Slow Cooker Curried Chicken

Missy, here. Sharing a recipe I discovered yesterday while trying to find something to make with a package of chicken thighs I had bought (my first time to try them). I found the recipe at Foodnetwork.com.

Here's the original: Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

Of course, like usual, I didn't have all the ingredients I needed. I didn't have canned tomatoes. (What kind of person runs out of diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes AND tomato sauce all at the SAME TIME?!) So here's my adjusted recipe…

Sauce:
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp flour
2-3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp garam masala (plus more to sprinkle on chicken)
2 tsp curry powder (plus more to sprinkle)
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 fresh tomato, coarsely chopped or cut in wedges with juice 
1 inch piece fresh ginger (peeled and coarsely chopped)
½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper (plus more to sprinkle)

Other ingredients:
1 lb. red potatoes cut in half-inch pieces (leave the peel on)
6 chicken thighs, skin removed
5 oz package of baby spinach or other greens (I used baby kale, spinach and arugula).

Put sauce ingredients (everything except potatoes, chicken and greens) in blender or food processor. Blend until almost smooth (a little chunky is fine).

Cover bottom of slow cooker with the potatoes.

Top with the chick in a single layer. Sprinkle spices on the chicken.

Pour sauce over the top. Cook on high 4 hours or low 6 hours. I did mine about 4 hours on high, then turned to low until dinner time. It was tender as anything and fell right off the bones.

When ready to eat, remove the lid, pour in the greens, and stir until wilted.

This was so tasty!! Not spicy at all, just very flavorful. And very tender and moist. Just be careful of the bones! The chicken falls apart as you're stirring and leaves the bones behind. :)

Low Carb No Crust Pizza!!!!

The kids ate this in the space of a few heartbeats!!!!

When you're craving pizza but want to hang strong on the low-carb TV dial, this is a reasonable alternative.

It's very simple. It's got a pizza taste. The crust is total cheese, baked on its own and then topped, but I won't pretend it's like having a thick-crusted, chewy, authentic old-world Italian pizza. If I did, Tina Radcliffe would go all cement shoes crazy on me and I'd have to go to confession and it would be a mess, mess, mess!

So as it is, it's got great taste, it keeps you on your diet, but I'd have to eat the whole pan to call it a meal. And that might defeat the purpose. But the kids wolfed it like a crew of mad dogs, underfed. It was pretty funny!

Crust:

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic
1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix together with mixer. Spread in 13 x 9" pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Cool for ten minutes. Sprinkle with garlic and parsley.

Top with marinara sauce, cheese, pepperoni. (I don't know if you can heavier with this because the crust is flimsy.... So if you pile things on, it will all collapse.)  This was jarred sauce Bethy brought over and cheese from the 5lb. bag of shredded mozzarella from Sam's Club...

I love crazy big things from Sam's, Costco or B.J.s!!!

Now the pepperoni:

Bake for about 10-15 minutes until cheese melts and pepperoni crisps up slightly.

Let cool about ten minutes before trying to cut!  The cheesy crust sets up nicely once it's cooled a little, and the blend of flavors is marvelous... but be careful, toppings can slide right off the "cheese" crust! Too funny....

And this is what we were doing at other times during the week!!! The big kids had a half-day on Halloween so we had a pumpkin carving contest... Oh my stars, what kind of babysitter turns a bunch of kids loose with steak knives???????

Look how cool these came out!!!  The "throwing up" pumpkin won first place by a panel of middle school judges. Of course it did! GROSS RULES THE WORLD!!!!!

And then there's this!!!!

The Mighty Finn glomming on to a cinnamon roll and a chocolate donut because why wouldn't you do that if no one is watching you?????  Joslyn is watching him, and you have to wonder what she's thinking?????

"Can I take him? And if I do, will I get in trouble because he's just a wittle, bitty, sweet baby!!!"

How stinkin' cute are they???? And how much fun (and mess!!!!) there is in my life.

God is good, all the time!

Taking Back Thanksgiving

Today Christmas ads have taken the place of political ads. After a moment of relief, I realized there is no talk of Thanksgiving and I'm having trouble finding turkey napkins! I'm not a scrooge. I'm reading as many Christmas novels and novellas as I can and watching Hallmark Christmas movies. BUT....

This year I've had to be really conscious of gratitude and thanks.  I constantly have to remind myself which is why this quote is on my email signature:

 
Here are a few things big and small I'm thankful for this November:


1) My hair has finally grown out to my preferred style:

2) I reached RWA Pro status, meaning I am serious about this writing thing and lived through rejection letters:

3) Lawboy graduated and has been sworn in as a lawyer. We are still praying for a permanent job for him but are thankful he passed the Bar and is past the stress of school.

4) My dad could have easily died in his sleep but, thanks to his wife and a new pacemaker, he is back to hiking in the mountains at the age of 84!  Isn't he cute?

5) Speaking of hiking, my gratitude overflows that this guy of mine is back to hiking. Two strokes of the very rare kind since January, skin cancer surgery, and a bad appendix (yes, appendix removal can actually be scheduled and not an emergency) requiring surgery next week have honed my ability to see the good in everything.  And yes, he was able to hike down into this canyon and then back up!

I have lots of other reasons to be especially thankful but these are a few of the major ones. Maybe you can see why I am all about Thanksgiving this year.

So, what are you especially thankful for this year? Has it been easy to be full of gratitude or have you had to work at it? What will you do to keep the focus on Thanksgiving during November?
 

Celebrating Soup Weather!

Yes! Daytime temps here in north Texas finally fell below the 70 degree mark. 

And, alert the media, we even dipped into the 30's at night. 

Okay, so that kind of weather won't be around for long. At least not here. That means we have to make the most of it, right?

Halloween was our, comparatively, chilly day and I wanted something warm, hearty and Trim Healthy Mama approved for dinner. Earlier in the week, a friend had shared a recipe she found for a Crock Pot version of Chicken Bacon Chowder that sounded so yummy I couldn't wait to try it.

You can find that recipe here. 

But since it was about 4:30 in the afternoon when I decided to make it, the Crock Pot was not an option. Plus I wanted to play with some of the ingredients.

Here's what I came up with.

You will need:

• Cooked chicken breasts (I used two because that's what I had, but would have preferred 3 or 4)
• 1  12 oz pkg Bacon, cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 3oz pkg of Cream Cheese
• 4 - 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream (more, if you like)
• 2 Tbs Butter 
• 1/2 of a large onion, diced
• 1/2 a bell pepper, chopped
• 1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 4 oz mushrooms, sliced (you can use more, or less, if you like)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tsp Thyme
• a couple shakes of red pepper flakes

First, we're going to cook our bacon. Talk about making mouths water. If you have people who are going to want to sample the bacon, then you might want to cook up a little extra. 

Once the bacon is crispy, remove from pan and drain off most, but not all, of the grease.

Then add your butter.

Once that's melted, add your onion, bell pepper and celery and saute until softened.

These look about ready. And yes, that's a different pan.

Here's where you get a little insight into how this blonde brain of mine actually functions. 

Hmm...I want to make the soup in my cast iron dutch oven, but I've got to cook the bacon.

But that won't work in the dutch oven, so I guess I'll have to start with a skillet.

Did it ever occur to me that I was cutting the bacon up?

Of course, not.

Insert head slap and keep going.

Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.

Sliced thin, they don't take long.

Now add your chicken broth.

Once that's good and heated, add your cream cheese.

I cubed mine up so it would melt faster.

Once the cream cheese melted, I added the cheddar.

You could add more than 4 oz, if you like, which is what I think I'll do next time.

Maybe more like 6 oz. Oh, just add the entire 8 oz. brick.

Then throw in your cooked bacon. Or whatever's left of it after everyone has had a taste.

Next comes the cream and the seasonings.

And, finally, the chicken.

Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, though you could definitely go longer.

And voila!

Low carb heaven in a bowl.

This is definitely one of those recipes you could play with to create different flavors.

Like maybe add a can of green chilies for a southwestern flavor. A little corn would work nicely with that, even though it would add some carbs.

The original recipe called for basil. Makes me think Italian, in which case I might add some Parmesan instead of cheddar, perhaps a little oregano.

I love recipes you can play with. Ones that start with a good base.

And with bacon as a base, what could possibly go wrong?

What would you add to yours?

Easy Deep Dish Apple Pie

Jan here, and yes! I did name this post EASY deep dish apple pie.

Easy as pie :)

Here's the recipe:

Easy Deep Dish Apple Pie

Ingredients:

4 or 5 apples - I used Granny Smith and Braeburn, but you can use your favorite

2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar

pie crust for a double crust pie, homemade or whatever :) (make it easy!)


Okay, start here: preheat your oven to 350°.

Next, get your pie crust ready. If you're using a ready made one, you're all set. If you're making your own, roll out the bottom crust so it's ready to use.

Find your favorite deep pan. I used my 10" cast iron skillet, but you could use a 9" x 9" baking dish.

Cut your apples into 1/2" chunks.

I use this handy gadget to slice and core the apples:

And then I cut the slices into chunks. Put the chunks in a bowl of water mixed with a couple tablespoons lemon juice until you're ready to use them.

Next, heat the 1/2 cup butter in your skillet until it's melted, add the 1 cup packed brown sugar. Heat the brown sugar and butter together - stirring constantly - for about one to two minutes. Remove from heat.

Remember, if you're baking your pie in a baking dish, cook your butter and brown sugar in a separate skillet!

Lay the bottom crust in the pan, on top of the brown sugar mixture.

Yes, you read that right. The crust goes on top of the brown sugar/butter.

Drain the apple chunks, and mix them with the 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 3/4 cup sugar. Pour the apples into the crust, and then top with another crust.

And yes, we went all rustic with this pie.

Pop it in the oven and bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 1/4 hour. Cover the pie loosely with foil for the last several minutes of baking to keep the crust from getting too brown.

And here's what it looks like fresh out of the oven. Beautiful, isn't it?

And we served it after church Sunday night. Everybody loved it :)

So, why the pie?

Because it's time to celebrate!!!! How many of us had deadlines on Friday or Saturday? I turned in my book right on time, so I made pie, and we spent Saturday enjoying the Hills.

We drove south to Wind Cave National Park. It was a beautiful day, and we saw plenty of wildlife.

Here are a couple of the Wind Cave bison:

That grass is pretty brown, isn't it? One thing about the short grass prairie is that the grass goes dormant about half way through the summer. Not dead, not dried out - it just stops growing. Because it isn't dried out, all the nutrients are captured in the grass and provide fabulous nutrition for the animals who depend on it all winter long.

Another thing about the Wind Cave bison is that they're more genetically pure than their neighbors in Custer State Park, just to the north.

I'm sure you know that the bison were nearly extinct in the late 1800's. One of the practices used to save the species was to breed them with cattle.

Any wildlife biologists out there? Genetic diversity is key to a healthy population, and that was the idea behind the cross breeding.

So some herds are more pure bison than others, and the Wind Cave bison's purity is somewhere in the high 90% range.

Look at the difference:

Wind Cave bison

Custer State Park bison. Don't mind the specks on the
picture - I took this one in May, and the bugs were
out in force!

From the shape of the horns to the depth and color of the mane, you can tell a real difference between these two. Just look at the front legs - see the heavy coat on the Wind Cave guy?

But differences or not, bison are bison, and I love watching them, wherever they live :)

Meat and potatoes

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back! I thought I'd try out some little Pinterest recipes. 

 I've heard these called hasselback potatoes but my friend says they're not hasselback if you don't add the beead crumbs. Which I didn't. So, get a large russet, slice very thin but not all the way through.

 Drizzle olive oil, making sure to get in between each slice.

 Add salt, pepper, any kind of seasoning. One of my kids wanted theirs with Seasoned Salt and that was really tasty. I opted for salt and pepper.

 Place them on a sheet with foil, into the oven at 425F for 40 minutes.

 They turned out perfectly! Crispy, salty, savory. And all in one piece. For once, not a Pinterest fail!

 

 I'm sticking this here because it's a bit too simple for its own post. My friend told me she makes delicious oven fries and the simple trick is to rinse in ice cold water to get off the starch that the potatoes leak when you cut them, pat dry and then put on the oil and salt. WOW. Big difference!

Yummy.... I cooked mine with a big piece of Kielbasa sausage and then sliced the sausage into individual servings. With some honey mustard and a big red pepper, my husband thought it was pretty tasty. Not a real vegetable in sight!


OOOPS! Sorry this post is so late! I had it set for the 8th. I'm finally ahead of myself... but it's not in a good way, haha. I came over here and thought, "Did I make soup? I don't remember making soup." Lol

Take care and see you all next time!