Crockpot Goodness!

Guys,

I LOVE crockpot cooking. You can be a total badass and literally have very little to do with it, LOL.

Today’s post is about making a whole chicken (marinated overnight in soyaki sauce from Trader Joe’s and 1 bottle home brewed Go Padres Prellar Porter) in the crockpot for an awesome weekend dinner. I hope you enjoy!

STEP ONE-

As indicated marinate your chicken overnight in either

a. your favorite marinade

b. your favorite dark beer

c. a combination of both!

STEP TWO-
Next day add assorted vegetables, onions, some fresh rosemary and more soyaki sauce on top.

STEP THREE-
Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours, then reduce heat to low for another 3 hours.

* vegetables may be removed during cooking time depending on desired texture – the shorter you cook them, the crispier they’ll be.*

NOTE – the chicken can be tested for readiness with a meat thermometer inserted into the inner thigh (but not touching the bone) registers 165°F, and by cutting into the bird to assess pinkness.

STEP FOUR-Serve on platter and enjoy.

(note where I cut into the chicken to make sure it wasn’t pink 🙂 )

• Discard any excess juice from crockpot.

Probably the best part about this meal (apart from being able to walk away from a cooking dinner for hours on end, is that the chicken is so large there’s tons of left overs. The next day I shredded the chicken for enchiladas!)

HAPPY EATING

• SUSANNAH  

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30 Minute Dinner – BBQ Salmon in Pesto Sauce and Asparagus!

Hello Blogosphere!

Today’s post features a quick and easy dinner that is perfect for warm summer nights. In our house we’ve been trying to eat a bit healthier – which can often be boring. As a result I am constantly looking for new ideas/recipes/dishes that are healthy yet yummy. That’s where this dinner comes from.

ONE – FISH  – they say it’s better for you that hamburgers and pizza, sigh.

TWO – ASPARAGUS – what’s that about mom always telling you to eat your vegetables?

THREE- PESTO – because apparently drowning everything in butter is frowned upon.

FOUR- BBQ- BECAUSE SUMMER!

Let’s get started-

Ingredients-

1. Salmon – 1 piece per person.
2. Asparagus – handful/bunch per person – between 5-8 spears.
3. Olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Pesto – store bought is fine but to make at home you’ll need- basil leaves (approximately 1 fist size bunch per person), pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese.

STEP ONE-

Turn on the BBQ- all BBQs very so be sure and know how long yours takes to heat up and budget accordingly. Prep on this meal is 5 minutes with store bought pesto and 20 with homemade.

STEP TWO-

Make the pesto (or skip to step three if using store bought.) In a food processor or blender combine the basil, olive oil, pine nuts and cheese and pulse until blended to desired texture. If the leaves will not blend add more olive oil or some (NOT A LOT) water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

STEP THREE-

Assembly! On a largish piece of tinfoil, place asparagus spears in a line/bunch. Drizzle with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Place piece of fish over the asparagus.

(* I cooked mine salmon skin on. It’s not required. The fish will be tender enough to easily remove the skin when it’s done cooking.)

Spread the pesto on the fish. Sprinkle with cheese.

STEP FOUR-

Close/wrap tinfoil to close. Don’t press down so hard that the pesto all crams onto the tinfoil and doesn’t stay on the fish.

STEP FIVE-

Cook in closed BBQ for 25 minutes.

FINAL PRODUCT-

Delightful 🙂

HAPPY EATING

SUSANNAH

Passion Fruit and Lemon Pie Bars

HEY GUYS!

So our CSA gifted us some lovely passion fruit this week!

These bad boys are SO good! Usually we scoop out the sweet insides and put them into a cocktail, or plop it on top of ice cream. But this week I was inspired to do something a little bit more adventurous. I hope you like it!

Here is what you’ll need:

For the Crust:
8 oz unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour

For the Filling:
5 large eggs
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups passion fruit puree (or combination of fruit – I used passion fruit, lemon juice, lemon zest, blackberries, and lavender syrup.)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

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To Make the Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×13 pan with foil so that it extends up the sides, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a bowl, (or mixer ) whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Once mixed, add the flour and stir with a spatula until combined and no streaks of flour remain.

Scrape the dough into the pan and press it into an even layer. It might seem a little greasy—this is normal.

** don’t worry, it doesn’t need to look pretty, you won’t see it in the end. Just be sure it’s as even and flat as possible.

Bake the crust for 25-30 minutes at 350 F, until it’s golden brown on top. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling so it’s ready to go as soon as the crust is done.

To Make the Filling:
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and fruit puree.

*note, if you are using fresh fruit, you need to make the puree. A blender or magic bullet will do this. Combine whichever fruit you like until you make 1 1/2 cups total. You can get creative by adding jelly, or flavored syrups etc.

^^ Look how beautiful those passion fruit are!

Sift the flour on top of the egg mixture, and whisk it in as well.

When the filling is done baking, slide the rack part-way out of the oven. Pour the filling over the hot crust and slide it back into the oven. Reduce the temperature to 325 F and bake for 30 minutes.

OOPS! I TOTALLY FORGOT TO PHOTOGRAPH THIS STEP!

But it is pretty self explanatory so I think you’ve got it!

As it cooks, the flour in the fruit and egg mixture will harden and make a mini top crust. It won’t be ask thick as your bottom crust, or even like traditional pie crust. To be sure it is done cooking, cut into it and see if the insides have hardened at all, if they pour out, it needs some more time in the oven.

Once done, remove the pan from the oven and let it cool until it reaches room temperature. For the cleanest cuts, refrigerate the bars and cut them when completely cold. The time in the fridge will also help the insides harden/firm.

The first time I cut into it, the insides were still way too oozy. Don’t freak out if this happens to you. I just put it back in for an additional 15 minutes and they were good.

To cut, remove the bars from the pan using the foil as handles.

Use a large sharp chef’s knife and wipe it off often between cuts. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar before serving. ( I also added some strawberry preserves on top!)

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Happy Eating!

SUSANNAH  

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