Homemade yogurt and granola

Here's a healthy, 100% homemade snack or breakfast dish you can make for your family: Greek yogurt with granola. Add fresh fruit (or leave it out). Drizzle on some honey (or don't). Make your yogurt nice and thick (or leave it a bit thinner). Make the granola as nutty as you desire (or keep those nasty nuts outta there).

Do you get the idea? This is completely customizable; you can make yogurt and granola just the way you like it.

I have only made yogurt once, but it turned out perfect the first time, so I wanted to share the recipe with you!

Yogurt {crockpot}

8 cups whole milk

1 cup (or less) dry milk powder

1/2 cup plain yogurt (this is your "starter")

Pour milk into a 5-qt crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours and 45 minutes. (If using a 2- or 3-qt crockpot, cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Turn off crockpot and unplug it for 3 hours (this allows the milk to cool down enough to make sure the starter won't be killed by too much heat.)

Take 1-2 cups of the warm milk and stir in the dry milk powder and yogurt starter until completely combined. Then whisk this mixture back into the crockpot of warm milk. Replace the lid and wrap 2 thick bathtowels around the crockpot. Let it sit for 8-12 hours (this is the culturing process).

If you want thick, Greek yogurt, pour your yogurt into a cheesecloth-lined fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Place a bowl on top of the yogurt to apply pressure to the yogurt as it strains. Place in the refrigerator while it strains. Strain as much or as little as you like! (I strained mine for about 2-3 hours and it turned out about the same consistency as the Greek yogurt I buy at Trader Joe's.

For the best consistency, refrigerate overnight before eating.

Granola

3 cups old-fashioned/rolled oats

1 cup walnuts, chopped coarse

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup safflower oil (or other vegetable oil)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dried Montmorency cherries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, coconut, and sesame seeds. In a small saucepan, combine oil, maple syrup and honey and heat until warm. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.

Spread evenly onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle dried fruit over the surface. (If you want larger clumps, press granola tightly down against baking sheet; this will help it dry into larger pieces.)

Keep granola in an airtight container for up to seven days. I usually make a double batch, divide the resulting amount into four ziploc bags, and freeze three of the bags. It freezes wonderfully!

Read more...

Santa Fe Chicken Soup

This simple recipe is one of my favorites...and when I say simple, I mean really simple. After all, you don't even have to drain the canned goods! That is taking simple to a whole new level. :)

Everyone for whom I've made this has pronounced it delicious, and it's certainly a soup that I'm always glad to see pop up in my menu rotation. At the moment, I'm happy to know that there is, in my refrigerator, a bowl of this that was left-over from lunch I made for friends today; I'm looking forward to having it tomorrow!

What You Need

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 onion, diced

15 1/4 oz. can whole-kernel corn, undrained

24 oz. can pinto beans, undrained

10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 lb. Velveeta cheese

1/4 c. milk

What You Do

Put everything in the crockpot. Cover. Turn on. :) Cook on low 3-4 hours, or until cheese is melted. Try not to let soup boil. (I've also made this soup in a pot on the stove, especially when I was running out of time, and that works fine, too. But the crockpot is even more convenient.)

* Depending on the spice tolerance of those for whom I make this, I sometimes omit the diced tomatoes and green chilies, and add plain diced tomatoes instead. I personally like the extra zing that comes from the green chilies (and it's not a very spicy zing, just a little tiny one), but at times, it seems best to omit the spice and let each person add it individually to their own comfort level.

Happy soup-serving!

To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night,

all you really need is soup.

~ Laurie Colwin

Read more...

Greek Chicken Pitas

Easy-breezy. Delicious. Slow cooker. Fabulous leftovers. What more do I need to say?

What you need:
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (I put the chicken breasts in whole and cut them after they were done.)
1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 sour cream
1/2 c. cucumber, peeled and diced
Pita bread, halved and split

What to do:
Place onion and garlic in a slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings; place in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for six hours (took about five hours in my super-toasty Crock Pot). Stir together yogurt, sour cream, and cucumber in a small bowl; chill. Fill pita halves with chicken and drizzle with yogurt sauce.

We added black olives and feta cheese too -- yum!

Recipe from Gooseberry Patch's Slow-Cooker Recipes.

Read more...

Apple Corned Beef

It's St. Patrick's Day week which can mean only one thing -- time for corned beef!

This slow-cooker recipe is a favorite in our house. My husband grew up loving corned beef, and his family actually introduced it to me on my first visit to their home. I, too, became a fan.

We're leaving for vacation the day after St. Patty's, so I made this Irish treat a few days early so we can enjoy the leftovers throughout the week.

What you need:
8 new redskin potatoes
4 to 5 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (I tossed in a bag of baby carrots instead)
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
3-lb. corned beef brisket
4 c. apple juice
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 T. Dijon or honey mustard (I used Dijon)

Arrange potatoes, carrots, and onion wedges in a slower cooker; top with corned beef. Stir together apple juice, brown sugar, and mustard; pour over top. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours. Slice meat thinly across the grain. Serve with cooked vegetables. Makes 4 to 6 servings. (Side benefit: house smells amazing!)

Recipe from the Gooseberry Patch collection, "Slow-Cooker Recipes," and attributed to Mary Lauff-Thompson.

Read more...

Irish Beef Stew

My husband and I were having a culinary discussion the other evening that centered around traditional Irish Stew (who does that?? he's cute!).  Anyway, so began my search for the perfect Irish Stew...because after you talk about it long enough you have to make it.  And given my fixation with both my crock-pot and quick & easy recipes, I took this recipe, which has great reviews by the way, and turned it into a slow cooker meal.




What You'll Need

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large garlic cloves, minced
8 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley




What to Do

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.) Transfer stew to serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

 **my changes: really, I just threw everything into the crock pot and cooked it on high for 1hr and then on low for 8hrs.


Adapted from Epicurious.com

Read more...

BBQ Chicken

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes. It takes about 10 minutes to get everything prepared and into the crock pot. Oh yes. The amazing crock pot! Now, I like to use Kansas City style sauce, but if you can't find that, Bull's Eye has a great variety of sauces depending on what BBQ flavoring you're wanting to achieve — whether it be Hickory Smoke or Sweet and Tangy — they've got you covered!



What You'll Need

6 chicken breast halves
1 12oz bottle BBQ sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c submarine sandwich oil*
1 med onion chopped
1 TBS garlic powder
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

*or you can substitute Italian salad dressing


What to do

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. In a separate bowl mix BBQ sauce with brown sugar, sandwich oil, onion, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook low for 6-8hrs.
4. Around the 5th hour take a fork and shred all the chicken...then let it cook for a couple more hours and soak up all the bbq goodness.

PS. this also makes great leftovers!!

Read more...

Chicken & Yellow Rice

This recipe is an old family favorite. My mother got the recipe from another army wife when my parents were living on base, and she's been making it ever since. So I can't tell you how many times I've eaten this dish, but I still love it! And for some reason, we always have it with brussel sprouts, always. It's tradition.

Chicken & Yellow Rice

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 26 oz. can cream of chicken soup

1 10.75 oz. can cream of mushroom soup

yellow saffron rice (we prefer Mahatma)

How To Make It:

1) Mix both cans of soup in a deep casserole dish. Add chicken breasts and stir. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

2) When one hour is up remove chicken breasts one by one and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return to casserole dish and continue cooking until the rice is ready.

Crockpot directions: Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Put soups in crockpot and 1/2 cup milk; stirring well. Add whole chicken breasts. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Cut up chicken and stir back into to soup mixture while the rice is cooking.

Read more...