Mar 20

Sweet ‘n’ Tangy Chicken


Okay, dig out your crock pot from the back of the cabinet to make this delicious recipe! If you don’t own one you don’t know how much of a help this appliance can be.
The aroma from this dish while cooking will make you excited for dinner again. Most of the ingredients you probably already have on hand, so it will be a cinch to put together. You can replace one of your boring weekly chicken dinners with this one. I serve this with white rice, but it would go nicely with mashed potatoes, or egg noodles. Enjoy.

1 med. onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3lbs boneless, skinless chicken
2/3 c. ketchup
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. hot sauce
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. cold water

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine onion and garlic; top with chicken. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, chili powder, basil, salt, pepper and hot sauce; pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over chicken.

Mar 15

Green Velvet Cupcakes

This one is for St. Patty’s Day, and they are delicious. The recipe is from the Cooking Channel’s website swapping red food coloring used at Christmas time for green. I don’t normally make the red, but thought this would be fun and different. For this recipe they used a food processor to mix the batter. This was a first for me, and it worked great.

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons green food coloring
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, mix the sugar with the eggs, oil, yogurt, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Blend until just incorporated.

Place paper cupcake liners into a muffin pan, and divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, pouring only halfway so the batter doesn’t overflow. Bake, rotating halfway through, for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and let cool before frosting.

To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and butter and beat until completely combined. On low speed, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, then beat at highest speed until thick and creamy. Add the vanilla to the mixture and beat until combined.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Mar 13

Creamy Cheddar Cheese Grits

Grits. Never thought I would be eating grits. Here in the south, shrimp and grits are very popular, and the grits are made with cheese. Ahhhh! Put cheese on anything and I will eat it! I’m not sure I would like plain grits though; I need flavor with my food. If you love cheese and haven’t tried grits yet, give these a try and you will be a fan.

4 Tbsp. butter
4 1/2 c. milk
4 1/2 c. water
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 c. uncooked quick cooking grits
1 (8 oz) block sharp white cheddar
cheese, grated

Bring 2 Tbsp. butter, and next 5 ingredients to a boil in a medium size Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter until melted. Serve immediately.
Yields – 8 1/2 cups

Mar 10

Chicken Marinara with Pasta

Have you ever looked at a recipe and thought it looked complicated so you didn’t try it? This was one of those, so I changed a few things and it came together easier. The first time I make a recipe I make it as it is written and make changes from there. I need to see where the author is coming from. Not all changes work, but after trying a few things you tend to figure out what ingredients are good additions to most dishes. Sometimes it may just be a preference like in this recipe, it called for a can of chopped tomatoes, but we preferred the crushed tomatoes. Not every recipe is one you will like, but if there is something you can add or change feel free to.

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried basil, divided
2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 can(28oz) crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
8 oz. fusilli or rotini pasta
1(lb) boneless, skinless chicken
breast, cut into 1/4″ wide strips
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Mix 1 tsp. basil and 1 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper; sprinkle over chicken. In a pot heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook stirring, until no longer pink in the center, 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add last 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan. Add onion, garlic, and the rest of the basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste; stir and cook for about a minute. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Return chicken to the pan and toss with pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving.
4 servings

Mar 05

Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup

I watched Giada DeLaurentiis make this on the Food Network a few years ago, and I have been making it since. It is quick and delicious. Perfect for a cold night with a slice of fresh baked bread, or a grilled cheese sandwich. Sprinkle Parmesan or feta cheese over a bowl full…..Yum! If you don’t plan to eat this right away add the pasta 10 minutes before you do which will prevent the pasta from swelling so much. Remember to adjust the amount of pepper flakes to your family’s taste for heat.

3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (26oz) jar marinara sauce
2 (14oz) cans chicken broth
1 (15oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 C. pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the jar of marinara sauce, chicken broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Feb 29

Pineapple Cheddar Spread

This is a spread that when you first look at the ingredients you might think…..what, they don’t go together. Trust me, they do. I only use 1 tsp. of the soy sauce to cut down on the salt. Though this is great anytime, you could definitely use this for a speacial occasion. Try it on crackers or celery.

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
2 C. (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (8oz) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 C. chopped almonds, toasted
1/4 C. finely chopped green pepper
2 Tbsp. finely chopped green onions

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, mayonnaise and soy sauce until smooth. Beat in the ceddar cheese, pineapple, almonds, green pepper and onion. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yields-2 1/2 cups

Feb 25

Flank steak marinade

This is one of the great marinades I use when I grill a flank steak or a skirt steak. If you’ve never used one of these cuts of beef give them a try. They are used when making fajitas. Because they are a tougher cut of meat you will need to slice them thinly going against the grain of the steak. This makes for tender slices which are also great for a nice steak salad–Yum! This week I sliced the steak and served it with a dish of spanish rice and some sweet black beans. Whichever way you decide to serve your steak–enjoy!

1/2 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. canola oil
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
3 Tbsp. steak sauce
2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 Tbsp. liquid smoke, optional
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 beef flank steak (1 1/2 lbs)

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first eight ingredients; mix well. Add the steak, seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and discard marinade. Grill steak, covered, over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness. Slice steak across the grain.

Feb 22

Pickled Peppers and Onions

Welcome again to my new blog! My first recipe is one I made for the first time this past weekend. I took it along for our visit with the in-laws for a taste test and it passed. Pickled peppers and onions are a great condiment for anything you’d like it on. We put it on hamburgers, hot dogs, and hot roast beef sandwiches. To start out with I only used 1/4 tsp. of pepper flakes and it wasn’t hot at all so make it according to your family’s taste for heat. Enjoy

1/2 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 red, yellow and green bell pepper, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 C. white vinegar
6 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 C. water

Soak onion slices in ice water to cover in a small bowl 10 minutes; drain. Place onion slices and bell pepper strips in 1 (1-qt.) canning jar. Bring vinegar, next 3 ingredients, and 1 cup water to a boil in a small nonaluminum saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Pour hot vinegar mixture over vegetables in jar. Let stand, uncovered, 1 hour. Cover and chill 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Feb 03

Welcome!

Welcome to StirMyPot!  Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment if you find something that interests you.