Spiced Apple Chicken

I do love cook books and fingering through them to find inspiration for meals but I two little ones demanding my attention so I am not able to do it as often as I'd like too.  I had some apples that I needed to use up and so I looked to Google to help me create the menu for tonight's meal.
This created a wonderful meal that didn't take hours to make and one that every one enjoyed.  When I use apples in recipes, I prefer to leave the skin on because of the nutritional benefits but if you are going for elegance, it may be better to peel them.  In the future I could see adding the seasonings in this recipe to bread crumbs to make a breaded chicken and serve the apples on top.
This is a flavourful dish that pairs well with pretty much any standard side dish.

Spiced Apple Chicken

2 apples (a sweeter variety is best)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

3 tbsp butter, divided

1 1/8 tbsp Herbs de Provence

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup chicken stock

zest of one lemon

1. Core and chop the apple into thin pieces and toss in a bowl with the lemon juice and cinnamon.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil and butter together in a skillet then add the apple mixture.  Stir occasionally until the apples are tender and then keep them warm for serving.
3. Place the chicken between plastic and tenderize it with a mallet or rolling pin until it is of uniform thickness (roughly 1/2 inch).
4. Mix 1 tbsp of the Herbs de Provence with the salt and pepper.  Sprinkle this mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts.
5. Add 1 tbsp of the butter and olive oil to the skillet over high heat.  Add half the chicken and cook it through.  Set it aside where it can stay warm.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.
6. Add the broth, zest, remain Herbs de Provence and any juice from the chicken to the pan.  Cook, stirring any brown bits from the side of the pan for about 3 minutes.
7. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve beside the apples.

Blackberry Chicken

I love looking to the world wide web for inspirations and ideas for meals, especially when I want to put ingredients together that are not typically paired together.  Our freezer is still full of berries from last summer that we would like to use up before the summer so I decided to hunt for a recipe.  I found a recipe on a great blog called The Gracious Pantry and I modified it a bit based on what I had on hand.  I am sure it is a blog I will return to for more recipe ideas!
 I served it with some roasted vegetables.

Blackberry Chicken

1 onion, sliced into rings

4 chicken breasts

1 cup frozen blackberries

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp minced rosemary

3 cloves minced garlic

1. Make a layer of onions in the bottom of the crockpot and place the chicken over top.
2. Scatter the blackberries over the chicken.
3. Whisk together the balsamic, rosemary and garlic before pouring it over the mixture in the crockpot.
4. Cook on low heat for 6 hours or high for 3.

Blueberry Coconut Pancakes

Whenever I ask my toddler what she wants to eat, 99% of the time she will say pancakes.  Pancakes are a special breakfast in our house that we like to do on the weekend.  I thought it would be nice to try a new recipe for a change so I went online and did some searching.  I found a couple of pancake recipes made with coconut milk and I am a huge fan of coconut milk.  Knowing that we still have a bunch of blueberries in our deep freezer to use up in the next couple of months, I decided this would be a great recipe to try.
The pancakes tasted wonderful and had just a hint of coconut.  If you really want a coconut flavour I would suggest adding some coconut flakes to the batter as well.  I like my pancakes with a lot of blueberries so adjust the amount of blueberries in the recipes to you liking.

Blueberry Coconut Pancakes

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2c tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 14 oz can coconut milk

1tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups blueberries

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Whisk the coconut milk together until it is smooth (I find it helps to heat it up a little bit). Then add the addition wet ingredients, whisking them until they are blended.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together and mix enough to moisten all the dry ingredients.  
4. Lightly stir in the blueberries.
5. Heat a non-stick pan or griddle to medium heat and oil the surface as needed.  Pour enough batter on the surface to make the pancakes your desired size.  I will usually use 1/3 of a cup per pancake.
6. Allow the pancake to bubble and the edges begin to dry before flipping to cook the other side.

*I will often turn my oven on to the lowest setting so I can keep the first pancakes warm while I use up the batter. 

Cranberry Orange Chicken

Life has gotten very busy in the past few months and I am making use of my crockpot more than ever.  In the new year a couple of my friends had shared a link on Facebook to 20 Freezer Meals in 4 Hours from the Stock Piling Moms website.  I was intrigued so I decided to make a bunch of them for the freezer so on my really busy days, all I have to do is pull a bag out of the freezer the night before to let it defrost and then set it in the crockpot in the morning.
I love how well cranberry and orange go together and whenever I see bags of cranberries at the grocer, I will grab a couple for the freezer to use at a later date.  I really enjoyed this recipe for Cranberry Orange Chicken and I found it went well with rice.  It is a good one to make if you have leftover cranberry sauce to use up.

Cranberry Orange Chicken

3 chicken breasts
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of cranberry sauce
2 cups of water

1. Place the chicken, orange juice and cranberry sauce in the crockpot and then add the water. 
2.  You can set your crockpot to low and cook for 6-8 hours or set it to high and cook for 2-4 hours.

If you want to make a couple to have on hand in the freezer, put the chicken, orange juice and cranberry sauce into a freezer bag. Be sure to write the instructions on the bag to add 2 cups of water along with the cooking temperature and time.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

I think mug cakes are brilliant for many reason but since my little is very observant and wants to eat whatever Mommy is eating I have fallen in love with them even more!  We are trying to teach our little ones good eating habits by setting a good example and so we are trying to avoid having sweets that are easily accessible.  Mug cakes are a good solution for when I need a sweet treat after the little ones are in bed.  They are quick to make and are just one serving so there is no evidence in the kitchen for them to find the next day.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

3 tbsp flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

pinch of salt

3 tbsp milk

1 1/2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp peanut butter

1. In a large mug whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until everything is combined.
3. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 10 seconds and enjoy!

Curried Cream Cheese Spread

My in-laws are often away for the holidays so we will often celebrate Christmas with them before they leave.  This year my mother-in-law made a wonderful spread that we couldn't seem to get enough of. I asked her for the recipe and made it for our annual Wine and Cheese potluck and everyone seemed to enjoy it as well.  It is a very simple recipe she got from a friend of hers but I am sure it will be come one of my go to appetizers.
The amounts for the spices are just a guide, you can add more or less depending on your personal tastes.  Just remember if you make it ahead of time that the flavour will develop with time.  This dish can be served cold or at room temperature with crackers or what ever you like.

Curried Cream Cheese Spread

250 grams soft cream cheese

1 tbsp mango chutney

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

red pepper jelly

dried red currents or craisins

toasted pine nuts

1. Combine the cream cheese, chutney and spices. Cream together with a spoon or a fork until thoroughly mixed.  Put this mixture into the dish you plan on serving it in.
2. Top the cream cheese mixture with a layer of red pepper jelly.
3. Mix together enough of the pine nuts and dried fruit to cover the top of the spread.  Add to the top of the spread.

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am very guilty of having a sweet tooth and not the greatest self control.  So last night when I saw some Craisins in the drawer and thought of a great Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookie my aunt would make it didn't take long for me to decide I should make a batch to enjoy.

This cookie is just a little bit more grown up than your standard chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I really enjoy the hint of cinnamon.  They freeze well so if you have room in your freezer why not make a double batch?

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup dark chocolate chips or carob 

1. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Stir in the flour mixture small parts at a time. Then add the rolled oats.
4. Add the cranberries and chocolate chips
5. Place tablespoon size drops of the dough on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes.