Cold Pizza?

Yay or nay? Personally, I love a cold slice of leftover pizza – especially for breakfast! 

 

De-bloat Smoothie

We all have those days. Mine usually comes on Monday after indulging all weekend. Bloated and groggy as I awake this is the breakfast I reach for.  Don’t be afraid of its green color – it tastes delicious, I promise! 

I use a little less than the recipe in the picture above because my individual serving Nutri-bullet won't fit all of the above! 

Blend together:

½ avocado

1 cup fresh baby spinach loosely packed

½ cup cucumber

1 banana

½ cup frozen blueberries

½ cup coconut water

Garlic Thyme Slow Cooker Chicken

As I write this post I am sitting in the American Airlines terminal at JFK waiting to board my flight to London. I’ll be in London for some sightseeing and work, and then spending Memorial Day Weekend in Dublin. As part of my trip preparation I had to find something I could make for my fiancé that would last him a few days so he doesn’t starve while I am gone.  I decided to make a batch of this super easy Garlic Thyme Slow Cooker Chicken. I threw it in the crockpot last night and it was ready when I woke up at 5 AM to leave for my flight.  This would be great for weekdays when you need dinner to be ready as soon as you get home. The hardest part of the recipe was taking the skin off of the chicken thighs. If you can buy the skinless bone-in thighs this would be even easier!

Ingredients: 

1 large sweet onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings

3 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

1 tbsp olive oil

20 garlic cloves (about 2 large heads of garlic)

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

  

Instructions:

1.  In the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, evenly distribute the sliced onion along the bottom.
2.  Peel the garlic cloves.
3. Place the chicken thighs into a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add the smashed garlic cloves and toss to combine.
4. Sprinkle the seasonings across the top of the chicken-garlic mixture and toss until chicken is well coated with seasonings.
5. Transfer the chicken-garlic mixture to the slow cooker and cover.
6. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. Serve with a side of your favorite veggies.

Cooking with Cast Iron

I've decided to take a break from bombarding you with recipes and to talk a little about one of my favorite items in the kitchen - my cast iron skillet. I got my Pre-Seasoned Skillet from Emril's line of cookware at Bed Bath & Beyond.  At a cost of less than $20 this was a great investment! Especially for use in our one bedroom apartment where we can't have a grill this is now the go-to for cooking meats in our household. BAM!

Why cast iron? A cast iron pan is different from other pans made with thinner materials, such as aluminum, because it gets steaming hot and stays that way. Therefore, it is ideal for meats that need to be cooked at high heat. Meats that need a hard sear to hold in the flavors, but not burnt cook perfectly in this pan. Great for cooking steaks or getting a good braise on a roast before it goes into the oven. We always make our steaks in this pan starting on the stovetop for 3-4 minutes on each side with a little bit of olive oil. After getting a good sear I just toss it in the oven for a few more minutes to continue cooking at high heat. 

It's not just meats that can be made in here. The possibilities are endless. Check out some of the delicious meals below!

As delicious as that last one looks I haven't tried it yet because the cast iron skillet has very specific cleaning and care instructions that I imagine being quite difficult after a dish as gooey and sticky as that. Here is a good YouTube video on how to care for a cast iron skillet by the one and only Martha Stewart.

It might be a pain. but caring for this correctly is very important and will help your skillet last you a very long time. I highly suggest everyone investing in one or two of these bad boys to step up your cooking game. And if you happen to be making that delicious marshmallow dessert dip with yours, let me know and I'll come help you finish it!