Bourbon Chicken in the Crockpot

Now this is a meal I know my husband would have loved.  He was a bourbon man - Jim Beam!  That is what I was bought him, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries.  Jim Beam and only Jim Beam. 

This is a very easy dish to make.  You probably have to run to store to get the bourbon.  If you are not a drinker like me, just buy a small bottle because you don't need that much.

I found this recipe on the "Spend with Pennies" website.  How I ended up there, I have no idea.  This is the second time I have made this recipe and it is good.  Oh, how I wish I had made this for my husband, he would have loved it.  Oh well.

Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless chicken thighs
3 T cornstarch
3 T water

Sauce:

1/2 t fresh grated ginger (or just a few dashes of ground ginger)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 t crushed red chili flakes (I omitted because I don't like spicy)
1/3 cup apple juice
1 1/2 T honey
1/4 cup brown sugar (doesn't matter if it is light or dark)
1/4 cup ketchup
3 T cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Stir all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.

Place the chicken in the crock pot and pour the sauce over the top of the chicken. 

Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3 hours (**it was ready on low for me in about 5 1/2 hours)

Remove the chicken and chop into bite size pieces. 

Add 3 T of water to the 3 T cornstarch and whisk together.  Turn the cooker up to high (if it isn't already) and pour the cornstarch mix into the sauce. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken, add the chicken.

I served this over rice.

Entire Recipe:

Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless chicken thighs
3 T cornstarch
3 T water

Sauce:

1/2 t fresh grated ginger (or just a few dashes of ground ginger)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 t crushed red chili flakes (I omitted because I don't like spicy)
1/3 cup apple juice
1 1/2 T honey
1/4 cup brown sugar (doesn't matter if it is light or dark)
1/4 cup ketchup
3 T cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Stir all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.

Place the chicken in the crock pot and pour the sauce over the top. 

Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3 hours (**it was ready on low for me in about 5 1/2 hours)

Remove the chicken and chop into bite size pieces. 

Add 3 T of water to the 3 T cornstarch and whisk together.  Turn the cooker up to high (if it isn't already) and pour the cornstarch mix into the sauce. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken, add the chicken.

I served this over rice.

Verdict:

This is really good!!  I made this before and both my son and his girlfriend loved it.  I know this would have been a huge hit with my husband.  Definitely a winner in my family!!

Spinach Pie

I haven't posted on here in a long time.  I apologize.  I have been trying to get adjusted to my life as a widow and baking/cooking for only one.  I used to love baking for my husband.  With him being gone, there was no one to bake for.  I just started baking again for other family members.  So I hope to do more posting this coming year.

I found this recipe in the Allrecipes Magazine.  It sounded good and I had some of the ingredients.  I did have to compromise quite a bit, but I don't think that mattered too much.  I will note what I substituted with an **

Spinach Pie

Ingredients

2 T butter
2 T chopped onion
1 16 oz. pkg frozen and thawed chopped spinach ** (I had a bag of fresh spinach which I torn in pieces)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whipping cream or half and half ** (I used regular milk)
salt and pepper
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese ** (I didn't swiss cheese, so I used shredded cheddar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375
Using a 9 inch pie plate, spray with Pam or a similar cooking oil
Melt the 1 T of butter in a skillet, add chopped onions and cook until soft. 
Add the spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Spread the spinach/onion mixture over the bottom of the pie plate.

Beat the eggs, whipping cream/half and half (or milk), salt, pepper, and nutmeg and pour into the pie plate.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top and dot with the remaining 1 T of butter.
Bake until set and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Entire Recipe:

Spinach Pie

Ingredients

2 T butter
2 T chopped onion
1 16 oz. pkg frozen and thawed chopped spinach ** (I had a bag of fresh spinach which I torn in pieces)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whipping cream or half and half ** (I used regular milk)
salt and pepper
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese ** (I didn't swiss cheese, so I used shredded cheddar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375
Using a 9 inch pie plate, spray with Pam or a similar cooking oil
Melt the 1 T of butter in a skillet, add chopped onions and cook until soft. 
Add the spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Spread the spinach/onion mixture over the bottom of the pie plate.
Beat the eggs, whipping cream/half and half (or milk), salt, pepper, and nutmeg and pour into the pie plate.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top and dot with the remaining 1 T of butter.
Bake until set and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.
Enjoy!!

Verdict:

I thought it was good, but felt it was lacking something.  My panel of experts (my son and his girlfriend) agreed with me.  My son thought maybe adding bacon to it would make a difference.  Will I make again, probably but might try it with chopped bacon bits.  Adding cooked sausage to it would make a great breakfast pie, just a thought.  It was easy to make and you can whip this up very quickly.  I think my husband would have liked this. 












































































.30

Chicken (Tuna) Divan

The recipe is really Tuna Divan, but since I didn't have any canned Tuna but a can of "chunk chicken," I decided to improvise! (I wasn't in the mood to make a wild dash to the grocery store!)

I found this recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens' Healthy Family Cookbook,  It is a very simple meal to make.  I did make a few changes.  The recipe calls for using margarine (shutter!!).  That is one word you will never hear in this household!!  We only use BUTTER!!

Tuna (Chicken) Divan 

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces or fresh asparagus (I used broccoli)
1 T margarine (UGH!!) - butter please!!
1 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 T all purpose flour
dash of nutmeg
1 t lemon juice
1 6 1/4 ounce can of water pack tuna , drained (I used 12 ounce can of chunk chicken, drained)
4 slices of swiss cheese (I only had shredded swiss ).
dash of paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In a large saucepan, cook broccoli or asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.  Arrange in 2 quart baking dish.

For the sauce, melt the butter/margarine and stir in the milk.  In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt with the flour and add to the sauce pan.  Stir until the mixture is thick and bubbly.  Add the nutmeg, some pepper and lemon juice.

Arrange the tuna/chicken over the cooked vegetables and pour the sauce over them.

Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the baking dish and lay the cheese over the hot casserole.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

Entire Recipe:

Tuna (Chicken) Divan 

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces or fresh asparagus (I used broccoli)
1 T margarine (UGH!!) - butter please!!
1 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 T all purpose flour
dash of nutmeg
1 t lemon juice
1 6 1/4 ounce can of water pack tuna , drained (I used 12 ounce can of chunk chicken, drained)
4 slices of swiss cheese (I only had shredded swiss ).
dash of paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In a large saucepan, cook broccoli or asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.  Arrange in 2 quart baking dish.

For the sauce, melt the butter/margarine and stir in the milk.  In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt with the flour and add to the sauce pan.  Stir until the mixture is thick and bubbly.  Add the nutmeg, some pepper and lemon juice.

Arrange the tuna/chicken over the cooked vegetables and pour the sauce over them.

Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the baking dish and lay the cheese over the hot casserole.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

Verdict:

I thought it was pretty good.  I don't think I would have liked it with the tuna.    I would have added some spice to the sauce because I thought it was rather bland.  I will have to experiment with that.  Overall, I thought it was pretty good.  Would my resident expert have liked it?  I think he would have.   
 

Chicken and Barley Bake

I haven't done a lot of baking or cooking since I lost my husband back in January.  It is hard cooking for only one. 

I have decided it is time to get back to eating healthy again.  I really wasn't eating "healthy", just a lot of "quick" type meals - breaded fish and such.  So I got out my various cookbooks and planned a menu from them for this week.  All new recipes that I have never tried before  

This is my first one on my menu.  It is from the The Big Book of Healthy Family Dinners by Better Homes and Gardens. 

Chicken and Barley Bake

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, skinned
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 tsp instant chicken boullon powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1.2 tsp poultry seasoning

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350
Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels
Spray an unheated large skillet with Pam or something similar (I used olive oil)
Add the chicken and brown on each side for 10 minutes

Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Combine the onion, carrots, barley, water, boullon, garlic and poultry seasoning into the same skillet.  Bring to a boil.

Pour the hot barley mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and arrange the chicken pieces on top

Cover and bake for about 1 hour.

Enjoy!!

 

Entire Recipe:

Chicken and Barley Bake

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, skinned
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 tsp instant chicken boullon powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1.2 tsp poultry seasoning

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350
Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels
Spray an unheated large skillet with Pam or something similar (I used olive oil)
Add the chicken and brown on each side for 10 minutes
Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Combine the onion, carrots, barley, water, boullon, garlic and poultry seasoning into the same skillet.  Bring to a boil.
Pour the hot barley mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and arrange the chicken pieces on top
Cover and bake for about 1 hour.  

Verdict:

I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe.  I wasn't sure if I would like or not with the pearl barley.  But it was really good.  I think next time I will cut the recipe in half since this makes 4 servings.  (the dogs and cats did like it also - LOL!!!)  Yes, this is a keeper recipe.  I do think my husband would have liked this.

Minestrone Soup

Cooking for one has become my new "adventure."  All the recipes I see usually make servings for 4 or more.  Of course, that is why they invented the freezer!!    Also, my son and his girlfriend have enjoyed "the extras."

With Bobby being gone, I am not that motivated to do much cooking and baking anymore.  He loved to eat and I loved baking and cooking for him.

I have been making a lot of soups.  Soups cover a lot of ground - you have your veggies, rice or pasta, and sometimes meat or chicken.  So it has to be healthy.  And soup usually freezes well!!

I made this soup a couple of months ago before he died and he loved it.  It is so easy to make and I had most of the ingredients.  The hardest part is chopping all the veggies.   So soup it was for dinner last night!!

I watch alot of the PBS CreateTV  shows(I do not have cable) and I found Ellie Krieger.  She was demonstrating this soup and it looked good.   As I said I had most of the ingredients, I will ** where I substituted.

Ellie Krieger's Homemade Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 large onion, diced 
2 ribs celery, diced 
1 large carrot, scrubbed well, then diced 
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced**I didn't have a pepper, so I omitted 
1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces), diced 
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
1 teaspoon dried basil 
1 teaspoon kosher salt ** I omitted because I am pre-diabetic 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
28 ounces canned, no-salt-added crushed tomatoes 
48 ounces (6 cups) no-salt-added vegetable broth or chicken broth 
15 ounces canned, no-salt-added small red beans, drained and rinsed** I didn't have red beans, so I used Great Northern Beans 
1/2 cup dried, whole-grain elbow pasta 
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for garnish** I just had plain ole Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heats, add the onion, celery, carrot and bell pepper; cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.

Add the zucchini, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. 
Partially cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, then add the beans and pasta.

Uncover; increase the heat to medium-high just long enough to return the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the pasta and vegetables are tender.

Ladle the soup into individual bowls and sprinkle the cheese on top!

ENJOY!!!

The Best Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe

I haven't done much baking or cooking since I lost my husband, but I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website and I was looking for a way to use up left over chicken.

The original recipe calls for using 2 1/2 lbs of bone-in chicken thighs.  But since I roasted a chicken the night before, I just used the left over chicken instead.  I will place ** in the recipe where the chicken thighs are used.

Taste of Home Chicken Noddle Soup Recipe

Ingredients
  
**2-1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs 
**1-1/4 teaspoons pepper, divided 
**1/2 teaspoon salt 
**1 tablespoon canola oil 
2 to 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced  
10 cups chicken broth
4 celery ribs, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 
3 cups uncooked egg noodles about 8 ounces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Directions

** Pat chicken dry with paper towels; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and salt. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches, skin side down; cook until dark golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; remove and discard skin. Discard drippings, reserving 2 tablespoons.

 Add onion to drippings; cook and stir over medium-high heat until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil. (Add cook chopped chicken if not using the chicken thighs)  Return chicken to pan. Add celery, carrots, bay leaves and thyme. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, 25-30 minutes.

**Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add noodles; let stand, covered, until noodles are tender, 20-22 minutes.

 **Meanwhile, when chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat into bite-size pieces. Return meat to stockpot. 

Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning with salt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove bay leaves. Yield: 10 servings (3-1/2 quarts). 

Comments:

My son and his girlfriend LOVED this soup!!  I plan on making this again.  It also makes your house smell really good!!! 

I lost my best friend.

I haven't been on here for a while, 

My husband had a series of operations the last several months.  He had stents put in an artery in his leg in October.  And after passing out twice in two weeks at work, a stress test revealed his main artery in his heart was 90% block.  On January 2, he had a left heart catherization done and a stent was placed.

January 20, 2018, he suffered a major heart attack and passed away.  I lost my best friend.