A personal kitchen diary. I try new recipes and make notes on what works and what doesn't. Sometimes I can things, and sometimes I dry herbs. This is the story of my kitchen.
Ingredients 4-5 bone in chicken thighs (if they have skin on them, pull off and discard) 2 cups blended roasted green chilis 2 cups chicken broth 1 small onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp kosher salt 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 1/2 …
These may be the best black-eyed peas I have ever made. Is it because they are Rancho Gordo beans? Could be! Rancho Gordo beans are so high quality. Could it be because I used a slow-cooker—basically my go-to way of cooking beans now. Could it …
Slow Cooker Beans
1 lb black-eyed peas
1 bay leaf
1 stalk celery
1 smoked ham hock
4 cups Chicken broth
This is my favorite way to cook up a batch of beans. Just put everything in a slow cooker, make sure the liquid covers the beans by two inches, set it on low and check it 8 hours later. (Note: apparently this is not safe with red kidney beans although I can’t remember the reason—so check before cooking red kidney beans or just don’t do it this way.)
I cooked my beans the day before and put in the fridge overnight.
Hoppin John
1 T vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Diced ham hock (from the beans cooked the day before)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp semi-sweet smoked paprika*
2 tsp (plus more to taste) Tony Chachere’s seasoning
1 cup parboiled rice
Black-eyed peas plus its liquid (cooked the day before)
2-3 cups chicken stock
Heat oil over medium – medium-high heat in a large dutch oven. Add diced onion and celery. Cook and stir often until the vegetables are softened but not browned—up to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir just until fragrant, about 30 minutes.
Add the diced ham hock and seasonings. Please note that I added some smoked paprika because I didn’t have a smoked ham hock today and I was trying to add some smokey flavor. Hopefully I will have a smoked ham hock next time, and if so I probably won’t add the paprika.
Stir in the rice and toast for a minute or two. Stir in the beans, and add 2-3 cups of chicken stock, depending on how much liquified was left in the beans.
Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover. Cook 20 minutes, take off the heat and let it sit 5 minutes.
Crockpot Ham and Beans 1 lb dry Great Northern Beans, rinsed and sorted Leftover ham, ham hocks, or leftover hambone 2 carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut in half 1 stalk celery, cut in thirds 1 onion, peeled and quartered 1 bay leaf 6 cups chicken …
Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup 1 butternut squash (appx 2 lbs) peeled and seeded, halved and quartered. Very big pieces are fine. 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled 3 cups chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon each: ground ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika …
Coconut Chicken Curry in the Crock Pot
6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 13.5 cans coconut milk
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded, ribs removed, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons dried basil leaves
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow sweet curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger paste or minced fresh ginger
Cilantro to garnish
Heat vegetable oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and brown 2-3 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, add the coconut milk to the slower cooker. I had 1 can of lite, and one regular, but may try using both lite next time. Whisk the coconut milk until smooth, and then add the basil, salt, pepper, and curry. I used Penzeys sweet curry powder.
Remove the chicken thighs to a plate after they are browned. Lower the heat to medium and using the same pan, add the onion, garlic and jalapeño. Sauté briefly, just until the fragrance of the garlic hits you. 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add the veggies to the coconut milk blend and mix well. Add the chicken thighs and stir to coat. Put the lid on, and cook 6-8 hours on low.
Remove the chicken thighs to a plate and let cool briefly. Stir in 1 teaspoon of ginger paste or minced fresh ginger. I used Garden Gourmet ginger paste, which I am more likely to have around and I like how well it blends.
Remove the chicken from the bone, shred it, and return to the slow cooker. Cover and cook another ten minutes.
Top with cilantro when serving.
You can’t really call this a recipe. You need two ingredients – brown sugar and a bone-in, butt portion ham. Layer about 1/2 inch of brown sugar in the bottom of a Crockpot. Put the ham into the crockpot flat side down. Give the ham …