Week 5, Recipe 5: Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Potpie | Real Simple Recipes

I went out on a limb on this one as I am not a huge mushroom fan. However, trying to be brave and believing the magazine article when it told me these were slow cooker recipes I was sure to love, I went with it. For some reason I never fully absorbed how much mushrooms were actually involved and went ahead with purchasing the ingredients since I was already at the grocery store with no alternative plan.

Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Potpie Real Simple Recipes

Adventure #1: Stood in front of the mushroom section FOREVER as I'm pretty sure I'm a purchasing-fresh-mushrooms virgin and none of the choices were actually labeled "cremini" mushrooms. A quick smartphone google search brought back conflicting sources on which variety of mushrooms these actually are. Of course, I begin to panic as I want to get the right ones but the husband, who was tired of staring at mushrooms and wanted to get home to the new TV, put his foot down and insisted I go with the first source. So we ended up with Baby Bella mushrooms, which are not that much smaller than portabellas, and now I'm scared.

Adventure #2: Missed the "thawed" part of the puff pastry instruction and was looking for it in the refridgerated section by the biscuits. Another google search reveals puff pastry should be in the freezer section ... thus requiring thawing.

These first two adventures should have been a tip-off that this is not the recipe for me and I should've aborted right there in the grocery store.

Adventure #3: I've never cleaned mushrooms, let alone giant mushrooms. I had to google search again and then got paranoid about the instructions. Let's just say I don't think these mushrooms were actually dirty. They are just a browner mushroom. It took me a minute to figure this out. Whatever.

Adventure #4: Chicken thighs are fatty and took forever to trim. I have a low raw meat handling tolerance.

Adventure #5: These instructions don't say to unroll the pastry sheet. They didn't cook in the middle.

All of this being said, the chicken and mushroom mixture itself was delicious. It is worth a try if you like chicken pot pie and want an easy way to make it. Being me, I'd probably go with a less pungent, smaller mushroom next time.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers | Real Simple Recipes

Work has been consuming me. I've been able to make time to continue my challenge but haven't had as much luck getting online to blog. Here's an update on weeks four and five.

Made Real Simple's Southwestern Stuffed Peppers last week on an evening where I had a bit more time. LOVED them and had no issues with the recipe. Will definitely be making these again. However, ground chuck is just too fatty for me. I'll be trying a less fatty mix or ground turkey next time.

Enjoy!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers Real Simple Recipes

Week 3, Recipe 3: Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese | Real Simple Recipes

Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese Real Simple Recipes

Adventure #1:
Googled question: Is a celery "stalk" the whole bunch or just one piece? Answer: One piece.

Adventure #2:
After completely emptying the husband's spice cupboard, googled question: Is there a spice substitute for bay leaf? Answer: No. However, opinion seems to be that one bay leaf will not affect the flavor that much. Ended up adding more oregano and thyme (1/2 teaspoon each).

Flavor review to follow ... here it is ready to cook ...

Week 2, Recipe 2: Everyday Food's Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto Cream Sauce

Made a recipe from Everyday Food circa 2005 - Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto Cream Sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound fettuccine
• 4 cubes (1/2 cup) frozen Basil Pesto
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. With a meat mallet or heavy skillet, pound chicken to an even 3/4-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet; cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Slice each piece across the grain into 4 or 5 strips; cover to keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot.
4. In a small saucepan, heat pesto over low until liquefied. Stir in cream; heat until warm. Toss pasta with reserved cooking water and half the sauce. Divide among shallow bowls; top with chicken. Drizzle with remaining sauce.

Except I cheated. I didn't make the pesto and I used the leftover Trader Joe's Just Chicken strips.

Easy and delicious ... But fattening. Don't know if half and half would work. Not sure how else to cut it. Oh well. A nice treat.

For next week, can't decide between the slow cooker recipes and a stuffed pepper recipe. Maybe we'll get crazy and do both!

- Posted using BlogPress from Laura's iPhone

New Recipes - Real Simple!

Today the mail brought me eight new slow cooker recipes to try out. I love it when a plan comes together!


- Posted using BlogPress from Laura's iPhone

Pizza Disaster

Well, I knew this dough would be problematic. Only I could mess up ready-to-bake dough. It didn't really rise and wouldn't roll out without a lot of coaxing. We finally got the pie assembled ...


However, the dough never really cooked. The edges were like crackers, the middle wasn't done, and it tasted like dough not bread. We ate some of the topping so as not to have to waste the entire thing. Flavors there were good so we may try it again but sticking with pre-baked crust this time.


What I think happened: the dough ended up sitting in the fridge for a couple of days until the schedule permitted cooking dinner at home. I have a feeling this is a make right away deal? Who knows. Not worth the waste. - Posted using BlogPress from Laura's iPhone

2012 Week 1, Recipe 1: Trader Joe's Thai Chicken Pizza

Kicking off the new year with a new count and Thai Chicken Pizza!

Trader Joe's Thai Chicken Pizza, to be exact:

1 cup TJ's Just Chicken

1 jar TJ's Peanut Satay Sauce

1 package TJ's Pizza Dough

1/2 cup TJ's Carrots, shredded

2 tbsp TJ's Unsalted Peanuts, chopped

4 TJ's Green Onions, cut lengthwise

1 cup TJ's Shredded Mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 425°. Combine chicken and a 1/2 jar of the satay sauce and place in fridge. While the chicken chills, take out pizza dough and allow it to rise for 45 minutes to an hour. Begin to shape the dough by lightly dusting a flat surface with flour, form the dough into a ball, and begin to push from the center out (it's perfectly honorable to use a rolling pin). When the dough is in a rough circular shape, spread the remaining satay sauce on top of the dough. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the sauce and layer the marinated chicken on top of that. Complete by sprinkling with the shredded carrots, green onions and peanuts. Place carefully into the oven (if you have a pizza stone, all the better, otherwise a baking sheet will do just fine). Bake for 10 - 15 min until the cheese bubbles and the crust turns golden brown. Enjoy!

Serves: 2 - 4
Cooking Time: 10 - 15 Minutes

Adventure #1:

The pizza dough will be interesting. I never use fresh dough. I do have a pizza stone, though!

Adventure #2:

Trader Joe's was nightmare busy. I'd really love to go in there and be able to browse but it is always packed.