Easy Crock-pot chicken

i don't have any beautiful before and after pictures of this dish, nor do i have any pictures of my beautiful children helping with this offering. it is simply something in threw in the pot and had savory results.

take a crock-pot

throw in a cube of butter

pick some fresh basil off your bush and throw it into the pot

cut of some garlic cloves (you can pick how many you want to throw)

you can now throw in boneless, skinless pieces of chicken or a whole fryer, turn the pot on high and leave for 5-7 hours.

Raspberry Jam

Raspberry jam has become a tradition in my house. Every year we take a family vacation to Bear Lake with Brian's family and I buy two or three flats of raspberries while we're there. Sometimes we are there too early or too late - I admit to making a few special trips to get the raspberries. Very special since it takes over three hours to get there. This year I came home with three flats and I got some serious help from my friend, Kristi, yesterday to make 31 bottles of beautiful jam. I use the recipe in the package of pectin, so no big secrets there. I do have a few hints, though...

1. One "flat" of raspberries makes between 10 and 12 half-pint bottles of jam, usually with a few berries left over.

2. Do not wash the raspberries. The water gets trapped inside the berry and makes your jam runny. I go through each berry and check for stems and bugs, but no washing.

3. Raspberries (and blackberries) are seedy little suckers, so I like to strain at least half of the 6 cups of berries. This year I found a jelly bag that worked really well, but cheesecloth works great, too. Get your grip muscles ready - it's a lot of work.

4. I use MCP pectin. It's in the SureJell (sp?) family, but I've found it to set up the best out of all the pectins I've tried. It could have something to do with MCP calling for more sugar than the rest of them. Whatever.

5. Speaking of sugar, I use C & H cane sugar instead of beet sugar. I don't understand how or why, but cane sugar is supposed to be better for your body? All those raving psychos at the state fair say it's the best, too. (I can call them that because I'm a State Fair Champion.)

I think that's all I do that isn't in the directions. Obviously I like to get the best raspberries and make the jam as soon as I possibly can. This year the raspberries were picked on Tuesday morning and they were jam by Wednesday morning. Ta da! Nothing is more satisfying than having 31 bottles of beautiful jam sitting on the counter after a long day of making it. Give it a try! Maybe you can be a State Fair Champion this year, too!

Yes, Another Pizza Recipe

I know, I know! I already submitted a pizza recipe, but this is better. The sauce is amazing and the crust is perfect. Just try it, okay.

Pizza Dough

Combine:

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 c. water

Set aside for around 10 minutes or until frothy.

Add:

1 1/2 cups flour

(The directions say to make a well in the center of the mixture and stuff, but I just add it gradually in my Bosch. I usually end up adding a little more water.)

Knead until smooth and elastic. (Or let the machine knead it for a couple of minutes.)

Place the dough in a large, slightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for at least 30 minutes.

Pizza Sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped or 1 large can chopped tomatoes with their juices. (NOTE: I have tried this with fresh tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and petite diced tomatoes. The petite diced tomatoes tasted the best.)

1 tsp. dried basil

salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for a few seconds just until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.

Add the basil, season to taste with salt and pepper and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook until sauce thickens (15-20 minutes).

Use immediately or refrigerate for up to two days.

Create pizza using dough, sauce, and your favorite toppings. (Fun moms let their kids make their own pizzas. )

Cook at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Strawberry Shortcake... Pretty Little Miss

What else are you going to do with that giant thing of strawberries from Costco that will go bad before you can eat them all? COME ON! This is so good. You could secretly eat just the frosting with some strawberries. MMMMMMMmmmmmm. (I included this photo so you would be sure to know how thick the frosting needs to be.)

1 white cake mix

8 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. Cool Whip

1 T. milk

2 c. powdered sugar

2 pkgs. Strawberry Danish Dessert

2 10-oz. pkgs. strawberries cut into thirds

Prepare cake as directed. Cool completely.

Beat together softened cream cheese, Cool Whip, and powdered sugar. Frost cooled cake and refrigerate. Prepare Danish Dessert using the fruit sauce directions. Add strawberries. Top individual pieces of cake with strawberry mixture right before serving.

HAWAIIAN LUAU!!!

I've tried one or two recipes from Sunset Magazine before, but never an entire meal at once. Everything in their Hawaiian luau from the June issue sounded SO GOOD that I decided it had to be done. (Everything except the shrimp - which sounded really good, but Brian is allergic to shell fish. Not worth it.) The pork sandwiches were AWESOME. I'm surprised I'm not still at the table eating one right now. The salad (and especially the vinaigrette) was delightful - even without the $14 vanilla bean (never). We'll find out tomorrow if the dip is good since I need to read directions more carefully. We substituted Lipton Onion Dip with Maui Onion Kettle Chips. Yum. Seriously, why am I not still eating? I'm only putting the pork sandwich recipe in here because it's SO LONG and I'm tired and fat from eating. If you want the other recipes, go to the link at the beginning of this paragraph. ENJOY!

Char Siu-Glazed Pork and Pineapple Buns

1/4 c. salt
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
2 pork tenderloins (the real skinny kind - about a pound each)

1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. hoisin sauce (I found it near the soy sauce)
2 T. toasted sesame oil
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. ground ginger
2 T. soy sauce

12 slices peeled and cored fresh pineapple
24 sweet rolls (we used Costco dinner rolls - perfect size)
1 c. cilantro sprigs

In a large saucepan, bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil. Stir in salt, brown sugar, and vanilla. Chill until cool.

Put pork in a Zip-lock bag, then in a 9"x13" pan. Chill for at least 3 hours and up to 12.

Make char siu glaze: In a small bowl, mix together ketchup, hoisin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Pour half of the sauce into another small bowl.

Prepare grill for indirect medium heat (350-450 degrees). Lay pork over indirect-heat area and cook, covered, until meat reaches 135 degrees on a meat thermometer (about 15-20 minutes). Brush one bowl of glaze over pork, saving 2 tablespoons for the pineapple. Cook pork, turning occasionally, until glaze has caramelized slightly and meat thermometer reaches 145 degrees (5 to 10 more minutes). Transfer pork to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 15 minutes.

Lay pineapple slices on direct-heat area of grill, brush with glaze, and cook, turning once (about 4 minutes per side).
Cut pork into 1/2 inch slices. Fill each roll with a piece of pork, grilled pineapple and a sprig of cilantro.

Brine and char siu glaze can be made a day ahead of time.

Super Easy Pizza Crust

my friend shelby condon gave me this recipe.  she made it for us when we stayed at her house.  she claimed it didn't need to rise and could be done in 15 min.  i liked the sound of that and asked for the recipe.

2-2 1/2 C. Bread Flour

1 T. yeast

1 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt 

Mix together; set aside

1 C. water

1 T. olive oil

Heat in microwave for 1 minute; add to flour mixture

mix in stand mixer with dough hook for 5 minutes; let rise for 15 minutes in warm spot.

bake at 475 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Chocolate Cake: Variation on a theme

Chocolate Cake

1 package devil's food cake mix

1 small package chocolate instant pudding mix

4 large eggs

1 C. sour cream

1/2 C. warm water

1/2 C. canola oil

TWIST:  i added some semi-sweet chocolate chunks.  it made this killer recipe into an even more killer recipe.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes or longer if the dish is a bigger size.

i made this into cupcakes with some cream cheese frosting.  they absolutely made our memorial day feast into a party.