. Anxiously awaiting, lol.

So my food musing for right now would be this:

I grew up loving a specific brand of New England Clam Chowder. No name mentions here, I'm not their PR rep. There are now cheaper brands on the market and those are the ones I migrate to. While they don't have the same comfort food taste that I was so accustomed to, a few little additions can really make them shine.

So, if you want to try this, grab your trusty can opener and take a trip into my kitchen. Into your pot will go the chowder. Then, picture this: add a can of drained clams, your trusty dollar store should have them cheap, add a touch of salt, and for an extra zip for lunch today, I added a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Yummy stuff, gives the illusion and hint of bacon.

Try it, I'll bet you're going to like it!

Sorry, no pictures here for this, it's already down the hatch, lol.

So as I sit here on the first official day of spring break 2012, I look forward to hopefully educating and amusing whoever out there in cyberspace feels my blog is worth a look.

Cream Garlic Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Sorry folks, no picture for this one, but the recipe was requested.

I'm throwing the original recipe up here. I found it online somewhere. I can't remember where. After the original, I'll tell ya what my changes were.

1 1/2 pounds uncooked linguine

1 1/2 sticks butter

3/4 cup white wine

1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese (or Parmesan)

6 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain

Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in wine, cheese, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Increase heat to medium then add the shrimp. Cook 3-5 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Do not overcook.

To serve, ladle sauce over the top of each serving of pasta. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This recipe goes great with garlic bread and Caesar salad.

......................

Ok, that's the original. Now here's what I did different:

I used just a regular pound box of pasta.

I used chicken broth instead of white wine (which I didn't have at the time)

I used Parmesan only

I probably used a LOT more garlic than called since I love garlic.

I added a bunch of squirts of dijon mustard.

When I made this, I used the exact amount of liquid and being American, I threw the sauce into the pasta in the pot I boiled the pasta in. The pasta absorbed a bunch of liquid, which was no big deal, when I reheated it each time I ate it, I just threw some butter on it and put it in the microwave. I think next time I make it, I'll double the sauce recipe.

You try it, see what you think.