Crockpot Lemon Chicken

With two kids, I'm now on a mission to get some crockpot meals into the repertoire. Throw some ingredients together in the AM and have a hot meal ready after work? I accept! This Lemon Chicken is one of the first I've tried but has been a huge hit both times I've made it. Adjust the spice mixture to your liking!

8 Chicken Thighs (skinless, boneless)

1/3 Cup Chicken Broth

2 Lemons (juiced and zested)

1 t Garlic Powder

1 t Onion Powder

1 t Smoked Paprika

1 T Italian Seasoning

Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

1 T Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

1/4 Cup Butter (cubed)

Sprigs of thyme (optional)

1. Place chicken thighs into the crockpot.
2. Add chicken broth, lemon juice and then sprinkle with lemon zest. 
3. Combine all spices and sprinkle over the tops of the chicken evenly. For a spicer chicken, add a full teaspoon of pepper flakes or use cayenne instead.
4. Cube butter and place pieces between the chicken throughout the crockpot. Top with sprigs of thyme if desired.
5. Cook for 6 hours on low or 3 on high. 

Lentil Chicken Stew

I came across this recipe online in an effort to expand our week night dinner repertoire. It's pretty easy to throw together and you can customize it based on what's in your fridge! The below version is skewed toward traditional Mexican flavors, but you can mix it up.

4 chicken breasts cooked and diced (optional)

2 cups of dry lentils

1 T olive oil

1 onion

4 stalks of celery

4 cloves of garlic

2 14.5 oz cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes (I just used diced as I couldn't find this)

1 T taco seasoning (or combo of chili power, cumin, etc)

1 t smoked paprika

1/2 t turmeric

4 C vegetable broth

Cholula (or other hot sauce to taste)

1 lime

1/2 bunch cilantro

(Optional: Grill up some chicken breasts for added protein and heartiness for this stew. If adding chicken, grill up first and set aside to let cool.)

1. Add dry lentils to a pot. Cover with water and then drain. Repeat until the water is mostly clear. After final drain, add 4 cups of water and bring lentils to a boil over high heat. Once they boil, cover and turn the heat off. Let sit for 20 minutes.

2. While the lentils cook, dice onion and mince garlic. Saute these in a large stew pot with 1 T olive oil over medium low heat.

3. Rinse and dice celery. Add celery to the pot when the onions and garlic are soft and translucent. Saute until celery begins to soften.

4. Add diced tomatoes including all the juice from the can.

5. Add spices - Taco seasoning, smoked paprika and turmeric. Stir together and then add hot sauce to taste.

6. Drain lentils when the 20 minutes is up and add these to the pot along with the vegetable broth.

7. Simmer soup over medium low for 15 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, pull leaves off the cilantro stems and give a rough chop. Add to the stew and let continue to simmer.

9. Before serving, squeeze juice of one lime into the stew. And add chopped grilled chicken (optional).

10. Serve plain in a soup bowl or plated over rice. (We serve it in a soup bowl with a dollop of sour cream and tortilla chips for dipping.)

Note: This stew freezes well so package leftovers and stick in the freezer for an even easier weeknight meal.

Mac & Cheese

This dish is special and a real crowd pleaser. With a little extra time to go the homemade route rather than straight from a box, you can blow away your family and friends. This easy Mac & Cheese recipe is so far the most requested dish Brian and I have ever made. Originally based on one of Martha's recipes, we've taken the basics and made it our own - you may want to do the same as it's really pretty customizable. This dish was also a great excuse to invest in new kitchen tools... If you don't already have a microplane for grating cheese, consider getting one. Makes this recipe go so much quicker! Well without further ado, here's our delicious version of Mac & Cheese.

Topping:
3 T unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 C bread crumbs
1 C Vermont white cheddar (Sargento)


Ingredients:
5 1/2 C milk
6 T flour
6 T salted butter
4 C Vermont white cheddar (Sargento)
1 Block fontina (Approx. 0.5-0.7 oz)
8 pieces of Land o'Lakes american cheese
1/4 t pepper
2 t kosher salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t smoked paprika (strongly suggested)

1. First put pasta water on to boil. Cook 1 lb elbow pasta 1 minute less than recommended on package. Once cooked, strain and rinse with cold water until pasta is cool. While you are waiting for the pot to boil or pasta to cook, grate your block of fontina cheese and set aside.

2. Melt 3 T butter in a fry pan. Add 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs to the melted butter and set aside. Measure out spices and set aside.

3. In a small sauce pan, warm 3 1/2 cups of milk. You just want to take the chill out of it, not boil it! Put the remaining 2 Cups of milk in a Tupperware container with the 6 T of flour and shake it together. Once no lumps are seen, add this to the rest of the warming milk.

4. In a separate (larger) pan, slowly melt butter. Add milk/flour mixture to this pan and turn heat up to high. Wisk vigorously until mixture comes to a full boil. Make sure this gets to a thick gravy consistency - if not there by the time it boils, cook a few more minutes.

5. Add salt, pepper and all the spices. (This part if customizable so if you prefer a different blend of ingredients, here's one of the areas you can customize.) Stir in spices and then slowly add all the cheese stirring constantly until completely blended. The cheese combination is also customizable. Jarlsberg is a great sub for Fontina giving a bit more of a bite. We haven't tried yet, but regular or smoked gouda is a sub for the Fontina as well. Experiment to find your favorite blend.

6. Combine pasta into the cheese mixture. Stir gently so as not to break the pasta apart. This should appear very soupy looking. Let mixture sit while you pre heat oven to broil. Mixture can also be set aside until ready to serve.

7. Pour Mac & Cheese into a 13x9 pan. Top with 1 cup of cheddar cheese and bread crumb mixture. Broil until bread crumbs brown approx. 5 minutes. (NOTE: if you don't like a saucier mac and cheese, bake for 25 minutes on 350 rather than broil topping. If you choose to do this, brown bread crumbs in the fry pan when you combine with the butter.)

As you can see, lots of ways to do this, but now you have the way we love it! I couldn't get a shot of the finished product before everyone dug in, so here's a half eaten one :)

ENJOY!

Grilled Beer Can Chicken & Bourbon Butter Glaze

This is the first meal my boyfriend cooked for me when we started dating. I think he had me at first bite! The rub and the glaze are an amazing combination, totally worth all the effort it takes to make. Before attempting this one, head to your local Christmas Tree Shops or Target and grab a Beer Can Chicken stand that allows the chicken to stand up on the grill over the can.

Approx. 4 lb chicken

3 tsp rub (recipe below)

1 can of coke

Bourbon Glaze

Beer Can Chicken Stand

Rub Ingredients:

2 tsp smoke paprika

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chile powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Bourbon Butter Glaze

6 oz butter (cut into small pieces)

1/4 C brown sugar

2 tbsp bourbon

1/2 lemon (juiced)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Remove gizzards then wash and dry chicken. 

2. Combine ingredients for rub and mix well. 

3. Open coke and pour out 1/4 of the coke. (We use coke instead of beer because it adds great caramel flavor to the chicken, but beer works too!) Using a knife or can opener, cut off top of can carefully. Add 1 tbsp of the rub to the remaining coke in the can. Place can in the beer can chicken stand.

4. Place chicken on the stand, sliding the opening of the cavity over the can so its standing up. Rub entire chicken with rub and set aside. 

5. Pre-heat grill to medium high heat. 

6. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter for the glaze and then add the rest of the ingredients. Boil for two minutes stirring vigorously with a wisk. 

7. Cook chicken on the grill over direct heat one hour basting every 10-15 minutes with bourbon butter glaze. Wait until chicken reaches 175 degrees in the thigh. Remove from the grill and let sit 10 minutes. 

Bon Appetit!