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!

Sausage and Cabbage Tortellini Alfredo

 

 

 Now that we're in the blazing heat of summer, I find myself being less gung-ho about cooking a big meal. Does anyone really feel like dealing with a hot oven?? I think not. But then again, how much take out food can we really stand before we get sick of it? (And lets not even talk about how it can break the bank.)
So I started looking for ideas.
Hmm.. I was thinking maybe something for the stove top (no hot oven).. something in one pot (no extra dishes to wash) and something that is quick and easy to throw together. Right.
Then I saw someone on the tick tocks making a Sausage and Cabbage Alfredo. Oooo YUM. That's it! So I gave it a try. Sounds delicious, right? WRONG. I made it exactly as it was written, and it was absolutely terrible! It was so over seasoned, I couldn't even eat it. Crazy, right?? Of course, I should have known better. I knew it seemed like too much seasoning as I was cooking it. Ah well. Live and learn, I suppose. But I still loved the idea, and I knew I could do better, so I started over.
First and foremost, I knew the smoked sausage would have enough spice for the entire dish, so I literally cut out all other additional seasonings. I didn't even add salt. It was all already ready already. 
Second, I knew I could make my own Alfredo sauce, but frankly, I was going for the super easy short cut, so I just used a jar of Prego and called it a day. I'm certainly not above using a jar of marinara sauce for spaghetti, so I'm definitely not above using a jar of Alfredo sauce.
And finally, I decided to add bacon and tortellini, because why not?
Let me just say, OMG it was absolutely delicious!!! THIS, Ladies and Gentleman, was what this dish wanted to be all along. It also fits all the criteria and it came together in a snap.
Bonus, it feeds a crowd and you won't break the bank. Perfect, right?? 
So keep this one in mind the next time you don't really feel like cooking. I promise your family will thank you!


5 or 6 strips bacon, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 lb any kind of smoked sausage, spicy or mild, sliced into coins
1/2 of a medium green cabbage, cored and sliced into ribbons
1 14oz jar purchased Alfredo sauce (I like Prego) 
1/2 sauce jar of milk
1 lb cheese tortellini 
Parmesan cheese


Place the bacon in a cold large pan or dutch oven over medium heat, not too high. Let the fat slowly render. Now add your sliced onions and sausage coins. Continue to sauté and stir over medium heat until the meats begin to brown and the onions begin to soften. 
Add your sliced cabbage. Give everything a good toss. Cover. Let it steam for a few minutes, then remove the cover and toss again, making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to wilt the cabbage until crisp tender. Now add the tortellini and jar of Alfredo sauce. Fill the jar halfway with milk to rinse out the remaining sauce and add to the pot. Gently stir everything to combine. It should only take a few minutes to heat through. When the tortellini is done, you're ready to serve. Sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese over the top. Garnish with a little chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Tips:
Be sure to start out with a big pot. I have a big enamel plated cast iron pot that works nicely. 
If your bacon doesn't give you enough fat to sauté the sausage and onions, go ahead and add a little olive oil. 
There's no need to add any extra liquid for cooking the tortellini. The cabbage gives off enough moisture to take care of it. If you find that the sauce is too thick for your liking, add a little drizzle of milk.
Feel like making your own Alfredo sauce? Who am I to stop you???
If you're counting carbs, just cut out the tortellini. 
Don't like tortellini? Pour it over wide egg noodles or rigatoni! Just cook them according to package directions. Easy!  

Tomato Relish

 If you know me, you know how excited I get every summer for our fabulous Jersey tomatoes. From the end of July until the end of August, I’m making weekly trips to my favorite farm market, Stella’s. And I’m buying as many baskets as I can. Then the canning starts. Everything from stewed tomatoes to homemade marinara to salsa to just straight up quarts of peeled tomatoes. They all go into my canner and onto my shelf to be enjoyed all year. And of course, you know it wouldn’t be summer without my favorite tomato sandwich… fresh slices of tomato with a generous slather of mayonnaise on toasted bread. HEAVEN. Does it get any better than that? I think not. 
 So anyway, last summer, I was looking for fun new recipes for canning tomatoes, and I found this recipe for tomato relish on a YouTube channel called Cooking with Lee. It was an immediate favorite!!! Really basic simple ingredients, easy to make, perfect for my summer canning. I gave some to my friend, Jason, and he told me it’s one of his favorite things that I’ve ever made. Like ever. Really? Well OK then! So, you KNOW I’m keeping this in the summer rotation. Actually, come to think of it, I might need to make a second batch. It’s just that good. So, thank you, Lee, for your fabulous recipe. I’ll definitely look forward to making it every year! 


10 lbs tomatoes
3 1/2 lbs onions
1/3 cup salt

5 cups vinegar
5 cups sugar
3 tbs mustard powder
2 tbs curry powder
1 tbs cayenne pepper

First, blanch and peel the tomatoes:

Cut an X into the bottoms of all the tomatoes, then plunge each one into rabidly boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove to an ice bath. The peels will slip right off. Place the tomatoes in a big pot. 

Slice onions into half rings. Place on top of tomatoes in pot. Don’t stir.
Pour salt over onions. Don’t stir.
Cover and leave at room temperature for several hours or overnight. Drain all liquid.
Add vinegar to the pot. Bring to a boil.
Add sugar. Bring back to boil. Stir in spices. 
Reduce to simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Skim any foam. 
Reduce relish by about 1/3. Add a slurry of water and corn starch (or clear jel, if canning) 
Simmer until slightly thickened to desired consistency.

For canning:
Ladle hot relish into hot pint jars. Process in water bath canner for 15 minutes. 


Tips:

Serve this relish anywhere you'd use ketchup. It's great on a burger, hot dog, or meatloaf. It's also fabulous on fries. It's also delicious poured over a block of cream cheese and served with crackers.

Want it to be spicy hot? Add more cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. 
The recipe doesn’t say to chop the tomatoes, but I always cut them into chunks. It’s just easier that way. Same thing with the onions. It says to slice into half rings. I just use my handy dandy chopper to dice them. I think it gives a better final result. 
If you’re planning on canning, be sure to use Clear Jel instead of regular corn starch. Clear Jel is a modified corn starch that is specifically made for it, and one should never use regular corn starch when canning. 

Joey’s Corn and Zucchini Skillet Sauté

 I recently hosted a dinner for some of my DEAREST friends in the whole wide world, and decided to do a classic summer menu. We had oven barbecued chicken and ribs, we had baked beans and potato salad, we had a fabulous chilled gazpacho, and of course a big pitcher of home made sweet tea. 

 When I was planning the menu, I knew I wanted to do something with fresh corn. (You really can't beat Jersey corn!) Then I saw a version of this recipe online and I thought, Oh! Perfect! Of course, I changed a few things here and there, because I can never leave well enough alone, and I had to make it my own. I was thrilled with how it turned out, and it was a BIG hit at dinner. I thought, well, this one is staying in the rotation! I think its beauty is in its simplicity. Just a bunch of summer veggies sautéed with a little bacon. How can you go wrong? Plus now you have a new something to do with all that zucchini from your garden. Win/Win! Give it a try!

5 strips bacon, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups fresh or frozen corn

4 cups zucchini, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

a drizzle of heavy cream

 

 

Add your chopped bacon to a cold pan. Turn on the heat to medium, not too hot. You want to gradually render the bacon fat. Give it a stir every so often until it's slightly crisp but not brittle. Add your chopped onions, bell pepper, and corn. Stir and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften. Do be afraid to let them get a little color as you go. Now add your diced zucchini. Give everything a good stir. When the zucchini begins to cook down, add your salt, pepper, and a drizzle of heavy cream. You don't want it to be swimming in cream, you just want to add a little richness. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. 

 

 

Tips:

When you're chopping your veggies, you want everything to be about the same size. I found it VERY helpful to use one of those handy dandy choppers that you see floating around the interwebs. You know, the kind where you put a half of an onion down and then slam it closed, pushing the onion through. HIGHLY recommend!

Use any color bell peppers you like. I used red because I liked the pop of color. Yellow or orange would look pretty too. And if you'd like to add a little zing, add some minced jalapeño or serrano peppers. 

Don't have a red onion? Use whatever you have!

To make this vegetarian, just omit the bacon, and use butter or oil in place of the bacon fat.  

 

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

 

 

  

 

One of my favorite things about summer is that I get to enjoy all of my favorite Jersey produce. I swear I go to the produce market at least once a week and buy TONS of fruits and veggies for canning and roasting and making jams, you name it. 
 So, recently, I had a bunch of bell peppers and figured I’d do something with them, but what? I thought, well, pepper steak is the obvious choice, right Then I realized…wait.. after all these years, do I not have a go-to pepper steak recipe??? What is going on??? Clearly I needed to remedy this!
 I was originally thinking of using my wok, but then I figured it would be a lot easier to just throw it into the slow cooker and let it cook all afternoon. Perfect! This is a  version of a recipe from All Recipes and it’s absolutely delicious. If you’re a fan of pepper steak, then this one is for you! Also, if you still don’t have a slow cooker, what are you waiting for? No time like the present!




2 lbs beef sirloin, London broil top round, or flank steak, cut into 2 inch strips
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced 
2 large green bell peppers, sliced
2 large red bell peppers, sliced
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp white or brown sugar
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
2 cups beef stock, divided
2 tbs corn starch

 

 

 

In a large skillet, over medium heat, sear the beef strips in oil until brown on both sides. Do this in batches so as not to crowd the pan. While the beef is searing, place all other ingredients in a slow cooker, except the beef stock and corn starch. After removing the last of the beef from the skillet, pour 1 cup of stock into the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits. Add that liquid to the slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3 1/2 - 4 hours. After the cooking is done, make a slurry with the corn starch and remaining cup of beef stock. Add to slow cooker. Let it continue to cook and thicken. Serve over rice, riced cauliflower, or mashed potatoes. 



Tips:
This makes a very saucy pepper steak. If you’d prefer less sauce, just cut the stock down to 1 cup total.
If you’ve never tried riced cauliflower, you should! It’s as easy as buying any other frozen vegetable, and it absolutely works instead of rice, especially for those of us who happen to be counting carbs. Just sauté in a skillet with a little butter. Delish!

Hot Dog Relish

 

 When I decided to do a recipe for Hamburger Relish, I figured it's only fair to make a hot dog relish as well, dontcha think?? So here it is! This is basically a version of a recipe I found on a website called Our Country Life. Yes, it's the perfect condiment for grilled hot dogs, but it's great for other things too! Serve on grilled hamburgers, sausages, or anywhere you’d like a sweet tangy hit of mustard. It's also really great added to deviled eggs or potato salad. I also like it served with a thick juicy ham steak. SO good! 

 So if you're a mustard person, you need to add this to your pantry! Yum!

 

 

 

3 lbs cucumbers
1 lb onions
1 cup bell peppers, green and red

2 tbs mustard powder
1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard
1 tbs ginger powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp celery seed
1 cup sugar
1 cup water 
2 cups white vinegar

2 tbs Clear Jel or regular corn starch, optional




Finely chop all veggies. Add to a large pot with all remaining ingredients.
Bring it up to heat, reduce to a simmer. 
Let it simmer for at least 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies cook down a bit. 
Be sure to stir from the bottom to make sure it doesn’t burn. 
If it gets too thick, just add some water until you reach your desired consistency. 

Store in the fridge or freeze in ziploc bags. 

For canning:
For 1/2 pint or pint jars, leave 1/2 inch head space, process in a water bath for 10 minutes. 

Reminder.. when canning, you must use clear gel instead of regular corn starch, if using.


Tips:
Before storing or canning, be sure to taste it and make adjustments. Would you like it to be sweeter? Add more sugar. Would you like to it be more tangy? Add more vinegar. Would you like a stronger mustard hit? Add more yellow mustard. You could also add other kinds of prepared mustard.. ground, Dijon, spicy brown, it all works!  Would you like some heat? Add some minced jalapeños or other hot peppers.
One other thing…
Many pickling recipes say to salt your vegetables for several hours and then rinse them before pickling. This is mainly to extract some of the moisture and preserve a crunchy texture for your pickles or vegetables. I don’t like a crunchy relish, so I just threw everything into a pot and let it cook. Any moisture that the salt would have extracted will evaporate during the cooking time anyway, so I just skip the salty step. But if you do a lot of pickling and you’d prefer to salt everything, who am I to stop you???!! :)

Hamburger Relish

 

 How do you like your burger? Just cheese? No cheese? Lots of fixins? Or just plain?

When you think of it, there's literally no limit to the way you could fix a burger, but for some reason, we always go back to our tried and true favorites. For me, I'm a fan of lots of cheese, ketchup, and some sweet pickle relish. Occasionally, I'll add a slice of tomato and some lettuce, but that's about it.  

 So when I saw this recipe for hamburger relish, I was all over it. I make TONS of different relishes, so this one needed to be included on my wall 'o jars. It's my version of a recipe I found on a website called Shifting Roots, and it's exactly what you want in a hamburger relish. It's kind of like adding ketchup to regular pickle relish, but it's SO much more. It's light and fresh and definitely worth the effort. Perfect for burgers ! (It's great on hot dogs too!) Especially if you like ketchup and relish. 

 Are you a burger person? if so, you need to make this! So good! 

 

4 cups finely chopped cucumbers (unpeeled)

2 cups finely chopped bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, and/or green)

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes

2 cups sugar 

3 cups white vinegar

1 tbs yellow mustard seeds

1 tbs turmeric

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs allspice

1 tbs ground cloves

 

 Add all ingredients to a large pot over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.  Let it continue to simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Be sure to stir from the bottom to make sure it doesn't burn. Let it cook down until you reach your desired consistency. Serve on burgers, hot dogs, or meatloaf.

 

For canning:

Always remember- hot jars, hot filling, hot water.

Fill your jars, leave a half inch head space, wipe rims, place your two piece lids, then process in a water bath for 15 minutes. 

 

Tips:

Most pickle and relish recipes start by salting your chopped vegetables and letting them sit for 8 hours or overnight. Then you rinse and drain them and continue with your recipe. This extracts a lot of excess water from the veggies making them more crisp, which is definitely what you want in a dill or sweet pickle. I decided to skip that entire step. Call me a rebel, but I just didn't see the point of it, since I would be cooking it down anyway. 

This makes a big batch, which is great for canning, but go ahead and cut this recipe in half if you don't need to as much.  

Strawberry Cobbler

 

 

 Here’s an easy PERFECT dessert for your 4th of July BBQ.  It's SO easy, you don't even need a mixer. 
I was looking for easy strawberry desserts, and I found this one from Preppy Kitchen. 
It's super easy (even for the novice baker) and it's so delicious, your guests will be fighting over the last bite. And it's an absolute MUST that you serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pretty sure it's a law. Top it with a few fresh blueberries and it screams 4th of July! That's just all there is to it.
Boom. 


2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
9 tbs unsalted butter 
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup milk 
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt



Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, stir together the strawberries and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Set aside to macerate. Add the butter to a 13x9-inch baking dish and place in the preheated oven until the butter is melted, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 2/3 cup of sugar. Add the milk and vanilla extract, and stir just until combined. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and pour the batter over the melted butter. Spoon the strawberries over the batter, leaving any extra liquid in the bottom of the bowl. 

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the batter is golden brown and the strawberry juices are bubbling. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

Tips:
When you macerate the strawberries, they'll give off lots of juice, which will make the cobbler too wet if you just dump the whole bowl in. The original recipe said to discard that liquid. Don't you dare!! Thats liquid deliciousness!! Use it as a fabulous syrup to pour over your finished cobbler, vanilla ice cream, waffles, or pancakes. 
Don't like strawberries? Use any other berries or stone fruit. Raspberries? Blackberries? Peaches? How 'bout a combination of fruits? Want to add some cinnamon? Go for it.  It will all work. 
I used salted butter because it's what I had on hand. That little bit of extra salt was actually my favorite thing. Use what you have! 
If your fruit is not as sweet as you'd like, just add more sugar. Frankly, I didn't even measure 1/3 cup. I just poured it over the berries and gave them a toss. Yum.

Southern Grape Salad

                            

 

 

 This is another easy throw together dessert that is perfect for your next summer event. There are actually many versions of it across the interwebs, but this one from Southern Living seemed to hit all the right notes, so I gave it a try. Omg it's so good!! Who knew?? It was cool, and refreshing, just like a fruit salad should be, but this one was also sweet and creamy, which just ticks all the right boxes. It sort of has an Ambrosia kind of vibe, but thankfully without the marshmallows. (No thank you very much!) Full disclosure, I halved the recipe because I didn't need such a big batch, but you make it to suit your needs. Keep it in the fridge until you're ready to serve, and I promise it'll beat the hottest summer day! 

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 lbs red seedless grapes
2 lbs green seedless grapes
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups toasted chopped pecans

In a large bowl, beat together, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and salt until smooth. Stir in vanilla then fold in grapes. Transfer to a serving dish. 
In a medium bowl, stir together, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over grape salad in serving dish. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve. 


Tips:
I must say my favorite part of this dish is the brown sugar and pecan topping. You think it's gonna be too sweet, but it's not, and the crunch is everything!
If you have more of the cream cheese mixture than you need, use it as a fruit pie topping or for topping for any other fresh fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, or peaches would be fabulous, just sayin'!

Southern Cheese Slaw

 Have you ever heard of cheese slaw? It's basically like a cousin to Pimento Cheese, and it's the perfect appetizer for your next get together. Is it cole slaw? Nope! It's just a shredded cheese dip that looks like cole slaw, hence the name. This recipe is from Southern Living, it's great on any kind of cracker, but it's also FABULOUS as a sandwich spread. Try it on its own as the filling for a grilled cheese or you could even top a big juicy grilled burger with it. YUM. If you're looking for something different, give this one a try. 

SO good!

 

1 lb Swiss cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 jalapeño peppers, finely minced
3/4 cup banana peppers, finely mined
2 medium scallions, finely minced

Simply stir all together. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. 
Serve on crackers, bagel chips, sandwiches or crudité.

 

 

Tips:

Ok, here's the most important tip... are you ready? SHRED THE CHEESE YOURSELF. Seriously, do not purchase the bag of shredded cheese because it just doesn't work. That cheese has a coating on it so it won't clump, and that's not what we want here. Just take 2 minutes and shred it yourself with a box grater, or food processor, or one of those trendy handy dandy rotary graters. It's definitely worth the extra effort!

Old Fashioned Bacon Beans

 

 

 Do you like baked beans as much as I do? For me, it just wouldn't be a summer BBQ without them. And I love trying different versions. I've made them with applesauce, maple syrup, pineapple... I've even made them with blueberries. But then I thought, "what if I don't start with the usual ketchup/tomato based sauce?" That would be a new variation all on its own! So I did some googling and this is where I landed. It's a tweaked version of a recipe I found on Food.com, and it's delicious! It's just as "baked beans" as the others, but since it's the bacon that really shines here, I decided to call them Bacon Beans. What's not to love? Make them for your next BBQ or camping trip, or any time you'd like a quick and easy side dish. 

 If you love bacon, they might be your new fave! 

 

 

 

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbs mustard

1 tbs apple cider vinegar 

1 28oz can great northern beans, drained

salt and pepper

 

Add the bacon to a cold sauce pan, and gently saute over medium heat.  Stir and saute until the fat begins to render and it starts to crisp. Add onions and continue to saute. When the onions have softened, stir in the sugar, mustard, and vinegar until well combined. Now gently fold in the beans, so as not to break them up. Pour into a casserole dish and bake uncovered at 350ºF for about 1/2 hour.

 

 

Tips:

Be sure to start your bacon in a cold pan. You want to gradually bring it up to heat to melt that bacon fat. This will insure than you have enough fat in which to saute the onions, and your bacon will be nice and crispy! 

If you're in a hurry, skip the baking and just let them simmer on the stove for a bit over low heat. Just be careful not to burn them, and don't stir them too much because no one likes mushy beans! 

These amounts are just guidelines. Feel free to add as much as little of anything to suit your taste. Do you like a lot of onions? Do it! Want more brown sugar? Go for it. 

Feeding a crowd? Double or tripe this recipe as much as you need to! 

Slow Cooker Oyster Sauce Chicken

 

 

  Ok, I know I say this all the time, but seriously, this is one of the easiest and tastiest recipes you'll ever make. You just throw everything into a slow cooker and it comes out perfectly every time! I might even go so far as to say it's fool proof. It's just that easy. It also happens to be so delicious, you'll want to add this to your recipe rotation or even serve it for your next dinner party. SO GOOD.

 So lets talk about oyster sauce, shall we? 

Let me be the first to say that oysters are not the first thing I would order from a menu, and NEVER raw on a half shell. No thank you very much. If you like raw oysters, more power to you, but they're just not for me. So I will happily tell you that oyster sauce does not taste fishy or briny in that way. It does, however, have a sweet and savory umami flavor that one might compare to a sweet soy sauce, with a texture that is more like ketchup. It's great as a condiment in Asian cooking, and in this case, it takes center stage as the main sauce ingredient. 

 Now, I could make home made oyster sauce by boiling and straining shucked (or dried) oysters to make a broth and then adding soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch, But who has the time or money for that? Again, it's kind of like ketchup: Yes, you could make it at home, but Heinz has already done it perfectly, so why would you? It's just easier and cheaper to buy a bottle and call it a day. 

 This recipe is the tweaked version of the one I found on Allrecipes.com. and if you're a novice cook, it's definitely the one to try. Just follow the recipe as written and I PROMISE you'll get rave reviews. I just made it last night and I literally already want to make it again! Time to buy another bottle of oyster sauce!

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbs minced garlic
1 bottle purchased oyster sauce

Enough water to rinse bottle
2 tbs corn starch
1/4 cup cold water

Sliced scallions for garnish, if desired


Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add brown sugar, garlic, and oyster sauce to a slow cooker. Rinse out the bottle with water, and add to the mixture. Stir well. Add chicken thighs and toss to coat well.
Cook for EXACTLY 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.
Remove chicken pieces to a cutting board.
Make a slurry with corn starch and 1/4 cup cold water. Add to slow cooker. Stir well and let the sauce thicken. Meanwhile, with a very sharp knife, slice the chicken. Serve the chicken slices on a bed of rice. Pour sauce over all. Garnish with sliced scallions, if desired. 

Try not to eat all 8 pieces of chicken in one sitting.


Tips:

  I've also made this recipe with the addition of sliced baby bella mushrooms. It was absolutely AMAZING. If you like mushrooms, DO IT. Just throw about 8oz of sliced mushrooms in with everything else. LOVE.
 The most important part of this recipe is the cooking time. Trust me when I say to just do 4 hours on low, or 2 hours on high. That's it. No more!! Any longer than that and your chicken will turn out rubbery and overcooked. Chicken just doesn't need that much time to cook. And if you see other recipes that tell you to cook chicken on low for 7 or 8 hours, you can tell them I said "Liar liar pants on fire."

  Yes, you can absolutely make this in the oven instead of the slow cooker. And you can use whatever kind of chicken you like. I used boneless thighs (why? because I like them!) but you can use boneless breasts, or even bone in skin on. Just mix together your sauce ingredients, pour over raw chicken pieces, then bake at 350 until chicken is cooked through. Probably about 25-30 minutes, depending on your choice of chicken.
  You can use regular white granulated sugar instead of the brown, if that's what you have, and feel free to adjust the amounts of the sugar and garlic to suit your tastes. For me, the balance of flavors is just perfect as is, but you do you.

  One other thing.. I've noticed that different brands of oyster sauce come in different sized bottles. You might find a 7oz or even a 10oz, but just go with it. It'll be fine. When you rinse out your bottle, it will automatically be the right ratio of water to oyster sauce. Also I have no preference for brands. They all taste pretty fabulous!

Pineapple Cole Slaw

 

Are you a cole slaw person? It seems to me that people are very divided when it comes to cole slaw. Either you love it or you don't. I happen to fall squarely into the first category. I absolutely LOVE it. I can even do some brands of store bought slaw, but extra points will always go to a restaurant that makes it home made. 

 When I was growing up, we always had a big bowl of cole slaw on our holiday table, and it was ALWAYS at every barbecue. It's sweet, tangy, creamy, and crunchy all in one bite. What's not to love? 

 Recently, I had bought a large head of cabbage for a smothered cabbage smoked sausage recipe, but I only needed half for the recipe. So what did I do with the other half? Cole slaw! But I thought, ok, what kind of a spin can I put on it? I had also recently baked a Hawaiian Banana Bread and still had lots of fresh pineapple, so I figured, why not? 

 This recipe is so easy, it's barely even a recipe. It's basically just a list of ingredients and it's ready in no time. And guess what?! It's delicious! It goes perfectly with a BBQ pulled pork, or grilled ribs, and it'll be right at home in your summer BBQ spread. It's slightly tweaked from a youtuber called Marcy Inspired. Make sure you have the recipe handy when you serve it because people are gonna ask you how you made it! Even if you're not usually a fan of cole slaw, give this one a try. It just might change your mind!

 

 

 

 

6 cups green cabbage, shredded
2 cups pineapple, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

In a very large mixing bowl, simply stir all ingredients together until well coated. Cover and chill for about an hour. Give it another good stir before serving. Garnish with a little chopped parsley, if desired. That's all there is to it!

 

 

 

Tips:

The most important thing about this recipe is WHEN you make it. It's just not one of those recipes you can make days in advance. If you'd like to give yourself a head start, though, just have all your ingredients ready, and then mix them on the day or your event. I shredded and chopped everything fresh, but you could very easily just do a 20oz can of pineapple bits (drained) and a bag of cole slaw mix and call it a day.

 These ingredients are just guidelines. As my Mom used to say "If you like a lot, add a lot!" Would you like more pineapple? Go for it. Would you like it to be more tangy? Add a little more vinegar. Wanna add more carrot? You do you! 

 When you add the mayonnaise, you're immediately gonna think that it's not enough. RESIST the urge to add more! There will be plenty of dressing after it sits for a while in the fridge. However, if you do happen to inadvertently add too much mayonnaise, and your cole slaw is now swimming in dressing, you can easily just pour off the excess. Don't ask me how I know.

Joey's Hawaiian Banana Bread

 

 I recently found myself with a few extra bananas that were bordering on being over ripe. And what do you do with over ripe bananas? You make banana bread, of course! And since I can never leave well enough alone (as my Mom used to say), I decided to switch it up and have a little fun with the flavors. 

 So I began to think of which flavors I love to pair with bananas. Hm.. Chocolate? or maybe peanut butter?

 And then I remembered a cake I had made years ago called Dr Bird Cake which combined the flavors of banana and pineapple. (It's actually one of my all time favorite cakes, tbh). That sounds perfect! Actually, while I'm at it, why not go full Hawaiian and add coconut too? Boom. That's the answer. 

 I figured I could just use my go-to Banana Bread recipe and add pineapple and coconut to it, but it's always nice to try new recipes, dontcha think? This recipe is my version of a recipe I found on food.com. It's very light and sweet and definitely blurs the line between banana bread and banana cake, but either way it's absolutely delicious. It's perfect for a nice brunch, an afternoon tea, or just when you feel like a little sweet treat. 

Time to buy more bananas... I think I need to make this one again!

 

 

 

1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
2 eggs
1 tsp rum extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup diced fresh pineapple

1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Grease and flour just the bottom of a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Set aside.
Cream sugar and butter very well. Add bananas, eggs, and rum extract.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Blend flour mixture into banana mixture, making sure not to overmix.

Gently fold in diced pineapples and coconut.
Turn batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack.

 

 

 

Tips:

 People have asked why I specifically say to grease and flour the bottom of the loaf pans, but not the sides. The truth is you can grease the whole pan if you want to. But I find that your bread bakes up with a cleaner edge if you just do the bottom. If you're worried about it sticking to the sides, just run a knife around the side edges of the pan before you turn it out onto a wire rack for cooling. 

 You can serve it plain as it is, but if you want to get creative, trying toasting a slice then topping it with a pat of butter. HEAVEN. For a little more wow factor, drizzle it with a cream cheese glaze. 

 This recipe can easily be doubled. Bake two and freeze one!

 

 

Joey' Meatball Stew

 

   So here’s what happened..
 I had just gotten home from work at the end of a long week, and tbh I really didn’t feel like cooking. My first thought was to order Chinese food, but then I thought, no, I have TONS of food in my house, lemme just see what I can throw together and use what I have. I started with a bag of meatballs. 

  Side note.. I was once told that it was SACRILEGE to use store bought meatballs. Yes, That was the word they used. Frankly it doesn’t mean that much to me, but if you want to make your own home made meatballs, who am I to stop you?
 Anyway, I knew I didn’t want to just do meatballs in tomato sauce. Then I thought maybe I’d do a variation on beef stew. So I threw some stew-ish ingredients into the pot, let it simmer, and here we are!
 Guess what?! It turned out great! I thought “why have I never done this before?” It was just basic items from the pantry, but it all came together so easily, ANYONE can make it. And then you can choose your own starch for serving. I did mashed potatoes, but it would be equally delicious over rice or wide egg noodles. So keep this one in your back pocket if you ever need an easy meal after a long week. 

You’ll be glad you did!

 

 

1 lb bag frozen soup-size meatballs, or your own
1 lb bag baby carrots
1 18oz jar beef gravy
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can whole corn, drained
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
Salt and pepper



Simply toss all ingredients into a sauce pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer. Let it cook for about 30-45 minutes or until carrots are tender. Give it a good stir from the bottom every now and then so it doesn't burn. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or wide egg noodles. 

Another idea:

For a Shepherd's Pie sort of vibe, pour this stew into a large casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes over the top. Sprinkle shredded Cheddar cheese over all, then bake in a 350º oven until the gravy is bubbly and the cheese is all melted and ooey gooey.


Tips:
Using baby carrots means no peeling. Easy! If you want to speed up the cooking process, just par boil them for a few minutes before you drain and toss them into the stew.

Want to use sausage meatballs? Go for it!

Want to add a splash of red wine, Why not?
You could also cook this in a crock pot. I like to set it up at lunch time and then it’s ready by dinner time. Just toss everything in, and cook it on low for about 5 hours. Simple!

Chicken and Waffle Casserole

  Usually, around this time of year, I like to post brunch recipes. Maybe it's because my family always has a giant Easter Brunch, or maybe it's because Brunch always feels like a nice thing to do for Mother's Day. Seems like the perfect thing, right? I mean, who doesn't love a nice Brunch?

 Usually, I would go for a nice quiche, or something French toast or bacon and eggs. And yes, definitely scrapple! But this year, I decided to try something a little different. 

Have you ever had Fried Chicken with Waffles?

 If you've never tried it, it's literally just as it sounds.. Spicy fried chicken, and crispy toasted waffles. And both are drizzled with sweet maple syrup. It's one of those food pairings that sounds odd, but go with me on this one. You get the sweet and toasty vibe from the waffles and syrup, and then you get the salty crispy vibe from the fried chicken, and it just works!

 This recipe combines both items in one delicious casserole that comes together in a snap. It's from All Recipes, and I'm already thinking I need to make it for my family's Brunch next year. It's sweet and salty and perfectly delicious. To make it even easier, you just use store bought frozen waffles and a bag of frozen chicken nuggets. Can it get any easier? Even the novice cook can make this one. 

 I might need to add this one to our usual Brunch menu. It's definitely a keeper!

6 frozen Belgian waffles
1 1/2 pounds frozen chicken nuggets
8 large eggs
1 1/3 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons butter, melted


Preheat the oven to 350ºF..
Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Arrange waffles on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly toasted on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Remove; cut each waffle into 8 pieces and arrange waffles in the prepared baking dish.

Cut larger chicken nuggets in half, leaving smaller pieces whole, and arrange chicken pieces among the waffles. 

Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl until well combined and slightly frothy. Pour egg mixture over waffles and chicken; cover and let stand 15 minutes to soak before baking. 

Bake until eggs are set and top is golden brown, about 1 hour, uncovering halfway through baking time. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with melted butter and more maple syrup.

Tips:

Don't forget to toast the waffles before adding them to the casserole. That's a key step for hitting that crispy toasty note. 

Full Disclosure, I added more maple syrup than the recipe directs. Why? Because I love maple syrup! 

Also, I left some of the pieces of waffle sticking out on top, meaning not submerged in the egg mixture... so then hey make their own crispy topping! YUM.

Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce

 

 Ok this one's super SUPER simple to make, and it's absolutely delicious. I saw the recipe on a FB reel from Khin's Kitchen, and my first thought was "how can this not be good?" 

The recipe states that it's "Perfect for spring rolls, crispy won tons, or nuggets" but I would also use it as a stir fry sauce as well. It's SO flavorful. I bet you could even add a little heat to it if you like things hot and sweet. Lots of bang for your buck with this one! Boom. 

 

 

 

1/2 cup pineapple juice or water

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp salt

1 tbs corn starch mixed with 2 tbs cold water

 

 

In a saucepan, combine pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and salt. Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Once the sugar has dissolved and the sauce begins to bubble, stir in the cornstarch slurry. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. Let it cool and store it in a clean jar. 

Chef's note: Add 1-2 drops of natural red food coloring if you prefer a red sauce.

 

 

Tips:

It sounds silly to say this about a sweet and sour sauce, but it's VERY sweet, and VERY sour. When I made it, I used pineapple juice, but I think I may use just water next time. That might cut it a little. I also added a tsp of soy sauce. That gave it a little savory note to it. 

This sauce is perfect for water bath or steam canning. If you choose to do so, use clear gel instead of regular corn starch. The clear gel is modified specifically for canning. I'd do half pints for 15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken

 

So, lets talk about slow cookers, want to?
You KNOW how much I love my collection of slow cookers, and you know I use every single one of them. It's kind of one of those things where the more you use it, the more uses you find for it. I've used them for different kinds of beef stew, mac 'n' cheese, lasagna, and an entire 9 lb turkey. I've done soups, baked beans, breakfast casseroles, applesauce, fruit butters, hot dogs and sauerkraut, and even desserts, like bread or rice pudding. But there has always been one elusive thing that never comes out the way I want it.
 And that's CHICKEN. Wait, what??  Yes. Chicken. Specifically boneless chicken. 
 I know. I know. It's crazy, right? You'd think that chicken would be one of the go-to basics, right? Nope. I would see tons and tons of recipes, all saying the same thing:"Place chicken in your crock pot, cook for 8 hours on low." and I'd think to myself, NOOOO! That's too long! It doesn't need that long to cook! But I would try it anyway, because surely this was a tested recipe....and sure enough, it would turn out dry and rubbery and WAY overcooked. 

 Then I started following All Recipes. There's a woman by the name of Nicole McLaughlin who does many of their videos, and (I've said this before) I want to try every single thing she makes. (Seriously, look her up. You won't be disappointed!) So this one night, I'm going down the usual tiktok rabbit hole, and I'm watching her make 5 different slow cooker recipes, and she's talking about this ingredient and that.. 

 And then... lo and behold... as if she were reading my mind.... she states that her one big peeve is that people cook boneless chicken for way too long in the slow cooker. 

WHAT????? Did she just say that?? I was like YES! EXACTLY! THANK YOU! And in that exact moment, I felt so seen and so validated. FINALLY someone stated what I was thinking all along. She went on to say that all you need is 2 hours on high, or 4 hours on low. That's all. No more. Boom. That's it. THIS was the answer I had been wanting for so long. She had cracked the code!
 And then the clouds parted, and glorious rays of golden sunshine came down from The Heavens, with choirs of Angels singing for all joyous souls to hear, and all seemed right with the world.
 And guess what? She was absolutely right!! Since then, I've tried several recipes using this formula, and every single one of them has turned out perfectly. Dontcha just love it when you find something that just ...WORKS?????
 So... finally... that brings us to THIS recipe.
Since I've been on an Asian flavor kick for a while, my original thought was just to make my favorite Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef (it's my go-to entree at P.F. Chang's). But then I thought, why not chicken? So here's a slightly tweaked recipe from a website called Chef Savvy. It's super simple to make, only uses a few readily available ingredients, and it was just the thing I wanted for dinner that night. Side note, it made enough to feed a crowd as well. That ticks all the boxes for me!
 So there we have it. Give this one a try. I know you'll love it. Thanx again to Chef Savvy for the inspo, and BIG thanx to Nicole at All Recipes for cracking the code. GAME CHANGER!
 Now... what's my next slow cooker chicken recipe going to be??? Hmm... 

 
 
 
Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbs toasted sesame oil, plus more
3 tbs Hoisin sauce
Splash of rice wine (can also use white wine, or just omit)
1-2 tsp minced ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
 
2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup cold water
1 tbs corn starch
3 cups broccoli florets
Sesame seeds and sliced scallions for garnish
 
Place all sauce ingredients in a slow cooker. Whisk well to combine.
Taste the sauce and make adjustments, if needed.
Add chicken pieces, then toss until well coated with sauce.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
 
Remove the chicken pieces to a plate. Set aside.
Turn slow cooker to high. 
In a small bowl, stir together cold water and corn starch to make a slurry. Add to sauce and stir well. Add broccoli florets. Toss to coat with sauce. Cover. Let it cook for another half hour or until the broccoli is tender and the sauce has thickened. Meanwhile, using a very sharp knife, slice the pieces of chicken. When the broccoli is tender, add the chicken back to the slow cooker, toss all to combine. Serve over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and an extra drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
 
 
To make the best rice:
Start by adding half of an onion, minced, to a sauce pot with a few pats of butter. Stir and saute until the onions begin to soften. Now add your dry rice. Stir well until each grain is coated with the butter, then add your liquid.
Now here's the big secret... don't just use water to cook your rice... if you add just water, your rice is gonna taste like just water. Use broth or stock or any other liquid instead. Onion soup, mushroom broth, beef stock, anything you like. For Tex-Mex dishes, I've used tomato juice. I've even made pineapple rice with pineapple juice. It'll make your rice SO much better. In this case, I used my own home made chicken stock. The rule of thumb is one part dry rice to two parts liquid. So I did one cup of rice, and two cups of stock. Bring it to a boil, give it a good stir, then cover and turn the heat to low. Leave it alone and let it cook for 18-20 minutes. Resist the urge to keep removing the lid and stirring it! It'll be fine. Just trust the process. It's finished when the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. 

 

Tips:

 I have to say it again, because it's worth repeating: 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.  That's literally as much time as you should be slow cooking your chicken. You can use boneless breasts if you like, but I think the thighs have more flavor. 

Be sure to taste the sauce before adding the chicken. That's a biggie. You won't be able to taste it after you add raw chicken, so now is the time. Then you can tweak it to your liking. Does it hit all the right notes for you? Do you want it to be sweeter? Add more brown sugar. Do you want it to be saltier? Add more soy sauce. Do you want more heat? Add more crushed red pepper flakes, some hot sauce, or some minced chili peppers.

 

Baked Pulled Ham

  Lately I've been finding a lot of my cooking inspiration from tiktok videos and FB reels. I'll be the first to admit that it's REALLY easy to go down that rabbit hole and watch video after video. But every so often, I'll see a recipe and IMMEDIATELY know that I want to try it. 

 Such was the case when I saw one of my favorites, Nicole from All Recipes, making a baked pulled ham. What is a pulled ham, you ask? Well, it's just like a BBQ pork that is slowly cooked for several hours until it literally falls apart. But instead of starting with an uncooked pork shoulder, it starts with a fully cooked ham. It's salty to start out, but when you add a sweet spicy smokey rub and some tangy BBQ sauce, it's absolutely delish! It's the perfect thing to make if you're feeding a crowd and it would be FABULOUS for your next special event. Are you making a ham for Easter Dinner? Are you having a summer party? This would be just the thing! And you can do the whole thing a day or two in advance, which gives you the freedom of having an available oven for side dishes and such. Perfect!

 Come to think of it, you don't even need a special occasion to make this. Did you get a free ham from the supermarket like I did? Now you know what to do with it! Pretty sure this is my new favorite way of cooking a ham. Not even kidding. You MUST try it! 

 

 

1 (6 to 8 pound) bone-in ham (not spiral sliced)
2 tbs whole grain mustard
2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tbs brown sugar barbecue rub
6 oz cola (not diet)
1 cup sweet and spicy barbecue sauce
1/2 cup apricot preserves

Preheat the oven to 275º F.

Stir mustard and liquid smoke together in a small bowl. Rub mustard mixture evenly over ham and sprinkle barbecue rub all over. Place ham in a large disposable pan or large deep roasting pan. Pour cola around ham. Cover tightly with foil.
Bake for 2 hours. Remove pan from oven.
Increase oven temperature to 300ºF.
Stir barbecue sauce and apricot preserves together in a bowl; pour mixture over ham and spread evenly. Cover tightly with foil.
Bake for another 5 to 6 hours or until a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of ham reads 205ºF.  
Let stand until ham is cool enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Shred ham with 2 forks and toss with pan drippings.

 

 

 

 One other thing.. they didn't specify what spice rub to use, so I just threw this one together, a slight tweak from another recipe I saw. Actually. I didn't even measure anything... just threw everything in.

 I included cinnamon in it, because it kind of reminded me of that ham-studded-with-cloves thing. Also the recipe says to use just one little measly tablespoon of spice rub. I went much heavier. You do you! 

 

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbs smoked paprika

2 tsp salt

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

 

 

 

Tips: 

The original recipe on Allrecipes.com does not include the cola, but the video does, so I went with it. 

 Full disclosure, when I made it, I was a little heavy handed with chili powder, so it was definitely a BARBECUE pulled ham, but you can make it however you like it. Do you want it to be sweet? Add more brown sugar and apricot preserves. Do you want it to be more tangy? Choose a tangy BBQ sauce. Do you like it smokey and spicy? Add cayenne pepper or more chili powder. You can really go in any direction with it! Actually, I'm thinking I want to go a little sweeter next time. 

Don't have any liquid smoke? Use more smoked paprika! 

Don't want it to be spicy or smokey? Leave out the spice rub altogether! Just brush it with mustard  and sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top for the first 2 hours, then glaze with BBQ sauce for the rest of the baking time. Easy!