Sweet Love and Ginger

Chicken Teriyaki Meatball Skillet

Chicken Teriyaki Meatball Skillet

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Chicken Teriyaki Meatball Skillet
If you have been around here for a while you may notice a recipe that keeps popping up when I talk about eating clean eating, it’s my Southwest Meatball Skillet. I originally got the recipe from Clean Eating Magazine, and over the years have developed it to a tried and true recipe that we love and eat often.

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Crock Pot Roast Chicken; Home Cooking Made Easy

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Recently I told you all about our favorite crock pot meals, 100 of them to be exact, but I skipped a big one, perhaps the one that we use most often. That is the crock pot roast chicken. I might still be sounding crazy since I’m telling that roasting chicken in the crock pot is the single most important thing that we do around our house, but let me explain.
Using the crock pot ensures that the chicken is cooked through. I know that many people have problems and nervousness about whether the chicken is cooked correctly; using the crock pot takes all of that away. Using the crock pot means that it can cook while I’m at work, so that dinner only takes a few minutes to throw together when I get home. The last thing I want to mention is the benefit of having cooked chicken in the house to help us get through the week. It’s so convenient! Whole young chickens go on sale and are pretty inexpensive per pound. Additionally a single 4-5 pound chicken can provide 3-4 meals for the two of us that is 6-8 servings.
A few notes on this recipe:If you do not require crispy skin than you can omit the foil and additional oven time. However the crock pot does cause the chicken to pretty much fall off the bone, and the foil is very convenient for  transferring the chicken out of the crock pot to a cutting board.

 I do not suggest adding vegetables to the crock pot, because the liquid from the chicken tends to remain in the crock pot it will cause the vegetables to be overly mushy and greasy. I like to roast them in the oven while the chicken is crisping, usually in their own pan. However this is just my opinion feel free to experiment with your own methods.Typically when you buy a whole chicken it is packaged in plastic. Once you take it out of the plastic there is also a bag on the inside of the chicken cavity that contains the giblets. This has to be removed before cooking. The giblets can be thrown away, used for gravy or saved for later use in stock.

 

Crock Pot Roast Chicken; Home Cooking Made Easy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10 to 12 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 whole (4-5 lb)
  • Chicken
  • ½ tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp garlic
Instructions
  1. Place a large piece of tin foil in the crock pot so that the edges hang over the sides.
  2. Place the chicken, breast side up inside (Optional: tie the legs up with kitchen twine and fold the wing tips under). Sprinkle with spices and
  3. cover.
  4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove lid and using foil transfer the chicken to a roasting pan.
  5. Place in a preheated 475 degree oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the skin gets crispy.
  6. Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
This isn’t the only way that I roast a chicken I also roast it in the oven if I have the time.
The spices that I use to roast my chicken are simple, but I am wondering what are your favorite roast chicken seasonings?

Project No. 2 – Ink

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Prints are the thing now. 
They are everywhere from etsy shops to major stores, and everyone seems
to have them in their homes.
Somehow I stumbled across this print (I believe it was a blog post). I loved the idea of it and immediately wanted
it for my own kitchen. Roast chicken is near and dear to our hearts. It’s
something I cook almost weekly, with a tired an true recipe that both Chuck and
I love, this print seemed perfect.
The only thing about it that I didn’t like was that it wasn’t
my recipe. I thought having a print that was all mine would be amazing, so I decided
to get to work. It took me a while to figure out a design that I liked, and
then figure out what pens /markers/tools to use. I did a fe side projects to
get comfortable, and then just went for it.

I think it turned out pretty good. I made one small mistake,
but a little white out isn’t noticeable from far away. I could always scan it
into the computer and photoshop it out, but that’s a lot more effort, and
imperfections are part of life. I think it will remain as is for now. Also the matting that I made myself from colored paper is a little off, but I think it adds to the imperfect look; at least that’s what I’m going with for now.

I put it
up in our kitchen where we used to hang a calendar and love opening our door to
it every day now. After Project no. 2 I am even more in love with this
challenge. I hope to fill this house with handmade items, and art. It fills my
heart during the creative process and then seeing these things get use every
day.

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

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An easy and healthy spring recipe for Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole.

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole Recipe
You guys I looked out my window today and actually saw some green grass. Like living green grass!
If you don’t live in the frozen tundra that is the northeast, you probably don’t understand my excitement. Let me explain: this winter was hard. I mean aside from the typically short days and snow, it was ridiculously cold. Entire weeks were spent in below freezing temperatures, to the point where going outside for more than 10 minutes actually became dangerous.
It was hard on all of us cooped up indoors hoping for just a 25-degree day so we could spend some time outside without feeling like our face was on fire.
Anyway, I digress.
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole Recipe
I want to celebrate the green.
I want to celebrate the birds I’m beginning to see poke coming out, and the long-lost sun that I have failed to have seen due to work.
What better way to celebrate than a new twist on one of my favorite dishes? Spinach Artichoke dip is a huge favorite of mine and something I start to crave right as spring starts to come around. As evidenced by a very similar recipe I posted just shy of a year ago today. Remember that? One pot Spinach Artichoke Pasta? While this isn’t a one pot meal, it’s awfully close. It’s also super satisfying, and the perfect way to invite some spring into your home!
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole Recipe
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size
  • pieces
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 (13.5 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained, & chopped
  • 5 oz of fresh baby spinach
  • 12 oz penne pasta, cooked according to package instructions
  • 1 cup low fat sour cream
  • 4 oz low fat cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425.
  2. In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat and sauté the onions for one minute.
  3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add the garlic and chicken to the pan and cook, tossing occasionally until the chicken is browned on all sides.
  4. Add the artichoke hearts and spinach and cook, while stirring until the spinach has wilted.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in pasta, sour cream, cream cheese, and parmesan until well
  6. combined.
  7. Transfer to a greased baking pan and cover with mozzarella cheese.
  8. Bake in the oven until the cheese has begun to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
  9. Serve immediately.

 Similar Recipes:

Spinach Pesto Pasta

Green Cream of Chicken & Rice Soup

One Pan Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Garden Plans 2015

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March is the time of year every year that I get giddy for garden planning. Around here the snow is just starting to melt and the birds are barely coming home, but that is enough to get me going. I will start planting the moment that the ground is thawed enough to let me.I am always excited about learning more about gardening specifically vegetable gardens. I have a dream to one day never need to go to the
grocery store for produce. I realize that I have a long way to go however.
Recently I got The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden book to try to learn some more. It was packed with quite a bit of information. Starting with the basics of garden
planning to compost, companion gardening, and plant specific details there is a
lot there for the beginning gardener to learn from. For me I felt like a lot of
the material was a bit too beginner. While the book will make a good reference
for companion planting, and garden design, there wasn’t a lot of abundantly new
information for me. For someone who likes gardening it made a lovely weekend
read, and was successful in getting me amped up for another growing season.
I had huge plans this year for the garden, but the decision to start house hunting has me thinking that expanding may not be the best idea. Instead I plan to keep my two small boxes and expand into containers. This way I can take the majority of stuff with us when/if we move this year. I made up a quick sketch for this year’s plan that you
can see below. It’s actually more like the sixth or seventh sketch, but this one will be the last one I hope.

We are starting out by keeping many of the cold weather crops in the same section so that come fall I can cover them easily if it frosts and maybe get a few more weeks of growing time. Last year half of our cabbage was slow growing and therefore lost by the frost.

 This year I plan to grow more tomatoes, in order to can them, and grow them in barrels with basil as a companion. I also plan to grow potatoes in a barrel, a concept I actually found on Pinterest, but will be an experiment all on its own. The peas will be grown along the porch rail again. Other than those few things everything will remain the same.

Now tell me do you guys like to garden? Do you have any plans for the season yet?Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this review through the Blogging for Books Program.

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