slow cooker lemon chicken & brown rice soup

01/30/2012 by · Leave a Comment

This version of chicken & rice soup is laced with a tangy hint of lemon and oregano… 2 flavors that pack a punch of brightness and freshness to an otherwise simple soup.

This soup is comfort food at it’s finest!

Chicken soup in any form has been one of the only things I can (fairly) easily eat so far this pregnancy. I have no appetite for anything else, and have to force food down most of the time.

But chicken soup? I love it! Chicken Noodle Soup, this Chicken & Rice soup, even Perpetual Chicken Stock, are all things I can eat and enjoy.

So enjoy them I do!

I especially like that the brown rice adds another healthy element to this soup, but feel free to swap it out with white rice if you’d like, or even use half brown and half white if you’re not so sure!

Also, if you don’t like the idea of your rice being quite mushy (unavoidable cooking that long in a slow cooker, but doesn’t bother us one bit!)… feel free to add it in for the last few hours instead of the whole cooking time!

Oh and if you have any leftover parmesan rinds in your freezer (and please tell me you keep those! They are gold!!)… throw one in! It makes a great soup, amazing!

As with all soups, this just tastes better and better the longer it sits… so start it in the morning, have some for dinner and reheat it all in the slow cooker again for leftovers the next day! Delicious!

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken & Brown Rice Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, chopped
2 large celery stalks, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups leftover cooked chicken (or raw boneless breast or thighs!)
1 cup uncooked brown rice
8 cups chicken stock
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
juice of two large lemons*
1 parmesan rind, optional

Directions:
Dump everything into the slow cooker. Add more water to top it off, if you’d like.

*If you’re not sure how much lemon flavor you would enjoy, start with the juice of one lemon and then add more at the end if you think it needs it!

Turn on LOW and cook for 6 hours or longer, until the chicken is cooked through (if you used raw). Season with more salt, pepper & lemon juice, if needed, and shred or chop the chicken if you used a whole breast!

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - crockpot, recipes - dinner, recipes - freezer, recipes - healthy, recipes - make ahead, recipes - slow cooker, recipes - soup ·

chocolate-covered cherry cheesecake… a beautiful and easy Valentine’s dessert!

01/27/2012 by · 1 Comment

Valentine’s Day is almost here! Can you believe how fast this year is going already? January is almost over… and I still can’t seem to even remember that it’s not 2011 anymore!

But, February is soon here and if you’re cooking at home, it’s soon time to start planning your Valentine’s Day celebration!

If you’ve got kids, like us, or maybe you don’t have a special someone this year (in which case you should absolutely make this to spoil your beautiful self!) and want to enjoy a quiet evening at home…

Make this gorgeous, easy, delicious cheesecake!

If cheesecake seems like a lot of work, I promise that it’s not!

Mostly it’s just chilling time, which also translates to… you can make this ahead of time and have it waiting in the fridge for you!

Perfection!

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
adapted from Betty Crocker
makes 8-12 servings

Ingredients:

for the crust:
25 regular Oreo cookies, finely crushed
4 tablespoons melted butter
for the filling:
4 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (almond extract is great here too!)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 (21oz) can Lucky Leaf cherry pie filling
for the glaze & design:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips, divided (1 cup + 1/4 cup)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed Oreos and the butter until well combined. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom, and an inch or so up the sides of an un-greased 10″ round springform pan.
In your large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well blended.
Beat in the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the heavy cream until smooth again.
Pour about 3 1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture onto the crust. Carefully spoon about 2 cups of the cherry pie filling evenly over the cream cheese mixture. Then carefully spoon the rest of the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cherries.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the cheesecake is just set. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour.
In a small microwaveable bowl, heat the cream on HIGH until simmering… about 1 minute or so. Stir in the 1 cup chocolate chips until melted and smooth.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment. Carefully remove the sides of the pan (running a knife around the inside edge first) and place the cheesecake on the lined baking sheet.
Smooth the glaze evenly over the top of the cheesecake, letting it run down the sides a bit. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
Once the chocolate is set (after at least an hour in the fridge or the next day) you can do a design, as fancy or simple as you’d like… Place the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips in a small ziploc bag. Melt them in the microwave in 15 second intervals, squishing around each time until smooth.
Cut off a tiny corner of the bag and draw your design (practice first… you can’t erase and start over!). Place the cheesecake back in the fridge to chill and set until you are ready to serve!
Serve with more cherry pie filling and freshly whipped cream, if you’d like!

*This post was sponsored by Lucky Leaf premium pie fillings. I love their products and the fact that they don’t use high fructose corn syrup! I was given the pie filling to review, but as usual… my opinions are my own!

Go check out their website or their Facebook to see some other fun recipes like slow cooker apple pork roast and cherry chocolate parfaits!

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - desserts, recipes - holiday, recipes - make ahead ·

12 weeks down… 28ish more to go! [baby #3!]

01/26/2012 by · Leave a Comment

I cannot believe that we are almost to the second trimester of this pregnancy!

I have seen this idea for pregnancy pictures in quite a few places on the web lately, and I just thought it looked like such a fun idea. I am hoping to make a cute little book of these for baby when I’m done!

(click on the picture to see it bigger, if the text is too small for you!)

This pregnancy has been so different from the others. In fact, they have all been so different from each other!

With Bjørn (baby #1), I was so sick for the first half-ish of the pregnancy. I couldn’t even keep down water most days!

With Haakon (baby #2), I was not sick even one day! I didn’t know I was pregnant until 10 weeks, because it was unexpected and there were no symptoms!

With this baby (baby #3), I have been sick and miserable for weeks, but no throwing up. Just nauseous and tired with absolutely no appetite. So, I guess just about half-way in between the other two pregnancies.

The biggest difference Hubs and I have both noticed with this pregnancy is that my brain is completely fried. And I do mean completely.

I can hardly remember my own name half the time, let alone my grocery list or what my husband just said on the phone.

And baking & cooking? My goodness. Everything has gotten 10 times harder than it used to be. I don’t know how I even do it half the time!

Needless to say, I’m hoping this problem improves as the pregnancy progresses… I don’t know where we’ll end up if it gets worse! :o)

I will leave you now with a little glimpse of baby.

Oh and a fun comparison picture!

Here is the bump at 12 weeks in 3 different pregnancies. Crazy!

Thanks for putting up with my pregnancy-ramblings! I’m sure this won’t be the end of them!!

Filed Under: baby #3, belly pics, mama musings, preggo musings, pregnancy, ramblings ·

coconut almond (or Almond Joy!) granola

01/25/2012 by · Leave a Comment

Coconut Almond if you’re feeling healthy… Almond Joy if you’re not! :o)

This granola is chockfull of good-for-you stuff. Raw coconut oil, raw honey, oats, almonds… and then a little hint of chocolate, if you’d like, for the Almond Joy lovers in the world!

I usually only add chocolate chips to part of the batch after it’s cooled for snacking on by the handful. The rest I leave plain for eating with milk or yogurt and fruit!

Oh and if you are a close friend or family member… this granola (without the chocolate chips, of course!) tastes a whole lot like Grandpa Cookies! Ahhh… comfort food.

Coconut Almond (or Almond Joy) Granola Recipe
adapted from He Sows, She Sews
makes about 4 cups of granola… this recipe can be easily doubled!

Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped or sliced almonds
1/2 cup flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1/4 cup melted virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup honey (preferably raw)
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste (I like a bit more added on after baking!)
1/2-1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds & coconut… stirring to mix well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, mixing well to coat.

Spread the granola onto a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes and then every 5 minutes after that, until the granola is perfectly golden brown… watching it closely at the end and being careful not to let it burn!

Let cool completely before adding chocolate chips, if you are going to, and storing in an airtight container.

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - breakfast, recipes - healthy, recipes - kids, recipes - make ahead, recipes - snacks, recipes - toddler ·

homemade powdered laundry detergent

01/24/2012 by · Leave a Comment

Yesterday I whipped up a batch of laundry detergent in less than 5 minutes.

Yep, it’s true… and I can’t even think about going to the store in less than 5 minutes, much less get there, buy laundry soap and get back home!

I have made homemade laundry detergent before (this whipped version!) and love how economical it is…

But I must say this method is my favorite so far, just because of the ease of prep.

I couldn’t believe how fast it came together!!

I also started my big laundry day and the clothes are coming out great. I especially love the faint smell of peppermint… yum!

I love using Dr. Bronner’s soap (I used peppermint for this batch because I sent my husband to the store, but I would love to try the lavender next time!) but Fels-Naptha or Ivory work just fine too!

You can find 20-Mule Team Borax, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not the same as baking soda!), and Oxiclean in your store’s laundry aisle. Baking soda will be in the baking aisle where baking soda is. Or in your cupboard. :o)

Dr. Bronner’s soap will be with the organic natural stuff (not with the regular soaps probably).

Try this next time you are about to run out of laundry soap. If you’re like me, you may never go back to buying pre-made again!!

**This batch makes about 4 1/2 cups of Detergent, or 36 loads.**

I usually triple or quadruple this recipe to fill the container I like to use!

Homemade Powdered Dr. Bronner’s Laundry Detergent Recipe
adapted from Heart Cries

Ingredients:
1 bar Dr. Bronner’s soap (or Fels-Naptha, if you can’t find Dr. Bronner’s!)

1 1/2 cups Borax

1 cup baking soda

1 cup washing soda

1/4 cup oxiclean powder

Directions:
Grate the bar of soap using the large holes of your box grater, or a food processor shredding attachment like I did.

Then, if you have a food processor, dump the shredded soap in the processor with the regular blade attachment and pulse until you have small bits. If you don’t have a food processor, and your shreds are fairly large, chop them up with a large knife until they are smaller.

In a large bowl, mix together the grated soap, borax, baking soda and washing soda until combined.

Dump this into a lidded container and use 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) per full load of laundry!

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - gifts, recipes - natural ·
« Older Posts