Skinny Ms. Down Home Chicken With A Twist

A friend gave me the Skinny Ms. Slow Cooker recipe book this last Christmas. A few days ago (this is April) I finally remembered that I had it! I absolutely love it because there is not 1 complicated or time-consuming recipe in the entire book. Every single one is simple and most of the ingredients are either those I keep on hand or are very easily accessible.

I could not find a photo of the recipe results and as I'm crocking this meal right now, I don't have a photo to show you. I should probably wait but the simple fact is that I don't have time. I've got to go pick up my daughter from school, run to town and wait in line for my 120lbs of chicken I ordered (only 40 is for me), run home to scarf up some food & give my husband a kiss and a quick pat on the butt, then run my darling daughter to our local grange so that my best friend and her husband can teach Hunter's Education to this year's crop of new recruits. That'll last until...

Hey, you're not allowed to fall asleep!!

Anyway, I'm busy. No photo. I'm sure you'll forgive me.

Now, I have to tell you my little twist before we get started. The recipe calls for raw chicken breasts but I don't have any yet. What I've got is a large amount of canned chicken in quart jars because I spent an entire week last fall canning my little fingers to the bone from dawn until dusk after our 32cuft upright freezer decided to retire.

Interesting note, it has now been laid on it's back and turned into a feed bin for my pig feed. Yay repurposing!!

I am going to use 1qt of chicken instead of the 4 chicken breasts. I am going to add it about an hour before I shut off the crock. If you do not have canned chicken, just follow the recipe as it is below. I also don't have fresh carrots or potatoes so I'll be adding a can of carrots and a can of baby potatoes an hour before shutoff as well. No, canned is not as good but it's what I have. I also used water + bouillon and omitted the celery because I don't have any. It's all about using what you've got!

The Recipe

     1 tsp ground black pepper
     1/2 tsp sea salt
     1 tsp garlic powder
     2 bay leaves
     4 carrots, 1/2" slices
     2 large potatoes, 1" cubes
     1 tsp onion powder
     2 celery ribs, diced
     2 C chicken broth (or 2 C water + 2 tsp chicken bouillon)
     2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
     4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir, adding the chicken last. Crock on LOW for 6-8 hours until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Do you have a favorite chicken in the crock recipe?

By Crockies, Egg Nog Cake!

I'm sure you're reading this because you love egg nog as much as I do (maybe more) but just in case you're a nog hater reading this who is completely unable to look away due to some sort of instant and freaky temporary paralysis, dear god, YELL for someone to click the mouse because you will not want to stay tuned for all of the noggity egg noggy horror about to befall a hapless vanilla cake mix.

Or, stare -->HERE<-- until your screen saver kicks in.

I adore egg nog but can only handle a small glass or two a night because it is just SO rich. If I could have the flavor, though..

Another fellow crocker and friend of mine suggested I find a recipe including egg nog for crock pottery (I'm still trying not to use the word CP) and I found this simple one. I think anyone (of any age or skill level) with a crock and none of the ingredients could buy & build this in 10 minutes for less than $10. I think I'm going to let Aly make it tomorrow!

  Egg Nog Crock Cake

   Grease your crock and flour it! No one wants to see a naked crock.

    Although it would save the washing of another bowl, I would suggest NOT mixing this in the greased crock, it will scrape grease off of the crock in some much needed areas.

    Mix together :

     1 Package Vanilla Cake Mix
     1 C Egg Nog
**1 t Rum Flavoring
     1/4 tsp Nutmeg

    Pour into crock, cook on LOW 4hrs

**Everywhere I looked, this just said "t". Not "teaspoon", "tsp", "tablespoon", or "tbs". I have interpreted this as follows:

    If you are sad, this is one Tablespoon of Rum.
    If you are happy, this is one Tablespoon of Rum.
    If you are reading this, it is one Tablespoon of Rum.
    Unless you will feed it to your children, then its 4 Tablespoons of Rum, they'll go to sleep early, you can eat the rest and partaaayyy!

    Holy cats, I'm kidding! Don't waste your good Rum on the kids, use 1 teaspoon of Rum flavoring instead!

**UPDATE** 12/07/11 8:54pm : The "cake" has been in the crock on low for 4 hours. It looks like my crock had digestive issues. It's texture is between that of a custard and a sponge. The flavor is wonderful but I'm not quite sure what to do with the stuff. Maybe put it over ice cream? Blend it with some whipped cream and put a dollop into my coffee or hot chocolate? I made it in Hamilton, thinking i'd like more surface area on top rather than side. I might just get another cake mix tomorrow and try it in Hamilton, Jr.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU DID WITH YOURS AND HOW IT TURNED OUT  

Garlic Conversions (bookmark this)

Garlic is my favorite spice and one of my favorite flowers because it reminds me so much of books written by Dr. Seuss. If I'm cooking, it's probably got garlic in it and my new favorite (previously secret) weapon is the Spice Hunter's California Blend Garlic Salt. It is GORGEOUS to look at, AMAZING to smell and INSANELY BEAUTIFUL tasting. It is MINE and Shawn is not allowed to use it. Ever. I picked it up for a reasonable price at my local Fop Toods. Getcha some!

Occasionally (okay, a lot) I run into recipes that call for a version of garlic that I do not yet have. There are:


Garlic Flakes.
Chopped Garlic.
Garlic Cloves.
Minced Garlic.
Garlic Powder.
Granulated Garlic.
Garlic Juice.

What happens if you don't have what the recipe calls for, but you've got some other version? How much is exactly the same? You've got to call someone or scour any recipe books you can find around the house or go online to google the conversion. For me it's picking up the phone and, "Mooooooooom!!!"

Not anymore, my friend!

Here's a little something I picked up from the Kitchen Dictionary :

  Garlic Conversions

    1 clove =
    1 tsp chopped garlic =
    1/2 tsp minced garlic =
    1/2 tsp garlic flakes =
    1/2 tsp garlic juice = 
    1/4 tsp granulated garlic =
    1/8 tsp garlic powder

YES!!!! I high-fived MYSELF when I found that nugget of info! If you're crazy like me, you'll print that out and laminate it and have it posted on your fridge. If you haven't thought about laminating your recipe cards, now is a good time. Laminating machines are not expensive at all. I picked mine up for less than $20 at my local Mal-Wart! Laminate it, but halt at the golden gilding, okay? It's great but geesh.

Here are some more tips from the Kitchen Dictionary about garlic that you may find interesting:

It is known as the stinking rose. The edible bulb is made up of sections called cloves, that are encased in a parchmentlike membrane. Three major varieties are available in the US: the white-skinned strongly flavored American garlic; Mexican and Italian garlic, which have mauve-colored skins and a somewhat milder flavor; and the white-skinned, mild flavored elephant garlic, which is not a true garlic, but a relative of the leek. Green garlic, is young garlic before it begins to form cloves; resembling a baby leek, with a long green top and white bulb. Garlic's essential oils remain in the body long after consumption, affecting breath and even skin odor.


How to select: Choose firm, plump bulbs with dry skins. Avoid soft or shriveled cloves and garlic stored in the refrigerated section of the produce department.

How to store: Store fresh garlic in an open container in a cool, dark place. Unbroken bulbs can be stored up to 8 weeks. Once broken from the bulb, individual cloves will keep 3-10 days.

You're welcome!! Please share your comments, suggestions, and current scarf trends (I worship scarves!).