I blinked and we’re into the first true week of April. I swear this week you could watch my wee one grow and this is making her a little crabby. Crabby to the point where she was up all night on Sunday and just needed her Mommy all day yesterday. By all day I mean, a continuation of the night before and never being put down unless it is diaper time at which she screamed her head-off. I guess this is what sick days are made for because goodness knows when I had the flu and cold last week, I still went to work.
On the positive side I made ZERO trips to Starbucks and went to the library once to pick-up some books that I’d pre-ordered.
Anyhoo, the cake the other night was a BIG hit. I ended-up going at the last minute due to a washer crisis (i.e. our washer cacked-out and with a child in cloth diapers this is an emergency at the deathcon five level) and everyone loved it! Yay!
Who knew that a giant cupcake with toasted marshmallows on it would be such a big hit with a group of adults? Mind you we’re all teachers so…
Cleaning-out my pantry is obviously going to be a longterm effort so I think that I’ll pick one item each week and use it up. I should be done by this time next year.
This week it’ll be: wild rice
http://www.recipesfromscratch.com/quinoa/wild_rice_quinoa_201008.htm
2 1/2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1/2 cup of wild rice, washed & soaked
1/2 cup of quinoa
Combine the water & soy sauce in a pot & bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add wild rice & cover, reduce heat & simmer for 30 minutes. Add the quinoa, cover & simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the water is all absorbed. Remove from heat & allow to steam, covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. 3 Servings
I served with it; meatloaf (see previous meatloaf recipe with chorizo in it) and green beans. Yummm…
Tonight is going to be homemade pizza before we run to swimming but tomorrow will be a slowcooker special. Can’t wait!
http://www.makedinnereasy.com/slow-cooker-chicken-paprikash.html
Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash
(Prep Time: 30 minutes. Cooking Time 6-8 hours)
8-10 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
2 teaspoons Hungarian Paprika (Get the good stuff for this recipe! It comes in a large red can)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup, flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (I prefer concentrated stock paste)
½ cup sour cream (can use light sour cream)
1 teaspoon flour
1. Place thighs in a large skillet. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of paprika over the thighs. Turn thighs over and sprinkle the other 1 teaspoon of paprika over the other side. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken.
2. Place the skillet on the burner on medium/high heat. Watch the thighs carefully as there is no extra oil or water in the pan at this point. This is done deliberately so that the thighs brown nicely. Cook the thighs on one side for 2-4 minutes without moving or turning them. You can carefully peek under them occasionally to make sure they don’t burn. It’s ok to let them stick a little as this improves the flavor. After one side is nicely browned. Use tongs and turn thighs over. Cook on this side 2-4 minutes as well until browned. If you need to, you can add a small amount of water to prevent overbrowning.
3. Transfer thighs to a slow cooker. Keep the pan drippings intact and add the onion to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat and sauté for several minutes. Turn the heat off and add the flour, mixing well. Add chicken broth and turn the heat back on the medium, stirring well until mixture starts to thicken. Add bouillon.
4. Pour thickened broth over the thighs in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
5. 30 minutes before serving. Mix the sour cream with 1 teaspoon flour in a separate bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the liquid from the slow cooker to warm up the sour cream mixture (this will prevent it from curdling). Add the sour cream to the slow cooker and stir well. Continue to cook on low for 30 minutes. Serve over wide noodles.
Serves: 6-8. Leftovers freeze well
{Adventuresindinner} 