TIO Tuesday (a few days late...)

My sister is expecting her first child. She still hasn't popped and we're at two days past the due date. I had travelled up to Minnesota on Monday hoping that she would conveniently have her while I was there. It didn't happen. I left Wednesday to come home with the girls and now it's Friday and still no baby! I wasn't able to get my blog done while I was there, but I had plenty of recipes I could share. There are some weeks that I just haven't had time to make something new or I'm not feeling that inspired. Ironically, the one week I can't get online is the week I've got a lot to share!
First up: Man Chicken - funny title, great dish.
I had pinned this quite some time ago. I went through all my recipes to pick out some that I hadn't tried and this one popped up. I put it in a ziploc bag to marinate which makes it a good one to put in the fridge in the morning and throw in the oven later that night.

Man-Pleasing Chicken

Chicken thighs- 1 package (1.5lbs.)

Dijon mustard- 1/2 cup

Maple syrup- 1/4 cup

Rice wine vinegar- 1 tablespoon

Fresh rosemary

  

Lining the dish with foil makes clean up a breeze. Yes, the man did like the chicken. I didn't use the rosemary, all else was the same. I paired it with homemade onion rings, next up... 

Anyone that knows me, knows I love onion rings. I love all kinds of onion rings, thick, thin, spicy, salty. These were a hit, I highly recommend them, make sure you let them soak in the buttermilk for a while, it makes a huge difference. Wouldn't you know, I can't find the original recipe?! That's what I get for waiting to post it. I do know I used buttermilk, flour, cornmeal and cayenne pepper. I will find the recipe - someday. In the meantime, don't they look great? I'm craving onion rings now.

 I remember seeing this on one of Pioneer Woman's episodes on the Food Network. At the time I thought it looked pretty good, but Brad isn't much of a creamed corn kind of guy. Then, I got this months issue of Food Network and this recipe was in there. I took it as a sign and made the recipe. Lo and behold, Brad loved it. Not just loved it, raved about it and raved. It's actually not much like cream style corn from a can. It's so much better and the spicy kick definitely takes it up a notch. Half the kids liked it, half thought it was too spicy. But it didn't really matter, Brad and I finished all the rest.

Baked Creamed Corn with Red Peppers and Jalapenos

Ingredients

• 8 ears corn, husked
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, diced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 stick salted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the corn kernels from the ear in a large, deep bowl with a sharp knife. Turn the knife to the dull side and scrape the cob all the way down to remove all the bits of kernel and the creamy milk.

Add the red bell peppers, jalapenos, heavy cream, 2 teaspoons salt, a generous amount of pepper and the butter and mix well. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until hot and bubbly, 45 to 55 minutes.

*** I don't have a picture for the last recipe I made. It was so good and it's a great base for other meals. I had made it for my friend and her family after her husband's illness. It smelled fantastic as it cooked in the crockpot. I made a small batch for myself so I could try it, I'm glad I did. I mentioned I left town earlier this week, and Brad was home alone for a few days. Before I left Monday morning, I made another batch of this for him to eat while I was gone. He was very happy and there was still quite a bit left when I returned. I used the remainder to make Chicken Enchiladas.  and a Chicken Casserole. I'm loving my crockpot right now! I do hope you try some of these recipes, and let me know what you think!

Beer Crockpot Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts or 1 Whole or cut up Chicken
1 Can of any kind of Beer
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
*You can use whatever spices you like
Put all ingredients into crockpot

if frozen cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-10

If fresh cook on high 3-4 hrs or low 7-8 hours if fresh

**** I did use frozen chicken and a can of Busch Light :)

Enjoy!

TIO Tuesday - Apple Crisp

Really the title should be "Best Apple Crisp Ever". It truly is, no really, I'm serious! I took two recipes and kind of combined them into what I thought would be the best and it worked, one of the only times it's worked, but I digress. This recipe was so good in fact that the neighbor has "commissioned" me to make it for their family this weekend! I'm thrilled to do it for them and even more flattered that they liked it so much.
I'll post the basic recipe I used and make my notes at the end. You really HAVE to make this!

Perfect Apple Crisp
Source: adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used about 6 Granny Smith apples)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Topping:

2 cups quick-cooking oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, nutmeg, and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples.

3.For the Topping: Combine the oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, pecans, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

4.Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

***My notes - I used a 9x9 baking dish, I liked the ratio of topping to apples better this way. I omitted the nuts as Brad and the kids aren't terribly fond of them, though next time, I think I will add them.
The recipe on her website cuts the apples a lot thicker than I did. I used an apple/peeler/corer thingy (pampered chef?) and it makes perfect thin slices. I used the juice of two lemons and tossed the apples in them before I put the sugar mixture in. I think this added a lot of flavor to the crisp and cut down a little on the sweetness. After tossing the apples in the lemon juice, I put the sugar mixture in the bowl and mixed the apples thoroughly. I then put it all in the dish and added the topping. I baked for the 40 minutes and it was perfect.

Enjoy!!!