BAKED POTATO IN THE SLOW COOKER

Welcome back. Hope you are doing well and staying away from the unwashed masses.

I know I am.

Today, we are doing the easiest and fasted recipe EVER !!!!

I have a friend who eats out three times a day. I guess he is surviving on take out food.

I have asked him many times why he doesn't cook and take his lunch to work.

"OH, I don't have time to cook..I am so BUSY".......blah blah blah.

Well, dude......You can't say you don't have time for this...

It's a Baked Potato from the SLOW COOKER !!!!!!!

Penny was listening to a food pod cast the other day and they mentioned this method. When she told me about it, I was intrigued.

So I looked around the web thing and came up with this idea.

I decided to try it with one tater in the small cooker we use to keep gravy warm.

What a great way to get a baked tater, without resorting to that infernal RF BOX.

OK, It's really not baked...It's more like 'STEAMED"

But the results are the same IF NOT better.

And it takes about 4 minutes to prepare.

Now tell me you don't have 4 little minutes....

(Pants on fire yet???)

Here is all you do ::::::::::

Take a Potato  (As many as you have room for.)

With a fork, stab that puppy a few times on all sides.

Rub on some EVOO, and Salt them.

Wrap them in Foil.

Place in the Slow Cooker on a small rack or balls of foil.

Cover and set Cooker on Low.

Go play with the president.

Have a refreshing beverage

Come back in 8 hours.

Serve and enjoy.

Went well with Penny's Chicken Caccatorie

 and an Adult Beverage

See how EASY and QUICK that was????

Since all slow cookers are not created equal, I suggest you try this out on a weekend when you are at home. That way, you can adjust accordingly based on your own slow cooker.

I used my handy danger temperature device to keep track of things.

I found that once the tater reached 200 degrees it held there for some time.

I was amazed at how good this tater turned out. Light and fluffy and NOT DRY.

WINNER WINNER, Tater dinner.

Penny said it was the BEST baked tater she has had on 30 years.

Nice compliment.

So the next time you get a hankering for a Baked Tater, give this idea a try.

You can thank me later.

Remember, Eat at HOME !!!!!

Don't be a Craig  !!!!

STAY HOME, STAY SAFE AND STY SMART !!!

Live Long & Prosper

SOUTHERN STYLE SMOTHERED TURKEY WINGS AND GRAVY

Hello fellow cooks, and welcome back !!!

Today marks our FIRST day of a state wide Florida lock down. 

Penny and I have been doing this for about three weeks, so not a lot will change.

Hope you are all well, and holding your heads up. This too shall pass. 

We all have to take some time here to stop and smell the roses. 

Things could be worse.

I remember the great ICE Storm of 1978. I was working the morning show on WTIM Radio near Springfield when it came.

By the time it was done, we were without power for about a month at the station and 10 days at home. And I could tell you all kinds of Generator stories. Let's just say that keeping the radio station on their air during all of that was 'challenging.'

I also remember a winter blizzard that was so bad, they had to get the National Guard to get me to the radio station.

So a lock down, with lots of food and electricity is not that big of a deal.

With all that in mind, STAY HOME !!!  It's a great time to reach out to your friends and family. Call your brothers and sisters. Check on your neighbors. If they are elderly, help them when you can.

Then get your tooshie into the kitchen and cook something !!!!

But first ::::

 Dad always 'shares'

Today we are turning to my favorite You Tube cook. "Cooking With Carolyn" for her recipe

SOUTHERN STYLE SMOTHERED TURKEY WINGS WITH GRAVY

INGREDIENTS :

3½ to 4 Pounds Fresh Turkey Wings, cleaned and pat dry, cut at the joints










 I know, I forgot to CUT THEM - I fixed it later


2 Teaspoons Grand Diamond All Purpose Seasoning







YOU CAN GET HER SEASONINGS ON LINE HERE: 


GRAND DIAMOND SEASONING 

1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning, preferably unsalted
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (optional-I used 1 tsp)







1 Cup plus 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour





1/3 Cup Chopped Celery
1/3 Cup Chopped Onion
1/3 Cup Chopped Bell Pepper
4 Cloves Garlic, finely minced





1½ Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
5½ Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock/Broth
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil for browning

---

Directions from Carolyn :  (My pictures)

Cut, chop and prepare the ingredients before starting the recipe.
Combine and mix the GDS, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. 

Place 1 cup of flour on a plate or in a bowl. Use about half of the seasoning mixture to season the turkey

. (Note: There may be some seasoning left at the end of the recipe and it can be used in other dishes if you did not put your hands directly in it after touching the raw turkey.)
Dredge the seasoned turkey in the flour and tap off the excess, the coating should be thin. Set aside. 

Preheat about ¼ cup of vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or large skillet over medium-high heat. 

Brown the turkey on all sides, about 4 to 6 minutes on each side. 

 I decided to just cut the drumstick joint

(Note: Just brown the turkey, no need to try cooking them all the way through.) Once done drain on a paper towel.
Drain the oil from the Dutch oven/skillet into a ¼ measuring cup to ensure there is enough to start the roux. Pour it back in the Dutch oven/skillet and keep the heat on medium-high heat.

Add and sauté the celery, bell pepper, and onions for about 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Stir in 1/3 cup of flour. 

Continue to cook the roux until it has a golden brown color, about 5 minutes or so. 

(Tip: The longer the roux is cooked the browner it will become and that will determine the color of the entire dish.) 

Add the Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon of the seasoning mixture, and minced garlic.

Sauté for another minute or so. 

Whisk in the chicken stock/broth until there are no lumps. 

Taste the gravy to check the seasoning. Allow the gravy to come up to a slight boil and whisk to ensure there are no lumps then turn off the heat.
At this point you can follow one of the cooking methods below:
1) Dutch Oven- Oven Method
If a large Dutch oven is used, follow the recipe as written. Place the browned turkey wings in the Dutch oven with the gravy, cover with a tight lid and cook at 350 degrees for about 2 hours.
2) Large Skillet- Oven Method
If a large skillet is used, follow the recipe as written. Place the browned turkey wings in the skillet with the gravy, cover with a tight lid and cook at 350 degrees for about 2 hours.
3) Baking Dish- Oven Method
If a baking dish is used, follow the recipe as written using a large skillet. Once the gravy is done pour it into the baking dish and add the browned turkey wings. Cover with a fitted lid or aluminum foil and cook at 350 degrees for about 2 to 2½ hours.
4) Crock Pot Method   (THIS IS THE METHOD WE USED)

If a crock pot is used, follow the recipe as written using a large skillet. Once the gravy is done pour it into the crock pot and add the browned turkey wings. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for about 6 hours. (WE TOOK THE LOW ROAD)

Once the dish is done, if the gravy is too thick for your taste, remove the wings from the gravy, heat up 1 or 1½ cups of chicken stock in the microwave, and whisk it in to thin it out a bit.

(WE DID NOT NEED THIS STEP)

Serve with your favorite rice or mashed potatoes.

  And wine for the boss

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There you go......Easy as can be.

We served this with Rice and a nice Salad.

DOESN'T THAT LOOK GOOD !!!

 

Don't forget the adult beverage   !!!!

I was a bit skeptical of this recipe as Turkey Wings using blow the big one. But I have learned to trust Carolyn's recipes and I don't make a ton of changes. Again, she has knocked it out of the park. (Oh wait - No Sports)

IF I HAD TO DO IT AGAIN 

I might try this gravy with Chicken Thighs. (My favorite) 

So the next time you're at the store, see if they have Turkey Wings. 

They are inexpensive and this recipe really makes them SHINE.

You can thank me later.

We will have another recipe in a few days, so check back with us.

It will either be the best FRIED CHICKEN in the world, or ORANGE RAISIN BREAD. I am making both.

See you soon.

Be well, be happy and BE SMART - - - STAY HOME !!!!!

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

HOW TO MAKE PESTO

Hello friends.

I hope you are all well and staying away from everyone else. 

Together, we can AND WILL get through this time.

In my world, the GOVERNOR of Florida announced that as of midnight tonight, the state of Florida will be on 'lock-down.'

No going out except to obtain necessary items.  Food and beer.

Here at Kill It Cut It Up & Cook It,  we have been sheltering in place for the past two weeks, so this is nothing new for us.

I thought we would take this time to catch up on a TON of recipes that we have not yet talked about.

I did mention the other day that we were going to show you how to make your OWN Pesto.

It's a great addition to many sauces and salads. Many recipes call for it, so here we go.

But first things first.

Ingredients :

4 CLOVES GARLIC

I know there are 3, but use 4

3 CUPS BASIL

 Remove the stems

1 CUP WALNUTS

Put garlic and walnuts in food processor. PULSE

Put on a plate and set aside.

Put basil in the food processor and grind away

Add 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan 

Add the nuts & garlic (They are on the plate you set aside)

 

Add ½ TSP of EVOO and grind

Add ½ TSP of salt and grind

Add another ½ cup of EVOO and grind again

DONE

Put big spoon fulls on a wax covered cookie sheet & freeze..

After they are frozen you can remove them from the cookie sheet and place in plastic bags. Return them to the freezer.

The next time one of our recipes needs pesto, you will have it on hand.

AND YOU MADE IT !!!!!

Or, you can put it in a bowl and use immediately 

It is so easy, and always nice to have when making your sauces.

There you have it. Easy Pesto. You can thank me later,

Coming up on KICIU&CI :

I've been wanting to experiment with some Turkey. I found a 'smothered' Turkey Wing recipe that was just out of this world.

And the boss, gave me a bread baking lesson. 

The low carb diet is ON HOLD...Like life

That's all coming up as we 'hunker down' here in Florida.

At least we have electricity !!

And beer !!!

Be well, be happy, and BE SMART !!

Stay the hell at home !!!!!! 

See you next time.....