Slow Cooker Chicken: Asian Ginger Garlic

Winter warrants warm, comfort food. While I love hanging out in the kitchen, there is nothing like a slow cooker meal to lighten the load and fill your home with delicious scents. This Asian-inspired slow cooker meal makes great use of your slow cooker and solves another problem... what else can I make for dinner with chicken?

Searing the meat before slow cooking will provide a little coating and also help thicken the sauce. The finished product is moist and full of ginger and garlic flavor. This dish would be perfect with some simple steamed vegetables like broccoli or asparagus.

savour... slow comfort

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Before you start:

I used chicken thighs here, but you could absolutely substitute chicken breasts if that's what you have. Generally, chicken thighs have better flavor and do not dry out as much as breasts.

Like more ginger, use more ginger. This recipe is fairly forgiving. Feel free to amp up the ginger, garlic, or pepper flakes to suit your taste.

If you don't have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar will work fine.

The ingredients:

• 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 
• 3 garlic cloves,grated
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• scallions and sesame seeds for garnish

The instructions:

1. Place meat, cornstarch, and pepper in a large, zippered freezer bag. Shake and toss meat chunks to coat completely with cornstarch. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and cook on all sides to lightly brown the surface completely (about 5-7 minutes). NOTE: Do not overcrowd the pan. If necessary, cook half of the chicken and transfer to a plate while you cook the remaining chicken.
2. Add the remaining ingredients minus the garnish to a slow cooker. Whisk to fully combine. Add the chicken to the slow cooker and gently toss in the sauce to lightly coat. Set the slow cooker to high and cook, covered, for 2 hours. Remove the lid after two hours and cook another 1½-2 hours, gently tossing occasionally.

Serve finished chicken over steamed rice with a garnish of sliced scallions and sesame seeds. 

On HGTV: Kitchen Solutions

I'm back over at HGTV this week with three kitchen solutions articles. There is an easy upcycle to address your bland hand soap dispensers, an upgrade to the ubiquitous milk crate, and 10 things you can do with baking soda in the kitchen that are not baking. Click any of the photos below to be redirected to the full articles with complete step by step photo galleries.

I must say that of the three articles, the Orangina bottles are my favorite. I have been sitting on these Orangina bottle dispensers for about a year now. As with many things, they came from trying to solve a problem. You see, I loved the shape of one company's bottle, albeit plastic, but the soap from another company, whose packaging has a more, shall we say, utilitarian look.

These glass orangina bottles have a sleek, modern shape, some texture, and are the perfect size for kitchen and bathroom countertops. Finding the right size pump can be a bit of a challenge, but I'll let you in on a little secret. These tops come from Suave Advanced Therapy lotion, 32 oz. Even if you don't use that lotion, it's worth it to have these dispensers. Mine have been filled with exactly what I like.

At HGTV: 3 Stylish DIY Bedside Tables

Add a little extra personality to your bedroom decor with these easy to make tables. 
I have created 3 tables for HGTV that will brighten up any bedside. They are all somewhat modern, and completely customizable. 

Click any of the photos above to be directed to the full photo tutorial to make these tables. Share your results here with me. I'd love to see what you create!

Treat of the Week: Saffron Bundt Cake with Cardamom Glaze, Blackberries and Almonds

I made you a cake. I figured it was the least I could do since I essentially vanished for the past 6 months. 2016 was an amazing year which kept me very busy, but also too busy to spend much time here. This year I am striving to strike a bit more balance. Realistically, I won't be posting 5 days a week as I once did, but I will try to be a bit more consistent.

On to the cake. You're going to LOVE it. This cake is moist (read buttery) and full of flavor. The saffron adds just a hint of something that will keep most people guessing. The cardamom glaze puts it right over the top. The two flavors together are perfection. Blackberries and almonds round out the profile and add a bit of texture creating just the right balance. See? Balance.

savour... returning

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This cake started more as a joke than a post. I am updating my portfolio over this month and trying to fill in some gaps with new photos. I wanted to make a bundt, but didn't know what kind. I thought of figs (mostly because they're beautiful) and then it hit me - I.. like... fig bundts and I cannot lie. I know it's corny, but I'm a middle aged dad and that's my duty. I became obsessed with the idea and started looking for great looking fresh figs. That did not work. Nevertheless, I had already settled on the bundt idea and needed some different inspiration. The result is here, in all its delicious glory.

Before you start:

Bundt pans are great. They produce slices of cake that have a higher crust to cake ratio than typical pans and make beautiful displays. However, if the proper steps are not taken, the results can be disastrous. Be sure to liberally grease and dust the pan before beginning, even non-stick pans.

I used butterscotch liqueur to dissolve the saffron, but you could use a different liquor such as rum or Licor 43. Stick with something with a sugar and/or vanilla base for best results.

The ingredients:

For the cake:

• ¼ teaspoon saffron
• 1 teaspoon + 1¼ cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon butterscotch liqueur
• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ⅔ cup milk
• 1⅔ flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

For the top:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 5-6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 12-15 fresh blackberries
• ⅓ cup almond slices

The instructions:

For the cake:

1. Grind saffron threads and 1 teaspoon of sugar together in a pestle and mortar. Add the ground mixture to a small bowl and add liqueur. Stir to combine and cover with plastic wrap. Allow saffron to rest and dissolve for at least one hour before proceeding.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Liberally grease a bundt pan which can hold at least 4-5 cups of batter. Dust with flour and set aside.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk and saffron mixture. Stir to combine and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
5. Add eggs and remaining 1¼ cups sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add butter mixture and beat until combined. Add flour and beat until fully combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and tap a few times on the counter to release excess air bubbles. Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until it passes the clean toothpick test.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before inverting it to release the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the glaze.

For the top:

1. Add the confectioners' sugar, cardamom, and corn syrup to a medium bowl. Whisk in the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until a thick, pourable consistency is achieved.
2. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, coaxing a bit over the sides as necessary to get the desired drips. Top with blackberries and almond slices while the glaze is still wet. Store in an airtight container.

Lolaspotting: Natural Delights Date Recipes

Here's one date story that is sure to end well.
I am currently working on a new collection of recipes for Natural Delights Dates. Many of those recipes are live on their site now and I thought you might like some links. With over 30 recipes in the works, there is sure to be something for everyone. The actual recipes will be released over time leading up to some amazing holiday recipes that you will not want to miss.

While I certainly have used dates in many recipes before, this process of developing new recipes with dates has given me a real appreciation for this ingredient. Just about anything with a sweet element that you make now with refined sugar or syrups can be made with dates. And, if you just want a quick, sweet bite they've got you covered there, too.

I'm certainly not the first to discover the many culinary uses of dates. Any quick search of vegan desserts on Google or Pinterest is sure to yield plenty of recipes with dates involved. In fact, many of the recipes I've been developing were created with vegans in mind. Not being a vegan, I never really had cause to seek these recipes, but I can say, without a doubt, that creating vegan desserts is something that requires a little trial and error. 

The Plain Donuts with Salted Caramel Glaze and Pretzels and the Peanut Butter and Date Star Sandwiches above are a couple of examples of the yumminess happening over at Natural Delights. Check them out, poke around at some of the other amazing recipes there, and stay tuned for more date goodness coming your way soon.

savour... delicious dating

Recipe eBook: Guide to Summer Snacking

The kids are home from school and they've just upped the ante on daily meal prep. Keeping healthy snack options around is challenging enough, but making them interesting adds a new element.

The folks at California Giant Berry Farms, Crunch Pak, Dandy, Natural Delights, and SUNSET have come together to create an eBook with 11 recipes for summer snacking. In this book, you'll find 6 new recipes (including the snails pictured above) created and shot by me. All are delicious and perfect for summer snacking satisfaction. Like the tangy taste of sun-dried tomatoes? Then you are going to love Tomato Chips with Sweet Twister Ranch Dip.

You can access the eBook over at California Giant or any of the sponsors.

savour... the lighter side of snacking

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NOTE: This is NOT a sponsored post. You will almost never see those here. I was paid only for my work as a recipe developer and food photographer. This article is provided only to present my recent work and share some cool stuff with you that I think you might like.

New Video: Rainy Day Indoor Fort

I remember all too clearly those rainy summer days when all I wanted was a little break in the rain so I could play outside. Of course, back then there were far fewer options for indoor excitement than today. We only had 4 channels to watch on TV, and during the day 3 of them were running icky soap operas.

Our rainy day back up plan was almost always to build an indoor fort. It was as much fun to build as it was to use. The fort was perfect for games of make believe or checkers.

I've teamed up with Coryanne Ettiene again to create a video for Nature's Own Bread with this idea in mind. We built the indoor fort in her home with her children, who were all very excited to be involved. Fortunately for us, there was actually rain on the shoot day and nothing had to be rigged up. And that girl in the window? That's Spinny. She loves the camera.

Stay tuned for more summer antics. We have two more summer videos for Nature's Own Bread coming soon and one very SUPER video for them coming early Fall.

savour... rainy day fun