Crockpot Chicken Chili

I made this the other night, it was tasty:)

Ingredients: 

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning(I added two packets)
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions: 

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream.

 Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 10 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 pts

Calories: 203.7 • Fat: 1.4 g • Carb: 33.3 g • Fiber: 10.0 g  • Protein: 16.9 g

Turkey Brine

I've always wanted to try a brine on my turkey to see if it really made a difference with making a turkey more moist. We really enjoyed the turkey it was moist and had a nice flavor. I emailed my friend Maryam to get some extra tips on roasting a turkey and I took her advice as well. I'm going to just add what she wrote so I don't forget her tips for next year....

The bottom line is that there are a million opinions about how to cook a turkey. And everyone's "way" is the best.  

Here are my opinions, for what they're worth:

1) Brining can be a great thing, but seasoning a turkey simply and NOT overcooking can yield just at nice a bird. Plus, many commercial turkeys are already soaked in a saltwater solution––essentially a brine–– and so brining would overdo it. If you brine a turkey, NO ADDITIONAL SALT is needed. Just pepper, herbs, etc. I do brine pork quite often and love it.

2) Blasting a turkey at the beginning of cooking is a bit fussy and too much to worry about on a busy day. I always do a simple 325 degrees the whole time. Works for me.

3) The trickiest part of turkey cooking is getting the bird cooked evenly (the dark meat) without overcooking the breast. A few tricks are to put ice packs on the breast meat area while the turkey is sitting out and coming to room temperature. This allows the dark meat to start cooking while the breast meat is coming up to temperature in the oven. Another one is starting the turkey upside down and flipping the bird after an hour. This allows the dark meat to get a jump start cooking as well. Finally, you can dip several layers of cheesecloth in chicken broth mixed with some melted butter and lay the cloth over the whole bird. This protects the breast meat from cooking too quickly and keeps the bird moist without completely covering it with a lid.

My lovely Brine:)

My bird taking a nice 24 hour bath it's  brine.

My Favorite Turkey Brine

Recipe from the Pioneer Woman blog

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 15 Minutes

Servings 18

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 3 cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider
• 2 gallons Cold Water
• 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-½ cup Kosher Salt
• 2 cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns
• 5 whole Bay Leaves
• Peel Of Three Large Oranges

Preparation Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover.

Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside.

Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

Raspberry Sherbert

Found this recipe at Joyof baking.com. It's delicious.
1/4 cup icecream is 28 carbs. I thought this would be lower in carbs, it's not! It's a little higher, but it's really good. 

1 pound (454 grams) fresh raspberries or frozen  unsweetened raspberries, that have been thawed.

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

2 cups (480 ml) whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place the fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries (that have been thawed) in your food processor or blender, along with the sugar, milk, and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Strain the mixture to remove the raspberry seeds, by pouring through a fine meshed strainer placed over a large bowl.

Transfer the mixture to the chilled container of your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once made, transfer the raspberry sherbet to a chilled container and place in the freezer for a few hours, or until it reaches the desired consistency. If the sherbet becomes too hard, place in the refrigerator until softened before serving.

Makes about 4 cups (960 ml). Preparation time 30 minutes.

Taco's for Blake

Blake's favorite meal is taco's.  These taco's are awesome, much better then the taco seasoning package.

2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey(I always use ground turkey)
1 to 3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced fine (alternately, you can add hot pepper sauce to taste or canned jalapenos OR just leave out the heat altogether, although I think the meat really needs a little kick and adding the jalapeno without seeds didn’t make the dish overly spicy)

Taco shells
Additional taco garnishes

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and chopped onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat into smaller chunks, until it is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, drain the grease from the meat.

Return the skillet to the heat and stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add the tomato sauce and jalapeno. Turn the heat to low and simmer the meat mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in taco shells with your choice of toppings.

Recipe Source: adapted from the Joy of Cooking

My favorite pizza dough with red sauce

My favorite pizza dough I have used for years is my friend Julie's recipe. It's simple and the dough is soft and chewy.

Combine and let rise

2 T yeast

3 T sugar

2 1/2 cups warm water

Add and mix until well blended

1/4 cup oil

3 cups flour 

1 T salt

Add and beat till smooth and elastic 
Then add 3-4 cups of flour
Let rise and shape into 2 large pizzas or 3 medium pizzas. Add toppings and brush edges with olive oil. Bake in preheated oven at 400 for 10 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is browned. 


This homemade red sauce is so easy and worth the extra 5 minutes it takes to make it. It's rich with flavor and so much better then a can of spaghetti sauce.

Homemade Red Sauce

Yield: 2  -12 inch pizzas
Time: 5 minutes
Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1  -14.5 oz can Italian Stewed Tomatoes 
1 small can tomato paste
1 t sugar
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t lemon juice
pinch red pepper flakes

1. Combine all ingredients into a small food processor and blend. (I used my blender)
2. Spread it onto your pizza dough...top with your favorite toppings, some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Oatmeal Raison Cookies

I've always thought that oatmeal raisin cookies don't get the credit they deserve. I would choose a oatmeal cookie over a chocolate chip cookie anyday! Here is the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I could find, they are soft and chewy just how I like them:)

I got 27 cookies out of the batch, 19 carbs per cookie.

1 cup (110 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (210 grams) light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup (95 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups (260 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or raisinsor 1 cup white or dark chocolate chips(optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

To toast nuts: Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop into pieces.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated. Stir in the nuts, oats, and dried cranberries or chocolate chips. 

For large cookies, use 1/4 cup of batter (I like to use an icecream scoop) and space the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the baking sheet. Then wet your hand and flatten the cookies slightly with your fingers so they are about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Bake the cookies for about 12 - 15 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges but still soft and a little wet in the centers. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 20 - 24 large cookies

Fresh Fruit Tart

This past month I have been craving a fresh fruit tart and I've been trying to find better desserts that we can eat as family that won't make Brooklyn's blood sugars go off the chart.  The fruit I wanted to put on my tart is not in season so I used frozen fruit. I really liked this crust recipe, but next time I will roll it out thinner. It was a little too thick. I had a 11 inch tart pan, this recipe calls for a 8inch. So I doubled the crust recipe, which I don't think I needed to. If you don't want to make your own custard I think a box of vanilla pudding mix would be good too:)  This was a great dessert for Brooklyn only 22 carbs per slice and it didn't shoot her blood sugar high. It's a better choice then a piece cake w/ frosting, the carbs on that is usally 60 and it shoots her up pretty high if we don't dose her correctly for it. I got this recipe from http://www.joyofbaking.com/FruitTart.html. She has a demo on her blog that was really helpful too:)

Sweet Pastry Crust:

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Pastry Cream:

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk (whole or 2%)

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons (20 grams) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch (corn flour)

1/2 tablespoon liqueur (Grand Marnier, Brandy, Kirsch) (optional)

Apricot Glaze: (optional)

1/2 cup (120 grams) apricot jam or preserves

1 tablespoon water

Topping:

3 cups (720 ml) fruit (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, kiwifruit, bananas, plums, pineapple
, melon, etc.)


Sweet Pastry Crust:  In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Place the butter in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Flatten the pastryinto a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes or just until firm (can place in freezer for about 10-15 minutes.)

Lightly butter and flour, or spray with a non-stick vegetable/flour cooking spray, an 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tartpan with a removable bottom. Evenly pat the chilled pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Lightly prick bottom of pastry crust with the tines of a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Place tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake crust for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and continue to bake the crust for about 15 minutes or until dry and lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling. Can be covered and stored for a few days.

Pastry Cream: In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together. (Don't let the mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Sift the flour and cornstarch (corn flour) together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the milk and vanilla bean just to boiling (just until milk starts to foam up.) Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.) Remove vanilla bean, scrape out seeds, and add the seeds to the egg mixture. (The vanilla bean can be washed and dried and placed in your sugar bowl to give the sugar a vanilla flavor.) Then pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using). (Stir in vanilla extract is using instead of a vanilla bean.) Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool to room temperature. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. Beat or whisk before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.

Apricot Glaze:  Heat the apricot jam or preserves and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until liquid (melted). (Can also heat in the microwave.) Remove from heat and strain the jam through a fine strainer to remove any fruitlumps.

To Assemble Tart: To remove the tart from the fluted sides of the pan, place your hand under the pan, touching only the removable bottom not the sides. Gently push the tart straight up, away from the sides. The fluted tart ring will fall away and slide down your arm. If you want to remove the bottom of the pan, run a knife or thin metal spatula between the crust and metal bottom, then slide the tart onto your platter.

Spread a thin layer of apricot glaze over the bottom and sides of the baked tart shell to prevent the crust from getting soggy. Let the glaze dry (about 20 minutes). Then spread thepastry cream onto the bottom of the tart shell. Place fruit randomly on top of cream or in concentric overlapping circles, starting at the outside edge. After arranging the fruit, rewarm the glaze, if using, and gently brush a light coat on the fruit. If not serving immediately, refrigerate but bring to room temperature before serving. This fruit tart is best eaten the same day as it is assembled. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Serves about 6-8 people.