Another weekend

Nothing much to report this weekend. Dan and I spent our time preparing for a party we’re hosting next Saturday night so there was no lack of tasks to accomplish this weekend. None of them were very interesting, though. Shopping, cleaning, etc. We’re also having house guests for a couple of nights this week so I’ve been trying to get the guest bedroom ready. When no one is staying there it becomes a combination laundry room and den where I hang up clothes to dry and watch TV occasionally. But now that it’s going to be occupied I need to make sure that the sheets are freshly washed and the quilt is Febrezed. Luckily I completely cleaned out the closet in there over the holidays so it isn’t completely packed with junk like it was before. Anyway, there’s still a lot to be done tonight and tomorrow so I’d better get started. It’s going to be bedtime soon and I’d rather not have a to do list a mile long when I get home from work and spinning tomorrow night!

Foodie Friday – Crockpot Hawaiian chicken

Back when I was working long hours and weird shifts I had grand visions of using my Crockpot to make a home cooked meal each and every day. Sadly this illusion only lasted for two days. Most days during that two and a half week period I was just too wiped out to do much of anything when I got home work work. I did manage to make this simple Crockpot Hawaiian chicken one day, though. After the semi-success of my Marinated Hawaiian Chicken, I was eager to try this slow cooker version. The list of ingredients was relatively simple (especially since I had some quick cooking tapioca left over from another recipe) and there was very little prep required. But the only thing that matters is how it tasted, right? Well, it was pretty good! Dan even ate all of the leftovers in the fridge the next night which is always a mark of approval. This is a great weeknight meal that I’m planning to tweak a little bit and use a lot. I think I’ll add some minced garlic and a little salt next time to counter the sweetness of the pineapple juice. Slow cooker recipes are infinitely adaptable so feel free to try this recipe with your own changes!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lb chicken (I used breast strips)
1/4 c flour
1 can (20 oz) pineapple rings, juice reserved
1/4 c soy sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp quick cooking tapioca
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
Dredge the chicken in the flour and place it in the slow cooker. In a medium bowl combine 1/2 cup of the reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, garlic powder, tapioca, and apple cider vinegar. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Top the chicken and sauce with the pineapple rings. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Based on 365 Days of Crockpot’s Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken.

Last weekend

OK, so I haven’t been faithfully keeping my webpage updated this week. Of course I take full responsibility for my relative laziness, but I still blame it partially on work. Now that I have a little time to relax I figure I’d better write about what I’ve been up to recently. Let’s rewind a little. Last weekend (aka, four days ago) was a welcome reprieve from work. Well, mostly. On Saturday morning Dan went on a bike ride and I took advantage of that free time to get some things done around the house. You know, the usual weekend chores – 4 loads of laundry to run, dishes to wash, trash and recycling to take out, dishwasher loads to run, clothes to fold, and groceries to shop for. Phew! That’s how I accumulated more than 10,000 steps on my pedometer pretty quickly. After all of the chores were done I got started on something I really wanted to do – cooking! Well, not exactly cooking, but preparation for cooking. Since Dan and I were going out to dinner with a friend that night I just prepped a few things to make meals come together faster later in the week. First of all I cut an enormous 5 lb pork loin in half and immediately threw half of it in the freezer. I rubbed the remaining half with some spices, wrapped it up tightly, and put in in the fridge to marinate for a couple of days (I didn’t actually cook it until Monday. I’ll post the amazing recipe I used in the next week or so.). With pretty much all of the prep for one meal already done, I got started on another one. I threw a pound of ground lamb in a bowl, added all of the necessary gyro seasonings (from my recipe for Crockpot gyros), and mixed it all up like a meatloaf. Then I wrapped the whole thing up and tossed it in the fridge next to the pork loin. I saw a recipe for Greek nachos on Pinterest that I’d been dying to try and I figured gyro-seasoned ground lamb would make a perfect ingredient perfect. Especially with some of my delicious homemade tzatziki sauce, which I whipped right after I was done with the lamb. It felt so great to have meals already started for the upcoming week. After Dan got home from his bike ride we both got ready to go to dinner and a movie. We met Dan’s friend Dave at Cozymel’s Mexican restaurant in El Segundo which is right down the street from the Arclight movie theater. After a yummy dinner of tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas the three of us walked over to the theater to see “Brave.” I couldn’t believe I was going to a Disney animated movie about a princess with two grown men! However, even being the Disney movie lover than I am, I’ll admit that “Brave” was just OK. I’m glad I saw it, but the two boys weren’t so pleased. But the definite highlight was getting to see the new trailer for “The Hobbit” at the beginning. It was amazing!

On Sunday I had to go to work. It wasn’t my idea, but I didn’t really have a choice. I was there from 7 AM to 3 PM, but at least I got a lot done. The first thing I did when I got home was throw on some workout clothes and slather on some sunscreen in preparation for a walk to the beach with Dan. We walked to the Manhattan Beach Pier and back (11 miles round-trip) with a stop in Hermosa Beach at Hot’s Kitchen for some dinner. We’ve only been there twice, but I haven’t eaten anything that I wouldn’t order again. Their specialty is slider burgers and street tacos. I love small plates because you can try several different dishes without getting way too much food. On Sunday I ordered a Bistro burger (beef slider with bistro sauce, mixed greens, red onion) and a Cubano taco (shredded taco with swiss cheese, ham, mustard aioli, pickles) and they were both really delicious. So if you live anywhere near the Los Angeles South Bay you shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to eat at Hot’s Kitchen. Dan and I didn’t get home from our walk until about 9 PM so we only had time to watch the previous week’s episode of “Whale Wars” before bedtime. All in all it was a good weekend!

Happy Fourth of July

If you haven’t been able to surmise, I’ve been busy lately. That’s why I haven’t updated in a while. But I’m hoping to take a half day off from work tomorrow so be prepared for a long post tomorrow. Maybe. No promises. Happy Fourth of July!