sesame chicken

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.25 lbs)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2-1/2 tbsp tomato paste (*ketchup can be substituted if you don’t have tomato paste)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or white pepper
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger root
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
• 1 lb broccoli florets, steamed OR one bag frozen broccoli florets, prepared according to package directions

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, onion, tomato paste, sesame  oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds and ginger root. Pour over chicken.
3. Cook the chicken for 6 hours on low. Remove chicken breasts to cutting board and allow to sit for just a minute.
4. Steam broccoli
5. Cube chicken into bite-size pieces. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the sauce from the slow cooker and put in small bowl. Whisk the cornstarch into the bowl of sauce, then return mixture to slow cooker to thicken the whole batch.
6. Return cubed chicken to slow cooker. Add the steamed broccoli, too. Stir gently, to coat.
7. Allow to sit for about ten minutes, slow cooker set to warm.
8. Serve over white rice.

white chocolate brownies

3 ounces (85 grams) semisweet or good white chocolate*, coarsely chopped (~.5 cup)
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 1/8 ounces or 175 grams) sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
1/4 teaspoon table salt or 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt (about 2 grams)
2/3 cup (83 grams) all-purpose flour
1-inch heart or other shaped cookie cutter
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over opposite sides of pan. Repeat with second piece of foil in opposite direction. Butter foil.
Melt white or dark chocolate and butter together in a large bowl over a simmering pot of water (or in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each) until it is 90% melted; remove from heat and stir the mixture until it is smooth. (I do this too keep things from getting too hot.) Whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Add flour and salt together, stirring until just combined. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes (for the dark chocolate version) and 30 to 35 minutes (for the white chocolate version).
Repeat this recipe with the other kind of chocolate and a second 8×8-inch square pan. If you don’t have two matching square pans (understandably) simply wait until you can remove your brownies from the pan as directed in the next step, and start again.

if using 100 unsweetened chocolate, increase sugar to 1 1/3 c

9x9 pan, bake 10-15 minutes less

balsamic pot roast

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast in the Crockpot

(Makes about 6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn.)

I used a standard 3 1/2 quart Crockpot for this recipe.

3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
1-2 T steak rub (I used Szeged Steak Rub.)
black pepper to taste
1-2 T olive oil (depends on your pan)
1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup (can use a can of beef broth, but be sure to reduce it)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (I used Fini Balsamic Vinegar)
1/2 cup tomato sauce (You can substitute one can diced tomatoes, drained well. I might puree the tomatoes.)

Trim as much fat as you can from roast, and cut if necessary to fit into Crockpot. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don't rush the browning step.

While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

(You can stop at this point and refrigerate browned roast, cut onions and mixed sauce ingredients and then put them in the Crockpot when you go to work in the morning. Don't refrigerate them in the crockery liner. Having the meat start out cold will add several hours to the cooking time, which will be good if you're cooking it all day while you're away.)

Place onions in bottom of Crockpot. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Set Crockpot to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time. (If I am home, I might turn the meat once or twice.

Remove meat from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

Note: If I wasn't making this for phase one, I might put some carrots in the bottom of the crockpot with the onions.

nstructions:

Trim as much fat as you can from roast, and cut if necessary to fit into Crockpot. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don't rush the browning step.

While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

(You can stop at this point and refrigerate browned roast, cut onions and mixed sauce ingredients and then put them in the Crockpot when you go to work in the morning. Don't refrigerate them in the crockery liner. Having the meat start out cold will add several hours to the cooking time, which will be good if you're cooking it all day while you're away.)

Place onions in bottom of Crockpot. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Set Crockpot to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time. (If I am home, I might turn the meat once or twice.

Remove meat from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

Note: If I wasn't making this for phase one, I might put some carrots in the bottom of the crockpot with the onions.

- See more at: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/01/how-to-make-pot-roast-in-crockpot.html#sthash.PEO55Re6.dpuf

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast in the Crockpot
(Makes about 6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn.)

I used a standard 3 1/2 quart Crockpot for this recipe.

Ingredients:
3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
1-2 T steak rub (I used Szeged Steak Rub.)
black pepper to taste
1-2 T olive oil (depends on your pan)
1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup (can use a can of beef broth, but be sure to reduce it)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (I used Fini Balsamic Vinegar)
1/2 cup tomato sauce (You can substitute one can diced tomatoes, drained well. I might puree the tomatoes.) - See more at: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/01/how-to-make-pot-roast-in-crockpot.html#sthash.PEO55Re6.dpuf

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 10 min

It's incredibly simple and the chicken goes into the crockpot in minutes.

Ingredients:

Rub Ingredients
4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lbs roasting or fryer chicken
1 cup chopped onion, approx 1 medium to large onion
4-5 carrots, scrubbed, no need to peel, chopped in halves or thirds
4 celery stalks, cut in thirds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 lemon quartered

Directions:

Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
Remove chicken from packaging and remove neck and pouch with organs. Discard or reserve for later use in another recipe. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken. Put garlic inside the chicken. Rub the rub all over the outside and inside the chicken. Add quartered lemon to the inside of the chicken.
Place onions, carrots and celery inside the slow cooker. Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours. (When I used a 4 lb chicken, it took about 6 hours. The time will depend on the size of the chicken and your slow cooker.) Cook until the internal temperature of the leg is at 160 degrees F or use a pop-up thermometer as the original recipe calls for.
Remove chicken and place in a 9x13 glass baking dish. Place baking dish in the oven under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Allow chicken to rest after removing it from the broiler for 5-10 minutes.

lasagna

BARILLA NO-BOIL LASAGNA NOODLES LASAGNA

1 box (16 sheets) Barilla No-Boil Lasagna Noodles
1 lb. ground beef or ground sausage, cooked to crumbless and drained (or half-and-half is what I did).  You could also use veggie crumbles.
2 jars Barilla Marinara sauce
2 eggs
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (or Parmesan Romano) cheese

I used a disposable foil pan because my lasagna was traveling, but if you have a deep rectangle casserole dish you can use that.  A 13x9 might need to eliminate one layer or it might spill over.

Brown meats and crumble as they cook.  Drain.

In medium bowl, beat two eggs, and combine with ricotta with 2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup grated parmesan.  Set aside.

Spray pan with cooking spray.
Layer 1:  Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in pan.  Cover with 4 noodles, overlapping a bit as necessary.  Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture.  Layer half the meat over top. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Spread 1 cup marinara over that.

Layer 2:  Cover first layer with 4 more noodles.  Spread with next 1/3 of the ricotta mixture.  Spread 1 cup marinara over that.

Layer 3:  Cover 2nd layer with 4 more noodles.  Spread last 1/3 of the ricotta mixture.  Layer last half of the meat over that.  Spread with 1 cup marinara.

Layer 4:  Cover 3rd layer with last 4 noodles.  Spread remaining marinara over top, completely covering noodles.  Sprinkle last 1 cup of mozzarella over top.

Cover pan with aluminum foil.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until bubbling.  Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Let stand for half an hour before cutting.