Coq au Vin

Took a peek at Trader Joe’s selection of dessert wines and ended up with this one. It’s not a dessert wine, but I tried it first with some chocolate after dinner. It seemed a little diluted, so I let it “breathe” for about an hour which is not always recommended for port but it seemed to enhance the flavor.

I’m not a big drinker, so I wanted to try this in a recipe. Coq au vin and Chicken Madeira are probably the most common or well-known, so here’s what I did:

3 chicken breasts

8 strips crispy bacon, crumbled

7 baby potatoes

2 c port

2 large carrots, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1 tab of butter

2 t salt

t ground pepper

Slow cooker on High for 3½ hours.

 

The chicken was falling apart, so tender!

French Dip Sandwich

I had high expectations for this recipe having tried the French Dip sandwich from the Shady Lady in Sacramento. They have a mushroom au jus (hope I’m not giving away secrets!) and the sandwich itself has a touch of wasabi which is perfectly complementary to the au jus, not to mention the meat is tender, juicy, and divine!

So I admit, you really have to start with a great piece of meat which I unfortunately did not. I like to “use what I have” and this was the closest cut of meat available. Slow-cooking it is essential, but here, it wasn’t enough. The meat was still tough and chewy even though the flavor was good.

If I had a deli slicer, I would have shaved this meat before letting it sit in the pot.

The marbling is okay, but it needed more time in the heat.

It looked like it had potential, and I’m sure it did…just not enough for my patience or time.

http://carlsbadcravings.com/best-slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches/

Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Too easy! The chicken was already perfectly cooked in the Crock-Pot but with only salt and pepper as seasoning, and I wanted to add a sauce or additional seasoning so that we weren’t just having “roast chicken” again. I put it in the fry pan with some olive oil to brown both side, but as I was browsing recipes for chicken, I found this quick and minimal recipe. All I had to do was add thyme and Parmesan cheese!

I made a mess with how quickly this was done. I could have used a lower heat and waited a little longer before flipping the chicken; then I wouldn’t have the little pieces tear away and stick to the pan, but the resulting flavor was delicious! The thyme infused olive oil and chicken, and the Parmesan cheese gave it a little crust and a little salty taste, but just the right amount. Yum!

Steam some green beans in a bag quickly in the microwave (about three minutes) with some salt and pepper. You could add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to tie it all together, as they say in cooking, et voila!

 

http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a46066/slow-cooker-garlic-parmesan-chicken-recipe/