Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

The spring has been touch-and-go here in Seattle. One day is 80 and sunny, and the next is 55 with drizzle. On one such grey day, I had a hankering for soup. I've been meaning to make tomato soup for infinity, so I seized the opportunity. I was also hoping that making one last batch of soup would jinx the weather into turning warm again. Today's forecast is 79 and sunny, so I think it worked. You're welcome, Seattle.

Next time the sun creeps behind the clouds, pull your slow cooker out of its summer hibernation and make a batch of this Slow Cooker Tomato Soup.

Let's get (slow!) cooking!
Erin

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

2 tablespoons butter
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
1 onion, minced
1 cup chopped carrots
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup half and half
Pepper
Chopped basil for garnish, optional

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add drained tomatoes, onion, carrots, brown sugar, tomato paste, and salt. Saute until softened and most of the liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Place tomato mixture into the slow cooker with reserved tomato juice, an additional 2 cups broth, and bay leaves. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, until tomatoes start to break down.

Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in the regular blender. Stir in half and half and remaining 1 cup broth if desired, depending on how thick you like your soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with basil.

Oven Fried Chicken

Summer and fried chicken seem to go hand-in-hand, but I've never really made it before. So when Max and Sam started asking for fried chicken that didn't come in a bucket or a box, I figured why not? I can compete with Popeyes, right?

My mom used to make a corn flake fried chicken in the summers that I remember taking to picnics. I'll have to ask her for the recipe and a demo when she visits this summer!

Until then, I'll tide my boys over with this version, inspired by two different recipes from Farm Journal's Best-Ever Recipes. This main dish is perfect for lunch or dinner.

Next time, I want to try soaking the chicken in buttermilk overnight before frying it up in a Dutch oven. Stay tuned.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea


Oven Fried Chicken
3 to 4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, or one whole chicken, cut up
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray bottom of a roasting pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towel.

Pour milk into small bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, spices, salt and pepper.

Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip chicken into milk, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in roasting pan with the skin side up. Repeat until all chicken pieces are coated in bread crumbs.

Cook for 30 minutes, then drizzle with melted butter. Cook for another 20 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm or cold. Delicious either way!

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

My 2016 goal was to conquer my fear of baking with yeast. I imagined my kitchen would be a little bread factory; I'd be gifting loaves to my friends and neighbors to get rid of the glut of yeasty goodies flowing from my oven.

Yeah, not so much. When the middle of May rolled around, I'd only made cinnamon rolls and pita bread. That's not exactly conquering anything.

It was high time to bake yeast bread. So when I went grocery shopping this week, I purposely didn't buy any bread. As you know, I'm a PB&J addict, so lunches without a sandwich were looking pretty bleak. Day 1 without bread, I rustled up some leftovers. Day 2 without bread, I dug a bagel out of the freezer. Day 3...it was time to put on my apron and get baking.

If I'm totally honest, I was pretty nervous to get started. I hemmed and hawed as I pulled out my measuring cups. But, you guys, it wasn't hard! Seriously! I kept waiting for everything to go wrong, but it didn't. The dough puffed up beautifully. I had no trouble shaping it into a loaf. The house smelled glorious as it baked to a golden brown. And it tasted absolutely divine.

Erin vs. Yeast? Don't worry. I've got this.

Let's get cooking baking with yeast!
Erin

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Makes 1 loaf

1 cup warm (110 degrees) 2% milk
1/3 cup warm (110 degrees) water
2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup*
2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, divided
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups bread flour (plus more for flouring the counter)
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
Vegetable oil
Cooking spray

Whisk together milk, water, syrup, and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups bread flour, flax, yeast, and salt. Turn the mixer to low and slowly pour in the milk mixture. Mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

Turn up the speed to medium-low and knead the dough with the dough hook until it is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (If the dough is still sticking to the bowl halfway through mixing, add up to the remaining 1/2 cup bread flour.) Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for another few minutes. You want the dough to be a smooth, round ball.

Place a little bit of vegetable oil into the now-empty mixing bowl. Add the dough to the bowl and turn so it's coated in oil. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it somewhere warm to rise until it's doubled in size, about an hour. (I put my bowl in the microwave...just don't forget not to turn the microwave on. Yikes.)

Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan with cooking spray. Shape the dough into a loaf and place it in the prepared pan. Loosely cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size again, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush loaf with remaining 1/2 tablespoon melted butter. Bake until crust is golden and bread sounds hollow when you tap it with your knuckles, about 40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

*I used maple syrup because Elaine isn't supposed to have honey until she's 1 year old. Maybe honey is fine when it's baked into stuff, but I wasn't sure and I wasn't interested in risking botulism. Feel free to try substituting honey and let us know how it is!

Pudding Mix Brownies

My kids love brownies. When I promised to make some for an after school snack, I didn't realize I was out of cocoa powder. Not wanting to run to the store, I decided to try using pudding mix instead.

Adding pudding mix to cakes and breads delivers moist baked goods, something I learned while experimenting with Amish friendship bread starter.

My boys agree that it works just as well in brownies.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Pudding Mix Brownies
Inspired by this recipe from Food.com

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3.9 ounce package, plus 2 tablespoons chocolate instant pudding mix (change the flavor to whatever you prefer)
2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 to 3 tablespoons water
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter, oil and sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla and pudding mix with an electric mixer.

Add flour and baking soda and mix together by hand or with an electric mixer. If batter is too dry, add up to 3 tablespoons of water, one at a time, until all dry ingredients are combined. Batter should be moist, but not wet.

Add chocolate chips and mix well.

Pour brownie batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean.

Let cool, then cut into squares and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Fish Stew

I've been trying to find new, easy ways to cook fish, so the slow cooker naturally comes to mind. Readers, this is my new favorite easy-to-do fish dish. I love the mix of seasonings -- garam masala, paprika, cayenne pepper for heat and saffron for mellow.

Your kitchen will smell like a combo North African, Italian and Spanish restaurant. Your husband, who is supposed to be eating more fish and watching his cholesterol, will tell you this stew is merely OK. But you won't care. He's wrong and besides that means easy leftover lunches for you.

XOXO,
Amy

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Fish Stew
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution

2 onions, chopped fine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 (13-15 ounces each) cans artichoke hearts, with artichokes cut in half length-wise so that juice runs out; then pat with paper towels or clean dish towel so they are less wet
2 cups chicken broth (I prefer reduced sodium)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (I prefer no salt added)
1/4 cup dry white wine
Pinch of saffron
1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped coarse
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (optional)

Microwave onions, tomato paste, garam masala, paprika, cayenne and olive oil, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add in rest of ingredients in list, down to and including the saffron. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours.

When time is up on the slow cooker, your kitchen will smell amazing. Add in fish and olives and cook on high until cod falls apart when gently prodded with a fork -- about 30-35 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken

Usually when I'm working on an idea for dinner, I read a gazillion recipes and then cobble them together for a new final product. Or I stand in front of the open cupboards long enough to come up with a recipe that uses up what I have on hand. Yeah, usually the second one.

When I stumbled across a recipe for Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken on Pinterest, I had to try it. No substitutions to use up the half-empty box of whatever in my pantry. No additional research. No comparing similar recipes. I even bought special ingredients I'd never used before. (I'm talking to you, sweet chili sauce.) And I barely tweaked the recipe.

After one bite, I knew I had to share this one here on HDHH. It was SO good. Worth a trip down the Asian aisle at the grocery store.

And it's a crock pot recipe! Amy is the crock pot queen around here, but I thought she'd be willing to share the spotlight for this delicious dinner.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken
Gently adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons sweet rice wine
2 tablespoons fresh chopped peeled ginger
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds* boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Cooked rice for serving, optional
Steamed broccoli for serving, optional
Sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Whisk together soy sauce, water, brown sugar, sweet chili sauce, sweet rice wine, ginger, Hoisin, salt, and pepper. Place chicken in the slow cooker. Top with 1/2 cup sauce and turn to coat. Refrigerate remaining sauce. Cook chicken on low for about 4 hours**.

Remove cooked chicken to a plate and use two forks to shred it. Return chicken to the slow cooker.

Place reserved sauce in a pan over high heat along with the liquid from the slow cooker. Whisk in cornstarch. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 6 minutes. Stir as much sauce as you'd like into the shredded chicken and keep on the warm setting until you're ready to eat.

Serve chicken over rice with remaining sauce on the side. Garnish with sesame seeds. This meal is extra tasty with steamed broccoli.

*This was two gigantic chicken breasts for me.
**After 4 hours, my chicken was fall-apart tender and not over-cooked. I think my slow cooker tends to run a bit hot, so yours may take longer. When you can shred the chicken with two forks, you'll know it's done.

Smoky, Coffee-Rubbed London Broil

My kids love a good steak, so I make it pretty frequently. When beef is on the menu, I know they'll eat at least some of their dinner.

My husband and I also appreciate a good steak and it's nice to change the preparation up a bit every now and then. Enter the giant bag of Dancing Moon Coffee we received. As much as we love to drink java, I got to thinking about other ways I could use the beans. A coffee rub kept sticking in my brain.

I've never made a coffee rub so this was a good reason to try one out. My favorite kind of steak to prepare is London Broil, so I decided to marry the two.

This main dish turned out pretty well. So well, in fact, that Max (my oldest) asked for a steak sandwich in his lunchbox the day after we had this for dinner. Score one for mom!

I hope you like this rub as much as we do.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Smoky, Coffee-Rubbed London Broil
3 tablespoons ground coffee beans
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder or ground mustard seed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 2-3 pound London broil
1 tablespoon oil

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients through salt.

Generously coat London broil on all sides with the coffee rub. Gently press rub into steak. Wrap steak in plastic wrap and let chill in refrigerator for a few hours.

When ready to cook, prepare a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray (or use a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet). Start to preheat your broiler.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high flame. Remove plastic wrap from steak. Sear London broil in pan for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, to help the rub form a nice crust.

Place London broil on broil pan and then transfer to oven. Cook 3 to 4 minutes and then turn steak over and cook another 3 or 4 minutes. Check steak for doneness. I like to shoot for medium-well, which retains some pink color in the middle of the steak.

Remove from oven and let London broil rest on a cutting board about 5 minutes. Then slice thinly, going against the grain.

I like to serve with green beans, scalloped potatoes and a good beer.