Slow Cooker Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Potatoes

 

 This recipe comes from the category of “what do I have in my pantry to throw into a slow cooker?”
 Do you ever do that? After taking a quick inventory, I realized I had a few Yukon Gold potatoes that needed to be used. I’ve also been working on finishing some of the items in my freezer before they get burnt. So that landed me with a package of boneless chicken thighs. So far so good. Add a few sauce ingredients to the equation, and there we have it! Easy right? (BTW, I must say that having a supply of home canned ingredients such as fresh mushrooms is always a good thing for occasions such as this!)
 It turned out so good that I immediately wrote everything down! This was too good and too easy not to share! Especially at this time of year when kids are starting back to school, schedules are crazy, and you just need to get dinner on the table. All you need is a steamed veggie and maybe some fresh buttered rolls to sop up the delicious sauce. SO good! Definitely keep this one in the rotation!



2-3 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1-2 cups canned button mushrooms, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Fresh parsley for garnish, if desired


In a large slow cooker, add the potatoes first, then add the chicken pieces on top.
For the sauce, simply stir together all remaining ingredients. 
Pour over the chicken. Cover.
Cook on low, for 4 - 4 1/2 hours, but no longer.
That’s all there is to it!
If you’d like a thicker sauce, remove the chicken and potatoes to a serving plate. 
Make a slurry of 2 tbs corn starch and two tbs water. 
Whisk into sauce, and turn the slow cooker to high. Let it cook for an additional half hour. 

Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Serve with your choice of green veggie for a pretty presentation. 




Tips:
The most important thing with this recipe is your cooking time. Many recipes instruct you to cook chicken in a slow cooker for 7 or 8 hours, or even longer. That’s WAY too long. Poultry just doesn’t take that long to cook. You definitely don’t want to wind up with rubbery and/or dry chicken. 4 hours, 4 1/2 tops. That’s it. If you need the extra time, start with frozen chicken. That’ll buy you another hour…-ish.
Don’t have cream of mushroom or celery soup? Use any kind of condensed cream soup you have! You could also make your own cream sauce, if you feel so compelled. Who am I to stop you? 
Want to make it cheesy? Add a handful or two or shredded Cheddar or Gruyere Swiss cheese over the top for the last hour. 
Want to add veggies? Baby carrots would be great.. add them with the potatoes.. or peas… just add them for the last hour of cooking time. I served mine with steamed green beans on the side and it was the perfect accompaniment. . 
The seasonings are just guidelines. Want to add a lot of black pepper? Go for it. Want to use fresh thyme instead of dried? Definitely. I added a sprinky dink of dried onions too, just for funsies. You could also add a splash of white wine to the sauce. OOOH that’s actually a great idea, come to think of it!
Wanna use boneless pork chops instead? Great! NOW you can increase your cook time to 7 or 8 hours. 
I used my own home canned mushrooms, but you do you. Canned, fresh, whatever you like, and as much as you want. It’ll all work!

Joey's Pineapple Peach Salsa

 

 Every summer, I always look forward to diving deep into the canning season, preserving all of my favorite Jersey produce. Of course I can never get enough of my Jersey corn and tomatoes, but the other favorite is PEACHES! I love to do jars of peaches in syrup, peach jam, spicy peach chutney, and of course I can't let the summer end without making jars of fabulous peach pie filling. 

 But just when I thought I was finished with all of my peach canning, I went to my favorite farmers market, and the peaches looked so gorgeous and so fabulous, I just knew I had to find yet another something to make. And then I thought, "wait.. why have I never canned peach salsa??" THIS was the thing I had been missing!!

 So then I wondered how I could switch it up a little, just to add a little spin to make it fun and new. I looked at a few of the other ingredients I happened to have on hand. And then I thought aha! Pineapple! Here's the thing.. I always like to keep fresh pineapple at the ready because I use it just ALL the time. Very often, when I'm making jam, I like to pair different fruits together, and the one fruit that goes with literally everything is .. you guessed it.. pineapple!! Not even kidding.. I've paired it with all kinds of berries, mangoes, tomatoes, and even fresh basil (yes, pineapple basil jam is amazing!) And so I figured... since I had made pineapple peach jam before, why not put them together again to make salsa! Perfect. 

 Next thing you know, I had a giant pot simmering on the stove, and it turned out to be one of my favorite things I've ever made! So much so that I ran out of it in less that two weeks, and needed to make another batch. Who knows, I might even need to make a third one! Either that, or I need to make bigger batches!

 So if you like a fruity salsa that's both spicy and sweet, give this one a try. It's great on everything! Yes, of course, you can serve it with a bowl of tortilla chips... or on a cracker with a schmear of cream cheese... but it's also fabulous on grilled chicken.. or pork chops... or better yet.. try it poured over some air fryer salmon. Absolutely DELICIOUS! Time for another trip back to my favorite farmers market!

 

 

 

4 cups fresh peaches, diced
2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
2 cups tomatoes, diced
2 cups red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, finely diced

2 jalapeño peppers, finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lime juice
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs paprika
2 tbs corn starch (or Clear Jel if canning)

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot over medium heat. 
Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. 
Let it continue to simmer for about 20 minutes. 

For canning:
Fill pint jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. 
Use the waterbath or steam canning method to process for 15 minutes. 
Note- this exact recipe was not officially tested, but was based on an officially tested canning recipe. 


Tips:
The peaches, pineapple, and tomatoes should be a slightly larger dice, the peppers and onions should be more finely diced, and the parsley and garlic should be very finely minced. I also included the jalapeño seeds. I just think it tastes better that way. But hey, you do you!
If you're canning, you definitely need to let it simmer for a good 20 minutes. It helps remove the air that is in the peaches, which leads to more successful canning endeavors. Also, cooking it down really mellows the heat factor. Time will do that too. After a while, the heat will dissipate quite a bit. So if you want to keep the heat, go a little heavier with the crushed red pepper flakes and maybe add a little cayenne pepper. 
Yes, I know I didn't explain all the canning how-to. If you'd like to learn, Youtube is your best friend. 
You can also read all you need to know from the National Center For Home Food Preservation. 

Joey's Potato and Green Bean Salad

 

 

 One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is potato salad. Well, specifically My Mom's potato salad. Not to brag, but my Mom used to make the best potato salad in the history of ever, and you'll never convince me otherwise. She would boil a 5 lb bag of red potatoes... dice celery, onions, and hard boiled eggs...  and then make a fabulous dressing with mayonnaise, mustard, and her secret ingredient, evaporated milk. It was smooth and velvetty and comforting and fabulous and absolutely delicious! EVERYONE always loved it. The only thing is, I can only ever make 5 lbs of it at a time! I mean, that's the recipe, so that's what you do!

 So this time, since I was only making a small batch, I thought I'd save Mom's famous potato salad for another time, and just do a simple salad instead. I remembered many years ago, my brother Denny made a fabulous summer salad with potatoes and green beans, so I thought I'd run with it. I seem to think he did a raspberry vinaigrette, but I just stuck with my favorite Good Seasons mix. I added some tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella and basil, and there it is! Simple, light, and perfectly summer-y! Plus it's a different take on a potato salad. I think I need to keep this one in the rotation!

 

 

 

Salad:

Baby red potatoes

Fresh green beans

Red cherry tomatoes

Yellow cherry tomatoes

Small fresh Mozzarella cheese balls

Fresh basil leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Vinaigrette:

1 pkt Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbs honey

1/2 cup vegetable oil

 

 

 

Place potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Place it over high heat. Add a handful of salt to the water and stir until it dissolves. While they're cooking, cut your green beans into 2" lengths. Boil potatoes until fork tender. Using a large slotted spoon or a spider strainer, remove potatoes to a sheet pan to cool. Now place your cut green beans into the same boiling water. Boil just a couple minutes until desired doneness. While they're boiling, fill a bowl with water and ice. When the beans are done boiling, immediately plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking and set the bright green color. Strain. 

To assemble the salad, slice the potatoes, tomatoes, and cheese balls in half. Toss everything in a bowl with basil, salt, and pepper. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the dressing mix, vinegar and honey. Gradually pour the oil in a steady stream while whisking. You could also just put all the vinaigrette ingredients into a tightly sealed mason jar and then shake shake shake. Gently toss all salad ingredients with as much dressing as you like. 

 

 

Tips:

As you can see, I listed the ingredients, but not the amounts. Just add as much or as little as you want, depending on how many people you're serving. 

Feel free to add or omit any ingredients to suit your taste. 

Not a fan or balsamic vinaigrette? Use whatever dressing you like!  

 

 

Crab and Corn Chowder

 

 

 

 Every summer, all I want to eat is fresh Jersey produce. And if I’m not eating that, all I want to eat is seafood. So I figured, why not make both?
This recipe pairs fresh sweet Jersey corn with luxurious lump crab meat. It's a match made in culinary heaven! It's also rich and decadent but still light at the same time. It works perfectly as a first course as well as a main dish. Serve it with a crisp leafy salad, or better yet, some warm crusty bread. 
It just doesn't get any better! 




5 strips of bacon, cut into lardons
1 small onion, finely diced
3 ribs of celery, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups any kind of stock (chicken, seafood, vegetable, etc)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, or more to taste
3 cups corn, preferably fresh, about 3-4 ears)
1 pint half and half or heavy cream, plus more to taste
1 lb imitation or fresh lump crab meat
Chopped chives or green onions, for garnish


In a large pot, cook the bacon lardons over medium heat. When the fat is begins to render, add the onions, celery, peppers, and potatoes. Stir and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Now add the wine, stock, salt, pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning. Bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a low simmer. Continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the corn, give it a good stir, and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Now add the half and half and crab meat. Gently stir and bring it back up to heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Garnish with chopped chives or green onions, if desired. Serve with saltines, oyster crackers, or warm crusty bread. 

Tips:
This recipe is perfectly adaptable to fit whatever ingredients you have on hand. The ingredients and amounts are just guidelines. For the bacon, any kind will work. Thick, thin, pancetta, guanciale, anything. For the aromatics, any kind of onions, any color bell pepper, any kind of starchy potato. And feel free to add as much as you like. Do you like a lot of potatoes? Add a lot of potatoes! Same goes for the stock. What kind do you have? Chicken stock? Perfect. Shrimp or seafood stock? Great. I made a stock from the fresh corn cobs and it was fabulous. You could even use bouillon. You do you! For the dairy, I used half and half because I think it’s the sweet spot between milk and heavy cream. If you only have heavy cream, go for it! If you want to use regular milk, I’d add a little melted butter, just to keep it nice and rich and velvety. 
For the crab, I'm fine with using imitation. I usually don’t mention specific brands, but in this case, my favorite is Gadre Surimi Style Snow Legs. But if you feel compelled to use fresh lump crab, all the better! Just be VERY gentle when stirring it into the soup so you can keep all those gorgeous lumps intact! Wanna add other seafood like shrimp or lobster? Why not?! 

Btw, not only is this a great chowder, but it's also fabulous as a pasta sauce. Just leave out the potatoes, and toss it with your favorite cooked pasta! Oooo.. that sounds kind of fabulous, actually. 

I think I need to make another batch!