December 12, 2011: Crock Pot Chicken and Potatoes Recipe

Here’s another easy way to cook the ever popular chicken in the crock pot. Especially during these hectic weeks around Christmas and New Year’s, it’s a real blessing to be able to put dinner in the crock pot in the morning and come home at night to a fully cooked meal.

All the ingredients in the crock pot, ready to cook all day on low.

Crock Pot Chicken and Potatoes

1 T. olive oil

6 – 8 garlic cloves, peeled

1 medium-sized yellow or white onion, cut into big chunks

2 large white potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 t. fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped

2 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

2 T. butter

1 t. dried sage

½ t. paprika

½ t. garlic salt

¼ t. cumin

1 t. Montreal Chicken Seasoning (McCormick Grill Mates)

Set your crock pot heat to high. Add the olive oil, garlic cloves, onions, potatoes and fresh rosemary. Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on top of the vegetables. Melt the butter and add the seasonings. Pour over the top of the chicken; sprinkle with Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Cover the crock pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 – 6 hours (or 7 – 8 hours on low).

Optional: Just before serving, heat a skillet to medium high. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down. Cook for a minute or so, just until skin crisps up.

Variation: For something a bit different, use yams in place of white potatoes and a Vidalia (sweet) onion in place of yellow or white onion.

Serve chicken over vegetable mixture and add a green vegetable, such as peas or green beans, for a complete meal.

Serves 4

November 29, 2011: Hawaiian Sausage Skewers Recipe

As the holidays bear down upon us (along with all those advertisements showing perfect houses and presents and families to make us feel guilty), chances are your to-do list is growing while the time available to do all those chores gets smaller and smaller. On those hectic weeknights when you don’t have any social obligations, a quick and easy dinner is in order. Try this recipe to use a couple ingredients you’re sure to find on sale at the grocery store right now: pineapple and sausage.

Hawaiian Sausage Skewers

1 one-pound package smoked link sausages, such as Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage, cut into 1 ½” long slices

½ fresh pineapple, cut into 1 ½” chunks

½ large white or yellow onion, cut into large chunks

1 cup Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce

Thread the ingredients in alternating fashion onto skewers (you’ll need about 8 skewers or so, depending on their length). Spray a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place skewers on broiler pan and brush with half of the barbecue sauce. Broil for about 6 – 9 minutes, until pineapple and onion begin to char. Remove from oven and turn over; brush with remaining barbecue sauce. Broil for another 5 minutes or so, until completely heated through.

Serves 4

Tip: This is really delicious served with rice, plain or cheesy. If you don't have any Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce already made, any type of fruity barbecue sauce will do.

November 28, 2011: German Style Green Beans

Here’s a quick and easy side dish that’s just a bit different. I call it German style because it reminds me of my grandmother’s recipe for hot potato salad.

Tip: this is a great way to use up a few slices of bacon and the last of a bag of fresh or frozen green beans.

German Style Green Beans served with macaroni and cheese for a simple, easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love.

German Style Green Beans

2 cups fresh green beans (or about half a large package of frozen green beans)

2 slices bacon

¼ cup chopped onion

1 t. diced pimiento

1 t. dried minced parsley

1 T. brown sugar

1 T. apple cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Boil green beans in a pan of water until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

In same pan, cook bacon slices (you may have to cut them in half to fit) until crisp. Remove to a paper towel. Do not drain bacon grease. Add onions and sauté over medium low heat until tender, about two minutes. Add remaining ingredients and heat through.

Serves 2 – 3

November 26, 2011: Turkey Leftovers Tetrazzini Recipe

Have you had your fill of turkey sandwiches yet? If so, try this yummy main dish recipe to use up more of your turkey and stuffing leftovers.

Turkey Tetrazzini

8 ounces thin spaghetti

2 cups shredded cooked turkey

3 T. butter

8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded white cheese (such as swiss or mozzarella)

½ cup diced green chiles

1 t. dried parsley or 1 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1 t. salt

½ t. black pepper

1 cup prepared stuffing (optional)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Add turkey to spaghetti and place in greased pan.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook until soft. Add half and half, cheese, chilies, parsley, salt and pepper. Heat through. Pour over noodles and turkey. Top with stuffing, if using (if not, cover with foil).

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil, if using, and cook an additional 5 minutes to brown top of casserole.

Serves 8

Tip: Don't have any half and half on hand? Substitute 2 cups milk and add 1/4 cup flour to the onions and mushrooms at the end of sauteeing.

November 20, 2011: Mom’s Classic Turkey Stuffing Recipe

Everyone has their traditional stuffing recipe, which seems to vary greatly according to location. When I was growing up in Wisconsin, this is the recipe my mother made every year. After years of watching her do it, I was pressed into making the entire Thanksgiving dinner just before she died and had to call upon my memory to make it just like she used to. Since she never measured the ingredients and neither do I, I’m estimating here so please feel free to experiment with seasonings that are to your liking.

Please note you can use a box of dressing, such as Mrs. Cubbison’s brand, instead of the plain bread cubes but I prefer the unseasoned kind, which I can find in my grocery store’s bakery at Thanksgiving time. Also, my mom always chopped the turkey giblets and added them to the stuffing but my family just wouldn’t eat it knowing they were in there so I usually omit them. But if you’re willing to try it, you really can’t taste the giblets alone, although they do impart a good flavor to the stuffing.

Mom’s Turkey Stuffing

One 1 lb. package bread cubes, unseasoned

Giblets from turkey, cooked and finely minced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 medium-sized Granny Smith apple, diced

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

Salt, to taste (about a teaspoon)

1 t. dried sage or 1 T. fresh sage, minced

2 t. dehydrated parsley or 2 T. fresh parsley, minced

1 t. poultry seasoning

1 can chicken broth

3 T. butter

Toss bread cubes with remaining ingredients. Let sit for five minutes, so bread has time to absorb liquid, before stuffing into turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in a greased casserole dish and bake alongside the turkey during the last hour of roasting.

November 15, 2011: Southwestern Cornbread Stuffing Recipe

This is a recipe I found online some many years ago and used one Thanksgiving as a spicy, Southwestern stuffing that was perfect to show my New Mexican heritage. If you want something a lot on the different side to stuff in your Thanksgiving turkey this year, this recipe fits the bill!

This is the chorizo I buy in my grocery store; don't get the dry, Spanish type chorizo for use in this recipe.

Southwestern Cornbread Stuffing

6 cups cornbread, crumbled

½ lb. chorizo sausage

½ cup white or yellow onion, minced

1 can cream style corn

½ cup chopped mild green chiles (freshly roasted or canned)

1 T. fresh cilantro, torn or cut into small pieces

¾ cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the cornbread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until toasted. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a skillet, cook chorizo until done, breaking up into small chunks. Drain. In the same skillet, cook the onion just until soft.

In a large bowl, toss together chorizo, cornbread and remaining ingredients. Use mixture to stuff a 10-12 pound turkey or bake in a covered casserole dish for about an hour at 325 degrees (or next to turkey).

Tip: Make the cornbread several days before Thanksgiving, if desired.