Thai Chicken Thighs (slow cooker)

I've never been a huge fan of cooking with chicken thighs (usually go straight for the breasts) - I don't now whether it's having to work around the bone to eat it, or the realization that because of the bone the nice plump chicken thighs that looked so appetizing in the grocery store end up hardly being more than a mouthful by the end of things.  I don't know....just one of my many little foibles I'm sure.
Today though, I wanted to try a slightly adapted version of Julie Van Rosendaal's dish from her 'Dinner with Julie' website that I came across.  I added some garlic and adjusted the quantities a little, and to our tastes it was delicious - I might add just a little bit more spice next time, possibly some red pepper flakes, but only to satisfy my hubby's spicy palate even more :o)

Thai Chicken Thighs
3-4 servings

8 skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 cup chunky salsa
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp garlic, chopped

• combine everything in your slow cooker and heat on LOW setting for 5-6 hours.
• easy peasy!!

Thai Chicken Thighs ingredients.

put everything in the slow cooker and combine thoroughly.

after 5-6 hours the chicken is drop-off-the-bone tender.

serve with some fragrant vegetable rice and enjoy.

Southwest 'Philly' Cheesesteak

Whenever hubby and I go out to a restaurant there are a couple of things that I tend to gravitate to if they're on the menu - along with jalapeno poppers and lemon meringue pie (which doesn't come along too often unfortunately), I love to see Philly Cheesesteak on the page.  Some have fancier bread than others, some add a different twist with the cheese choice, some mix up the veggies, but whatever differences are there I'll usually want to try it.  Well here's my take on one of my favourites, and I'm calling it my Southwest 'Philly' because like so many of my recipes it's turned down the road to Spiceville with the addition of salsa (you may of noticed our penchant for the salsa kick :o)

Southwest 'Philly' Cheesesteak
serves 4

3 small bell peppers, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup salsa
1/2 brick cream cheese
300g deli cooked beef
pinch of salt and pepper
loaf of french bread (or individual baguettes)
4 slices of cheese of choice (I used Havarti)

• in a large skillet saute the peppers and onion in a little olive oil over medium to high heat, until softened.
• add the salsa and cream cheese and heat until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy.
• cut the deli beef up into strips and add to the pan;  mix, reduce heat and simmer until the beef is heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly - 5 minutes.
• cut the french loaf into four pieces and slice each piece in half for the sandwich (today I actually used a 'half-baked' baguette that I had in the freezer).
• heap some of the beef mixture onto the bottom of each baguette piece and place a slice of cheese on the top.
• place under a broiler to melt the cheese or if you've been cooking something in the oven (as I was) pop it inside for a couple of minutes just until the cheese is soft and gooey - yum!!

 Southwest 'Philly' Cheesesteak ingredients.

in a large skillet saute the peppers and onion.

add the salsa and cream cheese.

reduce the heat and simmer until the cream cheese has melted - sorry about the steam making the photo 'misty' :o)

cut the deli beef into pieces - and of course, nobody will blame you if you sneak a little piece - purely for taste test reasons!!

add the beef to the sauce, mix and heat through.

heap some beef mixture onto the bottoms of the baguette and cover with cheese - this was just before I popped it into the oven to melt the cheese.

we had ours today with some sweet potato discs and chive sour cream.

Nachos

Christmas Eve is definitely the time for a quick and easy dinner.  Hubby worked today and I wasn't entirely sure what time he would be home, so I wanted something that I could throw together without too much effort but that was warm and filling - it's done nothing but pour with rain for the last 3 or 4 days so we're all feeling decidedly damp at the moment, and who doesn't like nachos?  As usual I made a huge batch, and froze the remainder of the beef mixture in a couple of servings each for other times.

Nachos

1 kg ground beef
1 (430ml) jar of salsa
1 (127ml) can of chopped green chillies
a couple of splashes of Tabasco sauce
pinch of salt and pepper
bag of your favourite tortilla chips
grated cheese (I cheated and bought a pre-grated Taco/Nacho blend)
sour cream (to serve)

• in a large skillet over medium to high heat, fry the ground beef until no longer pink.
• add the salsa, green chillies and Tabasco sauce; mix together.
• turn heat down slightly and simmer for 10-15 minutes until liquid has reduced; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, add more Tabasco if desired.
• on a large plate arrange a layer of tortilla chips.
• top with a couple of large spoonfuls of the beef mixture, followed by some grated cheese (to own personal preference).
• follow with another tortilla, beef and cheese layer.
• microwave the nachos in the microwave for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese and enjoy :)

 Nachos ingredients

even if you use extra lean ground beef (like I did) you won't need any extra oil, you'll get enough from the beef.

add the salsa and green chillies once the beef is no longer pink.

simmer for about 10-15 minutes to reduce the liquid and thicken; it will also darken slightly.

start with a layer of tortilla chips on the plate.

add a layer of the beef mixture.

then some grated cheese.

carry on making as many layers as you want (we just had two of everything)

pop in a microwave for a couple of minutes just to melt the cheese.

finally grab a big serving in a bowl, have lots of napkins on hand, and enjoy!! :o)