Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

8 Cups Mini Cinnamon Rolls, cut in quarters
4 Eggs
2 Cups Milk
¼ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Butter, melted
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Cup Raisins
1 Cup Pecans, chopped


Place half of the cinnamon rolls in the slow cooker and top with half of the raisins and half of the pecans. Add remaining cinnamon rolls. In small mixing bowl combine eggs, milk, sugar, butter, vanilla and nutmeg. Wisk until blended. Pour over cinnamon rolls and gentle stir.
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

~Source – this was a combo of a few different recipes so I guess the credit goes to me! Research, combine and improvise.

Patti’s Notes: Super easy and very good with a dollop of Cool Whip Lite.

Health-o-Meter: Not so diet friendly.

Easy Meter: Easy Schmeasy.

Clean Out The Veggie Bin Chicken Stoup

This is another of my ‘How-To’ Slow Cooker inventions rather than a recipe.
I had green beans, carrots and zucchini that I didn’t use last weekend and I’ll be gone this weekend so I figured I better do something with them or I’ll be throwing them away (except the carrots would have been fine). I hate to waste my Farmer’s Market veggies. I had three boneless skinless chicken breast in the freezer so I took them out first thing in the morning. They were still partially frozen before I left for work but that’s okay. I put them in the crock pot, sliced the carrots and the zucchini; cut the tips off the green beans and cut them in half. Everyone into the cauldron. I sprinkled about 1-2 teaspoons of herbes de provence over the top. Then I grabbed a jar of the tomatoes I canned at summertime. If you [probably don’t] remember I put a clove of garlic and quartered onion in the bottom of the jars before adding the tomatoes (thank you for the idea Tonopah Rob). The ‘How To’ is in my Food Porn Blog 6-13-11. Anyhow, I added the jar of tomatoes, juice and all, and popped the lid on. When I got home from work the kitchen smelled amazing. I would put this in the category of what Rachel Ray calls *stoup*. That’s kind of a cross between a stew and a soup. It would have been good with some crusty bread on the side, which I happen to have in the freezer but I didn’t remember it until just now.
This rates high on the Health-O-Meter because it’s just chicken, veggies and spices. No added fat, no added sodium, no starch - although I would have thrown in a potato if there would have been one in the bin. :wink:

Easy Schmeasy Chicken Enchiladas

1 can (10 ¾ oz) Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or Healthier versions) ½ cup sour cream (Regular or Light) 1 cup Pace Picante Sauce (I use Original but you could sub Mild or Spicy) 2 tsp. chili powder 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use the breast meat of one rotisserie chicken from Sam’s/Costco) ½ cup shredded cheese (I use Kraft Mexican 4 Cheese but you could use Monterey Jack or Low Fat Cheese) 6 flour tortillas.

Heat oven to 350°; spray baking pan with Pam. Mix soup, sour cream, Pace Picante Sauce and chili power together. In separate bowl mix 1 cup of the soup mixture with the chicken and cheese. Put 6 tortillas in the pan, divide chicken mixture between the tortillas spreading it down the center. Fold in one side, then the other, then turn seam side down in the pan. Spread remaining soup mixture over the top. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes until cheese starts to bubble around the edges. Eat as is or garnish with chopped tomato and sliced green onion. Paul likes to add a dollop of sour cream.

~Source - once upon a time it was probably a Campbell’s Soup recipe in a magazine.

Patti’s Notes: Paul thinks its better reheated the next day. 

Health-O-Meter: Depends. You can make it diet friendly or fully loaded. If you lighten it up, I recommend low fat cheese, not fat free. Fat free cheese tends to turn to a plastic like substance when melted (IMO - YMMV). 

Easy Meter: Easy Schmeasy.

The Tale of Two Chicken Salads

Base ingredients are:
1 Rotisserie Chicken (I like Sam’s Club or Costco’s chickens)
1 Apple (I like Pink Lady apples but any apple will do the trick)
Mayonnaise

Remove meat from chicken (I use mostly just the white meat) and cut into bite size pieces.
Peel, core and chop the apple.

Here’s where your chicken salad can go either way.

For REGULAR CHICKEN SALAD I add about a cup of grapes (cut in half), sea salt and cracked pepper.
For CURRY CHICKEN SALAD I add a handful of golden raisins, garlic salt, cracked pepper and curry powder.

Back to the basics: Add enough mayonnaise for it to stick together. Refrigerate. Add a little more mayo just prior to serving.

De-lish.

You could also add chopped celery and/or onion. I don't like raw onion and celery isn't one of my favorites, but you can experiment and add what you like. Pears instead of apple, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, etc.

~Source - as you have probably guessed, I made this one up myself.

;-)

Zucchini Pickles

Combine 4 cups 1/8” zucchini slices, 1 cup slivered sweet onion and 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves in a glass bowl. Bring 1 cup white vinegar, ½ cup sugar, ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon mustard seed and ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt to a boil; pour over zucchini mixture. Cover and chill 24 hours.
~Source – Cooking Light

Patti’s Notes: I used summer squash and a 1 quart mason jar. When I poured in the liquid it only went to the half-way point so I brewed up another batch of liquid. It only took a few minutes and wasn’t a big deal, just sayin’…
If you use a glass bowl the veggies would be more spread out and maybe one batch if liquid would be enough. I wanted them in a jar.
OH*MY*GOODNESS, these are super delicious and easy smeasy. Tangy, spicy, a little sweet and a lot of crunchy. Actually these are pretty spicy so if you don’t like the heat you might want to back off a little on the red pepper flakes. I like them as is.

Look out Benihana Chefs, I’m a Summer Squash Samurai
Garlic and onions ready to join the party.
Aren’t they pretty?
Honorable mention: summer squash, garlic and onions from Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm. It doesn't get any fresher than that! http://tonopahrob.com/

Summer Squash, Carrot, Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup oatmeal
½ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbs canola oil
1 egg
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup shredded squash
Preheat oven to 400°. Spray 15 foil muffin cups or muffin pan with non-stick spray (i.e. Pam).

In one bowl add dry ingredients: a.p. flour, w.w. flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix to combine.
In another bowl add wet ingredients: milk, oil, egg, applesauce. Mix to combine.
In another bowl put the shredded carrots and squash. No need to mix.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together. It will look a little dry. Add the fresh veggies and mix. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan and place on wire rack. It’s okay to leave them in the papers if you’re using foil muffin cups instead of a muffin pan.

~Source – I made this one up.

Patti’s Notes: These aren’t very sweet but I do that intentionally. You may want to add more brown sugar or some honey or agave. You could also add Spenda for Baking but I eat clean the majority of the time and I try to eliminate artificial anything as much as possible. (Which was not the case in some of my older recipes posted.) You could use regular milk but I pretty much only buy almond milk anymore. These are moist but they are not cupcakes, they are muffins so expect them to be a little dense and not light and fluffy. That being said they aren’t heavy belly bombs. ;~)

Health-O-Meter: Starting with farm fresh ingredients (squash, carrots, egg) from Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm is an added bonus. All naturally grown with no pesticides, etc. Another added bonus with farm fresh: no need to peel the carrots! I’ll have to figure out the calorie count and come back to post it.

Easy Meter: Not difficult. PSA: Use a box grater with caution. They like to grate fingers and knuckles! I managed to get away with a nick. :oh happy day:

tomates a la provencale

Best breakfast ever and super easy to make.
tomates a la provencale
Recipe from Choupette (my nephew’s girlfriend, she’s French thus the fancy name of the dish).
I made it just for me so this is for one serving. I only eat one egg but obviously you could add more:
Heat a little olive oil in fry pan. Add one clove of chopped garlic and sauté until soft. Add one medium size tomato, sliced and sprinkle with herbes de provence*. Sauté until it cooks down then add one egg and a dash of salt & pepper. Let it cook until the egg is cooked the way you like it. I like mine a smidgeon past medium so I put a lid on the pan and let it cook a little longer than the one pictured above. Eat with crusty French bread (I toasted mine). You actually just dip the bread into the mixture. OMG, this was crazy good.
Choupette said you can add fresh basil too if you'd like but I didn’t have any. I imagine that would be good.
Starting with farm fresh garlic, tomato and egg from Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm is an added bonus. Super fresh and delicious ingredients. http://tonopahrob.com/
*Herbes de provence is in the spice aisle. It’s a blend of thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram, sage, fennel and lavender.
When I asked my good friend Mr. Google about tomates a la provencale, most of the hits were for a baked or broiled tomato with herbs and breadcrumbs, not sautéed and topped with an egg. I wonder if it’s a regional thing in France. Kind of like if you ordered a burger in Wisconsin it would likely have cheddar, in California it would have avocado and in the Southwest it might have chilies. Maybe in their region in France they skip the breadcrumbs and add the egg.
Another funny thing, Frenchy Momma, Choupette’s Mom Marie, wrote on my Facebook page picture that they don’t eat this for breakfast, they eat it for lunch or dinner. For breakfast they have toast with butter or jelly. Call me crazy but I think it was perfect for breakfast!
Please let me know if you try and what you think.

Canning Tomatoes

Rub-a-dub-dub: Onions and garic on standby:

All tomatoes to the Hot Tub:Plunging into the the ice bath:

Ready for the boiling cauldron:

Doing their thing:

Final product:

“Recipe" courtesy of Tonopah Rob (link removed, out of business).  For quart size jars, put a clove of garlic in the bottom of each jar. Then put two small onions quartered (these onions were very small, about the size of shallots). Add Kosher salt and lemon juice for your brine and acid. Then blanch your tomatoes, put them in an ice bath, drain and fill the jars. Boil jars about 30-40 minutes.

To blanch the tomatoes, put a little cross cut at the bottom of each tomato.  Put them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Then put in an ice bath.  I filled the sink with ice and water.  The skin will peel right off.  

He said the amount of tomatoes I bought (12 pounds) should yield 6 quarts. He was spot on, 6 quarts exactly. He said he likes to add the garlic and onion because then your tomatoes are good to go for just about any recipe. Sounded good to me so that’s what I did. Of course I did a smidgeon of research and asked my good friend Mr. Google about sanitizing the jars (boil them) and how much salt (1 teaspoon per quart) and lemon juice (2 Tablespoons per quart) to use. Most of them said to use bottled lemon juice. Why would I want to buy a bottle of lemon juice when I have a lemon tree and plenty of the real deal right in my fridge? They say it’s because the acid level is more predictable with the processed variety. Bottled schmottled, call me a renegade but my lemons are plenty pungent so I used real lemon juice. Besides, a few experienced canners said they just blanch the tomatoes without adding any salt or lemon juice to the jars so somehow I think the experiment will turn out just fine. After CAREFULLY removing the jars from the boiling water (not an easy task without a jar lifter) the lids are supposed to “pop” while cooling which indicates they are sealed. I was busy and not paying attention so I missed the popping. Then I was wondering how I would know if they sealed. The experienced canners said if they don’t seal, put them in the refrigerator and use them within a few days. After a good night’s sleep a light bulb went off in my head. Remove the rings and if the lids are attached they sealed. If the lids slide right off then marinara sauce will be on my agenda. The lids were all perfectly tight! Ta-da. My first experiment with canning appears to have been successful.

Heirloom Tomato Chow Chow

Ingredients
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled, grated or chopped
2 pounds firm green heirloom tomatoes, cut into quarters
2 medium onions, diced
Directions
Combine vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, turmeric, mustard seeds, celery seed, cayenne pepper, and ginger in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to extract the flavors of the spices. Once the liquid is boiling and steaming add tomatoes and onion. Gently stir to incorporate. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Shut off heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Place in a serving bowl and serve.
~Source: Tyler Florence, Food Network

Patti’s Notes: This comes out like a sweet, spicy relish. Can you believe I couldn’t find celery seed? I tried two stores and ended up subbing celery salt (even though there is no salt in the recipe) and it worked fine. I cut the recipe in half and it made plenty. I severed it with grilled pork chops. I think it would be good with chicken, fish or steak and I think it would be perfect on burgers.

Easy Meter: PDE (pretty darn easy). I will warn you that as the apple cider vinegar begins to boil the steam is really pungent. My house smelled like vinegar for hours, which isn’t offensive, just sayin’…

Tip of the Day: If you are in Arizona I highly recommend you shop for produce at Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm. He only sells what he grows and everything is grown chemical-free (no pesticides or insecticides). Everything is super fresh and amazingly delicious. http://tonopahrob.com/

Pictured above with a grilled pork chop and Green Bean & Tomato Salad (posted 6-13-10 but here’s the link so I’ll save you the trouble http://foodpornpatti.blogspot.com/2010/06/green-bean-and-tomato-salad.html).
This time I made it with Dragon Beans (pictured below). They start off purple and pale yellow but once they are steamed the purple disappears. I also hard poach my eggs instead of hard boiling. They come out super tender like little silky pillows. M-M-De-lish.

Pizzettas

We (my sister and I) bought handmade pizza dough at the Italian Deli. Rolled it out and used a plastic container (as a cookie cutter) to cut 4” circles. Pinched/stretched them out a little and put them on a cookie sheet. Brushed them with EVOO. Topped them with fresh tomato slices, sea salt and cracked pepper, basil ribbons and shredded mozzarella. We put them in a 400° oven for about 25-30 minutes (until the cheese was melted and bubbly and the dough looked cooked).

Patti's Notes: This is a non-recipe. My sister had seen them in a magazine but they had all kinds of stuff on them she doesn’t like so we used the idea and did our own thing. You could really experiment with these and use your favorite toppings. Make your own dough or use the pop can of pizza dough. The only limitations are your imagination.

.

Health-o-Meter: It's up to you, depending on what you put on them. Load them up with meats like pepperoni and sausage would be higher in fat and calories. Use turkey sausage to bring that down some. Top them with veggies for a healthier, guilt free version.

.

Easy Meter: PDN (pretty darn easy).

Cranberry Almond Scones

Orignal recipe for Dried Cherry Almond Scones:

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 lemon, zested
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into pea size pieces
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
1/2 cup heavy cream
Turbinado sugar, for garnishing

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Add in the butter and rub with your fingers into the dry ingredients until a coarse meal forms. Add in the cherries and almonds. Add the heavy cream and combine it into the butter flour mixture.
Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disk and cut it into 6 wedges. Sprinkle each wedge generously with the turbinado sugar. Transfer the wedges to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 17 to 18 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Serve warm with Honey Butter.
~Source: Anne Burrell, Food Network

Patti’s Notes: I made Dried Cranberry Almond Scones because I had dried cranberries on hand. A few comments on the Food Network site said the dough was too dry. Mine was a little dry so I added a splash (maybe a teaspoon and a smidgeon) of almond milk and remixed. It was perfect.
I formed the disk on the parchment paper. That way I didn’t have to pick them up and move them to the pan. I cut the disk into 8 pieces (instead of 6). Then I used the knife as a spatula and lifted the wedges to separate them on the pan. Mine took 20 minutes to bake. When they came out of the oven they were a little crumbly. Once they cooled they set up perfectly. Half of a scone was plenty for me so I’ll say this recipe made 16 not 6. I did not make the honey butter. I ate mine plain. I would also say cut the dough into 8 wedges. After they are baked, then cut them in half.

Health-o-Meter: Not so bad if you can exercise portion control. Here’s the breakdown for 1/16: Calories 304, 16g Fat, 39g Carbs, 4g Protein. If you only made 6 from the recipe it would be a whopping 810 calories per scone. Seriously, that would be one mighty ginormous scone.

Cranberries and almonds are both antioxidants. Almonds have cholesterol lowering effects. We won't talk about the sugar! Since I've given up chemicals I try not to bake with Splenda anymore.

Easy Meter: The recipe is rated “easy” by the FN kitchen. I thought it was easy. The only thing is knowing the texture was too crumbly. FYI, Turbinado sugar is just a fancy schmancy name for sugar in the raw. You know, the brown crystals.

My Mis en plac:

A little too dry above; just right below.

Gigot a la Moutarde aka Herbal Mustard Coating for Roast Lamb

6 lb leg of lamb
½ cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove mashed garlic
1 teaspoon ground rosemary or thyme
¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil

Blend mustard, soy sauce, garlic, herbs and ginger together in a bowl. Beat in the olive oil by droplets to make a mayonnaise like cream.
Paint the lamb with the mixture and set it on the rack of the roasting pan. The meat will pick up more flavor if it is coated several hours before roasting.
Roast in 350º oven, 1 to 1 ¼ hours for medium rare; 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours for well done.

~Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child

Patti’s Notes: We don’t care for leg of lamb so I used this sauce on a rack of lamb. I used about 1/3 cup of Dijon but didn’t decrease the other ingredients except the olive oil. I added about a teaspoon. I added the oil all at once instead of droplets. I made the sauce and smeared it all over a rack of lamb. Did not do this several hours prior to roasting. I used fresh thyme because that’s what I had on hand. Rack of lamb has a built in "rack" so no need to put it on a rack in your pan. I roasted it at 350º for almost an hour. We like it medium-plus. A little past medium but not well. I had a little extra sauce so I dabbed it on the plate and set the meat on top of it. M-M-De-lish!

Health-o-Meter: Along with the obvious protein, lamb is rich in niacin, zinc, selenium and vitamin B-12 as well as iron, calcium and potassium. With only one teaspoon of oil added, spread amongst 7 chops, it’s pretty much guilt free. Lamb chops are pretty small so the rice and the biscuit look ginormous in the picture above. That was only ¼ cup of rice.

Easy Meter: Mashing the clove of garlic was a difficult as this one gets. Added plus, I had all the ingredients to make the sauce without adding to my grocery list.