Crock Pot Recipe: Chicken Paprikash

DH gives this a 10 out of 10. It kicks some serious booty, and I puffy-heart anything that bubbles in a crock all day long. It makes me hungry all day long when I'm at home with a simmering crock o' deliciousness. No wonder I snarfed all those Trader Joe's Peppermint Candycane Joe Joe's for lunch today. AACK.

Chicken Paprikash
Serves 4

1 lb. chicken breast, sliced into 4" long strips
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 square containers of cremini mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 small red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. salt
pepper, to taste
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. flour

Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Sear the chicken strips. Put them in the crock. Using remaining oil in pan, saute veggies, garlic and paprika for about five minutes. Add the salt and pepper, then put it on top of the chicken in the crock pot. Add the chicken stock and let it simmer on low for five to six hours. Just before ready to serve, mix the flour into the sour cream. (This will prevent the cream from curdling in the hot liquid.) Add the sour cream mixture to the crock, then heat on high for about ten minutes until the liquid thickens.

One of these days, I'm going to try this using smoked paprika. Mmmm...

Serve over some buttered egg noodles, or just put it into a shallow bowl so you can slurp it up like DH does. :)

Autumn-y Things

Autumn is, by far, my favorite season of the year.

I love the leaves, the colors, the smells, the feeling of new school supplies, the taste of fresh apples and the way my shoes feel in new shoes. (Just like when I was growing up, I always buy a new pair of shoes in September.)

Today, I went for a walk around Greenlake with Lorraine. The colors were spectacular. It was warm and sunny, not the usual crisp fall days that I hope for at this time of year. But the sweet, delicious sunshine was everywhere. Charlie was blissed out in his carriage, and I had to take off my hoodie. It was glorious.

This morning, I made my favorite Autumn breakfast: crock pot pumpkin oatmeal. It fills the whole house with this amazing scent as it cooks all night. And I love the textures of rugged oats and smooth, creamy pumpkin. The top bakes up just a pumpkin pie, and the lower part has this toothsomeness to it that can't be beat. Had we not been running late this morning, I'd have made a big pot of Guatemalan coffee to go with it. I love me some Guatemalan blend coffee.