juicy turkey breast in the crock pot

this has been the recipe for crock pot turkey breast i have liked the best so far, after having tried a few over the past few thanksgivings. from recipetineats.com

ingredients

• 2 kg / 4 lb turkey breast, skin on, bone in or boneless (if using frozen, thaw it) (Note 1)
• ▢1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
• ▢1 onion (brown, yellow or white), unpeeled, cut in half
• ▢5 sprigs of thyme (or 2 tsp dried thyme leaves)

Rub

• ▢1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ▢1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• ▢1 tsp paprika
• ▢2 tsp salt
• ▢5 grinds of black pepper
• ▢1 1/2 – 2 tbsp olive oil

directions

• Place Rub ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine, it should be a wet paste.
• Pat the turkey dry all over with paper towels. Slather with the Rub, using most for the side and top.
• Place the garlic, onion and thyme face down in the slow cooker. Place the turkey breast on top so it is elevated.
• Slow Cook on LOW for 6 hours (do not use high) or until internal temperature reads 165F/75C when thermometer is inserted into the middle. Check internal temperature at 5 hours if you can. (To roast, follow this recipe). 
• Remove turkey from the slow cooker (do not leave in slow cooker on Warm setting) and let it rest for 20 minutes before crisping the skin.

Crisp the Skin

• Preheat gril/broiler to high.
• Place an oven shelf 30cm / 1 foot from the heat source.
• Remove turkey breast from the slow cooker into a heatproof serving dish.
• Place on the oven shelf and broil for 3 to 5 minutes until the skin is crispy. Keep an eye on it – it browns very quickly!
• Serve immediately with gravy on the side.

creamy tomato basil soup

super delicious tomato basil soup. i do almost everything like it says on tastesbetterfromscratch.com except that i roast fresh tomatoes first and i think it makes a big difference. since it takes quite a long time to make, i usually triple the recipe so that i can freeze some for later.

ingredients

 2lbs fresh tomatoes, coated in olive oil and herbs and roasted at 450 for 30 minutes

2 carrots, finely diced

1 small onion, finely diced

3 ribs celery, finely diced

2 T tomato paste

4 C chicken broth

1 t dried oregano

1 1/2 t dried basil

1/2 C butter

1/2 C flour

1 C freshly grated parmesan

1 1/2 C half and half

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 C chopped fresh basil

directions

• Add oil to a large soup pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add carrots, onions, and celery and sauté them for a few minutes.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, oregano, and dried basil. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for several minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• Use an immersion blender or regular blender (you may need to do this in batches, depending on how big your blender is) to puree the soup until smooth. (This step is optional, if you like a smooth soup). Return it to the soup pot.
• In a separate pot, prepare the roux. Add butter to the pot over medium low heat and allow to melt. Stir in the flour and whisk together constantly for about 10 minutes or until the roux is a nice golden brown color.
• Add a big ladle full of the soup to the roux--it will start to form a thick paste.  Add a few more big scoops of soup to the roux and stir well until smooth. Add the roux mixture to soup pot and stir to combine.
• Stir in the parmesan cheese, half and half, salt, pepper and basil. Add additional oregano and basil if needed, to taste. Stir well. Cook for a few more minutes until warmed through.

chicken taco seasoning

this is everyone's favorite seasoning for chicken that will go in fajitas or on taco salad, etc. from joyfilledeats.com

mix together the following:

1 T onion powder

1 T garlic powder

1 T smoked paprika

1 T cumin

1 T chili powder (i never put this much and i use cayenne instead)

1 T dried oregano

2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

chicken marsala

i love this recipe from onceuponachef.com. it always turns out amazing. the whole family loves it. i like serving it with roasted herbed broccoli. i double it for my family of 7.

ingredients

1 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins

3 T flour

1 T olive oil

3 T butter

8oz mushrooms

5 green onions

2 cloves garlic

2/3 C chicken broth

2/3 C white cooking wine

2/3 C heavy cream

2 t fresh thyme

directions

put 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins (these because they are usually thin), 3 T flour, 3/4 t salt and 1/4 pepper in a gallon bag and shake until coated.

next, prep all other ingredients by slicing 8 oz mushrooms, chopping 5 green onions, mincing 2 cloves garlic, picking 2 t thyme and measuring out 2/3 C each of chicken broth, dry white cooking wine and heavy cream.

heat 1 T oil and 2 T butter in a large skillet over medium heat. place chicken in the pan and cook 2.5 minutes on each side. set aside.

in the same pan, melt 1 T butter and cook the mushrooms until almost done. add green onion, garlic and 1/4 t salt and cook for 1 minute more. add broth, wine, cream, thyme, 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper, stir well, reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. the sauce will be thin.

add the chicken and any of it's juices to the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes more, or until the chicken is warmed through.

homemade bleu cheese dressing

this is alton brown's recipe. it's really important that you make it with gorgonzola as called for. regular bleu cheese is too strong.

blend the following in a blender:

4 oz gorgonzola

1/3 sour cream (i use greek yogurt)

1/3 C buttermilk

1/4 C mayo

1 T white wine vinegar

1/4 t worcestershire 

1/4 t freshly ground pepper

greek salad

my husband and i were lucky enough to go to greece and this recipe tastes just like what we ate almost every day at the most authentic of restaurants.

toss everything but the feta together, then lay the feta on top:

4 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 cucumber, cut into chunks

handful pitted kalamata olives

1 1/2 t dried oregano

salt

1/4 C olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar

7 oz feta, cheese in brine, cut into long slices

rainbow grain bowl with cashew sauce

this makes me feel like i'm feeding my body about as healthy of a meal as it gets!! the cashew sauce makes it quite hearty to keep you full until your next meal. from eatingwell.com

ingredients for sauce

3/4 C unsalted cashews

1/2 C water

1/4 C packed parsley leaves

1 T lemon juice

1 T olive oil

1 t soy sauce

1/4 t salt

directions

serve over your choice of grain (lentils, quinoa, brown rice--or all three mixed) with shredded red cabbage, shredded carrot, shredded beet, sliced bell pepper and/or sliced cucumber. garnish with toasted cashews.

lean green muscle shake

 a variation on the classic green smoothie from cleansimpleeats.com

ingredients

1 C almond milk

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 T nut butter

protein powder

couple handfuls power greens

1/6 of an avocado

1 t cinnamon

6-8 ice cubes

romano's macaroni grill rosemary bread

this recipe from food.com tastes really close to the OG at the restaurant. the loaves are pretty small so i usually double or triple the recipe. i love to make this when as a compliment to my tomato basil soup.

ingredients

1 T yeast

1 T sugar

1 C warm water

2 1/2 C flour

1 t salt

2 T fresh rosemary

2 T butter

directions

place yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl and let it bubble up. mix in 1 T butter, salt and 2 C of flour. add 1 T rosemary. knead until soft and elastic. add more flour if needed. oil a bowl, place dough in and cover with a towel. let rise til double.

punch down dough and divide in half. spray baking pan with cooking spray. shape dough into two small, rounded, oval loaves. sprinkle remaining rosemary onto the surface and press in. let loaves rise again til double.

preheat oven to 375. bake 15-20 minutes. brush immediately with remaining butter. 

chocolate lava mug cake

 from afoodloverskitchen.com

put all ingredients in a ramekin and microwave for 1 minute:

2 T flour

2 T sugar

1 T cocoa powder

1/4 t baking powder

salt

1 1/2 T butter

1 1/2 T milk

1/2 egg

1/8 t vanilla

chocolate chips

1 t water

cherry almond smoothie

 i got this from suburbansimplicity.com.

ingredients

protein powder

1/2 C almond milk

1/2 C ice cubes

1/2 C frozen cherries

1/4 C spinach 

1/4 t almond extract

2 T almond butter

buttermilk syrup

 the classic. make sure to use a tall pot--it foams up a ton when you add the baking soda.

ingredients

1 C white sugar

1/2 C buttermilk

1/2 C butter

1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla extract

directions

heat sugar, buttermilk and butter over medium heat until it starts to boil. remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.

garden orzo risotto

 love this super quick, super light family crowd pleaser.

ingredients

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

2 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 C uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta

2 C broth

1 C milk

6oz spinach

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/4 C basil, chopped

1/3 C grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

directions

saute zucchini and shallot in oil until almost tender. add garlic and cook one minute. add the orzo, broth and milk and bring to a boil. reduce to simmer and cook for 10-15 or until liquid is almost absorbed. stir in spinach, tomatoes and basil and cook until spinach is wilted. remove from heat and add cheese, salt and pepper.