Friday, May 8, 2015
CrockPot Mulled Wine Recipe
This recipe is part of Oprah.coms Holiday Food Blogger Roundup. Welcome Oprah.com readers! Thank you for stopping by. xoxo steph
Day 329.
Its day three hundred and twenty-nine, and its my birthday.
I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Its been a total trip.
Last Friday, Adam called and said that he invited a bunch of friends over to celebrate my birthday. He told me not to ask questions but that they were coming, and that hed handle it all. Its a good thing our house is always thirty-minutes-away from being company-ready.
I put on a crab dip, and this mulled wine for our friends. I had fun fiddling in the kitchen, and the kids went to town making decorations.
When everyone was settled and had some of the mulled wine (quite enjoyable!) Adam laid out his surprise: he was dropping the six ladies off at a restaurant and the boys were going to watch all of the kids. My friends were in on it, and we all piled into the mini van. When we got to the restaurant, a table was waiting piled with appetizers and champagne.
Wow. The night couldnt have been any better. Thank you Adam, and thank you so much to Jennifer, Karen, Claudia, Nancy, and Carol. I love you all so much.
And now Im crying. Again.
The Ingredients.
--2 bottles dry red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
--1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 oranges)
--2 more oranges (one to float on top, and one for garnish wedges)
--3/4 cup white sugar
--1/4 tsp allspice
--1/4 tsp cinnamon
--4 cinnamon sticks
--4 whole cloves
The Directions.
Serves 6-8 (sort of. it really depends if you want your guests to have a taste, or a bunch. Ill double this next time.)
I used a 6 quart crockpot.
Open the wine. This was really very hard for me. I need one of those fancy wine opener thingies. It seriously took a good twenty minutes for me to open one of the bottles, and I got all sweaty and frustrated. ugh.
Squeeze the oranges to get 1 cup of juice. Im sure you could get away with using store-bought juice, but the pulp floating around is whats kind of neat about mulled wine; its more rustic this way. And oranges are in season.
Stir in the sugar, and add the ground spices. Float the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves on top. Slice one of the oranges in rings, and float the rings on top.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4.
You want the wine to get as hot as a traditional hot beverage.
Ladle into mugs, and serve with a fresh orange wedge.
When serving, leave the lid off and the crockpot on "low."
The Verdict.
I liked this much more than I thought I would, and look forward to making it again. I will on Thanksgiving. I like that you can use terribly cheap wine (Adam went shopping the night before and Trader Joes was already closed, but this is a great use for 2 Buck Chuck---although he assures me that the Sutter Home was on sale for $3.99) and still wow even the toughest wine snob.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Slow Cooker Caribbean Jerk Chicken Recipe
Happy Friday! Its the last day of September, which means CROCKTOBER begins tomorrow!
Its the most wonderful time of the year....
Todays recipe is one of my new favorite chicken recipes. I used a whole chicken, but this spice rub would work great on whatever youve got in the house---it might be really fun to do party drumsticks or wings, too.
I skin my chickens because of my weird issues. If you dont want to skin the bird, you dont have to. You can also insert a rack under the bird to let the drippings settle away from the bird, if youd like. If you dont have a wire rack, you can make a foil snake (3 feet long, then twist up and create a coil at the bottom of the pot) and use that instead.
The chicken pictured was skinned as much as I could with poultry scissors, then cooked in the crock, breast-down. I didnt throw in potatoes or use a rack, but you certainly can if youd like.
The Ingredients.
serves 4 to 6
4-5 pound whole chicken
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon all spice (not a typo, I used a whole tablespoon!)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup)
The Directions.
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Skin the bird as much as you can (or dont. its your choice.) and place it into the slow cooker. I prefer to cook my chickens upside down, to keep the breast meat as juicy as possible. Make sure all the giblets, neck, etc. are out!
In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and dry spices. Rub this spice and sugar mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Pour on the lime juice.
Cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4. Check doneness with a meat thermometer, or cut in to make sure the meat is no longer pink. Usually the bird falls completely apart--which is great. Moist, juicy, wondefully-flavored meat.
You can serve with lime wedges for a bit of extra citrus flavor, if youd like.
mmm.
The Verdict.
My family and my friend Sharyls family ate this chicken and we all loved it. Even my super-picky 10-year-old (I can NOT believe shes ten. #nothappyaboutthis) ate her serving and said it was good.
Sharyl asked for the recipe, which is always a good sign.
The bit of heat from the cayenne is there--- but not enough that any of the kids (six in all) complained. The pan drippings would be great to cook your rice in as a side dish.
more chicken? no problem!
lemon roasted
herb garden roasted
chicken with summer tomatoes
Vietnamese roasted
20-40 garlic clove
rotisserie-style
Have a great weekend!
Stay Warm Raw This Winter
Yes, hes back. I was kinda hoping Jack Frost would just forget about us this year, but lo, I awoke to a winter wonderland yesterday – a good six inches covering the ground and another five since then. With the change in seasons and plummeting temperatures, you wouldnt believe the number of people that have asked, "Wont you be cold eating raw food in the winter?" Funny thing, I never once had anyone ask in years past, "Arent you hot eating cooked food in the summer?"
I have to admit though, back in September, even I started to question "How am I going to do this in the winter?" When the seasons turn, theres nothing I love more than a bowl of homemade soup to warm my innards. And the good news: raw soup does not have to mean cold soup.
Make friends with a double boiler. Its great for warming foods slowly. Youll want to stir often and not let the soup boil – if you can stick your finger in without getting scalded, youre good to go. Dont have a double boiler? Pour your soup into a glass mason jar with a lid and submerge the jar in a bath of hot water to warm it up. I also like to pre-warm my soup bowl.
Another way to stoke your inner fire is to spice up your food with warming herbs like garlic, ginger, anise, cayenne, curry, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, and peppercorns. "Thatll get your blood moving!" as my Dad used to say. Actually, the reason why many people cannot tolerate cold temperatures is due to poor capillary circulation and weakened adrenals. More good news: the longer you maintain a diet of raw, living foods, your circulation improves naturally and your adrenals strengthen, so you should be able to tolerate the cold better than ever before.
In her recent newsletter, raw food chef and author Cherie Soria of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute included some additional tips for eating raw in colder climates:
I have to admit though, back in September, even I started to question "How am I going to do this in the winter?" When the seasons turn, theres nothing I love more than a bowl of homemade soup to warm my innards. And the good news: raw soup does not have to mean cold soup.
Make friends with a double boiler. Its great for warming foods slowly. Youll want to stir often and not let the soup boil – if you can stick your finger in without getting scalded, youre good to go. Dont have a double boiler? Pour your soup into a glass mason jar with a lid and submerge the jar in a bath of hot water to warm it up. I also like to pre-warm my soup bowl.
Another way to stoke your inner fire is to spice up your food with warming herbs like garlic, ginger, anise, cayenne, curry, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, and peppercorns. "Thatll get your blood moving!" as my Dad used to say. Actually, the reason why many people cannot tolerate cold temperatures is due to poor capillary circulation and weakened adrenals. More good news: the longer you maintain a diet of raw, living foods, your circulation improves naturally and your adrenals strengthen, so you should be able to tolerate the cold better than ever before.
In her recent newsletter, raw food chef and author Cherie Soria of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute included some additional tips for eating raw in colder climates:
- For breakfast or an afternoon snack, have raw almond butter with apples or bananas. If youre brave, sprinkle a generous dose of cayenne on top for an extra kick.
- Use hot water instead of cold water in your smoothies and blended soups.
- Wash your refrigerated produce in warm water or put it in a warm water bath for a few minutes before using it.
- Pour nearly boiling water over your refrigerated broccoli or cauliflower and let it rest for a few minutes to warm it up before using it in salads, pates, or other dishes that will be consumed immediately.
- Make a warm soup of finely julienned vegetables and hot water. Add mushroom powder, tamari, and grated fresh ginger to boost the flavor.
- Drink a cup of warm ginger tea sweetened with a little agave syrup or stevia before bedtime. It will help you warm those cold sheets.
If youre like me and love a good soup on a winters day, heres two seasonal delights that will have you singing, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"
Curried Coconut Soup
meat & water from one young coconut
3 C carrots, grated
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp grated ginger root
cayenne to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Creamy Tomato Soup4 tomatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp agave
salt & minced hot peppers to taste
Combine ingredients in a blender and pulse until the desired consistency is reached – creamy or slightly chunky, as you prefer.
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