Lemony Greek Chicken

I had a friend come to visit a few weeks ago and as I went to go pick her up from the airport, we plugged in the crockpot and started to make this lemony Greek chicken from Fix It and Forget It Slow Cooker Champion Recipes to go along with a spinach salad I’ll post in a few days. The chicken recipe made some excellent chicken with onion to eat. The chicken thighs were a little bit dry — and the lemon flavor was light in the background. I’d maybe amplify that in the future. I purchased some cucumber tzatziki sauce from Trader Joe’s to eat alongside the chicken and salad.

Russian Red Lentil Soup

Unexpectedly, one of my colleagues’ fathers passed away and she was out for a week, planning the funeral and spending time with family. When she returned to the office, we decided that we wanted to give her a couple bottles of wine and I threw this lentil soup together to give an easy meal for her and those still around her house to eat. The recipe came from Fix It and Forget It Slow Cooker Champion Recipes. I was excited to make it after having eaten a proper lentil soup at a restaurant about a year ago and not having made it since. Because my colleague is pretty sensitive to spices, especially garlic, I omitted the garlic and onion, but it still smelled delicious. It could easily be shifted to vegetarian or vegan using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Party Wild Rice

As we move into fall, sometimes it’s nice to have some more hearty dishes in your backpocket. But, it’s not always fun to make the entire house hot with the oven. When I’m looking for those types of recipes, I often am pulling out crockpot recipes. I had all of the ingredients on-hand for this wild rice dish that was a nice side to some pork I had made. I found the recipe in the Fix It and Forget It Slow Cooker Champion Recipes cookbook and was happy to have a reason to make it. The curry powder added a nice subtle heat. The raisins had some sweetness and the pecans offset the chewiness of the rice.

Party Wild Rice

1 1/2 c wild rice, uncooked
3 c chicken stock
3 Tbsp orange zest
2 Tbsp orange juice
1/2 c raisins
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 c fresh parsley
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c green onion

Grease interior of slow cooker crock. Mix rice, chicken stock, orange zest, orange juice, raisins, curry powder, and butter in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 2 1/2-3 hours or until rice is tender and has absorbed most o teh liquid, but is not dry. Stir in parsley, pecans, and green onion just before serving.

Wine Tender Roast

Do you ever have those moments where you continuously change the plans of what you are going to cook? Last month, my parents came to visit for a few hours and although the week before had been filled with near-60 degree weather, the day before they came to visit, there was a slight accumulation of snow and I found myself changing plans from grilling outdoors to cooking with the crockpot inside. In my last minute adjustment, I grabbed this recipe from Fix It and Forget It Slow Cooker Champion Recipes and put it together. The apples and onions added some nice flavor, along with the garlic and seasoning. The wine was subtle in the background. The ease of throwing it in the crockpot at 6 in the morning and having it ready at lunch was fantastic.

Wine Tender Roast

3 lb chuck roast
1 c thinly sliced onions
1/2 c chopped apple
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c red wine
salt and pepper

Grease interior of slow cooker. Put roast in slow cooker. Layer onions, apples, and garlic on top of roast. Carefully pour wine over roast without disturbing its toppings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until instant-read meat thermometer registers 145 degrees when stuck into the center of roast. Remove meat from crock. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Chicken with Raspberry Jam

Despite the lack of beauty in this photograph, the chicken in this recipe tasted really delicious.  I should have done a better job of plating it and given the sauce more time to thicken up and serve as a true sauce instead of the cooking liquid from the recipe.  The cookbook where I found this deliciousness was the Fix it and Forget It Slow Cooker Champion Recipes.  It was great because sometimes, in the midst of the heat, it’s nice to cook food in the slow cooker instead of in the oven to keep the heat of the house down.  The raspberry jam is nicely balanced with the soy sauce, creating a slightly sweet and salty dish.

Chicken with Raspberry Jam

3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/3 c raspberry jam
5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water

Grease interior of slow-cooker crock.  Mix soy sauce and raspberry jam together in a small bowl until well-blended.  Brush chicken with the sauce and place it in a slow cooker.  Spoon remainder of the sauce over the top.  Cook on low 4 hours, or until meat thermometer registers 165 when stuck in the center of the thighs.  Mix together cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth.  Then remove chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.  Turn slow cooker to high and stir in cornstarch and water to thicken.  When thickened and bubbly, after about 10-15 minutes, spoon sauce over chicken, then serve.