cheeky recipe: crock pot teriyaki chicken

this recipe was recommended by my friend, torey, at all three of us and it seemed like an easy sunday dinner before fanboy & i start a very busy week of work. it was just that. we'll probably have the leftovers with salads or ginger scallion noodles. thanks again, torey!
 

crock pot teriyaki chicken (adapted from lake lure cottage kitchen)

• 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium soy sauce
• 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• hot cooked sushi rice
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions (optional)

place chicken in a slow cooker.  in a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, chili garlic sauce.  pour half the mixture over chicken, stick the remainder in the fridge. cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken in tender.  remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm.  skim fat from cooking liquid. place liquid and remaining sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  combine cornstarch and water until smooth then gradually stir into liquid until sauce is thickened. serve over rice and top with scallions.

note: because my slow cooker runs very hot, i started with frozen chicken and it was cooked through and tender in about three hours.

fall bucket list

fall has officially come to the 202! have i mentioned that it's my favorite season? here's my little fall bucket list.

what's on your fall bucket list? 

38/52: repeating

37/52: flowing

36/52: going green

35/52: priceless

almost every saturday, fanboy goes out and gets me an iced coffee (even though he doesn't drink coffee). that definitely counts as priceless in my book.

cheeky recipe: drip beef pappardelle

football season has begun, the temperature in DC is (finally) cooling down, and fall officially starts later this week! i could not be happier about all of these things. the fall weather heralds a staple football meal at casa cheeky: pioneer woman's italian drip beef. my friend, erin (aka city mouse in a country house), turned us onto to this awesome recipe. and it is so easy that fanboy usually makes it for me. 

after having some fantatic braised meat & pasta dishes at brabo and au pied de cochon, fanboy had the genius idea to try pappardelle with italian drip beef. have i mentioned that fanboy is very smart? we were pretty sure it would be a win. it was a touchdown!

drip beef pappardelle

• 1 whole beef chuck roast, 2.5 to 4 pounds 
• 1 can beef consomme or beef stock 
• 3 tablespoons (heaping) italian seasoning 
• 500 ml red wine, divided 
• 1/2 jar (16 oz) pepperoncini peppers, with juice 
• 1 lb pappardelle or taglietelle   
• 1/2 cup aged pecorino, shaved

    
combine the beef, consomme, pepperoncini and juice, italian seasoning, and one cup of wine in a dutch oven or slow cooker. stir lightly to combine seasoning with the liquid.

cover and bake in a 275 degree oven* for 5 to 6 hours or in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours, until meat is fork-tender and falling apart. *if meat is not yet tender, continue cooking for 30 minute intervals until it's tender*

prepare pasta according to the package directions.

carefully remove about 3/4 of the liquid from your dutch oven or slow cooker into a sauce pan. add the remaining wine, bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by half.

with two forks, completely shred all meat, leaving no large chunks behind. add desired amount of beef to the reduced sauce. (note: the sauce was not thick so feel free to reduce longer and/or add a bit of cornstarch if you'd like a thicker sauce)

combine pasta and sauce, top with pecorino, and serve. buon appetito! 
 

 



















p.s. fanboy generally leaves the blogging to me but tonight he says: "make this ASAP!"

34/52: brand new

33/52: light

en vacances

i decided to beat the post-vacation blues by uploading and editing our photos. now, if we could be back sipping beer and exploring canada . . .

quebec & montreal, a set on Flickr.

hipstamatic canada

hipstamatic canada, a set on Flickr.