Crockpot Honey Garlic Hens {+Life Post Residency}

Posted in Crockpot, Entrees, Life by Cavities & Cravings

I finished my pediatric dental residency three months ago and life is feeling rather surreal. This is the first time in my life that I haven’t been a student and boy does it feel strange. By strange, I really mean freaking amazing!! How the hell did I make it through dental school and residency? I still remember applying to dental school and truly convincing myself that I would never get it in. Sometimes I worry I’ll wake up and it’ll all be dream…

Coresident Love

I started life in the real world, aka my first big girl job, a few days after my last day of residency. Talk about jumping right in. As a result, my summer flew by! Time flies when you’re having fun. Hah! Thankfully husband and I were able to take a mini vacation at the end of August. We did a three day cruise to the Bahamas and back. Although it was quick, it was much needed and I am thankful we got the opportunity to go. Not so sure I would do a cruise again, but it was so nice being able to escape life for a few days. I tried to convince husband that we should move to the Bahamas and I could open a practice there. I obvi did not win this argument since I’m currently sitting on my ouch in Ohio.

In the midst of a crazy summer work schedule, I made these Honey Garlic Cornish Hens in the crockpot and they turned out delicious. This is a recipe that I will be making again. You can substitute the Cornish hens for chicken drumsticks, thighs, or breasts. I served these next to some roasted yellow squash and a salad. Try this when you’re looking for a quick, flavorful crockpot recipe!

Ingredients:

2 Cornish game hens
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional for spice)

Instructions:

1.Place cornish game hens in crockpot.

2.Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl. Pour over hens in crockpot.

3. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

20Feb2016

Golden Crispy Pork Chops {+A Crazy 2 Months}

Posted in Entrees, Recipes by Cavities & Cravings

Holy cow, how is February almost over?! I feel like life has been a whirlwind over the past two months. This is the first weekend since Christmas that we have NO plans and it feels amazing. Between guests in town, work commitments, and traveling for various events – husband and I are feeling a little worn out.

We spent the morning brunching at a local spot, Sleepy Bee Cafe (highly recommended!) and then took the pups on a long walk. I cannot believe this weather, it is 65 degrees in February! I know that this is just a tease, but I’ll take it! I think everyone is feeling a little sleepy with full bellies and tired legs.

I’m sharing this not-so-healthy but delicious recipe with you today. I usually bake Pork Chops in the oven, but I decided to switch it up for a little much needed comfort meal. These crispy pork chops turned out great and didn’t take long to make.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless Pork Chops (1/4 – 1/2 inch thickness)
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup Italian flavored breadcrumb OR panko
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

1.Whisk eggs, salt and pepper in a deep dish plate. Mix together bread crumb and flour in a separate deep dish plate.

2.Start by dipping the chops completely in the egg mixture.

3.Coat pork chops in breadcrumb-flour mixture and pat to adhere breadcrumb to pork chops.

4. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in large skillet over medium heat. Place pork chops in skillet and cook for approximately 6 -7 minutes per side, until golden brown. Once fully cooked, transfer to a plate. Serve with desired sides.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

5Dec2015

Crockpot Bourbon Chicken {+Quality Girl Time}

Posted in Crockpot, Entrees, Uncategorized by Cavities & Cravings

I spent the afternoon/early evening with some friends from work. My face hurts and my side aches from laughing so hard! Today I was reminded of the importance of having quality time with girlfriends. Since moving to Cincinnati I feel like I have not found a solid group of girlfriends. Why is it so much harder to find close friends as an adult?! These ladies are pretty fantastic and every time we get together outside of work it’s a great time! We literally laughed so hard til we cried… or snorted.

We spent the afternoon drinking wine and baking some delicious lemon cupcakes for a work event tomorrow. After multiple bottles of wine we found ourselves watching/ dancing/singing to music videos. Have you seen the new Gwen Stefani music video? #weird. I am now curled up on the couch in pjs watching the Michigan State vs Iowa football game with Husband.

Tonight I am sharing a recipe for Crockpot Bourbon Chicken. I have made this several times and it is always a big hit, not to mention so easy! If you have followed my blog, you know that I LOVE crockpot recipes. I rely on crockpot recipes to help me get through extra busy weeks.

This recipe called for 1/4 cup of bourbon. I used Bulleit bourbon because that’s what we had, but feel free to use any kind you have on hand! You really can taste the bourbon flavor in this recipe.

Add this recipe to your menu this week on a day when you know you will get home late. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Bourbon
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
⅓ cup apple cider (*or apple juice)
½ teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Mix all sauce ingredients, except for chicken and cornstarch, in a small bowl.

2. Place chicken in slow cooker, pour sauce over top. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3 hours.

3. Remove chicken and chop into bite sized pieces. Strain liquid and place over medium high heat in a small pot. Combine 3 tablespoons water with 3 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk into boiling sauce along with 1 clove minced garlic. Stir until thickened.

4. Pour over chicken pieces in the slow cooker and stir. Serve over rice.

Recipe adjusted from Spending with Pennies

Check out some of my other crockpot chicken recipes:

28Oct2015

Eggplant Rolled Chicken Parm {+Orlando Fun}

Posted in Entrees, Italian by Cavities & Cravings

My co-residents and I spent this past weekend in Orlando at the AAPD Sedation Conference and it was wonderful! I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend this course; it was a great reminder of how fantastic my residency program is and just how much I really am learning! Even though we are still in recovery mode and a bit worn out, it was such a nice change of pace and it was great quality time with my co-resi’s.

If you are heading to Orlando I recommend going to Fulton’s Crab House in Downtown Disney. All of our meals were on point, seriously so good! I ordered the fried catfish/scallops/shrimp platter and to attempt to make this a little “healthier,” I chose asparagus for my side. Oh my, look at all of that fried goodness. Don’t judge me, I ate all of it.

My little seester recently moved to Treasure Coast, Florida, so I also got the opportunity to hang with her for a few hours one evening. We walked around Downtown Disney and grabbed dinner at the Smokehouse, yum in my tum. I tried to convince her to kidnap me so I could stay in sunny Florida forever, but no such luck. Here I am, back to life… back to reality.

Tonight I’m sharing this recipe with you that I created with ingredients I already had in my pantry/fridge. Do you prefer chicken parm or eggplant parm? Tough question, I know. Stress no more… you can have a taste of both with this recipe. I think this turned out fantastic and I hope that you will give it a try!

Ingredients:

1/2 Eggplant, sliced (think long, thick french fries)
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Chicken breast
1 Minced garlic clove
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 Teaspoon oregano
1 Teaspoon basil
1 Teaspoon black pepper
2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
1 cup of Italian flavored Panko crumb
2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Slice eggplant in to thick wedges. Lightly coat with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.

3. Pound chicken with a meat mallet to 1/4 inch thickness. I recommend placing the chicken in a ziploc bag while doing this, it will prevent, well… chicken splatter from going everywhere.

4. Season chicken with garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, and pepper.

5. Roll with 3-4 eggplant wedges and about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese in to center of chicken breast.

6. Place rolled chicken breast in baking dish. Cover each piece of rolled chicken with pasta sauce, panko breadcrumb, and more shredded cheese.

7. Bake in uncovered in oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

8Oct2015

14 months later… Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Posted in Entrees, Soup by Cavities & Cravings

How has it been 14 months since my last post?! When I spend time and reflect on the past year, I think to myself – how has it only been a year? At the same time I think, how has it already been a year? It’s funny how time messes with you like that.

My first year of my pediatric dental residency has come and gone; I sure have learned a lot. Honestly, I blame being on call for my time away from blogging. These kiddos seriously know how to mess up their teeth at all hours of the day and night. I’m not even joking. My future children will be missing out on so many things thanks to my residency experience: no playing baseball, basketball, soccer, football, lacrosse, they can forget about bike riding, no running through the house with socks on, no trampolines, no jumping in to swimming pools, no water slides, no roller blading, no coffee tables allowed in the house, no running on cement … I’m sure there’s more that I am missing. The point is, my future kids will be watching a lot of tv.. while wrapped in a bubble. Take a moment and be thankful for your two front teeth (please forgive me if you’ve experienced a trauma and are missing your front teeth).

Anyways, what matters now is that I’ve been re-inspired and reminded of my love for the kitchen, I’m back and I’m committed. Boom! I already have so many recipes to share with you.

The weather is cooling off here in Cincinnati… aka soup season aka crockpot season. I threw together this delicious Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup one day last week. This recipe is great because you can literally use what you have. Make substitutions/additions with veggies based on what’s in your fridge. Husband and I made grilled cheese sandwiches on the side (Mine: cheese and avocado. Husband: cheese, turkey, bacon, ranch). Yum in my tum. I’ll be making this recipe many more times!

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of your favorite salsa
2 cups corn
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Optional Toppings:
- shredded cheese*
- sour cream*
- diced tomatoes
- green onions
- cilantro
- diced avocado*
- tortilla strips*
- (* = what I put on mine)

Instructions:

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breast at bottom of crockpot.
In a medium sized bowl mix together condensed cream of chicken, chicken broth, salsa, corn, black beans, water, and all spices. Mix well. Pour on top of chicken in crockpot.
Cook on low for 4 – 6 hours (I think mine cooked for 8 hours)
Remove chicken and shred. Stir shredded chicken back in to crockpot. Serve soup with your favorite toppings.

Modified from: The Recipe Critic

13Jul2014

Chicken Cheddar Jalapeno Burgers

Posted in Entrees by Cavities & Cravings

Life has been wonderful, I am loving my residency program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. It’s amazing how much I have already learned in my first few weeks! Finishing dental school and moving on to the next chapter is really quite terrifying, but these past few weeks have reassured me that I am exactly where I should be. My new co-residents have also been awesome, I am so thankful that I have such a great group of people to work with and learn from. A few of them came over for fourth of July, I made some delicious berry cheesecake bars, I’ll have to share the recipe a different day.

Today I want to share the recipe for these delicious Chicken Cheddar Jalapeño Burgers, these might just be my new favorite burger. Ok fine, nothing beats a classic cheeseburger, but these chicken burgers are full of so much flavor. If you’re feeling adventurous, try these, they won’t disappoint! I can’t wait to make them again.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño (more or less based on spice preference)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
Hamburger buns
Optional burger toppings: salsa, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream

Instructions

Prepare an indoor or outdoor grill over medium heat.
In a medium bowl mix ground chicken, onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, paprika, cheddar cheese, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use your hands to incorporate everything well.
Form the mixture into four 1/2 inch thick patties.
Grill burgers over medium heat until cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.
Serve each patty in a burger bun. We topped ours with guacamole, sour cream and salsa and it was delicious!

16Jun2014

Teriyaki Salmon with a Sriracha Cream Sauce

Posted in Asian Inspired, Entrees, Seafood by Cavities & Cravings

How has it been 7 months since my last post? Time has whipped right past me and so many changes have happened over the months. I feel as though I am having an out of body experience. Any moment now I am going to wake up and I’ll be right where I was last fall…

So what’s changed? Where to begin. First and foremost, I graduated from dental school!! I never thought the day would actually come, I am still in shock. I am so thankful for all of my friends and family who have supported and encouraged me over the years. It was a long road, but I was sad to say goodbye to so many great friends. Although this chapter in my life is over, the next one has begun! I was accepted in to a pediatric dental residency at Cincinnati Children’s hospital. Eeee!! It is a two year program and I am ecstatic to begin seeing the all the little kiddos. Please stay tuned for funny kid stories.

Husband and I moved a couple of weeks ago and are all settled in. We are renting a cute little house in a neighborhood of Cincinnati. One of the hardest parts of moving is having to eat out so many days in a row while the pots and pans are all packed up. One of the very first meals I made once we were settled was this teriyaki salmon dish. It is one of husband’s favorite salmon dishes now! Love love love this recipe. The sweet teriyaki paired with the sriracha cream sauce is perfect. Please try it!

Ingredients for the Fillet:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons honey
2 salmon filets
Green onions (optional)

Ingredients for the Sriracha Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons Sriracha
1 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

1. To make the Sriracha cream sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Sriracha and condensed milk in a small bowl; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; set aside.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, honey and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer. Stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes; allow it to cool to room temperature.

4. In a gallon size ziploc bag or large bowl, combine teriyaki marinade and salmon filets; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. The longer you marinade, the more intense the flavor.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick spray.

6. Place salmon filets along with the marinade onto prepared baking dish and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.

7. Serve salmon immediately with Sriracha cream sauce. Garnish with sliced green onion.

28Aug2013

Panko and Mustard Crusted Salmon

Posted in Entrees, Seafood by Cavities & Cravings

It’s only taken me nearly 5 years for me to get Husband to eat salmon. Mission successful! I can now make it regularly and he seems to enjoy it. As I was easing in to making salmon regularly I tried to keep flavors and recipes simple, just so I wouldn’t make the wrong move and destroy all chances of Husband every eating salmon again. Good thinking, right?

I loved the way this recipe turned out, the flavor was great and it was easy to make! It was a nice change from the simple seasoning I had been doing in the past.

Enjoy! 🙂

Ingredients:

4, 5 -ounce Salmon filets
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 cup Panko breadcrumb
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In bowl, mix together Panko breadcrumb, garlic salt, pepper, paprika and parsley.

2. Brush each salmon filet with mustard and then coat with Panko breadcrumb mixture

3. On medium heat, heat skillet with olive oil. Place filets, skin side down, on skillet for 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet and place on baking sheet. Place in oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. Serve with rice or over a salad.

18Jul2013

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Posted in Dental school, Entrees by Cavities & Cravings

Dental school continues to take over my life… the good news is, I graduate in approximately 287 days, 14 hours and 15 minutes. But, I mean, who’s counting? Last week I took part 2 of my national board exam. 2500 dollars and 3 days of testing later, lets just say it sucked. The light at the end of the tunnel is dim, but it’s there.

In between the craziness of school I’ve managed to squeeze in some great times with friends and family. Summertime is my favorite time of year. It’s the season of weddings, cookouts, festivals, pool days and all things warm and fuzzy… I am sad to realize that it is already over half way over. Where has the time gone?

So speaking of summer, I think this is an awesome light summer recipe. I am so excited to share this recipe because it is so simple and so delicious. I love that this recipe used greek yogurt as an alternative to mayo, which is in traditional chicken salads. I’m also pretty much obsessed with anything with Franks Red Hot in it, I think it temporarily satisfies my craving for chicken wings. And by temporarily I mean for like 5 minutes. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did.

Ingredients:

5 oz non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese ( I hate blue cheese… so I skipped this and a splash or ranch dressing instead!)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper.

2. Stir in chicken, celery, cilantro, and blue cheese.

3. Refrigerate until serving. I served mine in pita pockets. Delicious.

Recipe has been modified from: The Novice Chef

Other recipes I’ve made with Franks Red Hot:

7May2013

Shredded Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Posted in Crockpot, Entrees by Cavities & Cravings

Time continues to fly by! How is it already May? Speaking of time flying by, I have officially started my fourth year of dental school! Eeee! It’s a bitter sweet excitement really. Bitter because I have met so many great people in dental school and I am not quite ready to say goodbye, but so so sweet as I have worked so hard to get here. Well… good thing I dont have to deal with these mixed emotions for another year… we’ll just tuck them away for now.

Enough being sentimental and on to a delicious meal!

This is a great crockpot recipe that I have made a couple of times now! I love that all you have to do is throw all the ingredients in the crockpot.

Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts
1 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
8 ounce can black beans
1 medium diced tomato

Instructions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in the crockpot.

2. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

3. Shred chicken and place back in the crockpot for 30 minutes.

4. Serve on hard or soft tacos with shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream.