In the mood for German food this week?

I happen to love sour kraut.  As a matter of fact, I have never met a sour cabbage dish that I didn't like.  But, I know that I am in the minority.  In my slow cooker today is a meal to make even the most devout sour kraut hater change their mind. 

First I cook up 1/4 pound of maple cured bacon.  I dice the bacon before I cook it to make it cook faster and I cook it to a few seconds shy of crispy.  Remove bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  In the bacon fat, saute a large onion that has been sliced very thin until it is translucent.  Mix the onion with 3 cups of drained sour kraut.  Add a tablespoon of spicy whole grain mustard and 3 granny smith apples that have been diced and add the bacon back into the mixture.  Pour into the bottom a slow cooker.  Lay 1 1/2 pounds of kielbasa on top of the mixture and cook on low for 6 hours.

Grilled Cheese

I am not a sandwich person.  Oh, I eat them because they are convenient, but I would always choose a salad or bowl of soup or an entree type meal over a sandwich.  For grilled cheese though I make an exception.

Today is National Grilled Cheese Day.  For the occasion I am planning some grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.  Crispy hard rolls will be stuffed with pulled pork and Monterey Jack cheese and I will grill them panini style to melt the cheese.  

This made me think about my favorite diner sandwich.  Most of the time when I go to a diner, no matter what time of day, I order breakfast food.  But, when I order a sandwich, it has to be a tuna melt with Swiss cheese or cheddar cheese.  The tuna has to have crunchy celery in it.  I especially like the open faced varieties because the tuna stays cool and the bread and cheese are crispy and hot and bubbly.   I love that contrast.  YUM!!  Just writing about it, makes me need one (YES NEED!) NOW!!!

I used to go to a local place for live music and they had a grilled cheese on the menu that I just had to order every time. It had 5 different cheese, applewood smoked bacon and tomatoes on it. It was made in a thickly sliced sourdough bread. I have yet to have a better one.

I found a really great link at the Food Network for fifty different grilled cheeses.  Check them out!

Chicken and Dumplings

My husband and I have been sick and I haven't been cooking much.  I got a delivery of groceries today and felt like some comfort food.  I did some experimenting and came up with an easy and VERY flavorful chicken and dumplings in the rice cooker.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large jalapeno, diced (or 2 medium sized)
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced including the leaves
1 32 ounce carton chicken broth (I used 99% fat free and 50% less sodium)
1 16 ounce bag frozen gnocchi
8 ounces petite frozen peas
2 cups fresh baby carrots
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger


This can be cooked completely right in the rice cooker.  Or, you can cook it in a dutch oven type pot.

Brown the chicken in the oil.  Add the jalapeno, onion and celery and cook until the vegetables have softened.  Add all the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a slow boil then lower and simmer until chicken is cooked and carrots are tender.

Serve in bowls and make sure to use a spoon to get all the warm thickened broth.

White Turkey Chili in Rice Cooker

White Turkey Chili


1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon dried cilantro or 1-2 tablespoons fresh or to taste
1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 13 ounce can of rotel tomatoes (tomatoes with chilis)
1 small can of corn or 2 cups frozen
1 cup pearl barley
1 12 ounce box low sodium chicken broth

Heat a skillet to medium high.  Add the canola oil and cumin seeds.  When the seeds start to brown add the turkey.  Using a potato masher, squish up the turkey and brown it in the skillet.  When the pink color has disappeared add the rest of the spices and stir to combine.  Pour the mixture into a rice cooker.  Note:  If your rice cooker has a really good browning cycle, this can all be done in the rice cooker.

Add the remainder of the ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Turn rice cooker to the white rice cycle and close it.  It should be done in about 45 minutes.