Chicken Thighs with Orange Veggies

Chicken Thighs with Orange Veggies
prepped in my Slow Cooker (Crock Pot)

It probably comes as no surprise- I cook off my blog. The recipes are readily available with ingredients and complete instructions. There always are a few recipes that I need to add to my collection. As a matter of fact we enjoyed one of those recipes at dinner last night. Sometime last year I read an interesting recipe in the newspaper. No, I did not save it. I just remember the basic ingredients. The basic ingredients were Chicken Thighs, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Paprika, Black Pepper, Orange Juice and Honey. Everything was baked. 

After thinking about that recipe last week and considering the heat wave that we are now experiencing, it was an invitation for me to place these ingredients in my Slow Cooker and let dinner prepare itself. Who wants to cook on a hot humid day??? I sure do not!! Long story short-  dinner was delicious last night! There were 4 portions, so the extra 2 portions are now in our fridge and will be enjoyed tomorrow night. 

I used boneless skinless Chicken Thighs. Just a few shakes of Paprika for us. Paprika is always located in my spice rack.  

****Note: My Slow Cooker has a non- stick interior, so I place the cut Carrots on the bottom. If I place chicken or meat directly on the bottom it gets crusty. 

Chicken Thighs with Orange Veggies

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless Chicken Thighs
1 pkg. Baby Carrots
2 Yams or 2 Sweet Potatoes
1/2 teaspoon Parsley
Paprika-  a few shakes from canister
Black Pepper- a few shakes from canister
1/4 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Orange Juice

Method:

1. Rinse Baby Carrots under cold water, drain.
2. Cut Carrots in half and place in bottom of Slow Cooker/ Crock Pot.
3. Rinse Yams/ Sweet Potatoes under cold water. 
4. Cut into 1" slices.
5. Cut each slice in half.
6. Place in a bowl.
7. Remove fat from Chicken Thighs.
8. Place on top of Carrots in Slow Cooker/ Crock Pot.
9. Sprinkle Parsley on top. 
10. Sprinkle Paprika and Black Pepper on top of Chicken Thighs.
11. Place cut Yams/ Sweet Potatoes on Chicken Thighs.
12. Drizzle Honey over top. 
13. Then pour Orange Juice over all.
14. Place Slow Cooker/ Crock Pot lid on top.
15. Cook on High for 3 Hours. Reduce to Medium for 1/2 Hours.

This dinner cooks itself and is so delicious! It will be a dinner to enjoy any time of the year. A Slow Cooker/ Crock Pot comes in very handy! That small kitchen appliance is great to use on a hot summer day!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

  

Cranberry Bread

Cranberry Bread
tastes as good as it looks!
(File Photo)

Cranberry Bread! Oh yum! The delicious dessert or snack that is prepared using fresh cranberries.  This is another treat that is quite often served at this time of year.  Sure, it can be baked at other times of the year, but this is the time of year when I bake it.  

The fresh cranberries are rinsed in cold water and coarsely chopped.  I use my mini food processor to do this.  The ingredient orange juice gives this bread a great taste.  

This Cranberry Bread tastes best when completely cooled.  It is also easier to cut into slices.  However, it does not freeze well.  That is usually not a problem though, because it tastes so good.  In a few days all of the slices are enjoyed.

Click here for the the complete recipe for Cranberry Bread that I had written in the past.  Add this to your "to bake" list!

Plan on baking a Cranberry Bread in the next two weeks!  Bake 2 and share one with family and friends. Every bite of each slice will be enjoyed!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

Apple Bread

Apple Bread cooling!
(File Photo)

Apples are a favorite fruit in our household!  In autumn the fresh crops of apples are so good.  Slices of this fruit are a great snack, too.  Desserts made with apples are also favorites of ours and one of our favorite desserts is Apple Bread.  It has a very simple name, but it is packed with flavor.  Fresh chunks of Apples along with Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Orange Juice are tasted with every bite of a slice of this dessert bread. 

Slices in the serving dish!
(File Photo)

This bread is so yummy that I always bake two of them at once.  If you are baking two at the same time, just remember to stagger the bread pans in the oven while baking the breads.  After baking and they cool, one of the breads is wrapped in foil and labeled/ dated and placed in our freezer.  It is a wonderful surprise to enjoy in a month or two.  This year during Thanksgiving Day weekend, the second bread will be defrosted and shared at our dinner table.  

For the ingredients and the recipe for Apple Bread- click here. 

In the next few days I will be baking 2 of them.  You guessed it!  One we will enjoy now and the second Apple Bread will be placed in our freezer!  This is a very moist bread that has become a favorite of ours over the years! 

*****If you plan to bake one bread, cut the recipe in half- use only 1/2 of the ingredients.  

Enjoy!
Yummy!

   

~Cranberry Bread~

Cranberry Bread
(File Photo)

Cranberry Bread is so delicious!!!  In grocery stores we can easily locate bags of fresh cranberries, now.  Those maroon colored berries that seem to roll all over the kitchen counter if you are not careful when tearing open their plastic bag.  Yes, I have had the experience of quickly giving a tug and many of the berries have bounced out and rolled moving very quickly.  Now, I am more careful and I cut the bag open with scissors.

I have been baking this Cranberry Bread for so many years.  One of my sons brought the recipe home from school.  That does seem like an unusual source, but he had the recipe and wanted us to bake it.  We did just that.  The Cranberry Bread was so yummy, it is the only Cranberry Bread I have baked since then.  It came from a children's book that his school librarian had read to his class.  Then, the book was out of print.  Well, the book was printed again and I now have a copy!   

To learn more of the story and get the recipe, click here.  

This bread does not freeze well, so I suggest you bake it a day or two in advance of when you will be planning to serve it.  When you bake it one day and then slice it the next day and serve it, the flavors blend so well.

We will be enjoying this Cranberry Bread over the Thanksgiving Day weekend!  Will you be baking one, too?

Enjoy!
Yummy!

       

Apple Bread

Apple Bread

Desserts with apples as the special ingredient are always a great treat!  Especially in autumn when the newly harvested fruit is available.  One of our favorite treats is Apple Bread.  This is a yummy, moist dessert bread filled with chunks of apples.  A surprising ingredient is orange juice.  This gives the bread a great flavor!

I always bake two of these breads- one to enjoy and the other is cooled/ wrapped in foil and placed in our freezer.  Currently, there's an Apple Bread in the freezer that we will be enjoying over the Thanksgiving Day weekend.  When it comes out of the oven there is always a crack in the center.  Yet, still, I use my cake tester to learn if the bread is ready for the cooling rack. 

If you have never baked one (or two) of these breads, add apples to your grocery list.  Then, take out your bread pans and you will be on your way!  It is that good!

Apple Bread

Oven: 350°F    Time: 65 Minutes    
**Makes Two Loaves

Ingredients:
4 Cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1 & ½ teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
********
2/3 Cup Olive Oil (for baking & sauteing)
2 Cups Orange Juice
4 Egg Whites
2 Cups finely chopped peeled Apples (5- 7 Apples depending on
     size)  Cortland or Empire Apples are my faves to use.

Method: 

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add Olive Oil, Orange Juice & Egg Whites (slightly beaten)
   and stir.  
3. Add chopped apples and stir in.
4. Pour batter into greased bread pans.
5. Bake at 350°F in preheated oven for 65 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of loaf.
6. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from pans and continue cooling on wire racks.

After the breads have cooled we always want to "taste test"!  One bread is placed on a serving dish and slices can then be enjoyed.  The other bread is wrapped and placed in our freezer.  It is hard to resist the temptation to defrost that apple Bread that is sitting on the shelf in the freezer.  :)   

Yummy!
Enjoy!

~Cranberry Bread~

This book has my fave Cranberry Bread recipe!

Pieces of chopped fresh cranberries combined with the taste of orange!  Oh Yum!  This Cranberry Bread is still my fave recipe.  For a long time I've baked this treat for Thanksgiving Day.

Years ago my oldest son came home from elementary school with a recipe.  That was unusual!  I know that fractions can be taught to children while cooking, but he had not been cooking.  His school librarian had read a Thanksgiving story to his first grade class.  When she finished every student was given the recipe for the Cranberry Bread that was in the story.  We had cranberries in our fridge, the recipe looked good, so during that Thanksgiving break, he & I baked this yummy bread.

After that Thanksgiving Day the book was borrowed from our local library & the story was interesting! Years later, when I wanted to purchase it for our grandsons, I learned that it was no longer in print.  Then, a couple of years ago there was the book:  CRANBERRY THANKSGIVING by Wende & Harry Devlin.  Guess what???  Two copies have been purchased- one for the boys & one for me!  :)

On the back side of the book jacket the delicious recipe is printed.  When baking this yummy quick bread, I use Egg Whites, no Orange Peel & all Cranberries.

Below are my "for best results tips" for this yummy bread:

• Wait at least 5 hours after it has cooled to slice & eat.
• If baking two breads, double recipe and stagger the pans in the oven.
• This bread Does Not Freeze Well.
•  Use Fresh Cranberries, not frozen.

Cranberry Bread
                         adapted from CRANBERRY THANKSGIVING
                             by Wende & Harry Devlin

Oven:  350° F                 Time:  1 Hour & 10 Minutes

Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Butter/Margarine, softened
2 Egg Whites (or 1 Whole Egg) beaten
3/4 Cup Orange Juice
1 Package Fresh Cranberries (rinsed in cold water and chopped)

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with PAM.
3. Rinse Cranberries in cold water (using a colander).
4.  Chop Cranberries coarsely.
5.  Combine Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt and Baking Soda in large bowl. 
6.  Cut in Butter/Margarine (with pastry blender or two knives) until mixture is crumbly.
7.  Add Egg Whites (or Egg) and Orange Juice and stir until moist.
8. Add chopped Cranberries to batter and stir in.
9.  Spoon batter into loaf pan.
10.  Bake at 350° F for 1 Hour and 10 Minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out   clean.
11.  Cool on rack for 10 Minutes.
12.  Remove from pan and cool on rack.
13.  After cool, wrap in foil.

I hope you have a chance to bake this Cranberry Bread sometime before the end of 2015 if not now!  What a treasure to find in a children's book.  I'll be baking my bread tomorrow.  

 Thank you Wende & Harry Devlin, Mrs. Pratt & Chris for all playing a role in giving me this great recipe!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

             

Apple Bread

Apple Bread

Do you have a few apples in your fridge & want to bake a yummy dessert?  Yesterday, I did & I could not stop thinking about Apple Bread.  That's probably because each time I opened our fridge door the carton of O.J. caught my attention, too.  It's an ingredient in this yummy moisty "quick" bread.  It's name is very simple, but each bite of this dessert leads to another.  The flavors of Orange Juice, Cinnamon & Nutmeg just pop out along with the small chunks of apples.  Olive Oil for baking & sauteing & Egg Whites are an added plus for the light texture.

For so many years whenever I bake this family favorite, 2 breads make their way into my oven.  It does not take much time to cut the apples into small chunks for two breads.  One "quick" bread is to enjoy for the next few days and the other is cooled/ wrapped/ placed in the freezer.  If you're baking one of these tasty breads, then cut the recipe below in half.

Yes, you can use Whole Eggs in this recipe, but I like to bake these breads using Egg Whites.  Keep in mind:
1 Whole Egg = 2 Egg Whites when substituting.

Apple Bread
     Click here for Printable Recipe Card
Oven: 350°F    Time: 65 Minutes     **Makes Two Loaves

Ingredients:
4 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
1 & ½ teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
*****
2/3 Cup Olive Oil (for baking & sauteing)
2 Cups Orange Juice
4 Egg Whites
2 Cups finely chopped peeled Apples (5- 7 Apples depending on Apple size)
      Cortland or Empire Apples are my faves to use.
Method:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2.  Add Olive Oil, Orange Juice & Egg Whites (slightly beaten) and stir.
3.  Add chopped Apple and stir in.
4.  Then, pour batter into greased pans.
5.  Bake at 350°F for 65 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of loaf.
6.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from pans and continue cooling on wire racks.

After these breads have cooled, I place one on a serving plate to cut into slices.  A few hours after baking, we always enjoy a slice.  Just cannot wait until the next day!  The second loaf of this moist orange flavored Apple Bread is wrapped in foil/ labelled & placed in the freezer.  This is a great dessert to have "on hand" over Thanksgiving weekend.  :)

Enjoy!
Yummy!

       

Yummy Apple Bread

Apple Breads cooling!

The Harvest Moon is now high in the night sky when we look up!  Sunday Autumn arrives!  What a great season!  In a blink of an eye the leaves on our trees will change from green to majestic shades of yellow, orange, red & maroon.  It's also the time of year when the fresh local apples can be picked at the nearby orchards or purchased at road side stands and Farmers' Markets.  Ida Reds, Macintosh, Honey Crisp and also Cortland apples - so many choices.

It's also the time of year when I bake Apple Bread.  The aroma of this yummy "quick" golden colored dessert bread just floats from my kitchen as it bakes.  The combo of Apples, Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Orange Juice is so good!  I use Egg Whites & Olive Oil (for sauteing & baking) as substitutions for Whole Eggs & Vegetable Oil.  2 breads are baked at once.  It's tradition - The 2nd bread has always been placed in the freezer - after it is cooled and wrapped in foil.  It usually finds its way as a "gift" for a friend.

Apple Bread
              click for printable recipe card 

Oven: 350°F    Time: 65 Minutes     Makes Two Loaves

Ingredients:
4 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
1 & ½ teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
****
2/3 Cup Olive Oil (for baking & sauteing)
2 Cups Orange Juice
4 Egg Whites
2 Cups finely chopped peeled Apples (5- 7 Apples depending on Apple size)

Method:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add Egg Whites (slightly beaten), Orange Juice and Oil and stir.
3. Add chopped Apple and stir well.
4. Spray PAM into two large loaf pans.
5. Pour batter into greased pans.
6. Bake at 350°F for 65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
   when inserted in middle of loaf.
7. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from pans and continue cooling on wire racks.

After cooled, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil and enjoy later.  This yummy dessert "quick" bread freezes very well.  It's also a yummy bread to enjoy at Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

 

Cranberry Bread

One never knows who/what the source of a delicious recipe may be!  Quite a few years ago one of my sons arrived home from school one afternoon with a RECIPE.  On this particular November day his school librarian had read a Thanksgiving story to his first grade class.  

Maggie & her grandmother lived in New England near a cranberry bog.  We lived in MA, so the story had kept his attention!  Her grandmother baked delicious Cranberry Bread.  Printed in the book was a recipe for the Cranberry Bread with the instructions "Get Mother to help".  My son's kind librarian had given each student a copy of the recipe to bring home to mom.  

There were bags of fresh Cranberries in our fridge, because Thanksgiving was the following week.  That weekend we baked Cranberry Bread using "his" recipe.  From that day on it became the recipe we would always use for Cranberry Bread.  It makes one mighty fine bread!  It also fit my requirements for a dessert recipe - the Sugar content was much less than the required Flour.  From the first time we baked this delicious moisty bread, I substituted 2 Egg Whites for the 1 Whole Egg.  The original recipe called for Golden Raisins and I have never used Raisins, only Cranberries. 

The recipe that became a family favorite was printed in the book Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin.  The book is no longer printed, but the included recipe is still enjoyed by my family.  :)  It makes one delicious, colorful, tasty, moisty bread.  I usually double the recipe and bake two.

Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Butter/Margarine (softened)
2 Egg Whites (or 1 Whole Egg) beaten
3/4 Cup Orange Juice
1 Package Fresh Cranberries (rinsed in cold water and chopped)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with PAM.
3. Rinse Cranberries in cold water (using a colander)
4. Chop Cranberries coarsely.
5. Combine Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt and Baking Soda in large bowl.
6. Cut in Butter/Margarine (with pastry blender or two knives) until mixture is crumbly.
7. Add Egg Whites (or Egg) and Orange Juice and stir until moist.
8. Add chopped Cranberries to batter and Fold in.
9. Spoon batter into loaf pan. 
10. Bake at 350° F for 1 Hour and 10 Minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
11. Cool on rack for 10 Minutes.
12. Remove from pan and cool on rack.
13. After cool, wrap in foil.

**My Extra Notes! 

• Wait at least 5 hours after it has cooled to eat.
• If baking two breads, double recipe and stagger the pans in the oven.
• This bread Does Not Freeze Well.
• Use Fresh Cranberries, not frozen.

Two days before Thanksgiving I will be baking two Cranberry Breads.  It is the best!!!  Yummy!

Do you bake Cranberry Bread to enjoy on Thanksgiving?

Enjoy!
Yummy!