Slow-Cooked Spanish Chicken and Chorizo (Plus Mangria!)

Ever since I moved into my big girl apartment, it has been my dream...nay...my FANTASTY! to throw a fancy themed dinner party. And so a couple weeks ago I decided to host Spanish Supper and Sangria with Stacy, a feast of the senses complete with tapas, sangria, and even a flamenco Pandora station.

Yes, I am a huge dork. Need further evidence? Check out my table setting:

Since I am not a trained Spanish chef, most of the recipes from my party were found online, so I will just include the links to the recipes and final photos at the end of this post. I did, however, develop my own recipe for Slow-Cooked Spanish Chicken and Chorizo and Mangria (that's mango sangria!) so I will go into more detail on those. Ole!


Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1/2 lb. bulk chorizo. The ground kind, not the links.

• 1 can artichoke hearts. The kind that are quartered...make sure to drain out the liquid.

• 1 can white beans. Drain and rinse to get rid of the salty gloop.

• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

• 2 large handfuls frozen diced onions. I suppose you could always just dice up a fresh onion, but who does that??

• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar. Helps to balance out the sweetness of the tomato sauce and smokiness of the chorizo.

• 1 tsp. paprika. You can't make Spanish food without it!

• 1 tsp. dried thyme

Okay, okay, this isn't exactly Cooking for One. But sometimes when you live by yourself, it's fun to cook for others every once in a while! Plus, this makes for fantastic leftovers: smoky, sweet, tangy, and savory all in one hearty dish.

Directions:

Heat a pot to medium high heat and crumble up your chorizo. Cook the chorizo until brown, stirring and crumbling as needed. Add in your handfuls of frozen diced onion and cook until soft and translucent.

NOTE: For some reason I can't get these pics to upload correctly even though they are not upside down on my computer. Rotate them in your imagination cause I can't figure this out...kthanx!

Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine. Lower the heat to medium low and let simmer until it begins to bubble.

Add your chicken breasts to a slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top, lifting up the chicken so some sauce gets underneath, too. Cook on low for 4-6 hours until the chicken is practically falling-apart-tender and your house smells like a tapas bar.

Spoon the chicken and sauce onto a plate and enjoy your Spanish feast!

Now, you can't have a Spanish dinner party without sangria. I am pretty sure there are laws against it. So, lucky you, here is a bonus recipe for Mangria!

Ingredients:

• Half pitcher of red wine. I filled up half a pitcher with some classy boxed red wine, so I am not sure what the actual amount was.

• Half cup of mango vodka. More if it has been a rough day.

• Ginger ale. However much is needed to fill up the rest of the pitcher. It's not an exact science, folks.

• 1 orange

• 1 apple

• Half bag of frozen mixed tropical fruit. Should include mango...duh! No need to thaw.

This is called Mangria because it is mango sangria, but I also highly encourage you to say "What up mang!" when you serve it.

Directions:

Gather together your five star classy alcoholic ingredients.

Fill your pitcher halfway up with the red wine and then add your half cup of mango vodka. Slice your orange in half and add the juice from one half.

Slice up the other orange half, dice up your apple, and add them to the pitcher with the frozen mixed fruit. Fill up the remainder of the pitcher with ginger ale.

Chill in the fridge until nice and cold...at least an hour so the fruit soaks up all the alcohol and becomes nice and boozy. Serve and enjoy!

And FINALLY, here are images and recipe links for the other menu items I served:

Roasted Seasoned Chickpeas

 Pan Con Tomate

Marinated Mushrooms

Gambas al Ajillo

Patatas Bravas with Spicy Aioli

Red Bean Gumbolaya

As I mentioned in a previous post, I enjoyed a fantastic trip to New Orleans a few months ago. The city was beautiful, the people were full of life, and the food was outrageously good. The spirit of the city was so infectious and my memories so fond that I thought it was high time I try to recreate my New Orleans experience at home.

I meant with FOOD of course!!

While in New Orleans, I enjoyed (among other things) red beans and rice, gumbo, and jambalaya. To this day, I don't fully understand what the hell the difference is between the three. They all tend to involve a reddish stew mixture with pork and Cajun seasoning served with rice.

So, in typical Cooking for One fashion, I picked bits from recipes of all three traditional dishes, threw it in a crock pot, and called it a day. Thus was born my Red Bean Gumbolaya, and it is quite possibly one of the most delicious things I have ever made (if I do say so myself).

Laissez les bons temps rouler!


Ingredients:

• 4 Andouille sausages. These are delicious smoked pork sausages you can find in your grocery store. They add that authentic New Orleans heat without being too spicy (cause I am a wimp, after all)

• 2 large handfuls of diced frozen chicken. No need to thaw. This makes it super easy, but you could also just dice up a couple of raw chicken breasts as well.

• 2 large handfuls of frozen shrimp. See above.

• 1 large onion

• 1 small bag frozen cut okra. Very traditional southern veggie!

• 1 quart chicken broth. This means four cups.
  

• 2 cans diced tomatoes in juice. Do not drain.

• 1 can red kidney beans. Drain.
  

• 2 tbsp. garlic

• 1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning. Or more if you like it hot!

• 1 tbsp. dried oregano

• 1 tbsp. dried thyme

• 2 dried bay leaves
  

• Hot cooked rice. Optional. You can either stir it into the mixture for a more jambalaya-like dish, or lay a bed of it underneath.

Yeah, I know this seems like a ton of ingredients and a ton of Red Bean Gumbolaya. But these are all easy pantry and freezer staples, and it is so yummy you will for sure want leftovers!

Of course, if you have a smaller slow cooker or just don't want to make so much, feel free to adjust quantities accordingly.

Directions:

Get your Lorena Bobbit on and slice up your sausage. The easiest way is to slice them in half lengthwise and then cut them into half moon shapes. Peel and dice up your onion as well.

Now, dump all your remaining ingredients (EXCEPT FOR THE RICE AND THE SHRIMP) into a large slow cooker. Stir to combine everything.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. During the last half hour, stir in your frozen shrimp and close the lid again.

Once the shrimp are heated through, spoon your Red Bean Gumbolaya over hot cooked rice and enjoy! See, only three steps! They don't call New Orleans the Big Easy for nothing ;)

Creamy Pumpkin Penne with Italian Sausage

Haaaaappy Halloweeeeen! <---said in a spooky voice

Halloween was always my favorite holiday growing up (besides Casimir Pulaski Day--you Illinois folk know where it's at!) Who doesn't love dressing up in fun costumes, binging on candy, and having a costume parade during school?

As you get older, however, the ways of celebrating Halloween change. Fun costumes turn into slutty costumes, binging on candy turns into binging on alcohol, and costume parades during school turn into drunkenly stumbling down the street while in costume.




This year, my friend hosted a fun Halloween potluck at her house. I had no idea what to make! Since one of my friends already had claimed the always beloved dirt cups, I decided to look elsewhere.

When I think "simple, quick recipe" and "scary," naturally the first thing that comes to mind is Rachael Ray.




Normally, I don't put recipes on here if they are exactly the same as ones I find online. However, I will make an exception for this one. Rachael Ray's Pumpkin Penne with Sausage was unbelievably delicious, especially considering I normally don't like pumpkin or sausage! It was a huge hit at the potluck and definitely something I will make again.

So for today, I will put aside my dislike of Rachael Ray's stupid joke making, over-peppiness, tight unitard shirt wearing, ridiculous euphemism creating, and boring stories about her in-laws to give her mad props for this recipe. Grab your EVOO, garbage bowl, sammies, and stoups, and let's get cooking, kiddos!


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. box of penne. Rachel suggests whole wheat penne, but I hate whole wheat pasta.

• 1 lb. bulk mild Italian sausage. They should have this in the grocery store, but if they only have the kind in the casing, just take the meat out of the casing.

• 4 cloves minced garlic

• 1 medium onion

• 1 bay leaf. I didn't use this cause I was too lazy to dig through my spices I brought home from Durham. It's in the original recipe and I'm sure it tastes great, but don't knock yourself out if you don't have any on hand.

• 4-6 fresh sage leaves (or 1 tbsp. dried sage). The recipe calls for fresh, but I couldn't find any at the store. Apparently fresh sage is flying off the shelves these days.

• 1 cup white wine

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 15 oz. can pumpkin puree. You can usually find this in the baking aisle.

• 1/2 cup heavy cream. My friend asked me what made the pasta so creamy. Cream usually does the trick.

• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon. What?! In pasta? Yes, and it's delicious.

• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg. See above.

• 2 big ole handfuls of shredded parmesan cheese

Yeah, yeah, I know this looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's really not. And it's SO worth it! This makes a ton of pasta, but it freezes great. This is seriously one the of the better pasta dishes I have ever had. And it's Halloween-tastic.


Directions:

Heat a large skillet to medium high and crumble your sausage in it. I have never worked with sausage before and discovered it doesn't crumble as easily as ground beef. Put some muscle in it!

You want nice, small pieces of sausage so they brown well. This is the only time you will hear me request small sausage (har har!)




Once the sausage is browned completely, put it on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up some of the excess grease.




Peel and chop up your onion and add it to the sausage grease in the skillet. That yummy fat is gonna flavor the whole sauce!

Once the onion is soft and translucent, add the minced garlic and the wine to the skillet. CRUNK!**

**I have decided that since Emeril gets to say BAM! every time he adds spices to a dish, I am now going to say CRUNK! every time alcohol is added.




Add your bay leaf and sage to the wine and let it all simmer until the wine reduces by about half, or about five minutes. Then stir in your chicken broth and pumpkin puree until it is smoothly incorporated.

Let the mixture bubble away for another five minutes or so. While you wait, you can bring a pot of water up to boil for your penne.




Lower the heat to medium low and stir in your cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the sausage crumbles back into the sauce. At this point, you can remove the bay leaf and drop your penne into the boiling water.




Let the sauce simmer until your pasta is cooked, or about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and mix it with the sauce. Add your big ole handfuls of parmesan cheese, garnish with some extra sage if you'd like, and dig in!




What are some of YOUR Halloween/fall favorites?

Grilled Pork Chop with Blackberry Reduction

Woooo-eeee! That sure does sound fancy, don't it?

IT'S NOT.

It looks fancy, and it tastes fancy, but it is super easy to make! I promise! This legit takes about fifteen minutes to make.

Boneless pork chops are a great source of lean protein and make a nice change from chicken or fish. I never ate pork growing up (JEW) so it is my forbidden fruit....and speaking of fruit, pork goes great with it!

(Cue Peter Brady saying "Pork chops and applesaaaaaaauce")




In this recipe I grill my pork chop on my handy dandy Foreman grill, but you can use an outdoor grill if you'd like, or you can just cook it up in a pan (sear in a bit of olive oil about 3-4 minutes on each side til it's done.)

Enjoy!


Ingredients:

• 1 boneless pork loin chop

• 1 shallot. Shallots are great...sort of like a cross between onion and garlic, with a nice mild flavor.

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 3 tbsp. seedless blackberry preserves. You can also use raspberry or really any other kind of preserves, but blackberry pairs great with the wine and balsamic vinegar.

• 2 tbsp. red wine. Any kind will do....after all, we aren't snobs here!

• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar. This cuts the sweetness of the wine and preserves really well.

• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, plus a few whole sprigs to garnish. You can use 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme if you'd like, but fresh is better!

You can also use this sauce on chicken or beef...it's just that versatile! Takes hardly any time to make, too.


Directions:

Turn on your Foreman grill to let it preheat, making sure to ignore the nasty crust I left at the bottom of my drip tray.

Peel your shallot and mince it up.




Heat a small saucepan to medium high and melt your butter. Add your minced shallot and cook until translucent.




Add your wine, balsamic vinegar, and thyme leaves. Stir and let cook for a couple minutes to let it reduce and thicken (you might wanna turn down the heat a bit so it doesn't burn).

This would be a good time to put your pork chop on the Foreman, as it will only take a few minutes!





Add your preserves and mix them thoroughly into the sauce, breaking up any large globs. Let it simmer and reduce while your pork chop finishes grilling.





Remove your pork chop from the grill. Don't cut into it right away! Let it "rest" for a few minutes while your sauce thickens...this helps the juices get back into the meat so it stays nice and moist (that's what he said?)

For presentation points, slice it at a bias (fancy term for at an angle) once it has rested.





Once your sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, it should be done! Drizzle it over your pork chop, garnish with some sprigs of fresh thyme, and go hog wild! (Get it? Har har har)