Chicken Merlot With Mushrooms

I am on a Crock Pot kick with another delight from Better Homes and Gardens New Flavors from your Crockery Cooker cookbook. This time I took inspiration from page 41, Chicken Merlot With Mushrooms. Interesting dish as I loved it and Trey did not care for it. I was surprised as it has Trey's favorite ingredient, mushrooms. The dish had a bit of a tang which I believe came from mixing the chicken broth, red wine, tapioca, basil, sugar, and tomato paste. This combination gave the dish it's heart, which is a combination of tangy, sour, and bitter. Normally I am not a fan of these tastes, but they were very smooth and I am enjoying the leftovers. Trey is enjoying sandwiches.

I used Barilla rotini noodles paired with Harney & Sons pomegrante oolong tea. The tea brought out the sauces tanginess making the dish even more enjoyable.

I cooked this dish for 8 hours on low, but would recommend doing on high for 4 hours. The chicken was a bit dry in spots due to the sauce sinking to the mushrooms. Make sure to stir before serving as the chicken cooked together. This recipe also calls for layering, which should be done because this is how the mushrooms get soft.

Websites

• http://www.harney.com
• http://www.barillaus.com/Products/39/rotini.aspx

Lamb Ragout With Couscous

While getting my master's, I learned how to cook with a Crock Pot. It is still a favorite, especially when schedules are an issue. As winter approaches, Crock Pots are great for making stews. You do the prep the morning before and put on before going to work. When you get home, dinner is ready.

Recently, Kroger started carrying cubed lamb. I have such a hard time finding it that I bought every packet. A few nights ago, Trey was asking if I could make a lamb stew. So I pulled out my Better Homes and Gardens New Flavors from your Crocker Cooker cookbook. Page 42 contains the recipe Lamb Ragout With Couscous.

The only substitution I had to make was the artichoke hearts. I substitued jarred artichoke hearts for the frozen because I have never been able to find frozen hearts. I did not drain the hearts, just dumped into the cooker.

I recommend only cooking for 8 hours because you need the high heat for the zucchini and artichoke hearts. Make sure to let the zucchini and artichoke hearts cook for 30 minutes. If you don't the zucchini will be hard.

The next day for reheating, I put into a stock pot instead of microwaving in individual serving bowls. Reheating on medium heat took about 15 minutes and I did not get the dried out taste that microwaving can provide. Plus, the dish was was heated evenly.

I paired the dish with Decoy's Merlot. The dish melted in your mouth and the merlot balanced the dish with the right amount of soft spice.

Websites

• http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/food-storage-safety/crockery-cookers/
• http://www.decoywines.com/

Turducken Leftover Casserole

I cooked my first ever Turducken. What is a turducken? It is a boneless duck breast, wrapped inside of a boneless chicken breast, wrapped inside of a boneless turkey breast, then stuffed with dressing. I saw the ad for a turducken at the Fresh Market and could not resist. It turned out alright. You cook like a regular turkey with seasonings already applied. My challenge, what to do with all those leftovers.

The next day, Trey and I had sandwiches. They were a bit dry so Trey suggested we get some gravy from the grocery. Why buy it? Because every time I try to make it, it turns out really, really bad. So off we went. On the back of the Heinz Homestyle Gravy Roasted Turkey jar is a recipe for Turkey Leftover Casserole. It includes mashed potatoes, shredded turkey, and stuffing i.e. Stove Top. Sounds good, so why not.

Prep was easy as I can make mashed potatoes in 30 minutes. I replaced the turkey with turducken and stuffing with Stove Top. In about 40 minutes, I had a tasty and very filling meal. We both went back for seconds.

The next day, I tried the recipe without the mashed potatoes, since I was out. Turned out just as great but needed a vegetable. I cooked green beans and corn as side dishes, letting the feeling of Thanksgiving continue.

Two ways to use the recipe with leftovers minimal because seconds are required.

Websites:

• http://www.thefreshmarket.com/
• www.heinz.com
• http://www.kraftbrands.com/stovetop/

Turkey Leftover Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Cups prepared mashed potatoes
• 2 Cup cooked and shredded turkey or turducken
• 1 12 ounce jar of Heinz Homestyle Turkey Gravy
• 1 Cup prepared stuffing or Stove Top

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Place prepared mashed potatoes into a 2 quart casserole dish, sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Combine turducken and gray in a large skillet and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in Stove Top until thoroughly combined. Spoon turducken mixture on top of potatoes and spread evenly. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Serving

1 1/2 cups equals one serving with recipe providing 4 to 6 servings.

Kroger Hash Brown Potato Quiche

I have not been successful with making a quiche. When I received my Kroger holiday coupon book which also contains recipes I was intrigued by this recipe. Plus I had most of the ingredients on hand and it's kinda hard to mess up potatoe's.

Cook time per the recipe is 50 minutes. Honestly, I would have cooked the hash browns for 35 minutes instead of the 25 or until brown. I cooked the quiche portion for 30 minutes instead of 25. I do not care for runny quiche.

Overall the recipe has a nice crunchy texture and very filling. It serves 8 and makes a great dish for Sunday brunch with Mimosa's. I used pre-diced ham that you find in the deli section instead of leftover ham which made the recipe quicker to prepare. This will be a keeper.

Hash Brown Potato Quiche

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups frozen hash brown potato slightly thawed
• 1/3 Cup butter melted
• 1 Cup cooked ham, diced
• 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 Cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 Cup chopped onion
• 1 Jalapeno chili chopped
• 2 Medium Eggs
• 1/2 Cup 2% Milk
• 1/4 TSP Black Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F. Pat the potatoes over the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9" pie plate. Drizzle the butter over the potatoes, and pat them securely into place. Bake for 35 minutes or until slightly brown. Reduce oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, mix ham, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno chili. Put into the potato crust. Sprinkle cheese over the dish. Whisk the eggs, milk, and pepper in a bowl until well blended. Pour over the dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Refrigerate leftovers.

Fabulous Fall Stew

The recent issue of Roanoke Valley Home Magazine featured a recipe for Fabulous Fall Stew (see page 29). This was perfect as I was in the mood for my first stew of the fall. This dish was easy to make, very fullfilling, and with the right amount of leftovers.

As for recipe changes, I had two options for the meat, chuck roast or lamb. I chose lamb as it is lean and has a distinct flavor. Instead of dry red wine I used a two week old open bottle of 2007 Gran Reserva La Lejania Cabernet Sauvignon. I could not find rutabaga so I replaced with a parsnip. I figured a root vegetable would work since I already had a turnip. Since I do low sodium, I do not use pre-canned chicken or beef broth. Instead I used Herb Ox sodium free packets. I also omitted salt. Prep time was around 30 minutes due to dicing and slicing and cook time was 2 hours.

This dish melts in your mouth from first bite to last. The root vegetables were tender and the lamb melts in your mouth. I was surprised that the recipe called for adding the spices during the last 10 minutes. I realized later that by adding the spices at the last minute it enhanced the dish. Another surprise, leftovers were just as good as the next day as it was the first.

The recipe stated that is served 4 yet mine made six servings of 1 1/2 cups per serving. I definitely recommend this dish and would pair with a Merlot or Cabernet.


Websites:

• www.rvhomemagazine.com
• http://www.hormelfoods.com/brands/herb-Ox/default.aspx

Fabulous Fall Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound lean, boned leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup chopped carrot
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 1/2 cups cubed baking potato
• 1 cup peeled, chopped parsnip
• 1 cup peeled, chopped turnip
• 8 cups homemade chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
     Heat oil in a large Dutch oven; add lamb, browning on all sides. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add the wine, and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add potato and next 5 ingredients (potato through bay leaves); bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 1 hour and 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomato and remaining ingredients; cook an additional 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves, serve and enjoy.