Posts Tagged ‘dinner’
Who says complex, impressive dishes have to be complicated? Sure, anyone can throw some chicken/meat into a crock-pot and call it a meal, but why not get creative with the ingredients to mimic restaurant favorites?
I went to work to create an easy, crock-pot version of the traditional favorite, Chicken Cacciatore. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare.
You’ll need:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 package of fresh mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
- 1/2 onion (sliced)
- 4 garlic cloves (2 minced, two whole)
- 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
First, pan-sear chicken breasts in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Chicken does not need to be completely cooked-through, just seared.
Put the chicken into the crockpot.
Pour the pasta sauce on top and add all of the other ingredients into the pot.
Let sit 8 hours on low. When you are ready to eat, stir the contents of the pot and serve.
I like to top mine with mozzarella cheese, and I normally serve this with some fresh Italian bread — it’s perfect for dipping into the extra sauce.
ENJOY!
What is your favorite fancy meal to simplify in the crock-pot?
Happy Monday! The Mister and I are continuing our v-day celebration today, as we both took the day off work 
But I wanted to share the delicious dinner we made last night. It’s pretty fancy, VERY delicious and super simple.
On the menu: Pesto Scallops and Cornbread Stuffed Peppers
Instead of relying on jarred goodness, we wanted to make the pesto from scratch. I’m so happy that we did because it was very simple and tasted so fresh! I used Rachel Ray’s recipe to create the pesto.
I cooked the scallops per Rachel’s instruction, but I added my own special touch after plating – SUN DRIED TOMATOES! (one of my FAVORITE ingredients, as of late!)
Don’t those look fancy-schmancy?
To spice things up a bit, we decided to serve these alongside cornbread stuffed peppers.
You’ll need:
- 1 cup cornbread mix
- 1 long red pepper (cut in half, lengthwise)
- 2 canned chipotle peppers, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro. chopped
- 1/2 cup cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare cornbread mix according to directions on box (alter added ingredients for one cup, accordingly). Mix in chipotle peppers and cheese. Spoon mixture into pepper cups and top with cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is browned.
These we so great! smooth and creamy, but with a smoky kick from the chipotle peppers. The cilantro added a refreshing authenticity to the dish.
All in all, this was the perfect meal to enjoy with the Mister and reflect on years past, as well as the promising future!
Of course the meal had a very sweet ending (would you expect anything less?)– but I don’t want to overwhelm you with goodness right now, so I’ll be back later with that recipe/photos — any guesses?!
Did you have a special dinner last night? How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
I’ve always been a “cheese please” kinda gal. When it comes to my love for ZA, I can be pretty particular, and I don’t need toppings messing up the cheesy goodness.
But always looking to outdo the Mister (just kidding, honey), I one-upped him on his flatout pizzas. Sure, there are times when simplicity is called for, but in an effort to foster my ”experimenting in the kitchen” mindset, I wanted to try something new — and I figured I’d branch out and take the pro-topping approach. And it was easy, because when said toppings are artichoke and sun-dried tomatoes (an obsession of mine) — you really can’t go wrong. I still followed the Mister’s recipe, I just added jarred artichokes hearts and sun-dried tomatoes (see? one-up!).
Ah-mazing.
The artichoke and sun-dried tomato added bursts of flavor in every bite. I cannot believe it took me this look to incorporate two of my favorite ingredients (I use the varieties that are jarred in extra-virgin olive oil – they are infused with incredible flavor and stay extra juicy!)
Oh,and did I mention the layer of chicken sausage under the cheese? Drooling can now commence.
How do you spruce up a simple pizza? What are your favorite toppings?