Potato and Sausage Dinner

Another winner!  Actually, I like this one better than the Apple Chicken and it was easier too (or at least faster).

Today's recipe experiment (also from emeals.com)...

Potato and Sausage Dinner (2 servings)

2 medium red onions, peeled & diced
6 oz smoked turkey sausage, sliced (I used chicken sausage, it's what I had on hand)
1/2 of an onion, sliced
1/3 c FF chicken broth

Microwave potatoes 3-5 minutes or until tender.
Brown sausage in pan on med heat.  Remove sausage and set aside.
Add onion & potatoes, cook 5 minutes.
Return sausage & add broth.  Cook until most liquid is reduced.

I don't usually like carrots, but I followed the plan and I actually really like these!

Glazed Carrots (4 servings)
1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled & sliced
4 tsp lemon juice
4 t honey
2 T light margarine (I used butter, it's what I had on hand, but I only used 1 T)
dash of cinnamon

Steam carrots for 10 minutes or until tender.  Heat remaining ingredients and toss with carrots.

Enjoy!!

Apple Chicken in the Slow Cooker

I'm a sucker for meal planning and diet websites, it's not good!

The latest - www.emeals.com

I heard about it through Groupon and signed up for the Portion Control menus.  The options look pretty tasty!  I made my first recipe tonight and it came out pretty good!

Apple Chicken
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 t dried thyme leaves
pepper
1/4 t salt
2 T brown sugar
1 T butter melted
1/2 of an onion, thin sliced
1/4 C FF Chicken broth (I made using a bouillon cube)
2 T apple juice
1 green apple, sliced
1/4 C chopped pecans (I left this out)

Sprinkle chicken with thyme, pepper & salt.  Place onions in bottom of slow cooker.  Top with chicken.
In a small bowl combine brown sugar, butter, broth, and juice, mix well, pour into slow cooker.
Cover, cook on low 5 hours (or high for 2 hours).
Stir in apples, cover and cook 1-2 hours on low (or 30 minutes on high) or until chicken is cooked and apples are tender.
Sprinkle pecans on top and divide into 3 services.
Serve each over 1/2 rice and broccoli

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I'm thankful everyone made it here safe and sound. 

Slightly less thankful that I haven't slept more than 2 hours since Tuesday night, but what're you going to do?  That's the deal when traveling with an overactive doggy!

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

I don't remember where I got this recipe, I've been making it for years.  This has been one of Brad's favorites of the few things I know how to make since we started dating (11.5 years ago!) and he requested a variation for his birthday dinner.

Here's the original recipe:

1 chicken (3lbs), cut up - I always use chicken breasts or whatever I have on hand.  I've never made 3lbs worth!
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted - scale to reflect the amount of chicken you're using
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat over to 350.  Place chicken pieces in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.

2. Combine butter, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper.  Spread over chicken.  Bake 1 hour, basting pan juices every 15 minutes, until chicken is tender (watch closely if you're not using the full 3lbs of chicken, probably won't take this long!)

For tonight's variation, I dredged the chicken in the honey mustard mixture and then breaded with Panko breadcrumbs before baking.  Be sure when you serve it to scrape up the drippings in the baking dish to serve with the chicken, so good!

I served it with Brad's favorite broccoli dish on the side: Caramelized Broccoli with Garlic.

Family

Installment #3: What are you thankful for?

Today I'm thankful for my family.  My biological family is pretty small and spread out, but I'm lucky to have wonderful in-laws that I actually get along with.  I'm very thankful for that and very much looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in PA with the crew!


Happy Birthday, Brad!

Positivity

Installment 2 of my "what are you thankful for" series...

Today I'm thankful for the positive people.  The ones who greet you with a sincere smile and have an uplifting impact on your day.  There is so much negativity in the city, in my job, in the news, etc, that it's really hard to keep a positive outlook.  I try but it's somewhat against my nature.

So, today I'm thankful for those positive people out there that remind us that there is good in the world.

How about you - what are you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving Week!

What are you thankful for? 

I'm going to try to post one thing I'm thankful for each day this week (might get tough once we get to PA, we'll see).

Feel free to chime in with what you're thankful for as well, we need some comments on this blog!!

#1 - I'm thankful that my friends and family got through Super Storm Sandy safely and without major loss or damages.