To slow cook or not? That is the question.

I had a slow cooker many moons ago and hated it because... well, I'm not sure why.  I wasn't inspired, and the thing was  HUGE.  I couldn't wait to get rid of the thing.  Now with the advent of Pinterest and the resurgence of crock pot recipes, I've made the decision to jump (back) on the bandwagon.

Since it is just the two of us, I got a small, 4.5 quart Crock Pot.  It's about the cutest thing with its blue background and polka dots.  I will say, though, that I saw one on Pinterest today that has a black and white Damask print that caught my eye (don't tell my slow cooker, but I think the other one is cuter).

Mid morning, I paused from filling new orders and responding to conversations to realize that I hadn't thought about dinner yet.  I went to the grocery yesterday and bought some meat without a real plan on how to use it, so I have the supplies but not the ideas.  Enter Pinterest.  As an aside, I think I will re-iterate to you just how much I love Pinterest.  Like any relationship based on true love, I have to be careful or the strong feelings can overwhelm me and cause spending quality time with my beloved to turn into a complete time warp.

Back to the point... I opened pinterest and simply typed in "crock pot" to see what would pop up.  (This is where the photo of the prettier crock pot made me think impure thoughts about my slow cooker).  One of the first recipes is for Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore by Skinnytaste (you can find the pin here and the link here).  Of course, based on my individual tastes and pantry ingredients, I have made it my own.  And so Chicken Cacciatore ala Lisa was born.

It is super hard to cook for 1.5 people especially since Little Man is a bit picky and I don't particularly like leftovers.  True to form, I made way too much.  I also don't like chicken too much (I'm not picky at all), so I get the chicken breast cutlets that are sliced thin.  There are usually four to a package, and I've realized that one cutlet is enough for the two of us.  Aha, that means that one package of four cutlets will feed us four nights!  Cha-ching!!

Back to the Cacciatore.  I took one of the chicken pieces and seasoned with what my family simply calls mix (2 parts granulated garlic, one part salt and one part pepper; it makes ALL the difference) then placed it in the bottom of the crock pot.  I then dumped a 28 oz can (it's the only size I have at the moment) of diced tomatoes on top and sprinkled more mix.  Then I chopped half a medium onion and threw it in then grated three medium carrots on top with my microplaner.  I usually add sugar to my sauce, but carrots are sweet and they add another veggie to the recipe.  I call those veggie ninjas because Little Man doesn't know they are there and can't object!  I also grated a few cloves of garlic on top.  Finally, I sprinkled dried Basil and Oregano on top and added a dried Bay leaf.  I cooked on high for probably about 5 hours (I lost track of what time I started) and was tortured the whole day with a heavenly smell.  Once we were leaning toward hungry, I boiled some tri-colored rotini topped the whole thing with some finely grated parmesan.

I would definitely put half the tomatoes and add some sugar to satisfy my sweet tooth, but it was still a big hit with both Little Man and I.

Party Planners Unite

The invites are out, so there's no turning back on the theme (as if I would want to).  I've been debating and debating about the favors, so maybe you can help.  When I was going to do the "sprinkle" theme, I was planning to make bath salts, put them in pretty jars with a great label (created by yours truly) on the outside, and say something about getting them at Kimmy's shower to use in their shower.  "From my shower to yours" with the logo as "Kimmy's Shower".

Now that I'm doing a tea, I can't decide how to fit bath salts into the theme.  I'm probably going to scrap the idea and come up with something different.

In the mean time, I'm discussing menu with my catering ladies.  I could NOT be MORE thrilled with these ladies.  If you are in the Ft. Lauderdale area and want to host a small (25 people or less) event with awesome food, this is the place for you.  Heck, even if you just want to get some great food, go there!  Shameless plug time:  11th Street Annex (www.twouglysisters.com)

In the mean time, I only have two weeks left, so it is time to kick the party planning into high gear.  Sorry about butchering the cliche.  (Ask Kimmy.  I'm TERRIBLE at cliches)

Dinner Re-Made: The Ultimate Burger

Most of my recipes, I will admit, come from a mishmash of dishes that I've seen or tasted and liked a bit here or a bunch there.  For example, I started out simply cooking Bubba Burgers when I needed a taste of America's favorite food.  Don't get me wrong, Bubba Burgers are still amazing.  Slap on a toasted bun and some ketchup, and you're good to go.

One night, I was making meatloaf, lamenting that a loaf of meat is so difficult to eat in its entirety, and it hit me that my meatloaf recipe would make the perfect burger.  This was an especially epiphanous revelation because my husband does not particularly like meatloaf and virtually refuses to eat it at all.  That's how my burger was born.  It grew when my husband had the idea to stuff his burgers with cheese.  Eureka!  I never even considered that you could do that; mozzarella for him and bleu cheese for me.  Mmmmm, mmmm mmmmm.  Yum!

The other night, we were watching The Great Food Truck Race on The Food Network, and I watched my latest light bulb go on when they used grilled cheese sandwiches instead of buns.  I could do that, too.  Instead of the typical gallon of butter, I used low-calorie spread on whole wheat bread to cut down a bit on the unhealth meter.  The hubby says, even with the changes, it is better than he imagined it would be when we saw the truck guys build their burgers.

Our Ultimate Burger

Our Ultimate Burger

Combine 1/2 lb of ground beef with 1/2 medium chopped onion, 1 tsp Worstechire sauce, 1 Tbsp milk, 1 large egg and 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs; salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Place a large sheet of parchment or wax paper on the counter and use it to form the patties.  This makes it easier to get them off the counter and into the pan.  Create a 1/4-inch patty in the shape of the bread then create a 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch moat around the edge of the first patty.  Fill the moat with the cheese of your choice, and don't be shy!  Top it off with another 1/4-inch patty, pressing firmly (but gently) on the top to seal the burger.  You want the meat to form back to itself without having the cheese come out the sides.  Lightly pinch the edges then smooth to make sure the meat is sealed.  Place the burgers in a non-stick skillet and cook on both sides until the meat is thoroughly cooked and the cheese is melted and gooey. 

In the mean time, butter one side of four slices of bread then build and grill your sandwiches.  When the two sandwiches are done grilling, lean them against one another like a teepee so they don't get soggy.  When the burgers are almost done, put your favorite condiments on the grilled cheese sandwiches, add your burger and enjoy!

Dinner Re-Made: Chicken Wings

It's a fact universally known by football fans (and their wives) worldwide, that the perfect accompaniments to some pigskin are chicken wings and beer.  Monday Night Football meant that the Hubby wanted chicken wings to highlight a fantasy football win.  Since we're broke, I had to improvise.

I took boneless, skinless chicken breast and injected them with some wing sauce (2 oz Louisiana Gold Hot Sauce to 1 oz butter, warmed in the microwave to combine) then let them marinate in the overflow for about 10 minutes.  In the mean time, I put a large skillet to warm over medium-high heat and sprayed it liberally with Pam cooking spray.  Since my husband likes it nice and spicy, I used the Hot and Spicy Shake 'N Bake to coat the marinated chicken breast then put it in the skillet to "fry."  I'm a bit of a wuss, so I used the Original Shake 'N Bake for mine.

I seared it for 6-10 minutes on each side until the insides were nice and white and the outside was golden crispy.  To finish the meal, I steamed some mixed veggetables and coated them with popcorn seasoning for a healthy alternative to fries.  It may not have been the real deal, but my husband did say it was the next best thing.

Score one for wifey for Monday Night Football!