Ten in 2010: Week Seven and the Best Recipe Ever!

 

Time for another Ten in 2010 update: I just can't seem to juggle things these days and keep all the balls in the air. This week I ran five times, on target with my half marathon training plan. I even worked with the weights twice. I drank lots of water. I went to bed early (okay, early-ish). But cooking and blogging. Definitely dropped the ball. In my defense we were super busy this week. The kids had three basketball games and two out-of-town wrestling meets in addition to the regular practices, Media Club and 4-H meetings. Time was definitely a factor. We ended up eating out a lot more than I'd have liked. Pizza Hut twice and Burger King once. The seasons are thankfully winding down and we won't be so slammed next week. My goal? No eating out. Actually cooking and blogging about it. We'll see how that goes! ;-) Stop by Recipe Girl's blog to see how everyone else is doing!

This week I did find the best recipe I think I've made in recent memory. Drip Beef. It's so good that I think I could make it every week (or more often!) and no one would complain. In fact, they've already been requesting it. 

The Pioneer Woman is my hero. I love her blog. I love her photographs ... and now I also love her cookbook! I made her drip beef the other day thinking that that dinner would be ready when we got home from the game. Dinner was ready. And it was delicious! Hubby is still raving about it and he had to eat it like three days in a row. The nephew gave it a thumbs up too. Definitely a recipe that we'll be making over and over. Simple ingredients. Quick prep. Amazing taste. And my contribution the the Saturday Blog Showcase hosted by Thibault's Table and All That Splatters. To see what everyone else made, head over to All That Splatters. And while you're there be sure to check out Lori's beautiful Blueberry Squares. They look amazing. (Check back soon and I'll let you know how they taste. I'm getting ready to make them right now!)

Basic Drip Beef
Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 whole 2.5 To 4 Pound Chuck Roast
¼ cups Butter
1 whole Large Onion, Sliced Thick
3 cloves Garlic, Peeled
½ cups Soy Sauce
1 cup Sherry (cooking Sherry Is Fine)
½ teaspoons Salt
4 cups Water
Toasted, Buttered Deli Rolls
OPTIONAL: Rosemary, Thyme, Other Spices

Heat butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes, or until starting to get brown.

Set chuck roast on top of the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover pot and simmer (very low heat) on the stove for 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it’s tender!** Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone. Serve immediately or continue to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

*Mixture can be refrigerated overnight. Remove hardened fat from top of pan before reheating.
Serve on top of toasted, buttered deli rolls. Top with cheese and place under the broiler if desired.

Ten in 2010: Week Five

What to say ... I'm definitely slipping on the exercise portion of this challenge. For some reason I'm having a really hard time getting back into the groove when it comes to training for this half marathon. Aside from the fact that I'm a little lazy, the biggest problem is that the kid's activities are all taking place on the same days that out training group does it's group runs. That leave hubby and I to run (a.k.a. slogging) through the ice and snow and frigid winds all by our lonesome ... and that isn't happening as often as it should. The threat of getting left behind during a Saturday long run used to spur us into action (a.k.a. actually following our training schedule.) Without the fear it's way to easy to talk yourself out of going out there when the temperatures are low and the snow is piled high. 

Luckily, one basketball team's season is over. Unfortunately it's not the one causing the problem! LOL! Still it does provide a little more time in the schedule for hubby and I to buck up and get out there and just do it.

Blogging is going a bit better. Our internet finally works! (And that is a major plus to blogging. LOL!) Our new line-of-sight sattelite internet is ever so much better than our old Wild Blue.

I'm eating quite a few more servings of veggies every day and while I can't say the same about the rest of the family, I figure slow and steady will win the race. I'm drinking more water and *loving* the fish oil supplement I started taking. Warning: TMI moment ahead! No more hot flashes! Like within the first day. All gone. A whole night's sleep. Woohoo! When I forgot one once, they were back within a day. Needless to say, I'll be taking these *regularly* from now on.

Cooking has been going well. I can't remember the last time we got take-out and I managed to find an excellent crockpot recipe this week: Slowcooker Chicken Parmesan. Perfect for those hectic evenings, this dish actually looked great (something you can't always say about crockpot meals), tasted great and was super easy to throw together. Unfortunately, it tasted so great that we'd eaten it up before I realized I'd forgotten to take a picture! If you want to see what it looks like, head on over to Creatively Domestic and check out her pics.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
Recipe courtesy of Creatively Domestic

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 egg, beaten

sliced mozzarella cheese

Jar of marinara sauce

Spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Combine the bread crumbs with the seasonings and Parmesan cheese in another separate shallow bowl or plate. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumb mixture. Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock. Layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with entire jar of marinara sauce.

Close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer. Mine was 3 thawed chicken breasts and took about 5 hours on low.

Crockpot Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme

Winter sports season is here with a vengeance. Older daughter made his middle school basketball team. Younger son plays basketball at the Boy's and Girl's Club as well as wrestling at a nearby high school. Add to that younger daughter's math club and media club and you can see that we're busy. Crockpot meals come in handy on days when more than one child has activities. In the past we usually picked up a pizza on the way home or ran through a drive-thru. But much to the chagrin of the children, the crockpot lets me make a healthy, nutritious meal earlier in the day and have it ready to put on the table when we get home.

Here's a great recipe for Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme I found over at Megan's Cookin'. When I saw it I knew it would be a hit. The kid's love chicken. The older and pickier daughter eats mandarin oranges by the can-full. Younger son is still raving about how tender and juicy the chicken was. Hubby is thrilled when we don't have to spend money eating out. And I love just crockpot meals!

Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme
Recipe from Megan's Cookin'

1 lb - chicken breast

1 - 8oz can - mandarin oranges,
1 tbsp - Ginger, ground
1 tsp – Salt
5 cloves - garlic (minced)
1/2 cup - orange juice
1 tsp fresh Thyme
1 tbsp cornstarch

Place chicken in Crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cornstarch, to the Crockpot.
 Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for about 8 hours.
Remove chicken and put orange sauce in a small sauce pan. Stir a little water into the cornstarch to make a this paste. Add to orange sauce and cook on medium heat till thickened. Spoon over chicken and enjoy!

White Bean Chicken Chili

This recipe for White Bean Chicken Chili is perfect for those winter days when you just know you're not going to have time to make dinner and may be tempted to order out. Four simple ingredients (which I keep on-hand all the time) thrown into a crockpot and you're done.Plug it in and six hours later dinner's on!

White Bean Chicken Chili
Recipe from Pink Parsley

4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
8 ounces Pepper jack cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 cups salsa

Combine the beans, cheese, and salsa in a crockpot. Nestle the chicken breasts into the mixture, and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken breasts, shred with a fork, and return to crockpot. Stir to combine, and serve with desired garnishes.

Melt In Your Mouth Slow Cooker Beef

Easy to prepare and quite tasty, this recipe for Melt in Your Mouth Slow Cooker Beef will definitely be in the rotation again soon.

Melt In Your Mouth Slow Cooker Beef
Recipe from Zesty Cook

1 beef roast (about 4lbs)
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup red wine
12 button mushrooms
6 large cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried thyme

Place meat in slow cooker (trim or remove any extra fat off the meat).

Add mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes.

Add salt and pepper.

Add wine and chicken stock.

Toss in the dried thyme.

Cover and set on to LOW.

Cook for at least 8 hours.

Remove meat and vegetables and transfer sauce to pan.

Bring sauce to a boil and reduce.

Add 1 tbsp. cornstarch to 2 tbsp. Cold Water and mix in a bowl.

Add mixture to sauce pan.

Bring to a boil and let thicken.

Carve meat , drizzle with sauce.

Chipotle-Lime Chicken with Jamaican Rice and Peas

I was really excited to try this recipe for Slow Cooker Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs and Jamaican Rice and Peas from the Food Network's show Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller. I love the concept for the show: cook once, and use the results for two unique meals. Sounds great. But I'm slowly becoming disappointed with the show. The recipes sound good. As I watch the show, I can't see a thing that would be wrong with a recipe but when I prepare it, the results are anywhere from horribly bland to just plain horrible. Tonight's meal is the perfect example. Looking through the ingredient list, there really should be flavor: chipotle chiles, lime juice, coconut milk ... The results weren't *bad*, just really bland and so not worth the effort. Hopefully tomorrow's Chicken-Green Chili Straws with Jalapeno-Honey Dip will make it all worth while.

We'll see.

Chipotle-Lime Chicken with Jamaican Rice and Peas
Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller


1 cup sliced onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
4 pounds skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with 1 teaspoon sauce from can
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges, for garnish

Arrange onion, celery and carrots in bottom of slow cooker. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and arrange over vegetables.

In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce, and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Serve half of the thighs with this meal (topped with diced avocado and cilantro and garnished with lime wedges) and reserve remaining thighs for another meal.

Jamaican Rice and Peas

2 cups instant white rice
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can red beans, drained
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water, beans, thyme, and lime zest. Set pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fold in scallions and season to taste with salt and pepper.