Crockpot recipe of the week

Tonight I tried something new with beef.

Spicy Beef Sandwiches

1 small roast
1/2 cup of water
1 packet of Italian dressing seasoning
1 3 oz can of diced jalapenos

Mix ingredients and pour over roast. Cook on low 8 hours. Shred and serve on buns.

We loved this! I was a little concerned that it was going to be too spicy after sniffing it and tearing up. But, the peppers cooked down a lot and the flavor toned down. They were spicy but not overly so. I recommend. It was so easy because prep took like 2 seconds.

Crockpot recipe of the week

I usually cook with my crockpot 1-3 times per week. I decided that each week I will test and add a new crockpot recipe for readers to try. I will also rate it so if it's not good you won't have to waste your time!

Don't be afraid to cook with a crockpot if you work all day. I used to plug mine in with a Christmas light timer set to go on at enough time to be done cooking when I walked in the door from work. It always turned out. And crockpots are made to cook all day, they are not a fire hazard. It's the easiest way to have dinner ready when you get home! I like to plug crockpots whenever I can. They are my favorite appliance. :)

Anyway, this week we tried this (and as always my edits will be added):

Slow Cooker Oriental Chicken

1 broiler/fryer chicken cut up ( I used boneless chicken thighs)
2 TBS vegetable oil (I did this totally different. I did not cook the chicken beforehand. I just threw the thighs in with the sauce. This is what I usually do with chicken and pork. I have never had a problem and it always turns out really tender. Ok, back to the recipe...)
1/3 cup soy sauce (low sodium here)
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS water
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon ground ginger
slivered almond
I also added a few splashes of orange juice

If you choose, brown the chicken with the oil. Or just throw it in raw. Mix the sauce separately and top the chicken. Cook on low 4-5 hours. Before serving, top with slivered almonds.

We really liked this. I served it over instant brown rice with a side of steamed veggies. Drew liked it quite a bit. If Drew likes something I cook, it must be really good because he is picky.

From scratch...

I have been trying to save money by making as many things from scratch as I can. I have found that two things I love : whole wheat bread and granola are much better when made from scratch. So good in fact, that I doubt I will ever buy granola again.

Here are the recipes. If you try them and like them, please let me know! And just a note: since I rarely ever follow recipes exactly as written, I will add my edits in parentheses.

Stovetop Granola

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups rolled oats (I used 3-3.5)
  
• 1/3 cup butter (I used Light Smart Balance. I am a healthy freak like that)
  
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

(I also added some ground flaxseed, raisins, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and vanilla)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oats then cook and stir until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out on a cookie sheet to cool.

Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat. Stir in the honey and brown sugar (and cinnamon, flax and vanilla, if you choose); cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Return the oats to the pan. Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so. Pour out onto the cookie sheet and spread to cool.

Once cool, transfer to an airtight container and stir in the almonds and dried cranberries (and raisins, sunflower seeds, etc. Anything else that sounds good actually!)

Warning: Don't start snacking on this while warm. It goes pretty fast. Not that I know from experience or anything.


Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients

2 cups warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 tablespoon honey
5 or 6 cups flour (3 cups of regular and 2 cups of whole wheat flour)


Directions

I cheat a little. I use my breadmaker dough function to make the dough. It takes 1.5 hours to complete the cycle. I then take it out and do the rest by hand. I do this because sometimes my breadmaker gives the bread a weird taste when baked in there. Anyway, I take the dough out, split it into two even balls and roll it out by hand. I shape it into a loaf by folding each corner in to the center and then rolling. Place it in a pan covered with a dishtowel for 30 minutes to rise. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

I will add pictures of these things tomorrow. My camera is dead.

Christmas Bread

Many have asked. Here's the recipe for the fabulous cinnamon swirl bread I made for Christmas.

• 1 cup warm milk
  
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 cups bread flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• FILLING:
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• GLAZE:
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 4 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In bread machine pan, place the first eight ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons water or flour if needed).
2. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Brush with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place seam side down in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Cover with foil; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove form pans to wire racks to cool completely. Combine glaze ingredients; spoon over loaves.

After they cooled, I wrapped each loaf in foil and then tied a pretty Christmas bow around it with a name tag for the recipient's name on it.

I am tired. But tomorrow, I will post a few more recipes of things I have recently made.

That's right, I'm domestic

I have been wavering back and forth over starting this blog for awhile. I finally decided to do it.

During the holiday season, I baked homemade bread for Christmas gifts. Drew's uncle made the comment, "wow, Stephanie, when did you become domestic?" He had a point. Before Drew and I were married, my kitchen skills were sad. I ate instant mashed potatoes and cooked on a George Foreman in college. I didn't even know how to patty a hamburger. That's sad. As I got married and the years passed, I started becoming really interested in food and cooking. I read cookbooks for fun. I acquired a crockpot (and then 3 more. yes, I have four crockpots) and started experimenting with those. Pretty soon, I was cooking more and more and found that I am quite good (despite what Drew says). My recent challenges have been trying to make more foods from scratch (bread, granola, etc).

So, this blog is basically just a place to post the recipes I have tried, share recipes with others, and show my domesticity!