Fat Monday... For Those of Us Who Can't Wait For Tuesday

Yep, we are in the pre-Lenten season, aka the Mardi Gras days of debauchery. Funnily enough, this yearly celebration of decadence and depravity actually has its origins in Catholicism. As an appreciator of irony, I had to celebrate it this Crockpot Monday.

I invited my friends Mandy, Kimia, Bina and Amish over to enjoy a baked potato bar. Baked potatoes are great for groups of people because it allows everyone to customize their spuds to suit their tastebuds. Given that I made veggie chili in the slow cooker (which was actually just my chili from the "Super Bowl of Chili" post without the meat), baked potatoes in the oven and had everyone bring their favorite baked potato topping.





Baked Potato Version 1



  But, baked potatoes don't scream Mardi Gras. You know what does? King Cake!

My King Cake

The king cake is a Mardi Gras tradition. The "king cake" is named after the three wise men, or three kings, who visited Jesus after his birth and brought the notorious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The cake celebrates the Epiphany and tastes like a coffee cake or large cinnamon roll with purple, green and gold sugary frosting. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. I did, however, change the frosting to a mixture of cream cheese and confectioner sugar. And, it was tasty!

The colors of the king cake are symbolic. Purple represents Justice, Gold represents Power and Green represents Faith. But the real treat is a small toy baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, hidden inside the cake. Whoever finds the baby in their piece of cake is declared King or Queen for the day and is responsible for hosting the next Mardi Gras party.

Baby Jesus atop the King Cake



Kimia the Queen for the Day













Spanish Lesson

Among my many New Years Resolutions this year was to become more proficient in Spanish. After 7 years of Spanish lessons through high school and college, the extent of my Spanish knowledge consists of saying hello, asking what time it is, asking where the library is and ordering a beer and a taco. Now, I know what you're thinking, why would I need to know any more than this? What can I say, I'm overly ambitious.

In order to help me in this quest I have started to listen to the podcast, "Coffee Break Spanish" during my walk home from work. Each podcast is a 15 - 30 minute lesson on conversational Spanish taught by two Scottish people. This is like a double workout for my brain. First I have to decipher their Scottish accents and then translate the phrases into Spanish. I love it. I optimize my commute time by learning another language and no one approaches me because I look like a crazy person talking to myself while I walk down the sidewalk. It's a win-win situation.

To complement my new pursuit, I made fajitas this week. This is a recipe MUY FANTASTICA for 3 reasons: it tastes great, it is incredibly simple and it works with beef, chicken or pork. I chose beef because it was on sale on Sunday and it was pre-cut into cubes. You simply combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. When it's dinner time, assemble the beef, shredded cheese, avocado slices and fresh cilantro on whole wheat tortillas and enjoy. Fresh cilantro makes all the difference. If every time you buy cilantro it spoils before you get a chance to use it, purchase this herb keeper. It's the best purchase I've made recently. My cilantro lasts twice as long as it did before, at least.

Fajita Beef
Combine the following ingredients in the slow cooker:
1/5-2 pounds cubed beef (or chicken or pork)
4 cloves garlic minced
1 jar prepared salsa ( I used a smoky habanero salsa)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. During the last 30 minutes of cooking add one 16-ounce bag of frozen corn.

Serve on tortillas with shredded cheese, avocado slices and fresh cilantro.

Next time I might add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and a bag of frozen pearl onions.

Chicken and Rice and Everything Nice

I recently read that 80% of the American population owns a slow cooker. That is 4 out of 5 people in this country, which seems astonishingly high to me when 50% of the population is male, not to mention 1% of the population is homeless and 0.75% of the population is in prison.

Even if this statistic is true, what percentage of that population that has actually taken their slow cookers out of their cabinet since they received it as a wedding or house-warming gift, I'm not sure.

But one thing is for sure, one of those 4 out of 5 people that likes to cook slow is my aunt, who gave me this week's recipe. It is the epitome of simplicity - there are 4 ingredients, all of which you probably have on hand and no preparation is required. And it's very very tasty and pretty healthy. Thanks Aunt Jane!

4 Ingredient Chicken and Rice

Place the following ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

4 frozen chicken breasts

2 cans of black beans

16 oz fresh salsa

1/2 cup rice

Optional: 1/4 c molasses or brown sugar for a touch of sweetness


And let's not forget that this Monday was President's Day. Enjoy!

World: 1 Jen: 0

I think the world is working against me. I try to be a productive member of society and go to work. I try to eat my 3 to 5 servings of vegetables a day (or whatever the USDA dictates these days). But both of these things contributed to my complete failure this Crockpot Monday.

I found a good recipe for Creamy Broccoli Soup in an issue of Real Simple that I wanted to try. This one enticed me because it was a healthier version - read this as no whipping cream, half and half or milk. Albeit it wasn't a crockpot recipe but I tried to adapt it to my slow cooker. Happily I left home on Monday morning knowing that when I returned from work I would have a big bowl of healthy goodness waiting for me. 10 hours later, quite the opposite awaited me. I had a feeling that my dreams were about to be dashed when, 10 feet outside my door I started to smell rotting eggs or a baby's diaper or something equally disgusting. It was a formidable scent... stung the nostrils.

Source: realsimple.com
What I should've been eating.

The broccoli and potatoes had been slowing cooking (good) and then burning (bad) throughout the day. Apparently I should have added more liquid and shouldn't have left it to cook for 10 hours. I also added too much red pepper (damn you brown people for making me think I'm resistant to heat). So even after I blended the ingredients to form an eye-enticing velvety green soup it just tasted like spicy burnt compost.

It was leftovers for me. World: 1  Jen: 0. I'm ready for a rematch. See you next Monday, world.

A Super Bowl of Chili

Super Bowl XLV on a scale of 1 to 10 was about a 6. The football game could've been more exciting, the Black Eyed Peas could've tried to sing on key, the commercials could've been funnier. Personally I would've liked to see a commercial with Troy Polamalu and Clay Matthews remaking Willow Smith's 'Whip My Hair' music video, but nobody asked me. But, the game wasn't a complete blowout, Slash played at half time and the E*Trade baby still makes me laugh.

 

Outside of the television commercials and half time performances, the thing I look forward to the most on Super Bowl Sunday is chili. This chili combined the hot spice of Italian sausage with the smoky spice of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with the slight sweetness of cinnamon. You should try it.

Here's the Recipe...

Brown and drain:

     1 lb. ground turkey

     1 lb. Italian sausage

Break up with a wooden spoon and transfer to the insert of a slow cooker.

Saute in oil:
     1 large onion, chopped
     1 green pepper, chopped
     1 red pepper, chopped
     4 cloves garlic, minced
Transfer to the insert of a slow cooker.

Add the following ingredients to the slow cooker:
    4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
    16 oz. tomato sauce
    24-32 oz. crushed tomatoes
    4 cinnamon sticks
    1/2 tsp oregano
    1/2 tsp cumin
    1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

    1 1/2 TB chili powder

    1/4 tsp cardamom

    1 tsp salt

    1 TB sugar

    1 bay leaf

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

In the last hour of cooking add:
    2 cans red kidney or pinto beans, rinsed & drained

    1 bag frozen corn

Serve with chopped green onions, cilantro, shredded cheese and corn chips.

National Hot Tea Month

Did you think the holidays ended for a while at 12:01am January 1st?

Well, you would be wrong, my friend.

January is National Hot Tea Month. Thirty-one days to revel in warm, herbal goodness.

January is also the California Dried Plum Digestive Health Month, National Clown College Month, Radon Action Month, and Manuary (apparently an official 31-day period when it's okay for men to grow facial hair). While the opportunity to celebrate effective digestive health, clean air and rugged men is overwhelming, hot tea seems to be a safer bet for the crockpot. And, clowns are never a thing to be celebrated. Have you ever seen IT?

Recent research findings have reported that drinking black tea may improve the body’s defenses and quicken the response to bacteria and viruses. This, coupled with the fact that my sister-in-law is 7 months pregnant, gave me the perfect excuse to try out a new crockpot Chai Tea recipe at a Baby Shower I threw for her this past Saturday. Chai Tea is black tea with milk and spices. Pair a cup of the warm tea with lemon blueberry biscotti and you'll almost forget that you don't have a day off of work until Memorial Day.



Chai Tea and Lemon Blueberry Biscotti


Crockpot Chai Tea (original recipe from the official Crock Pot website)

Combine the following ingredients in the insert of a slow cooker:

2 quarts water
8 bags black tea
1/2 cup sugar
16 whole cloves
16 whole cardamom seeds, pods removed
5 whole cinnamon sticks
1 cup milk

Cook on high until the tea boils. Then turn to warm until ready to serve.

Bonus Recipe!
Lemon Blueberry Biscotti

Ingredients:
1 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
Zest of one lemon
1 package (or 1 1/2 tsp) of vanilla sugar (available in specialty grocery stores)
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar until creamy. Add the lemon zest, dried blueberries and almonds.

In a separate bowl sift flour with salt and baking powder. Then add flour to the creamy mixture to make a dough. Add flour if dough is too sticky to work with. Cut the dough in 2 pieces and roll out each one into a sausage shape on a floured surface. Flatten each roll to 1/2 inch thick rectangles.

Lower the oven to 375 degrees. Place dough on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden in color. Cool and with a serrated knife, slice diagonally.

Lower the oven to 350 degrees. Place slices on a cookie sheet and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes to make the biscotti "twice-baked".

Slow Cookin' Soul Cookin'

Warning: The following post is not politically correct.

Back in December, I received the following email from Leigh, a former co-worker and friend of mine, chastising me for a wrong I was committing weekly at Crockpot Mondays - a wrong I have since rectified.

Subject:  Crockpot Mondays....  a request


Hey Jen,
I know we don't work together any more but.....I still eat and I still like new foods and flavors.  I see you are having brown people at Crockpot Mondays...........where are the BLACK PEOPLE!?!?!?!? I promise not to yell in the kitchen like "we" do at the movies. I will sit down and quietly enjoy the meal. You don't have to make any "soul food" like collard greens and ham hocks in the crock pot, anything you come up with will be fine with me.  So with that said, and the fact that you have had Al-n-Val(white) and Bindi and Amish(brown) for CM (Crockpot Mondays) I feel it is time for me and Mandy(black - light black) to participate. I know that the holidays are around the corner so we can wait.  We will be patient, if it takes until after the holidays that is fine.  But I want to see some black folks on the blog!!!!!


Despite the subtlety of her message, I picked up on the fact that I needed to diversify my blog. And, I'm more than willing to except her challenge. So, for this week's meal we're having SOUL FOOD.

Which one's not like the others? A virtual United Nations.

In preparation for this challenge I flipped through my trusty crockpot cookbooks, but I didn't really find anything that suited Leigh's request. Instead I decided to attack this challenge Iron Chef-style. I am going to choose a random soul food ingredient and let that inspire me. My ingredient of choice? Ham hocks. Nothing says sould food to me like ham hocks. The ham hock is the joint that connects the pig's foot to its leg and is an essential ingredient in soul food. Because it isn't the choicest selection of meat on the pig, it's cheap and therefore, perfect for the slow cooker.

Soul food originated in the 14th century when slaves infused their West African cooking techniques and food staples with new types of foods in the Americas. But, the name "soul food" really came about in the 1960s. This is a work-with-what-God-gave-you cuisine. Every part of the animal is used and reused. Whatever produce that is in season is what ends up on the table. Soul food is often times synonymous with Southern food. So, as a displaced midwesterner, I felt the pressure, but I rolled up my sleeves and tried my hand at a few dishes.

For tonight's meal we had:

Ham Hocks and Beans in the crockpot

Fried Chicken

Stewed Okra, Squash and Tomatoes (made by Bindi)
Corn Bread
Green Beans
Red (not cherry) Kool-Aid - Mandy's contribution :)

The consensus? Pretty darn good.

The ham and beans had a great flavor due to the tomatoes with jalapenos and a great texture. This was the first time I've ever made fried chicken - or anything in a half-inch of hot oil - and I was pleasantly surprised. However, there is a learning curve involved with making sure the oil is hot enough to cook the chicken through and yet, not burn it, so some chicken pieces ended up a little burnt. Fried chicken is a lot of effort - what with the soaking overnight in buttermilk, dredging in flour and frying messily in batches, but it is quite tasty. Bindi's okra stew was excellent and spicy and crunchy - as opposed to the gelatinous snot-like texture that okra can often take. The cornbread was to die for - sweet with kernels of corn interspersed throughout. 

At the end of the meal my black dinner guests inducted me into the unofficial soul food cooking club. While my fair complexion prevents me from repeating their exact comments, I feel honored nonetheless. A culinary and cultural accomplishment for Jenny from the block. (Actually I think by quoting that song, I just revoked my privileges.) FYI - Jiffy cornbread and shortcut fried chicken won't cut it in this club.

We finished the meal off with wonderful cupcakes from Cami Cakes, thanks to Leigh.

So, now I've done brown and black, and, obviously white. Does this mean I need to go yellow next Crockpot Monday with Char Su Pork? Or perhaps go red and make Borscht?  We'll see what hits my inbox this week...


Here are the recipes

Ham Hocks 'n Beans

Ingredients:
2 cups dried beans
2 ham hocks
3-4 garlic cloves, optional
14 oz can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Rinse 2 cups dried beans and pick out any unsatisfactory beans. (I had Great Northern beans in my cupboard).
Soak in water overnight.
Place beans in slow cooker with just enough water to cover and 3-4 garlic cloves. Cook on low for 2 hours.
At the same time, boil 2 ham hocks for 2 hours.
Remove bones from ham and add ham and water into slow cooker with beans and cook for 5 hours.
Add 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos and garlic salt and pepper and cook on low for an additional 2 hours.

Servings: 6


Fried Chicken - from thegutsygourmet.net

Ingredients:
   Chicken pieces (selection of drumsticks and thighs)
   2 cups buttermilk
   1 tsp pepper
   1/4 tsp salt
   1 1/4 cup flour
   1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt (I used Emeril's seasoning, you can also use Lawry's)
   2 cups lard (I was all out of lard (?), so I used vegetable shortening)
   1 stick butter

1.) Rinse the chicken pieces and blot with paper towel. In a large bowl combine the buttermilk, 1/4 tsp pepper and salt. Stir to combine
2.) Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3.) Combine the flour, seasoned salt and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of black pepper in a shallow baking
dish and blend well. Line a baking sheet with three layers of paper towels and place it near the stove.
4.) Put the shortening and butter in a large, deep frying pan. Melt over medium-high heat. The fat should be about 1/2-inch deep.
5.) Heat until it registers 365 degrees on a candy thermometer or until a small cube of bread dropped in
the oil browns in about 1 minute.
6.) Using tongs, remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, draining well. Dredge them in the flour mixture, turning to coat evenly. Shake off any excess flour. Place them in the pan. Do not crowd the chicken pieces.
7.) Don't move the chicken for about 5 minutes or until the coating is set and looks firm. Check the
underside by lifting with the tongs--it should be deep golden. Cook the pieces between 8 and 20
minutes (depending on size), turning them periodically until crispy brown and cooked through.
8.) Remove chicken from pan and place on paper towel-covered baking sheet. Repeat with more batches.

Cornbread - (I wish I could call this my own because it was ridiculous but it's Maryanne's recipe)

Ingredients
3 cups biscuit baking mix
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (make sure it's fresh)
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups frozen corn kernels

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet.
2.) In a large mixing bowl, combine baking mix, sugar, baking powder and cornmeal. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and butter. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Fold in frozen corn. Pour into prepared pan.
3.) Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.