Not Crocked, but still delish

My sister called and told me she was making one of my all time favorite meals and not even the Fall of Crock was going to stop me from eating it.  I suppose I could have told her she needed to try making it in the crock pot,  but oh well.  The added bonus being it meant I also got to spend the evening with my niece who without fail serenaded me again during dinner.  

My sister and brother-in-law lived moved into my house with me for a while, and as part of their rent, my sister took it upon herself to cook us family dinners most nights.  The following recipe very quickly shot to the top of my favorite foods she makes, and I've never tried to make it myself, in part probably because that means I would eat it once a week and it wouldn't be special anymore, and also because it's just nicer when someone else cooks dinner for you.  Ladies, am I right? 

Tori's Turkey Meatloaf  

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey breast
• 2 T parsley, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 C parmesan cheese, grated
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 C breadcrumbs (if necessary)
• Glaze:
• 1/2 C ketchup
• 1 T yellow mustard
• 1 dash hot sauce

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Sweat onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until onions become translucent. Add the zucchini and sauté 3 or 4 minutes; move off heat and let cool.
• Combine the egg, cheese and parsley in a large bowl. Add the turkey and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooled vegetables and mix until integrated. Add up to a 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs if the mixture seems too soggy. Form into a loaf shape on a rimmed pan and bake for an hour, then top with ketchup glaze and bake an additional 15 minutes
  
  The result is yummy tummy and will always get a 5/5 rating.  Maybe I should try it out for Big Meat Monday in the pot!
  
   

Crock Wok's Triumphant Debut

I don't know about you, but I have definitely been disappointed that there hasn't been a crock wok Wednesday, yet.  Finally, last night I was home on a Wednesday night for dinner so I instructed sous-chef that he was in charge and what recipe I wanted him to follow.

The result was a tasty, but almost too salty delight of Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapples.  Simple, tasty, could have been more delicious if it wasn't so salty.   I'm not sure if it was the combo of soy + teriyaki sauces, but once it hit your lips you could feel the salt bloat coming. 

Again, minimal ingredients equaled a mostly tasty dinner.  Not sure what could be done about the salt issue.  I'm not one to love pineapple on anything other than my favorite pizza (if you haven't tried pepperoni & pineapple, you are a loser), or nice juicy pieces in the summertime so I only ate a couple just so that I could experience the whole meal but sous-chef really liked the pineapple.

4 frozen chicken breasts

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. teriyaki sauce

1 can pineapple chunks,  drain half the juice out

Crushed red pepper flakes

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Ok, so it wasn't actually a chicken dinner, but we had another great success with dinner last night.  The theme for this week's dishes has been 'Things I can make with what I already have because I didn't/don't want to go to the grocery store'.  We had tons of potatoes (thanks, Costco) so I decided that Potato Soup would be perfect for Soupy Tuesday.  Potato Soup is one of my favorites.  When I go to visit my parents in Arizona, my trip is usually planned around being there on a Sunday to go to Houston's to eat their Potato Soup on Sunday.

Anywho, I did some reading online for Potato Soup recipes, and they either involved too much work (hello, I don't want to bake all the potatoes ahead of time and scoop out in the insides, the whole point of doing this crock thang is for me to have to do as minimal of prep work as possible).  So, I read a few, got the general gist, and then went for the wing it version.  My recipe basically consisted of the following:

Lots of potatoes cut up into bites that would fit into my mouth

8 pieces of bacon cooked until crispy

6 cups water

Salt and Pepper

Half stick of butter 

1 tsp Chicken Bouillon granules

Drop all that into the pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  After 8 hours add (or about 30 minutes until you are ready to serve):

2 cups Milk (I used 1 cup 1% 1 cup heavy cream because it was in the fridge)

1/2 cup flour (for thickening)

The final result was delicious, but we added lots more pepper when we ate it and of course garnished with green onions and cheddar cheese.

Yummy Tummy!

This one definitely get a 5/5 rating.  

Sneak Preview!

Soupy Tuesday Potato Soup!

Can you go wrong with potatoes, bacon, butter, and pepper? 

Big Meat Monday, October 15

This recipe was nothing to write home about.  It was good, not great.  I would say it falls into the 'don't need to make again' category, but this is just my opinion.  Erik didn't eat dinner last night so we'll have to see what he says after he eats his helping for lunch.  But, Pork falls into my Chicken category, where I'm not AS crazy but still a little bit crazy.  If it isn't pure white in the middle, I panic.  Now, while my brain knows that meat that has been cooking for 9 hours is done, there's still the part of me that sees Pork that isn't white and I tend to go a little ka-ka-coo-coo. 

The recipe from Fix it and Forget It:

Pork Roast with Potatoes and Onions

2 1/2-3lb Pork Roast

1 large garlic clove, slivered

5-6 potatoes, cubed

1 large onion, sliced

3/4 cup broth, tomato juice, or water (I happened to have Tomato Juice, so I used that)

1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. cold water

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

The recipe calls for slicing the pork and putting the garlic in then putting under the broiler.  My pork was still too frozen to do that so I just dropped it all right into the crock pot. 

Drop all ingredients (except water and cornstarch) into crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. 

Remove Roast and Veggies from liquid

Add cornstarch and water to liquid in slow cooker and cook on high until thickened (mine required LOTS of cornstarch and still didn't get as thick as I had imagined it would).

Pour gravy over meat and veggies and Bon Appetit! 

Rating 2.5-3/5

Sneak Preview!

Big Meat Monday:  Pork Roast with Potatoes and Onions!

Soprano Supper Saturday, October 13

My #1 Fan has been sending me recipes to try and the first one was up on Saturday:  Paula Deen's Creamy Macaroni and Cheese.  And to answer the question, yes, people besides Paula Deen do have Campbell's Condensed Cheddar Cheese soup in their pantry.

I said I was 5+/- % positive that I had one of these in my pantry.  Turns out, I did!

Now, for those of you that don't know me, I LOVE mac & cheese.  I have been told that I make the best Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  And, I've ordered Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Dogs in a restaurant.  And, when I went to visit my best friend this summer, she and her husband had Trader Joe's frozen Mac & Cheese waiting for me in their freezer.  So, there's a little backstory on my love affair with M&C.

This may be unpopular, but I didn't love this recipe. It wasn't nearly cheesy enough.  It was definitely better for dinner on day two when we reheated it with gobs of extra cheese and loads more pepper.  I want to have a really amazing crock pot mac & cheese recipe, and this one, at least this time, didn't cut it. 

Look at that creamy deliciousness!  

Rating:  3/5