Crockpot Baked Stuffed Apples

I know, here it is the last day of November and I’m still trying to get my Thanksgiving recipes posted and shoot, this isn’t even my last one.  Busyness, continued sickness and tiredness…well I’m just behind and maybe one day I’ll catch up…maybe by next Thanksgiving??  I mentioned both over on my Moments with Maisie and on this blog that this year with all the food restrictions and sickness, I went really simple with our dinner and especially with dessert.  I mean think about it, what do you make with the following restrictions?  Maisie can’t have wheat, egg or dairy, my Mom can’t have dairy, my Dad limits sugar, Eammon really doesn’t care for desserts which are too chocolaty and I’ve been avoiding flour & sugar and also, though I enjoy crisps, crumbles & some tarts, I generally don’t care for pies, the making or the eating.  

Dessert really was a dilemma until I saw a recipe for Crock-Pot Baked Apples on the blog, Skinny Chef.  The recipe was perfect as it it was the right seasonal flavors and it pretty much met everyone’s dietary restrictions.  Even better, it was simple to prepare and once it was put in the slow cooker no one had to think about it until dessert was served.  Even though the original recipe met most of our dietary restrictions I still tweaked it a bit by changing out the trans-fat free margarine called for in the original recipe, instead using coconut oil and I also decided to add dried cranberries, crystallized ginger and some additional spices to make the dish more my own. 

I loved the simplicity of the dish and the flavor of the filling and the apples.  The only thing I would do differently next time is to use less fat and that’s only because I didn’t care for the mouth feel but on that, I was the only one who complained.  We enjoyed these apples both hot and cold as leftovers.  These apples provided all of the flavors of the holiday without all the heaviness, calories, fat and work of pies and by having these apples I think we all felt a bit less stuffed and possibly…even a bit healthier!

Crockpot Baked Stuffed Apples (adapted from here)

• 6 Honey Crisp, Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
• 1/4 cup Whey Low Gold or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries  
• 2 TBS coconut oil (I would cut this to 1 TBS.) 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. finely minced crystallized ginger 
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves   
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 TBS orange liquor (optional)

Using an apple corer and a serrated grapefruit spoon, core the apples, scooping out all the seeds and opening the cored hole a little wider at the top of the apple than the corer.  It’s okay if you go all the way through as the apples don’t move when they cook and if you carefully scoop them from underneath when serving, the filling stays in them without a problem. 

In a large bowl, mix the Whey Low Gold, walnuts, pecans, cranberries, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger & ground clove.  Fill each apple with approximately 2 TBS. of the filling, packing it in, and place the filled apples in the crockpot. Pour in the apple cider and orange liquor.  Cover and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Enjoy!

Favorite Fall Recipe - Savory Corn Crumble

Weather wise I am truly a summer person, always telling people that the happiest day of my life was the day I sold my snow blower and moved from Boston to Georgia, thus leaving the snow and super cold weather behind.  Fall though is my favorite time of year when it comes to cooking because I enjoy heating up the house making delicious smelling recipes which warm both the body and soul.  Soups, curries and casseroles are my favorites to make as they generally take little work, feed us for days and are the perfect comfort foods. 

On my Moments with Maisie blog I have spoken numerous times about our garden and though we don’t plant a fall garden it’s late in the summer season is when we get our butternut squash harvest and some years it’s crazy huge so we’re always looking for delicious ways to enjoy the squash like in my Roasted & Curried Veggie Soup.  Ever since I was a little girl I have loved butternut squash so when I was asked by Foodie Blogroll to participate in their Favorite Fall Recipe promotion*** and that it was Savory Corn Crumble with Butternut Squash, Spinach and Feta from Ivy of Kopiaste, well I just had to join in.  I hope that you’ll check out Ivy’s recipe, my easy Roasted & Curried Veggie Soup and though it doesn’t contain butternut squash, one of our favorite comfort food casseroles…just click on the casserole picture at the bottom of the post.  Oh and with our large butternut squash harvest, I’d love if you’d share some of your favorite butternut squash recipes, leave your recipe and or link in the comments. 

 

Savory Corn Crumble with Butternut Squash, Spinach and Feta, recipe by Ivy Liacopoulou of Kopiaste…to Greek Hospitality

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 1 hour

Serves: 1 baking dish (about 12 pieces)

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 2 lbs butternut Squash, grated
• 1 lbs spinach, squeezed
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 lbs feta, crumbled
• ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup fennel fronds, finely chopped
• Salt (with caution) and freshly grated black pepper
• A pinch of cumin

Crumble:

• 1.5 lbs corn meal
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 200 ml Greek yogurt 2%
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp salt

Additional ingredients:

• 3 tbsp margarine divided (to grease the baking tin and to add on top)

Directions:

1. Grate the pumpkin and mix all the filling ingredients.
2. In a large bowl add the crumble ingredients and mix using your hand until the ingredients are well blended to form the crumble. If you still see corn meal, add more olive oil, if necessary.
3. Grease a 35 x 25 cm baking tin with 2 tbsp margarine. Add half of the crumble on the baking tin.
4. Add the filling on top and sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of the filling.
5. Add the remaining margarine in small pieces scattered all over the baking tin.
6. Preheat oven to 180o C / 350o F and bake for about 1 hour or until the crumble is golden on top.

Serve as a main dish, a side dish or a snack.

Below is one of our favorite fall comfort foods though it doesn’t contain butternut squash it’s totally delicious!  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole, click on the picture to be taken to the recipe.

 

***This sponsorship is brought to you by GLAM Media who we have partnered with for this promotion.

Enjoy!

Roasted Spatchcocked Turkey

With everyone being sick this year at Thanksgiving, I just didn’t have it in me to make my usual Spiced Rubbed Turkey with Cognac Gravy and decided instead to make a simple Roasted Spatchcocked Turkey.  I’ve seen directions for making spatchcocked turkey all over the internet but I decided to just use one of my go-to easy and favorite poultry seasonings and not have to think about anything new.  Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, I split my turkey along the backbone and removed the bone and I also cracked the bird along the breast bone to make carving the bird later that much easier.  I prepared an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and added a rack on which the bird would sit. I rinsed and dried the turkey and spread it out, skin side down on the rack.  I seasoned the inside of the turkey then turned the turkey skin side up and seasoned the skin side.  I placed the turkey still skin side up, uncovered, into the refrigerator so that the skin could dry out a bit before cooking on Thursday.

Thursday, about an hour before I planned to put the turkey in the oven I removed the ready-to-go bird, already on it’s cooking pan from the fridge and let it warm up a bit on the counter.  The bird cooked perfectly in just shy of 1.5 hours and as you can see, all the skin was golden, crispy and delicious.  Making the bird this way doesn’t make for a beautiful whole bird presentation at the table but it sure makes carving the bird easy-peasy.  Because I had cracked the bird along the breast bone, once the turkey was cooked I easily used my poultry shears and just cut right up that center crease along the breast bone and moved the entire right half of the bird to my carving board.  I quickly cut off the wing and the thigh quarter and then separated the drum stick.  Next I removed the breast meat from the bone, giving me a gorgeous and moist boneless breast which was easily carved with a golden crisp piece of skin on each serving.  Because it was just the three of us and my parents, just half of the bird was all I needed for the serving platter.  All the turkey eaters heartily enjoyed the bird saying it was tender, juicy and delicious.   

Roasted Spatchcocked Turkey

• fresh turkey, mine was 12 pounds 
• sumac
• garlic powder
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper 

At least one day before cooking prepare the turkey.  Split the turkey along the backbone and removed it.  Save the removed backbone and use it either for making a stock for gravy or in soup.  Crack the bird along the breast bone to make carving the bird later that much easier.  Prepared an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and add a rack on which the bird will sit. Rinse and dry the turkey well and spread it out, skin side down on the rack.  I season the inside of the turkey with the sumac, garlic powder, salt & pepper and then turned the turkey skin side up and seasoned the skin side with the same.  Place the turkey still skin side up, uncovered, into the refrigerator so that the skin can dry out a bit before cooking.  When ready to cook, remove the bird from the refrigerator on it’s ready-to-go baking rack and pan about an hour before putting into the oven.  Preheat the oven to 450F and insert the probe of a programmable meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat.  Roast the bird for 75-90 minutes or until a meat thermometer in the breast meat registers 160F.  Once the bird reaches temperature remove from the oven and allow the bird to sit for 10-15 minutes before carving. 

To carve the bird use cooking shears and cut right up that center crease along the breast bone.  Moved half of the bird to a carving board and remove the wing and thigh quarter and then separate the drum stick.  Next removed the breast meat from the bone.  Carve the now boneless breast so that a golden crisp piece of skin is on each serving

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Ranch Mushrooms

The market had mushrooms as a loss leader (1.5 lbs. for $0.99) and as Eammon adores mushrooms and I’m one to never pass up a good bargain, I picked up a couple of pounds.  I used some of the mushrooms in recipes like these Slow Cooker Ranch Mushrooms and some I sliced up, sautéed and froze in small FoodSaver packets so that I can easily pull them out and use in future recipes. 

This recipe is a super simple and made in a Crockpot.  The mushrooms can be used not only as an appetizer or side dish but they are wonderful over roasted chicken, a grilled steak or pork chop or even with a sautéed piece of white flakey fish.  I’m sure that once you make these you’ll find many, many ways to enjoy them.

Slow Cooker Ranch Mushrooms

• 3 lbs. white button mushrooms
• 1 – 1 oz. package Hidden Valley Ranch dry salad and dressing mix
• 1 c. salted butter

Combine all three ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for five hours.

Enjoy!!

Mom’s Curried Chicken Salad

My Mom has been making a curried chicken salad for years and as she’s been raving about how wonderful it is, I decided to give it a try…but of course I made a few little changes, but what else is new.  This Curried Chicken Salad is a little different from my Curried Grilled Thai Chicken Salad but just as delicious.  My Mom often makes this recipe with leftover turkey so perfect for your Thanksgiving leftovers.  This is just one of those recipes which can be tailored to what you have in hand or to your tastes.   

As I’ve been avoiding carbs lately, I’ve been enjoying this Curried Chicken Salad as pictured, atop a thick slice of fresh tomato and wrapped in a leaf of Romaine lettuce, so basically an awesome lettuce wrap…Delish!!

Mom’s Curried Chicken Salad

• 1/4 cup sour cream (I prefer Breakstone sour cream)
• 1/4 cup real mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann’s mayonnaise)
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 tsp. Jamaican curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
• 3/4 tsp. spicy brown mustard (I prefer Gulden’s mustard)
• 1 TBS. fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS. finely chopped mango chutney (I prefer Raffetto Chut-Nut Colonial Chutney)
• 1 lb. cold cooked chicken, diced (I prefer my leftover “Rotisserie” Chicken)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, whites and greens
• 1 large peeled apple, diced (I prefer Granny Smith apples)
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup finely diced celery
• 1/4 cup golden raisins 

In a large bowl mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, curry powder and cayenne.  Add the mustard, lemon juice and chutney and combine well.  Add the diced chicken, green onions, apple, almonds, celery & raisins and toss to mix.  Cover and refrigerate.  This is best made a day in advance so that all the flavors can come together.  Serve cold on a salad or in a sandwich.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker asked the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choice using the two given ingredients of sweet potatoes and honey.  I’m going to bet that the recipe hop below will be filled with delicious and tempting sweet potato recipes that will be perfect for this time of year, with all the flavors of the holiday.  I on the other hand am not feeling the holidays, feel like they’re racing towards me and I’m just not ready for them.  So I decided to go in a completely different direction with sweet potatoes and honey but still keeping with the theme.    

Have you ever tried sweet potato glass noodles?  They are wonderfully chewy, delicious and have no sweet potato flavor at all.  So if you’re not a sweet potato lover but looking for a delicious noodle, which is by the way gluten-free, I’d suggest that you give these a try.  I easily find them at my local Asian/International market but they can also be found online here.  As the noodles are gluten-free and since Maisie loves shrimp, I decided to flavor this dish for her.  The shrimp with the honey and lime are a wonderful mix of sweet and sour and the garlic adds another wonderful layer of flavor.  Had I made this dish for Eammon and I, I probably would have added a bit of crushed red pepper flakes as we always enjoy a hot little kick to our food but made as I did for Maisie, this dish was delicious and perfect.  I’ll be making this dish again and I’ll also be using the sweet potato glass noodles again as we really enjoyed them.

Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp  

• 8 oz. Sweet Potato Glass Noodles
• 12 oz. raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined & tail removed
• 3 TBS. olive oil, divided
• 2 TBS. sugar free honey, or regular honey
• zest from one medium lime
• juice of one medium lime
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
• crushed red pepper flakes, optional & to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions.  While the noodles are cooking mix the shrimp, 1 TBS. of the olive oil, honey, lime zest & juice, garlic, salt & optional crushed red pepper flakes, together in a bowl.  About five minutes before the noodles finish cooking, heat a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over high heat.  Add the remaining 2 TBS. of olive oil and heat until hot.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the marinade and add the shrimp to the hot pan, reserve the marinade.  Quickly cook the shrimp, turning when necessary, until they are cooked through and opaque.  Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan to a plate.  Add the marinade to the now empty pan, bring to a boil and reduce by half. 

Drain the pasta and add to a serving bowl.  Pour the cooked and reduced marinade over the noodles and top with the shrimp. 

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Sweet Italian Sausage & Roasted Chestnut Stuffed Mushrooms PLUS a Giveaway from Mrs. Cubbison’s **Giveaway CLOSED**

I recently received a sample package from Mrs. Cubbison’s and you have the opportunity to receive an even better gift package!  Check out what I made with their Mrs. Cubbison’s Classic Dressing and then there’s info on the giveaway at the bottom of the post.

I was asked recently to try a Mrs. Cubbison’s product and use it in an original recipe.  They sent a sample package which included a box of Mrs. Cubbison’s Classic Dressing.  Well with Thanksgiving coming up I figured that everyone would have a one track mind thinking and stressing about whether to make stuffing inside their turkey or dressing in a side casserole.  Honestly I don’t need the stress and just wanted something a bit different, so what better than a nice little appetizer which includes that holiday favorite, stuffing. 

What’s nice about this recipe is that it’s really versatile, so if you don’t want to make stuffed mushrooms, just follow the recipe and use it to either stuff your bird or put it in a casserole dish and serve it as dressing.  No matter which way you go, this is one delicious stuffing/dressing.

When I opened the Mrs. Cubbison’s Classic Dressing, it smelled like Thanksgiving with all the herbs and spices already there, I’d bet that this dressing would be delicious on its own but I’m the type of girl who has to always add to a recipe and switch it around, but I found out that there are some who don’t add a thing, other than liquid, to store-bought stuffing mix.  Who knew?    

By the way, do you call it stuffing or dressing?  Well, Mrs. Cubbison's was interested in all these questions, along with some other interesting holiday facts like, do you use store-bought stuffing mix and what do you add to your stuffing?  To find all the answers Mrs. Cubbison’s conducted a Thanksgiving Across America Survey.  Did you know that the number one item handed down from generation to generation is the stuffing/dressing recipe?  It’s a fact that I didn’t know so I guess you learn something new everyday.  I wasn’t part of the survey but I’m going to give you a little insight into the Cook Lisa Cook home as I’m going to answer all the questions here and now.  Click on the Thanksgiving Across America Survey link to see how my answers compared and how your answers compare as well, it’s quite interesting based on gender and where we live.  Our demographics in the Cook Lisa Cook home are, I’m a New Englander, married to a Londoner, our daughter is from China and we live in Georgia. 

Here are my answers to all the survey questions:  

Q:  What is your favorite holiday? 
A:  Thanksgiving as it’s all about family and food.

Q:  To whom or for what will you be giving thanks this year? 
A:  Family and health.

Q:  Who did you spend Thanksgiving with last year? 
A:  Last year it was just me, Eammon, Maisie and my parents.  We had been invited to a friend’s home but I was sick, trying to get over a major case of pneumonia, we just the week prior to Thanksgiving found out that Maisie was allergic to wheat, egg & dairy and I was still trying to find my way with food for her and my Mom wasn’t feeling well so it was just our Intimate group of five.

Q:  Who/where do you go for help with the menu? 
A:  The internet, I love finding new and interesting recipes online but year to year I tend to make our traditional favorites.

Q:  Who were the cook(s) at the Thanksgiving meal you attended last year? 
A:  I did all of the cooking and my Mom helped with a lot of the prep-work. 

Q:  What is the farthest someone has travelled to attend your Thanksgiving dinner? 
A:  My parents travel over 800 miles (round trip) each year to enjoy Thanksgiving with us.

Q:  What are favorite items for the Thanksgiving meal? 
A:  1st: my Spice Rubbed Turkey with Cognac Gravy, 2nd: stuffing,  3rd: my totally awesome Corn Soufflé, all must haves for it to feel, taste & smell like Thanksgiving.

Q:  What are your favorite items for Thanksgiving leftovers?    
A:  A flaky, buttery croissant filled with sliced turkey, stuffing, sweet potato and cranberry sauce and for Eammon, turkey dump soup which includes turkey, all the leftovers including the veggies, stuffing, Corn Soufflé and even the remaining gravy.  Everything goes in his soup but the sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Q:  Which items have been handed down from previous generations at your Thanksgiving?  
A:  Though my Mom is an awesome cook and made fabulous Thanksgiving meals when I was growing up, I don’t use any of her Thanksgiving recipes.  But check out her “Grandma’s Teriyaki Steak” recipe as it’s one of Maisie’s favorite meals.

Q:  Do you make your stuffing from scratch or do you use store-bought stuffing mix? 
A:  I am a store-bought stuffing mix kind of gal.  I guess I get that from my Mom as she’s the same.

Q:  Which term do you use:  stuffing, dressing, both or something else?
A:  I call it stuffing if I stuff it into something but call it dressing if I make it in a casserole dish.

Q:  How do you cook your stuffing?
A:  I cook it on the stovetop and finish it in the oven in a casserole dish.

Q:  What ingredients do you like to add to the stuffing when you cook it? 
A:  Onions top my list and are always included.  Roasted chestnuts, mushrooms and carrots are up there too as favorite add-ins.  Honestly it just depends on my mood, who’s going to be eating it, and the direction I want to go. 

Q:  Did you do anything special last year to prepare the turkey? 
A:  For the second year in a row I made my Spice Rubbed Turkey with Cognac Gravy, totally awesome, just an all around winning recipe. (check it out!)

Q:  Have you ever had to consider special diets at your Thanksgiving meal? 
A:  Oh yes.  With Maisie’s allergies to wheat, egg & dairy, my Mom’s inability to eat dairy, my Dad’s avoidance of offal, mushrooms, asparagus and sugar, Eammon’s dislike of fruit mixed in with anything savory and me trying to not eat too many processed foods, carbs or sugar, preparing the meal is…well interesting.  I try to go simple with my recipes and we don’t all eat every item made and served but we all have our favorites which have to be made or it just doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving.  Other than Maisie because of her allergies, we all cheat a bit with what we should and should not have but hey, it’s a holiday and only once a year so we indulge a little and enjoy!

Q:  What special diets have you had to consider? 
A:  Gluten-free, lactose-free, diabetic, low carb & picky eaters.

Q:  When do you start shopping for the Thanksgiving meal? 
A:  I would say about a week ahead.  Shelf items I pick up before that if I happen to see them on a good deal.

Q:  Where do you shop for the Thanksgiving meal? 
A:  Just like my usual shopping, most items come from the International/Asian Farmer’s Market.

Q:  How much time is spent in the kitchen preparing the Thanksgiving meal? 
A:  I usually start a couple of days ahead, so to spread out the work and have everything prepped and ready to go.

Q:  Did guests bring items to the holiday dinner last year or did the host do the whole meal? 
A:  As it was just five of us, me, Eammon, Maisie and my parents, I did the whole meal with my Mom’s help.

Q:  Have you ever snuck in the kitchen and sampled some of the food when no one was looking? 
A:  Heck yea!!  And I don’t believe those people who say they haven’t…I mean with all the delicious smells, who can resist?  Resistance is futile, resistance is futile…

Q:  What is your biggest worry on Thanksgiving?
A:  I don’t really worry or stress as it’s just close family.  I just do my best to get everything out on the table, hot, juicy and delicious and thus far, no complaints…and if I hear any complaints, they’re going to be doing the dishes!!

Q:  Other than the meal, what are your family’s favorite traditions or activities on Thanksgiving.
A:  We’re a lazy bunch, after eating it’s just a relaxing day, maybe a walk around the neighborhood but most likely, a good nap!

So now you know all about Thanksgiving in the Cook Lisa Cook home, enter the giveaway below and let me know about Thanksgiving in your home.  First though, my delicious Sweet Italian Sausage & Roasted Chestnut Stuffed Mushrooms, Enjoy!

Baby portabella mushrooms stuffed and ready for the oven.  These can be prepared to this point a couple of days ahead then covered and kept in the fridge.  When you’re ready to bake them it’s just a quick 20 minutes in the oven and hot, delicious appetizers are ready to serve.

These mushroom caps were a hit with everyone who tried them and the Mrs. Cubbison’s Classic Dressing had perfect seasonings so no additional herbs, spices, salt or pepper were needed.  I liked that the bread crumbs held up well and didn’t dissolve into mush.  I now look forward to using Mrs. Cubbison’s products again.

 Sweet Italian Sausage & Roasted Chestnut Stuffed Mushrooms

• 1 bag (half the box) Mrs. Cubbison’s Classic Dressing
• 24 oz. fresh baby portabella mushrooms, or white button mushrooms 
• 1 TBS. peanut oil, or oil of your choice
• 1 large sweet onion, minced
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casing
• 5 oz. roasted chestnuts, diced
• 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 400F.  Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with aluminum foil and coating lightly with cooking spray.  Wash and dry the mushrooms.  Remove the stems and place the mushroom caps open side up on the prepared baking sheet.  Finely mince the stems and set aside.  In a large cast iron skillet heat the oil.  Add the onions and cook until they just begin to caramelize.  Add the minced mushroom stems and cook until they are soft.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute until the garlic is fragrant.  Add the sausage and breaking it up and mixing it in with the onion mixture, cook until lightly browned and cooked through.  Add the diced chestnuts and the Mrs. Cubbison’s Classic Dressing.  Stir well to mix.  Add the water and toss everything well to get all the dressing moist.  Cover the pan tightly and remove from the heat.  Allow the pan to sit covered and undisturbed for 10 minutes so that all the moisture steams through the dressing mix. 

Fluff up the cooked dressing and using a tablespoon, fill the mushroom caps nice and high with the filling.  Place the filled mushrooms on the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 20 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and the top of the filling is golden brown.

Enjoy! 

Giveaway!!  ***CLOSED***

Sometimes being first pays off as comment #1 is the winner, congratulations Kiy!

Now that you’ve been patient and read to this point, here’s the wonderful package that Mrs. Cubbison’s will provide to one lucky winner, follow the directions below for all the ways to enter.  Entries will be accepted up until 12:00 noon EST on Wednesday November 14, 2012 and the winner will be chosen by random draw.  I will contact the winner via email and they will have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing address.  If there is no contact, after the 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.  US residents only please.

Most of the items pictured will be sent to the lucky winner directly from Mrs. Cubbison’s, a couple items like the Sunsweet and Rhodes products will be in the form of a coupon that will cover the monetary value for those items.*  All around a perfect little prize package especially this time of year.

Required entry:

• Leave a comment on this post letting me know a little bit about you and your holidays by answering any one of the survey questions which I answered above.

Additional entries:

You can earn up to seven additional entries:  Each item you do counts as one additional entry so please leave a separate comment for each, letting me know that you are already a member or follower or now have done each items.

• Become a member and follow Cook Lisa Cook.
• Become a follower of Cook Lisa Cook on Twitter.
• Follow me on Pinterest.
• Like Mrs. Cubbison’s Facebook page.
• Follow Mrs. Cubbison's Pinterest page.
• Check out the Thanksgiving tips page and let me know which recipe you’d love to enjoy this holiday season.
• Check out Mrs. Cubbison’s YouTube page and let me know a great cooking tip you learned from watching one of the videos.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy, healthy and delicious holiday season.

Disclosures:

This sponsorship is brought to you by Mrs. Cubbison's who we have partnered with for this promotion.

* The giveaway is provided to you by Mrs. Cubbison’s and the prize package will be shipped directly from Mrs. Cubbison’s to the winner.  The address provided to me for shipment will be shared with Mrs. Cubbison’s.

I was provided with a box of products to sample, coupons and items similar to the giveaway package. This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with the Mrs. Cubbison’s products.

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again, so you know I’m excited, I love this time of month!  This month I was assigned Jessie’s blog Vanderbilt Wife.  I really loved reading her blog, seeing her adorable children and all her wonderful recipes, of which there are many so be sure to click on over and check them out.  I debated back and forth as to which recipe to make but in the end I decided on her Toddler Thai:  Noodles in Peanut Sauce with Chicken.  Jessie’s son is lactose intolerant and she makes this recipe for him and as my Maisie is allergic to wheat, egg & dairy, it was just a simple change of pasta to also make it gluten free and safe for my girl. 

I sautéed up two chicken breasts as I had them defrosted and thought that I would use the second one in a chicken salad…but Maisie had other ideas.  Somehow between the time I started cooking this recipe and the time Maisie started eating it, she decided that she no longer liked the taste of peanut butter…but that of course could change tomorrow…and can we say finicky little girl???  She ate a little of the noodles and then asked for plain noodles with some of the chicken and ketchup…OY!!  I think she’s seven going on tween and definitely has become much more opinionated and picky.  Oh well, all was not lost with this recipe as I spiced it up a little with some Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce and a bit of Sriracha and what was to be Maisie’s, became Eammon’s dinner.  Maisie’s loss was Eammon’s gain as he absolutely loved the pasta and all the flavors.  And little Miss Picky enjoyed her plain bean thread noodles, chicken and ketchup…oh well at least she ate and got some protein and calories into her…even if she did miss out on a delicious meal!

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

• 3 oz. bean thread noodles or noodles of your choice 
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• five spice powder
• ginger
• sesame oil
• peanut oil
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 2 TBS. honey 
• 1 TBS. sesame oil
• 1 TBS. Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
• Sriracha to taste 
• 1/2 cup julienned carrots
• Cilantro for garnish

Prepare the noodles according to package directions.  Drain, rinse and set aside.

Season the chicken with the five spice powder and ginger.  Heat a large cast iron skillet and add a thin layer of half sesame oil and half peanut oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear on each side, then cover the pan and remove from the heat.  The residual heat in the cast iron pan will continue to cook the chicken and it won’t get over cooked and dried out.  Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and slice thinly.  To the now empty pan, add the the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, 1 TBS of sesame oil, Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce, Sriracha and carrots and heat, stirring to blend well.  Once hot, stir in the noodles and the sliced chicken breast.  Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry