Crockpot Chicken and Gravy

Summer is here in full force and it has been a never-ending trail of 90+ degree days.  It's so hot that I can barely handle going outside at all.  I usually love to cook on my grill, but that would be downright torture.  So, when it's this hot, I make use of the Crockpot.  It keeps my kitchen cool and leaves me free to sit with my feet up (possibly drinking a daiquiri) instead of manning a hot stove.  Here's a simple, yummy recipe for the Crockpot.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND GRAVY

5 chicken leg quarters (or 10 bone-in pieces such as legs and thighs)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots (or a handful of baby carrots), chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 packet dry chicken gravy mix
salt and pepper

Place chopped celery, carrots and onion in the Crockpot.

Place the chicken on top and season with salt and pepper.

Mix the broth and gravy well and pour on top of the chicken.

Cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours (I did 5 hours).

Be sure the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Skim the grease off the top of the gravy.  If you use skinless chicken you won't have nearly as much excess grease.

Spoon the gravy over the chicken and garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

I like to serve this over rice with biscuits to sop up the gravy!  Yum!

The chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and absolutely delicious!  When you slow cook chicken on the bone, it imparts so much flavor.  The gravy is on the thinner side, I don't like really thick gravy in a dish like this.  It's more like a sauce and goes great over rice or mashed potatoes.

This recipe is so easy and tasty that you just have to try it.  Let me know how it turns out.  Enjoy!

Italian Sausage Gravy with Rigatoni

OK, what do you call the red stuff you pour over pasta?  Sauce or gravy?  I say sauce, my Old School Italian Husband says gravy.  To me (a Cajun girl from the river), gravy is brown and is served over rice.  But, my husband's Italian family swears it's gravy.  So for the sake of argument (or the sake of not arguing), let's call it gravy.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE GRAVY WITH RIGATONI

2 TBS olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/2 an onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth (or water)
1 1/4 cup water
1 lb rigatoni


Cut Italian sausage links into 4 pieces each.

Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Brown sausage on all sides.

Remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.  Drain off excess oil.  Deglace the pan with 1/4 cup broth (or water).  All that means is that you add the broth to the hot pan and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the onions and garlic and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, 1 1/4 cups water, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, Parmesan cheese and sugar.  Bring to a boil.

Return the sausage to the pot.

Reduce to a simmer.  Simmer until the sausage is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rigatoni.  A note about cooking pasta:  make sure you use enough water.  If not, the pasta will be too starchy and stick together.  You need at least 4 quarts of water per pound of pasta, if you have a big enough pot use 6 quarts of water.  Also, salt the water well.  This is the only chance you get to season the pasta.  But, add the salt once the water is boiling.  If you add it before, it takes the water much longer to come to a boil.

Serve the sauce with the rigatoni.

This is a hearty, delicious gravy (sauce).  It's easy to make and tastes way better than anything you get in a jar!  Plus, it is very easy to double if you're feeding a crowd.  It tastes even better leftover.  You can use it as a pizza sauce or put it in a calzone with some cheese.  Give this one a try.  You won't be sorry.

Pork Chops with Apple Butter Gravy

I just adore Autumn.  But, living in South Louisiana, I don't see much of it.  Every now and then we get a glimpse of beautiful Fall weather, like the last few days.  Low humidity, sunshine and cool nights, just glorious!  Most years we get two Summers and head right into Winter.  So, I enjoy these days as much as I can and "Fall It Up".  By that, I mean I sit outside more, add pumpkin to just about everything, take my sweaters out and gaze at them lovingly, and make Fall Food.  This recipe is a great example of Fall Food.

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLE BUTTER GRAVY

4 bone-in pork chops (the bone adds great flavor)
2 TBS canola oil
salt/pepper
ground thyme
2 TBS soy sauce (I like low sodium variety)
2 TBS apple butter
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water

Season the pork chops with salt, pepper and ground thyme on both sides.  Let them sit out on the counter for about 15 minutes (by taking the chill off the meat, it will cook more evenly and be more tender).  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add canola oil.  Brown the pork chops on each side (about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness).  Remove to a plate and set aside.  With the skillet still on medium-high heat, add the water and scrape the bottom of the pan to get up the bits of meat stuck to the bottom (flavor!).  Add soy sauce and apple butter.  Let this simmer (lower the heat a bit) for a few minutes.  Then, add the chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste (be careful because the soy and broth can be salty).  Return the pork chops to the skillet and let them simmer in the gravy for 10 minutes (flip them over halfway through).

That's it!  Super easy and so delicious.  This dish definitely tastes like Fall!  The pork goes so well with the sweet and spice of the apple butter.  Fall on a plate!