Crock Pot Brunswick Stew
PIN IT!Happy day after Christmas my beautiful friends and fans! How was your holiday? Mine was a blast! I always have so much fun with my family. I don’t think I laugh so hard all year than I do when I’m with them. (or drink and eat so much, but isn’t that what the holidays is all about?)
As much as I love the holidays, I’m so ready to hop back onto the healthy eating train and hopefully fit back into my skinny jeans. And what better way to get back into the swing of real life than with a big bowl of crock pot brunswick stew?
Brunswick stew is a Southern favorite that’s typically made with a real gamey meat, like rabbit or squirrel. Oddly enough, I didn’t have any squirrel or rabbit on hand (WEIRD, right?) so I used chicken. You can use pork or beef, or if you really fancy, you can go outside and shoot yourself a squirrel.
This stew is absolutely PERFECT for a day like today, especially if you’re one of the lucky ones stuck in a blizzard in the Northeast. Not only is this warm, cozy and comforting, it’s SO easy to make. Because I don’t know about y’all, but I need a holiday from the holidays. To give you an example, it’s taken me almost an hour just to type this paragraph. I’m having what you can call Christmas hungover.
If you’re feeling the same way, make a big batch of this stew, curl up on the couch and take another day off. I’m going to go stick my head under the keurig machine to hopefully wake myself up.
Want to know how to make this amazing stew? CHECK OUT THIS SUPER EASY RECIPE!
Nutritional information per 2/3 cup:
Calories: 201
Fat: 2 grams
Carbohydrates: 23.5 grams
Fiber: 8 grams
Protein: 27 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 5
Claire
Tags:brunswick stew, brunswick stew recipes, chicken recipes, crock pot recipes, stew recipes
Crock Pot Hot Cocoa
After yesterday’s indulgent cookie recipe, I thought I’d whip up something a little lighter for you (and mainly Santa) this Saturday. Next to eggnog, hot cocoa is something I really can not get enough of this time of year. And not that weird, powdered stuff you buy for $1 at the grocery store. I’m taking real, homemade, rich, marshmallowy hot chocolate. This year, because I was lucky enough to work with the amazing people at Crock-Pot, I whipped up a batch of my favorite skinny crock pot hot cocoa in a fancy, personalized slow cooker!
That’s my face, ON A CROCK POT! Isn’t that the coolest thing you’ve ever seen? No, well I think so 🙂 I loved it so much I ordered another one for two of my favorite people in this world. I would say who, but I’m pretty sure one of them reads my blog and I don’t want to ruin their Christmas surprise. Now, as cool as the crock-pot is, I know the real reason y’all are here. THIS.
That messy, bubbly, marshmallowy sight in front of your eyes is what dreams are made of. Okay, maybe not YOUR dreams but certainly my dreams. It’s so creamy and rich, with half the fat and calories as normal homemade cocoa. I mean, if that’s not reason enough to make a big batch to drink yourself, I don’t know what is.
If you’re craving something a little more boozy, add some vanilla or whipped cream vodka to this right after it’s done crock potting (it’s a word) for an extra delightful treat. Boozy or as is, this cocoa will warm your heart and soul this (rather frigid) holiday. I’m going to make a few big batches of this on Christmas day to enjoy with my insanely crazy and incredible family as we open up our presents.
I don’t know what I’m more excited about, presents or another big glass of this! 🙂 Happy holidays my amazing friends and fans! If you’re looking for a last minute gift idea, order your own personalized Crock-Pot! You can decorate it with your face (like I did) or with your wedding pictures, NFL team, etc. They are reasonably priced too so they make GREAT gifts!
Crock Pot Hot Cocoa
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 8 -10. Recipe slightly adapted from Budget Savvy Diva.
Prep time: >5 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces low-fat sweetened condensed milk (fat free works too)
- 1 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup light cream
- 3 1/4 cups skim mik
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- Sugar (to add)
- Marshmallows, whipped cream and chocolate chips for garnish
Directions:
- Milk light cream, milk and sweetened condensed milk together in a bowl with a whisk. Pour into your crock pot. Add chocolate chips, cocoa powder and vanilla and mix well.
- Set crock pot to low and heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is warm, about 2 hours. Be sure to stir the cocoa every 30 minutes or so the chocolate doesn’t burn! Add sugar to taste if it’s not sweet enough!
- Serve warm with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate chips!
Nutritional information per cup:
Calories: 250
Fat: 9 grams
Carbohydrates: 35 grams
Fiber: 4 grams
Protein: 7 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 6
Claire
Tags:cocoa recipes, crock pot recipes, holiday recipes, low fat recipes
Dessert Wine Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Do I have a recipe for you today friends! Not to toot my own horn, but these are the best cookies I’ve ever made. They are bakery soft, decadently rich with a subtle hint of fruity sweetness. Now, most chocolate chunk cookies don’t have a fruity sweetness so I bet you’re really confused. Don’t worry, I’ll explain. Why these cookies are so incredible lies in one very special ingredient, dessert wine! Instead of pairing wine with chocolate after the fact, I married them in the batter. Friends, I’d like you to meet the best dessert to hail from my kitchen, dessert wine dark chocolate chunk cookies.
I seriously can not get over how much I love these cookies. Chewy and chocolatey, what more could you want?
The dessert wine I used is a very special kind. The winery I work at, Lost Creek, makes a German style iced wine out of Vidal Blanc grapes called Late Harvest Alyce. The grapes are left on the vine the longest and then are frozen. Not only is this a sweet wine, it has these wonderful flavors of pineapple and pear, which make it such a perfect compliment to chocolate. In the tasting room, we ask guests to sip a glass of this, eat a Hershey’s kiss, and then sip the wine again. The flavor components of the wine completely change once its paired with chocolate. This makes the wine a wonderful pair to such a dark chocolate, chunky cookie.
Now, for those folks who have had this wine know it is quite sweet, so you really don’t need a whole lot of it in the cookie. You get a very subtle hint of wine, but it is not overpowering or very apparent. I did this for one big reason. The cookie on its own is incredible, but once you pair it with the same dessert wine, the flavor is out of this world. Like I advise the guests at the winery, take a bite of the cookie, sip the wine and then take another bite. After you’ve sipped the wine, you’ll really notice the pear, pineapple and sweet wine flavor in the cookie. It’s subtle but after a sip, you’ll really notice it!
As you’ll soon see in the ingredients, these aren’t skinny. Or low-fat, low-carb or low-calorie. Sometimes you just gotta eat a full-fat cookie. But don’t worry, I have two more skinny sweets for Santa lined up this weekend! Just fair warning, give them away as soon as you make them or you may end up eating 15 of them. Not that that happened to me or anything.
Dessert Wine Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 2 dozen. Recipe inspired by How Sweet Eats.
Prep time: >10 minutes
Cook time: About 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Dessert wine
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Dash of salt
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars and dessert wine together, or until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until fully combined. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until fully incorporated. Gently stir in chocolate chunks and chocolate chips.
- Cover dough and let chill for about 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet and repeat, placing dough about 1 inch apart from one another.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until slightly browned. Remove from baking sheet and place on a wire cooling rack.
Nutritional information per cookie:
Calories: 176.79
Fat: 11.75 grams
Carbohydrates: 18.25
Fiber: 1 gram
Protein: 2.4 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 5
Claire
Tags:chunk recipes, cookie recipes, dark chocolate recipe, holiday cookie recipes
Top Chef Food & Wine Giveaway
I am SO addicted to reality cooking competitions. And this month I am glued to Bravo’s Top Chef.
Who Stays? Who Goes? You Decide!
And I don’t just WATCH this show, guys. I pretend I’m on it. I act like a contestant and interact with the TV. Like it’s problematic. Whenever I watch, I end up screaming at the TV, mocking the contestants or oohing and ahhing over what they’ve made. However, in this season, I’ve been more yelling at the TV b/c I think Stefan is pompous as all get out and Josh is a big jerk with a villian mustache. But, wait. That’s not what today’s post is about 🙂 As a Brave Top Chef A-lister, I’m here to talk about last night’s episode AND give you, one lucky reader, a year subscription to the holy bible of food, Food & Wine!
But first, let’s talk last night. If you didn’t watch it, SPOILER ALERT!! Go watch it and come back and leave a comment. If you don’t watch the show, well, I’m sorry. DO IT 🙂 Anyway, so raise your hands if you hate Stefan as much as I do. Well, okay. I don’t HATE him. He’s just really full of himself. I mean, I get it, you own restaurants and jazz, but that doesn’t mean you need to be a big meany head and walk all over people! Sorry, getting off track again. So last night was one of my favorite episodes in the season because of how innovative the quickfire was. They had to make dishes out of food wrapped in reynolds foil (they couldn’t see the food when they picked it) and then had to COOK using reynolds foil! As in, had to assemble pots, pans and collainders out of foil.
[Image via Bravo TV]
That can’t be easy. It was so fun watching them try to make pots out of foil! Could you imagine? I’d lose immediately. One of my favorite contestants, Kristen, won the challenge. She also ended up winning the elimination challenge too! And Danielle, another girl I liked, ended up going home. However, I don’t blame the judges for sending her. She’s very timid and didn’t believe in herself. You’ll never make it out of Top Chef if you are always doubting what you do! The elimination challenge was a little less exciting. They had to make dishes using seasonal berries. Which to me is a walk in the park, however, I can see how you could over think it. Or in John’s case, really just eff it up by making a chorizo stew. Who makes a spicy meat stew with berries?
So, what do you guys think? Who do you think should have gone home? Who is your favorite and least favorite of this season?
Now, time to enter to win a subscription to Food & Wine! Simply enter the prompts below!
Giveaway ends on December 26th, good luck!
Light Cream of Mushroom Soup
There truly is nothing more comforting and cozy than a bowl of creamy soup. Paired with a crispy, crunchy baguette, you really have the world’s best dinner, lunch, snack or even breakfast. The folks at Panera Bread know this all to well and have been making some of the best soup around for years. I’m a HUGE fan of Panera for this very reason. You see, I love soup (if you couldn’t tell by my list of endless soup and stew recipes) and I could probably eat it for every meal. Which is why when Panera asked me to try one of their soups and then create my own recipe using their “Good Goes In” philosophy, I was elated. I also knew exactly what I was going to make, a creamy, delicious bowl of light cream of mushroom soup.
This is one of my all-time favorite soups (despite the fact it’s really hard to photograph). In fact, in college, I would buy cans of it and eat them for every meal. Now that I’m older (and can afford real ingredients), my soup comes from fresh produce, light cream and not an aluminum can. Not talking smack about the canned stuff, but this homemade soup? Blows it out of the water. Like, clear out. The canned soup is in Kansas right now.
In addition to creating our own soup recipe, Panera also asked us to try one of their concoctions. Because I’m an adventurous eater, I went with the broccoli cheddar in a bread bowl. Which is the same thing I get every single time I go there. Yup. Daredevil extraordinaire over here. What can I say though? It’s so cheesy and creamy with just the right amount of broccoli chunks. AND! It’s served in a crispy yet soft bowl of bread. What is not to love here?
As much as I wanted to make my own bread-bowls for this soup, I also wanted it to be a light, low-carb and low-fat entree for those watching their weight. As amazing as bread-bowls are, let’s just say they aren’t exactly low-carb. So, instead I just paired this with a small piece of crunchy baguette.
Which, as any smart person knows, is clearly for use of dipping in the soup (or for mopping up the little bit of creamy soup leftovers from the bowl).
Light Cream of Mushroom Soup
Serves about 6. Recipe adapted from Food.com.
Prep time: >10 minutes
Cook time: About 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup sliced bella mushrooms
- 3/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup light cream
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- Dash of salt
- Dash of pepper
Directions:
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms, garlic and onion. Cook until mushrooms start to soften and are fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Blend in the flour and coat the vegetables. Add the broth and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 – 6 minutes.
- Add in cream, milk and salt and pepper. Heat until soup is thickened, another 5 – 6 minutes.
- Garnish with additional chives and enjoy!
Nutritional information per serving (about 2/3 cup):
Calories: 116
Fat: 9 grams
Carbohydrates: 4.5 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Protein: 2.7 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 3
Disclaimer: I received a gift card for Panera Bread from DailyBuzz Food in exchange for this post. I am also receiving a stipend. All pictures taken and opinions given in the post are my own.
