Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken

I brought my trusty crock pot out again to take care of supper for us. The trick to making meat fall-off-the-bone-tender is to cook it low and slow, and that's exactly what the crock pot does. This chicken definitely fell apart when taking it out of the pot, but that was exactly what I wanted it to do. I served this on top of rice, but it would also be a great filling for enchiladas and burritos. I think I may try that sometime soon.




Ingredients:
24-ounces (1 1/2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
14.4-ounce can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15-ounce can black beans
8-ounces frozen corn
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
14.4-ounce can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit or decrease if you don't like spicy; increase if you love spicy)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and lay on top. Cook on LOW for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice or a warm tortilla.
Yield: 8 servings (1 cup per serving)

Nutritional Info (per serving): 172 calories; 1.6g fat; 3.8g fiber

Source: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Maple-Glazed Pecans

Sweet potato casserole is one of my favorite things to eat at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those are the only two days out of the year that I eat it (except for leftovers). I don't like the one with marshmallows on top; it has to have the crunchy praline topping to make me happy. This ice cream is very similar to the sweet potato casserole that I love so much, especially since it has the pecans mixed in.


And it's an added bonus with the Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce on top. It's very rich, so it doesn't take much to satisfy my sweet tooth and tummy. That's a good thing!

Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Maple-Glazed Pecans

Ingredients:
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons whole milk
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Few drops of lemon juice
Wet Pecans (recipe below)

Directions:
Cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubed potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender when poked with a sharp knife. Drain the sweet potatoes and let cool to room temperature.

Pour the milk into a blender and add the brown sugar, sweet potato pieces, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Puree until very smooth, at least 30 seconds. Add lemon juice to taste. Press the mixture through a mesh strainer, using a flexible rubber spatula.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the pecans and their syrup.


Wet Pecans

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon dark amber maple syrup
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and very coarsely chopped
Big pinch of salt

Directions:
Heat the maple syrup in a small skillet or saucepan until it just begins to come to a full boil. Stir in the pecans, then cook until the liquid comes to a full boil once again. Stir the nuts for 10 seconds, then remove them from the heat and let cool completely. The nuts will still be wet and sticky when cooled.

Source: The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz

Black Bean Soup

Aubrey and I got a crockpot for a wedding gift, and we haven't even used it until this past week. I can't believe that we've been married for 3 1/2 years, and the crockpot has been collecting dust that whole time. Well, the dust is gone now, and I've put it to use twice in the past week. I'm not sure why I've waited so long to use it. It's so nice to come home with dinner already cooked.

My in-laws are in the process of renovating their kitchen. They don't have an oven or dishwasher right now, and their microwave is set up outside under the carport. I wanted to help out with some meals, so I had them over for supper tonight. I made this soup and some cornbread. The soup was really good and filling.

Ingredients:
1 pound dried black beans
4 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 cups chopped onion (1 large onion)
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
3 bay leaves
1 serrano chile or jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
1 Tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Sort and wash beans; place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above the beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain.

Combine beans, broth, and next 5 ingredients (through chile) in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 hours. Discard the bay leaves. Stir in lime juice and salt. Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 6 bowls; sprinkle each with 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings

Nutritional Info (per serving): 288 calories; 2.3g fat; 2.9mg cholesterol; 87mg calcium; 50g carbohydrate; 581mg sodium; 18.5g protein; 17.5g fiber; 4.6mg iron

Source: adapted from Cooking Light

Pumpkin Granola

Granola is one of my favorite things to munch on. It's great on cereal, yogurt, and even by itself. I haven't tasted any granola that's as good as this recipe. The spices along with the pumpkin and dried cranberries give the perfect flavor for this season. I've already made two batches. I added pumpkin seeds to the first batch, and omitted them on the second batch. I prefer the batch without the pumpkin seeds the most.

This is what my breakfast looks like in the morning. Greek yogurt sprinkled with pumpkin granola and then drizzled with a little maple syrup. Mmmm. Heaven!


I also packaged some up and mailed it to my sister and brother-in-law in Kansas City. I hope they enjoy it.

Ingredients:
5 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine oats, spices, and salt. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. They will be moist. Evenly spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and stir. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the granola is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and stir in dried cranberries. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Source: Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod ... originally from Baking Bites

Nutritional Info** I added up all of the fat grams and calories as I added each ingredient. I came up with the following nutritional information:
For 1/4 cup granola, there are 1.2 grams fat and 94 calories

Pecan Pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving, and I jokingly called this my "Charlie Brown Pecan Pie" because the crust looked so sad. I really have to work on my pie crust skills. It reminded me of Charlie Brown's christmas tree.... kinda wimpy. However, the taste wasn't wimpy. This pie was delicious, and it all disappeared. It was especially delicious and rich with the Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce.

Ingredients:

1 whole unbaked pie crust
1 cup white sugar
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter
3 whole eggs, beaten
1 heaping cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Place the unbaked pie crust in a pie dish, and pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top.

Cover top and crush lightly/gently with foil. Bake pie for 30 minutes. Remove foil, then continue baking for 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans. Pie should not be overly jiggly when you remove it from the oven. If it shakes a lot, cover with foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until set. Required baking times vary widely with this recipe. It took mine almost 1.5 hours to cook.

Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. Serve in thin slivers.
Yield: 12 pieces

Source: Pioneer Woman

Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce

I made a pecan pie for Thanksgiving, and this sauce really complimented it. I found the recipe last minute, and I had to run to the grocery store on Wednesday to get some heavy cream. It was a mad-house in the grocery store. Now I remember why I like to shop ahead of time. And it's also the same reason I don't go shopping on Black Friday. I refuse to compete with the crowds.

This sauce was absolutely amazing. It would also be good on most pies, cheesecakes, and ice cream recipes.... not just pecan pie. If you have a way of getting real maple syrup, do it! I ordered some from Vermont, and it tastes like nothing I've ever tasted before. We've been enjoying it on yogurt every morning, and I've also used it in several other cooking/baking recipes. My favorite is the Grade A Medium, which is the most common table syrup.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon Whiskey (optional)

Directions:
Combine cream, maple syrup, and corn syrup in a saucepan and stir to combine.
Cook over medium-low to medium heat, stirring constantly, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is reduced and thick (sauce should bubble slightly as it's cooking).
When sauce is thick, remove from heat and stir in whiskey. Return to heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
Pour into a container and refrigerate until completely chilled. Stir before serving. Drizzle over pies and ice cream.

Source: Pioneer Woman

Baked Brie Wrapped in Puffed Pastry

I've seen this recipe several times before from various different places, so I decided to give it a try. Baked Brie is one of my favorite appetizers, and it's always the one to disappear first at parties. I made this as an appetizer for a football get-together at my in-laws. I usually serve it with Wheat Thin crackers, but you can also eat it straight off of a fork.


Ingredients:
1 frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 round (5-inches) Brie cheese
1/4 cup Pumpkin and Orange Spiced Jam or your favorite jam
1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 T water
Flour for dusting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Lightly flour puff pastry, and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Wrap dough around Brie, and trim away excess pastry. Reserve excess pastry to cut decorative shapes. Seal edges by pressing with your fingers. Place the Brie on a baking sheet seam-side down. Attach any decorative pieces of dough in the design of your choice. At this point you may refrigerate for up to 48-hours. When ready to bake, brush the entire top of the Brie with egg wash.

Bake for15-20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and let rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

For another great Brie recipe, check out the recipe for Pecan Caramelized Brie.

Pumpkin and Orange Spiced Jam

I got this little jam pot from My Favorite Store (AKA: Anthropologie). I could easily spend my whole paycheck there. This pot is in the shape of an apple, and the stem is actually a little wooden spoon. It looks so cute in my refrigerator right now.


I couldn't wait to make a jam to put in it. A friend from pharmacy school had a recipe that I was dying to try. Pumpkin and Orange Spiced Jam seemed like the perfect jam to make this season, so I tackled it one Saturday. It was delicious, but I think I put a little more than a pinch of nutmeg. Oh well, it's still good.... just a little nutmeg-y.

Ingredients:
2 small pumpkins (about 3 pounds total), peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces
2 cooking apples, cored, peeled and chopped into small pieces
6 3/4 cups sugar
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
zest of 1 orange
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Directions:
In a heavy bottomed saucepan add the pumpkin and apple. Pour in 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-20 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.
My note: I used way more than 1/4 cup water. I put enough water to barely cover the pumpkin/apple mixture. I drained most of the water out, reserving about 1/4 cup juice after the pumpkin and apple softened.

Mash coarsely, keeping a few chunks of pumpkin whole.

Add the sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 20 minutes or until the jam thickens and reaches the setting point.

Ladle into warm sterilized 1/2 pint mason jars. leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Store in a cool, dark place and refrigerate after opening.
Yield 3.5 to 4 pints (7 to 8 half-pint jars).

**Another note: Suzanne said that you can also bake the apple and pumpkin at 375-degrees for about an hour instead of boiling it.

Source: Suzanne Piper Cooley (Originally from Preserve It! by Linda Brown... also found on Food.com)

Crispy Chicken-and-Rice Casserole

I changed this recipe up just a little to make it more healthy. I tried to add up all of the calories, and I came up with about 290 calories per serving (give or take a few). The removal of several calories did not take away from the flavor. This is amazing and filling. It also freezes well, which helps me on those busy week nights when I don't have time to prepare supper.



I bought a few covered casserole dishes from Tuesday Morning, and they are perfect for freezing meals. I'm able to get two servings in each dish, which is perfect for husband and wife. My mom gave me this idea when she told me that her mother would send her home with several porcelain casserole dishes of chicken spaghetti for her and my dad. She would stick them in the freezer for future meals.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 (10.5 ounce) cans low fat cream of mushroom soup
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup light mayonnaise (I used the Canola mayo)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup crushed cornflakes cereal

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions (omit the butter and salt). Stir together cooked rice and next 10 ingredients in a bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cereal.

Bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Don't put the cornflakes on top of the casserole until it has thawed out (right before putting into the oven). Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 350-degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 15 minutes more or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Source: Adapted from Southern Living

Papa

This past week has been a tough one. My grandfather, “Papa” passed away Tuesday, November 2. He had prostate cancer that spread throughout his body, and the Lord took him home to be with Him. Now he is without pain and in a much better place. I’m so happy I got the opportunity to spend some time with him right before he took a turn for the worse. Catherine (my sister), Maggie (my cousin), and I drove to Aliceville, AL a couple of weeks ago to visit my grandparents. Papa was very emotional that day, but he assured us that they were tears of joy. He said that “Gentry tears” (Gentry is his last name) are always joyful tears. He was so overjoyed thinking about the love and pride he had for his family, and all of that joy was expressed through his tears.

That’s all I could think about when I shed my tears over the past several days. They are truly tears of joy because I know that Papa is with sweet Jesus now. It makes me think of a Father’s Day sermon I heard several years ago. The pastor said that the best gift that a father can give their child is the knowledge that when he leaves this earth, he will be in a better place with Jesus. Papa definitely gave that gift to his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He had a true relationship with Jesus and lived a life that was evident of that. We have a peace now because we know where Papa is.

There are so many memories that I have of Papa; far too many to put into written words. I have come up with my favorite top 10 memories:

10. When I was a child, Papa would grill steaks every Sunday night for a huge family dinner. He also smoked the turkeys every Thanksgiving. During those days he would wear the smell of smoked meat on his clothes and hair and give us a “smoky” hug and kiss.

9. Papa had the greenest thumb that I have ever seen. He could grow any vegetable and/or flower you could think of. During summer months, he would always send me home with bags full of fresh vegetables.

8. Papa absolutely adored his bride. Papa and Sugar (we call my grandmother, “Sugar”) had the kind of marriage that everyone dreams of. Papa loved her with everything he had. Sugar told me that she never doubted his love for her. She called him “Honey” because he was so sweet to her.

7. Papa loved to tell people about Jesus. Missions were dear to his heart, and he wanted everyone to know his Savior.

6. Papa loved chocolate. There was a cabinet designated for chocolate, and I would always visit that cabinet before I left. His favorite was the chocolate Andes mints. He taught me how to make a goblet/wine glass out of the green foil wrapper.

5. Papa and Sugar took my brother, sister, and me to British Columbia, Canada for an Elder Hostel. Papa went camping, kayaking, and watched us enjoy our first rock climbing adventure. Instead of sleeping in on Sunday like my family typically did when on vacation, Papa found a nearby church for us to visit.

4. Papa loved classical music and singing in the choir. The classical song that most reminds me of him is a song from Peter and the Wolf. He knew every instrument as it was playing, and he would try to teach them to us. He also loved singing in the church choir. He would always make us smile as he sang in the choir with his mouth in the shape of an “O.”

3. Whenever any of the grandchildren spent the night with my grandparents, Papa would wake us up with a “good morning” song and some juice on a tray. “Good morning to you; good morning to you…..”

2. When I was in pharmacy school, I drove to Aliceville to shadow my uncle in his pharmacy. I spent the night with my grandparents and got up early the next morning to work. I was used to grabbing a granola bar and eating it on the way to work, so that’s what I expected to do that morning at my grandparents. I should have known better! My grandfather had juice and toast waiting for my grandmother and me, and we ate breakfast out on the deck. After breakfast, I witnessed a typical morning at my grandparent’s house. We went back into their bedroom so my grandmother could get back in her bed (she can’t stay up for long periods of time due to MS). My grandfather read a chapter of the Bible. I think they were going through the book of Genesis at that time, but I’m not completely sure. After he read a chapter, Sugar prayed. Every single child and grandchild (and several leaders in their church) had a detailed prayer every single morning.

1.Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year. My whole family gathers at my grandparent’s house, and it’s such a special time. My grandparents have 6 children, 18 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. Needless to say, we have a house full of family. Before we exchanged gifts, Papa read the Christmas Story (Luke chapter 2) aloud to the family. That’s a family tradition that I would like to carry on to my children. The reason we give gifts is because we received the ultimate gift of salvation from our Lord.

Papa, we will miss you here on earth. Thank you for all that you have taught us.