Adobo Chicken in a Crock Pot

Recently we went to a wedding reception of a nephew of a dear friend of ours. Though things were getting packed up by the time we got there (family picnic before hand) there was plenty of left over food. I saw a chicken dish that looked too good to pass up. I tasted it and think it was the best chicken dish I have ever had. I tried as hard as I could to guess what was in it and other than soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf, onion and ginger I could see, I was dumbfounded. A couple of weeks later, we were at a brunch with several family friends and the wedding couple were among them. I got to ask what was that wonderful chicken dish, Adobo Chicken!

This is a Filipino dish that is very popular in the Philippines. When doing a recipe search I was amazed at how basic the recipe was and most were basically the same with a few tweaks here and there.   Of course being me I had to add a few of my own so here is my take on Adobo Chicken.

Kimi's Adobo Chicken

1 (about 3 #) chicken or dark meat to equivalent

in crock pot add
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c white vinegar
1/2 c water
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c sugar
2 to 3 dashes of hot sauce
2 med sized bay leaves
8 large cloves garlic sliced thin
2" section of fresh ginger root sliced thin and then slivered
2 t pepper corns
1 medium onion sliced thin
3 to 5 drops liquid smoke
  Heat in crock on high for an hour to blend flavors

Add chicken that has been cut into pieces and mix well to coat with sauce. Place crock on low and let cook for 5 hours or more. Slow cooking is key here. (for even more flavor you can marinade in the sauce over night and then put all into crock to cook on low in the morning). Chicken should be fall off the bones tender. Serve this with rice. I like it with lightly stir fried vegetables or broccoli. You will find this a very easy and addicting dish to impress your family with.

Kimi

This is a day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

This is the base recipe I used to adapt mine from, it is simpler  and yet wonderful.

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 bulb garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh ginger root
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

Life verse

I have been thinking of memorizing some scriptures. Not very good at memorizing but practice makes perfect  so they say.  Tonight one dear  Face Book friend posted a verse and I thought this is the one to start with so am sharing it here with you  all.

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

 

Thank you Miss A for posting  the verse I needed to see.  Please join me in memorizing this and post below how you are doing. 

Hugs, praise the Lord he is strength! Love the power of these horses and they are weak compared to God

Dehydrated stuff

I am blessed to be borrowing a friends Excalibur food dehydrator and  am I having fun! I just did one run of stuff in it as I need to get to the farmers market to get more things to dry.  My first run had one tray each of onions, beet and Swiss chard  leaves, beet and Swiss chard steams, daikon radish (my parrot Lumpy loves them)  carrots and celery (cooked first), and peppers, there was 2 trays of cooked black beans. Think next time I will be cooking more of the veggies before cooking

Today I used some of the veggies and black beans to make a soup mix  and layered them in a canning jar, on top of those I added chicken bullion, herbs and spices. This can be added to 5 cups of water and simmered for 30 minutes  before serving.

Mama-Nanna's black bean soup in a jar

1 c cooked  dehydrated black beans
2 T dried onions
2 T beet, swiss chard steams
3 T dried cooked celery onion mix
1 t of diced dried lime
2 T dried green peppers
1/3 c dried tomatoes
4 t chicken bullion or 4 bullion cubes
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 t Nanna's seasoning blend ( will post recipe later, can use 1 t seasoned salt and eliminate 1 t bullion or 1 bullion cube)
heavy pinch of ground cloves
1/4 t thyme
1/2 t garlic
1 t sugar

Layer ingredients as listed making sure to push them against the sides to show through the glass. The herbs and spices  can be placed in one spot  on top of the bullion to show through the glass. I am thinking I will put the bullion, herb and spices on top of the beans in the next jar and then layer  the remaining veggies. Just want it to show more.  This will keep with an oxygen absorbers for at least a year. Think it will keep longer but need to check into this.

Today I will be cooking up some barley and dehydrating that tonight with what ever veggies I find at the farmers market today.  Might try cooking brown rice to dehydrate too. I am having so much fun doing all this dehydrating and love all the things you can create from the dried goods.

I plan on cleaning a bit more in my sewing room, nearly have the long table cleaned off then will be the sewing machine table. I am excited as I will be getting down to some serious quilt making. Want to make all new quilts for our bed, the guest room bed and the bunks.  I need to make myself a few skirts as well. Later I have my knitting group. We meet at Culvers on Coon Rapids Blvd and Foley from 1 to 3:30 or so;-) Any one is welcomed. Bring your own work or bring your needles or hooks and get yarn there to make for one of our many local charities. If you receive yarn from the group it needs to be made into something for the charities.

Have a good day and remember God is with you!

Nanna's Creamy Dilly Dressing

I thought I would talk about homemade salad dressings. I use to think they would be hard to make or not taste as good as the ones I was use to from the store. I have learned that they are most often quick and easy to make, cost less, has higher quality ingredients and can  also be  made organically.


Nanna's Creamy Dilly Dressing

1/2 c kefir (or buttermilk)
1/2 c Mayonnaise
2 T of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 t dill weed
1 t seasoned salt
Few dashes of pepper
1/4 c sugar
1 T minced onion (fresh or dried)  

Mix well and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving.

I plan to post a few more soon! Time for me to head to bed. Night all! God be with you. 

This and That Saturday August 11, 2012

It is beautiful out today. Love humidity and it is 73 degrees and slightly cloudy. Wish I could say I have accomplished a lot but, alas, I have not done much. 

I did bring Freddy in as he needed to have his fur plucked and nails done. Freddy one  of my two angora rabbits, the other one is named Ralph. They are bothers and about a year old. I do plan on selling them to get a pure bread female and a pure bread male angora rabbits to start a business with once we find a house.  They can be a duel purpose bread as they are nice size for meat as well as for the lovely fur you pluck off of them a couple of times a year. 

Lunch today was a 6 inch flour tortilla with a light laughing cow cheese spread all over it. I added fresh Basil, baby lettuce, beet tops and black bean dip, oh scallion kimchi too! I had sides of baby carrots, champagne grapes and blackberries. Supper is going to be burgers and ???

I checked my kraut today an it is about time to can that up. So will get to that maybe on Monday unless I do it today.  I did 25# of cabbage for this batch and added onions and carrots to it. I do not have a recipe to share on how to make it but the basic is cabbage and salt, about 3 T salt to every 5 # of cabbage and additions. There are lots of directions you can find on the web. I plan on getting more cabbage to make Amish  canned coleslaw.

Amish  canned coleslaw.
  
1 c finely chopped celery
1/2 diced onion
2 c shredded carrots
1 large head cabbage cored and shredded  
1/4 c finely diced red bell pepper
2 salt.
Mix this together well  and let stand at least an hour. Then drain and add to  the  hot syrup mixture.

syrup
3 c vinegar
3 c sugar
2 t salt
1/2 t celery
1/2 t mustard seed
Place these into a large kettle and heat till all sugar is dissolved. Add cabbage mix to this.
 Mix well before placing slaw into sterile jars. Once jars are filled make sure the juice is at least half way up the side of the jars. Add some of the remaining syrup if need be. I plan to add more if I have extra, think I will go to 3/4th full of juice.  Wipe rims well and place lid that has been  simmered in hot water on top and tighten with a ring. Process in hot water bath for  15 minutes.

The recipe sounds good and figure it is a good one to have on hand for when you need to bring a quick dish some place or unexpected company come and you need to stretch the meal some.

I am going to be dehydrating black beans from a jar did not seal right and several veggies to make a black  bean soup in a jar mixes. This will serve as a quick meal as well as a good staple for the food storage. Think it would be a good camping food too but Papa Wolff does not like to bring the glass jars with. So we shall see on this one. Will need to get some oxygen absorbers too to put in the jars so they keep well. Want to make veggie beef soup in a jar as well.

Papa Wolff and I decided to do more soups this year to help us on weight loss. Not only can they be lower calorie but also are a high decency nutritional food.  I am looking at lots of recipes for making layered soups in a jar and playing with a few of my own. 

Guess it is time to get a few things done around here. Remember God is always with you but are you with him?