Chicken Florentine via Slow Cooker

~Chicken Florentine~
via Slow Cooker

One morning a little over a week ago a few snowflakes began floating down.  What??  No!!  Say it isn't so!!  Well, they did, but the melting process happened really quickly.  While watching them, suddenly it just felt like "Slow Cooker" time.  The kind of morning when there is much to do and you just know that dinnertime will come just too quickly- even though it is hours away.  You just have that feeling! 

It had been many months since I'd made this Chicken dinner in my Slow Cooker.  A quick glance and I had most of the ingredients.  So why not??  It seems whenever I prepare it, I make it a little differently.  This time there were no Potatoes or Yams to add to the Slow Cooker's pot.  Well, that was just no problem!  We enjoyed this flavorful dish served over pasta. 

It was so good!  It's always very tasty.  The Chicken is always so tender.  Carrots and Spinach are filled with flavor.  There's a sauce to drizzle over the pasta, too.  On a busy day this is tasty and hearty to enjoy at dinnertime.

Chicken Florentine
     via Slow Cooker  

Ingredients:

1 lb. Baby Carrots
1 teaspoon dried Parsley
1 teaspoon dried Chopped Onion
1- 1 and 1/2 lbs. Chicken Tenders
1/4 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried Basil
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen Spinach, defrosted
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 Cup Water

Method:  

1. Rinse Baby Carrots under cool water.  Place in Slow Cooker's pot.
2. Sprinkle on 1 teaspoon dried Parsley and 1 teaspoon dried Chopped Onion.
3. Rinse Chicken Tenders under cold water and place on top of Carrots.
4. Sprinkle on Oregano, Basil and Garlic Powder.
5. Add defrosted Spinach on top, spreading evenly. 
6. In a small bowl mix well Cream of Mushroom Soup with 1/3 Cup Water.
7. Spread evenly over top of Spinach.
8. Place lid on Slow Cooker and set temperature.
9. Cook on #5- High for 1 Hour.  Then, reduce heat to #3 for 2 Hours. 
10. Serve over Pasta.
11. Enjoy!

Refrigerate any leftovers! 

This is a great dinner any season of the year.  I always keep a can of the soup in the pantry, just in case I need it.  Much like there's always an extra bag of Flour sitting on the shelf, too.

Dinner tonight??  Oh, our temps were in the mid 60's°F, so Chicken on the grill was quick and easy.  We live in New England!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

   

Just Around the Corner

Question: 
What is the season??

...might be Spring!  You know, the season when we enjoy wearing short sleeved tops, light weight or no jackets outdoors.  Maybe even shorts.  This year we need to rely on memories when thinking of Spring! 

As I write this, it is raining.  Earlier we had snow.  It does make for a fascinating photo.  

Three seasons are represented in our backyard perennial garden:  Autumn- Zebra Grass, Winter- Snow and Spring- pink Hyacinths and sprouting Japanese Irises.

However, this is New England!  With a blink of our eyes the weather will change again!  :)

Enjoy!

 

~April 2, 2018~

One just might believe that it's April 1st and Mother Nature wanted to surprise all of us!  However, it's April 2, 2018.

Excited about Spring,

Blueberry Torte

Blueberry Torte
(File Photo)

Decisions, decisions, decisions! There are so many yummy desserts that can be baked to enjoy after a delicious Easter Dinner.  What would be the choice??  Last night the vote was cast!  Blueberry Torte!  A slice of Blueberry Torte served with vanilla ice cream.  That led to a package of frozen local blueberries from our large freezer to be placed in the fridge to defrost overnight.

A slice will be served with vanilla ice cream
(File Photo)

This dessert is always so good.  A light cinnamon flavored cake filled with blueberries.  It taste delicious any time of year.  Did I mention that this dessert is easy to prepare?  It is.

I use 1 Whole Egg + Egg Whites along with Soy Milk when preparing the cake batter.

Click here for my recipe!

The afternoon is moving along and I need to get started!  Now, it's time for me to pull up my recipe on my iPad and get started.

Enjoy!
Yummy!

Happy Easter!!!

         

~A Welcome Sight!~

What a welcome sight!  Every year I await the first Crocus sprouting up.  Usually the first flowers are located near our front bushes.  Not this year!  This lavender Crocus sprouted in our lawn.  They do every year, but just not the first visible flower in our yard.

Enjoy!

Best Ever Irish Soda Bread

Best Ever Irish Soda Bread!
(File Photo)

It's like clockwork!  Every year about a week before St. Patrick's Day I check to see if I have unsalted Butter in the fridge.  Buttermilk is always on the top shelf.  Raisins in the pantry, too.  Those are 3 of the needed ingredients to bake an Irish Soda Bread.  Every year on St. Patrick's Day we enjoy a slice of this light sweet tasty bread at breakfast.  It's also called Spotted Dog!  

This week I've baked 3 of these yummy breads.  One son had a bread delivered and the other son will have one delivered, soon.  
 

Sliced & packaged!

The third bread is for my DH & me to enjoy.  Oh yum!! 

It's become a tradition with me to share with all of you how I discovered this best ever Irish Soda Bread.  I post this story every year:  

"I'll always remember the year I was "googling" for an Irish Soda Bread recipe that used 1 Cup of Buttermilk.  That's all I had in the fridge.  There was the recipe on the blog Charli and Me written by Carol.  Carol shared that this great recipe originally came from the Will O'Glenn Irish Bed and Breakfast in Michigan with Mrs. Biddy Gahan sharing it.  I'm always so happy that all of these kind folks passed it along!  I use unsalted & fat free/ low fat ingredients & it's so good!  Every year I bake this Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day & also a couple of other times during the year." 

One year in my haste, I melted the unsalted Butter in the microwave.  I then learned that it was much easier to mix the cooled melted Butter with the flour mixture, so that has now become my method.  I also add the drained Raisins and stir in before adding in the Buttermilk. 

Some Hints:

• Melt, then cool Butter before using. 
• Before placing the very sticky dough in the pie plate, rub a little Butter on your hands, so the dough will not stick to your hands.
• Spray the pie plate with PAM.

 

Ready for the oven!
(File Photo)

Best Ever Irish Soda Bread 
Oven:  400°F, then lowered to 375°F.

Total Baking Time:  40 - 45 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 Cups Raisins
1 Cup Boiling Water
* * * * * * *
1 stick unsalted Butter 
2 and 1/2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
5 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Buttermilk, can be Fat Free or Low Fat

PAM- to spray on pie plate

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spray Pyrex pie plate with PAM.
3. In a small bowl combine Raisins & boiling water.  Let sit while preparing dough.
4. Melt Butter.  Cool.
5. In large mixing bowl combine Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Sugar.
6. Add melted Butter to dry ingredients.  Stir in.
7. Add drained Raisins.  Stir.
8. Add Buttermilk.  Stir.
9. Shape the dough into a ball after placing in pie plate.  **Dough will be sticky.
10. Bake 15 Minutes at 400°F.
11. Then, lower oven temperature to 375°F.  Bake 25- 30 Minutes longer.
12. Use a cake tester or toothpick to test for "doneness".
13. Remove bread from pie plate to a cooling rack.
14. Cool on rack.
15. Wait at least 5 hours before cutting into slices.
16.  Enjoy!

***Before removing from pie plate, I use a knife to separate bread from pie plate edge.  A spatula also helps to lift the bread to the cooling rack.

This is the best Irish Soda Bread I've ever tested, 2 thumbs up!!!  It is yummy served warm or cold.  However, heating a slice in the microwave for a few seconds is just the best. 

2 slices are also placed in our freezer to enjoy sometime in the next 2 weeks.

Put unsalted Butter & Buttermilk on your grocery list!  Raisins, too, if you do not have 1 and 1/2 Cups ready to use.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

  

~March 6, 1930~

My Freezer Door
(File Photo)

It was on March 6, 1930!  The location was Springfield, MA!  That was the day that Clarence Birdseye test marketed his new product- frozen food!  That was way before my time, but Springfield is just north of my town.  What an interesting story of Massachusetts history!   

This inventor was born in 1886 in Brooklyn, NY & attended Amherst College in Amherst, MA for a period of time. Later, when Clarence lived in Labrador with his young family it was challenging to feed his family.  It was during this time that he watched the Eskimos "quick freeze" their food.  His interest in "quick freezing" grew.  Now, his name Birdseye is so familiar to us.  We see it on packages of frozen foods in the grocery stores.

For the complete story from MassMoments click here.  I always enjoy reading Massachusetts history!!!  

Thank you Mr. Birdseye!!!
We enjoy your idea!!!