EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Happy Labor Day everyone! I am off from work today but I still need to labor around my house. Everyone still expects food and clean clothes at the very least. So I am brining some chicken right now to be put out on the grill later this afternoon. I hear it is supposed to keep the chicken really moist and not dry out and become stringy. So I thought about putting some side dishes in my crock pots because I do plan on some pool time today. One of my favorite side dishes is eggplant parmesan. Ok, I have a confession.  I actually made this last week when the Food Network was tweeting about eggplants being friend or foe. I thought about it a while and decided that I loved eggplant whether it was fried or put into a casserole. So I got out my recipe for oven baked eggplant parmesan. I decided I was too lazy to fry it so I just put everything in the crock pot and of course it turned out so tender and cheesy we ate it all. I think for casseroles the longer something cooks together it gives the flavors a chance to infuse properly.  Eggplants are in season right now and this recipe was so good that I am making it again today. So my pictures will be from last week’s dinner. This recipe would also work really well for a Meatless Monday if you doubled it. I have even heard of people putting tofu in it as protein or even beans. I have tried mixing Italian sausage in it but I really prefer it without any meat. So I think if eggplant is your friend you would really enjoy this recipe. Takes a little time to prepare but since we cut out the frying it can go together much quicker without all the mess.

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 large eggplant

1 can of petite cut tomatoes

½ onion, chopped

½ of a green bell pepper chopped

1 ½ cup of grated cheese ( I used mozzarella this time, sometimes I use cheddar or whatever you have on hand)

1 cup of breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. of Italian seasoning

1 egg

DIRECTION: I used my 2 quart crock pot for this recipe. If you doubled it a  4-5 quart crock pot would be big enough.  First I peeled my eggplant because I wasn’t going to fry it first and I don’t care for the skins. Then slice it and salt it and leave it to sit for 30 minutes. This will help pull out any bitter taste in the eggplant and allow it to be tender and not so mushy after cooking. Next scramble the egg in a small bowl and set to the side. Then take the breadcrumbs and add the Italian seasonings and salt and pepper on a small plate. Wipe the moisture from the eggplants. Then dip the slices in egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs and place in the crock pot. Remember to spray the crock pot with PAM first. Then add some chopped onion and bell pepper, then some tomatoes, and top with some cheese. Then repeat the layers until out of eggplant with the last layer cheese. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

 

 

 

BANANA BREAD IN THE CROCK POT

 Okay my question is what does 3 overly ripe bananas and an empty crock pot make? They answer is banana bread! Usually I make banana muffins but this time I decided to try banana bread in the crock pot. This bread is more like dessert bread that’s a little denser but every bit as tasty. The only problem is you need to find a glass bowl or crock bowl that will fit in your crock pot to bake the bread in. So I was looking franticly through my cabinets trying to find a bowl to use when I had one of those aha moments. I looked up and saw one of my smaller crock pots. A 2 ½ quart size that fit perfectly in my 6 quart crock pot. Now I have another reason to have more than one crock pot. Who would have thought to put a crock pot inside of  a crock pot? Well it worked perfectly and my dessert was done by midnight after 4 hours of cooking. Yes I decided to start it about 8 o’ clock. So we had dessert  at midnight and then finished it off for breakfast the next day. My suggestion would be to start this a little earlier in the afternoon to have for dessert but it was well worth the wait.

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs

½ cup of softened butter

1 cup of sugar

2 cups of flour

1 tsp. baking powder     

½ tsp. of baking soda

½ tsp. salt

3 medium bananas mashed

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the butter, eggs and sugar in a medium size bowl and mix well. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 cup of flour. Then add the last cup of flour and mix well. Then add the mashed bananas. Next butter a small glass dish and pour the mixture in. Place in a 6 quart crock pot and cover and cook on low for 4 hours. When done the bread should bounce back to touch and the top will be slightly brown.

                                                  

 

HONEY SESAME CHICKEN

 During my staycation I decided that I would try to do one of those multiple freezer to crock pot meals for busy days  that I have been seeing on the internet. I thought at first I would start out slowly so I picked out 5 recipes for chicken and 5 for beef and wrote down all the ingredients I needed. My idea was to go to the store and figure out what was on sale chicken or beef. Chicken won out with skinless boneless breasts for $1.99/lb. So I get home with 10 lbs. of chicken and a look of you’re crazy, “that’s too much chicken and I hope we are not eating chicken all week!” from my daughter. After dinner I started gathering all my supplies for all 5 meals. I used 4 of our favorite chicken recipes and then chose one new recipe called honey sesame chicken. My daughter came in and started taking pictures and ended up helping in the meal preparations. Well about an hour and half later, a little arguing with the daughter on how to do it exactly and a glass a wine (for me only) we were done. Yea! 5 chicken dinners done! Of course I was happy it was over. Will I ever do it again? Maybe, maybe not.  On one hand it seemed to take all my creativity away because I had to follow a recipe and couldn’t use whatever I had on hand. I have been known to do a lot of substituting. On the other hand I did have 5 dinners done.

 So with all my money spent on chicken we tried the new recipe for dinner last Thursday night and immediately wished we had doubled the recipe. It was that good even my mother wanted seconds. The meal went together really quick and easy and clean up was a breeze. I sprinkled the sesame seeds on last and served it over rice.  It was even better as leftovers for lunch the next day. A little trick I did learn with the freezer cooking was to put the meal first in a crock pot liner bag, twist tie it , then place in a freezer bag and write instructions with a marker on the bag. Then just defrost the dinner in the refrigerator and remove the gallon freezer bag and place the meal in the crock pot, untie it, cover and cook It, and then throw the bag away.  Maybe later I will try the beef recipes later if I find a good sale on beef. I think I probably would have more fun if I did both beef and chicken, invited some friends over to make a lot of them up, and had a few more glasses of wine. So finally after my long post is my new favorite chicken recipe. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

 

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 lbs of boneless chicken  
1 cup of honey
½ cup of soy sauce
½ cup of diced onion
¼ cup of ketchup
2 tbs. of vegetable oil ( I used olive oil)
2 cloves of minced garlic
¼ tsp. of pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tsp. of cornstarch dissolved in 6 tbs. of sauce after it’s cooked to thicken the sauce
Sesame seeds for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot with PAM or use a crock pot liner like I did. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken and place in the bottom of the pot. Combine the rest of the ingredients except the cornstarch and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2- 2  1/2 hours. Then remove the chicken from the pot. Add about 6 tbs. of cornstarch to the sauce and stir till all the lumps are out. Allow the sauce to thicken a little. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and return to the pot. Return the chicken to the pot and mix thoroughly.  Serve over rice or noodles and garnish with sesame seeds.

 

BALSAMIC FLANK STEAK

The heat index was 105 last Friday so I decided I should use my crock pot instead of the grill. But I was a little upset at not getting my balsamic flank steak I had been craving. So I decided to give it a go in the crock pot and I wasn’t disappointed. The recipe turned out awesome!  The steak was juicy and tender. The taste was tangy and sweet. The gravy had a good consistency for dipping or going over homemade mashed potatoes or rice. I loved it but my family wasn’t too enthused by it maybe because of the tangy flavor from the balsamic vinegar?  On the grill the marinade caramelizes more and the meat doesn’t shred as much. But the overall taste was there and I didn’t have heat exhaustion from standing over the grill. Maybe I should title this Shredded Balsamic Flank Steak instead? I will of course have to use my grill more when it cools off some. The leftovers were a little messy but  wonderful on my French rolls for lunch on Saturday. I have also used the balsamic vinegar BBQ sauce for grilled chicken and loved it. I’ll have to give it a try with the chicken in the crock pot next time. I’m sure it will come out just as juicy and favorable as the flank steak.  
 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:  

1-2 lbs. of flank steak

BALSAMIC VINEGAR BBQ SAUCE

1 cup of balsamic vinegar

¾ cup of ketchup

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 tbs. of Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs. Dijon mustard

3 cloves of minced garlic1/2 tsp. of salt

¼ tsp. of ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot with PAM. Combine all the ingredients for the balsamic BBQ sauce together in the crock pot. Then add the flank steak and cover with sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7- 8 hours.

  
 P.S. I am trying out a new light box that I DIY  this week. Don't know if it's going to help or not with my picture taking yet.

SWEET N SOUR PORK AND POTATOES

I came upon this recipe from Robin Miller from Food Network one morning and thought it looked quick and easy and good. Now I didn't have a pork roast but I did have 5 thick pork chops that was probably a roast before they were chops so I decided to give it a try. I just stood the pork chops up together and it turned out wonderful. The pork was very tender and it had kind of a tangy flavor. The potatoes were perfectly cooked and infused with the flavor as well.  Now we had plenty of leftovers so I shredded the rest of the pork and I am saving it for dinner tonight. I am adding some BBQ sauce and Monterrey Jack cheese and having pulled pork quesadillas. I can't wait I know they are going to be really good. I love leftovers especially when you can turn them into a totally different dinner. I'll probably have to break out the margaritas with this tonight and celebrate my staycation. My stay at home vacation starts today so I will have 2 weeks off to sit by my pool, sip margaritas, and try new recipes in my crock pot. I am thinking about trying some of those freezer crock pot recipes where they shop, cut up, and bag everything all in one day and have like 25 meals ready to go at any time. I think they could come in very handy especially for those days when you just don't feel like cooking or you have a last minute party at work. I have seen several different variations of these on Pinterest and Zite so its just about tweaking them to my family's likes and dislikes. Haven't seen any freezer recipes for desserts or breakfast yet. Maybe I will work on those this week. Let me know if you have any recipes for the freezer. I'd love to try them out and post them for others to enjoy.   

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 lb pork roast
½ cup of ketchup
2 tbs. Of red wine vinegar
2 tbs. of soy sauce
2 Tbs. of brown sugar
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp. of Dijon mustard
4-5 butter yellow potatoes
1 medium onion

 DIRECTIONS:

Spray the crock pot with PAM. Wash the potatoes and then chop them into one inch cubes. If using the yellow butter potatoes the skin is so thin you won't have to peel them. Throw them in the bottom of the crock pot. Next slice the onion into half moons and put on top of the potatoes. Place the pork roast on top of the onions. Then rub the roast with the minced garlic. Mix together all the other ingredients and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 -10 hours.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

Well I lost a good friend this week. It was a little sad but not totally unexpected. My friend, the best I could decide was a 1970'S model. It was one of the older models where you had to carefully wash the inside out without getting the cord and heating element wet. No easy clean up like removing the stoneware and putting it the dishwasher. The knob was super glued together at one time and only has settings of Low and High. Nonetheless it has served me well; just being a 4 quart I used it mainly for small meals and desserts. I can clearly remember the last meal we shared together. Well really it was a dessert that was really awesome. What a way to go out still delivering hot delicious food. The inner stoneware ware is cracked and has begun to split so I think that retirement is in order. I really hate to get rid of it. I will probably just take it out back and plant a pineapple top in it or something so that when I look out my kitchen window I can remember the good times we had. Anyway I am going to post for my weekly recipe this awesome apple dumpling dessert. I couldn't believe that the crescent rolls on top had some crunch to them and the dumplings on bottom were covered with a cinnamon glaze that was finger licking good.  The smell that permeated throughout my kitchen and den was just heavenly. It really overshadowed my chicken cordon bleu I had in the other crock pot. We wanted to eat dessert before dinner. So here is my latest great find. I really think you will enjoy these dumplings especially served hot with a little ice cream on top. You could even substitute pears or peaches for the apples and it would be just as wonderful. I’m going to try that soon. I'll let you know how it turns out.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans of crescent rolls

2 granny smith apples

1 stick of butter

1 cup of white sugar

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup of Mountain Dew or lemon – lime soda

DIRECTIONS:

I would really recommend using a cooking liner for easier clean up or just really spray your stoneware good with PAM. Next cut your apples into 8 slices a piece. Wrap a crescent triangle around each slice of apple and place in the crock pot. Just pile them up. Melt the butter and add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over the dumplings and be sure and get down to the dumplings on the bottom. Then take your cup of soda and pour all over the top. Then cover but prop open the lid with a wooden spoon during cooking. This will let the water evaporate and make your house smell wonderful. Cook on high for 4 hours or until the dough is brown and cooked. Serve while hot with a scoop of ice cream or cool whip if you're watching calories. We reheated them the next day and they we really good and gooey. 

SWEET AND SPICY SALMON IN FOIL PACKETS

Another busy week has gone by and like usual I didn't get everything accomplished I wanted to. I did however get to try several new things in the crock pot. One of them was this sweet and spicy salmon in foil packets. Now this was real quick and easy to make but I think I cooked it a little too long so I adjusted the cooking time by a half an hour. I really enjoyed the salmon it had good flavor. It was sweet but not very spicy and just a little dry.  I will have to increase the red pepper next time and add a marinade to the dry rub to help with the dryness. My plans are to revamp the recipe soon and try a few more with tilapia. Cooking in foil packets made the clean up so easy and the usual fish smell was minimized by the crock pot.The fishy odor didn't seem to linger near as long as they would of in the hot oven. I also had enough room left in the crock pot to throw in some foil wrapped corn on the cob. I added a toss salad and my low cal meal was complete. Now yes my dinner took about 3 hours to cook, but you have to remember it only took about 10 minutes to prepare it and then I walked away with some free time to myself. Next week I have several new ideas to try like apple butter rolls and green chili cheesy chicken. 

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. of salmon

2 tbs. of brown sugar

½ tsp. of crushed garlic

½ tsp. of oregano

½ tsp. of kosher salt

1 tsp. of cumin

1 tsp. of paprika

½ tsp. of red pepper

Aluminum foil

DIRECTIONS:

Spread a piece a foil on the counter and place the salmon in the center. Mix all the other ingredients together in a bow. Rub the top of the salmon with the mixture. Go ahead and pour the rest of it on top of the salmon. Fold up the foil to make a packet. Place in a dry crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 2-1/2 hours or on low for 3-4 1/2 hours until the fish flakes easily with a fork.