I so rock the crock

Please note: The title said CROCK. Not Crocs. I do NOT rock Crocs. My loathing for those is ANOTHER blog post entirely. And if you're a man wearing Crocs--right now perhaps, no words can express my disappointment in you. Good luck Sir.

Now. On to me rocking the crock--pot to be exact.

Recently I was on a diet. Cue the eye rolling. No one wants to hear about another woman bawling over the weight she needs to lose, her fat thighs, and how she just needs a piece of chocolate. Me neither. So I'm not going to speak of dieting, calorie counting or back fat (despite the fact that I find the last topic humorous in many ways). No this post is about how something GREAT came out of something crap. Yes that sounded very intelligent. I like it.

You will need:

1. A Crock Pot
2. 3-5 Chicken Breasts
3. One can Hunts Tomatoes with Garlic
4. One Habanero Chili
5. One good sized Serrano Chili
6. Cumin
7. Salt & Pepper, Garlic Salt
8. Salsa Verde or a Green Chili Sauce
9. Crushed or Minced Garlic
10. Chicken Broth
11. Mushrooms
12. Cheese of choice
13. Avocado




First empty a can of tomatoes in the crock pot.














You could use any canned tomato in all actuality but I just liked how these already were cooked with garlic.














Place chicken breasts in crock pot.












Season liberally with salt and pepper, and garlic salt.







Also sprinkle liberally with cumin. There is a lot of liquid going to be in the pot so don't be afraid to use it.













Throw in two Tablespoons of minced garlic.















Add about a half a cup of chicken broth to the crock pot.








Get one Habanero (the pretty orange one) and one Serrano chili. These have kick--especially the Habenero, but the flavor is amazing. Don't worry, they won't kill you. The cheese and avocado will cut the spice nicely. Don't skimp on a pepper or you'll regret it. If you are scared of the spice, use half of each. However, I have been told I am a "honkey" and this doesn't even make my lips burn. It is just a nice heat.






If you haven't used chilies like this, please wear rubber gloves while you chop them. They have natural oils that once on your fingers are easy to transfer to your eyes or... other places. All of which I'm sure would be unpleasant. I used the bag from the grocery store to cut the stems off and then a chopper to do the rest.






Another way to cut the heat is to get rid of some of the seeds if you like. Also, remember the smaller the chili the hotter it is so when you pick out your Serrano, you are much better off with a bigger one!!





Chop the chilies as fine as possible. You don't want to get a big bit of a Habanero. Okay, you might. You might also be a masochist. But to each their own I say. Throw chopped chilies in on your chicken.








Add about a cup of Salsa Verde or green chili sauce. This is a great flavor with cumin, garlic and chicken! Start your crock pot on a low setting. It can take anywhere between 1.5-2.5 hours depending on your crock pot and the number and thicknesses of your chicken breasts.







About half way through, stir up your chicken, turn over if needed and make sure it is all being coated. If you like, add some cut up mushrooms at this time.












When chicken is done, turn off crock pot or put it on its warming setting. Add cheese to top of chicken breasts. I used a mix of Provologne and Monterey Jack. It was wonderful. The cheese cuts the heat, so don't skimp unless you like it spicier. If you're on a diet you can skip this step... but oh, you're missing out. Replace lid until cheese is melted.





When cheese is melted and you are ready to plate, cut up avocado and add slices to the top of chicken breasts.














Enjoy!! Sorry it doesn't look all that pretty, but by this time, I just wanted to eat it!! I hope somebody takes my word for it and tries it. You won't be disappointed! (and if you are, I'll just blame it on operator error and none of my own doing!!). Bon Apetit!!

The Dangerous Microwave Chocolate Cake-In-A-Mug challenge--cause I can't suck THAT bad can I?

So here's a little something about me: I'm a tolerably good cook, but I am an atrocious baker. I'm just no good at anything where you have to be super precise, but today I found myself on one of those recipe sites and I saw something that looked fast, fun and seriously suck-proof.

Dangerous Microwave Chocolate Cake-In-A-Mug

Recipe #338964 | 5 min | 2 min prep |

This cake is from Haydee's Chocolate Journal and is fantastic for those times where you want just one or two servings of all-natural, warm chocolate goodness. It's easily made with basic pantry items. I found the texture to be more spongy and very moist, It really was delicious. It fit perfectly in a regular-sized mug, although it did get a little messy when it puffed up. If you've got a slightly larger mug, I'd recommend using that.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons cake flour (plain, not self-rising)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 dash vanilla
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Add dry ingredients to the mug; mix well with a fork.

2. Add egg and mix thoroughly.

3. Pour in milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix well.

4. Add chips, if using.

5. Put mug in the microwave, and cook for three minutes at 1,000 watts. Cake will rise over the top of the mug -- do not be alarmed.

6. When finished, carefully remove mug from microwave and allow to cool a little. Tip onto a small plate prior to serving, if desired.

7. Yields one generous serving or two "more virtuous" servings.

The ratings on the recipe were fabulous and seeing that it only took two minutes and I (lo and behold) already had these items in the house I decided I would try it out. I did leave out the vanilla and chocolate chips but I figured that they wouldn't make much of a difference. The Lowdown: I'm CRAP at baking. I even managed to screw THIS up. I think maybe three minutes was a little long in my microwave. Right after sticking a fork in the substance, which was a not-so-distant cousin of concrete, it began to turn hard and rubbery. My only satisfaction came from the fact that my mug was the perfect size and it didn't spill one drop in the microwave.

Seeing how the multiple ratings were so fabulous I have decided to issue a challenge to all. Think of it as a free blog post and a chance to do some fun easy baking with the kiddies, or maybe you just need a quick easy chocolate fix. Try out this recipe. Post a picture and tell me how it went. Then I can truly know if perhaps I REALLY am the worst baker ever. Feel free to experiment, just don't change the recipe basics, then share your experience.

I promise it takes less then two minutes and you just have to wash a fork and a mug! I'm really looking forward to the feedback!!!

any place Kevin Bacon worked is A-OK with me

Today I baked.

I never bake. I cook. As a matter of fact I have said on numerous occasions how much I hate to bake. Cooking is more fun. You can experiment. You can toss a little of this in, toss in a little of that. Baking, if you toss in a little more of this or substitute a little of that instead you end up with something globular, bitter, and strangely deformed. I'm sure my friend Lucky remembers our very brief stint as makers of meringue and sugar cookies. Folks, the meringue ended up looking like overly tanned inverted nipples. They were strangely chewy and I won't even start on how it tasted. Bakers need to be precise. I'm not. Thats why I'm not left brained.

They probably enjoy math too. Yuck.

Today I diverged strangely out of my usual path and made some raspberry muffins. They were GOOD. They had these lovely little cinammon and suger crumbles on the top. I was very pleased with myself. They came out of a bag. Oh how I love Lehi Roller Mills. Way to help out a not-a-baker guys! I figure these are just as good if not better then any made by those baking snobs that think anything out of a box is trash. I have had muffins from a bakery that paled in comparison. The Roller Mills also make the best pumpkin bundt cake EVER.

So, the point is, I will continue to take the easy way out. I like what I get from it and it saves me a lot of work, mess and irritation. For all else... I have a Stubborn Foodie.

Is there anything out there that makes your life so much easier and yet tastes so good that its just not right?? What are your favorite time savers cooking, baking or otherwise? Don't hold out on the rest of us!