Pesto Chicken Dinner

Warmer weather means two things in my kitchen: Popsicles in the freezer and a slow cooker on the counter.  Summer days are hot enough without adding the heat of a baking oven, am I right?  

And if you are like me, Summer days are busy. I like a dinner that is ready when we are worn out from a day of play in the sunny weather.  

This meal will become a go-to solution in your house. I have served it SO many times--to my family and to guests--and it is ALWAYS a hit.  

This is quite possibly the easiest slow-cooker meal EVER! 

*TWO* Ingredients for the chicken: Frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs (strips or whole thighs) and pesto! I love the Classico Traditional Basil Pesto. I've used other pestos, and they work well, too. 

 

I don't do any actual measuring for this meal. I put a layer of frozen chicken on the bottom of the slow-cooker and spread some pesto on top. For a family of 6, I use about 1/3 of a jar on this first layer...

...And add another layer of chicken with about 1/3 more of the jar on top of that. If you are feeding a crowd, use the entire jar and really pack the chicken into the pot. It cooks down quite a bit.

Now to multi-task. Put a layer of aluminum foil on top of the chicken. I use the heavy stuff--you may want two sheets if yours is regular foil. Wash some potatoes and set them right on top of the foil. Give them a good sprinkling with sea salt. Cover your cooker and leave it on low for 6-8 hours.

Six hours later... I have some cooked 'taters and chicken. See how much it cooks down?

Remove potatoes (we're going to have fun with them in a sec) and the foil.  This is what your chicken will look like pre-shredding.

Use two forks to shred the chicken. It will fall apart with beautiful ease. You will be using a straining spoon to serve it up on to plates. All that leftover broth can be saved to make a mean chicken noodle soup or Italian wedding soup. It is a delicious base.

Now, on to the potatoes. This is your seasoning line-up. I really like this McCormick Italian seasoning. I also  really like Tone's Rosemary Garlic seasoning (which has the salt in it).  I have made these potatoes with both of these seasonings to much applause. 

 

Coat a large frying pan with olive oil (canola or avocado oil work, too).  Chop your potatoes into bite-size chunks and throw them in on top of the oil. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt, Italian seasoning, and ground black pepper over the potatoes and toss to coat.  Turn your burner on high and fry those babies up! I usually do a few more sprinkles of salt and seasoning along the way.

Mmm, mmm. This is the #1 way my family likes potatoes. Even beats french fries.

Toss together a green salad and plate it all up. 

PRESTO!  You've made a delicious Pesto Chicken meal!!

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Gluten Free Tuesdays

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Show Me What Ya Got

"BEST ROLLS EVER!"

I love homemade rolls. And, let's face it--who doesn't?!  I have a few recipes in my arsenal that I make from time to time--quick-rise, croissant-style, spoon rolls, etc.

These rolls, however, are my "go-to" recipe. I developed the recipe when we were newly married, and I've been making them since.  This is the recipe that I've shared with people in all the places we've lived (so get ready--if you make these, your friends WILL be asking).  I even taught a class on making these once to a group of stay-at-home moms who were wanting to learn.

Here's what you need: (Recipe's at end of the post.)

Flour, salt, baking powder, yeast, butter, sugar, egg, water. The basics.

Put the yeast and 2 tsp of sugar in the warm water in a large mixing bowl. If you are using a stand mixer--this should be the bowl you use. Let it sit until the yeast starts to grow....

 

....like this. Yours may not look like a doughnut. This is a rare phenomena. Usually it just looks like a big blob of wet, yeasty air.

 While your yeast is growing, melt your butter just until mostly melted (don't boil it). Whisk in the rest of the sugar and the egg. You don't want your egg to cook in there, so make sure your butter isn't scalding hot before you add the egg.

Now mix the butter mixture into the growing yeast water.  It will look about like this. 

Okay, I kinda skip a step here with the pictures because it's not much to see. In a separate bowl mix 4 cups of flour, the baking powder and the salt.   Add this dry mixture to the wet and mix until well incorporated. I use my paddle for this step, then switch to the dough hook for the next step.

Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The amount varies for me each time slightly. This batch took 3 1/2 more cups total. 

Remove the dough and knead it just enough to form a nice smooth(ish) big ball.

 Put a little (1/8 cup or so) oil in a large bowl and turn the dough over in it once to coat it--seam side down. 

Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise until it's doubled in size. This is about 2-3 hours if it's at room temperature; 1-1.5 if it's in a warm place (like sitting on a warm oven or next to a crock pot). 

Here is the double-in-size dough.

Punch it down. (Like my fist indentation?)

Pull off approximately 1/3 cup pieces of the dough, and turn them in your hands so that you are forming a ball that has a seam on the bottom and is smooth on the top. This picture shows the top and the bottom of a dough ball. You don't want to roll it between two palms like you would play-dough. Imagine you are forming the dough around an imaginary marble or bouncy ball. You want it to cover it and have a seam on the bottom. (I hope this is clear...)

Place them in a greased baking dish right next to each other, but not squished. 

Cover and let rise. I put mine in a warm oven (I heated to 170 before then I turned it off when I put them in). They were doubled in size in 30 minutes. 

Here are the un-baked doubled-in-size rolls.

Hot out of the oven!

Mmm, mmm....

I like to butter the tops before serving. Best served fresh and warm.

 

All plated up. I love a colorful meal. 

Best Rolls Ever

(This is what my son exclaimed at dinner tonight. I thought it made a nice title)

2 cups warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) yeast

1/2 cup sugar, divided

1.5 sticks butter

1 egg

8 cups flour (all-purpose, or combination of all-purpose and whole wheat)

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 cup canola oil

1. Dissolve yeast  and 2 teaspoons of sugar in warm water. Set aside to allow yeast to begin to grow.

2. Melt butter and mix with sugar. Add egg and mix well. Add butter mixture to yeast that has begun to grow. 

3. Mix 4 cups of flour with baking powder and salt.  Add this to the yeast mixture and stir well.

4. Stir in, then knead in 3-4 more cups of all purpose flour--1/2 cup at a time-- to make a dough of even consistency. Form into a ball. Turn over once in a metal mixing bowl greased with canola oil. Cover and let rise until double in size (2 hours on a warm oven, or 3 at room temperature).

5. Punch down , then form 2-3 inch balls and place in greased baking dish. They will more than fill a 9x13. I use an 11x17.  Cover and let rise 30-45 minutes more in warm place--until doubled in size. 

6. Bake at 375 15-20 minutes, until light brown. Butter tops while hot. Makes 2 dozen.

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Pickled Asparagus

I have learned to be a food preservationist in the last couple of years.  I grew up seeing my mom can and freeze and dehydrate, but it really didn't interest me back then. It was something old people did. :)

Now, I LOVE it! Maybe that means I'm old. 

I got eleven pounds of asparagus from Bountiful Baskets last week, with hopes of trying out pickling some of it. Well, I ended up pickling all of it. And I'm glad I did, because it is some delicious stuff. Even my pickiest eater liked it! 

Here it is all plated pretty-like. See all those yummy canning spices? Mmm, mmm.

Here it is all done! My recipe made 6 quarts. That seventh jar has pickled peppers. I used the leftover vinegar mixture to can some green chilies I had been needing to use up. They turned out yummy, too. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers....

I just think asparagus is a lovely vegetable. It is up there with artichokes on the aesthetic scale. I might need to do a painting of some to put in my kitchen.  This picture is pre-trimming. I needed to trim to 6" to fit them in my quart-size jars.

Here are your basic pickling needs. I tried out the pickle crisper (with the green lid) for the first time on this recipe. I had success with cucumber pickles without it, but asparagus just seemed more flimsy to start with, so I thought it would be worth trying it to insure success. It worked!

The blanching process was not a part of every recipe I read before making these. I decided it was better to be safe than sorry, so I blanched them. 1.5 minutes in the boiling water....

...Then immediately in the ice bath. I love how green they looked when I got them out of the pot!

The jars are all STUFFED full. They have a slice of white onion on the bottom, then the asparagus spears, then the red bell peppers (I put those in half of them), and a clove of garlic on top. Then ladle the hot brine over the pretty veggies, filling to 1/2" from the rim.

In the water-bath canner for 20 minutes.  Lids don't have to be covered with water. Water should come at least to neck of bottle, though.

 

These make a great addition to a deli or relish tray. I have seen them served along side sushi, salad, or wraps. I like them alone or with some cottage cheese. Enjoy!

Pickled Asparagus

Makes 6 Quarts

You'll need: 

11 lbs fresh Asparagus, trimmed to 6 inches
3 quarts water
2 quarts distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons pickling spice
1 cup pickling salt
6 garlic cloves
1/2 white onion, sliced
1/2 cup sugar (optional)
1 Red bell pepper, sliced (optional)
Pickling crisper granules (optional)

6 sanitized quart size mason jars. Wide mouth would be nice, but I used regular because that's what I have.
Lids, rings, canning tools

Instructions: 

1. Blanch your asparagus: Prepare a large bowl or pot with 2-3 cups of ice.  Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Immerse asparagus in boiling water for 1.5 minutes. Remove immediately and put in ice bowl. Cover with cold water.  I had to do this in 2 batches for this much asparagus.

2. Mix water, vinegar, pickling spice, and salt (and sugar if you are using it) in a large pot/ dutch oven.  Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn on to low to keep warm.  I wanted some sweet, but not all, so  I added sugar after I filled half of my jars.

3. Put a slice of onion in the bottom of each jar. Stuff the jars with the asparagus, crowns on top.  If you are using bell pepper, slide a few slices into each jar. I used the bell peppers in half of mine (the ones I made sweet).  Put a garlic clove and crisper granules (if using) on top of the asparagus.

4. Using a canning funnel, carefully ladle the hot vinegar mixture into each of the jars, filling to 1/2 inch from the top.

5. Clean the rims and set the sanitized lids on each jar. Put on rings and turn to a loose seal. (finger tight--not palm tight).

6. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes.

7. Store in a dark, cool place until ready to enjoy!

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Mexican Meat Muffins

These turned out SOOO GOOD!  I was originally planning to make this into a full meat-loaf, but my hungry family didn't want to wait an hour for it to cook. The muffins were a good decision.  This is a fast, easy, YUMMY, way to have meat-loaf.  We had it alongside mashed potatoes and veggies, but  it would be yummy with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and chips as well. 

Mexican Meat Muffins

2 lbs ground beef
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
2 packages (1.25 oz) low-sodium taco seasoning
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained
2 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar-jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 15 muffin pan cups.

Mix all ingredients except cheese in a large bowl. Don't over-mix (keeping some air in your meat will keep muffins from being too dense and dry).

Pat gently into muffin pans filling to 1/4 inch from rim.

Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Return and bake 5 more minutes.

Remove and serve hot. Mmm-mmm.

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Saturday Dishes