Easy Crock Pot Dinner

My little brother, Maestro, is finally down in Utah with me and we've been cookin' like crazy! It has been so fun to hang out with him and plan various meals together. We have been thinking of doing a completely crock pot meal for a few weeks now, since our mom gave us both crock pots this summer. It's been a crazy weekend, though--antique shopping, going to Swiss days, going on dates...--so I didn't have time to run to the store and pick up supplies, so we just threw together a few things together that I had. The result was still delicious and super simple! You can substitute any kind of meat and/or vegetable in place of what we did, and tailor it to yourself.

1 lb Deer Meat
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 C Frozen Peas
4 Small-Medium Potatoes, peeled and halved
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 C Water
Salt
Pepper
Chipotle Powder

1. Place meat, potatoes, bell pepper, and peas in the crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. In a medium bowl combine cream of mushroom soup and chipotle powder (I used about a teaspoon) and water. Pour into crock pot.

3. Set crock pot to low for about 6 hours, until meat is done and potatoes are soft.

Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty

Sweet Potato And Bell Pepper Salad

I love salad. I love running. I love my best friend. What do these three things have to do with each other? Two weeks ago I ran my first marathon with my wonderful sister, Chemist Cuisinier, PhD (this was marathon #5 for her). Among the group waiting for me at the finish line was my absolute very best friend in the entire world. After hugging and bawling our eyes out, she gave me the Greatest Ever Salads cookbook. I finally got a chance today to take a closer look at it and pick out a delicious recipe to make for us.

Because this salad is such a strange and unexpected combination of ingredients, I didn't really know what to, well, expect. I must admit, when I started slicing the eggplant I was slightly skeptical. Ok, maybe more than slightly. I even had to look up some pictures of sliced eggplant to make sure there wasn't something wrong with it. But after cooking everything and putting the salad together, I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it was. The variety of textures--soft sweet potatoes, spongy eggplant, crunchy bell peppers--and flavors really enhance and compliment each other. The balsamic vinegar was not overpowering in the least bit, and really brought out the flavor of the eggplant. I give this salad 15/10! We ate it all up. Every. Last. Bit.


Salad:
2 Sweet Potatoes, washed and cubed
1 T Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1 Large Eggplant, sliced
2 Red Bell Peppers, seeded and sliced
7 oz Mixed Salad Greens
3 Sticks Mozzarella Cheese  Sticks, sliced

Dressing:
1 1/2 T Balsamic Vinegar
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
3 T Olive Oil
1 tsp Herbs Provence
Pepper
Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375. In a bowl, mix the sweet potato with oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Mix in garlic. Bake for about 30 minutes, until soft and browned.

2. Preheat the broiler to high. Arrange the eggplant and bell pepper slices on the broiler pan and cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until soft.

3. To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar, garlic, herbs provence, and oil together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. To serve, divide the salad greens between 4 serving plates and arrange the sweet potato, eggplant, bell peppers, and mozzarella on top. Drizzle with dressing.

Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty

Grilled Caesar Chicken Wrap

"...And then I had a taste...now I'm a believer!" Wait, that's not how the song goes. But seriously, Cardamommy has raved and raved about King Arthur Flour for years. Ok so maybe not that long, but she's been going on about it for a really long time. My initial reaction was a "Well, thanks for that. I'll log that away," but this week I decided to investigate a little further into this person they call King Arthur. I must say, I'm impressed. Especially after making this recipe. Team Cardamommy/King Aurthur: 1. Team Coriaunty: well, we'll let you do the math.

I deviated ever so slightly from the original recipe. I cooked the onions with the chicken and a dash of chipotle, sautéed the zucchini, and left the bell peppers raw (I think bell peppers taste best that way). Toss it all together on your soft-wrap-bread and lettuce, top with homemade caesar dressing, and voillà: a delectable, healthy, and filling wrap. I loved the softness of the chicken and onions contrasted with the crunchy of the zucchini and slight sweetness of the red bell pepper, and the extra zing provided by the caesar dressing. My only complaint: the caesar dressing was a little too olive-oily for me, so I'll decrease the amount I use next time. Which will be very soon. Toques off to you, Mr. King Aurthur; I'm a believer.


Wrap Bread:
3 C All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 C Boiling Water
1 1/4 C Potato Flour or 1/2 C Potato Buds/Flakes
1 1/4 tsp Salt
2 T Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Instant Yeast


Caesar Dressing:
1-4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
2 T Lemon Juice
2 T Dijon Mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 C Sour Cream
3/4 C Olive Oil
1 C Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 tsp Black Pepper, ground


Chicken/Veggi Filling:
1 lb Boneless Chicken breasts or thighs
1 Large Red Bell Pepper, seeded and sliced
1 Large Onion
1 Medium Zucchini, sliced
Romaine Lettuce


For Bread:
Place 2 C flour into a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the flour and stir till smooth. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl whisk together potato flakes, remaining 1 C flour, salt, oil, and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour/water mix. Stir, then knead for several minutes. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary. Keep hands and working surface slightly oiled. Let dough rise, covered, for 1 hr. Divide into 8 pieces and let rise 15-30 minutes.


Roll out each piece into a 7-8 inch circle and dry-fry them over medium heat about 1 minute per side, until puffed and flecked. Transfer cooked bread to a rack, stacking to keep soft.


For Dressing:
Whisk together all ingredients in order listed. Refrigerate if you're not going to use it within about an hour.


Filling:
Grill chicken and vegetables over medium coals until done (or sauté them in a skillet). Place a lettuce leaf on each bread. Spoon some of the filling--either hot or cold depending on your preference--down the center, atop the lettuce. Top with dressing and serve.


Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty