Showing posts with label Slow Cooker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slow Cooker. Show all posts

Monday, 14 March 2016

Steak and Guinness Stew with Irish White Cheddar Cauliflower Mash

Steak and Guinness Stew with Irish White Cheddar Cauliflower Mash
With St Patrick's Day coming up I have been thinking about recipes and of course recipes with an Irish beer like Guinness come to mind and it's the perfect base for a beef stew! This steak stew is a pretty basic beef stew with some of the beef broth replaced with Guinness for extra flavour! I also like to season the stew with thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and a hit of fish sauce for that extra depth of flavour! This steak and guinness stew is amazing all by itself but I often like to top it with cheese, Irish white cheddar cheese of course, and alternatively mashed potatoes, almost like a shepherds pie! This time I was thinking why not combine the two for a steak and Guinness stew topped with irish white cheddar mash and instead of using potatoes I used cauliflower to keep things light! Whether you serve this steak and Guinness stew by itself or topped with the Irish white cheddar cauliflower mash, it's a great choice for your St Patrick's Day menu!

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Wednesday, 20 January 2016

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
While I was thinking about snacks for the upcoming game day party I got a bit nostalgic about two of my favourite finger foods, buffalo chicken wings and jalapeno poppers, and I had a brilliant idea, why not combine them in the form of jalapeno popper stuffed buffalo chicken meatballs? I started out with a base of ground chicken for the chicken wing theme to which I mixed in finely diced carrots and celery, which are commonly served with wings, along with onions and garlic. I then moved onto the jalapeno popper side of things and combined chopped up jalapenos with poppers common fillings, cream cheese and cheddar cheese, along with some bacon for good measure. I then wrapped the chicken mixture around the cheese mixture, forming meatballs which I then baked in the oven until cooked and lightly golden brown before tossing them in the buffalo chicken hot sauce! Yum! Up next was a garnish of ranch dressing and a bit of crumbled blue cheese to finish things off! Biting into these meatballs is like a dream come true! It starts with a hit of buffalo chicken which bursts apart releasing a spray of ooey gooey melted cheese along with spicy jalapenos and bacon! Game day just couldn't get any better then this!

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Monday, 11 January 2016

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
With the colder weather I have been thinking about soups more and I thought that I would start out with this nice and hearty, light and bright lemon chicken orzo soup. This soup is essentially a take on a chicken noodle soup using orzo as the 'noodle' and it emphasizes brightness by the use of lemon juice and zest along with plenty of fresh parsley. In addition, I like to add a touch of thyme for some earthiness and a bit of tarragon which perfectly complements the bright flavours of the soup and adds a hint of the exotic with its anise-y and vanilla-y undertones! This soup is pure comfort food that is absolutely amazing on a cold winter day, it's hot, filling and it adds a bit of summery sunshine to your day! What's even better is that it takes less than 30 minutes to make and it will fit into your New Year's diet resolutions!
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Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken noodle soup has to be the definition of comfort food, especially on a cold winter day and it is super easy to make at home from scratch! A flavourful homemade chicken broth or chicken stock is essential for a tasty chicken noodle soup and both are easy to make! Once you have your chicken broth or stock ready chicken noodle soup does not take too long to make where you are just cooking the vegetables followed by adding the broth or stock, chicken, seasoning and finally the noodles. At this point you have a pretty tasty chicken noodle soup but I like to add a few extras to make it even tastier! A while ago I figured out that you can enhance a chicken broth or stock by adding a parmesan rind while it simmers and why not do the same for chicken noodle soup? Since the chicken noodle soup is not simmering for a long time to bring the flavour out of the rind, I like to add some finely grated parmesan to the soup and let it melt in and disappear. I am a big fan of miso soup and I have found that miso works very well in a lot of soups including chicken noodle soup! Finally, I like to hit the chicken noodle soup with a splash of lemon brighten it up and add some freshness.

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Friday, 20 November 2015

Cheesy Slow Cooker Bacon Ranch Potatoes

Cheesy Slow Cooker Bacon Ranch Potatoes
I am always on the lookout for easy side dishes and when I came across this one for slow cooker cheesy bacon ranch potatoes on damn delicious I knew that I had a winner! As soon as I see slow cooker in the name I pretty much know that it's going to be nice and easy and throw in the words potatoes, ranch, cheese and bacon and you definitely have my interest! I especially like the fact that these potatoes are made in the slow cooker because for large dinners, like Thanksgiving dinners, there tends to be a lot of things that need oven time so doing some in the slow cooker is perfect! These potatoes could not be easier to make, you simply dice the potatoes, toss the in a powdered ranch dressing mix, layer them into the slow cooker along with the cheese and bacon, cook all day and they are ready just in time for dinner! If you are looking for an easy side dish for dinner it's hard to beat these cheesy slow cooker bacon ranch potatoes!

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Sunday, 31 March 2013

Maple and Bourbon Ham and Baked Bean Soup

Maple, Bourbon Ham and Baked Bean Soup
Although a ham dinner is pretty amazing I sometimes think that I like the leftovers even more, especially that ham bone! One of my favourite ways of enjoying the ham bone and some of the ham leftovers is in a ham and bean soupwhich is so easy to make and so unbelievably good; pure comfort food! This time I thought that I would change things up and instead of making a classic ham and bean soup I would make a baked bean themed ham and bean soup. I started out with my standard ham and bean soup recipeincluding the classic onion, carrot and celery combo followed by ham brothand the beans but then I took a u-turn and started with the baked bean flavours including a sweetener, molasses, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce and a splash cider vinegar. Instead of using simple brown sugar for the sweetener I went with maple syrup to add another layer of flavour and I kicked things up a bit with a hit of bourbon and spicy chipotle chilies before finishing the soup off with the ham. This ham and baked bean soup is a great way to enjoy the ham bone and leftover ham in a way that makes the ham dinner look a little boring, though definitely worth it!

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Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Despite the fact that it has been a little warmer out lately, I have still been craving soups and I recently realized that it had been a very long time since I last made one of my favourite soups, a broccoli and cheddar soup. The broccoli and cheddar flavour combination is a really good one that I never tire of reinventing in different dishes but this soup is one that I keep coming back to again and again. Since this soup is so simple it is a good idea to use quality ingredients including roasted broccoli, a nice homemade vegetable broth or chicken broth a nice quality aged cheddar. Roasting vegetables concentrates and brings out their flavours and the intensified broccoli flavours from the roasted broccoli goes beautifully well in this soup. This roasted broccoli and aged cheddar soup is super easy to make and yet it is so bursting with flavour that it is bound to satisfy! One last thing that I like to do with this soup is to add a tablespoon of grainy mustard which goes particularly nicely with the broccoli and cheddar flavour combination.

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