Blackened Seasoning

Hi guys, I posted some pics of the Blackened Salmon and Blackened Fish Tacos to my Cooking With Hay Facebook page, and the requests came in for the recipe. As well as the request for me as your personal chef. Thank you for that! It actually is much easier to make the food than to blog the recipe… just in case you were curious. LOL so much time spent running a photoshoot and a kitchen at the same time. I love it tho and anxious to spend more time doing it. The balance between stoning the front of the fireplace and installing bathroom sinks… or blogging…. its a tough one….

I’m quite pleased with the photos from recent photoshoots. I’m working partially upstairs while I can get the good natural daylight and partially still down in the dungeon, errr, I mean, basement. Natural daylight makes for much more appetizing food pics. Less shadows and more true to life colouring of these meals. After all, we taste with our eyes and our noses before the food even hits our tongue or tummies.

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I’ve laid out all the ingredients that I used to make the Blackened Seasoning, on this fancy bamboo KitchenAid cutting board that Hubby came home with for me! *SMILES* This is the seasoning for the Blackened Salmon Tacos and Blackened Fish Tacos that I’ve been mentioning. (Blog posts to follow guys!)

I pulled this from a website a while back, I haven’t altered anything except that I use whole wheat flour instead of white flour. It actually just adds to the crispy factor we’re going for here! Yummy

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Don’t confuse T (tablespoon) for TSP (teaspoon)!!

Oh come on, like you haven’t done that before.

The original image said 2 T. Chili Powder… LOL its got to be 2 TSP. Teaspoons
I made the same error when I first made Butter Chicken. That was a hot hot hot meal. Great tho. Just a real kicker that’s for sure.

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BLACKENED SEASONING

♥ 2 T. FLOUR (I use whole wheat)
♥ 2 TSP. CHILI POWDER
♥ 1 TSP. PAPRIKA
♥ 1 TSP. BROWN SUGAR
♥ ½ TSP. ONION POWDER
♥ ½ TSP. GRANULATED GARLIC
♥ ½ TSP. CUMIN
♥ ½ TSP. CAYENNE
♥ ½ TSP. SALT
♥ ½ TSP. PEPPER

Mix together well. Store in an air tight container.

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↓ This made enough to do a big slab of salmon or 4 large cod fillets. If you’re doing more you may want to double this recipe. Or to save you some prep time on the next go around, make up a big batch now.

↑ I made one batch of this seasoning and mixed it in this shallow plastic container. All ready to go so I can just lay the piece of fish or meat or whatever it is that you’re going to use, onto the seasoning.

This works great for everything, even prawns and scallops. Try it out and I hope you like it.  I’ve made it 3 times this July.  Cuz it’s that good.  LOL yum!

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Blog Post with recipe and pics COMING SOON!

Blog Post with recipe and pics COMING SOON!

Blog Post with recipe and pics COMING SOON!

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Love Haleykins❤️

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BAKED TURKEY & SPINACH MEATBALLS

Hello Everyone. Since adding a Facebook Page, Cooking With Hay, {please come by and LIKE my page} I have some more followers this time around and I just wanted to take this opportunity to say ‘Hello and Thank You’
I appreciate every single one of you, and any LIKE or SHARE that you can throw my way as well. You keep this fun for me.

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In just 10 days Hubby and I will be off to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. If you’re on my personal FB, you’re most likely annoyed with my daily countdown photos… sorry about that. I’m just super excited! The point to this rambling… I’ve been trying to empty out the freezer before we go. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t have an answer. 😜 One of the last few things In the freezer was 2 lbs of extra lean ground turkey breast!! Awesome. I bought this for one purpose and one purpose only…. our favorite meatballs, Baked Turkey & Spinach Meatballs to be exact! So lean, so good! I will serve these with some turkey gravy, garlic mashed potatoes made with no butter or milk. {I use chicken stock, salt and garlic} and sweet corn.
You may remember an older post about these meatballs, but it didn’t contain any pictures and I’ve since jacked up the spinach and the seasonings a bit. I hope you like this new tweek!

BAKED TUREY & SPINACH MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional – adjust to your preference)
• 2 x 16 oz pkg. frozen chopped spinach (defrosted, drained, and squeezed to remove excess water)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
• 1 cup bread crumbs, {I make my own from the loaf ends if my favorite 12 grain bread.
• 2 large eggs

 
INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a large baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray.
• In a frying pan on medium heat, heat olive oil until hot. Then add onion, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until onion is tender.
• Add spinach to pan and combine with onion mixture. Add Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth and mix well to combine. Cook until most of the liquid has cooked out. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, and egg. Add cooled onion/spinach mixture to the meat.
• 5. With your hands, create meatballs that are about 1 – 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place them on the baking sheet. Leave a little bit of space between each meatball. When you are done shaping your meatballs, you will probably have about 40-42 meatballs from this recipe. If you don’t need this many, you can freeze them after baking or cut this recipe in half.
• Bake until your meatballs are cooked through with an internal temperature of 160 degrees F – which was about 20 minutes for my oven. Remove from oven and serve as desired.

 
One my favourite smells is onions in a frying pan. Adding in the garlic and seasonings and you are suddenly transported to a very happy happy land. Haha. Ok it’s good, but maybe not that good… No, it IS that good!!

When they are done they are golden and smell divine. Here’s the before and after!
Ha! I’m supposed to freeze some if these. Dude, by the time we are finished with these, there won’t be enough to bother freezing!!

Like I said ,way back there up above, I served these with garlic mashed potatoes {no butter, no milk}. I put in 1 Garlic Ball {click this link to make them yourself} add in some salt. I use Sea Salt and some of that leftover chicken stock because I know what you were thinking when you had so much stock left… “What am I going to do with this leftover stock?” {Ok maybe you’re not thinking that, but I’m always trying to use everything. Waste not want not after all.}. So you should still have stock left after the meatballs, and the mashed potatoes so tomorrow morning you can add it to some fresh cut hash brown potatoes in a ‘barely’ oiled hot pan. So you don’t need as much oil! Hahaha! Oh, I got sidetracked…. I also served this with turkey gravy, spiced up with oregano and red pepper flake because I idolize red pepper flake hahaha and sweet juicy corn!

Here, I used my fork and broke one of these scrumptious meatballs open. I have doubled the amount of spinach originally called for to 2 packages. This ensures lots of Popeye strength, and so much healthy goodness and flavour! Your call. I say use 2 packages of spinach and if it’s too much for you cut it down next time but it’s not like it’s intolerable, I swear, you’ll thank me! Hehe!

I thought there would be some sort of drippings in the pan that I could use to make some good gravy but check out this cooking sheet…. Dem are some lean mean healthy machines…. Depending on how much gravy you put on! Another reason to make a shitload of gravy at Christmas time. Freeze it in portions for occasions such as this. I just said ‘shitload’ on my blog. Is that completely inappropriate, it’s just that that seemed like the most appropriate wording. I don’t know. I’m still learning…..

Seriously hearty, mostly healthy and your tummy will be forever thankful! Please hit me up with a comment below if you make these and what your thoughts were! I love feedback.

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Cilantro Jalapeno Chicken Burger with Chipotle Salsa & Guacamole

CILANTRO JALAPEÑO CHICKEN BURGER WITH CHIPOTLE SALSA & GUACAMOLE
Makes 6 burgers

CHIPOTLE SALSA
1 cup chunky salsa
1 tablespoon chipotle purée
Mix it up and chill it until you’re ready to serve.
{this makes just enough for 6}

LIGHT & SIMPLE GUACAMOLE
2 soft avocado
2 tablespoons fat free sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
Mix it up, we like ours slightly smooth and still a bit chunky…. your call.
Chill it until you’re ready to serve.

BURGER INGREDIENTS
2lbs ground chicken breast {I used extra lean}
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 Pre Made Homemade Garlic Balls {or 5 cloves of minced garlic}
3 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeños
1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt {or less, I used less and they needed more}
couple cranks of fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese {I used the smaller grate}

BUNS & TOPPINGS
6 hamburger buns {sliced and toasted before serving}
Lettuce
Red onion rings
Light mayo
Bacon {this burger be beggin for bacon but my waistline was not 😦 }

BURGER DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl add everything in the order listed.
Using your hands, gently combine all the ingredients.
DO NOT OVER MIX OR OVERWORK
Make 6 patties { I lined a dish in wax paper so they didn’t stick to each other}
I cooked mine on my Cuisinart Griddler, about 15-20 minutes {cooked through}
Would have used the bbq but it’s just too cold outside and I had wet hair from swimming.

BURGER ASSEMBLY
Chipotle Salsa on the bottom of the bun
Add your burger
Top the burger with some Guacamole
Here’s where I would add the bacon if I had included bacon
Lettuce
Red onion
And finally, light mayo, on the top bun.I came across the idea for this on another site. I had been wanting to do something different with a chicken burger and this ground version seemed great for it. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 lbs of ground chicken, and since my 2 packages of chicken came to more than that, I had to adjust the rest of the ingredients.
1kg = 2.2lbs
Keep this in mind when shopping and referring to your recipes.Everything gets combined in a bowl. Don’t mix it too much. Just enough to incorporate everything.
Makes 6 patties.
I have to say…. I really don’t like the way ground chicken looks and feels compared to ground beef… Regardless these looked good and they were very tasty. Plus the Chipotle Salsa on these gives you a great mix of flavours in yo mouth!
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Fajita Seasoning

Hey Guys!  I had been using a fajita seasoning mix recipe that I got a few years back.  I had posted about some yummy Chicken Fajita’s back in 2012 and I’ve been using this combo ever since.  I just came across one that sounds even better on Food.com.  In previous years I had used those Old El Paso packets when I made fajita’s and this one claims to be alot like it if not better.  I am making some fajita’s tomorrow night for dinner, shrimp ones, chicken ones and some steak ones.  Only because I can’t settle for just one kind.  I just made up a batch of this seasoning and I am going to give it a go tomorrow.  I have high faith that this is a keeper.

Here’s the recipe!

FAJITA SEASONING
2 tablespoons – cornstarch
4 teaspoons – chili powder
2 teaspoons – salt
2 teaspoons – paprika
2 teaspoons – sugar
1.5 teaspoons – chicken bouillon crushed
1 teaspoon – onion powder
1/2 teaspoon – garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon – cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon – cumin

Mix it all together and keep it in a dry container. 

Approximately 2 tablespoons of this mixture equals a packet of that store bought stuff. 
This recipe made just over 6.5 Tablespoons.

This will save you money too as those packets can start to add up after a while.

Please give it a try! 
If you do make it, please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. 

I will be writing a new blog tomorrow after I make up these fajita’s so I’ll have a final verdict for you soon.

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Saucy ‘n’ Savory TURKEY Crepes

** I apologize for the picture quality, dark and gloomy here and I’m working in the basement remember. thanks for understanding. **

For months now I’ve been dreaming of these Turkey Crepes that my Mommy used to make for dinner. I’ve only ever heard of people having fruit in their crepes and I can still taste the flavor of these ‘non-fruit crepes’ from my childhood. I got on my ipad and messaged mom for the recipe. Here is her response.

Love it, I now know the basics to this dish. How to make the crepes, I still don’t know, but I can work with this. Strapping on my “Will Cook For Bling” apron and into my temporary basement dwelling kitchen I go.

Saucy ‘n’ Savory TURKEY Crepes

TURKEY:
1/2 TBSP. BUTTER
2 (1 lb) TURKEY BREAST, skin removed
SEASONED WITH SALT, PEPPER, DRIED OREGANO, DRIED PARSLEY & GARLIC
Bake the turkey breast in a covered dish until internal temp is 185F, approx 30-35 minutes.

CREPES:
4 EGGS
1.5 CUPS MILK
1 CUP FLOUR
1.5 TSP. DRIED PARSLEY
Whisk together eggs and milk.
Slowly add in the flour, mix until smooth, no clumps.
Add the parsley.
Cover it with Saran and keep it in the fridge for about 30 minutes for it to set up.
TO COOK:
Spray frying pan with cooking spray, medium heat.
1/4 cup of the mixture into the center of the hot pan, roll it around until it’s thin and round.
Once the bottom is golden and the top is firm, flip it gently with a spatula, brown the other side for about 30 seconds.
Repeat process, spraying the pan each time with cooking spray.
Stack on a plate, prepare to serve.

FILLING:
2 TBSP. BUTTER
1.5 CUPS ONION, DICED
2 CUPS CELERY, DICED
2 CUPS MUSHROOMS SLICED
TURKEY BREAST, COOKED AND CHOPPED
1 TSP. POULTRY SEASONING
SALT & PEPPER
1/2 OF THE BÉCHAMEL
Sauté the onions,celery and mushrooms in the butter.
Season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper
Add in the cooked, chopped turkey
Before serving add half the hot béchamel sauce to the filling and mix until evenly coated.
Reserve the remaining béchamel to drizzle on top.

BÉCHAMEL:
4 TBSP. BUTTER
2 TBSP. FLOUR
2 CUPS HOT MILK
4 TSP. DIJON MUSTARD
SALT & PEPPER
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
Slowly add the milk, then add the mustard, salt and pepper and cook until thickened, about 5-8 minutes.

Bake the turkey breasts in a covered dish until internal temp is 185F, approx 30-35 minutes per pound. I used my Kitchen Aid, 4 quart, covered, cast iron oval casserole dish. This thing was a gift from my wonderful mommy a few years ago and it’s the best dish I have in my kitchen for cooking and roasting! Canadian Tire has them and usually on sale before the holidays. While the meat is cooking, continue on with the next steps.

**I’ve discovered that writing a recipe is different from writing the method of procedure for the recipe. Everything is going on at the same time but yet at slightly different times. Broken up and here and there, good luck on following this one. I’ll do my best.**

Whisk together eggs and milk. Slowly add in the flour, mix until smooth, no clumps. Add the parsley.
Cover it with Saran and keep it in the fridge for about 30 minutes for it to set up.

Chop up your veggies!



Sauté the onions,celery and mushrooms in the butter.
Season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper

The meat is done when it reaches an internal temp of 185F. I think mine was in a 325C oven for 1hour and 15 minutes. I used my meat thermometer to determine the temp. Love this kitchen gadget. How do you ensure properly cooked meat without one?

The meat will be too hot to handle right after it’s cooked so let it rest for a few minutes, I’m sure you have some dishes to do.

Remove any bones from the turkey breast and chop it up, dice it up!

Add in the cooked, chopped turkey to the seasoned, sautéed veggies.

To make the Béchamel Sauce (white sauce), melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
Slowly add the milk, then add the mustard, salt and pepper and cook until thickened, about 5-8 minutes.

Before serving add half the hot béchamel sauce to the filling and mix until evenly coated.

Mmmmm this is what makes this dish “Saucy ‘n’ Savory”.
At this point, I could just skip the crepes and grab a fork!!! I may have done that, but then you would stop reading and all my hard work would be half in the trash. Please continue on and put the fork down. All good things come to those who wait.

Spray frying pan with cooking spray, medium heat.
1/4 cup of the mixture into the center of the hot pan, roll it around until it’s thin and round.

Once the bottom is golden and the top is firm, flip it gently with a spatula, brown the other side for about 30 seconds.
Repeat process, spraying the pan each time with cooking spray.
Stack on a plate, prepare to serve.

Lay out the crepe on a plate and spoon some of the filling into the center of the crepe, in a horizontal line.
Fold in the sides and then fold up the bottom. Then fold the top down. Like a cute little envelope with a precious little package inside. A “Saucy ‘n’ Savory” package that is! Drizzle them with the remaining Béchamel.
I have a friend that actually mailed a plastic wrapped cupcake across the country as a joke. Needless to say it did not look like a cupcake when it arrived in Nova Scotia. Please don’t mail these little packages. Just eat them!

And there you have it! A new recipe under my belt. I hope you try them and enjoy them!

As I had mentioned in the beginning, hard. to. write. So please do let me know if you find errors or editing that needs to be done. Once I look at these blog html codings for so long I get wonky eyes and can’t see anything wrong. I have a feeling this one will need an edit.

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Love Haleykins

Crunchy Fiesta Chicken Wraps

Mexico, oh how I miss Mexico. It does not seem like we were there in Feb/Mar, but we were. Forever ago. I love that place, the sights, the sand, the seas, the people and of course, the food. We have done all inclusive in Mexico and we have gone to local restaurants out on the town. Please take my advice and DON’T do all inclusive. Enjoy the real food, the fresh food, the food that is cooked when it’s needed not cooked, shipped, stored, reheated, put out in the buffet and then with whats left it gets reheated….. And well,you get where I’m going with this, right.

Last time I was at the grocery store I picked up some wraps, thinking it had been far too long since we had something of this variety. That was a few days ago and those wraps sat untouched, on the counter, whispering to me.

As I had mentioned in a past post, similar to this one, wraps just make everything that extra bit more awesomesauce. As well there was rice in the fridge from the Butter Chicken recipe I made the other night. Seemed like a win win. Plus, a slow cooker is a dream. It does the the work and makes for super yummy-licious juicy shredded chicken!!!

Hubby likes foods that are juicy and yet still crunchy, I look forward to his reaction with this one. I intend to fulfill both. LOL

CRUNCHY FIESTA CHICKEN WRAPS

INGREDIENTS:
4 LARGE CHICKEN BREASTS (boneless, skinless)
1/2 ONION, FINE DICED
1 SMALL CAN ZESTY ROTEL TOMATO SAUCE (tomatoes & green chilies)
3-4 TABLESPOONS HOT SAUCE (Franks, Sriracha, Habanero – adjust to your taste, start with less then add more)
1 TEASPOON SALT
2 TEASPOONS CUMIN
1+1/2 TEASPOON CHILI POWDER
1 PREMADE HOMEMADE GARLIC BALL, or 4 cloves, minced
1/4 CUP RED PEPPER, DICED
1/4 CUP BLACK BEANS (rinsed & drained)
1/4 CUP CORN, (drained)
2 CUPS GRATED CHEDDAR CHEESE
1 CUP SOUR CREAM
2 CUPS RICE, COOKED
8-10 FLOUR TORTILLAS (wraps)
2 TABLESPOONS OIL
CILANTRO & HOT SAUCE FOR GARNISH

DIRECTIONS:
Place chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker
Toss in the onions
Add the Zesty Rotel Tomato Sauce
Then add the hot sauce of your choosing
Add in the salt, cumin, chili powder and garlic
I cooked this on high in my slow cooker for 4 hours
Stirring once or twice
At the 3:30 hour mark, shred the chicken with 2 forks and let it continue to cook

ASSEMBLY:
Mix shredded chicken, rice, beans, corn,and peppers in a separate bowl, set aside
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat
Sprinkle cheese on the tortillas and add the sour cream
Spoon on the chicken & rice mixture down the center of the tortilla
Add a squirt of hot sauce if you so choose
Roll em up
Place 2 assembled wraps, seam side down in the hot oiled pan
Flip them when golden brown and slightly crunchy on the bottom, they only need a few minutes
Let them rest on a cutting board for about 3-4 minutes.
Slice in half and garnish with cilantro and hot sauce

HERE’S HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN:

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker
Toss in the onions

Add the Zesty Rotel Tomato Sauce

Then add the hot sauce of your choosing


Add in the salt, cumin, chili powder and garlic

I cooked this on high in my slow cooker for 4 hours
Stirring once or twice

At the 3:30 hour mark, shred the chicken with 2 forks and let it continue to cook









Mix shredded chicken, rice, beans, corn,and peppers in a separate bowl, set aside

Sprinkle cheese on the tortillas and add the sour cream

Spoon on the chicken & rice mixture down the center of the tortilla
Add a squirt of hot sauce if you so choose
Roll em up
Place 2 assembled wraps, seam side down in the hot oiled pan

Flip them when golden brown and slightly crunchy on the bottom, they only need a few minutes

Oh my goodness! YUMMY
Let them rest on a cutting board for about 3-4 minutes.
Slice in half and garnish with cilantro and hot sauce

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Slow Cooker Butter Chicken ~possibly healthier?

I’ve been staring at a jar of Blue Label PC brand Butter Chicken cooking sauce, that has been sitting on my pantry shelf for a while now. I’ve tried it before, and the flavor is great and it’s supposed to be a lighter, slightly healthier sauce, but I don’t like using store bought sauces, dressings, dips etc. Also, while on the family camping trip last weekend, my brother in law had some given to him so the idea was there. Needless to say, the time has come to try something new, and Butter Chicken it is!

I found a recipe on a website called Half Baked Harvest, and it’s supposed to be a healthier version of Butter Chicken. Is it? I don’t know? I’ve never made it to know if this is less fattening than the norm or not. But i’m going with it. I used fat free greek yogurt and light half and half and as well, lite coconut milk, so mine is even healthier! 🆒

Hubby loves curry, always annoying me with “make some curry stew” or the ever popular, “try making a stew with curry” and on and on and on. I don’t like stew. Almost like soup but… it seems… I don’t know, soggy?! This dish is one that I know we have both enjoyed before and it should please his craving taste buds.

Anyways, I know now, that he is satisfied with his curry cravings, because he told me that I HAVE to mention in here that it was the best ever! He even didn’t mind the extra bit of spice which I will explain later.

I don’t pay him to say these things… but he does have to live with me and he does live by the rule “Happy Wife, Happy Life”. So I leave it at that.

Now let’s get down to the good stuff shall we!

Who doesn’t love yummy warm breads? I do! Especially naan. Look at it up there! Let’s face it. we all like meals like this just so we have something to go with the naan am I right? Now I did BUY the naan, rather than making it, because I’ve discovered that trying one new thing at a time seems to work better than multitasking new things. LOL. Oh I am getting hungry again just typing this out. I am looking forward to leftovers tonight. Ugh, I despise the term leftovers but I always cook enough to have leftovers. I will now go by the term ReHeats when referring to…. well you know, Dinner-ReHeated. 😉

SLOW COOKER BUTTER CHICKEN
Possibly on the healthier side

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt
1 (400ml can) lite coconut milk
1/4 cup light half and half
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 Premade Homemade Garlic Ball, or 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons garam masala
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons curry paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into large bite size cubes
1 small onion, finely minced
2 tablespoons butter
White rice, cooked
Naan bread

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl combine the yogurt, coconut milk and cream.
Then add in the tomato paste and ginger
Add in the garlic and all your spices and mix it up good.
Spray your slow cooker or crock pot with cooking spray or grease it up with some olive oil.
Next, sprinkle the onions in the bottom.
Then layer the cubed chicken over top the onions.
Pour the yogurt and spice mixture over the chicken, cover the chicken completely with the sauce.
I cooked mine for about 5 hours on high in my slow cooker.
Stirring it about 4 times.
Serve this hot, over fluffy rice and warm naan.
Sprinkle it with a bit of fresh cilantro.

HERE IT IS IN THE WORKS
I just love my camera for this. Now if only I had a few extra hands…

I used chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, obviously, but a friend suggested thighs as they don’t get as dry, however I’m going with the healthier route, and well… that’s what I had in the fridge. 😊 Cut them up into large cubes. Go with fairly large bite size pieces because in a slow cooker, meats will break down as they are tenderizing during the slow cooking process.

This tub of yogurt nearly cost me my life. Don’t doubt for a second that the kitchen is a dangerous place because it is!!! I could not get that damn foil seal off the tub of Greek yogurt. I ended up hacking into it with a butter knife and even that didn’t go through very well. Butter knife slipped off and almost got me the stomach. LOLOLOL It’s a dangerous life as a cook I know, I know. Haha

In a large mixing bowl combine the yogurt, coconut milk and cream,

Then add in the tomato paste and ginger (packaged, I know, but otherwise so much gets wasted in this house as I don’t use ginger that often)


Add in the garlic and all your spices and mix it up good.
**Please take note, the picture above**
See that big pile of dark red spice… Ya that’s Cayenne pepper. .. A whole tablespoon of it and you’ll notice in the recipe above, it should only be 1 teaspoon. My god was it spicy. My lips are still numb. But hubby seemed to not mind. LOL. My gawd!

I used a wisk.

Spray your slow cooker or crock pot with cooking spray or grease it up with some olive oil.
Next, sprinkle the onions in the bottom. Be sure they are fine diced. You shouldn’t have chunks of onion in the end.

Then layer the cubed chicken over top the onions.

Pour the yogurt and spice mixture over the chicken and be sure to cover it completely. Hubby likes it saucy and then you have a reason to eat more naan. 👍😉
I cooked mine for about 5 hours on high. Stirring it about 4 times.
Serve this hot, over fluffy rice and warm naan.
Sprinkle it with a bit of fresh cilantro.
DIG IN 🍴

If you have a good Butter Chicken recipe that you would be willing to share with me please post me a link or put the recipe in the comments. Thanks so much!

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Another Greek Chicken Recipe

I found a recipe a few weeks ago while searching the interweb for new ideas. I followed it pretty closely but tweaked it just a bit… more garlic, less oil, etc.
I also added a bit more lemon then required and upon taste testing… too much lemon. So stick with this and you can’t go wrong

GREEK MARINADED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:
1 + 1/4 CUPS PLAIN GREEK YOGURT,FAT FREE
1 T OLIVE OIL
5 CLOVES MINCED GARLIC (or a frozen premade homemade garlic ball 😉)
I LEMON (the juice and as well the zest)
1 T OREGANO
1 T PARSLEY
FRESH CRACKED PEPPER (at your discretion)
12 CHICKEN LEGS and/or CHICKEN THIGHS🍗🍖
DIRECTIONS:
Combine everything, except the chicken, in a bowl.
Place chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag.
Pour the marinade over the chicken. 🍗
Mix the chicken around in the bag for a consistent coating
Seal and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. I did 4 hours 😋 YUM
Preheat oven to 375
Line a large baking dish with parchment like I did or grease the pan
Bake chicken in the pan uncovered for about 1 hour or until slightly crispy and golden brown

We had this along side a super fresh greek salad with light feta cheese and lemon rice pilaf.

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Love Haleykins

New England Style Clam Chowder

Help blog world! Special hello to my new followers as well! The more of you to please the more gratifying it is for me. Came across some good recipes recently and tested one out tonight. It was successful and so I can’t wait to tell you about it. But first, I’m a little bit behind, so many things going on, so many things to share with you. So here is another soup that I made up last week.

Mmmmm yum! My mom used to make this growing up and it was always my favorite soup. Clams potatoes and bacon! Perfect heaven. Quite a simple recipe, quick and easy! Enjoy

New England Style Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
4 cans whole baby clams
1 small jar clam juice , just cuz I like it like that
8 slices of bacon, chopped and cooked, or more if you choose! Bad Girl!
5 cups diced potatoes
1 cup chopped onion
5 cups 2% milk
2 cups whole milk or cream if you want it thicker, I leaned on the healthier side
5-6 tbsp flour
salt and pepper

Directions:
Drain clams and reserve liquid, including the jar of juice, you should have 5 cups
In a stock pot add the clam juice, potatoes and onions
Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender
Stir in clams, 4 cups of the 2% milk, and the whole milk
Combine remaining 2% milk and flour, stir into chowder
Season with salt and pepper
Cook until thick

This was loaded up with clams and potatoes and… yes dare I say it…. Bacon!! Make it your own, adjust it to your liking. After all, that’s what cooking is all about.

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Love Haleykins

Crispy Panko Fish Tacos

Do you spend many Sundays reorganizing your fridge and freezer as often as I do? How can such a small space fall apart so quickly? Maybe because it’s small and that makes it difficult to hunt for what I’m looking for? Anyways, while rummaging through the freezer for who knows what, I found a recent purchase of some Basa fillets. Perfect! I have everything to make Hubby some fish taco’s. he had mentioned wanting to try fish tacos with breaded fish, or a crunchy outside. We’ve only ever had them grilled, so I granted his request and heaved out the giant box of Panko.

Then, he came into my kitchen, poked his head around the corner and asked me… “Are you really making dinner and making soup?” As he looks at the clock. I can handle this don’t worry babe. The thing is these fish tacos need to be made to order as you don’t want your fish getting soggy. They are super easy to whip up you just need to have the right ingredients ready and on hand.

Special thank you to GalPal, Kristy!! She has been giving me jars of her homemade salsa which is some of the best salsa ever! These tacos are good but I know they are this good because of her salsa!! Thanks Girl!!
**But on a side note: it’s her fault I’m addicted to Candy Crush Saga**

Here we go!

Crispy Panko Fish Taco’s
With Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

Cilantro Lime Sour Cream ~ It’s as simple as it sounds
Take the juice of 2 fresh limes and mix with about 1 1/2 cups fat free sour cream
Mix in about a 1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro. Mmmmmmm yum love cilantro!
I added in about a 1/2 tbsp of puréed chipotle peppers for a hint of kick! Hubby loves him some kick! Haha

In a flat dish, I made an egg mixture using a 4 or 5 eggs, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
Give it a wisk
Slide in 2 Basa fillets, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
Place the fish and egg mixture in the fridge for about 30 minutes
In another flat dish sprinkle out about 3 cups of Panko
Sprinkle the of ok with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper
Next, remove fish from the egg mixture and cover with seasoned Panko. Get a good layer on these babies
In a frying pan, heat some oil about a 1/2 high and fry the fish on both sides till golden brown and crispy crunchy! Yum
Let it cool on some paper towels and chop it up into chunks for the tacos

Heat some medium tortillas in a frying pan
Drizzle tortilla with some of the sour cream
Add shredded lettuce, cubed avocado, diced purple onion
Top with the fish, some of Kristy’s Spicy Salsa and a squirt of fresh lime
Oh ok and another drizzle of the cilantro lime sour cream
Eat and Enjoy!

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