For a limited time, I have knocked $1.00 off the price of Masters & Disaster of Cooking. This would be a wonderful holiday gift to give to your favorite cook who also loves to read.
Masters & Disasters of Cooking contains comical stories about both my cooking and baking successes, as well as my complete disasters. All of the stories are accompanied by a masterpiece recipe.
To order your copy in time for Christmas, just click on the name of the book above or on the link above the picture of the book on the right side of this page.
Thank you.
Carol
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Cooking Chicken in a crock pot
Marian asked how to keep her chicken from coming out like mush in a slow cooker. I know what you mean about overcooking. I'm always afraid I'll get choked on a small bone because the chicken just falls apart. It took a little research, but I think I have come up with some suggestions for you, Marian.
Chicken is already a tender meat and it can be easy to overcook it, especially in a crock pot. White meat always cooks faster than dark meat just because of it's texture. When using white meat chicken pieces with the bone in crock pot recipe, never cook it more than 6-7 hours, but dark meat takes longer and should be cooked 8-9 hours.
Unless your recipe says otherwise, chicken pieces should be placed on top of vegetables in the crock and not so much in the juicies. While the juices help keep the chicken moist, it also helps cook the chicken to it most tenderness, thus falling apart.
One suggestion that I found said that an old "Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook" said to use frozen whole pieces of chicken. I checked my "Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook" for this tip and could not find it. I've never put frozen chicken pieces in a crock pot before, but I have put in frozen boneless ribs and cooked them all day. They came out completely cooked and tender, but not falling apart. If using frozen chicken pieces, remember that the internal temperature of chicken should reach 170 degrees for it to be done.
My last tip for using a slow cooker is not specifically for chicken, but for all dishes. I highly recommend using Reynolds™ Slow Cooker Liners. They make cleanup so much easier. I use them every time I use my slow cooker.
Good luck on your chicken dishes, Marian. I hope my suggestions will work for you.
Carol
Chicken is already a tender meat and it can be easy to overcook it, especially in a crock pot. White meat always cooks faster than dark meat just because of it's texture. When using white meat chicken pieces with the bone in crock pot recipe, never cook it more than 6-7 hours, but dark meat takes longer and should be cooked 8-9 hours.
Unless your recipe says otherwise, chicken pieces should be placed on top of vegetables in the crock and not so much in the juicies. While the juices help keep the chicken moist, it also helps cook the chicken to it most tenderness, thus falling apart.
One suggestion that I found said that an old "Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook" said to use frozen whole pieces of chicken. I checked my "Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook" for this tip and could not find it. I've never put frozen chicken pieces in a crock pot before, but I have put in frozen boneless ribs and cooked them all day. They came out completely cooked and tender, but not falling apart. If using frozen chicken pieces, remember that the internal temperature of chicken should reach 170 degrees for it to be done.
My last tip for using a slow cooker is not specifically for chicken, but for all dishes. I highly recommend using Reynolds™ Slow Cooker Liners. They make cleanup so much easier. I use them every time I use my slow cooker.
Good luck on your chicken dishes, Marian. I hope my suggestions will work for you.
Carol
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Baked Lemon Chicken
Molly asked for a Lemon Chicken recipe that doesn't require frying. Here's what I have, Molly. It's quick and simple to prepare. I hope you like it.
Carol
BAKED LEMON CHICKEN
1 chicken, cut up
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. dried thyme
2 T. chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Remove skin and fat from chicken pieces. Arrange pieces in the baking dish. Combine ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until browned.
Carol
BAKED LEMON CHICKEN
1 chicken, cut up
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. dried thyme
2 T. chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Remove skin and fat from chicken pieces. Arrange pieces in the baking dish. Combine ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until browned.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Overtime
My employer is working everyone overtime for the next 5 days. Good for the wallet, but bad for my back and feet. Instead of a full recipe, I am going to post a quick cooking hint.
Reheating Pizza
Heat the skillet on top of the stove to medium-to-low temperature and place a slice of pizza in skillet until it is warm. This will keep the crust crispy and you won't get the soggy crust that happens when you microwave it.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Looking for a recipe?
Are you looking for a certain recipe, or an idea for something with a particular ingredient, or do you just have a cooking question or problem? If so, I'd like to try and help. Email your questions to me at carolsfoodbites@hotmail.com
Hopefully, I can offer some assistance, or at least some moral support.
Carol
Hopefully, I can offer some assistance, or at least some moral support.
Carol
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