Sunday Night Supper (on a Thursday): Crockpot Garlic Lemon Chicken & Garlic Oven Roasted Potatoes

If you don't already own a crockpot, I suggest you go buy one. It's especially helpful when you're working all day and don't want to come home and cook a meal. It's also AMAZING in the summer months. That's right A M A Z I N G. My place doesn't have a/c and tends to get really hot when it's warm outside so turning on the stove or oven can sometimes become a chore. This is where the lovely crockpot comes in handy. I'm always looking for delicious recipes to cook up and I recently had a craving for lemon garlic chicken and was flipping through the notes on my phone when I found the recipe I had saved a year in a half ago. I decided to pair the chicken with garlic oven roasted potatoes and I'd steam broccoli and carrots. It's safe to say this dish was a hit. It was a light healthier dinner and the amount of time I spent using the oven and stove was minimal so I wasn't getting overheated while trying to put together a meal. 

Ingredients:

2lbs chicken pieces (i used breasts) 

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup water

4 tablespoons lemon juice (I used cut up lemons instead) 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

Step 1: Rinse chicken and dry on paper towels. (this was the least fun part for me since I don't do well raw meat)

 
Step 2: In a small bowl combine the oregano, salt, and pepper

Step 3: sprinkle the oregano, salt and pepper onto chicken

Step 4: In a large skillet put in the olive oil and brown the chicken

Step 5: Once the chicken is brown, transfer it into crockpot

Step 6: Add water, lemon juice and garlic and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

**I cut up lemons and squeezed two lemons to make lemon juice then I cut up lemons and let them cook with the chicken and garlic. I thought it gave it a better taste.

Garlic Oven Roasted Potatoes 

Ingredients: 

3 pounds small red or white potatoes 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic (i used garlic powder instead)

Directions:

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees 

Step 2 - Cut potatoes in half or quarters and place in bowl 

Step 3 - Add olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic and toss potatoes around in it. Make sure they're well coated

Step 5 - Transfer potatoes to a sheet pan and spread out so they aren't on top of one another

Step 6 - Roast in oven for 45 minutes to an hour (or until they're brown). Remember to flip them every now and then while they're roasting. 

sunday night supper: fried pickles

I know fried foods aren't the healthiest for you but one fried food I can never turn down is fried pickles. The amount of money I spent on fried pickles while pregnant was kinda redic. I decided it's easier (and cheaper) to start cooking my own.

What you'll need hamburger style pickles, Italian bread crumbs, and eggs. 

Break eggs into bowl and beat

Take a plate and sprinkle bread crumbs. I find using a paper plate is easier and less clean up involved. 

Take pickle and dip into the beaten eggs

Dip eggs into Italian bread crumbs

Place pickles into frying pan and cook until brown. You'll have to use your best judgement with how fried you'd like them.

Voila! Fried Pickles. I like to dip them in ranch with sriracha mixed in. Enjoy!

Sunday Night Supper: cheesy spaghetti

I decided to start "Sunday Night Supper" because Sunday is the one day I seem to want to cook and I get the most "creative" in the kitchen. I also have to include a little one year old who enjoys feeding himself so most meals have to be Charlie friendly. This is one of Charlie's favorite dishes and it also happens to be a favorite of my younger brother's. Today happens to be my brother's birthday and even though he lives 3000 miles away, I made this dish in his honor.

Chop up those veggies. Grocery shopping didn't happen in the house today so I used the vegetables we had. I normally love loading up on the veggies. 

I seasoned and cooked the beef first and added and seasoned the vegetables and then I added the tomato sauce. 

Pick your choice of pasta and start heating it up. Penne and Elbows are a hit in this house because it's easy for little one year old fingers :) Once the pasta is done cooking and the sauce is done to your liking, drain the pasta and mix it into the sauce. 

Add Mozzarella cheese on top and let the cheese melt and it's good to go! I'm not a fan of baked pasta (unless it's lasagna) so I prefer this dish. My super picky eater brother even loves this dish (so that really says something). He started liking it once we started to refuse to buy speghatti-o's. Don't get me started on what that kid got away with eating when we were little :)

A young Rachel & Jimmy circa 2001

Happy Birthday, little brother. My brother is special for many reasons. One of them being that "he never forgets". If you left him behind in the snow when he was five, he'll make it a point to tell you about it every single time your home. (hey! i had my reasons and i was stuck carrying the clunky sled) Jimmy, I love you and I'm so proud of you

get in my belly: charlie food - pumpkin baby food

From the time I was little I've had an obsession with all things pumpkin (especially my step-mama's pumpkin whoopie pies), so when I decided to start making Charlie's baby food I got really excited for "pumpkin season". This "baby food" recipe is also the easiest way to cook a pumpkin for pumpkin pie, etc. 

What you'll need: a pumpkin (i suggest buying the pumpkins that are labeled "pumpkin pie" pumpkins), a knife (a serrated one works best), ice cream scoop & a pan

Step one: rinse off your pumpkin

Step two: cut your pumpkin in half. I suggest cutting it using a sawing motion. 

Step three: using the ice cream scoop, scoop out all the "guts" and seeds. If you want you can save the seeds to bake them or trying to grow your own pumpkin later. 

Step four: cut your pumpkin into smaller pieces so they will fit into the pan. Fill the pan with enough water so you'll be able to steam it.  

Step five: put the lid on, turn on the stove, and steam the pieces for 15 minutes or until soft. 

**You can also do this in a microwave but I'm not a fan of using a microwave too much when it comes to Charlie's food.**

Step six: take the pieces out of the pan and let them cool off. 

Step seven: when the pieces cool off, scoop out the pumpkin into a dish. 

I've made all sorts of meals for Charlie using pumpkin. Below are a few ideas. 

 - Pumpkin & Apple. Sometimes I'll add a tiny tiny tiny bit of cinnamon to it. 

 - Pumpkin, Chicken & Kale. The key to this one is using more pumpkin and chicken than kale. 

 - Pumpkin, Apple & Broccoli. It sounds disgusting but it doesn't taste that bad.