OAMC - revisited

The second OAMC recipe we tried was just as good, but I totally took creative rights with the recipe.  See, it's written as a casserole, which is perfect for freezing, but I was making this to eat that night, and I didn't want it to be a casserole...I wanted to use my slow cooker again.

Hence, the slow cooker casserole was born.

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE (adapted by Brooke)

1 10 oz. package frozen broccoli
1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cubed
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
rice

Place chicken and broccoli in slow cooker.  Mix together chicken soup, miracle whip, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, curry powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then pour over chicken in slow cooker.  Top with breadcrumbs.  Cook on low for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.  Serve over rice.

OAMC - Worth It?

The recipes are, if nothing else.

OAMC - Once A Month Cooking.  Find it here or here.  This is a handy little program that allows you to cook a months worth of main dishes in one day, thereby supposedly saving you money and time.

I might try it, seriously.  I could totally get into saving time and money.

I borrowed the Family Favorites book from a friend to see if the recipes are even worth it.  After reading through the entire book, yes, the ENTIRE book, I'm pretty convinced it'd be worth trying.  The authors have laid out the entire process, including shopping lists, assembly lists and all the recipes with ways to manage what you've frozen and what sides you'll need to prepare the day of.

The great thing about every single recipe is that you don't have to cook it in bulk a month before, you can make it the day you want it, but if you WANT to freeze it, all of the recipes are created to freeze well.

It's perfect for a busy family, if you're preparing for surgery/birth, if you need to take a meal to someone, or a hundred other reasons.  Try it, I dare you.

Here's one of the recipes we've tried from the book this week, though when I cooked it I adapted it for the slow cooker, easy adjustment - delicious dinner.

ZANZIBAR CHICKEN

1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Jasmine rice

In a small skillet, saute the onion in the oil until transparent.  Combine the onion and the remaining ingredients, excluding the rice, and pour into baking dish, bake at 350° for 50 minutes.  If you prefer the easy slow cooker way, place chicken in slow cooker, combine all sauce ingredients and pour over chicken, cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Serve over jasmine rice.

You Ever Heard of Diane Mott Davidson?

She's an author, a great one, who writes culinary murder mysteries. Yes, you read that right.

Culinary murder mysteries.

That means her books are great mystery books, based around the main character, Goldy, who is a caterer. Mystery books which include recipes.

Awesome, I know.

Reading is my outlet, along with cooking. Though honestly, I get to cook more often than I get to read. But while on vacation I renewed my interest in Ms. Davidson's books. So I've decided to start a new feature here on Snow Cookin'. I'm going to review a few of Ms. Davidson's recipes. I've already tried three and I've decided she can write recipes just as well as she writes mysteries.

Seriously, who does that?

So, for my first review:

"What To Do With All The Egg Yolks Bread"

By Diane Mott Davidson

2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tbsp. chopped orange zest

1 tsp. salt

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sun-dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans

Butter a 10-in. tube pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, one tsp. of the sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes. Combine the milk, butter, oil, zest, remainder of the sugar, and salt, and stir into the yeast mixture. Add the egg yolks, stirring well. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition to incorporate the flour thoroughly. Knead 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and satiny. Knead in the cranberries and pecans. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise at room temperature until it is doubled in bulk. Using a wooden spoon, beat down the risen dough for about a minute.

Place the dough into the buttered tube pan and allow it to rise at room temperature until it is doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes or until it is dark golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Place on a rack to cool or serve warm. Once cooled, the bread is also excellent sliced and toasted. Makes 1 large loaf.

I loved this bread, but I made a few changes for my families sake. I had no oranges so I included no zest, and my husband doesn't love nuts baked into things, so I left out the pecans too. Sad, I know, but it still turned out awesome! I'm thinking of remaking it (with all of the ingredients) and using the dough for cinnamon rolls, with a nice glazed icing. Delicious!