Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

I love curry and I love my slow cooker so I would only assume that the two would go together just lovely. I usually make my chicken curry on the stove top but had to give this recipe a try AND it did not fail. I have been holding on to this recipe for quite some time, it was meant for my freezer/meal plan cooking BUT I needed to try it out first before I actually added it to my list. I have never combined sweet potatoes, mango and curry in the same pot and wasn't really sure how this would turn out, to my surprise I really like it and will be adding this to my freezer meal plans.

Question to all of you.....have you ever seen yellow sweet potatoes??
I haven't until I moved to Tucson. I have only ever used and seen the red/orange sweet potatoes but never yellow or white ones. Our local grocery store carries yellow/white sweet potatoes and the red/orange yams. I can honestly say that I really didn't know the difference between the two so I did a little reading and searching. From what I gathered is the yellow/white sweet potatoes and the red/orange yams are pretty much the same thing, with very little difference.....the biggest differences are the moisture content and color, sweet potatoes have a lower water content vs. the yam. I also read that the yellow sweet potatoes are more common in the Southern states like Arizona and New Mexico so this could also explain why I hadn't seen them until now. (Next time I go to the grocery store I will take a picture of the two different sweet potatoes and share them with you)

SO I guess I have been eating "yams" and not really sweet potatoes...UNTIL today!!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

3 TBS flour
4 TBS curry
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper
2 lbs chicken breast or boneless thighs **I used breast because that's what I had but do think that thighs would be just as yummy**
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups of carrots, roughly chopped
2 mangos, peeled and cubed
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 tsp chicken granules

****Now you can either make one meal (that will make 6-8 servings) or you can divide it into 2 gallon size freezer bags and freeze****

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with rice or couscous.

If you are doing the freezer option: Combine all your ingredients EXCEPT the chicken bouillon cubes/granules. After combing all your ingredients divide it into 2 gallon size freezer bags, then add 1 bouillon cube or 1 tsp chicken granule to each bag. Shake & Freeze.

Oreo Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Bar

I have been waiting for my chance to get to take part in a virtual recipe swap and thanks to Jutta at HungryLittleGirl I was finally able too!!!

Tell me these don't look tempting?

Today is March 20th which means time to share my secret that I have been keeping for a few weeks now!! My assigned blog for the Surprise Recipe Swap was..... Little Accidents in the Kitchen :-) This blog has many different catagories to choose recipes from, I just saw a recipe on her blog for Maple Bacon Popcorn....why didn't I see this before I decided on my recipe to try because I know I will be giving this a try in the near future since I am a sucker for snacking on popcorn! 

Something really neat about Little Accidents in the Kitchen's author Joey is located in Singapore......one of the awesome things about the internet it really makes it so easy to connect with people all across the world with just the click of a button!! Joey also shares pictures of what she sees and where she goes while living in Singapore.

Ok...now to the recipe I decided to recreate.....Oreo Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Bar. I chose this recipe for two reasons: 1. the name & 2. the pictures of this treat caught my attention right and I kept going back to them. Joey describes theses cookie cake bars the perfect combo of both worlds....eating a cake and a cookie in the same bite!! So I had to try them....but first I must admit something about Oreo's I really don't like the cream in the middle I prefer the cookie part the best (but don't tell anyone).

One more thing before I share the recipe for Oreo Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Bar.....some of Joey's recipes have metric measurements which can be a little tricky if you do not have a scale that can weigh both in grams and pounds. THANKFULLY I have one!! Now I know that you could go online and use one of those nifty converters BUT I DO NOT recommend them when it comes to converting dry goods for a baking recipe. Trust me I have had my flops with cookies and bread using them ;-)


Oreo Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Bar

12 oreos (double stuff are preferred)

192 grams flour ( 1 1/3 cups )

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

85 grams butter, softened ( 1/3 cup )

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup milk ( I did NOT use lactose free milk )

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 355°F

Line a 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper.

Separate oreo's.....taking off one cookie but keeping the cream part attached to the other half of the cookie. And crush up the cookie part into fine crumbs; set aside for later.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside.
Cream butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg, milk and vanilla extract, continue mixing again until mixture is smooth and then fold in the dry ingredients. (mixture will be more like cookie dough).



Spread a thin layer of batter into the baking pan, onto the parchment paper (this is a little tricky because it will slip around a bit).




Now add your oreo's....the half with the cream filling.....

And then top with the remaining dough and then top with your set aside crushed cookies

 

Bake 40 minutes. Remove from baking dish to cool before cutting you cookie cake into bars.




This recipe swap was such a fun experience and I am already looking forward to the next one! I enjoyed browsing through Little Accidents in the Kitchen blog and am glad I stumbled upon this recipe.

Liebster Award

Have you ever heard of the Liebster Award?? I hadn't until a fellow blogger nominated my Attainable Cuisine for it!! Thank You Summer over at Mallow and Co. for nominating me. The Liebster Award is awarded to blogs who have 200 followers or less but still seem to catch enough attention to deserve a little extra love from other bloggers and recipe searchers.

Do you know what Liebster means? It is a German word and has many different ways it can be used to describe how you feel for someone or something: dearest, darling, favorite, beloved, liked very much or preferred.

I did a little reading about the Liebster Award and I found out that this award (which really isn't an award but more of a recognition) has been making it's way through the blogging world for quite some time. It hasn't been going to only food bloggers but to all different types of blogs. And like the name of it, it started in Germany....original post from the starter of this award is unknown BUT to who ever it was that came up with this idea has started a great thing!

Rules of the Liebster Award:

1. Share 11 random facts about yourself

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you by your nominator

3. Choose 11 bloggers with less then 200 followers to pass the award to

4.  Make sure to go to your nominated blogs and let them know they have been nominated

5. And most importantly thank the person/blogger who nominated you

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So now it is my turn to share a few random facts about myself.....this should be interesting!!

1. I have never been to Disney Land or Disney World

2. I can't eat bananas once they are "too" ripe (any brown spots on the skin)

3. I spend way too much time watching America's Next Top Model reruns

4. I like working out but I absolutely find no pleasure in running or jogging and envy those who do

5. I LOVE gummi bears

6. If I ever win the jackpot in the lottery I am buying myself an apartment in Paris

7. I don't know what I did before having Pinterest....oh yeah...google/yahoo searches

8. I wish we had a place in Tucson that made Döner's like the ones in Germany

9. Doing laundry is the worst chore ever

10. I don't like reheating food....it's the smell of cooke-cold food that I don't like and the texture is usually never the same either

11. I love going to the beach BUT hate the sand

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Here are my questions from Summer:

1. What are your hobbies or things you do in your spare time?
In my spare time I like to read, go for walks or totally waste too many hours pinning on Pinterest!

2. What is your biggest pet peeve?
I really can't stand people who like to stir the point just to get attention.....especially when it's putting negative attention on to a different person to distract from their own flaws.

3. What's one of your favorite blogs of the moment?
My favorite blog at the moment is Hungry Little Girl because Jutta has a few of my favorite recipes of dishes from Germany that I haven't dared to try making on my own yet.

4. Salty or Sweet?
I like a little bit of both.....fresh popped popcorn mixed with a handful of peanut M&M's is an absolute favorite of mine.

5. What is a goal you have for 2013?
I have 2 goals right now.....pass my Praxis I Exam before the end of June and to stick with my gym schedule!

6. How many kids are in your family?
We have 3 kids, ages 8, 5 and 1....but if you count our 2 cats and 1 dog as then I have 6 kids!! ;-)

7. What is your dream job?
I dream of owning a coffee shop/diner some day.

8. What is the hardest thing about blogging?
The hardest thing for me is taking good pictures and trying to figure out the HTML codes!!

9. What is your favorite restaurant and why?
My favorite restaurant here in Tucson has to be Brush Fire BBQ.....Messy Fries....yummm

10. What would your touchdown victory dance look like if you were in the NFL?
Probably my own version of Gangam Style....LOL

11. What's your favorite season and why?
Fall time is my favorite! I love it for many different reasons....here in Tucson because I can finally open my windows up again and turn off the A/C which means I can also start baking again!!! 

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My nominations go to:

1. Tanya @ Orange Craft Cave Creations

2. No More Tees

3. Parrish @ Life with the Crust Off

4. Nicki @ The Mandatory Mooch

5. Jutta @ HungryLittleGirl

6. Sheena @ Hot Eats and Cool Reads

7. The Home Girl

8. Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake

9. Jessica @ Love, Love, Love

10. Kirsten @ One Tough Mother

11. M.J.@ I like to Bake and Cook!

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And now for my questions to you fellow nominees:

1. If your friends had to describe you with one word, what would it be?

2. If you won the jackpot in the lottery, how would you spend the money?

3. What is one thing you couldn't live without?

4. Where is the coolest place you have ever visited?

5. What do you love most about blogging?

6. Team Edward or Team Jacob?

7. What is your favorite candy?

8. What was the most recent book you read and what you thought about it?

9. What is your biggest pet peeve?

10. What is your favorite cereal?

11. How did you decide on the name of your blog?

Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage & Spinach

Tucson weather has been warming up the past few days, which is not a bad thing but I am SO not ready for it to be full on heated days. Thankfully we are supposed to get another cool down by the end of this weekend because 90F is just a tad too bit for my taste for it only being March. Hot temps outside equal warm house inside which equals to me not wanting to turn my oven on to bake, which is not good because I have a list of recipes that I didn't make yet!! I am going to have to go over my list and revise the ones I REALLY want to try out before Thanksgiving time.

I tried out a new recipe over the weekend.....it was one of the many recipes that I wrote down weeks or months ago and I have no clue where I got it from **note to self start writing down where or who I get recipes from**.......anyhow.....Have you ever had butternut squash pasta sauce?? DELISH!! I have bought butternut squash sauce (pre-made) and I have made it from scratch while in Culinary school but I never tried it with sausage or fresh spinach stirred into it. So when I saw this recipe I had to keep it to try. THANK-GOODNESS I did!! I loved it and have already bought another butternut squash to make it again in a few days. 

This recipe is also a fairly healthy recipe.....depending on what type of sausage you use and how much parmesan cheese you use.

Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage & Spinach

1 lb spicy italian sausage (you could probably use regular italian sausage too but I like the spicy type)

1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced**

1 TBS butter

1 lb pasta of choice

1/4 cup  shallots or small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

2 TBS parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp dried crushed sage

salt & pepper, to taste

**microwaving your the whole squash for 1-2 minutes will make cutting and peeling easier**

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water (a few dashes of salt is enough) to a boil. Add the peeled and chopped butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon, saving water for pasta. Put squash into a food processor or blender; pulse until smooth.

Bring the saved squash water back to a boil, add more water if needed and cook pasta al dente as directed on package. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water when draining noodles.

Meanwhile in a deep sided skillet sauté sausage until no longer pink, breaking it up into small chunks. Spoon cooked sausage onto a plate and set aside. Drain if you are wanting to save on calories, otherwise continue on with directions ;-)

In the same skillet add 1 TBS to skillet and sauté shallots/onions and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in pureed butternut squash and a little bit of reserved pasta water until the sauce consistency is to your liking....I used just a little less then the reserved 1 cup of water. Add salt & pepper to taste. Stir in spinach, parmesan cheese, sausage and sage. 

Toss in pasta and mix to coat. 

Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, optional

Sweet Sesame Chicken

Getting either Chinese or Thai take-out on those nights where my day just seemed to be a little more hectic then I anticipated or wanted and don't get me wrong even though I LOVE both our take-out options I think I might have found one of the two cuisines match!!!

Don't mind my paperplate or brussel sprouts because I love both of them :-)

I have had a few different Honey Sesame Chicken recipes written down and pinned to try but they all called for 1 cup of honey. Now between you and me honey is a little pricey especially if you are using 1 whole cup of it in a recipe that you aren't too sure about in the first place....so instead of the honey I used brown sugar and honestly I don't think I even want to try using honey. The flavor was so yummy and delicious that I will be holding this recipe up against any take-out or eat-in Chinese restaurant I eat at in the future.

Seriously I am adding this to my all time favorite crock pot recipes!!


Sweet Sesame Chicken

Chicken all ready to cook

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts....thighs would be fine too
salt and pepper
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp onion powder OR 1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 TBS oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes....optional- won't add much heat but it will add flavor

4 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 6 TBS water
sesame seeds.....you won't need this until your are ready to serve

Directions:

Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot.

In a small bowl combine brown sugar, soy sauce, onion powder, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken and give it a good stir to coat the chicken evenly. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. Time may vary depending on if you are using frozen or thawed chicken

I could have just eaten right out of the bowl!!

Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Cut chicken into bite size pieces or shred....I decided to shred it because my chicken was so tender it just fell apart! Return chicken to pot and toss with sauce and then remove chicken again. Don't leave it in the sauce because it will be too overwhelming in flavor.

So remove the chicken, pour sauce into a small saucepan and then return chicken back into the warm crockpot to keep warm until ready to serve.

Turn the heat onto medium heat to warm the sauce up to a simmer. Meanwhile dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into saucepan. Stir to combine with sauce. Continue stirring and cooking sauce until it thickens.



Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles....I forgot to add the sesame seeds but it still tasted AMAZING!!

Salsa

Salsa and tortilla chips has always been one of my favorite things to snack on BUT I have never really been able to find a store bought salsa that hits the spot every time. I don't know what it is about store bought but I just don't love them.....even the ones that are preservative free and only have natural spices and ingredients, those still don't taste right. With that being said I have tried numerous different concoctions of my own homemade salsa recipes but couldn't find one UNTIL my husband bought me my first Pioneer Woman cookbook! I will NEVER again buy pre-made, store sold salsa....sorry Pace ;-)

I did make a few changes to the original but am still giving her recipe credit, because I probably would still be wasting time in front of the the many jars and jars of salsa at the grocery stores trying to figure out which one to try this time.

Also I must point out that you can control the heat level with this recipe. I use 2 cans of Hot Rotel tomatoes because I like a little heat and the 2 cans are just the perfect amount for my taste BUT if you prefer it milder you could use 1 can Hot and 1 can Mild, or 2 Original....you get the idea, mix it up and make it your Go-To-Salsa!!


Go-To-Salsa

1 can (28oz) whole tomatoes
2 cans Rotel tomatoes (your choice on heat level)
1/2 onion coarsely chopped

1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped (de-seed if you don't want the extra heat BUT do add it for flavor....it's not the same without it!!)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
the juice of 1/2 lemon or lime (this too is a matter of preference)

Directions:

** before you start....this will make a lot of salsa! If you don't have a large food processor (12 cup capacity) or blender you will have to work in batches and then stir the batches together in a bowl**

In your food processor or blender add the onion and jalapeño first then top with your tomatoes. **do not drain the tomatoes of their juice** Add sugar, salt, cumin and juice. Pulse until the salsa is to your preference of consistency (I pulse until all my tomatoes are broken up, I do not like chunky salsa)

Salsa is ready to eat as soon as you are done pulsing and mixing the ingredients together. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, will keep well for about 1 week. Stir before serving after chilling. ENJOY :-)


DID I MENTION HOW EASY AND QUICK THIS RECIPE IS??

Recipe adapted from "The Pioneer Woman Cookbook"